PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT OF BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY ON EDUCATIONAL MOTIVATION AND PERFORMANCE OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL PUPILS IN POTISKUM, YOBE STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

This study examined the Psychological Influence of Boko Haram Insurgency on Academic Motivation and Performance of Senior Secondary School Students in Potiskum, Yobe State, Nigeria. Six objectives, six research questions and six hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study was 3885 male and female SS II students, and a sample of 136 students who were victims of Boko haram insurgency and 164 non-victims students making a total of 300 students were used as sample size for this study. The study employs ex-post facto design. Three research instruments were used to collect data; Psychological Influence of Boko Haram Insurgency scale which measure anxiety and traumatic stress with respect to Boko haram insurgency; Academic Motivation scale; English language Achievement test and Mathematic achievement test. The Academic Motivation scale and the Influence of insurgency scale were face validated and had reliability of .866 and .675 respectively after pilot testing while English Language Achievement Test and Mathematic Achievement Test has a reliability coefficient of

.812 and .769 respectively. Simple percentages, frequency, mean, standard deviation, and Pearson product moment correlation and also independent t-test statistics was used to analyze the data collected. The findings revealed that there is significant, negative relationship between Anxiety and Academic Motivation of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency (r=-.398, p =.003); there is significant, negative relationship between Anxiety and Academic performance of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency (r=-.548, p =.001); there is significant, negative relationship between Traumatic stress and Academic motivation of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency (r=-.468, p =.001);  there is also a significant, negative relationship between Traumatic stress and Academic Performance of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency (r=-.465, p =.000). Similarly, there is significant difference in the academic performance of senior secondary school students who are victims and those who not victims of Boko haram insurgency (t=8.912, p=.000); there is also significant difference in the in the academic motivation of  senior secondary school students who are victims and those who not victims of Boko haram insurgency (t=6.759, p=.000).The study therefore recommends that, teachers and school administrators should pay more attention to traumatized students when teaching and refer them to school psychologist and counsellors where necessary, the students should also be motivated; Students who experiences traumatic stress and high level of anxiety should be given relevant therapy; Conducive atmosphere should be provided by government to improve security in schools and enhance teaching and learning, this will go a long way in reducing the traumatic stress and anxiety; and also there is need for Non-Governmental organization to provide mental health and psychosocial support for affected individuals especially those that are traumatized.

 

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Globally, theincidence of insurgency has drastically increased. According to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI, 2014), from the year 2000 to 2013, there have been an estimate of over 107,000 lives lost as a result of insurgent activities. In 2013 alone, there was an approximate of 18,000 deaths. The significant majority of this insurgent activities occurred in five countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and Syria.Consequently, these five countries have experienced a dramatic increase in the loss of life in 2013 as a result of insurgencies with fatality reaching 14,722 collectively.The 2014 Global Terrorism Report revealed that Nigeria has had the fourth highest number of death over the last five years.Going by the GTI (2015) ranking, Nigeria is only better than two Middle East countries: Iraq and Afghanistan who were ranked first and second respectively. The latest GTI (2016) ranking revealed that there was a little decline in the number of people killed as a result of insurgent attacks in Nigeria.Thus, the peace enjoyed by some parts of the world is currently being threatened by insurgencies.

Nigeria as a country has witnessed several forms of insurgency since

independence.Olowoselu (2014) stated that, before the declaration of amnesty for Niger Delta youths by the Nigerian Government in 2008, the NigerDelta region had militant groups such as Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta(MEND), Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), and Niger Delta People VolunteerForce (NDPVF). These militant groupslaunched agitation against crude oil spillage, poverty andmarginalization of the Niger Delta people of the South-South region of Nigeria.Similarly, in the Northern part of the country insurgent groups like the “Maitatsine” and most recently the Boko Haram used violence to kill many citizens in the country.

Recently, Nigeriahas witnessed high spate of insurgency especially in the northern states by the Boko Haram insurgent group. The BokoHaram also known as “Jama‟atu AhlusSummah lid-da wal Jihad” is a strong pseudo-Islamist terrorist group in North-eastern Nigeria. Musa (2011) stated that the Boko haram has been in existence since 2001 but did not become popular until 2009 when they participated actively in the sectarian violence in Northern Nigeria. The name Boko Haram is a statement in Hausa language, which upon translation into English means “Western education is sinful or prohibited” (Patrick & Felix, 2013).

