Sibsize, Birth Order and Children`s Educational Attainment in Maiduguri Metropolis, Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study used a correlational design to find out how children’s educational attainment, birth order, and sibsize relate to each other in Maiduguri Metropolis, Borno State, Nigeria. The study focused on particular family configuration factors, such as birth order and sibling size, which are all related to childrens’ educational attainment. The population consisted of households from 15 Maiduguri electoral wards. Five wards were selected using a simple random sampling technique, which selected 20% of the wards. In accordance with Smith’s (1975) recommendation for small populations, purposive sampling was used to select 200 households. The instrument used to collect data was a self-developed questionnaire called Sib-Size, Birth Order, and Educational Attainment (SBEA). This questionnaire underwent validation by the experts focusing on face and content validity. Additionally, a pilot study was conducted for reliability testing in two wards not included in the main sample. The reliability of the instrument was obtained using Person Correlation coefficient at 0.05 level of significance. The Pearson moment correlation coefficient and multiple regression were used to analyze the data and assess the associations between the educational attainment and the family configuration variables (birth order and sib size). The results showed a significant correlation between the educational attainment of children and their sibsize. But there was no significance in regard to the birth order.

Keywords: Sibsize, Birth Order and Educational Attainment.