UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF GUIDANCE SERVICES AND ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR IN SELECTED UNIVERSITIES IN EDO SOUTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated undergraduate students’ perception of the implementation of guidance services and its relationship with antisocial behaviour in selected universities in Edo South Senatorial District, Nigeria. Three research questions and three null hypotheses were formulated and tested at the 0.05 level of significance. A correlational research design was adopted. The population of the study comprised 27,104 undergraduates in the public and private universities in Edo South Senatorial District University of Benin 21,080, Benson Idahosa University, 2,270, Igbinedion University, 3,754. A sample of 271 undergraduates (approximately 1% of the population) was drawn from three universities using simple random sampling. Data were collected with a researcher-designed instrument, the Review of the Implementation of Guidance Services and Antisocial Behaviour of Undergraduates Questionnaire (RIGSABUQ), and analysed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation. The findings revealed a statistically significant negative relationship of moderate magnitude between the perceived implementation of guidance services and antisocial behaviour (r = −.327, p < .001); a statistically significant weak positive relationship between respondents’ gender and their combined perception of guidance services and antisocial behaviour (r = .25, p < .001); and a statistically significant weak positive relationship between respondents’ age and the combined perception (r = .238, p < .001). It was recommended, among other things, that government and university managements should establish or strengthen existing guidance services in both public and private universities, and that counsellors should be supported with regular training through seminars and workshops.