1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

     Delinquency is essentially a legal notion that is interpreted differently by different persons or experts. It is described as a condition of delinquency or behavior that is contrary to recognized societal values or the Ghanaian constitution. A delinquent conduct in a society is defined as any act punished by death, imprisonment, or a fine. Stealing, sexual offenses, damage of state property (vandalism), marijuana smoking, drug pilfering, and other delinquent behaviors are examples of delinquent conduct. Child delinquency is on the rise, and many adults are unsure what to do about it. The increased frequency of child delinquency in many nations may be driven by socioeconomic issues that are frequently related with development. Child delinquency refers to young persons, whereas delinquency refers to young offenders who commit small crimes or infractions. According to the textbook Bartol (2019), the psychological definition of delinquency is a child's participation in excessive anti-social behavior. Children are meant to be a symbol of innocence and fidelity, yet they kill other children and even their own parents. Well-behaved students, on the other hand, follow school rules and regulations such as being punctual at school, their parents providing textbooks and other writing materials for them, prompt payment of school levies to allow them to stay in school, punctual and regular at school lessons, wearing the correct school uniforms, completing take-home assignments, not making noise or bullying other students in the classroom, and so on. While delinquent pupils are those who do not follow the school's norms and regulations. In essence, they are the polar opposite of well-behaved pupils. Interestingly, both well-behaved and delinquent students exist in schools; they sit in the same classroom, receive the same lessons, and are taught by the same teachers; at the end of the term or session, they sit for the same examinations, and their scripts are marked by the same teachers or examiners; why should there be no difference in their academic performance because they are diametrically opposed? Students from broken homes, for example, who lack appropriate parental care at home and are not adequately cared for, should not be expected to perform well academically since there is no effective discipline imposed on the kid from home, according to Gyansah, Soku, and Esilfie (2015). Juvenile delinquency, on the other hand, is on the rise, and if precautions are not taken, these students might become a hazard in our society. It is now on the rise as delinquent students outnumber well-behaved students, producing a slew of issues in our schools and throughout the country. More has been published about juvenile delinquency as a primary cause in low academic performance of delinquent kids, and as such, much should be done to limit it in terms of how it impacts students' academic performance. This study aims to compare the academic performance of well-behaved secondary school students to that of delinquent secondary school students. Juvenile delinquency comprises not only pupils who have violated any adult regulation, but also students who consistently conduct themselves so as to harm the morality of themselves or others, so hurting his scholastic performance, which is not impeded or disturbed for well-behaved students.

According to Okoro (2022), juvenile delinquency includes truancy, theft, quarrelling, creating noise, immoral or indecent behavior, ganstarism, speaking vulgar languages in public, cultism, and other behaviors. All of the aforementioned variables lead to delinquent secondary school pupils' low academic achievement. Any student who refrains from participating in these behaviors will outperform those who participate. However, it should be noted that academic achievement of school kids differs depending on their location, i.e. rural vs metropolitan places. In cities, however, there are certain places where delinquent behavior is minor and others where it is well above average. Some might be traced back to the child's characteristic, which is that children who originate from households where criminal activities are widespread are more likely to be delinquent; this suggests that they received such traits from their parents. The family is well-known for providing both well-behaved and delinquent school pupils. This is because some children have all of their needs met, whilst the majority lack sufficient parental care and control for various reasons. In a family where the child feels rejected, unloved, and undesired, the youngster is more likely to become delinquent. For example, a young girl may embark into an immature relationship just because she is curious about what anyone has to offer. The delinquent requires support in making socially acceptable changes so that they do not end up in trouble.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

      The problem of delinquency has recently reached a height in first cycle schools, disrupting the learning process and outcome. According to Ndianabasi (2019), if learning is defined as a behavior undertaken to alter change, there will be an issue that will prevent the change from occurring. If the input process is suddenly disrupted, the predicted change in behavior may not occur.

Although instructors play a vital effect in the academic success of both well-behaved and deviant students. Teachers have made some efforts to address the issue of child delinquency, but to little success. According to Ismail, it appears to be the norm, and the number of delinquents grows with each passing generation (2021). Schoolboys frequently break into school offices and staff common areas with the goal of stealing textbooks, test scripts, and exercise books. When their luck runs out, these lads or children are usually apprehended. Most children's academic achievement is impacted by their behaviour. As a result, the researcher bases his comparative analysis on this premise examining the difference in the academic performance of well behaved student and delinquent student  selected secondary schools.

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