INFLUENCE OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING ON VOCATIONAL VALUE ORIENTATION AND SOCIAL NETWORKING AMONG IN-SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS IN ENUGU STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

The prevalence of social interactions and electronic communication among Nigeria students today is increasing. Students prefer to interact electronically than paying  maximum attention to  their  studies.  Consequently,  it  has  recorded  an increase in poor academic performance and occupational maladjustment in the educational sector (Berkman,2010). Occupational maladjustment according to Omeje (2007) is a situation where an individual is unable to adapt to his working environment which leads to ineffectiveness on the job.

This reported ineffectiveness on the job  has  made parents, teachers and government to recognize the harms poor value orientation and social networking are causing in career, value, attitude and personality of students in Enugu State (Ede, 2014). These include poor study habits, wrong choice of vocation, poor performance of students in external examinations such as West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE) and National Examination Council (NECO). Equally high rate of incidence of juvenile delinquency, like examination malpractice and other vices, high rate of social crimes like shop lifting and illegal use  contraband drugs,  high  rate  of  unemployment, economic dependence and

occupational  maladjustment,  among  the  youth  in  the  country  (Eze,  2010)

andEnugu State is not left out.

In Nigeria today, Omeje (2007) states that even the youth who finally get employed,    perform below  expectations  at  the  work  place,  all  as  a  result  of negative peer modelling and poor value orientation, and this impedes national development. Omeje (2007) further points out that many students aspire to enter into occupations ignorantly without knowing the risk and implications that are involved. The Federal Republic of Nigeria in National Policy on Education (FRN,

2009) stipulates that schools provide vocational counsellingso as to prepare the students to develop meaningful insights, attitudes, skills and value for their careers.Vocational guidance according to Okeke (2003) is the process of preparing individuals to choose, maintain and remain in a job. Eze (2010) defines it as a process which enables one to have better knowledge of one’s personal characteristics; critically examines and analyzes the various occupational characteristics and requirements as well as have objective analysis of one’s suitability to an occupation of choice.In recent times there has been an increase in the rate of youth unemployment and occupational maladjustment as well as a decline in the performance of in-school adolescents in their academics, as a result of their addiction to social networking, especially in many developing countries. Thus causing youths’ dependence and involvement in social crimes (Singh, 2013).

Nigeria is not left out in this challenge. Therefore guidance  services are needed to help these students.

Guidance is a term used to denote the process of helping an individual to gain self- understanding and self-direction so that he can adjust maximally to home, school or  community environment (Ezeji, 2001). Similarly, Okeke  (2003)  posits that guidance is the process of assisting an individual to understand himself and his world better and thus be better equipped to solve life problems. In this study guidance is the process of helping an individual  to have better understanding of his/her naturally endowed abilities and characteristics so  that  he  can  function adequately in the society.

On the other hand,counselling is the process of helping an individual to utilize his or her psychological resources by focusing on the individual’s personality, behavioural and emotional assets that could be mobilized (Onuigbo,

2005). Invariably, Gibson and Mitchell (2007) argue that counselling is the process through which the counselor expresses care and concern towards a personal growth and brings about change through self-knowledge. Operationally, counselling is the process of assisting an individual by a professionally trained person (counsellor)inorder to bring about change through self-knowledge, proper development and improved functioning.

In general term, Guidance and counselling is  the process of helping an individual to develop self-consciousness, self-direction and to explore and participate in  his  own development towards a  self-reliant and  fulfilled person (Gibson, 2003). Okeke (2003) on his own, states that guidance and counselling is designed to help individuals in their different problems and concerns so that they grow up well adjusted individuals capable not only of living productive lives but are also prepared to contribute their quota to the development of their society. Similarly, Ifelunni(1997)defines guidance and counselling  as a sum total of all the processes of assisting an individual to understand self and put self into positive use.Explaining further,the author sees guidance and counselling as a formalized service aimed at enabling an individual to fulfill his individual nature. This implies understanding one’s psychological and physiological make-ups and making use of these advantageously.

