Perception Of Drug Use And Abuse On Students Behaviour In Public Secondary Schools
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PROJECT MATERIAL
Perception Of Drug Use And Abuse On Students Behaviour In Public Secondary Schools
ABSTRACT
This study was done to determine the impact of drug usage and abuse on student behaviour in public secondary schools in Lagos State.
The first chapter detailed the study’s backdrop, which included the problem statement, research questions, research hypothesis, study significance, study purpose, delimitation, limitations, and term definition.
Chapter two included a review of related literature on the incidence of drug use and abuse among Nigerian students, as well as categories of drug abuse, causes of drug abuse, indications and symptoms of drug abuse, the effects of drug abuse, and drug abuse theories.
The third chapter describes the methodologies and procedures used in the study. Topics covered include research design, study population, sample and sampling methodology, research instrument validity and reliability, data collection, data analysis, and a pilot study. The fourth chapter presents data analysis and discussion of findings.
The data collected was analysed and processed using chi-square (x2) statistics with three degrees of freedom and a significance level of 0.05 for hypothesis that were rejected and thus significant, while one hypothesis was accepted and thus not significant.
Based on the results, the following recommendations were made:
1. All public secondary schools in Lagos State should have enough and effective guidance and counselling departments.
2. Adequate medical facilities should be given for emergencies, and the medical histories of all kids enrolled in the institutions should be documented.
3. The Lagos State Government should organise part-time vocational education for pupils in public secondary schools to minimise boredom and help them develop their talents.
4. Students should only be permitted to see films rated PG.
5. School officials should ensure that no pupil is disappointed by their inability to do well in class and reach expected standards.
6. The community and parents should adhere to accepted moral norms in order to constructively affect the young, who copy the elders in all aspects.
7. The Ministry of Education should ensure that drugs are not widely accessible to pupils; the premise is that if the substance is freely accessible, the desire to abuse increases compared to when it is difficult to obtain.
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study.
Drug misuse is one of the most common risk-taking behaviours among teenagers and young people in secondary schools. Despite widespread concern and education regarding psychoactive chemicals, self-medication, and illicit drug use, many adolescents are unaware of the negative consequences.
Drug use dates back to the beginning of humanity, when people utilised herbs, roots, barks, leaves, and other plant materials to treat pain and control disease. When medications are delivered correctly, they become a blessing for humans.
It should be emphasised, however, that some medicines generate attractive side effects such as a sensation of well-being, joy, peace, and power, thus what began as a means of relaxation has morphed over time into a problem of reliance and misuse. (Karechrio,1996).
A drug is defined as a substance that is intentionally injected into the body to alter natural bodily activities. Drug misuse refers to the continued excessive use of drugs or substances for any reason other than their permitted medicinal purpose.
The effects of drugs on student behaviour have been reported. According to Kaire (2005), drug misuse has been highlighted as a major cause of discontent in public secondary schools, resulting in low exam performance and a large dropout rate.
Tabifor (2000) states that drug addiction fosters aggression by giving the abuser a false sense of greatness and power. Curiosity, social pressure, and peer group influence are believed to be the key causes of substance abuse. Most students in public secondary schools begin by experimenting with “GATEWAYDRUGS” like tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana.
Drug abuse also refers to the use of any drug, usually self-administered, in a manner that deviates from accepted medical patterns or with a given culture, in which case the use of medically prescribed pharmaceuticals like as barbiturates to induce Dulphoria in social situations would be considered drug abuse.
Drugs commonly abused as stimulants include amphetamines, sedatives, and tranquillizers such as barbiturates, Valium, and Mandrase Hauvelnogens. These medications have not only a minor modifying effect, but they can also be hazardous.
According to the World Drug Report (2011), 190 million people worldwide take drugs and alcohol, with youngsters being the majority. According to Bennet et al. (1991), the most commonly consumed substances among adolescents (boys and girls) worldwide are alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana.
According to Njuki (2004), many challenges confronting Africa, such as drug misuse, are not being addressed with the seriousness they deserve. He saw an increase in illicit drug trafficking and drug abuse in Africa. Cannabis, methaqualone, heroin, and alcohol are among the substances used across Africa.
Furthermore, heroin injection has raised concerns because intravenous drug use contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS (Njuki, 2004). The Ministry of Education (1996) implemented efforts to enhance boys’ and girls’ health and well-being.
They implemented regular health checks in all schools and the prevention of drug and alcohol use. Within its institution. Furthermore, the Ministry of Education has established advice and counselling sections in schools to deal with cases of guiding and counselling students who are victims of undesired behaviour (Ministry of Education, 1996).
In Nigeria, earlier studies on student drug use were largely hospital-based and limited to specific regions of the country; however, in the last 10 – 15 years, such studies have taken the form of field work using epidemiology techniques to provide more comprehensive information on the types, patterns of use, and psychosocial correlates of drug use and abuse among secondary school students.
