The correlation between polygamy and educational achievement of children

The study shed the light on the effect of polygamy on children's educational achievement among Saudi families who live in AlMedina, by comparing children who belong to polygamous families and children who belong to single-wife families. The sample of the study comprised of (1200) students from intermediate schools in general education.To achieve the study goals, the researchers built a questionnaire consisting of two parts: The first part aims to collect demographic data about respondents and the second part consists of 31 items divided into four axes. The final result of the study is that there are no differences in the effect of polygamy on the children's educational achievement. Moreover, the study recommends holding lectures and seminars to raise awareness for families'' especially polygamous ones and organizing seminars and workshops to increase parents' awareness to share in their children's social sphere and know their friends


Introduction
The value and importance of education is reflected in societies, through parents 'awareness of its role in the mobility of generations, and the degree of their eagerness to achieve the highest standards of educational quality for their children, as parents are keen to enhance the factors that raise the level of children's educational achievement as much as possible, which confirms that education is not separated from other economic and social contexts. And cultural. Which reinforces the saying that providing better education for children is related to the extent of the capabilities that are required within the family, as studies indicate that financial allocations from family income for educational resources for children, and the participation of children in education through follow-up, support, encouragement and other efforts, is positively related to the educational achievement of children (Chrispeels&Rivero, 2001;Zhou & Kim, 2006;Huisman& Smits, 2009;Kim & Lee, 2010). It is true that the level of educational achievement of students may often be attributed to the mental capabilities of students as they are more obvious factors related to children's academic achievement, but there are those who confirm that environmental conditions in various levels of social relations, including the family and school, are among the most important factors affecting the chances of achievement. Educational conditions and conditions for continuing the educational ladder and motivation (Othman, 1993; Al-Zeer; Al-Sa`ran, 2005). Hence, it can be said that positive family factors often represent a strong foundation and a rich resource for the potential for good education for family members, so sociologists have been interested in studying the impact of the family environment and the role of upbringing on the son's skills and his level of educational achievement in school (Al-Ahmadi; Al-Samman, 2016). The role of the family and its impact on the behavioral, psychological, social, emotional and educational levels of children in the last half of the last century occupied a wide space in the studies of the sociology of education in the countries of America and Europe recently, the results of which indicate that the educational achievement, level of intelligence and learning motivation of students are affected by multiple internal factors (psychological ) And external (social, economic) and all of them affect directing the educational process, positively or negatively, which is reflected in the educational achievement of the student, as it was found that these factors were behind the educational failure and the dropout of many students before completing the educational stage (Hebron;Yaqoub, 1991;Othman, 1993;Chao (2001;Shraz, 2006). When talking about education and the family, there are many studies and scientific research in this field, and these studies have produced many factors that affect the education of children and their motivation, and the most important of which is the factor of polygamy, as many studies confirmed that polygamy is one of the factors that affect the upbringing of children and their educational achievement as a study ( (Cherian, 1990 Khasawnah, Hejazi & Salman, 2011) states that the effect of polygamy stems from the succession of the family formation consisting of small families under the umbrella of one main family in several aspects, the most important of which is the economic aspect. Where the material resource of the head of the family is divided into fewer sections to meet the basic requirements of life first (Al-Kernawy& Graham, 1997; Abd al-Wahhab; Abd al-Wali, 2007), and the father's economic responsibilities affect the educational allowance of each son in the family, in addition to the parents 'relationship. Children may be disturbed, which affects the behavior of children (Baqader;Al-Ghamdi, 1995;Nasreddin;Mayasa, 1999;2017, Gwirayi). The phenomenon of polygamy in Saudi society is a widespread phenomenon, despite the absence of statistics presented on this topic, but many studies have confirmed that polygamy is a noticeable phenomenon in Saudi society ISSN: 00333077 2533 www.psychologyandeducation.net (Al-Amoush, 1996;Bradly, 2014), as a result of the economic boom and the prevalence of customs and traditions that reinforce these Al-Dhahirah (Baqader; Al-Ghamdi, 1995). However, when reviewing the educational theoretical literature -according to the graphical rules that were available to the researchers -it is noticed that the relationship of polygamy to educational achievement has not received abundant study and research. The