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LIBRARY

Michigan State
University

 

 

This is to certify that the

thesis entitled
FACTORS AFFECTING FORMAL EDUCATION

DECISIONS IN EXTENDED KIN FAMILIES OF THE 1805
OF NIGER
May

presente

Comfort Chlsara Nwabara

has been accepted towards fulfillment
of the requirements for

___PhTD.___deg1-eein Family Ecology

 

7

Major professor

W/fl/flzZM fZ/A/é/

Date November 17, 1977

0-7639

 

FACTORS AFFECTING FORMAL EDUCATION
DECISIONS IN EXTENDED KIN FAMILIES OF THE 1305
OF NIGERIA

By

Comfort Chisara Nwabara

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Department of Family Ecology

1977

\,- (-

ABSTRACT
FACTORS AFFECTING FORMAL EDUCATION DECISIONS IN EXTENDED KIN FAMILIES
OF THE 1805 OF NIGERIA
By

Comfort Chisara Nwabara

This study was designed to investigate factors affecting
education decisions of children in rural Ibo extended kin families of
Nigeria.

Data were collected from sixty wives, mostly first wives, and
from sixty children fifteen years of age or older. All subjects were
from polygamous families resident in Imo and Anambra States of Nigeria.
The extended kin children ranged from five to forty with a median of
forty children per family.

Four specific objectives investigated were:

l. To explore factors that either facilitate or hinder

formal education of kin family children.

2. To explore the role played by sex and age in educational
decision making.

3. To explore relationships between availability and
nonavailability of perceived resources and formal
education of kin children.

4. To investigate the role played by kin members in decision
making regarding the formal education of children in

extended kin families.

Comfort Chisara Nwabara

Factors that either enhanced or hindered formal education of
children were measured by wives' proclaimed wishes for their families,
for their children, and by their perceived family resources. A
relationship was found to exist between resources a family had and
number of kin children that went to secondary and higher education.

The level of secondary or higher education attained by kin children

was dependent on availability of family resources or resourceful kin,
and number of children competing for higher formal education at a given
time.

Children respondents viewed sex as a variable having minimal
or no effect on family's choice of a child selected for secondary or
higher education. Wives on the other hand expressed preferences of
sons over daughters when resources were inadequate in meeting educational
needs of all children eligible for secondary or higher education.
Husbands' preferences were measured by wives' projected responses in
family situations. Husbands were projected as preferring educating
boys over girls. They were also found to initiate and participate more
in extended kin family decisions than females. However, women played
an active role in educational decisions probably because they involved
tapping resources from every available source to meet the educational
costs of kin children. Age of a child was found to play less significant
role in a family's preference of a child to educate in secondary or
higher education than the sex of the child.

Wives' educational aspirations for their children were attained
if there were resourceful kin willing to take responsibility for the
educational expenses. The less resourceful sub-kin families engaged

actively in "kin peddling" which was defined as an art of seeking help

Comfort C. Nwabara

from the kin group. Economic interdependency was found to be a
socially accepted and approved kin family practice and was engaged in
actively by the less resourceful kin members. There was however, more
involvement on the part of the consanguineal than the affinal kin.
Needs were considered by the whole extended kin unit rather than by
sub-family groups.

Human rather than economic resources were families' actual
assets which tended to compound the effect already imposed by limited
resources. Nives' perceived resources were nontransferable assets which
only met the bare necessities of life. Money with which to exchange
services such as the education of kin children was inadequate and
hard to obtain.

Differences were found between wives' and children's patterns
of help solicitation for educational costs. Wives were more likely
to seek help from the consanguineal and affinal kin, while children
were specific in their search for educational assistance. Children
were more apt than wives to solicit help from outside agencies.

Analysis of the data led to implications for devising a better
and effective measure of what constitutes family resources of the Ibos
and the extent to which resources are applied to meeting families'
needs. The study revealed the impoverished nature of the family level
of existence in rural Ibo extended kin families, and calls for govern-
mental intervention to assist in the responsibility of educating

children at all levels of schooling.

Dedicated to my late parents

whose memories inspired me to
complete this study and whose
faith in me continue to guide

all my undertakings.

ii

b0

Ch-

7!]:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the members of my
advisory committee for their devotion, consistent interest, and
valuable guidance throughout my doctoral program. My special thanks
go to Dr. Beatrice Paolucci for her motivating feedback, to
Dr. Linda Nelson and Dr. Melvin Buschman for their cross-cultural
understanding and suggestions, to Dr. Eileen Earhart for her many
critical suggestions.

I am specially very grateful to Dr. Margaret Bubolz who
chaired my committee for her constructive suggestions and for devoting
her summer vacation to guide my writing of this thesis. I wish also
to thank her husband for tolerating my many intrusions into the privacy
of their home and vacation.

My sincere appreciation is expressed to all those who contribute
to the whole process of this research: to the interviewing team in
Nigeria, and to Dr. Robert Debruin and Ms. Joyce Abler for their
help in the statistical analysis of the data.

I wish to express my deep appreciation for the encouragements
given me by my friends and siblings, for their great belief in me
which led to my believing that I could complete this project. In this
regard my sincere thanks go to Dr. A. C. Okonkwo who was my sounding
board, and who never for one moment doubted my ability and encouraged
me to forge ahead. Most importantly my gratitude goes to my children,
Chisaraokwu, Okechi, Enyinnaya, Obioha, and June who directly and
indirectly challenged me to the tasks of this venture, and whose pride

in my achievements has been my pillar of support.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
LIST OF TABLES ........................................................ vi
LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................... viii
LIST OF APPENDICES .................................................... ix
Chapter
I. INTRODUCTION ................................................... I
Background of The Study ........................................ 1
Statement of The Problem ....................................... 5
Objectives ..................................................... 5
Major Assumptions .............................................. 6
Definition of Terms ............................................ 6
Conceptual Framework ........................................... 8
II. LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................. 13
The Kinship Family System ...................................... 13
'Formal Education in Nigeria .................................... 18
Decision Making ................................................ 25
Summary ........................................................ 32
III. METHODOLOGY .................................................... 33
Selection and Description of The Sample ........................ 33
Description of Instrument and Interview ........................ 43
Data Ana‘|ysis Procedures ....................................... 47
Limitations.....,...... ........................................ 49
IV. FINDINGS ....................................................... Sl
Wives' and Children's Responses Regarding Formal Education
Decision Making in Ibo Extended Kin Families ................ 5l
Factors Involved in Educational Decisions and Level of Formal
Education Aspired or Attained ............................... 78
Discussion ..................................................... 87
V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND IMPLICATIONS ......................... 93
Summary ........................................................ 93
Conclusions .................................................... 95
Implications For Further Studies, Policies and Programs ........ 96

iv

Page

BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................... 100
APPENDIX A ............................................................ 106
Instrument 1: Parent Questionnaire ................................ 106
Instrument 11: Children Questionnaire ............................. llZ
APPENDIX B ............................................................ l18

Scoring Tables For Clustering Answers To Family Situations I,
II, & III For Parents ......................................... ll8

Scoring Tables For Clustering Answers to Family Situations I,
II, & III For Children ........................................ lZT

Table

DJ

\lO‘U‘l-h

oo

10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.

17.

18.

19.

ZCL

LIST OF TABLES

Summary of Villages From Which Respondents Were Drawn ........
Summary of Wives' Position in The Family .....................
Summary of Children in Families as Reported by Adult

Respondents ...............................................
Frequencies of Number of Children in The Families ............
Family Members Living in The Compound ........................
Data Analysis Procedure ......................................
Participation in Family Decision Making Reported by Wives....

Family Members Initiation and Participation in Educational
Decisions as Reported by Wives ............................

Resources Perceived by Wives in Extended Kin Families ........
Perceived Adequacy or Inadequacy of Family Resources .........
Personal Wishes Expressed by Wives ...........................
Wives' Expressed Wishes For Their Families ...................
Wives' Expressed Wishes For Their Children ...................
Wives' Plans For Their Children ..............................
Wives' Preferences of Children to Educate ....................

Wives Projections For Obi, Husbands and Self in Family
Situation I ...............................................

Wives' Projections For Oji, Husbands and Self in Family
Situation II ..............................................

Wives Projections For Awa, Husband and Self in Family
Situation III .............................................

Participation in Family Decision Making Reported by
Children ..................................................

Initiators and Participants in Educational Decisions
Reported by Children ......................................

vi

Page
37
39

40
4o
42
47
52

53
54
55
55
56
57
58
59

60

61

62

63

64

Table Page

21. School Attendance Decision Making Reported by Children ........ 65
22. Education Decision Making Initiators Reported by Wives

and Children ............................................... 55
23. Participation in Educational Decision Making Reported

by Wives and Children ...................................... 67
24. Effect of Sex on The Education of Children Reported by

Children ................................................... 68
25. Effect of Sex on Education .................................... 69
26. Secondary Education Fee Payment Reported by Children .......... 7O
27. Children's Future Plans and Educational Goals ................. 71
28. Children's Educational Confidants ............................. 72

29. Children's Expectations of Payment of Their Educational
Expenses ................................................... 73

30. Children's Projections For Mark and Self in Family
Situation I ................................................ 75

31. Children's Projections for Joe and Self in Family
Situation II ............................................... 76

32. Children's Projections For Samuel and Self in Family
‘ Situation III .............................................. 77

33. Children's Responses to Family Situation I Where Resources
are Limited and Family Situation II where Some Kin
Members had Some Resources ................................. 86

34. Comparison of Wives' and Children's Sources of Help
Solicitation ............................................... 87

vii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page
1. Environmental Factors Affecting Choice ......................... 11
2. Map of Nigeria ................................................. 34
3. Kin Family Structure in Village Compound ....................... 41
4. Direction of Kin Resources Pull ................................ 94

viii

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix Page
A. Instrument I: Parent Questionnaire ............................ 105
Instrument 11: Children's Questionnaire ....................... ll2
B. Scoring Tables for Answer Clusters to Family Situations I, II,
and III For Parents ......................................... 1l8
Scoring Tables for Answer Clusters to Family Situations I, II,
and III For Children ....................................... l21

ix

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

Background of The Study

Every society is changing and traditional values are also
changing. Gone are the days when most families were satisfied only
with basic socialization and non-formal education for their children.
Today, formal education is considered by many disciplines, societies,
and families as an investment in human capital that has the capacity of
increasing human resources. Investment in education, health, and
career related knowledge and skills are investments in human capital
because they relate to the future monetary income potential of a person
or family, (Becker 1964).

Cultures vary in their emphasis on intellectual skills; some
value it for what it is worth, others view it as a virtue in its own
right as well as a way of upward mobility for the individual or the
family as a whole. In many cultures the educated person is respected
and meets with approval from his or her reference group. Education
is a means to help the individual and kin group realize aspirations
for a better quality of life; education is the hope of a brighter
tomorrow for the family.

The history of education in Nigeria reflects stages from total
resistance to ambivalence and curiosity about the worth of education
to the current stage of total acceptance. A queSt for intellectual

liberalism in Nigeria has its own established heirarchy of values.

1

Nigerian families aspire to educate their children because to
them education is a long term investment with a future pay off. However,
the great importance attached to education in Nigeria has generated
problems for families who value education but lack the means to achieve
it. Among the many factors that have contributed to advancing education
to a high level of acceptibility is its transforming power. Smythe
and Smythe (1960) described education as a vehicle for students of peasant
origin to become medical doctors, university lecturers, and government
ministers. To many families, education has come to be regarded as a
means for emancipating the entire family from the level of abject
impoverishment to a higher qualitative level of subsistence existence.

Since the inception of Western education into Nigeria, families
have borne solely the expenses of educating their children. Education,
however, costs money and makes an inroad into family resources. It
continues to command the highest priority in many families' goals and
management plans. The number of a family's children who are sent to
school initially illustrates the family's value for education, but that
number diminishes as costs of education rise in the higher school grades.

The extended family system is an important social unit in
Nigeria which influences many aspects of life. A number of common
family relationship value patterns emerge from the Nigerian traditional
family, such as respect for age, a high value set on having children,
sharply separated roles for the sexes, bride wealth payments and
polygamy (Damachi I972). Ties, obligations, reciprocity, and distinc-
tions defined in terms of kinship carry much weight in Nigeria. Kin
relationship is bound by common ancestry which forms the principal basis

for the organization of social life, family living, values, and decision

making. As a unit, kin members are related, and in turn are linked
to other social and economic groups by mutual accessibility and sharing
of cultural resources, and by participation in a web of information
flows necessary for a sanctioned maintenance. The multiplicity of
linkages in the extended family kinship far exceeds that in smaller
nuclear systems. Kinship in the modern world has been usefully
conceptualized as a system of reciprocal exchange among relatives
(Blood 1970). However, the true nature of a kinship structure can only
be understood and properly analyzed within its cultural boundaries,
norms, values, and mores. Each culture exercises its peculiar customs
and is spirited by its social climate, thus differences exist from
group to group, family to family, and from culture to culture.
Traditionally Africans regard the gift of children as one of
the most sublime gifts to man. A woman without an offspring was a
woman without joy in life. A couple with children was a couple with
immense respect. (Okafor, 1974). Nigerian rural villages are charac-
terized by relative stability and the unchanged traditional values for
having many children. The practice of polygamy and the rootedness of
the extended family system tend to spread family resources too thin
for meeting the needs of its competing members. This problem of limited
resources is compounded not only by family size, but by the cohesiveness
formed by the expanding extended relatives. Do these rural traditional
families have adequate resources to assure the education of their many
children? How do they manage their resources? How are decisions made
in extended family systems? What constitutes the basis for prioritizing
family needs and goals? Decision making is a basic activity of the

family concerned with integrating values, goals, standards, and resources

resources in such a fashion that action results (Paolucci et al 1977).
Families make all kinds of decisions in life, i.e. what schools

children should attend, educational level they attain, what professions
they choose, who and when to marry. Values are viewed as a motivating
variable in decision making. The decisions families make help form a
pattern of living that affects the quality of life; they are basically
concerned with how family members operate and attempt to control their
everyday activities. The main focus of decision making is to leave

less to chance and to attempt to control. Decision making is not
identical with routine behavior or other habitual impulses that are
non-intellectual. Each decision made is unique but has some relationship
with previous and future decisions. A family's ability to decide effect-
ively lends order and provides meaning and survival to its members.

Wise decision making imbues the family with management capabilities of
controlling resources for the good of its members.

The use of available resources to meet the specified needs and
goals of the family has been well documented in research. Since
resources are not always in abundance or available, prudent management
of resources, especially when they are scanty, is a competence needed
by a home manager. Resources can be human resources such as values,
skills, talents, information, or they can be nonhuman resources such
as money and material goods. A family's "resourcefulness" in management
is its ability to delineate and recognize what resources they have,
and how to usefully apply them in making decisions (Baker I970).
Resource availability or cultivation of resources enhances the family's
efforts in management and decision making. A family can only make use
of what is available within its immediate reach, and becomes thwarted

when no resources are foreseen.

Statement of The Problem

 

Families make plans and decisions in their everyday living on
the effective use of resources to meet the needs of the family.
Decisions families make in regard to the education of their children
have great impact on society. The level of education influences the
human resource capability of the society. It is important, therefore,
to understand the factors affecting formal education decisions. The
specific focus of this study will be to identify the factors affecting
formal education decisions in Ibo extended kin families of Imo and
Anambra States of Nigeria. The factors involved in making decisions
about the attainment of higher formal education will be investigated

in extended Ibo kin families.

Objectives

 

The overall objective for this study will be to describe the
nature of educational decision making and the factors involved in the
attainment of higher formal education of children in extended kin family
systems.

The specific objectives are:

l. To explore those factors that either facilitate or
hinder the formal education of these children.

2. To explore the role played by such variables as
age and sex, in educational decision making.

3. To explore relationships between availability and
non-availability of perceived resources and the
formal education of children in extended kin family
systems.

4. To investigate the role played by kin members in
decision making regarding the education of children
in the extended kin systems.

 

A‘

Major Assumptions

l. The traditional kinship family has many children but
limited resources to provide them with adequate
formal education.

2. There are limited resources to tap in the outside
social environment; consequently, kin members tap
resources within the kin social boundaries.

3. The kin group is basically a decision making group
whose limited knowledge and level of existence limit
its educational decision making power.

4. Family educational goals range from the immediate
to the ultimate, and are not always attained.

5. Family members' projections in hypothetical situations
are indicative of their decision making patterns.
Definitions of Terms

l. KINSHIP: A social relationship based on family extendedness as
culturally defined. The culture determines which family
relationships are considered significant, what rights
and obligations of specific types of related persons are,
and what form of organization exists among related persons
(Theodorson and Theodorson l969).

2. EXTENDED KIN HAMILY: A cluster of people whose relationship is
stipulated by law or consent in terms of marriage and
descent. It includes three or more generations.

a. The kin family includes affinal (kin by marriage) and
consanguineal (kin by blood) relationships.

b. The extended kin refers to the macro-scale families and
relatives who share residential proximity and are

recognized as a social unit.

