THE EFFECTS OF RECIPROCAL TUTORING AND CAREER DAY ON THE CAREER DECISION MAKING PROCESS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL ADOLESCENT

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the effects of reciprocal peer tutoring and career day on the career decision making process of secondary school adolescent students. The study is experimental in nature. The primary independent variables are the treatment packages (reciprocal peer tutoring, career day and control group), while the secondary independent variables are sex, self concept, parental typology, and school environment. The dependent variable is career decision. The sample was drawn from two co-educational secondary schools in Uvwie Local Governemnt Area of Delta State.

Three research instruments were used for the study. These are career Decision Making Process Scale (CDMPS), Adolescent Personal Data Inventory (APDI), and Parental Typology Scale (PTS). These instruments were validated by experts in the department of ducational Psuchology and Curriculum Studies, of the University of Benin, Benin City. The reliability of the instruments was determined using Crobach Alfa, yielding a value of 0.62 for RPT, and 0.77 for APDI. Parental typology which Scale which was a categorization scale was validated through a pilot study which indicated that three out of the four parental typology were significant for the population used.

All hypotheses generated for the study were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study indicated that:

1. The treatment packages (reciprocal peer tutoring career day where found to be significant in enhancing the career decision making process of adolescent students at post-test).
2. parental typology and school environment where also found to significant in enhancing the career decision making process of secondary school adolescent students at post-test.
3. Self-concept and sex were fund not to be significant in enhancing the career decision making of secondary school adolescent students at post test.

Based on the above findings, the following recommendations were made:

1. Conusellors in schools should be taught the basic rudiments of reciprocal peer tutoring and should be encouraged to use it as a group counseling technique for modifying students’ behavior.
2. Since reciprocal peer tutoring is a new counseling technique for enhancing career decision making process, the counseling Association of Nigeria (CASSON) should devote time to a thorough study of this new counseling technique.
3. Proprietors of schools should create a conducive counseling environment in their institutions of learning in which both counselors and students will participate actively in counseling programmes.
4. For reciprocal peer tutoring to be very effective, proprietors of schools, principals, and other members of the teaching staff should be well informed by way of serminars on the goals and objectives of the Programme.