This group is opposed to everything that is of Western origin, most especially Western education and its ideologies and systems. Boko Haram opposes not only western education but western culture and modern science as well. Yakubu (2012) stated that the Boko Haram insurgent group has unleashed terror and fear in the minds of every Nigeria.

There is wanton destruction of Schools, government properties, bombing of churches, Mosques and other public places, assassination of prominent individuals, and kidnapping occasioned by sporadic shooting of innocent citizens.

A closer look at what insurgency means will give a clear understanding of the discourse at hand. According to Anold (2013) insurgency is when a group of individuals rise in forcible opposition to lawful authority, especially when it engages in armed resistance to a government or to the execution of its laws. It is when a group of people attempts to take control of their country or part of their country by force. In the words of David (2013) insurgency is “an organized resistant movement that uses subversion, sabotage, and armed conflict to achieve its aims”. Insurgencies normally seek to overthrow the existing social order and reallocate power within the country through the use of violence. This uprising normally leads to destruction of life and properties, thereby instilling fear into the life of the citizens, leading to indices like anxiety and trauma.

Consequently, the attacks on schools by Boko Haram may affect the student‟s attention to learn, interests and their performance. Learning is an adaptive process in which the tendency to perform a particular behavior is changed by experiences (Martin, Carlson & Buskit, 2012 p. 266). In other words, we learn from experiences. Pleasant and unpleasant experiences affect our behavior.  Learning is a process that entails many issues. The most potent of these issues is motivation, which may be defined as an internal state that arouses, directs and maintains behavior. Motivation is anything that energizes and directs behaviour toward a goal (Eggen & Kauchak 2014). It is an inner desire and drive required for successful performance. Thus, it is seen as a pre-requisite of and a necessary element for student engagement in learning.

A child may have the innate ability to learn but may be underachieving academically simply because his/her academic motivation is low. Pintrich and Zusho (2007) defined academic motivation as any internal or external processes that instigate and sustain academic activities. Students‟ academic motivation may affect the basic learning process and can affect academic performance. Academic performance connotes performance in school subject as symbolized by a score on an achievement test. Learning is most commonly measured through testing that occurs in school settings.

Generally, the attacks on schools by Boko haram instill fear in people‟s mind which may lead to psychological problems like anxiety and traumatic stress.From early childhood to adulthood, shocks can change the way we analyze ourselves, the environment around us, processing of information, our behavior and our response to others (Sarason, 2009). If the environment of the students, in their academic and social setting, would set a positive mood that would lead to learning, then the probability of attaining good academic performance would be close at hand.

Anxiety is an adaptive response generated by environmental stressful situations that activatealarm mechanisms in the individual to assure survival. Traumatic stress encompasses exposure to or witnessing any event that is extremely threatening, and as a result the individual feels intensely frightened, horrified and helpless (House, 2012). Childhood trauma has been receiving increased attention and it is increasingly being recognized as a significant public health concern (Lang, Campbell, & Vanerploeg, 2015). Trauma exposure involves “actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence that is either directly experienced or witnessed, or learning that any traumatic experiences have happened to a loved one, or having repeated exposure to details of traumatic events. Exposure to traumatic events can disrupt brain development and can have immediate and lifelong adverse effects on social, emotional and physical wellbeing (Lang, Campbell, & Vanerploeg, 2015; Lansford 2012).

A good learning environment that does not pose threats to the students would be ideal for every student to learn. If students experience the society as a caring and a supportive place where there is a sense of belonging and everyone is valued and respected they will tend to appreciate more fully the learning environment and the process of learning. This environment would create positive results for students, academically and socially. Thus, in an environment where there is wanton destruction of lives and properties, the student‟s interestsand attentions to learn may be affected which may in turn affects their academic performances.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria has been a threat to education in the country.