From the above definitions, guidance and counselling could be seen as a process of assisting individuals to acquire the capacity for self-direction so as to be able to live  productive  lives  and  also contribute to  the  development of  their society. Guidance and Counselling connotes three major services which includes: educational counselling, vocational counselling and personal-socio counselling.Educational counselling according to Okeke (2003) is the assistance given to pupils to help them function more effectively in the school progress, and

this  assistance  helps  the  pupils  to  act  in  terms  of  their  present  and  future educational needs and opportunities. On the other hand, vocational counselling according to Onuigbo  (2005) are those processes, theories, principles, ideas and styles given to the needy to help them assess themselves and be able to make a choice of career or occupation and fit in well to maximize their potentials and abilities  for  a  livelihood.  Finally  Ezeji (2001)  points  out  that  personal social counselling is the assistance given to students to enable them to have a better knowledge of self and others as well as help them with their problems such as anxiety, stress, sexuality, alcoholism, drug abuse, suicidal tendencies, decision making, problem solving, setting goals   and interpersonal relationships. The discourse on vocational counselling won’t be complete without highlighting the term vocation.

Vocation according to Amazue and Okoli(2004)means the activities, trade or occupation which constitutes public discussions. Literature reveals that occupational choice in the 21st  century is so vast that it is discouraging or even paralyzing for youths (Schmidt, 2004). In essence the way youths make vocational choices and decisions is swiftly becoming a disturbing issue. The challenge of how youths make vocational choices has attracted so many life-style expressed in time, energy and ability. Similiarly,Eze (2010) states that vocation is an occupation to which an individual’s life  is  committed to and he/she has interest, liking and

feelings for the work. Omeje (2007) points out that vocation means activities, traits or occupations consisting a life-style of an individual which is expressed in terms of energy or ability. Strengthening this view, Hornby (2009) defines vocation as a type  of work or  way of  life  that one  believes  is  especially suitable  for  him. Operationally, vocation is  an occupation or work consisting a  life-style of an individual which he/she enjoys doing.

Furthermore, if there are several subjects available to students to choose from, students’ value orientations will help them determine choice of subjects (Okafor, 2006). Okafor (2006)  defines  values as  the  determiners in  man that influence his choices in life and thus decide his behaviour. Values refer to any thing people cherish, desire, appreciate, want, hold, dear, prefer, need; it is internally desired which satisfies the needs (Kalusi, 2011). In this study, value is the rule of action and choice which determines, directs and controls our behavioural, spiritual and social consciousness- the standard of our conducts.

In consonance with the above, Albert& Steinberg (2011) asserts that adolescentstudents must be guidedaccordingly. Thus,theauthors posits that

school guidance counsellors and teachers must be well informed about the students value orientation. Okonji (2010), decries the national value decadence, prevalent in our society which is due to negligence on the stake holders part in giving students early basic knowledge that will change theirvalueorientation and their world

view. The task of education is to enable the students to know the worth for individual development (Onwuka & Onwuka, 2011). This implies that, there is need to orientate the in-school adolescents on occupational values so as to make realistic occupational choices. Kalusi, (2011) states that to be orientated means to be acquainted, to be conversant with the establishment of one’s position in relation to one’s surroundings. In the same vein, Apologun (2011) defines orientation as “a concept associated with processes of teaching, grooming, socializing and adapting an individual or group of individuals towards imbibing certain characters, behaviours or acting in certain ways. The author succinctly asserts that orientation is a form of teaching that is mainly concerned with the teaching of habits, norms and values of a particular society, group, profession or institution.From the foregoing, orientation can be used here to mean a range of teaching, guiding, counselling, channeling, inculcating and educating our in-school adolescents to internalize, appreciate and assimilate worth while values.

