| Abstract: |
Early communication involves engaging in dialogues with children at a very
tender age. Engaging in conversation that teaches moral draws children closer to
their parents instead of driving them away from home. This study investigated
making teenagers socially responsible through early communication to counter peer
pressure and curb crime wave in Ebonyi State. The objectives of the study were to:
determine whether there is poor or no early communication strategies between
parents and their teens; examine how early communication strategy can be used by
parents in making their teenagers socially responsible. The study was anchored on
Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). The study adopted descriptive survey research design.
The population of the study was 3,046,287 which was drawn from the 2018 projected
population of Ebonyi State based on the 2006 National Population Census. A
sample size of 385 was determined using the Australian Calculator as provided by the
National Statistical Service. Structured questionnaire was used as instrument of data
collection. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select the respondents on
whom copies of the questionnaire were administered to. The data were analysed using
descriptive statistics and summarized using frequency tables. Findings showed that most
parents have heard of early communication and equally know that early
communication involves transfer and exchange of meaning between them and
their teenagers. Also, from the study, it was discovered that early communication is
importance to teach teenagers moral behaviours, and that it assists children to
develop good personalities while teaching them to be socially responsible. Based
on the findings of this study, the researcher among other things recommended that parents
should from infant start engaging in early communication with their children to
teach them moral behaviours and make them socially responsible. Parents should
make good use of communication as it is a vehicle of thought to help shape their
teenager’s thoughts and influence their decision taking and making. |