educational process and the level of educational achievement of the children is linked to the network of different relationships in the social levels surrounding them, and the levels of social relations for the individual in general can be divided into (primary relationships, secondary relations, and reference relations), which constitute the social structures that convey to individuals the contents of the cultural structure in society. (Othman, 1993), meaning that they are within the framework of the upbringing and education of children, for the primary social relations are the parents and the family as a whole, which have the greatest role in the quality of education provided to children and their level of achievement by virtue of the functional role it provides, and it is the most powerful factor affecting social upbringing and education. Secondary social relationships represented in social institutions, the most important of which is the school, which in turn depends on the success of the student's primary relationships. The educational environment and its conditions have a role in the quality of the education provided, but it is affected primarily by family factors (Moussaoui, 2013), and reference relations are the most important types of relationships, They are represented in the values directed at the behavioral standards affecting the behavior pattern and social interactions between individuals, h The important values are determined and directed by individuals' effort and devotion to them, including the value of education for parents. Thus, it can be said that polygamy is one of the most important factors affecting the education of children, through its effect on the functional role of the family (the first social environment of the individual), and the effect extends to all social bodies in A child's life as he grows old and expands his own social circle. Studies on polygamy and children's education, including the study (Cherian, 1990), indicated that the educational achievement of children was affected by polygamy, as the study confirmed that children of monogamous families achieved higher scores in standardized tests estimated at 1035.36, while children of polygamous families achieved 766. 11, the study indicated that the unstable family climate of polygamous families; It was a cause of low educational achievement for children, as there is a lot of anxiety, pressure and insecurity; This affects the children's academic progress, and children in polygamous families suffer from psychological problems, lack of spending time with the father, and in contrast the father's inability to pay sufficient attention to all children, and the absence of a feeling of psychological and emotional security, and teachers have confirmed that students coming from multiple families Wives are affected by their educational level by their psychological state resulting from feelings of rejection, unhappiness and security. In the impact of polygamy on the psychological aspects of children, the study (Hebron; Yaqoub, 1991) confirmed that adolescents from monogamous families feel more secure and reassured than adolescents from polygamous families, as the parenting pattern used in polygamous families is cruel, bossy, or obstinate. Or unfair as it leads to discrimination in the home of the children and a loss of a sense of security, and the study did not record any differences with respect to the gender variable in the loss of a sense of psychological security for children of polygamous families, as well as no differences for the mother's arrangement variable in polygamous families. In a study conducted in Saudi Arabia (Baqadir; Al-Ghamdi, 1995) that dealt with the viewpoint of enumerated fathers on polygamy and its impact on children and their academic achievement, as 75% of the sample of enumerated fathers confirmed that there are economic burdens resulting from polygamy, and about 14% confirmed that there are Problems and difficulties in raising and following up their children, while 30% of the respondents assured that they are not always at home with their children, and 36% assured that their children do not resort to them if they encounter problems or when the need for help, and as for the follow-up of children's education, only 7% of parents asserted They assume the task of following up the academic achievement of their children, while 44% of the sample asserted that the mother takes over the task of educating the children, while 22% asserted that the children depend on themselves in accomplishing their homework. The results of the study (Alkernawy& Graham, 1997) indicated that the first mothers in polygamous marriages suffer from health and psychological problems resulting from polygamy, such as physical pain, shortness of breath, headache, insomnia or fatigue, and everyone complained about nerve disorder, and they confirmed the dryness of the relationship between them and their husbands And the low economic level, and they emphasized that the husband's absence from his children, and his spending most of his time with the second wife and her children, negatively affected the education of the children and led them to be late for their peers in education as a result of the psychological effects of the father's absence and the low economic level. While two studies (Al-Sharfi, et al, 2016; Gwirayi, 2017) indicated that children of polygamous families suffer more than children of monogamous families in terms of emotional and social problems, and the study confirmed the low educational level of children of polygamous families. Decreased parental education, economic situation