Many students make tentative occupational choices on entering the secondary school  based  on  their  value  orientation.Providing this  student with realistic picture of themselves and the world of work through vocational guidance and information gives them an opportunity to test their self-concept against the reality of a future occupation (Ezeji, 2001). Strengthening this view, Anyanwu (2014) defines value orientation as the process of directing the interest and passion

of individuals to the desired socio-cultural values that promote societal development and good human relations. The author went further to stress that value orientation makes the individual to turn, or conform to specified values approved by the society. Value orientation according to Kaplan and Haenlein, (2014), is the principles of right and wrong that are accepted by individuals or a social group.

Operationally,  value  orientation  is  a  social  construct  or  phenomenon  that underlines the sets of conduct like belief, worth, norms, ethics and aspiration that a set of social group or an individual is expected to imbibe. Value orientation here emphasizes both  in-school adolescents’ vocational choices  and  their  abuse  of social networking.

Networking according to Hornby (2014) means interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts. Webster (2014) states that Networking is the exchange of information or services among individuals,  groups  or  institutions.  In  operational  terms,  networking  is  the exchange of information or services among individuals so as to develop professional or social contact. These days social networking has grown to be the most popular form of networking among teenagers and in-school adolescents.

Social networking according to Reich, Kaveri and Guadalupe (2012) is the social  interaction  among  people  in  which  they  create,  share  or  exchange

information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. Social networking according to Webster (2014), means forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content like videos.

Social networking websites such as face book, my space, and others have made in- school adolescents to decline in their academic performance. This is because of their addiction to social networking websites. Boyar (2010) observes that students who get involved in activities on social media sites while, studying, suffer a great reduction in  their  focus  of  attention. This  causes reduction in  their  academic performance, and concentration to study well. This is a great disadvantage of social networking.Today, there are about 204 social network sites (Habarithor, 2015). But for  this  study,  12  most  popular  ones  have  been  pinpointed  which  includes facebook, whatsapp, palmchat, 2go, myspace, twitter, flickr, instagram, linkedin, google+, viber and frienster among others. These popular social network sites has created serious problems for the teenagers and in-school adolescents addicted to them.

Social networking causes teenagers unnecessary stress and emotional strain (Singh, 2013). The author further explains that social media can affect study habits of the teensbecause it distracts them from their work and they can also be affected by the loss of sleep because of social media. It therefore implies that in-school

adolescents lack concentration to their studies and loss of sleep, as a result of constant engagement in social networking.Operationally, social networking is a social interaction among in-school adolescents in which they share information, ideas and other content like photos and videos.

Adolescents are teenagers who are going through the transitional period between childhood and adulthood whose cultural purpose is the preparation of children for adult  roles  (Larson  &  Wilson,  2004).  Kali  and  Ferrer  (2007)  posits  that Adolescents experience dramatic changes and the physical changes are the most obvious as the body goes through puberty. This developmental change affects the way adolescents think and behave as well as their decisions.

In line with this, Barber and Olsen (2004) observes that these developmental changes affect the rapport of adolescents with their teachers and peers, and are often accompanied by a decrease in academic achievement. The period of adolescence is most closely associated with the teenage years: although it’s physical, social, psychological and cultural expression can begin earlier and end later (Dorn & Biro, 2011). From the foregoing, adolescents are individuals who have passed the stage of childhood but have not reached adult stage.

In-school adolescents, as opined by Muhamed, Noordin and Abdullah (2006), are adolescents who are still in secondary schools. Edwin (2013) explains that the transition from adolescent’s period to adulthood has a lot of challenges

especially the in-school adolescents. The author went further to say that the nature of adolescents’ life has a greater impact on his/her achievement level in academics in-school. In this study, in-school adolescents connote the students within the age of adolescence who are still in secondary school.  Most In-school adolescents have received poor vocational value orientations and incurred lowered self-esteem and depression due to social networking habits formed (Singh, 2013) and in-school adolescents in Enugu State are not left out.

