THE INFLUENCE OF FAMILY INSTABILITY ON THE COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN AKOKO SOUTH WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA ONDO STATE

THE INFLUENCE OF FAMILY INSTABILITY ON THE COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN AKOKO SOUTH WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA ONDO STATE

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The development of human is commonly described in terms of periods. Approximate age ranges are given for the periods to provide a general idea of when they begin and end. Larson (2002) argued that adolescence development (a period of transition between childhood and adulthood) involves biological, cognitive, and social-emotional changes. According to Bamisaye (1998), the family is the bedrock of attitude and value formation, both positively and negatively. The family is a primary socializing agent for the child both overtly and covertly. The child first learns his social roles through imitation of the older siblings and later, through internalized patterns and principles of behavior in the family. Bamisaye (1998), referred to the family as the place where the child first learns the appropriate behavior patterns, values, attitudes, norms and folkways of the society. All these are known to influence the socialization process in significant ways resulting in different patterns of behavior and consequently in their personality.
Early cognitive development is a crucial indicator of developmental health, as it is associated with later educational and occupational attainment as well as health and wellbeing (Batty, Deary, Schoon, 2008). What happens to children early in their lives is critical for their future development 8-10. A major risk factor undermining children’s cognitive development is family poverty, in particular persistent poverty and adverse living conditions. In recent years family instability has become recognized as a further salient risk factor affecting children’s development. Poverty and family instability are closely interlinked, as poverty affects families economically and socially, as well as on an emotional level. Economic hardship, for example, has been associated with greater risk for relationship break-up. While the effects of both poverty and family structure on child development are well established, there is less knowledge about their relative impact on children’s outcomes (Richards, Black, & Mishra, 2009).
In the mid-to-late 1980s, a few researchers speculated that the more transitions in family structure a child experiences, the worse would be his or her adjustment. Transitions may include parents’ separation, a cohabiting romantic partner’s move into, or out of, the home of a single parent, the remarriage of a single (non-cohabiting) parent, or the disruption of a remarriage. The underlying concept was that children and their parents, whether single or partnered, form a functioning family system and that repeated disruption of this system may be more distressing than its long-term continuation. According to this research, repeated movements of parents and their partners and spouses in and out of the child’s household could produce a series of short-term crises that could reduce a child’s capacity for normal development. Even if no crises ensue, multiple transitions could undermine a child’s sense of security and trust which could, in turn, affect the child’s emotional development. Stable single-parent households or stepfamilies, in contrast, do not require that children adjust repeatedly to the loss of co-resident parents and parent-figures or the introduction of cohabiting partners and stepparents (Furstenberg and Seltzer 1986; Brody, Neubaum, and Forehand 1988).
Work by Wu and his colleagues focused on sexual activity and early childbearing, outcomes most often observed in mid-to-late adolescence. Other studies focusing on behavioral and cognitive outcomes salient to early and middle childhood and early adolescence have produced findings that are also consistent with the instability hypothesis, although few are nationally representative and none employ a two-generation design with data collected on the first generation prior to the second generation’s birth. In an Australian sample, children who experienced at least one transition in family structure during early childhood were more likely to have elevated levels of behavior problems by age five, regardless of mother’s marital status at birth (Najman, Behrens, Andersen, Bor, O’Callaghan, and Williams 1997). Studies of children in elementary school found that children who experienced two or more transitions were more likely to show disruptive behavior at school, to have poorer emotional adjustment, and to have lower grades and achievement scores compared to children who experienced no transitions or one transition (Kurdek, Fine, and Sinclair 1995, Martinez and Forgatch 2002). And among middle school and high school students observed longitudinally, experiencing more than one transition in family structure was associated with a higher likelihood of dropping out of school (Pong and Ju 2000).

Statement of the Problems
Family instability is said to be a social problem because it affects a significant number of people especially in modern times. So many people see family instability as a villain at the root of our social problem, especially juvenile delinquency which eventually lead to criminal acts. The increase in non-marital births and mixed families in Nigeria has subsequently brought increased attention on how family instability can affect child development (Fomby and Cherlin, 2007; Osborne et al., 2007; Craigie et al., 2010). However, as Bernal (2008) points out, the question of what determines children’s cognitive achievement and the role that parental time and goods play remains largely unresolved. In addition, despite a wide range of research on school quality and its impact on student achievement, there is a disagreement about the impact of school quality on student achievement (Fryer and Levitt 2006; Hanushek and Rivkin, 2006) as well as about the growth of the racial achievement gap over developmental stages (Clotfelter, Ladd, and Vigdor, 2009).
The instability of family structure has become an increasingly salient part of children’s lives in the Nigeria over the past half-century. During this period, as is well-known, divorce rates increased (Cherlin 1992), as did the prevalence of nonmarital cohabitation, which is less stable than marriage (Bumpass and Lu 2000). Moreover, cohabitation and marriage appear to be more unstable in the United States than in most other developed countries; and a relatively high percentage of American children experience transitions into single-parent families and stepfamilies (Andersson, 2002; Heuveline, Timberlake and Furstenberg 2003).
Children who experience multiple transitions in family structure fare worse developmentally than children raised in stable two-parent families and perhaps even than children raised in stable, single-parent families. However, children are affected by disruption and changes in family structure as much as (or even more than) by the type of family structures they experience. Children, it would imply that a child born to a single parent might be as well off, or perhaps even better off, if the parent did not cohabit or remarry.
In previous studies on the effects of family instability, potential endogeneity problems are not clearly addressed, resulting in biased estimation results. Couples who experience relationship transitions may be systematically different from those who are stable in their relationship in terms of their preferences and unobserved characteristics that could have an effect on a child’s outcomes. Also, a child’s initial skill endowment and unobserved characteristics of a mother and father can influence parental investment decisions. Also, recent economic literature emphasizes the cumulative nature of child development (Todd and Wolpin, 2007). However, this point has not been properly considered in the above mentioned previous studies. However, the study aim at investigating the influence of family stability on the cognitive development of secondary school students in Akoko South West Local Government Area, Ondo State.

