Strategies for managing deviant behaviour among in-school adolescents as expressed by secondary school counsellors in Kwara State, Nigeria

This study investigated strategies for managing deviant behaviour among in-school adolescents as expressed by secondary school counsellors in Kwara State. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design method. The target population for this study consisted of secondary school counsellors in the state. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 70 respondents from each of the three senatorial districts in Kwara State. The questionnaire titled “Strategies for Managing Deviant Behaviour Questionnaire” was administered to the school counsellors. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for the data analysis. The findings revealed that deviant behaviour is caused by a lack of effective parental upbringing. Also, the major strategy employed by counsellors in handling behavioural problems is the reinforcement technique. The findings revealed that there were no significant differences in the counsellors’ perception on the strategies for managing deviant behaviour among in-school adolescents on the basis of years in service, religion and type of school. To this end, counsellors should continue to provide right information to in-school adolescents about the negative effects of deviant behaviours. The findings of this study will be of benefit to school administrators, teachers and counsellors as it will give them an insight into handling deviant behaviour exhibited among in-school adolescents.Keywords: deviant behaviour; in-school-adolescents; counsellors; secondary schoo

Influence of social media on in-school adolescents’ morals : implication for school counsellors

Exposure to wrong content on social media could negatively influence adolescents’ moral development. This study, therefore, investigated the influence of Social Media on in-school adolescents’ morals in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The descriptive survey design was employed in this study. The population comprised all secondary school students in Ekiti State Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 420 respondents for the study. Data were collected using a self-designed instrument tagged Social Media and Adolescents’ Morals Questionnaire (SMAMQ). Content validity of the instrument was ascertained and the reliability coefficient of 0.87 was obtained to ensure consistency of the instrument. Data analysis was done using percentages, t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The findings of the study revealed that exposure of students to explicit sexual images or messages on social media influenced in-school adolescents’ morals in Ekiti State. Thus, the majority of the respondents indicated that social media influenced adolescents’ morals. The results further showed no significant difference in the influence of social media on in-school adolescents’ morals based on gender, school system, school type and location. This shows most adolescents use social media negatively. Thus, it was recommended that school counsellors should properly guide and mentor in school adolescents to take good advantage of social media for moral development