HOME BACKGROUND AND LITERACY AMONG ADOLESCENT INMATES OF NIGERIAN BORSTAL INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of home background – operationalised as parental educational level (literate versus illiterate homes) and parental socio-economic status (low, middle, high) – on the functional literacy needs and enrichment reading and writing interests of adolescent inmates in Nigerian Borstal Institutions. Three null hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 alpha level using independent-samples t-test and One-way ANOVA on data from 498 purposively sampled inmates. Results showed that parental educational background (literate/illiterate home) did not significantly differentiate functional literacy needs (t(496) = 0.14, p = .906), enrichment reading interests (t(496) = 1.64, p = .157), or enrichment writing interests (t(496) = 0.42, p = .724). In contrast, parental socio-economic status (SES) significantly differentiated functional literacy needs (F(2, 495) = 4.90, p = .008), enrichment reading interests (F(2, 495) = 7.94, p = .000), and enrichment writing interests (F(2, 495) = 5.56, p = .004). Duncan's post-Hoc analyses consistently revealed that inmates from low SES backgrounds reported significantly lower scores than those from middle and high SES backgrounds. These findings suggest that SES, rather than parental literacy level, is the more powerful home background variable shaping literacy aspirations in the correctional setting. Recommendations include: identification and prioritisation of low SES inmates for intensive literacy support programmes; provision of additional literacy resources such as books, learning materials, and financial support to inmates from low SES backgrounds; psychosocial support to address the motivational deficits associated with economic deprivation; and, policy advocacy for improved welfare provisions in Borstal Institutions to bridge the SES-linked literacy aspiration gap.