The effects of deviant behaviours on the academic performance of students in technical colleges: A case of Harare Polytechnic

Abstract

This study focused on the effects of deviant behaviors on academic performance of students in technical colleges, in this case Harare Polytechnic. Three research objectives which the study wanted to achieve were to investigate the prevalence of deviant behaviors in college students, to find out the factors that cause the occurrence of deviant behaviors and to establish intervention strategies that can be used to overcome deviant behaviors at Harare Polytechnic. The study used a mixed methods research approach that comprised of quantitative and qualitative research approaches. A survey was used to gather quantitative data whilst a case study was used to collect qualitative data. The population in this study was composed of fifty lecturers, twenty-five non- lecturing staff and twenty-five students. The sample for the study comprised of ten lecturers, four non-lecturing staff and ten students. The major findings for the study were, most respondents said deviant behaviours are rampant at Harare Polytechnic, lack of monitoring and supervision exacerbates deviant behaviours, poverty and poor family backgrounds contribute greatly and as well as peer pressure play a major role in deviancy. The major conclusions were that deviant behaviours are high at Harare Polytechnic, whose forms are prostitution, stealing, drug and alcohol abuse, that poverty and poor family backgrounds are causative to different unwanted behaviours, that poor monitoring and supervision results in uncontrollable behaviours at college, and that peer pressure increases the occurrence of deviant behaviours in college students at Harare Polytechnic, resulting in poor academic performances. The major recommendations were that Harare Polytechnic administration should prioritize funding behaviour change programmes through social clubs by partnering with different stakeholders to lower down the levels of misbehaving, that college authorities must devise and put in place more strict measures of ensuring that students abide by the set college rules and regulations to ensure that students refrain from misbehaving, that Ministry should employ such professionals as social workers, psychologists, counselors to provide the psychosocial support and guidance that is needed by students, that the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development fund vulnerable students by providing loans and grants, so that they are not influenced to misbehave to make ends meet.