and instability of the family climate in polygamous families; This negatively affected their children, children and adolescents. In a study (Zaytoun; Hassan, 2017) conducted on a sample of university students, it confirmed that there were no statistically significant differences on the effect of polygamy on the educational attainment of children from polygamous families, while the study indicated the effect of polygamy on the level of self-confidence of children. According to the two variables (economic status, the father's degree), and there are no statistically significant differences on the effect of polygamy on self-confidence due to personal variables (family arrangement, academic level, number of family members, number of wives). On the other hand, a study examined the aspect of polygamous husbands and the extent of their vulnerability to ISSN: 00333077 2534 www.psychologyandeducation.net polygamy. (İbiloğlu, Atlı, &Özkan, 2018) compared between polygamous and monogamous husbands that most polygamous husbands came from polygamous families, and 46.15% of polygamous couples confirmed their support for polygamy Wives, and the results of the clinical scale used in the study confirmed that there are slight differences between the two groups. However, polygamous husbands scored higher than monogamous couples in the health symptoms used in the study tool, while polygamous husbands suffered from more psychological problems than monogamous ones. In polygamous families, educational level and family income were lower than in monogamous families. the study Problem Good education is the basis for a sound investment in children, and a beneficial return for both parties -parents and children -and preparing them for life, as parents offer a lot of potentials and sacrifices in order to improve children's education and raise the level of their educational achievement, such as bearing economic burdens, following up and supporting children, whether in helping them Their educational costs, or monitoring their level on an ongoing basis, and other matters that may raise the level of knowledge, achievement and skills of children. As Long and Sherk (2011) point out, the capabilities offered by parents in order to educate their children are based on three important resources, which are time, effort and money, and are often at the forefront of education among families among other life needs in emerging societies. (Shraz, 2006) confirms in his study that spending on developing the human factor through education; It is considered one of the most important investments. The returns to education, according to studies of education economics, outweigh other sources of investment. Nevertheless, other studies indicate that there are doubts about the capabilities offered by some Saudi families in order to educate their children, compared to the material and social capacity they enjoy (Al-Ahmadi, 2016) ). In confirmation of the above, the expenditure and income survey for Saudi families for the year (2013) conducted by the Statistics Authority showed that the average monthly expenditure of Saudi families amounted to (15367) riyals, and spending on education was ranked eleventh, in the list of expenditures of the Saudi family that contained 12 groups Saudi families spend it, which is (food and beverages, tobacco, fabrics, clothes and shoes, housing, water, electricity, fuel and others, housing furnishing, health services, transportation, communications, entertainment and culture, education, catering and hotel services, personal goods and services). Saudi Arabia receives education (341) riyals, followed by health services (266) riyals, compared to the services of restaurants and hotels, which were estimated at (715) riyals. From the above, the absence of spending on education as a priority may be due to the reason that Saudi public education is free, which does not constitute an economic burden on the family, and this may be a major reason for the lack of educational allowances for some Saudi families. Studies concerned with the differences between students 'achievement in international tests and family factors indicate that the home environment and the ensuing climate and relationships between children and parents on the one hand, and between parents on the other hand, were among the most important decisive factors in the differences between students' performance in those tests. It is essential for raising the educational achievement of the children, and it is certain that the share of children, of these resources (income, time, ...) will decrease with the increase in the number of individuals dependent on the father, and will deteriorate in the case of polygamy compared to monogamous families (Cherian, 1990;Al -kernawi, 2002;Al-Sharfi, et al., 2006). According to what has been mentioned, it can be said that polygamy has an impact on the education of children and their educational achievement, as emphasized by (Nasreddin;Mayasa, 1999; Abd al-Wahhab; Abd al-Wali, 2007), based on the formative difference of the family with multiple marriage in terms of size The family, and the large number of obligations that have priority over education, such as the obligations of living -food, clothing and food, follow-up and support -by the father, which affects the amount allocated to the education of every member of the family. Based on the above, the present study is concerned with answering the following study question: The main question: Is there a correlation between polygamy and children's educational achievement, and what are the most influencing factors on children's educational achievement?