Berkman,(2010) observes that teens often engage in risky behaviours whenever they leave the  internet and go offline, back to their normal lives. The author equally points out these teens also have difficulties in other parts of their lives. In- school adolescents have been reported to have replaced their initial regular reading habits, with social network addiction, because they designate all their time to social networking and this negatively affects their studies. Beagle and   Hodges (2009) points out that social media had become a  major form of distraction to  most students, regardless of their gender, causing their overall academic performance to decline, especially the ones who tend to check their facebook and twitter while studying.These students have overlooked the fact that the gender difference that exists in mankind, has made the society to place certain demands and expectations on people of different genders. Gender,otherwiseknown as sex according to Cronin (2009), is  the  physical and behavioral  difference  that  distinguishes  individual

organisms according to their functions in the reproductive process. Behavioural differences exists among people of different genders. Sanders (2009) points out that behavioral differences exists between the sexes, such as differences in toy and play preference, the degree of aggressive behavior, love of adventure and choice of vocations. The author equally stresses that these differences are most likely the product of complex interactions between the way that the child perceives the world and the ways that parents, siblings, and others react to the child. And that the messages  about  appropriate  behavior  for   girls   and   boys   intensifies  these differences between the sexes as the children grows older. Cronin (2009) equally stresses that Men and women look unalike, walk unalike, talk unalike. And they differ in who is more competitive, single-minded and risk-taking; who is more likely to climb Everest, drive too fast, become President of the United States, commit a murder, or win a Nobel prize; in what triggers their sexual jealousy, erotic fantasies, status envy.  And that differences such as these are universal, transcending culture, class, ethnicity, religion, education, and politics. And these gender differences manifest themselves in all societies, across the modern world, and in every known record back through time.And finally that certain vocations are more appropriately fitted for people of particular genders.

The  issue of  gender appropriateness in vocational choice has become a crucial matter (Amazue & Okoli, 2004). Studies show that vocational preferences

and attitudes of male towards social networking differ tremendously from those of their female counterparts (Amazue & Okoli, 2004). This calls for urgent need for guidance and counselling of students so as to help them to make proper use of the social media and as well make realistic vocational choices. Therefore, there is need for counselling intervention for in-school adolescents in Enugu State so as to increase their vocational value orientation and reduce their negative use of social media. This will bring about functional living.

Statement of the Problem

Evidences abound that secondary school students’ vocational values do not actually reflect the requirements of the 21st  century world of work. As a result, these students face maladjustments in their various occupational preferences. It appears that these in-school adolescents also lack the prerequisite knowledge and skills required for choosing a career due to lack of guidance services. There has been also increase in the rate of youth’s occupational maladjustment as well as a decline in the academic performance of in-school adolescents as a result of their addiction to social networking in Enugu State, thus causing social crimes like examination malpractice and other vices.

It seems that social networking presently is causing in-school adolescents unnecessary stress and emotional strain. It also looks as if the study habits of in-

school adolescents are seriously affected due to their ill-habits formed towards social networking. Consequently, in-school adolescents who are more regularly on social network sites are more likely to have a drastically reduced academic output or performance, which can result to a lowered self-esteem. In view of this, the researcher is poised to ask these questions “why do in-school adolescents lack vocational value orientations required? Why do in-school adolescents prefer communicating through social networking than traditional methods? It is in the quest for this that this study is being carried out.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to determine the influence of guidance and counselling on vocational value orientation and social networking among in-school Adolescents in Enugu State, Nigeria.

Specifically, the study seeks to:

1.  Identify guidance and counselling services that are provided for in-school adolescents.

2.  Determine  the  influence  of  guidance  and  counselling  services  on  the vocational value orientation amongin-school adolescents.

3.  Determine the influence of guidance and counselling services on the social networking habits amongin-school adolescents.

4.  Determine the influence of gender on vocational value orientation amongin- school adolescents.

5.  Determine the influence of gender on social networking among in-school adolescents.

Significance of the Study

The findings of this study will provide both theoretical and practical significance. Theoretically this study will buttress Parson’s theory of vocational development which posits that each individual is best suited in a particular occupation and would perform maximally if taken to it because of his unique traits such as  ability, intelligence, interests, attitudes and aptitudes. It is the view of this theory   that   if   personality   traits   of   an   individual   matches   with   the   job characteristics, such individual will exceedingly do well and be satisfied. It is relevant  to  this  present  study  because  the  adolescent’s  unique  interests  and attitudes towards vocational values and social networks show that the adolescents is likely to do well in that particular area if well guided and counseled.

