Academic Indiscipline: An Impediment to Effective Curriculum Implementation on Students in Tertiary Institutions in Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated academic indiscipline and its impact on effective curriculum implementation in tertiary institutions in Delta State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was employed. The study targeted lecturers and students from both public and private institutions in the state, with a total of 370 participants: 140 lecturers and 230 students. Three research questions and two hypotheses were developed and tested. Data was gathered using a structured questionnaire, the “Students Indiscipline Questionnaire” (SIQ), created by the researcher. The instrument was validated by four experts in Education, Measurement, and Evaluation. Reliability was determined using Cronbach’s alpha, resulting in a coefficient of 0.75, which confirmed the instrument’s reliability. The questionnaires were distributed, and the collected data were analyzed. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to answer the research questions, while inferential statistics (t-test) were employed to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that both lecturers and students acknowledged the presence of common academic indiscipline behaviors, their causes, and their effects, all of which hinder curriculum implementation. The two hypotheses were confirmed based on the data. The study concluded that academic indiscipline is widespread in tertiary institutions and called for collective efforts to tackle this issue. Recommendations included educating and empowering parents to support their children's education and enhancing counseling services in tertiary institutions.