According to such research, alcohol, hypnosedatives, tobacco, and psychostimulants are the most widely misused substances, with different prevalence rates for both overall and specific drug usage.
For example, in Ilorin, Nigeria, the lifetime prevalence of drug usage among secondary pupils ranged between 1.5% (for tobacco) and 57% for psychostimulants.
In Sokoto, the stated prevalence percentages for secondary school pupils were 10.9% – 17.8% and 19.5% – 50.7%. Some authors in the country have raised the possibility of students underreporting their substance use habits, particularly illicit ones.
For example, in a study in the southwest of Nigeria, it was discovered that, while cannabis-related psychiatric disorders are common among students in Nigerian psychiatric clinics, substance use studies in the country have reported low cannabis use among secondary school students. This could be due to denial owing to legal ramifications from its use.
Lagos, Nigeria’s former capital, remains the country’s most populous city, and since the work of anymonys over three decades ago, changes that may increase the risk of substance use among school students have occurred, including a surge in population, an increase in the number of street youths (mostly secondary school dropouts) known as “area boys,” and an attendant high crime rate.
Despite these chronic psychosocial difficulties in Lagos, there is a lack of contemporary literature on drug usage among secondary school pupils in the city.
The purpose of this study is to analyse the impact of drug use and abuse on student behaviour in Lagos State’s public secondary schools. To learn about the different sorts of drugs and when they are considered abused. Highlight some of the causes of drug use and misuse, and how they affect public secondary school pupils.
Statement of the Problem
Recent developments in student attitudes in secondary schools reveal that deviant behaviour is the result of pupils using drugs. Truancy, absenteeism, cultism, hooliganism, and bullying are prevalent in these cadres or schools. Public secondary schools engage in school-to-school street fighting, and the researcher questions the impact of drugs.
The purpose of the study
The primary goal of the study is to investigate the impact of drug usage and abuse on student behaviour.
Research Questions
The following research question will be developed for this study.
1. How would drug usage affect gangsterism among secondary school students?
2. How will drug abuse effect the health of secondary school students?
3. Will drug usage lead to kids engaging in aggressive behaviour?
4. To what extent will self-medication impair the health of secondary school students?
5. Will drug usage lead to hooliganism in secondary schools?
Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses were tested during this investigation.
1. Drug misuse will have no major effect on gangsterism among secondary school students.
2. Drug misuse will have no substantial effect on the health of secondary school students.
3. Drug misuse will not considerably increase pupils’ aggressive behaviour in secondary schools.
4. Self-medication will have no substantial effect on the health of secondary school kids.
5. Drug misuse will not have a big impact on hooliganism among secondary pupils.
Significance of the Study
1. The outcomes of this study may provide public secondary schools in Lagos State with information on the effects of drug usage and abuse on student behaviour.
2. This study may serve to raise awareness about how drug usage affects the health of students and individuals.
3. The findings of this study may inform students and teachers on the impacts of self-medication, drug abuse, and the utility of prescribed drugs.
Limitation of the Study
The original scope of this study was very broad due to the large number of public secondary schools in Lagos state, but it has been narrowed to some selected public schools in the Yaba and Shomolu local government areas, which are CMS Girls Grammar School, Lagos City College Yaba, Lagos, Onike Junior Girls High School, Wesley Girls High School, and Akoka Junior High.
The study used a questionnaire and a survey method, with an inferential statistical analysis using chi square (x2).
The limitations of the study
Some students’ refusal to complete the questionnaire jeopardised the study, but they eventually answered after being persuaded.
Definitions of Terms
Drug: A substance other than food that is purposefully injected into the body to alter normal physiological function.
Drug abuse is defined as the persistent and excessive use of a drug or substance for any cause other than its permitted medical purpose.
Guidance and counselling is a method that teaches pupils how to avoid sins such as drug usage and live responsible lives in secondary schools.
Illegal Drugs: Any substance that the government considers damaging to society’s mental and physical health, the use of which is prohibited by law; examples include bhang, heroin, cocaine, and so on.
Legal drugs: Any potentially deadly substances that are not illegal to consume or distribute.
Peer pressure is the requirement to conform to the values and standards of one’s peers.
Prevalence denotes the frequency with which the substances are utilised in the sample schools.
Preventive Approaches: Refers to advice and counselling programs implemented by the counselling department to raise drug awareness about the dangers of drug misuse in order to deter students from engaging in drug abuse and so minimise the incidence of student behaviour.
Preventive education is the deliberate use of educational techniques to address the issue of drug misuse and its harmful consequences.
Risk-taking is defined as engaging in behaviour that endangers a student’s health or life.
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic