Abstract:
This study investigated sibling relationship and social networking as correlates of adolescents’ adjustment in secondary schools. The area of the study was Udi education zone of Enugu State, Nigeria. The study adopted a correlational survey research design. The sample of the study was 420 senior secondary class two students drawn through multistage sampling technique, from a population of 2446. One instrument- Sibling Relationship, Social Networking Involvement and Adolescents’ School Adjustment Questionnaire (SRSNIASAQ) in three clusters was used for data collection. Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation was used to answer the research questions while Multiple Regression was used to analyze the hypotheses. Major findings of the study revealed that the nature of adolescents’ sibling relationship is positive. The extent of adolescents’ involvement in social networking is low. Adolescents adjust positively academically and negatively socio-psychologically. There is a positive relationship between sibling relationship and adolescents’ adjustment in school. There is a positive relationship between social networking and adolescents’ adjustment in school. There was no significant difference in the mean score of male and female adolescents’ adjustment in school. Therefore gender is not a significant predictor of adolescents’ adjustment in school. There was no significant difference in the mean score of urban and rural adolescents’ adjustment in school. Therefore location is not a significant predictor of adolescents’ adjustment in school. Based on the findings, it was recommended that adolescent students be given orientation geared towards building healthy relationship with siblings and other social networks through cooperation and support. Workshops and seminars should be organized for the students to guide them on the importance of social networking in their life, especially for academic engagements. Social networking developers should be sensitized through symposium on the need to create more educational sites and encourage the young ones to participate in such sites. The social networking developers should also build in parental control as a measure to control sharing and viewing explicit contents that may not be healthy for the adolescents. Parents, guardians and the society at large should be sensitized on the need for the adolescents to have good school adjustment. They should be made to understand that how a child is reared goes a long way to determine the later adjustment in life. Children should be treated with equal love and care.
