Abstract:
This study aimed at examining the effect of parental neglect on children’s education at
the early childhood stage in Akuapem-South District, Ghana. The study adopted the
quantitative research approach specifically the descriptive design. The population
included teachers at early childhood grade, parents of early childhood stage and the
children at early childhood grade at Akuapem-South District. A total sample of 455
participants involving 33 teachers, 205 pupils and 207 parents were used through
simple random sampling technique. Structured questionnaires were used in collecting
the research data and the analysis was done using descriptive statistics such as means,
standard deviation, percentages. The relationship between dependent and independent
variables were analysed using regression analysis. The study found that, to a large
extent, pupils at the early childhood stage in the Akuapem-South district experience
six types of neglect from parents including physical neglect, nutritional neglect,
educational neglect, supervisory neglect, satisfactory neglect, medical neglect and
emotional neglect. The study found that, the specific parental neglect includes parents
not keeping their cloth and houses clean, parents not feeding their children on time,
parents not providing children with the requisite learning materials, parents not taking
any interest in the kind of friends their children have, parents ignoring the medical
recommendations by doctors and parents not comforting their children when they are
upset. The study also revealed that, whilst female parents are associated with physical
neglect, nutritional neglect and emotional neglect, male parents are associated with
educational neglect, supervisory neglect and medical neglect. On the effect of parental
neglect on academic education, the study found that, the experience of physical
neglect, nutritional neglect, of educational neglect, supervisory neglect, medical
neglect and emotional neglect all have negative and significant effect on academic
education. On the effect of parental neglect on emotional development, the study
found that, physical neglect, medical neglect, educational neglect and emotional
neglect have a significant effect on emotional education but nutritional neglect and
supervisory neglect have no significant effect on emotional effect. On the effect of
parental neglect on behavioural education, the study found that, the experience of
nutritional neglect, educational neglect, supervisory neglect, medical neglect and
emotional neglect have a significant effect on behavioural education but physical
neglect have no significant effect on behavioural education. On the effect of parental
neglect on social development, the study found that, the experience of educational
neglect, supervisory neglect and medical neglect tall have a significant effect on
social education but physical neglect and nutritional neglect have no significant effect
on social education. The study recommended that, parents should ensure that, they
keep their home clean, keep their children clean, cloth their children in order to
prevent physical neglect and its negative impact on children’s education at the early
childhood stage. The study recommended that, parents, especially male parents should
take great interest in their children’s education.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Early Childhood Education,
Faculty of Educational Studies, submitted to the school of
Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment
of the requirement for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Early Childhood Education)
in the University of Education, Winneba