Abstract:

The phenomenon of adolescents’ antisocial behavior in schools has become a globally discussed issue. Even though there are various factors leading to antisocial behavior in adolescents in schools, poverty has been identified as one of the contributing factors. Adolescents from low socio-economic status families are confronted by environmental pressures that lead to aggressive behaviors. This does not only lead to high failure rate, but also hinders the country’s progress in terms of nurturing future human resource pool and the nation’s productivity. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of poverty on adolescent misbehavior in Windhoek High Schools. A quantitative methodological technique was used to conduct the study. The adolescents for this investigation were from the age of 13 to 17 years who were in public secondary (high) schools in Windhoek, Namibia. The sample consisted of 300 participants who were chosen using stratified sampling throughout Windhoek from under privileged settings. A questionnaire was used to collect data. Ethical considerations were cautiously adhered to before and during the research process. Consent forms were given to parents and the purpose of the study was clearly explained to both parents and participants during data collection. The instrument’s reliability was tested by means of a pilot study. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data. The results were in the context of the influence of poverty on adolescents’ behavior. Lastly, suitable recommendations were highlighted to fit the observed trends.

Keywords: Antisocial behavior, economic status, environment, school, Poverty and teenagers.

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