CXC

SOCIAL STUDIES PROJECT

SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT (S.B.A)
YEAR 2015

Name of candidate: Howard Liburd

School: Saddlers Secondary School
Center #:130011
Candidate #:1300110241
Teacher: Ms. Bedford

Title: An examination of the life of a female teenager without a male model, the
father to be precise and the effect this has on the individual.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Statement of the Problem

Reason for research

Method of Investigation

Data Collection Instrument

Procedures for Data Collection

Presentation of Data

Analysis and Interpretation of Data

10

Statement of Findings

11

Recommendation and Implementation Strategy

12

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It is in my great desire to thank those who made it possible for the completion of this
assignment. Firstly, I give God thanks in giving me the strength and courage to press on. I
also would like to take this opportune time to thank my mother, Kenivor Richardson . I would
also like to thank my Social Studies teacher, Ms. Bedford, for giving a basic outline in what
to be done and for teaching each topic in order for me to understand. Lastly, I would like to
thank my community members for their support and co-operation in answering the
questionnaire.

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REASON FOR RESEARCH

The researcher has lived in the Saddlers community for many years and has observed a
decrease in the attendance of girls at his school. This is a result of lack of support from their
father. Therefore, the researcher has decided to conduct a survey to interpret to what extent
the young females are affected by the absence of their father from their lives. The researcher
would also make recommendations to assist the young girls who are often affected by this
social issue.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
What effect does the absence of a father figure in the home have on the development of
young girls in the community of Saddlers?

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METHOD OF INVESTIGATION

The method used in order to collect data was a survey with the use of printed questionnaires.
The questionnaire was used a tool for collecting data. The questionnaire has a number of
advantages, these include:

It requires little time to be completed

Respondents feel comfortable in answering questionnaires since there is no need for

personal identification
It can be done at the convenience of the person required to have it completed.

Data Collection Instrument

My name is Howard Liburd and I am a fifth form student at the Saddlers Secondary School,
and I will be most grateful if you participate in this questionnaire. This is a study being
conducted as part of my school based assessment. This survey is being carried out to
determine the effects the absence of a father has on the development of a young girl in the
home. I am soliciting your assistance towards the completion of my S.B.A. please complete
the following questionnaire by putting a tick in the box provided

and writing on the

lines provided for the open ended questions. Specific instructions are given where necessary.
You are advised to answer the following questions honestly and truthfully, and remember this
is not a test so there are no wrong or right answers. Your identification is not required and all
information will be kept confidential. I am looking forward for your kind co-operation.
Thank you.

Sincerely
Howard Liburd

Questionnaire
General Questions:
Age Group
12-14

Sex:
15-17

18-20

1) What type of family do you presently live in?

Single parent
Extended
Sibling

Male

Female

Nuclear

2) How would you describe your familys finances?

Below average
Average
Above average
3) If you have any brothers or sisters, whose company do you rather?
Brother
Sister
4) On a scale of 1-10, rate your relationship with your mother with 1 being the worst and
10 being the best.
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Place your response in the box

5) How often do you communicate with your father?
Daily
Weekly
Fortnightly
Monthly
Yearly

Never

6) Do you spend time with your father?

Yes
No
7) Do you think your relationship with him needs to be improved?
Yes
No
If no please state why
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
8) What is your level of confidence as a person as a result of the absence of your father
from your life?
Very low

Low

Average

Good

Very good

9) The lack of a fathers permanent presence in the home affects teenage girls.
Agree
Disagree
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
10) Do you have more male or female friends?
Male
Female
Equal
11) How does lack of your fathers presence affect you?
Depressed
Lonely
Performs poorly in school

Hate men

12) Do you agree that young girls who lack a father figure in the home become victims of
teenage pregnancy?
Agree
Disagree

Strongly agree

Strongly disagree

13) Do you some-how feel that this affects the teenager?

Yes
No
14) Do you eventually want to get married?
Of course
Not really
Never
If no state one reason why
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
15) Father figure in the home is important.
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Give one main reason for your response.
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

16) How long have your father not played his role or have been out of your life?
All my life
Less than a year
1-5 Years
6-10
11-17
17) What is the reason for your fathers absence in your life? Tick all the answer
pertaining to you.
Dont know
He is deceased

Dont know I exist

In jail

Travelled

18) Do you have a step father?

Yes
No
19) If you were to pick your own biological father, who would you choose?
Your father
Your grandfather
Your step father
Your Uncle
God father
20) What can be done to help children whose fathers are absent in the household?
Counseling
Be motivated to do well
Other
(please
specify)________________

PROCEDURES FOR DATA COLLECTING

Twenty questionnaires consisting of three open ended, thirteen close ended and four yes or no
questions were distributed to twenty (20) female teenagers who were chosen by random
selection. The researcher went house to house to the female teenagers doing random
selection. Their ages range from12 years to 20 years old and all from the Saddlers
community. The questionnaires were distributed on Friday 6th November, 2015 and collected
on Sunday 8th November, 2015.

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PRESENTATION OF DATA
Question 5: How often do you communicate with your father?

How often respondents communicate with their fathers

weekly
never
daily
frequncy of communication

monthly
yearly
fortnightly
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
number of respondents

Figure 1 is a bar chart showing the responses of the females as to how often they
communicate with their father.

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Question 8: What is your level of confidence as a person as a result of the absence of your
father?

Pie chart showing the levels of confidence of females without a father in their life
average good very low low very good

25%

17%
17%

42%

Figure 2 is a pie chart illustrating the confidence levels of females due to the
absence of their fathers from their life.

