By Evelyn Ijeoma Orji, Laetitia Anthonia Anakwue & Oketope Oseola
Abstract
The study explores deprived learning environment and delinquent behaviour among Undergraduates of Faculty of Education, University of Calabar, Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted for the study. The sampling techniques adopted for the study were census, purposive, proportionate and accidental; 601 respondents were drawn from the population of 8,400 undergraduate students of Faculty of Education in the 2018/2019 academic session. An instrument titled “Perceived Deprivation Factors and Truancy of Undergraduate Questionnaire,” validated through peer review, was used for data collection. The data was analyzed using simple statistical tools like frequency and percentages. The results showed perceived deprivation factors responsible for truancy among undergraduate students of the Faculty of Education to include poor lecturer-student interpersonal relationship, inaudibility of lecturers, lecturers’ postponement of lectures/change of venue, peer influence, among others. Institutional factors suggested to curb truancy among the students include effective supervision of lecturers, effective guidance and counselling to help student focus on their studies, regular orientation programme especially to address adolescent students in class about truancy and its consequences among others.