Since the beginning of 2012, according to Amnesty International‟s Research (2015), about 70 teachers and over 1000 school children have been killed or wounded in Nigeria most of this incidence happened in the north east. About 50 schools have either been burned or seriously damaged and more than 60 others have been forced to close in north east. Thousands of children have been forced out of schools across communities in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states. Many teachers have been forced to flee for their safety to other states. In the same vein, a report by Nigerian Teachers‟ Union (NUT, 2015) revealed that more than 1000 teachers have been forced to flee from areas of attack in the north since 2012.

The indiscriminate bombing by Boko Haram no doubt impact negatively on lives, property and educational development in Nigeria especially in the north eastern states, the most affected region of which Yobe state is among. The threat to education from Boko Haram attack should be seen in the context of a wider problem.Generally, the  immediate impact of the attacks include loss of life, injury, abduction of students, teachers personnel and damage of school buildings and facilities most typically due to the burning or bombing of buildings or transport facilities by the  Boko Haram.These attacks have forced the state government to close down schools forprolonged periods from March 2014 to September 2015. This is made worse as several thousands of people have migrated swiftly to other parts of Nigeria during the insurgency.

Yobe state is an area that is reckoned to be educationally backward even by Nigerian standards of which Potiskum Local Government is the largest local government area in the state. From general observation, low level of school enrolment, high number of out of school children and poverty characterizedthe state. The recent 2016 WAEC result statistics revealed that Yobe state came last (37^th Position) with just 646 candidates obtaining five credits and above including English out of 14,786 that sat for the exams. As a result of the threats posed on schools by the Boko Haram Insurgent group, peopleare afraidto go about their educational activities for fear of being killed. Students are afraid to go out and read in the night in their classes even when the insurgency is relatively calm now.

These insurgent attacks can lead to many psychological problems like anxiety and trauma which can consequentlyaffect the academic motivation of students as well astheir academic performance. Students may have low academic motivation to learn, and this may affect their academic performance. Therefore, it is in line with the above observations that the researcher embarked on this study on the Psychological influence of Boko haram Insurgency on Academic motivation and performance of senior secondary school students in Potiskum local government area ofYobe state, Nigeria.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The specific objectives of the study are:

1. To determine the relationship between anxiety and Academic Motivation of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area.
2. To examine the relationship between anxiety and Academic performance of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area.
3. To assess the relationship between traumatic stress and Academic motivation of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area.
4. To find out the relationship between traumatic stress and Academic Performance of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area.
5. To determine whether there is difference in the academic performance of senior secondary school students who are victims and those who not victims of boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area.
6. To determine whether there is difference in the academic motivation of senior secondary school students who are victims and those who not victims of boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area.

1.4 Research Questions

             The study was guided by the following research questions:

1. What is the relationship between anxiety and Academic Motivation of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area?
2. What is the relationship between anxiety and Academic performance of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area?
3. What is the relationship between traumatic stress and Academic motivation of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area?
4. What is the relationship between traumatic stress and Academic Performance of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area?
5. Is there any difference in the academic performance of senior secondary school students who are victims and those who not victims of boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area.
6. Is there any difference in the academic motivation of senior secondary school students who are victims and those who not victims of boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area.

 

 

1.5 Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were tested:

Ho1	There is no significant relationship between Anxiety and Academic Motivation of
	senior  secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency in
	Potiskum local government area.
Ho2	There is no significant relationship between Anxiety and Academic performance of
	senior  secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency in
	Potiskum local government area.
Ho3	There is no significant relationship between Traumatic stress and Academic
	motivation of  senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram
	insurgency in  Potiskum local government area.
Ho4	There is no significant relationship between Traumatic stress and Academic
	Performance of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram
	insurgency in  Potiskum local government area
Ho5	There is no significant difference in the academic performance of senior secondary
	school students who are victims and those who not victims of boko haram  insurgency
	in Potiskum local government area.
Ho6	There is no significant difference in the academic motivation of senior           secondary
	school students who are victims and those who not victims of boko             haram
	insurgency in Potiskum local government area.