3. FORMAL EDUCATION: Education acquired through school attendance.

a.

Elementary education: attendance or completion of
elementary schooling.

Secondary education: attendance or completion of
schooling beyond elementary grades and attainment of a
high school certificate.

Higher education: attendance or completion of education

beyond secondary level.

4. EDUCATIONAL ASPIRATIONS: The desired levels of formal education as

5. RESOURCES:

indicated by subjects.

What the family has or can create or solicit to achieve
its goals.
Human resources such as people, time, talent, interest,
motivation, information.
Nonhuman resources such as material goods, money, lands,

cash crops, costly possessions.

6. DECISION MAKING: A social phenomenal process involving:

a.

Recognition of a problem for decision, i.e. awareness

of the need or desire for formal education at secondary

and higher educational levels.

Recognition of available resources: awareness of available
human and nonhuman resources.

Formulation and consideration of courses of action:
feasible alternatives open and considered by the family

for solving family problems.

Selection and implementation of a course of action:
verbalized intentions of educating children at secondary

or higher education levels.

7. CHILDREN:

a. Family's children: All children born to parents, uncles,
older brothers, cousins living in a shared residence.

b. School age children: All children of school age as
determined by their parents of all three formal education
levels.

8. FAMILY'S GOALS AND WISHES: aspirations and wants as expressed by

family members.

Conceptual Framework For Viewing Factors Affecting Choice

 

Because families and/or systems do not exist in isolation but
occupy an environmental niche in the broader environment, the ecological
frame of reference will constitute the overall framework for this study.
An ecological perspective is one of viewing organisms and environment
in interaction, (Paolucci et al T977). On a micro level, the child
and/or biological parents are surrounded by the social environment of
kin, uncles, cousins and grandparents and other relatives. The ongoing
interactions between the family members with their immediate environment
and the effects arising from these interactions are the focus of the
ecosystem perspective. The family system is interrelated with other
systems in the environment, forming linkages through boundary sharing.
As a result of the boundary sharing and the interrelatedness, the
environment affects the family system, and in the same token the family
system affects the environment. According to Churchman (1968) not only
is the environment something that is outside the system's control, but

it is also something that determines in part how the system performs.

Environments are of three main types: (1) the natural
environment, (2) the human constructed environment, and (3) the human
behavioral environment (Bubolz et al l977). The natural environment
is the nature-formed environment consisting of the atmospheric elements,
the natural resources, and the geographical elements over all of which
humans have little or no control. The human constructed environments
are man-made environments. These are environments that have been altered
or created by human beings, (Bubolz et a1 l977). These environments
include roads, homes, clothing, and the many results of special hybridism
of species of plants and animals, and other human manipulated products
originating from nature. The human behavioral environment could be an
individual or a group of individuals who share some common affinity to
each other, and share goals, culture, and other amenities. The family
system is a human environed unit in constant relationship with the
natural, human constructed, and other human environments.

Environments influence the values, goals, aspirations, and
the type of choices the individual or family makes. The extended kin
family constitutes a small scale human environment that regulates the
actions of others and to a large extent determines the field of choice,
i.e. all of the alternatives that are available to peOple in making
decisions. Cultural imperatives, and cultural perception patterns also
influence the field of choice, i.e. the alternatives perceived by the
decision maker. The decision maker's field of choice could be limited,
narrowed or inhibited because of lack of knowledge and education to see
or cultivate other alternatives. Education and knowledge Open the
doorway to a multitude of alternatives and expand the field of choice.

One's field of choice screens out other alternatives, either because

10

there are no resources to meet those other alternatives, or because
resources are limited.

Family environment may be restricting or flexible and
consequently can have a bearing on the decision maker's alternatives.
The problem of how much freedom is at the disposal of a given family
and how much a family can handle was addressed by Paolucci et a1 (1977).
"When families are presented with too many options they become
immobilized, they become 'stimulus bound.’ Some families suffer from
option glut. There appear to be too many Options. Others have too few
options and relatively no choices open to them." (p.12)

According to Gross and Crandall (1963), several factors underly
the managerial process and determine how resources will be used to
meet families' needs. These factors include the stage of the family
life cycle, size and composition of the family, standard of living,
size of family's income and residence.

In the Nigerian Ibo extended kin family culture, the identifica-
tion of the factors affecting use of resources differ to some degree
from that which obtains in the United States. The cummulative effect
of extended kin children on resources, compounded with the many adults
who in all probability out-number the adults that could be resident in
any one family in the United States exerts a great effect on the use
of family resources. There is also a great difference in types of
resources available to the Ibo rural extended kin family, the resources
include farmlands and products, relatives and children. In short, their
actual available resources are mainly in terms of human resources. From
a money standpoint, resources available to the family are almost

nonexistent, but socially, the Ibo extended kin family is rich with

11

Figure 1 Environmental Factors Affecting Choice

 

Y =ALTERNATIVES EDUCATION CHOICE

PRESENT The alternatives available
are present in the many
environments. Some are
within the social environ-
ments A,B,C, and D while
others are within the
boundaries of the natural
environment E.

Y .......... Total field of the extended kin family.

A .......... All grown up children in the extended kin who have some sources
of income, and can help support other children in school.

B .......... Biological parents of kin children.

C .......... Consanguineal kin i.e. uncles, cousins, aunts, grandparents
of paternal descent.

D .......... Affinal kin i.e. uncles, aunts, grandparents and other
relatives of maternal descent.

E .......... The natural environment i.e. farmlands, streams and other

elements in the natural environment.

Cd

ED

wt

DE

12

human resources. Thus the number of kin members, the natural and

social environment are the operating factors determining the use of
resources in Ibo extended kin families. These factors are conceptualized
in a simplified ecosystem framework. Figure 1 represents and describes
the framework.

The choices are enhanced by the degree of the abundance of
alternatives in the environment from which they are derived, or they
can be inhibited by the degree of the impoverishment of the surrounding
environment. Facilitating factors are derived from a rich environment
whereas inhibiting factors are embodied in a poor environment. The
nature of the environment determines the alternatives, and the choices

that are available or unavailable.

CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW

Literature pertaining to some universal notions of kinship
family systems, formal education in Nigeria, and decision making

constitute the three areas reviewed.

The Kinship Family System

 

The family has been defined as a cluster of people whose
relationship is stipulated by law in terms of marriage and descent,
and whose precise membership varies according to the circumstance
(Farber 1973). Property rights of family members posit a propelling
force in organization of the system. The family also assumes an
existing network of relatives who have some claims on each other, and
the extensiveness of this claim can only be determined by intensive
observation and analysis of the ongoing relationships. Fortes (1963)
claims that a closer look at primitive people has radically altered
our judgment of their family organization and has aided in our under-
standing of our own. According to him:

They vary in their constitution, but are always precisely

structured institutions, embracing the primary loyalty

and life activity of their larger membership and enduring

from generation to generation. The exact prescription of

relationships among members gives each individual a

significantly defined connection to a wide circle of his

kin. To the individual member, the family's property is

the source of likelihood, its ancestors are his gods, its

elders his government, and its young people his defense
and support in old age (p. 24).

13

14

In the past, a stable kin system existed in many cultures.
Technology, urbanization, and high mobility may alter the stability and
interaction of kin systems. However, some research has revealed that
kinship continues in spite of separation and urbanization. A major
concept which has focused the attention of family researchers is the
effect of migration on the interaction network of the kin system.
According to Mogey (1976) interaction frequency with kinsfolk is
important beyond the boundaries of the domestic group. Kinship has
meaning for the system's inheritance of descent which affects the name
and the life chances of each new birth. Kinship, the sequence of
names, rights, and obligations among generations of relatives, was one
of the first universal principles of human societies to be recognized
(Engels, 1884; Maine, 1861: McLennan, 1865; Murdock, 1949; Parsons 1943).

Reiss (1962) found geographical distance between kin members
an important variable in understanding kin interaction. Blood (1970)
postulated that geographical proximity stimulated greater kin
influence. He did sam.however, that barriers caused by distance
were greatly reduced by modern means of communication, letter writing,
photography, tape recording, and long distance telephone. Vatuk (1972),
and Ramu (1972) independently found that in India rural kin dispersion
did not hinder contact with kin even when they could not meet
frequently, and that occupational mobility emancipated subjects
from life long indentured labor. However, traditional values persisted
even though they were slightly modified. Visits, correspondence, and
mutual aid reaffirmed the mutal kinship loyalties despite geographic

and occupational mobility.

15

An investigation of pe0ple in the city of Lagos, Nigeria by
Aldous (1965) showed that even though they lived in the city, traditional
patterns were maintained. Individuals continued to feel strong
obligations to give economic assistance to relatives while maintaining
ties, and the customary residential unit remained the lineage. Her
conclusion was that West African cities showed the continued existence
of the extended family.

Extended family systems emphasize blood ties over marital bonds.
Ties are established through marriage and descent which create for
individuals a reservoir of relatives from whom they can anticipate
certain kinds of conduct associated with family or kinship in the
society which they live. The extent and nature of these claims vary
from one society to another (Farber 1973).

Various authors have suggested important functions that must
be met for society to continue to exist. Bennett, and Tumin, (1952)
conceptualized them as "functional requisites of societal survival and
continuity." Murdock (1949) called them "social structure," Levy
(1952) "functional requisites;" and Winch (1963) "basic societal
functions." Winch (1963) listed five basic societal functions:
(1) replacement for dying members of the society, (2) provision and
distribution of goods and services for the support of the society,
(3) provision for accomodating conflicts and maintaining order, intern-
ally and externally, (4) training of human replacements to become
participating members of the society, and (5) procedures for dealing
with emotional crises, for harmonizing the goals of the individuals
with the values of society for maintaining a sense of purpose (pp. 7-17).

These are universal functions and each has assigned to it a core

16

relationship emanating from roles assigned in the carrying out of these
functions. In most cultures the family is the basic reproductive

group for replacement of society's members. The kin system assigns
social roles and oversees their being carried out. The kin system
plays a key role in carrying out these basic functions.

The many advantages derived from the ties of kinship have been
acclaimed by several researchers and writers. Nye and Berardo (1975)
asserted that the consanguineous family system ensures continuity
over generations by linking parental families with new families of
orientation. Kinship is also viewed as a more effective structure of
maintaining family traditions and for transferring holdings intact
from one generation to another. In a kin system, children are
exposed to a large network of relationships. Blood (1970) asserts
that kinship interaction in the modern world is-usefully conceptualized
as a system of reciprocal exchange among relatives. He explained
further that the currency of exchange includes money and goods and
services that are noncontractual in nature. The terms of repayment
(if any) are extended over an extraordinary period of time, and
repayment is often indirect. Blood ties and the close boundaries
shared make it possible for all these advantages to be ejoyed by
kin members.

High technological advances have been said to disrupt and
weaken the linkages-of kinship ties, resulting in a stronger emphasis
on the nuclear family. Among the sociologists who viewed the American
family as characteristically nuclear and isolated were Zimmerman (1947);
Wirth, (1951); and Parsons, (1949). Other researchers have conclusively

shown that, contrary to Parsons' (1943) view of the structual isolation

17

of American families, social isolation of the nuclear family from kin

has not occurred, (Klatsky, 1972; Rosenberg and Anspach, 1973).
Researchers have since refuted the concept of isolation claiming that
American families were participating actively in a kin network;
Dotson (1941), Greer (1958), Litwak (1960) and Sussman (1965).

Mogey (1976) stated that many studies show interaction between
members of a kinship group as continuing in all societies, and that
the contacts made include advice, psychological support of family
identities, financial help, and assistance with childrearing and
household tasks. These are not only regular affairs but effective
guarantees of emergency aid. Mogey (1970) made the following observa-
tions about kinship in the United States:

Kinship continues to be a meaningful set of social exchanges
in U.S. and other complex rapidly changing societies because
it is functional for individuals engaged in marital and
parental relations. Having a kindred enables them to achieve
their goals in education, careers, and their psycholo ical
needs for continuity, and emotional support. .104).

While many similarities can be deduced from a cross-culture
perspective on the topic of extended kinship systems, caution should
be exercised in generalizing across cultures. In this regard Farber

(1973) states:

Societies make use of biological kinship in different ways.
In some societies, categories of kinship may be applied in
ways which sustain a highly differentiated system of
stratification, in others, the organization or kinship rela-
tions may be oriented toward integrating family units on a
basis of equality. This difference in utilization of kinship
as a resource will influence norms pertaining to marriage
between people from different segments of society, the

kinds of socialization practices adopted, matters of guardian-
ship and household management patterns of inheritance, and
the relationship between familial and other institutions in
the society. (pp. 4-5).

18

Piage (1974) and Swanson (1974) made two major distinctions
about family factionalism and communalism. Factionalism implies a
situation in which special interest groups are vying for superiority
over other groups for access to power, wealth, or some property,
(Farber 1975). The aim is stratification of society. Because
Factionalism in kinship organization involves pulling inward or
engaging the obligation and or loyalty of members, this type of
organization is called centripetal. Communalism implies a situation
in which special interests are subordinated to common concerns. Under
conditions of communalism, major forces exist to minimize property--
based familial ties and expel family members outward. Consequently,
kinship associated with communalism is called centrifugal. Farber
(1975) views the centripetal - centrifugal typology as derived from
an economic perspective. Persons, according to him, are viewed as
kin property units, and physical property is regarded as an extension

of’its owner.

Formal Education in Nigeria

Prior to the inception of Western Education, Nigeria had a
traditionally designed form of education geared mainly to socialize,
train its offspring for a life trade and prepare them adequately
for assuming status roles in the smooth running of their society.
Most education took place in informal settings of the home and in
settings where the trades were conveniently taught and practically
demonstrated. Education, in the form it then was, had high priority
in the growing and maturing years of the child. That priority has

not slipped with the advent of Western education. Quite the contrary,

19

it has assumed more importance, and the attainment of western formal
education has come to be the dream of all parents, the educated and
uneducated alike.

Among the many crucial roles played by the family is the key
role of generating informal learning for its children. It also
plays the crucial role in preparing for and motivating its members
to participate in increasing number, and at more and more advanced
levels of formal education, thus supplying the society with an
increasingly more sophisticated labor force to meet demands of change
and modernization as well as enabling individuals to obtain the highest
level of development possible within their value system (Paolucci
et al 1976).

The family is viewed as a cohesive and consistent decision
making unit which allocates the time of different family members in
combination with purchased articles in order to produce desired
commodities. According to Moock (1974), one such desired commodity
is the raising of children.

In fact the basic human desire to raise one's children

helps to explain the ubiquity of the institution of

marriage in different societies throughout the world.

Progeny are valued for psychic income (utility) that

they can be expected to yield over many years. As such

they have been called "consumer durables." In poorer

societies especially, children are valued as well for

their productive services in the home, in the family

fields, and for the money income that, it is hoped,

they will earn and remit to their parents. As such

children qualify as "producer durables"(Becker 1968
pp. 5-25).

20

Levine (1974) observed that African parents frequently expect
the child to contribute labor to the domestic productive unit, to
give respect to elders, and when mature to support aging parents.

He hypothesized that in populations with relatively scarce resources
for subsistence, parents would have as their overriding conscious
concern the child's capacity for future economic self maintainance,
(broadly defined), particularly after his survival is assured and
childrearing customs will reflect this priority.

Nigerian parents attach much importance to the education of
their children. The restlessness of many African countries to achieve
independence, and the many coups that continue to plague African
countries after independence have not quite brought stability to
society and to families.

Most Africans naturally are more anxious for freedom than

for anything else, but they have many problems which even

independence does not solve. Independence does not make

poor pe0ple rich, illiterate people literate, hungry

people well fed, or sick people well, nor does it insure

good government. Real progress depends on solving a whole

range of difficult problems, whether economic, social or

political, of which gaining independence is one.(Batten 1947)
Batten proposed a need for everyone to become literate in order to
understand the many changes that are taking place, and to participate
in controlling their country's destiny.

A comprehensive analysis of the function of education in
Nigeria can be done on two main levels: (1) the micro level, and
(2) the macro level. On the micro level the value of education is
defined on the basis and in terms of the beneficial functions it

extends to the individual and his family. On the macro level

educational values are assessed from effects on society.

21

One major element in deciding on the educating of children
is to look at the effects of education on the overall efficiency
of the nation, and the personal achievement and satisfaction of the
educated. Education has come to be judged by its pragmatic rather
than by its self-fulfillment means. The quest for intellectual
liberalism elicits a number of opportunities for the kinship family.
It impacts more on the family's prestige and becomes an instrument
for upward mobility of the family system. Not only does it yield
interest in the future, but it emancipates members who otherwise
would have remained illiterate.

