GENDER ROLES AND FAMILY VALUES AS CORRELATE OF GIRL-CHILD EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN IKWERRE ETHNIC GROUP OF RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

This study investigated gender roles and family values as correlate of girl-child educational development in Ikwerre ethnic group of Rivers State, Nigeria. Employing a correlational research design, the research focused on a population of 265,400 parents comprising of 152800 men and 112600 women from four communities across two Local Government Areas: Obio/Akpor (Rumuodomaya and Choba) and Port Harcourt (Rumuokwuta and Ogbunabali). A two-stage sampling method was used to select 400 participants, including 225 fathers and 175 mothers, based on the Taro Yamane formula. Data collection involved two self-structured questionnaires: the Girl-Child Gender Roles and Family Values Questionnaire (G-CGRFVQ) and the Girl-Child Educational Development Questionnaire (G-CEDQ), both validated by experts with reliability coefficients of 0.76 and 0.78. Out of 400 distributed copies, 241 were returned, yielding a 60.25% return rate. The study employed statistical methods, including mean, standard deviation, and regression analyses, to address the research questions. Specific hypotheses were tested using multiple regression with analysis of variance (ANOVA) at a 0.05 significance level, supplemented by simple regression with t-tests to establish joint correlation significance. Findings revealed that in Ikwerre ethnic group, gender roles (20.7%) and family values (14.6%) individually have limited correlation to girl-child educational development but their combined effect (30.6%) is moderate, highlighting the need for increased support. It was therefore concluded and recommended that comprehensive reforms addressing educational policy, community engagement, and targeted educational programmes providing mentorship and tutoring support for disadvantaged girls are essential to improve girl-child education in Ikwerre ethnic group of Rivers State, Nigeria.