Ibuebue Sarah Namo & Dr Grace Onyowo Ugboha
Abstract
This study explored determinants of deviant behaviour among secondary school adolescent students in Jos metropolis, and its implications for counselling. The study made use of descriptive research of the survey type. The population of the study comprised all the secondary school adolescent students in Jos metropolis. The sample consisted of 100 adolescent students of secondary schools in Jos metropolis. Simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were used to get a representative sample. The instrument used was a self-constructed questionnaire. The study was guided by four hypotheses. The instrument was subjected to face validation by two experts from Research, Measurement and Evaluation, and Guidance and Counselling Units in the Department of Educational Foundations of University of Jos. Reliability index of 0.68 was obtained. Data obtained were analyzed using frequency count and chi-square method of analysis. The study revealed that family background, societal factors, and peer group can influence the behaviour of adolescent students in secondary schools, and that social media does not have significant impact on students’ behaviour. It was recommended, among others, that parenting programmes, family therapy, and parental education should be carried out to improve family dynamics and supervision.