A family's insistence on and disposition to educate its
children is indicative of awareness of the long term effects on the
child and the family. Nigerian education has brought about a rapid
change which is producing a succession of elites with different criteria
of achievement and sets of values. Membership into the enviable minor-
ity elite status of the country is currently and primarily determined
by education. Entry into the governmental and educational bureaucracies
in which the majority of the educated find employment, is relatively
open to those with the essential academic qualifications (Lloyd 1966).
The "traditionally oriented elite" (Plotnicov 1970) are primarily
oriented toward their own ethnic communities and cultures, maintaining
a conservative outlook and maintaining the traditional system. Entry
into the traditional elite is controlled and closed and in some areas
inherited. Entrance to the modern elite is open, with education as
the prerequisite. Families and individuals consequently value education
for its equalizing attribute. Damachi (1972) conceived the

new elite as a variable group of people consisting of at least all who

22

completed upper secondary school (eleven or twelve years of formal
education). Those in the lower levels of the elite group were the
clerks, and teachers in the lower secondary schools; in the upper
elites are professionals and top ranking government figures or the
most powerful traditional rulers.

The modern elite, Plotnicov (1970) claimed, had borrowed
from the Europeans their model of emulation, and most were urban
dwellers. Some aspirational influence is exerted on children of
peasant origin through knowledge acquired from formal education,
and through contacts with city elites who visit their villages of
origin. The peasant children aspire to rise to the same level of
modern elitism. Their aspirations are shared by their parents, but
the achievement of their dreams can only be guaranteed by cooperation
of kin resources.

Upward mobility, therefore, requires an individualistic

attitude and this may be difficult to implement without

seriously offending relatives and kinsfolk who, for

example, if they had partly paid for the man's education

will expect a return with each substantial increase in

his income. Their demand may take the form of the

partial support of a yet younger relative while at

school; or for monetary assistance when they themselves

are in need (Little and Price 1973 pp. 185-205).

Reciprocity in kind or in currency seems to be the hidden agreement
between the kin investors and the recipients of formal education on
the micro level in Nigeria. This practice is highly demonstrative

of the relatedness in an ecosystem.

The Ibos of Nigeria have been accurately documented as investing
much in the education of their children. A competitive overtone has

pervaded education of people in different parts of tribes of Nigeria.

Often collective investors have aided in the education of individuals or

23

invested in community schools for the education of their tribes.
Concerning collective investors, Smythe and Smythe (1960) wrote:

Tribal unions yield extensive influence and power, and

the larger ones have played a significant role in the

spread of education, they offer scholarship aid to

young people, and some even Operate schools. Several

members of the Nigerian Houses of Assembly, and some who

have risen to other relatively high positions, especially

in the Eastern region, owe their training in British and

American universities to tribal union financing (p. 30).

A West African report stated the aim of education as enabling
the child to grow to the full statue of man, sound in mind and body,
(Makulu 1971). Education in Nigeria is now seen as a tool for equipping
the individual with the necessary skills to become useful for oneself
and the community. Many African authors view education as an instrument
of change. Nkrumah (1970) claimed the middle class in developing
countries was created by the educational and administrative system
introduced under colonialism. A nation's progress has been measured
by economists by the GNP in the past. Harbison (1973) attempted to
include the active development of human potentialities through
education, both formal and nonfOrmal, health, nutrition, wage and
salary as indicators of a nation's growth. He sees education in the
broader context of the incentive structure of society. He analyzed
formal educational systems within five problem areas, namely: (1) out-
puts of the system (particularly with reference to the job market),

(2) access to educational opportunity - increasingly a world-wide
concern, (3) orientation of the various levels of schooling, (4) alloca-
tion of financial resources, and (5) organizational and human resources.
In his book, Harbison devoted great attention to "nonformal education"

outside the regular classroom because according to his thinking, formal

education is limited in developing countries.

24

On a macro level, education is viewed from a societal
perspective. Vivian (1965) believed the problem of education is so
important and so urgent that he proposed that the new nations of
Africa could not be free and democratic until their people had much
more and better education. He also warned that the African nations
could not become richer countries with higher standards of living
while half of their children had little or no education.

A UNESCO report on higher education in Africa (1963) made the
following recommendations for African Universities:

The African University must assume the basic functions

and responsibilities that attach to a university, to

teach and impart knowledge as an end itself and for the

education for society to seek to discover the truth which for

centuries have defied the genius of man, to disseminate its
findings to all so that mankind generally and the African

in particular may shed the shackles of ignorance and

want, and the world may be a better place in which to live.

(pp. 17-19).

Attempts of countries of the world to advance their technology, human
resources and be represented in the many events of the world are
demonstrated through the importance education assumes in those countries.
Scholarships, educational loans, and some level of free education

all are indicative of a nation's full awareness of the importance of
and the need for education.

Nigeria, as other African nations, shared the guiding principle
of education as a means to an end and not an end in itself. Education
was and still is needed for immediate induction into society and for
preparation for adulthood. Social responsibility, job orientation,
political participation, and spiritual and moral values are the aims

of education in Nigeria and other countries of the world. In this

context Ikejiani, (1964) commending education as a future investment

25

in Nigeria, wrote:

Investment in education in Nigeria should be a life

issue, because it is an investment for the future,

because the national security, economic and technological

growth and the whole strength Of Nigeria entirely depend

on this investment. As an "underdeveloped country"

our growth in this all important direction is virtually

dependent on the availability of highly trained men and

women who will not only utilize the results of modern

technology tools for national advancement, but devote

the results of this research to the development of the

nation. (p. 224)
A comprehensive and meaningful evaluation of a given education must
be done in terms of its effectiveness in meeting the needs of society
at a given time in life. Nigerian education or traditional African
education must be judged not by extraneous consideration or some
foreign yardstick, but by its performance within a given social
context (Fafunwa 1974). Thus it may be conclusively asserted that
education in Nigeria serves the dual purpose of improving the plight
of the individual and his or her family on a micro level, and

the development of the country on the macro scale.

Decision Making

Family decision making has engaged the focus of many researchers
of the family. It has been defined by authors from different disci-
plines in various ways. Each definer reflects his or her field and
or institution and the situation or problem requiring a decision. For
the administrator decision making may be a pattern of interactions
between individuals through which the social mechanisms that sustain
effective collective activity are developed and maintained (Gore, 1964).
An organization manager may define decision making as an affirmative

or negative intellectual assertion or judgment among alternative means

26

to achieve some ends (Morell, 1969). In the home management area,
decision making has been defined as the selecting of one action from

a number of courses of action, or the choosing of no action,

(Gross, Crandall and Knoll, 1973). Deacon and Firebaugh (1975)

define decision making as a resolution of alternatives that can be
assessed at any point in the management process of the system. A

more inclusive definition has been made by Paolucci et al (1977):
decision making involves (l) the recognition of the need for decision,
(2) identifying and weighing acceptable alternatives, and (3) selecting
or mediating an alternative and facilitating its action (p. 93).

The need for decision making is defined by a family member or
members when there is an impingement felt in their stable existence,
and when a necessary change is evident. Words, symbols, gestures
and messages are clarifying means often utilized to define the
impingement or the problem. Problems needing decision reflect current
issues and problems facing the family system.

.According to Paolucci et al (1977) decision making is a process
of reducing dissonance between the family and its environment as
well as between and among family members. The process begins with
the desire for change and terminates with a solution which commits
family members to selecting a course of action and implementing that
action. Alternatives exist in a decision or a decision is not possible.
An alternative is a culmination of goals and objectives plus resources
allocated to meeting those goals.

The content area of decision making may be shared by family
members. Paolucci and Hogan (1973) considered the family as a critical

decision making unit at a time of crisis. The family is linked to the

27

environment through flows of energy which must be processed or trans-
ferred by family members before the energy leaves the system as an
output to the environment. Hannlon (1969) expounded on the concept of
energy flows and information flows in an ecosystem. He described man
as an open system through which the energy resources and influences
of the environment are transformed and in turn transform man in the
process. Deacon and Firebaugh (1975) said that families are contin-
uously interacting with their physical environments and with other
systems, including the economic, political, and social—cultural
systems. Dechert (1965) describes environment as a set of
conditions and properties that are not a part of the system but are
still able to influence it. Although there are boundaries separating
the family systems from other systems or elements in the environment,
the boundaries between the systems are barriers to be overcome in
system exchange, (Deacon and Firebaugh 1975).

In the family network, information entering the family is
transmitted among family members and the responses or decisions
made are information outputs back into the environment. Kinds of
decisions made are influenced by the processing which includes
analyzing, interpreting and evaluating information. Open families
are receptive to each other's needs which often are transmitted
through the medium of interaction, and the meanings inferred from
the interactions. According to Paolucci et al (1977) family members
become involved in making decisions based on information or messages
that are both intellectual, and emotional. Personality factors,
information processing abilities, the importance attached to the

information received, and the general family environment and

28

situation at the time information is transmitted and received, all
affect the processing and decision making.

Situations generate decisions, and problems for decision
making have been categorized in many ways. Paolucci (1966) categorized
decision making into two broad areas. She wrote:

The kinds of decision motivated by normal conflicts in

the family can be grouped into two broad categories:

social and economic. Social decisions are made when there

is a conflict in values, goals, or duties (roles) among

family members or between those held by other social

groups, the school or the neighborhood. Economic

decisions are evoked when the goals of the home members

compete for scarce resources. For example, both money

and physical capacity are limited resources on which

many conflicting demands are made, pointing up the need

of economic decisions (p. 339).

Resources of the family are used to achieve family goals,
and the decisions made determine how resources will be used (Gross
and Crandall 1954). Resources are classified in many ways including
human and nonhuman resources. Cross and Crandall define the human
resources as those which are inherent in a person, and the nonhuman
resources as material goods, money and community facilities. The
importance of recognizing what constitutes the family's resources,
and how best to cultivate and manage all kinds of resources have
been well documented in the literature. Recognition Of the limitedness
of resources enhances the decision maker's plans and managerial skills.

Brim et a1 (1962) described three important states of nature
under which decisions are made: (1) competitive state of nature,

(2) cooperative state of nature, and (3) neutral state of nature.
In the competitive state he claimed, the individual or group lacks

control over the outcomes of the decision not because of chance, but

because of others with conflicting interests. Competition arises

29

because the two individuals or groups are striving for the same goal
which only one can achieve. The competitiveness of the situation
inhibits rather than enhances family decision making. The same goal
is sought by individuals or groups in the cooperative state of nature.
Free communication and coordination characterize the family in the
cooperative state of nature. Coordination is defined as the process
of informing each participant of the planned behavior of others

(Simon 1957). In the neutral state of nature, the decision maker is
faced by neither of the above two states.

The role of values in decision making has engaged much
attention in recent times. Because values are linked with and between
family members, the society and the individual's values influence
decision making. Kluckhohn (1962) defines values as a conception,
explicit or implicit, distinctive of an individual or characteristic
of a group, of the desirable which influences the selection from
available modes, means and ends of an action. The desirable is what
is felt or thought proper to want or wish, and reflects the oughts
and shoulds of the group. According to Linton (1954), a value is
anything capable of influencing the individual's decisions in choice
situations or going one step back, and as a necessary preliminary to
such influence, anything capable of producing an emotional response.

Nickel et a1 (1976) see choice making within the family as
occuring in society and in a given cultural and historic period.
Value patterns of the social group bring pressures on the individual

that cannot be avoided. They claim that people in a given culture

3O

tend to hold similar basic values that become criteria for choice
even though the importance placed on specific values may vary.
Paolucci et al (1977) said that values held by family members play
an integral part in shaping family decision. According to Rescher
(1969) values generate both commitment and self inhibition, imposing
feelings of obligation and helping individuals determine what they
ought to do, and how they should behave. Values are, therefore,
considered as ultimately interrelated with decision making and are
components of directive actions that guide families in their attain-
ment of goals.

Nichols et a1 (1971) said that because of their presumed
relationship to the evaluation of possible courses of action in the
decision making process values are relatively stable, affecting
elements of behavior... they presumed that knowledge in this area
could assit in predicting decisions, identifying potential or
actual areas of conflict to be dealt with in decision making, or
identifying the motivation underlying family managerial activity,
(pp. 91-97).

Ketchum (1962) and Dyer (1962) attempted independently to
identify the values expressed by homemakers in their daily decision
making. Dyer tested three types of instruments for ranking values.
One of the techniques she tested, projective stories, is widely used
in family studies. Most studies that have addressed themselves to
similar investigations have used projective type techniques with
the subjects. Projective stories, and incomplete stories are among
the techniques used in identifying family values and how they

operate in their decision making. Studies conducted in the sixties,

31

Nesbit (1966); Tipton (1969); and Price (1968); found some differences
in values by age, education, and socioeconomic class of subjects.

Levy (1963) conceptualized peOples' jurisdiction over their
decision making on a continuum. In the act of decision making,
people are faced with taking a philosophical position ranging from
fate to total control over their lives. In cultures where family
environments are highly limiting, countries that are low energy driven,
and where life is at a subsistence level, the families options are
highly limited, few or nonexistent. Families in such cultures would
be toward the fate end of the continuum.

Diesing's (1962) decision making structure incorporates and
encompasses all the processes at work in decision making. According
to hinn

A decision making structure is composed in the first

place of discussion relationships - talking and listening,
asking questions and answering them, suggesting course

of action and accepting them. These relationships are
combined in a set of roles which, in a settled group, get
recognized and assigned to individuals... A decision making
structure is composed second, of a set of beliefs and values,
more or less held in common by participating members. These
define the kind of ideas that can be seriously considered
during discussion and decision... Values determine the

goals that are acceptable within the group, the possible
desires, needs, external pressures, obligations and so
forth, that can be considered in selecting a goal or goals,
and the ranking of goals, desires, needs, and obligations...
Beliefs and values, in short determine the general content
and order of the universe in which discussion and decision
takes place, while the roles define the participants and
their manner of participation... A third component of decision
making structure is the commitment already accepted by

a group, and the course of action in which it is already
engaged. All decisions have to be made in an actual

context of actions and commitment resulting from previous
decisions (p. 171).

32

Summary

The literature reviewed shows a high value for education among
Nigerian families. Family educational goals and commitments are
regarded by many African writers as crucial decision making problems
facing extended kin systems that value having many children. Various
writers point to the futuristic value of education for the individual,
his family, and society as a whole. Resources that are actually
available to attain educational goals pose great problems for rural
Nigerian families with limited resources. Families operating within
the framework of kin system differ in their interactional as well
as decision making patterns in various family situations. Help,
communication, and interactional patterns of a given family are
highly reflective of the family's values, cultural sanctions, and
the family environment at a given point in time. Decisions pertaining
to formal education Of children in extended kin systems embody
cultural dimensions that can only be interpreted within the culture

under investigation.

CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY

This chapter is divided into three main parts: (1) selection
and description of the sample, (2) description of the instrument,

and (3) data analysis procedures.

Selection and Description of the Sample

 

The Ibos of Nigeria are a diversified people whose ways of
life are as different as their dialectical attributes. In order to
ensure a broad representation of the Ibos, geographical boundaries
have to be crossed, and tribal difference encountered. Two main
States which a majority of the Ibos inhabit, Anambra and Imo States,
constituted the areas from which samples for this study were derived.
The creation of the Two States was a measure devised by the ruling
army regime to ensure better government. Figure 2 is a map showing
the location of the areas from which the samples were drawn.

Nigeria is located on the West Coast of Africa. Its southern
border is on the Atlantic Ocean. The Ibos are concentrated in Imo

and Anambra States in the eastern part of Nigeria.

33

34

awcmmwz do an:

 

.N oczmwm

35

Anambra State

 

Over one half of the sample was derived from the surrounding
villages of the town Of Nsukka in Anambra State. Nsukka has shown
remarkable growth and change since the founding of the University
of Nigeria in the town in 1960. The rate of migration into the town
fairly matches the growth of the University. PeOple of the surrounding
villages are in the main subsistence farmers who live in mud homes
with thatched roofs. The homes are situated in the natural environ-
ment of green vegetation. Very close to, and often surrounding their
homes, are portions of their farm lands, the sole means of their
survival and income. The crOps planted in the farming lands look
straggly and less green than the untampered vegetation in the nearby
bushes. The farm soils look reddish and porous probably because of
the continuous farming and no time allowed for replenishment of what
the heavy rains have washed away. Moreover, Nsukka being further
away from the ocean experiences less rainfall than other farm lands
closer to the ocean. PeOple in the area often suffer from a scarcity
Of water.

Fairly motorable roads from Nsukka town lead into sections
of the villages. From these, little bush paths lead to the homes.
The natural vegetation often camouflages the homes making them almost
invisible upon entry into the villages. Depending on the time of the
day a stranger visits some of the villages, and especially on the
market day in operation, the sudden awareness of homes in the natural
green vegetation, and of people busy with various activity amidst
laughter, can be overwhelming. The homes are very close together and

people know each other well. The presence of the University in the

36

main town seems to have transformed the lives Of the villagers,
motivating families to aspire to higher education for their

children.

