ABSTRACT
This research work sought to investigate teacher’s perspective on the effect of divorce on the social emotional and cognitive development of the preschool child in public primary school in Oredo Local Government Area, Edo State. In order to effectively carry out this study, three (3) research questions were established. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design and the population of the study consists all primary school teachers in Oredo Local Government Area. A sample size of 60 teachers was used for the study .They were drawn from 6 public primary school in Oredo Local Government Area. The research instrument was a checklist which was validated but reliability was not ascertained. The data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. A criterion mean of 2.50 was used for the acceptance of the items .the findings that emerged revealed that: the teachers believed that children from divorced homes were likely to have difficulty with attention and focus, likely to have difficulties with memory and recall, likely to have problem solving issues, have decision making issues and the cognitive ability of children from divorced homes is likely to be affected, teachers were of the views that children from divorced homes were likely to have difficulties expressing themselves, likely to have difficulties in interacting with friends , exhibit behavioral problems , difficult to control and the social skills ability of children from divorced homes is likely to be affected, the teachers agreed that children from divorced homes were likely to experience more difficulties controlling their emotions, have difficulty expressing their emotions, have difficulty trusting others, develop depression or other mental health issues ,and have difficulty developing positive self esteem .Based on the findings, it was recommended that: Teachers should provide opportunities for pupils to engage in activities that promote emotional expression such as art therapy or storytelling.
Teachers should work closely with the child’s parents to understand their needs and concerns, offer resources and referrals to support services, such as counseling or support groups, both within the school and in the community.
