Effect of parental neglect on children’s education at the early childhood stage in Akuapem-South District, Ghana

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.