Imo State

The sample from this State was heavily derived from the
villages of Umuahia town which was for many years the government seat
for the then Owerri Province in the Eastern Region of Nigeria. The
location of a government secondary school of a reputable nature
which has graduated many of the country's politicians, doctors,
lawyers, and political leaders, accords the town great recognition.
Also within the outskirts of the main town is a government owned
experimental agriculture farm which over the years has attracted
foreign government experts to the vicinity. The main town is prominent
in its own right because it has one of the best hospitals in the
nation. Umuahia town is populated by many migrants from all over the
country. Motorable roads lead into the villages facilitating high
mobility and quick access to families for the study. Inhabiting the
villages are not only the rural farmers but some civil servants
and business people who have utilized their income to build homes
in the rural villages. The civil servants and business people live
in their modern zinc or asbestos roofed houses, and drive to work
each day from the villages. In the main, most of the farmers live
in thatched roofed houses. Most families interviewed for this study
were subsistence farmers who depend mainly on their farm products
for their income and survival. Some are experiencing a growing

motivation to educate their children so they can step into the

37

enviable positions of civil servants or business persons. In Imo
State, a few families from Owerri villages were also interviewed.
See Table l for a summary of villages from which respondents were

drawn.

Table 1

Summary of Villages From Which Respondents Were Drawn

 

 

State and Towns Villages Number of Families

 

ANAMBRA STATE

Nsukka Town Eha Alimonu
Ihie Akpu
Isienu
Nru
Obukpa l
Odobido
Owere Ezeoba

ammbmww

IMO STATE

Umuahia Town Agbala
Mgboko
Umuezereola
Umuohuru
Umuosu
Umuyota

Owerri Town Umuayalu

IwamNN—J

TOTAL 6

O

 

Families who indicated they were traders and business people
by occupation were also farmers during the farming months of the
year. During periods when farming did not occupy their time, these
families engaged in "petty trading" i.e. obtaining the products of
their trade from distant villages where they are less expensive

and retailing the products to others in their own villages.

38

Sample Selection

 

Sixty polygamous extended families in the Ibo speaking States
of Anambra and Imo were selected to participate in the study. The
number of families selected from each village was dependent upon the
size of the village. More families were selected from larger villages,
and less from smaller villages. However, any non-polygamous family
was excluded. Families in the villages were scattered. The first
contacted family in each village was the family that lived nearest to
the motorable road to the village. If it met the criterion of polygamy
it was included in the study. If the family was not polygamous,
the next polygamous family closest in distance was contacted. Every
fourth family closest in distance to the previously contacted family
was then contacted. If they met the criteria of polygamy they were

included.

Selection Criteria for Adult Respondents

1. Only polygamous type families were selected and only
those with three or more wives to a husband qualified. This criterion
was to ensure having families of a large enough size to study the
effect Of number on family resources.

2. Families chosen for the study were to be residents
beyond a five mile radius from the main towns and cities. This was
done to try to avoid selecting families who had had excessive contact
with residents in the main cities. Even though this precaution was
taken, it was evident that there was much interaction between the
villagers and the migrants in the main towns. In some cases city

people lived in the villages and drove to work each day.

39

3. The families included in the study had at least two
children in secondary schools to help parents identify with family
situations that were part of the questionnaire.

4. Except when delegated by the first wife or by the house-
hold head, only first wives were interviewed. See Table 2 for a
summary of positions of wives who participated in the interview.
Sixty wives and sixty children 15 years of age or older constituted

the number for the study.

Table 2

Summary of Wives' Position in the Family

 

 

 

 

Ranking of Wives Number of Subjects Percentage
First wife 47 78.3
Second wife 9 15.0
Third wife 3 5.0
Other 1 1.7
Total 60 100.00
N = 60

Selection Criteria for Children

 

One child 15 years of age or older was interviewed from each
of the families included in the study. The objectives were to
interview children already in secondary schools, those who had already
completed secondary school education, those about to enter secondary
school. Of the 60 children interviewed, 36 were boys and 24 were girls.

In some instances secondary school drOpouts were interviewed for the

40

study. Table 3 summarizes data related to the children in families

that were investigated.

Table 3

Summary of Children in Families
as Reported by Adult Respondents

 

 

 

Number of
Respondents
Reporting Mean Number Variance Range
Children in Families 60 13.88 40.81 5-40
Children of Respondents 58 4.81 4.26 l-lO
Children of Families
in school 60 5.81 12.99 1-12

 

Table 4 is a summary of the frequency of number of children

in the families studied.

Table 4
Frequencies of Number of Children in The Families

 

 

 

 

No. Freq. Per. No. Freq. Per. No. Freq. Per.
4 1 1.7 12 4 6.7 20 2 3.3
6 1 1.7 13 3 5.0 21 1 1.7
7 4 6.7 14 4 6.7 23 l 1.7
8 3 5.0 15 4 6.7 25 2 3.3
9 5 8.3 16 3 5.0 30 3 5.0

10 7 11.7 17 6 10.0 45 l 1.7

11 2 3.3 18 3 5.0 Total 60 100%

 

 

 

 

 

41

Kin Family Structure

 

Since this research is focused on extended kinship systems,
most families included were sub-kin system families who shared compounds
with the larger extended kin system. They were recognized as social
units by their society and culture. A compound is a collection of
polygamous families and sub-kin families who may have a common descent.
Many sub-kin families make a compound, and many compounds make a
village. Members of the kinship system were defined by the number one
wife or her appointee when listing the peOple living in the family
compound. Figure 3 illustrates the kin family structure in a village

compound.

Figure 3. Kin Family Structure in Village Compound

   
  

  
 
 
 

HUSBAND'S PARENTS

RESPONDENT
HUSBAND'S HUSBAND'S
SISTER BROTHER

      
   

RESPONDENT
'. . F WIF:
. 1wITH ORIEOREN HUSBAND'S
HUSBAND S BROTHER'S
SISTER'S WIFE
HUSBAND
OTHER WIFE
WITH CHILDREN
HUSBAND'S
BROTHER'S
(It is only in very rare WIFE
cases that husband's OTHER WIFE
sister's husbands share WITH CHILDREN

the kin family compound.)

42

The respondent's husband may have more than one brother or
sister. The younger brothers and sisters may still be living with
their parents. Other residents in the compound may be boarders,
renters or friends who are not blood relations of the family. The
extended kin family system environment makes for high family interaction
or team work.

The kinship system included the following members: husbands
and their wives, husband's brothers and their wives, husband's parents,
husband's sisters and their husbands, children and others who may be
living in the kinship compound. Table 5 is a summary of cases of

family members' distribution in the study.

Table 5

Family Members Living in The Compound

 

 

Family Members

 

 

Living in the Compound No. Percentage
Husbands 54 90
Other Wives 54 90
Children 60 100
Husband's Parent 28 46.7
Husband's Brothers 46 76.7
Their Wives 39 65.0
Husband's Sisters 25 41.7
Their Husbands 10 16.7

- Others 14 23.3

N = 60

Data from wives only

43

Description of the Instrument and Interview

 

Two sets of questionnaires were developed for the study.
One was a parent questionnaire with 22 questions and three family
situations. The other was a children's questionnaire with 27 questions
and three family situations. See appendix A for copies of the
questionnaires. The questionnaires were administered in personal
interviews conducted during the months of June, July and August, 1976

(some were recorded).

Pretest

A pretest was conducted using ten Nigerian students studying
in Michigan Universities. While most of their responses were
projections Of what they believed would be representative of their
families, their participation was most valuable in deleting, adding,
and improving the study instrument. It was a useful means of clarifying
the objective of the study and assessing the workability of the
whole project. A second pretest was carried out during the two-week
intensive student interviewing preparation period. At the second
pretest, minor changes were necessary in the questionnaire. The
changes were not in the content but mainly in the translation of
the questionnaire into the vernacular. Local popular names were

substituted for the original ones used in the family situations.

Parents' Questionnaire and Interviews

The first part of the parents' questionnaire consisted of
eleven questions specifically designed to collect demographic data.
The second part, questions 12 through 21, was designed to secure

information pertaining to perceived family resources, family values or

44

expressed family values, and family decision making. The third

part posed three family situations, i.e. short stories which were
narrated to the respondents. Responses were tape recorded. All
interviews took about two hours on the average. Often more time was

expended on the family situations.

_Children's Questionnaire and Interviews

 

The first part of the children's questionnaire was designed
to collect demographic data (questions 1 through 15). Questions
sixteen through twenty seven were designed to elicit information
regarding initiators, participators, and final decision maker(s) in
family decision making situations. These situations were either
narrated to the subjects or read to them. Their responses were tape
recorded. The subjects from Anambra State were either interviewed
in their homes, or at the University where they volunteered to come.
Their openness and willingness to come to the University was due in
part to the fact that they enjoyed the free ride to the University,
or because they wanted to learn more about the study and the interview-
ing team. Some of the subjects referred the interviewing team to
other families with secondary school age students. The children's
time interviewing went faster than the parents' mainly because the
children could understand English and situations were read in English
and not interpreted, as was the case with the parents. Moreover, the
use of English eliminated the problem of dialectical differences
between the researcher and the respondents. Some education, although
limited in some cases, enhanced children's comprehension of the

questions. The children's interviewing took about one hour on the average.

45

The Interviewing Team

Four University of Nigeria undergraduate students and the
researcher composed the interviewing team. The students were referred
to the researcher by a professor at the University. Two of the
students were from Nsukka and served also as informants who helped
locate villages and families, and also assisted in the interpretation
of the questions into the vernacular. The other two students had
participated in interviewing in other studies done by University
professors. The team underwent a two week intensive interviewing
preparation prior to the actual interviews. The researcher demonstrated
interviewing techniques to the students who took turns interviewing
each other. Detailed discussions, evaluation and general research
skills constituted part of the intensive preparation. Ways of making
erroneous interpretations were discussed and clarified for the team.
They also practiced the Operation of cassette tape recorders used for
the study. In the second week of intensive preparation, the student
team went into nearby villages to practice interviewing skills. The
students worked in pairs to ensure consensual validity. Further
discussions followed where the team critically evaluated each other
and their own interviewing styles. In this second discussion, proper
ways of introducing the study to families, and a way of building
quick rapport with the respondents as well as how to handle refusals
to participate constituted part of the training. Interviewing was
carried out only with families who were willing to participate in the
study. The interviewers worked at the tempo of the respondents, and
no families were coerced to participate. The hired interviewing

team played a significant role in the whole study particularly in the

46

children's interviewing. Respondents not only identified with the team,
but were also motivated to participate because of them. The researcher
experienced much ease in her interviews with the wives partly because
she was a woman and partly because of her age. The wives very

readily identified with her and were very open in their reactions to

her questions. She encountered no refusals in all her interviews.

Transportation

 

The researcher rented a Peogeut 405 for use in conveying the
interviewing team into or close to the villages. The car was often
parked in a central location while the team made the rest of the journey
on foot. More walking was experienced in the Nsukka villages than in
the Umuahia villages where most of the roads into the villages were

motorable.

Tape-Recorded Responses

 

Answers to the family situations were tape recorded. Tape
recording of the responses proved to be a very useful technique for
it gave many of the respondents a new experience and helped create
interest in the interview. The recordings also provided more
complete information as well as helped relax the respondents who
enjoyed listening to their own voices. At the end of each day, tape
responses were transcribed for clustering answers to the family
situations in a scoring table. In this regard, the valuable assistance
rendered by the informants can never be overestimated. They interpreted
the difficult dialects especially in the Nsukka area. See appendix 2

for the scoring tables for the family situations.

47

Data Analysis Procedures

 

Statistical analysis of the data was done at Central Michigan
University. Frequency distributions of the data were used to describe
the respondents and the variables studied. Table 6 summarizes the

data analysis procedures.

Table 6

Data Analysis Procedures

 

 

Purpose of Analysis

Data

Methods of Analysis

 

Description of extended
families.

Description of extended
families.

Description of extended
kin family systems'
children.

Description of chil-
dren in extended
families and also birth
order positions.

Description of decision
initiators and parti-
cipators of extended
kin families.

Demographic data '

Wives' responses

Demographic data
Children's res-
ponses.

Demographic data
Wives' responses

Demographic data
Wives' responses

Wives' and
Children
responses

Frequency distribution
with descriptive statis-
tics using SPSS (Statis-
tical Package for the
Social Sciences) on UNIVAC
1106, Multi-Processing
Systems.1

Frequency distribution
with descriptive statis-
tics was done using SPSS
on UNIVAC 1106, Multi-
Processing system.

Frequency distribution
with descriptive statis-
tics using SPSS on UNIVAC
1106, Multi-Processing
system.

Frequency distribution
with descriptive statis-
tics using SPSS on UNIVAC
1106, Multi-Processing
system.

Frequency distribution
with descriptive statis-
tics using SPSS on UNIVAC
1106, Multi-Processing
system.

48

Table 6 continued

 

Purpose of Analysis Data Methods of Analysis
Description of perceived Wives' responses Frequency distribution
family resources and with descriptive statis-
adequacy and inadequacy tics using SPSS on UNIVAC
of the resources. 1106, Multi-Processing
system.
Description of personal Wives' responses Frequency distribution
and family wishes. with descriptive statis-
tics using SPSS on UNIVAC
1106, Multi-Processing
system. Comparison of wishes
hand tabulation.
Description of plans of Wives' and Frequency distribution
extended families for Children's with descriptive statis-
their children. responses. tics using SPSS on UNIVAC

Projected responses to
family situations.

Factors considered in
Educational decisions.

Effect of sex and age on
family's choice of a
child for secondary or
higher education.

Relationship between
educational aspirations
and resource solicita-
tion.

Wives' and Chil-

dren's responses.

Wives' and Chil—

dren's responses.

Wives' and Chil-

dren's responses.

Wives' and Chil-
dren's responses
to family situ-
ations.

1106, Multi-Processing
system.

Frequency distribution
with descriptive statis-
tics using SPSS on UNIVAC
1106, Multi-Processing
system. Comparison of
responses, hand tabulation.

Frequency distribution
with descriptive statis-
tics using SPSS on UNIVAC
1106, Multi-Processing
system. Comparison of
variables, hand tabulated.

Frequency distribution
with descriptive statis-
tics using SPSS on UNIVAC
1106, Multi-Processing
system. Comparison of the
responses, hand tabulated.

Frequency distribution
with descriptive statis-
tics using SPSS on UNIVAC
1106, Multi-Processing
system.

 

1Nie, Norman H.; Hull, C. Hadlai; Jenkins, Jean 6.; Steinbrenner, Karin;
and Bent, Dale H.; Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, McGraw-

Hill Book Company, New York, New York, 1975.

49

Limitations

 

l. The Ibos are widely dispersed in both Imo and Anambra States,
heavy expenses would have been incurred in attempting to reach all Ibo
towns in the two States. Hence data for this study were drawn from rural
villages of only three towns in the two States, with most of the data
from two towns.

2. Information was obtained only from wives and children of
the Ibo extended kin families. More valid and representative information
would have been solicited if equal numbers of men and women had been
included in the study. A heavy reliance on first wives as respondents
may have also affected the results Of this study.

3. The short time expended on this research did not offer
the opportunity to the researcher to investigate in great detail all the
factors affecting the formal education of the Ibo extended kin children,
nor was there adequate funding to meet the necessary expenses required
for a more detailed study.

4. There was no attempt made on the researcher's part to control
any effects or biases other members of the interviewing team may have
had onthe respondents. However, the researcher was confident that her
two week intensive interviewing preparation was sufficient to reduce
biases.

5. Some unsolicited information was given by relatives who
listened during the interviews. Their responses were used in some cases
especially where their presence inhibited the respondents from giving

further information.

50

6. Five children other than those attending secondary school
were used to respond to the children's questionnaire. These were older
children of the kin families, and this happened at the initial part of
the study when secondary schools were still in session and student
respondents were unavailable.

7. Although several questions in the English questionnaire
implied that one response was expected (most), the respondents
gave multiple responses to many questions. Each response was tabulated
as a separate reply, therefore many tables contain more than 60

responses.

CHAPTER IV
FINDINGS

This chapter is divided into two major parts, the first reports
the findings from the interviews with the wives and children regarding
the nature of decision making in Ibo extended kinship family systems in
relation to the formal education of children. The second part examines
and discusses relationships between factors involved in educational

decisions and level of formal education aspired or attained.

Wives and Children's Responses Regardipg
Formal Education Decision Making in Ibo
Extended Kin Families

 

Decision Making Reported by Wives

 

Table 7 is a summary of family members participating in family
decision making as reported by wives. The results show that male
participation exceeds female. Eighty-seven percent of the wives
reported that husbands participated, and 50 percent reported that
husband's brothers also participated in family decisions. Older
children and wives were reported having the same amount of participation
in 35 percent of the cases. Other persons reported as being involved
in family decisions were: family friends in difficult decisions, the

oldest and respected man in the village, and sometimes school teachers.

