MARITAL CONFLICTS

The study examined the influence of marital conflict on the educational advancement of post-graduate students in Edo State. The need to address the concern of stakeholders over the influence of marital conflicts on the educational progress of postgraduate students, in university of Benin, Benin City necessitated this study. To guide the study, five research questions were raised, hypothesized and tested at 0.05 alpha level. The study adopted Survey research method to measure the differences between the variables of the study. The population of the study was Eleven thousand, five hundred (11,500) married postgraduate students in the University of Benin, Benin City, while the target population was Five hundred and thirteen (513) married postgraduate students from the Faculty of Education, University of Benin, Benin City. The sample of the study consisted of Two hundred and twenty five (225) married post graduate students selected through purposive sampling procedures. The research instrument used in collecting data was a self designed questionnaire titled: “Marital Conflict and Students Educational Advancement Questionnaire (MCSEAQ)”. The instrument was validated by the researcher’s supervisor in the Department of Educational Foundations and two experts from the Faculty of Education, University of Benin. The Cronbach’s Alpha Statistics was used to establish the reliability of the instrument, the alpha value of 0.87 was obtained. Demographic characteristics of the respondents were analyzed with percentage while the hypotheses formulated were tested using Chi-square statistics. The findings revealed that there is a difference between the nature of marital conflicts among employed married post-graduate students and unemployed post- graduate students in University of Benin. The study also showed that there is a difference between the causes of marital conflicts among employed married post- graduate students and unemployed post-graduate students in University of Benin and that there is a difference between the influence of marital conflicts on the educational progress of married male post-graduate students and that of married female post-graduate students in the University of Benin. The study further revealed that there is a difference between the coping strategies employed by employed post-graduate students of University of Benin experiencing marital conflicts and that of unemployed post-graduate students of University of Benin experiencing marital conflicts, In view of the findings, the study recommends, among other, that the findings of this study be made available for use in educational planning and improvement. There was need for the University of Benin to have guidance Counsellors, who could counsel married students experiencing marital conflict.