ABSTRACT

This study investigated the correlation between some psychological and home environmental variables and secondary school adolescent adjustment in Abia State. The study adopted a correlational research design. Four research questions and four null hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study comprised 8783 (4195 males and 4588 female) secondary school students. The sample for the study consisted 878 respondents drawn through two-stage sampling procedure. Three instruments were developed by the researcher from information got from literature. They are: Psychological Variables Questionnaire (PVQ), Home Environment Questionnaire (HEQ) and School Adjustment Questionnaire (SAQ). The instruments were face and content validated by three experts in Psychology, Guidance and Counselling and Measurement and Evaluation; all from the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike respectively. The stability of the instrument were determined using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and a reliability index result of the data analysis were reported as follows; Psychological Variables Questionnaire (PVQ), yielded a reliability index of .75. Home Environment Questionnaire (HEQ) item analysis yielded 0.85 and School Adjustment Questionnaire (SAQ) item analysis yielded 0.93 respectively. The data obtained through the administration of the instruments were analyzed using Pearson product moment correlation coefficient to answer the research questions. Linear regression and multiple regressions were used to test null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Scheffe test was also done for a step-wise comparison of the means for /hypotheses three and four, which revealed the following findings: Emotional intelligence to a very highly positive and significant extent and self-concept to a highly positive and significant extent correlate with in-school adolescents’ adjustment as they predicted 72.4% and 61.3% of adjustment of in-school adolescents respectively; There was a significant correlation between parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, permissive) and in-school adolescents’ adjustment. Joint parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative and permissive) predicted 77.6% of in-school adolescents’ adjustment. However, authoritative parenting style had the highest percentage contribution of 61.5%; followed by authoritarian parenting style with 52.3% and lastly permissive parenting style which predicted 27.5% of in-school adolescents’ adjustment; there was a significant correlation between joint home environmental variables (parenting styles, parental education level and parental income level) and in-school adolescents’ adjustment. Joint home environmental variables (parenting styles, parental education level and parental income level) predicted 99.4% of in-school adolescents’ adjustment. However, parenting styles had the highest percentage contribution of 77.6%; followed by parental education level with 76.6% and lastly parental income level which predicted 62.9% of in-school adolescents’ adjustment. It was thus recommended that teachers, counsellors/psychologists, parents or guardians should educate their children on the importance of some psychological and home environmental variables in school adjustment.