51

52

Table 7

Participation in Family Decision Making Reported by Wives

 

 

 

Family Members No. Percentage
Husbands 52 87
Husband's brother 30 50
Older children 21 35
Wives 21 35
Husband's parents 9 15
Husband's brothers' wives 3 5
Husband's Sisters 1 2
Other 17 28

 

Note: Number of respondents = 60

Total is greater than 60 because more than one response
was possible.

Table 8 presents data on the initiators and participants in
educational decisions in the extended families. Eighty-seven percent
of the wives reported that their husbands initiated educational decisions
in their families, and 32 percent said older children did, while 27
percent said their husbands' brothers initiated the decisions. Husbands'
sisters and their husbands were reported as having very minimal
participation and initiative in any form of family decisions. Older
children initiated educational decisions more Often than wives did.
Participation in specific decisions regarding formal education
of children seems to be both similar to and different from participation

in general family decisions. High percentage of the wives reported that

53

husbands.participated in both kinds of decisions. However, forty three

percent of the wives said they participated in education decisions in
their families compared to 35 percent in family decisions. Older
children were also reported more often as participating in education
decisions compared to general family decisions.

On the whole husbands initiated and participated in educational
decisions far more frequently than other kin members. Husbands'
brothers were the next most frequent kin involved; they participated
twice as often as they initiated. Wives also reported they participated
two times as much as they initiated. Wives and older children were

similar in their participation in educational decision making.

Table 8

Family Members' Initiation and Participation in
Educational Decisions as Reported by Wives

 

 

 

 

Initiators Participants
Kin Members No. TPercentage No. Percent
Husbands 52 87 1 50 83
Older Children 19 32 25 42
Husband's brothers 16 27 32 53
Wives 13 22 26 43
Husband's parents 2 3 O 0
Husband's brothers' wives 0 O 2 3
Husband's sisters 0 O O 0
Their husbands O O 0 O
Other 3 5 6 10

 

 

Note: Number Of Respondents = 60. Total is greater than 60 because
more than one response was possible.

Resources Perceived By Wives

Table 9 summarizes perceived family resources reported by wives.

Ninety-three percent of the wives reported having farmlands as their

resources while 78 percent indicated farm products as their resources.

Thirty-three percent perceived relatives as resources, 32 percent

perceived children, and 22 percent perceived working children, all of

which reflected their perception of human resources.

Table 9

Resources Perceived by Wives in Extended Kin Families

 

 

 

Resources NO. Percent
Farmlands 56 93
Farm-products 47 78
Relatives 20 33
Children 19 32
Working Children 13 22
Wives 8 l3
Wealthy in-laws 4 7
Other 8 l3

 

Note: Number of respondents

= 60

Total is greater than 60 because more than one
response was possible.

Table 10 summarizes the wives' claims of the adequacy and

inadequacy of their perceived resources.

Ninety-two percent of the

wives said their resources were not adequate in meeting the needs of

the family. Most said they did not have the bare necessities of life.

55

Table 10

Perceived Adequacy or Inadequacy of Family Resources

 

 

 

Resources NO. Percent
Adequate 5 8
Inadequate 55 92
Total 60 100

 

Expressed Wishes of Wives

 

Wives were asked: What is the greatest thing you want most in
life? Table 11 summarizes these wishes. Ninety three percent of the
wives said they wanted relatives, and 85 percent indicated they wanted
children. However, children may have been also included in relatives.
Seventy-seven percent said they wanted good health and 57 percent
indicated they wanted children's education. Other wishes reported by
40 percent of the wives included peace in the kin family, progress of
the family like other families, and having more money to meet daily

needs of the family.

Table 11

Personal Wishes Expressed by Wives

 

 

 

Wishes No. Percent
Relatives 54 93
Children 51 85
Good health 46 77
Education for children 34 57
Other 24 4O

 

Note: Number of respondents = 60

Total is greater than 60 because more than one
response was possible.

56

Wives were also asked what they wanted most for their families.
Table 12 summarizes their expressed wishes for their families. Sixty-
two percent indicated they wanted long life and 58 percent said they
wanted good health for their families. Fifty-three percent indicated
the wish for enough food to feed their children. Money as a desired
resource was expressed by only 28 percent of the wives. Other wants

expressed included more children and rich harvests.

Table 12

Wives' Expressed Wishes for Their Families

 

 

 

Wishes No. Percent
Long life 37 62
Good health 35 58
Enough food 32 53
Better life 27 45
Money 17 28
Other 12 20

 

Note: Number of respondents = 60

Total is greater than 60 because more than one
response was possible.

Wives wishes for their children are summarized in Table 13.
Seventy-five percent of the wives said they wanted good education for
their children and 55 percent said they wanted good health. Fifty-three
percent of the wives said they desired a long life for their children
and 43 percent wanted good paying jobs for their children. Other

responses by wives included intelligence, passing in school, and respect

for their elders.

57

Table 13

Wives' Expressed Wishes For Their Children

 

 

 

Wishes No. Percent
Good education 45 75
Good health 33 55
Long life 32 53
Good paying jobs for children 26 43
Good husbands for daughters 10 17
Good wives for sons 7 11
Other 9 15

 

Note: Number of respondents = 60
Total is greater than 60 because more than one

response was possible.

Wives' Plans For Their Children

The plans of wives for their children are presented in Table 14.
Although 78 percent of the wives said they planned to educate their
children forty-five percent of the wives said their children were in
God's hands. The 17 percent who indicated they had no plans for their
children, qualified their statement by saying that plans are helpless
attempts that hardly materialize or that the Gods would be angered
by making plans. Futuristic events, they claimed, should be resigned
to a supreme being who is all knowing. Prayer, resignation, and
fate thus characterized plans of 62 percent of the cases i.e., those who

claimed their children were in God's hands or who said they had no plans.

58

Table 14

Wives' Plans For Their Children

 

 

 

Plans No. Percent
Educate children 47 78
In God's hands 27 45
Good husbands for daughters 6 10
Good wives for sons 6 10
NO plans 10 17

 

Note: Number of respondents = 60
Total is greater than 60 because more than one

response was possible.

Wives' Preferences of Children to Educate

Table 15 is a summary Of wives' responses to the question:
If your sons and daughers want to go to school and you cannot pay for
all their educational expenses, which of your children would you support?
Seventy-eight percent of the wives chose educating their sons over
educating their daughters. Only 17 percent of them stated they
preferred to educate their daughters. Those who preferred daughters
said they would take better care of them in their old age. Age ranked
lower than daughters in their preferences, but intelligence ranked
higher than daughters. Other preferences mentioned by the wives

included the child who wants the education.

59

Table 15

Wives' Preferences of Children to Educate

 

 

 

Preferred Children NO. Percent
Sons 47 78
Most intelligent child 22 37
Daughters 10 17
Oldest child 6 10
Other 11 18

 

Note: Number of respondents = 60

Total is greater than 60 because more than one
response was possible.

Wives' Projected Choices in Family Situations

 

FamilypSituation I Table 16 presents data on wives' projected reactions

 

to the first family situation. The situation was:
Mazi Oji lives in Okwa village with his 3 wives and 5
children. He lives with 2 brothers who are well to do in
the same compound. Four of Oji's children are in secondary
school and with the rise in education cost and living, Oji
is finding it very difficult to maintain his 4 children in
high school and support his older family members. Some of

Oji's inlaws are also well to do.

Wives were asked what they thought Oji should do, what they
thought their husbands would do, and what they themselves would do.
Eighty-three percent of the wives indicated that Oji should ask
consanguineal kin to support the education of the children and 77
percent said he should appeal to affinal kin for help. Appeal to

village friends was projected by 38 percent of the wives. Others from

6O

whom Oji should request help included school teachers, and distant

friends. The figures were virtually the same for the wives' projections

of what their husbands would do in the situation and what they would

do. The finding shows consanguineal kin as the most influential and

the affinal kin as the second most influential kin mentioned. Village

friends ranked next and nuclear family last.

Table 16

Wives' Projections for Oji, Husbands, and Self in Family Situation I

 

 

 

 

Oji Husbands Self
Sources of Help No. Percent No. Percent No. Percent
Consanguineal kin 50 83 51 85 50 83
Affinal kin 46 77 41 82 45 75
Village friends 23 38 22 37 24 40
Nuclear family 1 2 3 5 2 3
Other 16 27 15 25 16 27

 

 

 

Note: Number Of respondents = 60

Total is greater than 60 because more than one response

was possible.

Family Situation II Table 17 presents a summary of the wives' responses

 

to situation II. The family situation presented was:

Obi has 3 wives and 15 children.

Out of the 15 children 3

boys and 3 girls are in high school or about to be admitted

into high school.

support 3 of the 6 in high school.

Obi is rather poor and can only afford to

61

Fifty percent of the wives indicated that Obi should consult
kin about educating children. Forty-seven percent indicated sex of
the child should be considered as a factor in choices made (sons were
to be considered first). Seventy percent Of the wives said, however,
their husbands should seek help from other kin to solve the situation.
When asked what they would do in a similar case, 90 percent of the
wives said they would seek kin help, and 22 percent said they would
seek other help. The other alternative most mentioned was selling or
pledging their farmlands to a rich friend and using the money to educate

their children.

Table 17

Wives' Projections for Oji, Husband, and Self in Family Situation II

 

 

 

 

iji Husbands Self
Factors Considered No. Percent No. Percent No. Percent
Kin help 30 50 42 7O 54 90
Sex 28 47 24 4O 12 20
Ability 21 35 13 22 2
Age 16 27 4 7 3
Other 2 3 22 37 13 22

 

 

 

Note: Number of respondents = 60

Total is greater than 60 because more than one response
was possible.

Family Situation III Table 18 summarizes wives' responses to the family

 

situation III. This family situation was:
Awa has 3 wives and 15 children. His first son is in high
school but is performing very poorly. Four of Awa's other

children (2 boys and 2 girls) are also in high school or

62

about to get into high school. He can only comfortably
support 3 children in high school.
In this situation the largest percentage of wives said the sex of
the child was to be taken into account in deciding who gets secondary
education. Fifty percent of the wives said Awa should send boys to
school, 70 percent said their husbands would consider the boys in sim-
ilar situations, and 78 percent said they would give preference to their
sons. Use of kin members as source of help scored high. For Awa, 48
percent of the wives said he should seek help from his relatives.
When asked what their husbands would do in a similar case, 90 percent
of the wives said they would seek help from kin. The same percent

said they (the wives) would ask their kin for help.

Table 18

Wives' Projections for Awa, Husband, and Self in Family Situation III

 

 

 

 

Awa Husband Self
Factors Considered No. Percent No. Percent No. Percent
Sex 30 50 54 9O 54 9O
Consult kin 29 48 42 7O 47 78
Ability 14 23 l 2 0
Age 1 2 4 7 4 7
Other 25 42 22 37 38 65

 

 

 

Note: Number of respondents = 60

Total is greater than 60 because more than one response was
pOssible.

63

Decision Making Reported By Children

Table 19 summarizes family members' degree of participation
in family decisions reported by children. In every day family decisions
all of the sixty children said their fathers participated. Sixty-two
percent of the children said their Older brothers participated, and 55
percent said their uncles also participated. The children said that
women i.e., wives, sisters, and aunts participated less than men in

family decisions. Another member reported as participating sometimes

was the village chief.

Table 19

Participation in Family Decision Making Reported By Children

 

 

 

Family Members No. Percent
Father 60 100
Older brothers 37 62
Uncles 33 55
Mother 16 27
Father's wives 9 15
Sisters 9 15
Grand parents 6 10-
Aunts 5 8
Other 6 10

 

Note: Number of respondents = 60
Total is greater than 60 because more than

one response was possible.
Table 20 summarizes children's report of kin member participation
and initiation in formal education decisions. Ninety-five percent of
the children said their fathers participated in formal education

decisions, 72 percent said their mothers participated. Mother's

64

participation in formal education decisions differeed greatly from
participation in general family decisions. Fifty-two percent of the
children reported their older brothers participated. Uncles were
reported as participating by 52 percent of the children. Father's

wives and aunts were said to participate by 8 percent and 7 percent
respectively. Eighty-three percent of the children indicated that

their fathers initiated formal education decisions in their families.
Thirty-seven percent said their uncles did. Mothers were reported

to be the initiators of formal education decisions, by 25 percent of

the children, while older siblings were reported as initiating decisions

by 27 percent of the children.

Table 20

Participants and Initiators in Educational Decisions Reported by Children

 

 

 

 

Participants Initiators
Family Members No. Percent No. Percent
Father 57 95 50 83
Mother 43 72 15 25
Siblings 37 62 22 37
Uncle 31 52 16 27
Father's wives 5
Aunts
Other 2

 

 

Note: Number of respondents = 60

Total is greater than 60 because more than one
response was possible

65

Table 21 summarizes children's responses to the question:
Who decided whether or not you would go to secondary school? Eighty-
seven percent of the children said their fathers decided they should
attend secondary school, 30 percent said their mother made the decision.
Thirty percent of the children reported their Older siblings made
that decision while 25 percent reported their uncles did. Aunts and
other wives of the family were reported as having no input in the

decision.

Tab1e 21

School Attendance Decision Makers Reported By Children

 

 

 

Kin Members No. Percent
Father 52 87
Mother 18 30
Working siblings 18 3O
Uncle 15 25
Aunt O O
Wives 0 O
Other 5 8

 

Note: Number of respondents = 60

Total is greater than 60 because more than
one response was possible.

Comparison of Wives’and Children's Reception of Educational Decision
Making

Table 22 compares wive's and children's responses regarding
educational decision making initiators in kin families. Wive's and
children's responses correlated highly; for example, 87 percent of the

wives and 83 percent of the children said the husbands/fathers took

66

the initiative. Both groups reported that wife/mother initiated decision
making in about one fourth of the families. Wives and children
differed most in their perception of brother-in-law/uncle as initiators.

More children than wives perceived them as initiating education decisions.

Table 22

Education Decision Making Initiators Reported by Wives and Children

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family Members Wives Children
No. Percent No. Percent

Husband/Father 52 87 50 83
Older Children 19 32 16 27
Brother-in-law/Uncle 16 27 22 37
Wife/Mother 13 22 15 25a
Grand parents 2 3 O O
Other 3 5 5 8
a° Does not include father's other wives.

NOte: Number = 60
Total is greater than 60 because more than one

response was possible.

Table 23 compares wives' and children's responses to the
question "Who participates in education decision making?" In some
respects children's and wives' reSponses were quite similar with both
perceiving the husbands/fathers as the most frequent participants.

The main difference between wives and children was in the perception of
wife/mother as participant in educational decision; nearly three
fourths of the children saw their mothers as participants but less

than one half of the wives reported that they participated. The fact

that the wives reporting were not necessarily the mothers of the children

67

reporting may have accounted for some of this difference. Children
and wives also differed in the perception of the amount of participation
by older children or siblings. Children perceived them as participating

more frequently.

Table 23

Participation in Educational Decision Making
Reported by Wives and Children

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family Members Wives Children
No. Percent No. Percent
Husband/Father 50 83 57 95
Brother-in-law/Uncle 32 53 31 52
Wife/Mother 26 43 43 72a'
Older Children/Brother 25 42 37 62
Sister-in-law/Aunts O O 4 7
a:= Percent does not include father's other wives

Note: Number = 60
Total is greater than 60 because more than one
response was possible.
The Effect of Sex on Child's Education
Children's reports on the question, "Does or did the fact
that you are a (girl or boy) favor or hinder your chances of being
selected to go to secondary school?" are shown in table 24. Seventy-
seven percent of the children said their sex favored their selection
for secondary school education, while only 3 percent said it hindered
their being selected. Twenty percent of the students claimed their sex
had no effect on their chances of being selected to attend secondary

school.

68

Table 24
Effect of Sex on the Education of Children - Reported by Children

 

 

 

Responses NO. Percent
Favor 46 77
Hinder 2 3
No differences 12 20
Total 60 100

 

Table 25 is a frequency distribution by sex of children
reporting of the effect of sex on their education. Thirty-six boys
and 24 girls were interviewed and 80 percent of the 36 boys said their
sex favored them while 54 percent Of the 24 girls said their sex
favored them. Thirteen percent of the 24 girls said their sex hindered
or delayed their being sent to secondary school while no boy mentioned
his sex as hindering his selection for secondary school education.

Thirty-three percent of the twenty-four girls said their sex
made no difference in their selection while 11 percent of the thirty-
six boys claimed the same. Of the four boys or 11 percent of the
thirty-six boys who said sex made no difference in their selection
two said the oldest child goes first. In general, boys saw their sex
favoring them, more frequently than the girls did. While no boys
saw their sex as hindering them, over ten percent of the girls saw

that being female hindered them.