1.6 Basic Assumptions

The study is based on the following assumptions:

1. It is assumed that there may be positive or negative relationship between anxiety and Academic Motivation of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area.
2. It is assumed that there may be positive or negative relationship between anxiety and Academic performance of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area.
3. It is assumed that there may be positive or negative relationship between traumatic stress and Academic motivation of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area.
4. It is assumed that there may be positive or negative relationship between traumatic stress and Academic Performance of senior secondary school students who are victims of Boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area.
5. It is assumed that there may be difference in the academic performance of senior secondary school students who are victims and those who not victims of boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area.
6. It is assumed that there may be difference in the academic motivation of senior secondary school students who are victims and those who not victims of boko haram insurgency in Potiskum local government area.

1.7 Significance of the Study

The finding of this study will be useful in theory building in area of anxiety, traumatic stress, academic motivation and performance. It will also useful to school psychologist as it will provide relevant information that can be used in behavior modification. The finding will also be useful toteachers, students and victims of Boko haram insurgency, parents, school guidance counselors, Parents Teachers Association (PTA), educational administrators and government authorities.  It is hoped that the findings of this study will be disseminated through seminars for teachers, conferences, Parent Teachers Association meetings, student‟s union meetings and online publication so that it will be properly circulated.

The findings will reveal to the teacherthe psychological influence ofinsurgency onacademic motivation of students and theiracademic performance. Thus it will reveal to the teacher whether students in areas of attack have high or low academic motivation which may influencetheir performance,thereby providing information to the teacher so as to develop remediating strategies in improving learner‟sacademic motivation and performance for

positive result.

Similarly, the findings of this study will be of immense importance to students. The students will realize that their poor performance might not necessarily be as a result of their low intelligence, but as a result of other factors like the attacks on lives and properties which may affect their motivation to learn.Such students can be motivated using the right strategies. Again, the result of this study will help the school guidance counselors and behavior therapist in using effective strategies that will help the students in developing a positive learning attitudes and behaviors, so as to motivate them and to help them deal with high level of anxiety and traumatic stress. They will be in position to guide and counsel students in the area of personal social interactions, academic performance and career choice.

Furthermore, the findings of the study will also help Parents Teacher Associations (PTA) of schools in promoting the academic performance of student and their academic motivation. This is because PTA meetings is an avenue for parents and teachers to discuss about the problems and challenges militating against effective teaching and learning. Parents and Teachers will see the need to encourage and motivate their children to learn.  Again, the findings of the study will be of immense importance to educational administrators. They will use the findings in the formulation of policy that will help in improving the academic performance of the students and their academic motivation, and alsoin the provision of leaning facilitiesand conducive learning environment that will encourage and motivate learners to learn effectively.

Finally, the findings of the study will also be significant to the Federal, State and local government as it will reveal to them the need to build more classrooms and provide school facilities for effective teaching and learning and also the need to put in place proper security measures in protecting lives and properties in the country. In addition, the study will be significant for students and teachers conducting research on similar topic.It will serve as a reference material for other researcher carrying out a research work on similar topic.

1.8 Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study coversfive (5) public governmentsecondary schools in Potiskum local government area of Yobe State, as there was an incidence of boko haram attacks on the five schools. Potiskum is the largest town situated in Yobe State. It is geographically located between latitude 11⁰ 43^‟ 32^‟‟N and longitude 11⁰ 04^‟ and 15^‟‟ E; in north eastern Nigeria. It has an area of 559 km². The study is delimited to the Psychological influence of Boko Haram insurgency on academic motivation and performance of students in the study area with respect to Anxiety and traumatic stress as the psychological indices. The researcher focused on academic motivation and academic performance of students because academic motivation is a very important factor in learning, and the success attributed to any educational institution is to a large extent determined by the performance of students in their academics. Students who are victims and those who are not victims of boko haram insurgency were used. The study does not take into account the material or immediate impact of insurgency on schools, like estimating the number of schools destroyed or lives killed. In this study, both male and

female SS II Students are used.

PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT OF BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY ON EDUCATIONAL MOTIVATION AND PERFORMANCE OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL PUPILS IN POTISKUM, YOBE STATE, NIGERIA

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