The following questions are divided into: -What is the effect of polygamy on the educational achievement of middle school students, compared to the following independent variables: (marital status, father's education, mother's education, father's profession, mother's profession, family income)? -What are the most influencing factors on the educational achievement of middle school students, for students from polygamous families, and for students from monogamous families? .-Are there statistically significant differences at the level (α 0.05) on the factors most influencing educational achievement from the viewpoint of middle school students belonging to polygamous families, compared to their peers from monogamous families in terms of follow-up, support and encouragement, economic allocations For education, the father's relationship with the son's school environment, the father's participation in the educational process, and the overall level of these factors? -Are there statistically significant differences at the level (α 0,05 α) between students belonging to polygamous families compared to their peers from monogamous families, according to the following independent variables: father's education, mother's education, father's profession, mother's profession, family income At the macro level? Objectives of the study 1-Identifying the depth of the impact of the phenomenon of polygamy in Saudi society and the awareness of the respondents. 2-Identifying the economic and social impact of polygamy on children's educational achievement. 3-To identify the extent of the impact of the phenomenon of polygamy on the educational achievement of children compared to the rest of the variables: education of the father, education of the mother, the profession of the father, the profession of the mother, and the family income. The importance of the study 1-The lack of Arab educational studies in general, and Saudi Arabia in particular, that dealt with the phenomenon of polygamy and its effects on children's educational achievement in Saudi society. 2-The results of international studies of trends in science and mathematics revealed the low level of Saudi students in science and mathematics in the eighth grade for the year 2015, where the ranking of Saudi eighth grade students (second average) came in 39th place in the two subjects of science and mathematics, respectively, out of 64 countries. And a boycott in the 2015 round, although the Kingdom is one of the countries that top the hierarchy of spending on education globally. This imposes the necessity to uncover the factors underlying the low level of achievement of Saudi students, and thus the current study helps fill the current gap of studies carried out on the social factors affecting the performance of Saudi students in TIMMIS tests, including the factor of polygamy. 3-It is hoped that the results of this study will arouse the interest of a wide range of officials in the Saudi government, especially those areas in which the implementation of the poverty treatment strategy has begun, specifically the Ministry of Planning and Economy, Education, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Affairs, to adopt compensatory education policies or comprehensive support To families of students who are economically, culturally and socially disadvantaged. 4-The current research can pave the way for subsequent research that enriches knowledge in the field of educational achievement influences, and the distribution of that achievement across the spectrum of society is more comprehensive in comparison to the results of national and international research.

Study population
The study population consists of all students of the first, second, and third grade in intermediate stage in government schools, in the Madinah region, in the second semester of the year 1439/1440 AH (2018/2019). The study sample The study tool was distributed on a simple random sample, consisting of 1,200 students who were enrolled in the intermediate stage, in the Medina region, and it consisted of 507 students belonging to polygamous families, 693 students belonging to monogamous families, and cases of separation (divorce) were excluded. The death of one of the parents.
The study tool The current study adopted the questionnaire as a tool for collecting data, and it was distributed to the study sample in the study population to collect information and data on the phenomenon studied, and the tool was prepared after reviewing the literature published on polygamy and child education, as it consisted of two parts, the first part: to collect demographic information about the respondents, And the second part: It consists of 31 phrases, and the phrases (24,26,27,28,29,31) differ in phrasing according to the gender variable of the respondent, and a scale with a fivepoint scale was used: 1 (strongly agree), 2 (agree), 3 (agree To some extent), 4 (disagree), 5 (strongly disagree), within four axes (follow-up, support and encouragement, economic allocations for education, the father's relationship with the son's school environment, the father's participation in the educational process).

The study tool
The current study adopted the questionnaire as a tool for collecting data, and it was distributed to the study sample in the study population to collect information and data on the phenomenon studied, and the tool was prepared after reviewing the literature published on polygamy and child education, as it consisted of two parts, the first part: to collect demographic information about the respondents, And the second part: It consists of 31 phrases, and the phrases (24,26,27,28,29,31) differ in phrasing according to the gender variable of the respondent, and a scale with a fivepoint scale was used: 1 (strongly agree), 2 (agree), 3 (agree To some extent), 4 (disagree), 5 (strongly disagree), within four axes (follow-up, support and encouragement, economic allocations for education, the father's relationship with the son's school environment, the father's participation in the educational process). Validate the tool The tool was presented to a group of arbitrators with experience in the field to verify the apparent validity, and Factor Analysis was applied, and the Mayer Olkin scale (0.943) was achieved, which is an excellent level, and its significance value was (.000). The construct validity of the tool was calculated by calculating Internal consistency by Pearson correlation coefficient between the total score of each axis and the total score of the resolution, and achieved values ranging between (.773-.823), all of which are statistically significant at the level of (0.01), which confirms the structural validity of the questionnaire and confidence in its results. Stability of the tool The stability of the instrument was checked by using the Alpha Cronbach coefficient to calculate the stability parameter of the axes and the total degree of the resolution. It was also found that the axes of the questionnaire have appropriate stability coefficients ranging between (.70-85), and the value of the overall stability factor (.91) is an appropriate value that confirms the validity of the questionnaire and the reliability of its results. Study results and discussion The answer to the first question: What is the effect of polygamy on the educational achievement of middle school students, compared to the following independent variables: (marital status, father's education, mother's education, father's profession, mother's profession, family income)?
