THE IMPACT OF GROUP GUIDANCE ON GRADUATE COUNSELLING STUDENTS PREFERENCE FOR THE USE OF COMPUTER BASED TECHNOLOGY

1.1 Introduction

Guidance and counseling is an assistance rendered to an individual to help him to understand himself and his problem better and develop insight into possible ways of solving the identified problems. Computer-based technology is becoming an integral part of all types of learning and can potentially be used as an important tool in the counseling skills training process and in the counseling practice if the right awareness is created. Group guidance addresses specific need and it provides participants with the opportunity to develop and explore common goals and to promote positive changes in an atmosphere of honest sharing and listening. According to Day (2004) group guidance is an efficient and effective way of supporting and helping students deal with problems and issues in educational, career and personal/social areas.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of Study

In Nigeria 1990 schools were in so much conflict that soldiers were deployed to school assist in control of students’ behavior. In Nigeria the indiscipline cases were on the rise ranging from school unrest, drug abuse, sexual abuse pregnancy, bullying, aggressive behavior laziness and inept parenting. Traditionally, suspension, expulsion and corporal punishment were popularly used to contain indiscipline.

Guidance and counseling are essential elements in discipline management of people in all societies even the most primitive societies grew out of the necessity of guiding individual’s behavior patterns in the interest of the group. Society itself could not function without the exercise of discipline. Using guidance and counseling to enhance discipline must be continuously being practiced if people are to work harmoniously for the achievement of common purpose.

It was absolutely necessary to direct students to exhibit acceptable attitude and behavior within and outside the school. The rapid expansion of student enrolment in most African countries since the attainment of political independence, coupled with inadequate resources to cope with the ever increasing demand for educational provision, had made school management a much more complex and difficult enterprise than a few decades ago.

Student indiscipline had plagued schools leading to series of unrest, destruction of school property, vandalism, sexual abuse, killing and drug abuse just to mention. According to Agenga and Simatwa (2011) at Colobine high school in Colorado two heavily armed students killed twelve students, one teacher and seriously wounded nearly two dozen others before killing themselves, in the Sharpeville massacre of 1960 affected students in South Africa.

Ado-Ekiti Local Government was not left behind it had its own share of indiscipline cases. Sources from district education office (2010) indicate that from 2007-2010 over 10 schools had major indiscipline cases. A meeting was called on 20th, July 2010 for all the principals and BOG members by the District Education officer to find solution for that trend. The meeting ended with suggestion that guidance and counseling be used among other alternatives in containing indiscipline.

For the period from mid June 2008 to the end of July 2008, Nigeria media was full of coverage of indiscipline in public secondary schools, students went on rampage Siele (April 5th 2008). East Africa standard Newspaper, various causes of conflict was highlighted as drug abuse, high handedness of administration, mock examinations, and indiscipline in secondary school.

Therefore, in Ekiti State University where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Impact of Group Guidance on Graduate Counselling Students Preference for the Use of Computer Based Technology.

1.3 Statement of Problems

Investigation revealed that indiscipline cases in pubic secondary schools in Ado-Ekiti Local Government had become a matter of concern in recent years to all stakeholders. Sources from district education office (2011) indicate that for the last three years over ten schools have had major indiscipline cases and caused harm to the students, teachers, and parents.

Despite the effort made by the ministry of education, to manage indiscipline in public secondary school as evidence by establishment of guidance and counseling department in every secondary school, Indiscipline of varied nature continued in these schools with a new dimension. Not only, were they violent and destructive but premeditated, planned and caused maximum harm to human life. If that scenario is anything to go by, then indiscipline was a threat to our schools. There seemed to be lack of effective alternative strategy to contain student indiscipline. That could be realized from the facts that the whole country had been experiencing student violence and Ado-Ekiti Local Government was not exceptional to student violence.

Resources of unknown value destroyed and academic performance had been adversely affected. Student discipline task force (2009) recognized the use of guidance and counseling service to manage indiscipline. In Ado-Ekiti Local Government the use guidance and counseling in enhancing student discipline secondary schools was wanting. In considering that, the problem of study was to examine the role of guidance and counseling in enhancing student discipline in secondary schools in Ado-Ekiti Local Government.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to examine the Impact of Group Guidance on Graduate Counselling Students Preference for the Use of Computer Based Technology using Ekiti State University as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To find out the difference between the preferences for computer technology by participants who were exposed to group guidance and those who were not in the area under study.
2. To determine the difference in the pre- and post-test scores of the participants in Ekiti State University.
3. To examine the beneficial impact of male participants from the group guidance than the female participants in the area under study.

1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Is there any beneficial impact of male participants from the group guidance than the female participants in the area under study?
• What the difference in the pre- and post-test scores of the participants in Ekiti State University?
• What is the difference between the preferences for computer technology by participants who were exposed to group guidance and those who were not in the area under study?

1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: Male participants will not benefit more from the group guidance than the female participants
• H1: Male participants will benefit more from the group guidance than the female participants

Hypothesis Two

• H0: There will be no significant difference between the preference for computer technology by participants who were exposed to group guidance and those who were not.
• H1: There will be a significant difference between the preference for computer technology by participants who were exposed to group guidance and those who were not.

1.7 Significance of Study

The government of Nigeria recognizes the effective of guidance and counseling. The administration of punishment cannot be ruled out in the control of discipline off students for offence who broke school rules and regulation were enhanced in education act and code of regulation and ethics. However punishment must be reasonable and properly meted out to the student on the account of the offence committed, it should be moderate.

This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

1.8 Scope of Study

The scope of the research is focused on the Impact of Group Guidance on Graduate Counselling Students Preference for the Use of Computer Based Technology using Ekiti State University as a case study.

1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
3. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
4. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

1.10 Definition of Terms

Group Guidance: This is sometimes called ‘group therapy’ and it involves two or more people meeting together in a group where everyone discusses his/her problem which is common to the whole group.