Prevalence and Causes of Misconduct among University Undergraduates in Ilorin, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated prevalence and causes of misconduct among university undergraduates in Ilorin. It adopted a descriptive survey design and was guided by four research questions. The sample for this study was 300 undergraduates using multistage sampling technique. The instrument used for data collection was questionnaire. Frequency count and percentage were used to analyse the questions raised. The findings revealed that misconduct of various degrees is prevalent among university students and that the prime factors such as poverty, negative peer influence, parents’ divorce and many more are responsible for illicit behaviour. The outcome of the study further revealed that if the menace still continues it can degenerate into loss of intellectual property and hurt graduates’ future employment prospects. It was recommended among others that school authorities and lecturers in higher institutions should intensify efforts in educating students on moral values that will enable them acquire a set of beliefs and values on what is right and wrong which will make them excel in their academic career rather than pursue activities and characters that would not make them relevant in the society.