The impact on the relationship between type of school and dropout rate in Urhobo rural areas of Nigeria
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between primary school dropouts and the type of schools found in the rural areas of the Delta State, Nigeria. In addition, the research contrasted the views of the dropout students and their parents with those of the nondropout students and their parents concerning the factors that caused students to leave school prematurely. The research also examined the perceptions of headmasters and teachers concerning the reasons why students dropped out of elementary school. The approach used for this research was qualitative and involved 178 participants: 48 dropout students, 50 nondropout students, 25 teachers, 5 principals (headmasters), 25 parents of dropout students, and 25 parents of nondropout students. Data were gathered and triangulated through questionnaires, interviews, and document examination. The findings showed that the major problem that augmented the dropping out of elementary school students was the inability of their parents to support them financially and emotionally in this effort. This finding was corroborated by the headmasters who indicated that the poor economic condition of the parents was the main reason why students left school. The second principal reason students left primary school in rural Nigeria was the lack of support from the school system itself and involved teacher indifference, inadequate materials and books, overcrowded conditions, a lack of highly skilled faculty, and an absence of remedial programs. Several conclusions were drawn from this study. The first set of conclusions are that the dropout rate in Nigerian schools rests on a complex of factors that involve the child, school, home, and the immediate community. Other conclusions have to do with the state and central government's funding of primary education in an adequate manner, so that universal literacy can be increased and the economic status of Nigeria can be improved.
Subject Area
School administration|Elementary education
Recommended Citation
Aganbi, Isaac Ataphiaminyo, "The impact on the relationship between type of school and dropout rate in Urhobo rural areas of Nigeria" (1998). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI9830589.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI9830589
