FAMILY DYNAMICS AND PARENTING PROBLEMS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN UYO METROPOLIS OF AKWA IBOM STATE

This study was carried out to investigate family dynamics and parenting problems of secondary school students in Uyo Metropolis of Akwa Ibom State. Three research questions and three null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The survey design was adopted for the study. The population of 7412 students (2016/2017 academic session) with a sample of 200 students selected from 4 public secondary schools within the study area. A researcher – made questionnaire called “Family Dynamics and Parenting Problems of Secondary School Students Questionnaire (FDPPSSQ)” was used to elicit data from respondents. The research instrument has a 4-point rating scale. The Pearson Product Moment (PPM) Correlation Coefficient of 0.87 ascertained the reliability of instrument for use in the study. After the administration, scoring and collation of the instrument, the data obtained were subjected to Independent t-test. All the null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Based on the result of this study, it is concluded that Secondary School students' in Uyo Metropolis Area differ significantly in terms of parenting problem based on parent-child relationship, parent level of education and family size of students. It is recommended that Seminars, workshops, and symposia on family size should be organized for parents. This will make them aware of family size as it influences secondary school students, thus parents will also control the family size through birth control mechanisms.