Abstract:
The study sought to investigate the influence of family structure on children’s motivation to learn and academic achievement in Minna Metropolis, Niger State. To guide the study, four research questions were posed and answered while four hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted ex-post facto or causal comparative research design. The population of the study comprised of all the primary five children in Minna metropolis, Niger State totaling 9,995. A total sample of 425 primary five children in public schools in Bosso and Chanchaga Local Government Education Authorities were used for the study. The academic achievement scores of children for a session were collected using children’s result for three terms. The instrument named influence of Family Structure on Children’s Motivation to Learn Questionnaire was used for data collection. Mean and Standard Deviation were used in answering the research questions, while analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that; children from monogamous family structure had the highest mean motivation to learn followed by the children from multiple transition family structure while children from polygamous family had the lowest mean motivation to learn. Further analysis showed that family structure significantly influences children’s motivation to learn. Children from single parenthood family structure had lower mean achievement score than children from monogamous and multiple transition family structure while children from polygamous family structure had the lowest mean achievement score. However, it was further revealed that family structure has no significant influence on the children’s motivation to learn and children’s academic achievement. Gender has no significant influence on children’s motivation to learn and academic achievement. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that parents should be fully involved in the education of their wards by assisting them in their home works and getting other relevant materials for study ready for them.