69

Table 25

Effect of Sex on Education

 

 

Effect of Sex

 

 

Sex Total Responses Favor Hinder No Difference
Boys 36 32(88.8%) O(O%) 4(11.1%)
Girls 24 13(54%) 3(12,5%) 8(33.3%)
Total 60 45(75%) 3(5%) 12(20%)

 

Fee Payments

 

Table 26 is a summary of secondary education fee payments by
kin members reported by children. Eighty-seven percent of the children
reported their fathers paid their school fees while 28 percent claimed
their older siblings paid. Seventeen percent said their mothers paid
and the same percent said their uncles did. In-laws, wives and aunts
were reported as having no impact on fee payments. In cases where
the children indicated fee payment by kin members, 82 percent of those
members paid the fees all the time while 18 percent said they paid some
of the times. Other kin members helped pay when the payments were
not followed up by the kin.

70

Table 26

Secondary Education Fee Payment Reported By Children

 

 

 

Kin Members No. Percent
Father 52 87
Older sibling 17 28
Mother 10 17
Uncle 10 17
Aunt l 2
In-laws O 0
Father's wives O O
Other 2 3

 

Note: Number of respondents = 60
Total is greater than 60 because more

than one response was possible.

Children's Future Plans and Educational Goals

The children were asked about their future plans and
educational goals. Table 27 summarizes their responses. When asked
about their future plans, 55 percent of the children said they planned
to continue their education, while 42 percent said they intended to
work and save towards their higher education. Twenty-two percent of
the children said they would get a job and help pay the expenses of
the family. Seventy-percent of the children indicated their goal was
to have university education, and 35 percent said they wanted to finish
high school. Other responses elicited from the students included,
getting married (girls) and lessening the pressure on the family, and

waiting till they reach the time for any future decisions.

71

Table 27

Children's Future Plans and Educational Goals

 

 

 

Future Plans and Goals No. Percent
Have university education 42 70
Continue education 33 55
Work and save toward

higher education 25 42
Finish high school 21 35
Get job and pay expenses 13 22
Stay home and work

Go to trade school 2

Other 8 13

 

Note: Number of responses = 60

Total is greater than 60 because more than one
response was possible.

Children's Educational Confidants

 

Children were asked "If you decide to continue your education,
in a higher institution, who would you go to, to discuss your decision?"
Table 28 shows children's confidants in their educational decisions.
Ninety percent indicated they would discuss their decisions with their
fathers, while 25 percent said they would with their mothers. Forty-
five percent said they would discuss decisions with older siblings, and
the same percent said they would with their uncles. Other persons
mentioned were school teachers, influential members of the village,

and a distant, rich family friend.

72

Table 28

Children's Educational Confidants

 

 

 

Confidants No. Percent
Father 54 9O
Uncle 27 45
Older working siblings 27 45
Mother 15 25
Aunt 4 7
Other 8 l3

 

Note: Number of responses = 60
Total is greater than 60 because more than

one response was possible.

Payments of Future Educational Expgnses

The children were asked how they intended to pay their higher
educational expenses or whom they expected to pay for them. Table 29
shows how they responded to this question. Fifty-eight percent of
the children said they expected their fathers to pay, while 28 percent
said their older working siblings would pay for their educational
expenses. The highest proportion, 72 percent of the students said
they would apply for government scholarships to meet their educational

expenses.

73

Tab1e 29

Children's Expectations of Payment of Their Educational Expenses

 

 

 

Source of Payment No. Percent
Apply for scholarship 43 72
Father 35 58
Older siblings 17 28
Work awhile and save 17 28
Uncle 16 27
Mother 8 l3
Borrow money 8 l3
Aunt 3 5
Fathers' wives O O
Other 6 10

 

Note: Number of respondents = 60

Total is greater than 60 because more than
one response was possible.

Children's Responses to Family Situations I, II, 3 III

The children were presented with the following situations:

I.

II.

Mark is about to enter secondary school or is already in
secondary school but discovers that his parents are unable

to pay his expenses in school due to many children whose
needs are increasing. Besides, there are four other

children in Mark's family who are already in secondary
school, but Mark is determined to get secondary education.
Joe is faced with the same situation as Mark above but he has
2 uncles (brothers-of his father) and one uncle and one

aunt, (siblings of his mother), all four relatives have very

good senior service jobs and earn good pay.

74

III. Samuel is the seventh child in a family of 15 children.
His parents in no way can afford to meet his educational
costs in secondary school as all but one of the older 7
siblings are in secondary school. Samuel does exceptionally
well in school and has high motivation for higher education.
For each situation respondents were asked to project what the fictitious
character should, can, and must do. They were also asked what they

would do if they were the fictitious character.

Situation I Table 30 shows choices made by children in family situations

 

which dealt with limited resources. In their projections for Mark,
the fictitious character, 63 percent indicated that help be sought
from consanguineal kin. Only 20 percent mentioned that Mark seek a
scholarship. However, when the response related to themselves, 87
percent said they would seek government scholarships and 75 percent
said they would seek consanguineal kin help. More children also
said they would seek help from affinal kin than they projected for
Mark.

75

Table 30

Children's Projections for Mark and Self in Family Situation I

 

 

 

 

Source of Help Mark Self

No. Percent No. Percent
Consanguineal kin 38 63 45 75
Affinal kin 24 4O 36 6O
Seek scholarship 12 20 52 87
Older working sibs 10 17 7 12
Parents, nuclear family 7 12 17 28

 

 

Note: Number of responses = 60
Total is greater than 60 because more than one

response was possible
Family Situation II In family situation 11 the change in the story to
the effect that Joe, the fictitious character, has uncles and aunts
who have senior service jobs and earn good pay brought about a
change in the responses. The responses were more kin dependent.
Table 31 summarizes the projections of the children. When respondents
were asked what they would do themselves, 83 percent, and 68 percent
respectively said they would ask help from consanguineal and affinal
kin. Eighty percent said they would seek scholarships, but only 7

percent projected this source of help for Joe.

76

Table 31

Children's Projections for Joe and Self in Family Situation II

 

 

 

 

Source of Help Joe Self

No. Percent No. Percent
Consanguineal kin 45 75 50 83
Affinal kin 36 6O 41 68
Parents nuclear family 11 18 6 10
Older working siblings 8 13 ll 18
Seek scholarship 4 7 48 80

 

 

Note: Number of respondents = 60

Total is greater than 60 because more than one
response was possible.

Family Situation III In family situation III the children's responses

 

seem to indicate groping for help by Samuel, the fictitious character,
in a large family of limited resources. Table 32 summarizes responses
for this situation. Seeking kin help was mentioned by 60 percent

of the children for Samuel, and seeking a scholarship by 42 percent.
However, when asked what they would do in a similar situation, 97
percent said they would seek government scholarships, and 57 percent
said they would ask people in the village. Asking village people was
a form of seeking a local scholarship often awarded with a promissary

note of reciprocating the service by training another villager.

77

Table 32

Children's Projections for Samuel and Self in Family Situation III

 

 

 

 

Preferances Samuel Self

No. Percent No. Percent
Seek kin help 36 6O 11 18
Seek scholarship 25 42 58 97
Stay home work 23 38 19 32
Meet mother's relatives 18 30 1 2
Ask villagers 2 3 34 57

 

 

Note: Number of responses = 60
Total is greater than 60 because more than one

response was possible.
Summarypof children's Responses to the Three Family Situations.

In general the children seemed to react to situations somewhat
differently when they were directed to them than when projecting what
the fictitious characters would do or should do. In all three family
situations help of kin members was highly projected for the fictitious
characters in the stories. When asked what they would do, more
children said they would rely on seeking governmental scholarships.
For example, in the first situation 87 percent of the children, in
the second 80 percent, and in the third situation 97 percent said
they would seek scholarships. However, this in no way minimized
the heavy reliance on kin affiliation and dependency. In the first
three situations kin were seen as major sources of help but in the
third, nearly all of the children said they would seek a scholarship
and nearly 60 percent said they would ask villagers to help. The

fact that the fictitious character was an exceptionally good student

78

highly motivated for education appeared to influence their responses.
It is also customary for the Ibo villagers to help educate an

exceptionally good student.

Factors Involved in Educational Decisions

 

and Level of Formal Education Aspired to or Attained

 

Values, Resources and Number of Children

 

The Ibos high value for having many children is reflected
in the wives' responses to the question: "What do you want most in
life?” Ninety-three percent said they wanted relatives, and 85 percent
indicated they wanted children (Table 11). Relatives in the Ibo
tradition include children. This traditional value is in keeping
with their common saying and popular boys' name "Umunnabuike" interp-
reted to mean, ”He who has relatives has power." The kin social
environment appears to be wanted more than the natural environment
although life might be qualitatively better for all concerned if the
natural or even the human built environment were adequately utilized.
Among other values expressed by the wives were wishes for good health
and long life for the kin relatives.

Significant resources perceived by the wives were farmlands
and products, both of which were hardly adequate to support the
family. A partial reason for the paucity of the farmlands is the
persistent nature of farming engaged in by the farmers, and the
lack of chemical or natural replenishment of the soil substances.
Since most of the families included in this study were subsistence
farmers, use of their farmland products to achieve their goals of

educating their children would deny them the bare necessities of life.

79

Their low level of existence would further be intensified to a level
that might be hazardous to their lives.

The wives' perceived real resources are the human resources
who, in crises situations, are assigned by the norms of the kin and
society to use whatever resources and resourcefulness at their
disposal to meet the needs of family members. The farmlands and
farm products that are available are committed resources utilized
directly to support the life system of the family. If these committed
resources were transfered to meet the costs of education, an important
need, that of survival would be denied the family members and the
family's value for long life and good health would be defeated.

Ninety-two percent of the respondents indicated they lacked
adequate resources implying that although resources were perceived,
they were not available to the degree required for meeting the
needs of the family (Table 10). Only eight percent said they had
adequate resources to meet their family needs. When questioned
further, these respondents said that adequacy meant having enough
food to feed their children. These findings indicate that as the
number of children in the extended kin family who are in secondary
or higher education increases, there is an educational need overload
which may result in a decrease in the level of education attained by
some of the children. At such times children compete for family
resources. Both wives and the children indicated applying some
selective devices for children who are to be educated. As was
reported in the first part of the findings, wives listed use of
other kin's resources, considering the sex of the child, and asking

help from friends as methods of meeting the competing educational needs

80

of their children (Tables 16 and 17). Children, on the other hand,
repointed working and saving for their future education, seeking
government scholarships and peddling for kin help as methods of
attaining higher education for themselves at a time of children's
need overload (Table 27). An assumption could be made that the
closer in age the children are, the fewer the number of children
who can continue in secondary and higher education at a given time.
This is so because educational fees increase with the grades;
consequently children from the same family who are close in age would
require increasing amounts of resources for their support as they
advance in the grades. The impingement exerted by such high demand
on family resources results in the reduction of either the number a
family allows to continue in higher education or in the level of
education attained by the children.

Seventy-eight percent of the wives said their plans for
their children were to educate them, but when they were further
questioned on how they intended doing that, some of them said their
children's futures were in God's hands who would certainly provide
for their needs (Table 14). The rapidity with which they abandoned
their children's future to fate, and their total resignation to the
powers of gods deny them the rationality to scrutinize their action
or plans for the future. Another common traditional belief is,
"God that gives always finds a way to provide.“ Such a philosophy,
though irrational in face of the realities of the world today,
provides the families with some satisfaction for their level of
existence, and justifies for them their values for additions of new

members to their families. Large numbers, as was pointed out earlier,

81

generate need overload, which results in competition for family
resources. The family devises a selective or screening means to
determine who gets secondary education. The screening arises as a
result of the number competing for the family resources. Therefore

the greater the number of children, competing for the family resources,
the fewer the children who go to secondary education. Among the
screening devices used by the family, sex, age, and intelligence

are applied. These variables are discussed in detail in the next
section.

A practice of heavy dependency of kin members (human resources)
on each other results in drainage of these resources. However willing
and obliging kin members are in rendering services to others of the
kin group, the consistency and continuous nature with which the
demands are made erode on kin resourcefulness and resources leaving
them with little or nothing to meet other needs. Of the 77 percent
of the wives who said they valued education for their children, and
the 78 percent who said they had plans for the education of their
children, most indicated they would seek kin help in the education of
their children. Help and services are expected from the kin environ-
ment who in actual practice may not conceivably take on all the
responsibilities that are compounded by number. Wives' expressed
values for their children are more wishes than intentions that must be
carried out. ”Kin peddling" becomes a way of life with the extended
kin families, enjoyed only by those whose needs are met, but crippling

to those who are obligated to carry out these needs.

82

Sex and Age

 

A shortage of resources triggers some screening or prioritiz-
ing of family children who would go to secondary or higher school.
The screening or prioritizing is achieved mainly in two ways, the
traditional or the modern way. In the traditional way, sex and age
feature very prominently. Many of the wives favored education of sons
over the education of their daughters (Table 15). Their rationale for
this choice includes the following statements (made by them):

Daughters marry and start their own families.

Daughters nowadays get pregnant and may not finish school.

Family names are embedded in sons and not daughters.

Sons succeed their fathers and carry out the family tradition.
When children were asked whether their sex favored or hindered their
being chosen from the kin family to go to secondary school, 77 percent
claimed their sex favored them, 20 percent said it made no difference,
while only three percent claimed it hindered or delayed their being
chosen for secondary education (Table 24). It should be remembered
that 36 boys and 24 girls were interviewed for this study and only
three Of the 24 girls said their sex hindered or delayed their chances
of being chosen for secondary education. This low number indicates
that from the child's point of view, sex does not have much effect on
a child's chances of attending secondary school.

The incongruency between children's and wives' claims on the
effect of sex on the educability of the child cannot be overlooked.
It is to be noted that wives, i.e. mothers, were reported by 72
percent of the children as participating in education decisions in

extended kin families (Table 20). If they, in their capacity of

83

participation, showed preference for sons when family resources
were limited, then indeed the sex of the child has some bearing on
education.

Sex as a variable has more effect than age on parents'
choice of their children for secondary or higher education. The
responses indicated that sex was a more controlling factor than age
and the child's ability to succeed. It may be that the law of
descent which binds the kin and which is responsible for family
inheritance, contributes much to kin's great traditional affinity
for male preferences. However, a few of the respondents indicated
the changing and mellowing of this tradition by education. To a
few wives, education of daughters was more rewarding and launched on
a long term basis than had been formerly believed. A highly educated
daughter they claimed, maintained more meaningful and emotional attach-
ment to the family even after she was married.

Only ten percent of the wives preferred age as a criterion for
a child to be chosen for secondary and higher school education
(Table 15). If indeed the responses derived from this study
are the same in actual practice, a departure from the tradition,
i.e. respect for age, is in evidence. But it should be noted that
age for the wives may imply that the oldest child is a daughter, or
is unable to benefit from higher education. Another observation that
can be made involves the fact that in actual practice, older children
are expected to relieve the family burden by engaging in jobs that
help subsidize the family's income. Denial of a secondary or higher
education for the older children and/or sacrifice of education by the

older children themselves aid kin families in their screening practices.

84

It should be noted, however, that sacrificing the chances of younger
children for the benefit of the older ones as a future investment
is not an uncommon practice.

Another significant observation made relating to sex is the
frequency with which kin males are involved in matters of family
decisions and educational decisions. For example, husbands were
reported as being more influential than wives in all matters relating
to initiative, participation, and decisions. Mothers and uncles were

more influential than aunts and other wives.

Solicitation of Resources for Formal Education and Educational Aspirations

Children's measure of high education aspirations was determined
by responses they gave for their educational goals and their plans for
achieving these goals (Table 27). Seventy percent of the children
indicated their goal was to have university education while 35 percent
said they wanted to finish high school. Only three percent said they
wanted to go to a trade school which is the equivalent of vocational
school in the United States. TO achieve this goal, 55 percent of the
children said they would continue on to the university as soon as they
graduated from high school, and 42 percent said they may work to save
towards higher education. The practicality of such claims must be
questioned. In the first place, those who claimed they would go on to
a university have to meet the admission requirements which include an
entrance exam. Secondly, their families have to be well to do to
finance university education.

When the children were asked how they planned to solicit funds

for their education tuition, 72 percent said they would apply for a

85

scholarship from the government which is an outside agency from the
family (Table 29). Fifty-eight percent claimed they would seek financial
aid from their fathers who would either meet the demand or seek

ways for getting help for their children. Twenty-eight percent of the
children said they were depending on their older working siblings to
help fund their higher educational expenses; 27 percent implied their
uncles would meet this demand. From the responses elicited, children
seem to solicit help wherever it was possible to meet their educational
goals. They also exhibited a range of search for resources in the
projections made in family situations. Table 33 compares responses
elicited from family situation I with those from family situation II.

