PERCEIVED CAUSES OF SECONDARY SCHOOL DROPOUT IN BAYELSA STATE, NIGERIA
1Fidelis A.E. Paki & 2Sunday Akpoebidor Oduru
1Department of Political Science, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island 560001, Nigeria,
2Department of Educational Management, 1000 N West Street Suite 1200 Wilmington, DE 19801, South America University, Delaware, USA,
Email: paki_fae@yahoo.com; odurusuny2016@gmail.com
Abstract: This study examined the perceived causes of secondary school dropout in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design, which is a form of descriptive research. A random sample of 150 respondents including 50 parents, 50 teachers from 5 public secondary schools, and 50 known dropout students in the Yenagoa metropolis were drawn for the study and a 20-item structured questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.80 were used for data collection. Data collected were analyzed using statistical tool of frequency, mean and standard deviation. The findings were that parents’ background, lack of physical infrastructures in schools, unexpected personal problems of students, and indiscipline, crime and drug abuse are the causes of students’ secondary school dropout. This has negative effects on the socio-political and economic life of residents of the state, by dropouts contributing to increasing number of illiterates, criminals, unemployed, living in poverty, unhealthy, manual laborers, engaged in prostitution, drug selling, smuggling, robbery and general backwardness in the future educational development of the state. It was therefore recommended that government should make educational policies that will have broad financial sponsorship scope in order to avoid the negative socio-political and economic effects of dropouts on the society.
Keywords: Bayelsa State; Nigeria; Perceived causes; Secondary school dropout