The Impact of Terrorist Attacks on Academic Aspirations of Young Adults in Nigeria
[Thesis]
Carrington, Shawn Anthony
Grace, Emma
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
2021
143
Ph.D.
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
2021
There are a variety of challenges the education system of Nigeria face, including unsolicited politicization, governmental corruption, and a lack of financial support. According to the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Nigeria has the world's largest population of adolescents out of school, with numbers estimated over 10 million (Central Intelligence Agency: The World Factbook, 2018; United Nations International Children Emergency Fund, n.d.). With these adolescents out of school, this causes long-term academic challenges into adulthood as getting out-of-school children back to receiving an education poses a significant problem to the country. Recent literature suggests that Nigeria's educational institutions have been severely impacted by domestic terrorism, predominantly by the terrorist organization Boko Haram (Walker, 2012). Subsequent research into the reduction of academic aspirations of young adults due to domestic terrorism has been little, with some literature suggesting that psychological disorders or abnormal cognitive conditions (i.e., anxiety) are current research priorities. This research study aimed to investigate the impact of terrorism on academic aspirations on 18 to 40-year-old adults (N = 51) in Nigeria. This study utilized a quantitative methodology using the online questionnaire via SurveyMonkey®. The results yielded from a Pearson Chi-Square test allowed to infer that there is a statistical difference in the academic aspirations of young, Nigerian adults who have previously experienced acts of terrorism. With hope, this research would contribute to psychological literature on terrorism, giving an additional understanding of the impact of terrorism on academic aspirations and would help promote awareness of the challenges that educational institutions in Nigeria face due to the threat of terrorism.