Effects of single–parenthood on school–going adolescents in Gaborone District of Botswana

Abstract

The study was aimed at investigating the effects of single parenthood on school going adolescents on a group of male and female children schooling in Gaborone District of Botswana. The research questions focused on investigating the effects of. single parenthood on the social interactions of school-going adolescents, effects on their performance in class, the attitude of the community on such adolescents and whether single parenthood affected boys and girls differently. To start the investigation, a sample of 80 adolescents was randomly selected from a total of 2 000 form 4 and form 5 students. The findings revealed that the majority (91.3%) of school-going adolescents from single parenthood stay with their mothers. The survey findings also revealed that school-going adolescents from single parenthood do not get along with their single parent, single parents are not always around to attend to the needs of their children and they are not always happy at home. The survey findings showed that there are poor child-parent relationships and this adversely affects the children's performance at school. The study revealed that the majority of adolescents from single-parent households have fallen behind in some of their subjects (77.5%), have problems getting their homework done on time (46.3%) , have unsatisfactory school reports and they have failed some the subjects they are doing (78.8%).