Extent of the Usage of Behavioural Counselling in the Management of Bullying among Secondary School Students in Enugu Education Zone of Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the extent of the utilization of behavioural counselling in the management of bullying among secondary school students in Enugu Educational Zone of Enugu State. The study was guided by Krumboltz and Thoresen's (1969) behavioural theory and Albert Bandura's (1986) social learning theory. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population of the study was two thousand, one hundred and seventy-one qualified teachers (2, 171), while random sampling was used to acquire a sample of 217 respondents made up of 22 Director of Academics, 21 Counsellors and 174 teachers all spread across the 31-government owned secondary schools in Enugu Educational Zone. Questionnaires and scheduled interviews were used as the major instruments for data collection. The study reliability coefficient of 0.68 was obtained. The analysis of the data was done using descriptive statistics. The findings of the study showed that school counsellors' systemic approach, befriending strategy, peer mentoring and group therapy as behavioural counselling techniques in the management of bullying. From the findings of the study, collaboration is required between parents and the school in the all-round formation of their children, while students, on their part, are required to make their voices heard and stand up for each other in situations of bullying. There is also the need for more trained professionals for counselling activities in schools.