ABSTRACT
This
study investigated influence of cultural background on students interpersonal
relationship in Federal Colleges of Education in South-east geopolitical zone.
Four research questions and four null hypothesis guided the study. A 24 item
researcher developed questionnaire were administered to 1,875 students of
Federal College of Education in the South-east geopolitical zone. The data
collected were analyzed using mean scores and standard deviation while t-test
statistics were used to test the null hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance.
The study found that: cultural background influences the level at which
students relates with one another in school, religion influences students
interpersonal relationship in school, ethnic nationality and affiliation
influences students’ interpersonal relationship in school and interpersonal
relationship among students of different cultural background could be improved
via cultural integration, inter-ethnic marriage, respect for cultural values
and adoption of one language as a mode of communication in school.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Differences in cultural values among Nigerian society has been even
before the coming of the colonial masters. Activities prevalent in Nigeria
society mostly takes cognizance of the differences in people’s culture. For
instance, the nature of the formation of our political parties, trade, religion
and profession have some cultural attachment. Culture which is the way of life
of a people which is passed from one generation to another which varies from
one society to another. Charles (2012) in his view described culture as the
shared patterns of behaviour, interaction, cognitive constructs, and affective
understanding, and these shared pattern identifies members of a cultural group
while distinguishing these from another-group. This observation was in line
with Hifstede (2004), when noted that culture is a cumulative deposit of
knowledge, experience, beliefs, values attitudes, meanings, hierarchies,
religion, spatial relations, concepts of the universe and material objects etc.
All these distinguishes
members of one category of people from another due to their varying cultural
background.
Therefore, cultural background connotes the cultural values which an
individual is affiliated with, and which influences his or her behaviour as he
interacts with his or her immediate environment. Njoku (2004) described
cultural background as variation based on ethnicity, race, socio-economic status,
orientation, ideology, geographical location religion and languages of a group
of people. This relates to the opinion of Ezenwa (2008) who noted that cultural
background is a difference in people’s belief system, value, language,
attitude, moral, disposition and taboos which makes them unique from other
people. In the same vein, Otite and Ogionwo (2001) noted that cultural
background denotes the culture in which an individual belongs to, and which
influences his/her actions within a social group with its high tendency of
discriminating behaviour. This differences in value system among people of
different cultural affiliations may affect their behaviour towards others which
may affect their level of inter personal relationship negatively.
Interpersonal relationship as the name implies is the mutual
understanding between people in an organization which fosters progress in that
organization. Okafor (2009) described it as a nature of interaction that occurs
between two or more people. In the same vein, Ogbonna (2010) sees it as an
association between people which is based on love, solidarity and social
commitment with the aim of fostering peaceful coexistence among members of the
society, or organisation.
For the purpose of this study, one may deduced that group interpersonal
relationship is the positive and effective coexistence among people of a group
irrespective of their differences in belief system, language social values and
ideologies. In a school setting, a good interpersonal relationship can be
likened to a situation where students respects each other, interact freely,
work as a group irrespective of their differences in belief system, customs and
tradition, language, social class and ideologies with the aim of working
towards the achievement of the desirable goals.
However, with the way things are going on in the Nigerian society,
tertiary institution inclusive, where there had been series
of ethno-religious cum political crisis, one may begin to wonder whether there
exist good interpersonal relationship among Nigerian students who may be of
different cultural affiliations. This is because what goes on in the school are
the microcosom of what goes on in the large society. For instance, Okeke (2011)
observed that over five hundred thousand Nigerians have lost their lives in
ethno-religious crisis that have engulfed the country since the enthronement of
democracy in 1999. Property worth billions of naira were also lost. All these
arises due to distrust and hatred among Nigerian ethnic nationalities. Recently
the Boko haram insurgence in the northern Nigeria have claimed lives and
properties worth billions of naira. All these were as a result of varying
values systems, belief and ideologies of Nigerians who never want to
irrespective of their differences co-exist as one nation. And this may have
contributed to the country’s inability to meet with the challenges of the 21st
century.
This problem initiated by differences in cultural background among
Nigerians, at the leadership level seems to have exhibited its features on
Nigerian students at the tertiary level.
For example, during students union election in Nigerian tertiary institution choice
of whom to lead is usually influenced by ethno-religious affiliation
(Onyelukwe, 2005). there have been constant cases of unhealthy relationship
such as name calling, exclusion of students name on the class list due to
differences in religion or language among Nigerian students in different
occasion. As observed by Onuoha (2007) that in Bayero university Kano at least
nine students were killed, churches, business places and homes were burn in the
university. This was as a result of remours that Christians had drawn a cartoon
of the prophet Mohammed and displayed it on a wall of a mosque. The incident
echoes an uproar in the campus.
The nature of interpersonal relationship among Nigerian students across
cultural line in the tertiary institution may be influenced by some cultural
attachment such as roles assigned by culture to male or female, thereby finding
it uneasy to reach out to those of other cultural background. It is against
this background that Keller (2009) noted that one of the barriers of good
interpersonal relationship among people is differences in cultural
affinity and this has affected the affective interpersonal relationship among
people in an organization.
Based on the observed trend in the nation of interpersonal relationship
among Nigerian students which were occasioned by the difference in cultural
background, the researcher finds it necessary to investigate the influence of
cultural background on students interpersonal relationship in federal colleges
of Education in North-central geo-political zone.
Statement of the Problem
Recently, Nigerian has recorded high rate of terrorism resulting from
ethno-religious mistrust and hatred among diverse groups made up of what is
known as Nigeria. This has become a source of worry to all and sundry in that
it has retarded the country’s socio-economic development. This is an evidence
to the fact that there is no good interpersonal relationship among Nigerians
who were not of same tribe, religion, political parties and ideologies perhaps
due to differences in language, norms, values, and attitude and if this
continues, it then means that this country is driving towards anarchy.....
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