COUNSELLING SERVICES AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT MECHANISMS AS PREDICTORS OF STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS CHEMISTRY-RELATED CONCEPTS IN BASIC SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

This study examined counselling services and psychosocial support mechanisms as predictors of students’ attitudes towards chemistry-related concepts in Basic Science and Technology in Enugu State, Nigeria. The study adopted a predictive correlational research design. The population comprised students offering Basic Science and Technology in public basic education schools in Enugu State, from which a sample of 342 students was used for the study. Data were collected using the Counselling Services Questionnaire (CSQ), Psychosocial Support Mechanisms Questionnaire (PSMQ), and Students’ Attitudes towards Chemistry-Related Concepts Questionnaire (SACRCQ). Reliability coefficients of .89, .85 and .87 were obtained for CSQ, PSMQ, and SACRCQ respectively. Data were analysed using simple and multiple linear regression analyses. The findings revealed that counselling services had a moderate positive predictive relationship with students’ attitudes towards chemistry-related concepts (R = .525), accounting for 27.6% of the variance in students’ attitudes. Counselling services significantly predicted students’ attitudes (β = .525, t = 11.372, p < .001). Psychosocial support mechanisms also had a moderately strong positive predictive relationship with students’ attitudes (R = .655), explaining 42.9% of the variance. Furthermore, counselling services and psychosocial support mechanisms jointly had a strong positive predictive relationship with students’ attitudes (R = .726, R² = .528), explaining 52.8% of the variance. The joint prediction was significant, F(2, 339) = 189.383, p < .001. The study concludes that counselling services and psychosocial support mechanisms are important predictors of students’ attitudes towards chemistry-related concepts. The study recommends among others that strengthening school counselling programmes and psychosocial support systems to promote positive attitudes towards chemistry-related learning.