Drug abuse on students’ academic performance in selected senior high schools in the Greater Accra metropolis

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to examine the impact of drug abuse on students’ academic performance in selected senior high schools in the Greater Accra Metropolis. Four research questions guided the study. The study employed cross-sectional design. A sample size of 133 teachers and 329 third year students were selected for the study. The questionnaire was first pilot-tested to ensure its validity and reliability. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the research data. The results indicated that both teachers and students understood drug abuse to be the misapplication of drugs. A number of factors were implicated for causing drug abuse. These included negative peer influence, poor parental monitoring and supervision, and poorly communicated rules and expectations. It was also found that the use of drugs affect cognitive development, leads to low school attendance and school dropout. Drugs abuse affects emotional state. It was recommended that the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) should encourage peer education among students in order to reduce the influence that negative peer pressure exerts on students. Parents should also be educated to intensify their monitoring and supervisory roles.