To answer the first question, the multiple regression equation was applied with independent variables (marital status, father's education, mother's education, father's profession, mother's profession, family income) The regression analysis showed that there is a nonsignificant effect for all variables, except for the two variables of family income and the father's education at the level (α0.05). Therefore, the statistical effect of the marital status variable: multiple or not, depended on the effect of family income and the father's education, where it appeared Household income, expressing the economic level of the household with a statistically significant effect, has a factor of 0.082. Paternal education also appeared to be statistically significant with a factor of 0.089 as children of less educated fathers were more motivated at higher achievement.

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Based on the result of the non-function multiple regression equation, the "t"-test was applied; To calculate the differences and recognize the significance between the averages of the independent variable (marital status), the mono-analysis of variance test was applied to the following independent variables: (father education, mother's education, father's profession, mother's profession, family income), and Shave's test for dimensional comparisons, to identify the source of the variance. It was also found that the value of "T" was a function at the level (α 0.05) in favor of children of polygamous families according to the variable of marital status. The study attributes this result with what Al-Shammari (2015) indicated, where competition arises between wives in polygamous families by nature The case to prove her superiority, which translates into the education of her children.
-It was also found that there are significant differences at the level of (α0,05 α) between the education of the father and the education of the mother from polygamous families and the educational achievement of the children, while there are differences at the level of (0.05 α) between the education of the monogamous father and the educational achievement of the children. There are no differences between the mother's education and the children's educational achievement -And that the direction of differences for the education variable of a polygamous father in favor of education below secondary, and the direction of the differences for the variables of education of the father and the education of the mother from monogamous families in favor of lower secondary education.
-That there are differences at the level of (α0,05 α) between the profession of the father and the educational achievement of children from polygamous families, and there are no differences for the variable of the mother's profession, and for monogamous families there are differences at the level of (≤0,05 α) between the profession of the mother and the educational achievement of the children , And there were no differences for the father's occupation variable. - The trend of differences for the variable of the father's profession is polygamous in favor of the unemployed, while the trend of the differences for the variable of the profession of the mother from monogamous families is in favor of private work. This result is consistent with my studies (Alkernawy; Graham, 1997, Abd al-Wahhab; Abd al-Wali, 2007), which confirmed that the psychological pressures that a wife experiences in polygamous marriage affects her role as a mother.
-That there are differences at the level (≤0,05 α) between the variable of family income and the educational achievement of children of polygamous families, and there are significant differences at the level of (,0.05 α) between the variable of family income and the educational achievement of children from monogamous families. - The trend of differences in the family income variable for both groups of polygamous families and monogamous families in favor of income less than 4000 thousand Saudi riyals. The study attributes these results to the free Saudi government education, so the income factor or the economic level of the family did not have a significant impact. The answer to the second question: What are the most influencing factors in the educational achievement of middle school students from polygamous families, and students from monogamous families? To answer the second question, general arithmetic averages and standard deviations were presented for each axis of the questionnaire. To estimate the degree of abundance for each of the four factors (follow-up, support and encouragement, economic allocations for education, the father's relationship with the son's school environment, the father's participation in the educational process). The general arithmetic mean of the responses of children of polygamous families on the first axis (follow-up, support and encouragement) amounted to 2.60, and this value corresponds to an average score on the judgment criterion, and the general arithmetic average of the responses of children of monogamous families on the same axis was 2.30, and this value corresponds to a moderate score on Judgment criterion as well. The general arithmetic mean values of the responses of children of polygamous families to the statements of the second axis (economic allocations for education) are 1.85, and this value corresponds to an average score on the judgment criterion, while the general arithmetic average of the responses of children of monogamous families on the phrases of the axis is 1.63, and these The value corresponds to a high score on the criterion of judgment.
