Correlates of Social Phobia among Undergraduate Students in Universities in Rivers State (Published)
The prevailing level of social anxiety especially in Rivers State is on the increase and this has led to a number of issues including low self-esteem, poor emotional intelligence, poor communication, low performance in oral examination, quizzes and debates. Again, the lack of awareness on the part of the parents resulting in poor parental support not only heightens social anxiety among students but makes the problem complex. Hence, the current study focused on correlates of social phobia among undergraduates in Universities in Rivers State. Correlational research design was used in the study. The population consisted of 84,000 undergraduates in three Universities in Rivers State. A sample of 509 respondents drawn using multi-stage sampling procedure used in the study. Four instruments including Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS) Students Self-concept Questionnaire (SSCQ) as the Social Anxiety Scale (SAS) were used for the study. The reliability coefficient values were 0.81, 0.70, 0.71, and 0.79 respectively. Simple regression was used to analize the data collected. Result showed that EI (p=0.034<0.05), self-concept (p=0.039<0.05) and self-efficacy (p=0.043<0.05) all had significant relationship with social phobia. Based on this, it was recommended among others that counselors, parent and teachers should help build good emotions skills in the students. They should not make them to be afraid neither should they make them to be timid as this to a great extent has significant influence on the extent which they can create social relationship.
Keywords: Depression, Emotional Intelligence, Self-Concept, social phobia
Relationship between Self-Concept and Attitude towards Solving Algebraic Problems among Secondary Schools Students in Sokoto State, Nigeria (Published)
Developing a positive self-concept is one of the most fundamental goal of success in life. This usually has to begin starting from early childhood to school years. This study therefore, investigated the relationship between self-concept and attitude towards solving algebraic problems among secondary school students in Sokoto state, Nigeria. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The study employed descriptive survey design. A sample of 377 senior secondary two (SSII) students was drawn from the population through proportionate random sampling technique. Two instruments were used in the study: self-concept scale (SCS) and Attitude towards Solving Algebraic Problem Scale (ASAPS). The instrument was content validated by Subject Matter Experts (SME). The reliability coefficients of SCS and ASPS were 0.77 and 0.79 respectively determined through Cronbach alpha technique for internal consistency. The findings of the study revealed that there was a significant relationship between students’ self-concept and their attitude towards solving algebraic problems. Findings also showed that there was no significant difference in male and female students’ attitude towards solving algebraic problems. It was therefore, suggested among others that teachers should give adequate and sufficient attention to developing positive self-concept in students.
Keywords: Algebra, Problem Solving, Secondary School, Self-Concept, Students