In family situation I resources were highly limited, but in situation II
some kin members had good paying jobs thus had adequate resources.
Applying the interactional framework in this Observation, interaction is
initiated by kin children because of their high educational aspirations.
Outside interaction is high when the children's reference group

(kin members) have limited resources. Interaction with the reference

group increases when resources can be solicited from the kin group.

86

Table 33
Children's Responses To Family Situation I
Where Resources Are Limited and Family Situation II
Where Some Kin Members Had Some Resources

 

 

 

 

Sources of Help Seek
Nuclear Consangui- Affinal Working Scholar-
Situations Family neal Kin Kin Siblings ships
I. Resources,
Limited 17 (28%) 45 (75%) 36 (60%) 7 (2%) 52 (87%)
II. Kin Resources
Available 6 (10%) 50 (83%) 41 (68%) 11 (18%) 48 (80%)

 

Note: Number of responses = 60. Total is greater than 60 because more
than one response was possible. (Only children's responses to
what they would do were compared.)

L

Children with high educational aspirations tend to seek help
where they think they can get it. They also take the initiative to
discuss their educational intentions with resourceful members of the
kin family or those who can influence some actions.

Wives' wishes for their children's education did not appear
to relate to any specific plans or actions on their part directed to
achieving those plans, except in their high dependency on the
resourceful kin who would make those plans happen. Every indication
on their part to educate their children was a further instance of the
high drain on the resourceful kin's willingness to oblige. When
wives' attempts to solicit help for the education of their children
is compared with the children's attempts, it becomes evident that
children do apply to different sources to seek support for their

education. Wives tended to channel their solicitations to kin members,

the traditionally approved way to the kin system.

inclined to go to outside agencies to seek support.

87

Children were more

Table 34 is a

comparison of sources named by wives and children for seeking help

with educational expenses.

Tab1e 34

Comparison of Wives' and Children's Sources of Help Solicitation

 

 

 

 

Children Wives
Sources No. Percent No. Percent
Seek Scholarship 52 87% 2 3%
Consanguineal Kin 47 78% 50 83%
Affinal Kin 36 60% 45 75%
Nuclear Family 17 28%
Older Working Children 7 12%
Village Friends 24 40%
Other 16 27%

 

 

Note: Number of reSponses = 60

Total is greater than 60 because more than one
response was_possible.

Discussion

 

According to Bertrand (1967), the element of power is made

apparent in decision making.

Action in a social system comes about

when decisions are reached and action initiated by those in power

positions because they wield authority or are able to influence others.

Within the Ibo extended family systems, separation of initiators and

participators of decisions from those who implement the decided plans

isevery much in evidence. The initiator or participant in a decision

is not necessarily a very powerful member as attributed by Western

88

cultures' standards. He or she may be the kin family member with
an insight into family needs. The powerful family member, i.e. the
kin member who may or may not be directly affected by the problem
needing decision and action, is a member delegated, or appealed to
solve and carry out the decision because he or she is perceived by
others in the kin as the most resourceful member. He is sought out
by other kin members to apply his resources or resourcefulness to
meet the needs of the group.

A distinction should be made in the way the Ibo kin members
define resources and resourcefulness which may be different from the
way Western cultures define it. Resources and resourcefulness for
the Ibos are implied rather than demonstrated. They are acclaimed
qualities seen in others rather than in themselves which they can
tap without prior agreement with the resourceful member. Deacon and
Firebaugh defined resourcefulness as commanding a status. The Ibos'
measures of resourcefulness are (1) Sex, (2) Age, (3) Wealth, and
(4) Education. All four measures were demonstrated in the responses
given by the wives in the study. Decision initiators were seen as
heavily drawn from the head households, i.e. husbands and their
brothers. They were also Older than the wives and children and had
at least enough resources to be married. Wealth was equated with
farmlands and products which, however, when reduced to actual cash
values were seen as inadequate in meeting family needs of survival.
A working member, is seen as resourceful, and is called upon by others
who depend on his income for their needs. Although education was not

sufficiently demonstrated as a strong measure of resourcefulness of the

89

kin members, a high value was placed on its power in bringing about
change and improved status.

A few families with educated working children depended on
them to meet the needs of their family. Getting an education was
also seen by most of the responding wives and children as a pre-requi-
site to gaining status in the group, and becoming wealthy. Working
at a job after education was seen by other members as making not only
the educated member wealthy, but the whole family better off as the
working member becomes the group's installed resourceful member.

High dependency on the resources of a member or members
by others was found to be a practice among the Ibo kin family systems.
The practice of mutual reciprocity is perpetuated in such a way that
the working members' resources are spread very thin for meeting the
needs of the family. Perhaps smaller family size may reduce the
impact of such a practice, but this was not the case in this study.

A high density of human resources is valued by the Ibo kin family;
number of persons rather than actual economic resources constituted
the family's listed resources. This value may have played a
significant role in the past when more hands were needed to cultivate
the farms, and when a balance was reached by high mortality rates,
and when informal education took place in the home environment.

With the inception of formal education and lower mortality rates,

a new picture exists. Families have not reduced birth rates to
match the changes that are evident; consequently, there is a density
of one type of resources (human resources), and a scarcity of the
other (economic resources). It was evident from the results of the

study that one resource was significantly affecting the other.

9O

Kin related resources are involved in decision making whereby
the decision makers delegated the responsibility of an action to another
or others with resources to carry out the decision. Family needs are
transferred to the member with the means. The resourceful kin member
carries out the needs because of his kin and cultural obligations.

The sub-family with a problem defines it in relation to others of the
whole group more resourceful to handle and solve and control the problem.
The kin social environment tends to be the reference element in the
extended family decision making style, and action imposition is an
accepted part of the decision making process.

A rather characteristic nature of the Ibo extended families
was the promptness and the immediacy with which they attributed their
state of life and every day needs and existence to a supreme being.
Their complete trust to the power Of their gods led to what may be
considered their rather irrational philosophy of life. It also led
to their resigning themselves to fate and not seeking ways of improving
their lives. Praying to God, and waiting on God to show them a way
to provide for their children constituted the wives' plans for their
children's future. The children, on the other hand, though reliant
on kin members' resources, sought help from an expanded field of
choice. The rationality of their assessment of the situation was
more in keeping with their needs and education, and they were
willing to seek help outside family boundaries. Some were even willing
to implement the actions themselves by working and saving towards
their education. Education may have endowed them with such insight,
which widened the scope of their field Of choice as Opposed to the

wives' very narrow field and total dependency on the kin environment.

91

A difference was found among family decision makers and
educational decision makers. Forty-three percent of the wives
said they participated in educational decisions in their families
compared to 35 percent who claimed they participated in family
decisions. The increase in educational decisions may be due to
the fact that they required mobilization of resources which could
only be achieved by the inclusion of all resourceful members of
the family which included wives. Wives may also be in a position to
know where help could be obtained. Since husbands' sisters and
their husbands may be faced with the same role in their own families,
they were unable to be of any help to the families under investigation
and consequently, they were reported as having very minimal initiative
and participation of any form in family decisions. The paternal
nature of the families and the law of descent may be contributory
to this pattern. Husbands' parents were also not considered in educa-
tional decisions probably because they were lacking in knowledge that
could influence education decisions. Their limited experiences in
such matters were regarded by the wives as not useful alternatives
in the field of choice.

A difference was found in wives' responses on the effect of
sex of the child on his or her being selected for secondary school
attendance and the children's responses. While 87 percent of the
wives preferred boys' education over girls', 77 percent of the
children said their sex favored them, 20 percent said it made no
difference, and only three girls said it delayed their being sent
to secondary school. This disparity needs clarification. Wives who

preferred boys being educated over girls said daughters could be

92

trained by their husbands; some said daughters may get pregnant in
the process of education, and others quoted the Ibos' law of descent.
The children, on the other hand, saw themselves as being fully
accepted by their parents especially since most of those interviewed
were already in secondary school. A few of the girls said their
school fees were paid by their prospective husbands who would marry
them at the completion of their secondary school education. The exact
manner in which the decision of whether a boy or girl goes to
secondary school is made, needs to be determined in another study
that addresses itself to that issue. Based on the wives' responses,
it was clear that the sex Of the child is taken into account
especially when the children are so close together in age that many
are ready for secondary education at the same time. Alternatives
mentioned by wives at such times included marrying off the daughters
and utilizing the bride price paid on their behalf for fee payments
of the boys. Other alternatives were selling or pledging of farmlands
to meet the family needs, i.e. fee payments. Older sons were in some
instances encouraged to give up education and work to support the
family. Appealing to the more resourceful members was part of the
"kin peddling" practice engaged by the respondents. Where help comes
from the villagers, often the villagers volunteer the help or give it
because it is an established tradition. However, wives indicated
they would ask help from villagers if help could not be obtained

from the kin family; they would enlarge their field of choice.

CHAPTER V
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND IMPLICATIONS

This chapter contains a summary of the findings presented in
the preceding chapter, some conclusions drawn from the findings, and

suggest implications for further study, policies, and programs,

ml

Wives' perceived that resources were inadequate in meeting
the educational needs of the family. Available family resources were
the human resources which form the kin unit, and from whom the kin
members obtain services and help for meeting their goals and needs.
Kin members rather than money resources were perceived by the wives.

A kin member's willing involvement in applying his or her
resources in solving the family's needs is a cultural universally
sanctioned obligatory act among the Ibos. High kin dependency is a
socially acceptable practice among the Ibos which consistently tends
to drain the resources of the most resourceful members for the good
of his or her kin dependents. Dependents in this study were not
defined by age as is customary but by possession of resources. The
less resourceful members are attracted towards the more resourceful
ones. The pull is more in the direction of the kin members with
resources rather than towards the powerful kin member, defined by age.
See figure 4. Availability of kin with resource is a key factor

affecting education choice.

93

94

Figure 4. Direction of Kin Resources Pull

       
    

RESOURCEFUL KIN

  

GRAND
PARENTS

SUB KIN
FAMILY

While complete consensus was not found in wives' claims of
the effect of the sex of the child on his or her chances of going to
a secondary school and children's claim in family situations where
there was a choice between the boys and girls, wives mostly claimed
they would favor boys for secondary education, however some wives
said daughers should be educated. Children on the other hand,
regardless of sex, were found to claim their sex favored or had no
effect on their selection for secondary school education.

It was found that most Ibo wives believed in, and resigned their
future plans to God. Their complete belief in fate to control their
future and meet their every day needs was seen to result in their
feeling of euphoria or resignation. Consequently, plans for the future

were not made, but situations were tackled as the needs arose.

95

Differences were found to exist between wives' and children's
patterns of seeking help with educational expenses. Wives scouted
for help in their consanguineal and affinal kin. They also sought
help from village friends. The immediate rural environment constituted
their help environment. Children on the other hand said they would
seek out specific sources where financial aid could be obtained.
Moreover, they were more apt to seek help from outside agencies. They

perceived a larger help environment than the wives did.

Conclusions

 

The following conclusions were drawn from the findings:

1. The Ibo extended kin family system is a cohesive social
unit organized in a network of mutual relationships.

The kin unit utilizes the most resourceful member or
members to meet the needs of the many sub-family units
constituting the larger kin unit.

2. The ability of the kin family to educate their children
in secondary school is dependent on the resources that
could be tapped from the kin family group, the exact
resources that can be utilized for the education of
children, and number Of children ready for secondary
education at a given time.

3. High kin dependency rather than individual effort pervades
the extended kin family environment. "Kin Peddling," i.e.

seeking help from the kin group is practiced.

96

4. When resources are limited and the number of extended kin
family children ready for secondary education are competing,
wives show preference of boys over girls. Children, on the
other hand, consider their sex an uninhibiting factor in
their selection by the family for secondary school education.

5. More males participated, initiated, and were more often
called upon to meet the educational needs of the family
than females. Daughters of the kin group and their husbands,
as well as grandparents in the family were the least reported
participants, initiators, and actors of educational decisions
in the extended kin family.

6. An influencing factor on life in general among the Ibo
extended kin families is the social environment which is
densely populated by the kin members who reciprocate each

other's services.

Implications for Further Study Policies and Programs

This study raised more questions than it answered. More
investigation is necessary to determine the attitude and effect of high
kin dependency on the resourceful members of the kin group. Such
investigation should attempt to ascertain the effect of resource
drainage on the immediate family of a member, ways of helping less
resourceful relatives, and the ways family members are approached by
other kin members.

Further investigation is necessary to determine the role of
wives and mothers in the education of their children in secondary and
higher institutions of learning. This study showed wives as being

very active in seeking out help from their kin relatives for the

97

education of their children but the exact manner this is achieved was
not specified. More needs to be known about the ways "kin peddling"
is achieved, and how much success is gained from the practice. Infor-
mation from husbands regarding their involvements in the education of
their children needs to be explored.

In September 1976 the government of Nigeria introduced a free
education policy for all levels of education from primary through
university. Research should be done to find out how the new educational
policy is affecting families in the rural villages, what effect such
a financial lift has on the inter-relationships within the kinship
group, and how many of the families' children are taking advantage
of the policy. A comparative study needs to be done to determine the
change in attitudes, if any, of the supporting resourceful kin members
before and after this government policy. Furthermore, such studies
should attempt to find out if the government's free education policy
has improved the quality of education offered, and if it has increased
the number of children going to school at the secondary school and higher
education levels. In this regard, a study should be directed to finding
the degree of decrease or increase of child servants in the entire
country, how this relates to increased educational opportunities, and
what salaries any remaining servants are demanding. The effect of any
decrease of house servants on the home management of the family
should be investigated also.

A measure should be devised to determine a family's economic
and material resources, and the extent to which they are applied to
meeting the needs Of the family. For an example, a farm plot could be

measured by the number of yam mounds it takes, and this may be multiplied

98

by equal or near equal number of farm plots owned by a family divided
by family members in the kin group. Other items mentioned by the
respondents as items that they could pledge could be measured by their
market values.

Further studies need to be conducted at the family or individual
household level to determine the relationship existing between the
wives in many family situations. What are the relationships when
children of one wife demands more than those Of others? Attitudes of
kin members need to be delineated in varying situations to truly
determine the spirit of the kin family.

Most importantly there is need for the Nigerian government to
re-educate its families to strive for quality of human life, and not
merely quantity of human resources. Such a goal could be achieved
if family planning is undertaken on a broad national scale, and a higher
quality of life for individual family members demonstrated. The
government should protect families from pledging or selling their
farmlands which in all probability are the main source of their existence.
Welfare policies and programs are needed to assist families at times of
high economic needs so that families can continue to own their lands.
(Families need to become aware Of the services of assistance available
to them.

This study has shown that the education of the nation's children
has been left very much to the individual family who strives to apply
the very limited resources at its disposal to meet the competing needs
Of the extended kin families. Increased governmental support of the
education of the human resources of the nation would not only alleviate

the burden borne by the peasant families, but would ensure literacy

99

for the majority of its country. A literate society understands better
the rules and policies of its country and can participate more fully

in social and economic development. Governmental support of the
education of children would release more resources for meeting the
needs of the kin family. It would also relieve the more resourceful
member of the kin group of his or her duties to others in the group,

or at least part of the drainage would be alleviated. If this happens,
economic interdependence as a basis for the traditional cohesiveness

Of the kin family may be lessened. It is hoped however, that psycholog-
ical and social interdependence may be maintained so that the kin
family can continue as a significant human environment and support

system.

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APPENDIX A

INSTRUMENTS

PARENT QUESTIONNAIRE
CHILDREN QUESTIONNAIRE

106

NO.

 

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PARENT: WIFE # ONE WHERE POSSIBLE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. State 2. Village
3. Village Head 4. Family Name
5. Occupation 6. Respondent's Name
7. Respondent's position in the family
8. Who are the members of this family?
a. Husband
b. Other wives
c. Children
d. Husband's parents
e. Husband's brothers
f. Their wives
g. Husband's sisters
h. Their husbands
i. Other, specify
9. How many children are there in this family?
10. How many children do you have?
11. Name and give the following information about the children in the
family.
Those in school
Name Age Sex Elem.Gr. Sec.Gr. Univ. Trade
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

 

 

10.
11.
12.

10.
11.
12.

107

 

 

 

 

Those not in school

Name

 

Age Sex Elem.Gr.

Sec.Gr.

Univ.

Trade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

108

What resources do you perceive your family has? (Check off)
Wives

Children

Relatives

 

 

 

Farm lands

 

Farm products

 

Wealthy inlaws

 

Working children

 

:Io-hmqoo'm

Other, Specify

 

Do you have enough resources to support your family?
a. Yes
b. No

 

 

What is the greatest thing you want most in life?
Wives

Children

Relatives

Good health

Education for my children

 

 

 

 

fianUm

Other, Specify

 

What do you want most for your family?
Money
Enough food to feed them
Good health
Long life
Better life
Other, Specify

 

 

 

 

'thOU'DJ

 

What plans do you have for your children in the future?
a. Educate them

 

b Daughters have good husbands
c Sons have good wives

d. They are in God's hands
e

 

 

Other, Specify

 

17.