Practically, the following are expected to benefit from the findings of this study, when published, or  presented as  a  conference or  seminar paper,  or  when the finished thesis is placed in the university of Nigeria Nsukka main library. These include; students, teachers, school guidance counsellors, parents, curriculum planners, ministries of education and future researchers.

The researcher hopes that the findings of this study would be of great benefit to the students. The students would understand the need of making vocational decision based on the individual’s traits. The students would also understand the relevance of value orientation towards choice of a career. The findings would also expose students to the need to seek for vocational guidance andcounselling since they are addicts to social networking.

The study will be advantageous to the teachers in Enugu State in the sense that they would understand that value orientation determines the students choice of occupation since these values are not only acquired at home, but also in the school, and that the teacher also play a big role in transmitting these values to the students. In addition they would see the need to support guidance and counselling services since vocational guidance helps students in making career choices. Teachers would also  understand  that  students’  addiction  to  social  networking can  affect  their academic performance, they therefore refers such students to  school guidance counsellors for counselling.

Furthermore the  school  guidance counsellors will also  benefit  from the findings of this study. The findings would help  school guidance counsellors in the sense that they would properly reorientate the students towards making proper career choices,see the importance of the value orientation received by students in making vocational choices. School guidance counsellors will also be exposed to the negative effects of social networking on in –school adolescents; this will help them to counsel the students against negative social networking habits.

The findings of  this studywhen published, would help parents to understand the  needs  to  encourage and  support their  children to  attend  career  activities; understand the relevance of vocational counselling in vocational preference of students and vocational decision making. Parents will be exposed to the dangers of social networking on their children, thereby making sure that their children do not give all their time to social networking at the expense of their studies.

Curriculum planners areanother group of people that would benefit from the findings of this study, in the sense that  the findings of this study, when published, would help to improve the secondary school curriculum contents of civic education syllabus.Since the  curriculum planners  can  access  the  published work  on  the internet or while attending seminars and conferences where a paper may be presented based on the findings of this study.

Equally ministries of education will benefit from the findings of this study. In the sense that the reccomendations that would be made in the study, when published, would help them in the day to day running of the secondary schools in such a way that will promote functional living among the teens thereby promoting national development.

Finally, future researchers will benefit from the findings of this study, in the sense that it wouldserve as a reference material for the future researchers, when the findings are published or the finished thesis placed in the university of Nigeria Nsukka main library.

Scope of the Study

The geographical scope of this study will be limited to public secondary school students in Enugu State of Nigeria. The content scope will focus on influence of guidance and counselling on vocational value orientation and social networking among in-school adolescents.

Research Questions

The following research questions will guide this study:

1.  What are the guidance and counselling services that are provided forin- school adolescents?

2.  What is the influence of guidance and counselling services on the vocational value orientation among in-school adolescents?

3.  What is the influence of guidance and counselling services on the social networking habits among in-school adolescents?

4.  What is theinfluence of gender on vocational value orientation among in- school adolescents?

5.  What  is  the  influence of  gender on social  networking among  in-school adolescents?

Hypotheses.

The following null hypotheses are postulated to further guide this study and will be tested at 0.05 level of significance:

HO1  There is no significant difference between the mean scores of the male and female in-school adolescents on the influence of guidance and counselling services on vocational value orientation among in-school adolescents.

HO2  There is no significant difference between the mean scores of the male and female in-school adolescents on the influence of guidance and counselling services on in–school adolescents social networking habits

HO3  There is no significant difference between the mean scores of the male and female in-school adolescents on the influence of gender on vocational value orientation among in- school adolescents

HO4  There is no significant difference between the mean scores of the male and female in-school adolescents on the influence of gender on in-school adolescents’ social networking.

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