The general arithmetic mean of the responses of children of polygamous families to the phrases of the third axis (the relationship of the father to the school environment of the son) was 3.08, and this value corresponds to a weak score on the judgment criterion, and the general arithmetic average of the responses of children of monogamous families on the phrases of the axis reached 2.98, and this value corresponds to A weak score on the Judging criterion as well.
As for the general arithmetic mean of the responses of children of polygamous families to the phrases of the fourth axis (the father's participation in the educational process), it reached 2.79, and this value corresponds to a weak score on the judgment criterion, while the general arithmetic average of the responses of members of the sample from children of monogamous families on the phrases of the same axis 2.48, and this value corresponds to an average score on the judgment criterion.
The general arithmetic mean of the responses of the children of polygamous families to the whole questionnaire was 2.57, and this value corresponds to an average score on the judgment criterion, and the general arithmetic average of the responses of the children of monogamous families reached 2.29, and this value corresponds to an average score on the judgment criterion, as well. The answer to the third question: Are there statistically significant differences at the level of (α0,05) on the factors most influencing educational achievement from the ISSN: 00333077 2537 www.psychologyandeducation.net viewpoint of middle school students belonging to polygamous families, compared to their peers from monogamous families at the level of follow-up, support and encouragement? Economic allocations for education, the father's relationship with the son's school environment, the father's participation in the educational process, and the total level of these factors?
To answer the third question, the value of "T" was calculated between the responses of students belonging to polygamous families, and the responses of students belonging to monogamous families in the axes (the level of follow-up, support and encouragement, economic allocations for education, the father's relationship with the son's school environment, and the father's participation in the educational process) and the questionnaire. There are statistically significant differences at the level (α 0.05) between the two groups in favor of the children of the two numbers in the responses of the first axis (follow-up, support and encouragement), the second axis (economic allocations), the fourth axis (the father's participation in the educational process) and the whole questionnaire, while There were no statistically significant differences for the third axis (the relationship between the father and the school environment of the son) between the two groups. The answer to the fourth question: Are there statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤0.05) between middle school students belonging to polygamous families compared to their peers from monogamous families, according to the independent variables: (father's education, mother's education, father's profession, profession Mother, household income) at the macro level?
To answer the fourth question, the mono-analysis of variance test was applied for both groups of children of polygamous families and children of monogamous families, and responses to the questionnaire as a whole, and the Scheffet test for dimensional comparisons to identify the source of the variance: 1-Parent education variable The results of the (One-way analysis of variance showed that there are significant differences at the level (α0.05 α) between the variables of education of the father and the education of the mother and the responses of members of the sample from children of polygamous families, and that there are significant differences at the level of (≤0.05 α) There are significant differences at the level (α 0,05) between the household income and the responses of members of the sample from children of polygamous families to the questionnaire as a whole, and there are significant differences at the level of (α0,05 α) between the household income and the responses of the sample members of the children of monogamous families. The wife on the whole questionnaire.3-The family income variable.

Study recommendations and proposals
Based on the results of the study, the two researchers recommend the following: 1-Conducting awareness sessions for parents by competent authorities, to clarify the psychological structure of early adolescence (13)(14)(15), and the difficulty of facing psychological, social and family problems without the help of parents. 2 -The school holds seminars to raise awareness of the participation of parents in the social environment of their children. 3-Applying the variables of the current study to a sample of the secondary school, in addition to conducting interviews in which the respondents have multiple fathers. 4-Conducting a study of a sample in the middle stage of children of polygamous families, and the extent of the effect of polygamy on the educational achievement of children, with isolation of the variable of intelligence. 5-Conducting a study on students who have failed to study from polygamous families, focusing on family factors (the relationship of the father with the mother and his children) and psychological aspects (interviewing the educational supervisors of the students).