Abstract

This study examines the causes and influence of indiscipline on the academic achievement of undergraduate university students in Nigeria. Specifically, the study examined lecturers' and students' perceptions of the causes and influence of indiscipline on the academic achievement of undergraduate university students in south western Nigeria. It was decided to use a descriptive survey approach for this research. To choose a sample of participants, a simple random sampling technique was employed to select 1446 respondents (1171 undergraduates and 275 lecturers) from both public and private universities in south western Nigeria. One research instrument (the University Undergraduate Students-Lecturer Questionnaire (UUSLQ)) was developed and used for the study. UUSLQ statements were rated on 4-Point Likert scales and gave a reliability coefficient of 0.732. The data gathered from the instrument were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. To answer the research questions, descriptive statistics such as frequency counts and percentages as well as mean and standard deviation were employed.At the same time, the hypotheses were tested using a t-test at 0.05 level of significance. The study's findings revealed common forms of indiscipline among undergraduate university students caused by some factors. However, different forms of indiscipline were found to influence the academic achievement of undergraduate university students. It was revealed that there is no significant difference in the perception of lecturers and undergraduate students on the causes of indiscipline among undergraduate university students (t = 0.876; df = 1444; P > 0.05). It was also found that there is no significant difference in lecturers' and undergraduate students' perceptions of the influence of indiscipline on undergraduate students' academic achievement (t = 1.311; df = 1444; P > 0.05). It was recommended from the study, among others, that government and university authorities should provide adequate and conducive classrooms for learning as this will make classroom organization and management easier for the lecturer. University undergraduates should be disciplined and not compromise good moral behaviour due to peer pressure. Lecturers should be disciplined and firm on a decision taken without showing partiality to some students. This will enable the undergraduates to learn from them and adjust their behaviours.