Question 19: If you were to choose your own biological father, who would you choose?
Table showing answers of respondents of who they wish to be their father.
Options chose
from

Tally

No. of respondents

Percentages

Father

5%

Step father

15%

God father

30%

Uncle

30%

Grand father

20%

Figure 3 is a table illustrating replacements for fathers by the respondents.

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ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

Figure one is a bar chart showing the responses of the females as to how often they
communicate with their father. From the six options it was seen that majority of the
respondents never ,eight(8) to be precise, communicated with their father, followed by
those who communicate with their fathers monthly, four(4), then you can see that three(3) of
the respondents communicate with their father both yearly and daily, then the minority,
two(2), weekly. It was also seen that none of the respondents communicate with their father
fortnightly. In conclusion, most female teenager see their fathers never maybe due to
migration of father or death.

Figure two is a pie chart illustrating the confidence levels of females due to the absence of
their fathers from their life. It was noticed that a majority of females confidence level is very

low, fifty percent of them to be precise (50%). Thirty percent (30%) of the females
confidence level is low, fifteen percent (15%) of their confidence level is average and five
percent (5%) of their confidence level is good. If you notice on the chart, zero percent (0%)
of the females confidence level is very good. It can be concluded that 80% of the teenage
girls in the Saddlers community have low confidence levels due to lack of a fathers love.

Figure three is a table illustrating replacements for fathers by the respondents. From the table,
a plurality of females wishes to replace their fathers with their Uncle and Godfather, 30%
each to be precise. However, the minority still prefer their Father as their biological father
with 5%. Yet, most still wish their Grandfather was their biological father with 20% and 15%
of them wish their Step father was their biological father. So when observe clearly, the table
shows that 95% of respondents prefer anyone other than their father to be their biological
father because of the lack of attention given.

STATEMENT OF FINDINGS
The researcher found that:
1. Figure one showed, majority of females never see their father maybe due to the fact
that he is either dead or migrated.
2. Figure two showed majority of the females have a low confidence levels due to the
lack of fathers love.
3. Figure three showed majority of the respondents prefer anyone other than their
biological father because of the attention and love received by them.

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RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

RECOMMENDATION
Family Counseling Sessions should be held.
Father and daughter meetings or involvement of social wealth fare.

IMPLEMENTATION
Government can also implement programs where they involve social welfare
and a child psychologist to hold hall meetings where fathers can come with
their daughters and be separated so that issues of fathers and daughters may
be expressed and the welfare representative and the psychologist can give
resolutions to problems stated by both fathers and daughters.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

"Primary Data Collection: Questionnaires." Advantages and Disadvantages of Using

Questionnaires. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
"What Is Questionnaire? Definition and Meaning." BusinessDictionary.com. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

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APPENDIX
General Questions:
Age Group
12-14

Sex:

30% 15-17

40% 18-20

Male

1) What type of family do you presently live in?

35%Single parent
25% Extended
25%Sibling

Female 100%
15%Nuclear

2) How would you describe your familys finances?

40%Below average
30%Average
30%Above average
3) If you have any brothers or sisters, whose company do you rather?
Brother 75%
Sister 25%
4) On a scale of 1-10, rate your relationship with your mother with 1 being the worst and
10 being the best. 1-20%

10-80%
Place your response in the box
5) How often do you communicate with your father?
Daily15%
Weekly 10%
Fortnightly 0%
Monthly20%
15%

Never40%

6) Do you spend time with your father?

20%Yes
No 80%

Yearly

7) Do you think your relationship with him needs to be improved?

Yes 30%
No 70%
If no please state why
_Most of them said because they need a father figure to educate them about
men._________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
8) What is your level of confidence as a person as a result of the absence of your father
from your life?
Very low 50%

Low 30%

Average 15%

Good5%

Very good

0%
9) The lack of a fathers permanent presence in the home affects teenage girls.
Agree20%
Disagree25%
Strongly agree40%
Strongly disagree
15%
10) Do you have more male or female friends?
Male 45%
Female25%
Equal 30%
11) How does lack of your fathers presence affect you?
Depressed20%
Lonely25%
Performs poorly in school30%

Hate

men25%
12) Do you agree that young girls who lack a father figure in the home become victims of
teenage pregnancy?
Agree 40%
Disagree15%

Strongly agree25%

Strongly disagree

20%
13) Do you some-how feel that this affects the teenager?
Yes 70%
No30%
14) Do you eventually want to get married?
Of course 30%
Not really 50%
Never 20%
If no state one reason why
Most of the respondents said no because they dont see men to be good.
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
15) Father figure in the home is important.
Strongly Agree 70%
Strongly Disagree30%
Give one main reason for your response.
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__Most of them said to educate them as young girls about men.

_____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
16) How long have your father not played his role or have been out of your life?
All my life 30%
Less than a year 15%
1-5 Years20%
6-10 20%
11-17 15%
17) What is the reason for your fathers absence in your life? Tick all the answer
pertaining to you.
Dont know 15%
30%

He is deceased20%

Dont know I exist 10%

In jail

Travelled 25%

18) Do you have a step father?

Yes 30%
No 70%
19) If you were to pick your own biological father, who would you choose?
Your father 5%
Your grandfather 20%
Your step father 15%
Uncle 30%

Your

God father 30%

20) What can be done to help children whose fathers are absent in the household?
Counseling 60%
Be motivated to do well 40%
Other (please
specify)_Family court, is what most the respondents stated._______________