THE EFFECTS OF PARENTAL ABSENCE ON PUPILS' EMOTIONAL GROWTH AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS IN SOCIAL STUDIES: A STUDY IN BWARI AREA COUNCIL, FCT ABUJA

The study examined the impact of parental absence on the emotional development, and academic achievement of pupils in Social Studies in Bwari Area Council, FCT Abuja. The adopted the cross sectional survey design. The population of the study comprised of 15,652 (M= 8,721 and F= 6,931) and 426 teachers, making a total population of 16,07. A sample of 15 primary schools out of 59 primary schools with two hundred (200) pupils and one fifty (50) teachers were drawn and used for the study through simple random sampling and purposive techniques. The instrument used for data collection was self-constructed titled “Parental Absence on Emotional Development and Achievement Questionnaire (PAEDIAQ). The 31 items questionnaire was validated by tow experts one from test and measurement and the other from Social Studies Education, all from University of Jos. The data collected were analysed with mean and standard deviation for all the research questions, while Pearson correlation coefficient and Chi-square statistics were used to test the hypotheses formulated. The result revealed that parental absence impact on primary five pupils’ academic achievement in Social Studies in Bwari Area Council, FCT. It was also found that that there is a significant difference between parental absence and emotional development of pupils in Bwari Area Council, FCT Abuja. The study recommended that parents should play a leading role in supporting, monitoring, mentoring and evaluating their children’s emotional behaviour early in life for their children’s wellbeing.