Marital Disharmony and Academic Adjustment of Secondary School Students in Uyo Local Education Committee

Abstract

This study aimed at determining the relationship between marital disharmony and academic adjustment of secondary school students in the Uyo Local Education Committee. Two purposes and two research questions guided the study. A correlational survey design was adopted for the study, while the population of this study consisted of all 6,603 senior secondary two (SS2) students in the fifteen (15) public secondary schools in the study area. A sample size of 378 Senior Secondary Two (SS2) students was selected for the study, representing 5 percent of the study population, using Taro Yamane sampling formulas. A self-structured questionnaire titled “Marital Disharmony and Academic Adjustment of Secondary School Students Questionnaire (MDAASSSQ)" was used for data collection. Data generated were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) statistics, and the finding revealed a very high positive and significant relationship between communication issues in marriage, financial disagreement, and the academic adjustment of secondary school students in the study area. A conclusion was drawn from the findings, and the researchers recommended, among other things, that husbands and wives should strive to maintain a friendly, happy, and peaceful family environment, avoiding painful conflicts that could lead to emotional and behavioural problems affecting students’ academic adjustment.