18.

19.

20.

109

What do you want most for your children?
Good education

 

Daughters have good husbands
Sons have good wives
Good health

Long life

 

 

 

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Good paying jobs

 

9. Other, Specify

 

If your sons and daughters want to go to school and you cannot pay
for their education, who would you ask to support their formal
education?

a. Your husband

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

b. Parents

c. Brothers or sisters

d. Inlaws

e. Working children

f. Pledge your land or property

9. Other, Specify

Who participates in matters needing decision making in the family?
Husband
Wives
Children

 

Husband's parents

 

Husband's brothers

 

Their wives

 

Husband's sisters

 

sec-Amancrm

Their husbands

 

do
0

Other, Specify

 

Who initiated or would initiate the decision about children's
secondary education?

a. Husband

 

Wives

Children

Husband's parents
Husband's brothers

 

 

 

 

4100.00'

Their wives

 

21.

22.

Who

Ito-thDD'DJ
00......

If your sons and daughters want to go to school and you cannot pay
for all their educational expenses, which of your children would

you
a.

(D QOC"

110

Husband's sisters

 

Their husbands

 

Other, Specify

 

are participants in educational decisions?
Husband

Wives

Children

Husband's brothers

 

 

 

 

Their wives

 

Husband's sisters

 

Their husbands
Other, Specify

 

 

support?
Sons

 

Daughters
The Oldest child
The most intelligent child

 

 

Other, Specify

 

PROBLEM 1.

QUESTION 1.

4.
PROBLEM 11.

QUESTION 1.

4.
PROBLEM III.

QUESTION 1.

111

FAMILY SITUATIONS

 

Mazi Oji lives in Okwa village with his 3 wives and 5
children. He lives with 2 brothers who are well to do in
the same compound. Four of Oji's children are in
secondary school and with rise in education cost and
living, Oji is finding it very difficult to maintain his 4
children in high school and support his other family
members. Some of Oji's inlaws are also well to do.

What should Oji do in his position?
Why?

What else do you think he should do?
Why?

If Oji was your husband, what do you think he would do?
Why?

What would you do as a wife?

Obi has 3 wives and 15 children. Out of the 15 children 3
boys and 3 girls are in high school or about to be
admitted into high school. Obi is rather poor and can
only afford to support 3 of the 6 in high school.

How does he decide who goes to high school?
Why?

How else can he make the decision?
Why?

If your husband was in his shoes, how would he decide?
Why?

What would you do as a wife to help decide?

Awa has 3 wives and 15 children. His first son is in high
school but is performing very poorly. Four of Awa's

other children (2 boys and 2 girls) are also in high
school or about to get into high school. He can only
comfortably support 3 children in high school.

What should Awa do?
Why?

What must he do?
Why?

If your husband were in Awa's shoes, what would he do? Why?

What would you do as a wife?
Why?

10.
11.

12.
13.
14.
15.

112

NO.

 

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR CHILDREN 15 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER

 

 

 

 

 

 

State 2. Village
Village head 4. Family Name
Name 6. Sex

Age

 

Who are the members of this family?

 

 

 

 

 

 

a. Father

b. Mother

c. Brothers

d. Sisters

e. Uncles

f. Aunts

9. Grand parents

 

h. Other, specify

 

How many children are there in your family?

 

What is your position in the family?

 

Do you attend school at the present time?

 

a. yes
b. no

If flg_go to question 14. If YES go to question 12 & 13; Skip No. 14.
What school do you attend?

 

In what class are you?

 

How much education did you have?

 

How often did you take the common entrance exam to secondary school?

 

 

 

 

a. Never

b. Once

c. Twice.

d. Three times

e. Other, specify

 

113

16. Who decided whether or not you would go to secondary school?

a
b
c.
d.
e
f
9

Your father

 

Your mother

 

Your uncle

 

Your aunt

 

Older working sibling

 

Your father's wife or wives
Other, specify

 

17. Who pays or paid for your education?

CQ-thOU'QJ

Father
Mother
Uncle
Aunt
Older Sib
Inlaws

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other, specify

 

18. How Often are or were your fees paid for by your guardian?

a.
b.

All the time
Some times

 

 

19. If your answer is not all the time, who pays or paid for the other

times?

ICC-thOU'D-l

Father
Mother
Uncle
Aunt
Older sib
Inlaws

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other father's wives

 

Other, specify

 

20. Who participates in matters needing decision making in your family?

a.
b.
c.

Father
Mother
Father's wives

 

 

 

114

 

 

 

 

d. Brothers

e. Sisters

f. Uncles

g. Aunts

h. Grand parents

 

i. Other, specify

 

21. Who initiated the decision about whether or not you went for
secondary school?

Father

Mother

Uncles

Aunts

Other father's wives

Older children of the family _____

Other, specify

 

 

 

 

 

 

LQ-thfiO'QJ

 

 

22. Who are participants in educational decisions in your family?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a. Father

b. Mother

c. Father's wives
d. Brothers

e. Sisters

f. Uncles

g. Aunts

h. Grand parents

 

do
0

Other, specify

 

23. Does or did the fact that you are a (girl, boy) favor or hinder your
chances of being selected to go to secondary school?

a. Favor
b. Hinder

 

 

24. What do you intend to do in the future or when you leave secondary
school?

a. Stay home and work

 

b. Get a job and pay expenses

115

c. Work and save towards higher education -
d. Continue my education

 

e. Other, specify

 

25. What is your educational goal?
Finish secondary education

 

a.
b. Go to trade school

c. Have University education
d.

 

 

Other, specify

 

26. If you decided to continue your education in a higher institution,
who would you go to discuss your decision?

Father

Mother

Uncle

Aunt

Father's wives

 

 

 

 

 

Older working sibs

 

LQ-thOU'QJ

Other, specify

 

27. If you decide to continue your education, who would you expect to
pay your educational expenses?

Father

Mother

Uncle

Aunt

Father's wives

Older sibs

Work awhile and save

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:LQ-hCDQOU'D)

Borrow money

 

u—Jo
.

Apply for government scholarship

 

Other, specify

(.1.

 

PROBLEM 1.

QUESTIONS 1.

PROBLEM 11.

QUESTIONS 1.

PROBLEM 111.

116

FAMILY SITUATIONS FOR STUDENT

Mark is about to enter secondary school or is already in
secondary school but discovers that his parents are unable
to pay his expenses in school due to many children whose
needs are increasing. Besides, there are 4 other children
in Mark's family who are already in secondary school, but
Mark is determined to get secondary education.

What should Mark do?
Why?

. What else can he do?

Why?

. What must Mark do?

Why?

. If you were in Mark's shoes, what would you do?

Why?

Joe is faced with the same situation as Mark above but he
has 2 uncles (brothers of his father) and one uncle and

one aunt, (siblings of his mother), all four relatives have
very good senior service jobs and earn good pay.

What should Joe do?
Why?

. What else should he do?

Why?

. What must he do?

Why?

. If you were Joe, what would you do?

Why?

Samuel is the seventh child in a family of 15 children. His
parents in no way can afford to meet his educational costs
in secondary school as all but one of the older 7 siblings
are in secondary school. Samuel does exceptionally well

in school and has high motivation for higher education.

 

 

QUESTIONS 1.

117

What should Samuel do?

Why?

. What else should he do?

Why?

. What must he do?

Why?

. If you were Samuel, what would you do?

Why?

APPENDIX B

SCORING TABLES FOR CLUSTERING
ANSWERS TO FAMILY SITUATIONS
I, II, & III FOR PARENTS

SCORING TABLES FOR CLUSTERING
ANSWERS TO FAMILY SITUATIONS
I, II, & 111 FOR CHILDREN

 

CLUSTER OF ANSWERS:

118

FAMILY SITUATION I

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U!
.2» 2
0r- m In .0)
E .“s’ :‘E E

3
a e z; B.
O) (U C f6 5—
'6 2 i: 5: .2
(MESTIONS 2 8 2 g 33 COMMENTS
1. What should Oji God must surely show them a
do in his way. Oji should approach his
position? 1 50 46 23 16 brothers and discuss the
education of his children.
Relatives are there to help

Why? 2 83 77 38 27 each other. Surely one Of his
relatives must help.

2. What else do The whole family has the problem
you think he (kin) therefore Oji's children
should do? 3 50 45 23 16 must get the education. He may

try to borrow money, but what he
Why? 5 83 75 38 27 cannot do is steal. Your rela-

tives are the same, they

constitute your family.

3. If Oji were If other relatives who are rich
your husband have too many responsibilities,
what do you some of the family's farmlands
think he would can be sold to educate the
do? 3 51 41 22 15 children. Our oldest child

may go to work to help us
Why? 5 85 82 37 25 train his younger siblings.
God will help my husband.

4. What would you I will go to my husband to do

do as a wife? 2 50 45 24 16 something about the education
of our children. I will also
Why? 3 83 75 40 27 go to my own relatives, I will

 

 

 

 

 

 

even go to my village friends.
God will provide for the educa-
tion of our children.

 

The first row in each column represent the total number of responses,
The second row represent the percentages.
Some of the respondents' comments are included.

 

 

119

CLUSTERS OF ANSWERS:

SITUATIONS II

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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m o o +4
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0r- 'l" (I, Q,
8’. 8 8 S :5
QUESTIONS < D D U 0 COMMENTS m
1. How does Obi 16 28 21 30 2 Train the sons and take the
decide who goes daughters out of school. Males
to school? are more important because
they succeed you when you die.
Why? 27 47 35 50 3 Train both sexes, girls are
equally as important as boys
these days. Pray to your God
and he will show you a way.
2. How else can Train the Oldest and then he
he make the can train others. The daughters
decision? 3 18 13 3O 25 could marry and their husbands
could finish educating them.
Why? 5 30 22 50 42 God who gave them, must surely
show you the way to train them.
Leave all in God's hands.
3. If your Ask his relatives to help him.
husband were Find good husbands for our
in his shoes daughters and use the money to
how would he educate the sons. He would
make the train a few of the children at
decision? 4 24 13 22 42 a time, and when they are done
they can help train others. The
Why? 7 4O 22 37 7O inlaws of his married daughters
can help.
4. What would you We cannot steal, but we can
do as a wife to borrow, so we can sell some of
help? 3 12 2 13 54 our property and educate our
children. Train only the sons.
Why? 5 20 3 22 90 Train some of the daughters too
they take good care of you in
your old age. Ask my friends to
help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first row in each column represents the total number of responses.

The second row represents the percentages.
Some of the respondents' comments are included.

nil

CLUSTER OF ANSWERS:

120

SITUATION III

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

c: 29

O '1-

'S x 3:

'r- Q) .0

U m <

<1) U)

D a a .s

'0 >4

(D C C

m C O 44

(U 'r- 'r- f—

m m m :3 S.
o'— o'— (I) a)

Q) U U C .C

QUESTIONS 2‘ 8 8 8 3 COMMENTS

1. How would Awa Your first son is very important,
decide who goes don't take him out of school.
to school? 1 3O 14 29 25 Train males not females, who get

:_. married anyway. Go to seek the

Why? 2 50 23 48 42 help of other relatives. God
who gave them to you must show
you a way to provide for them.

2. How else can Train the boys and allow the
he make the girls to get married. Boys
decision? 4 37 7 43 14 carry family names. Get daughters

married off and use the bride
Why? 7 52 12 72 23 price to train your sons.

3. If your husband My husband would train his sons
were in his because education today is very
shoes how would important. He would ask help
he make the from his relatives, inlaws and
decision? 4 42 l 54 22 his friends, or anyone who can

help. Borrow from an source
Wh ? y 9
y 7 70 2 90 38 must not allow sons to be idle.

4. What would We train our sons because
you do as a daughters get married, and some
wife to help of them get pregnant these days.
him? 4 47 -- 54 38 Try to train the first child

who ill h l ai .
Why? 7 78 __ 90 63 w e p tr n the others

Agree with my husband to sell
some of our things. Marry Off
our daughters, Males carry
family names. Seek help of
relatives.

 

The first row in each column represent the total number of responses.
The second row represents the percentages.
Some of the respondents' comments are included.

121

CLUSTER OF ANSWERS

FAMILY SITUATION I FOR STUDENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

D5
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O 'I-
'1- 1.]? (I) .X
04-: +1 +4 s.
HID C C O
3 3 3 3 Q.
434-, < < 'l-
c.,— U) .C
a“ ‘5... ‘5 .e :3
cod) 0) C In to
0.: MC: m'v- '—
,‘J a)..— mx 5— O
.C r—S r— 0) .C
um 001 Dr- '0 U
(Um CC C03 r- (I)
O: 3!!! DC 0
QUESTIONS 2% 28 <12: 2 3 COMMENTS
1. What should If he is determined, he must
Mark do? 17 25 18 18 11 find a way. His uncles should
help him. He should promise to

Why? 28 42 30 30 18 pay them back, for if you are
trained, you owe the family a
debt of training others. He can
wait for his turn.
2. What else can He should approach his parents
he do? 2 44 27 6 9 to discuss the matter. They
would borrow money from others

Why? 3 73 45 1O 1 in the family. Usually money
borrowed is paid in kind. The
relatives are his own blood,
they will help.
3. What must He could go to his rich siblings
Mark do? 1 28 44 7 17 and ask for help, or he can see
if there are rich inlaws who

Why? 2 47 73 12 28 would help him. There must be
someone in the family who will
help with his education. He can
apply for scholarship.

4. If you were I would ask my father to borrow
Mark, what money on my behalf and I pay it
would you back in the future. I can ask
do? 17 45 36 7 52 for government scholarship.

What I know is that I must do
7
Why. 28 75 60 12 87 something to get an education.
Or I can work and save money to
go back to school.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first row in each column represents the total number of responses.
The second row represents the percentages.
Some of the respondents' comments are included.

122

CLUSTER OF ANSWERS

 

FAMILY SITUATION 11 FOR STUDENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a :3 .3
+9 C C C
O 3 3 D.
44"“ < < w-
C4-3 U1 .C
(I) (U S- S. .0 m
S- 3 O (I) O 'r- Sn-
tU-H OJ C m (U
Q'F’ U) C (D'f— r—
Ul (Ll-v- QJX S- O
.C r- : I'— (D .C
U m U U) Ul“. ‘0 U) U
1'6 U) C C C «5 r— C W
O 3 :3 (U D C O"—
S- U (I) w- .x x
“:2 a= xi: a; 8
QUESTIONS 2e <8 $< < 3 m COMMENTS
1. What should Joe 25 43 33 8 O Surely his rich uncles and
do? aunts must help him. He
L could serve them so that
Why? 42 72 55 13 0 they train him. Joe should
have no problems getting
help from his rich
relatives.
2. What else can 6 38 35 14 3 He must go to his father
he do? who must approach his rich
relatives to help train him,
Why? ‘0 53 58 23 5 this way the family name
would rise. His father may
seek loan to train him.
Apply for scholarship.
3. What must Mark He could wait for his older
do? 1 4O 53 2 10 siblin to finish so that
they can help educate him,
Why? 2 67 83 3 17 but since his relatives are
rich, they would help him.
4. If you were Mark, I would ask any of my rich
what would you do? 6 41 50 ll 48 relatives to help and I
reciprocate in the future.
Why? 10 68 83 , 18 80 I can look for scholarship,

or I can work for a while
and save towards my educa-
tion.

 

The first row in each column represents the total number or responses.

The second row represents the percentages.

Some of the respondents' comments are included.

123

CLUSTER 0F ANSWERS
FAMILY SITUATIONS III FOR STUDENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

x 1
S.
O D.
o. 3 '0-
r- .C
(D 'U m U)
I C m S. S.
to - M m
(h S- F" U)
- Q) Q) U) 0 (U
c: E .c m .2: v—
-r- O 44 > U I'—
)4 I O 'r- m "-
_¥ >5 :z-; ‘x :>
3 .‘3 if. '33 8 a
QUESTIONS W W < °‘ m < COMMENTS
1. What should He needs the education, he
Samuel do? 42 22 2 22 0 must find the means. He
should approach his father to
Why 70 37 3 37 find the means. His father
should sell or pledge his
land to train his children.
Ask relatives on both sides of
the family to help.
2. What else can He should become a trader
he do? 48 29 14 20 5 and earn money and save. He
should play lottery. He can-
Why? 80 48 23 33 8 not sacrifice his education.
His father should consult his
relatives.
3. What must Mark He should wait for his older
do? 27 17 39 32 2 brother to finish and train
him. He could go beg from a
Why? 45 28 65 53 3 well to do person to help him.
He needs the education there-
fore he must do something
about it. He should look for
scholarship.
4. If you were Seek scholarship. Ask
Mark, what anyone to help.
would you do? 11 1 19 58 34 Work for a while and save
money.
Why? 18 2 32 97 57

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first row in each column represents the total number of responses.
The second row represents the percentages..
Some of the respondents' comments are included.