Purpose of the Study
The aim of the study is to investigate the influence family instability on the cognitive development of secondary school students in Akoko South West Local Government Area, Ondo State. However, the specific aim of the study is to:
1. Examine the level of family instability among secondary school students?
2. Examine the influence of family instability on cognitive development among secondary school students?
3. Examine the difference between male and female secondary school student on cognitive development?
4. Examine the influence of family instability on academic performance of secondary school students?

Research Questions
The study was guided by the following research questions:
1. What is the level of family instability among secondary school students?
2. What is the influence of family instability on cognitive development among secondary school students?
3. What is the difference between male and female secondary school student on cognitive development?
4. What is the influence of family instability on academic performance of secondary school students?

Research Hypotheses
1. There is no significant difference between family instability and cognitive development among secondary school students
2. There is no significant difference between male and female secondary school student on cognitive development
3. There is no significant difference between family instability and academic performance of secondary school students

Significance of the Study
In light of increasing numbers of children from unstable family and higher scrutiny of student achievement, this study was very timely and relevant. The topic was worthy of investigation because the field of education needs constant and current information about why certain students fail to achieve academically. When researchers finally articulate the exhaustive list of student characteristics that advance academic achievement and the exhaustive list of student characteristics that inhibit academic achievement, then educators can take specific, purposeful actions to close achievement gaps and ensure that all students succeed. Though this study will not be able to mend broken homes or create perfect family relationships, it can provide insights to help teachers bridge academic gaps. In turn, this can empower struggling students from a particular subgroup to succeed in school. The findings of this study primarily aid educators, parents, and students. The results have the potential to affect the practice of educators and the actions of parents. If educators know how to best meet the needs of a particular subgroup of students, they will not devote time and other increasingly limited resources to unproductive intervention strategies. The same is true for parents. Beyond application to educators, parents, and students, the results of this study have the potential to impact the way in which Nigerians view family structure.
For academic purposes, it will serve as literature review for students and researchers that want to further on this topic. This study will also enable government to embark on programmes and also take adequate steps that will help in eliminating family instability. Finally, it will help individuals to handle and take care of their families even when they are finding it difficult, since understanding is the best solution to problems.

Delimitation of the Study
The study is limited to government secondary schools located in Akoko South West Local Government Area, Ondo State.

Operational definition of Terms
Achievement gap – This study refers to an alleged achievement gap between students from unstable families and students from stable families.
Blended family – A blended family is defined as one that is comprised of two parents, one male and one female, cohabitating in a marital relationship, but one or more of the parents is not the biological parent of one or more children in the family. This term will also be referred to as a stepfamily.
Extended relative only family – This family structure is defined as one in which neither biological parent resides in the home where their children live with extended relatives such as grandparents, aunts, or uncles.
Family cohesion –family cohesion is the “emotional bonding” between family members.
Family resources – Family resources are resources that a family has access to including, but not limited to, financial means, emotional support, and social capital.
High achievement – is the level of performance that is higher than one would expect for students of the same age, grade, or experience.
Nontraditional family – A nontraditional family is defined as one that is not comprised in its entirety by two biological parents (or adoptive parents from birth), one male and one female, cohabitating in a marital relationship.
Parental Education – Parental education refers to the highest level of formal education attained by a parent.
Parental Involvement – Parental involvement is determined by the degree to which a parent participates in aspects of a child’s life. This includes, but is not limited to, educational experiences.
Parenting style – Parenting style is the set of beliefs, values, and actions primarily utilized during the child-rearing process.
Single-mother family – A single-mother family is one in which a child resides for a majority of the time with the biological mother (or adoptive mother from birth).
Single-father family – A single-father family is one in which a child resides for a majority of the time with the biological father (or adoptive father from birth).
Traditional family – A traditional family is defined as one that is comprised in all its entirety by two biological parents (or adoptive parents from birth), one male and one female, cohabitating in a marital relationship.
Family Instability: This implies to the period when the marriage institution is threatened as a result of conflict in the value that guide the institution. It is the same as family instability.
Broken Homes – This is when the husband and wife ceases to stay together and stopped being recognized as husband and wife.
Single Parenthood – This is the outcome of a broken home. This is when either the father or the mother solely caters for the upbringing and well-being of the children. The father or mother plays the roles of both parents alone with his/her children.
Matrimonial Home – This is the same thing as marriage. This is a home of a married couple with or without children.
Step-Parent – This is children or child that have lost his/her biological parents and is being taken care of by another parent(s).

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