EFFECTIVENESS OF COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING AND SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION COUNSELLING TECHNIQUES IN CONTROLLING HIGHSTAKES TEST ANXIETY AMONG FINAL YEAR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KADUNA METROPOLIS
EFFECTIVENESS OF COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING AND SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION COUNSELLING TECHNIQUES IN CONTROLLING HIGHSTAKES TEST ANXIETY AMONG FINAL YEAR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KADUNA METROPOLIS
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Date
2014-06
Authors
MOHAMMED, Halilu
Bakori
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Abstract
The study was conceived with the major objective of investigating the Effectiveness of the
Cognitive Restructuring and Systematic Desensitization techniques in the Control of HighStakes
Test Anxiety among Final Year Secondary School Students in Kaduna Metropolis. It
was also to ascertain which of the two techniques was more effective in controlling the
problem. The study sample consisted of three hundred final year students consisting of males
and females. It was a quasi-experimental study in which students were assigned to two
experimental and two control groups. One of the experimental groups was treated with
cognitive restructuring while the other was treated with systematic desensitization. Each of the
treatments was carried out within eleven counselling sessions. Individual counselling method
was adopted in the study. Each of the subjects was administered with pretest and posttest, using
the Westside Test Anxiety Scale designed by Driscole (2004). Seven research hypotheses were
formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The first and second hypotheses were
comparisons between pretest and posttest of the treatment groups to confirm the efficacy of the
two counselling techniques. The third hypothesis confirmed that the cognitive restructuring
technique was more effective than the systematic desensitization technique. The fourth and fifth
hypotheses were comparisons between posttests of the treatment and control groups which
further confirmed the efficacy of the counselling techniques. The sixth and seventh hypotheses
also confirmed that cognitive restructuring and systematic desensitization were very effective in
controlling poor cognition and emotionality of the students respectively. The t-test statistic was
used in testing hypotheses 1 and 2, 4 and 5. The ANCOVA statistic was used in testing
hypothesis 3, while the binary logistic model was used in testing hypotheses 6 and 7. All the
seven hypotheses were rejected. After treatment, it was discovered that although the two
techniques were effective, cognitive restructuring counselling technique was more effective
than the systematic desensitization in controlling the disorder. Having discovered the
effectiveness of the counselling techniques on high-stakes test anxiety, some major
recommendations were forwarded. It was recommended that authorities in our educational
systems should take it as a priority to train school counsellors in the use cognitive restructuring
and systematic desensitization techniques with a view to helping the students with problems
such as high-stakes test anxiety. Recommendations for further studies were also directed to
students and scholars. The major causes of the high-stakes test anxiety may be investigated,
larger population may be studied, or different techniques may be used to investigate their
efficacy on high-stakes test anxiety control. Effectiveness of group counselling in reducing
high-stakes test anxiety may also be studied.
Description
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY AND
COUNSELLING, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY ZARIA, IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE
OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING.
Keywords
EFFECTIVENESS,, COGNITIVE,, RESTRUCTURING,, SYSTEMATIC,, DESENSITIZATION,, COUNSELLING,, TECHNIQUES,, CONTROLLING HIGH,, STAKES TEST,, ANXIETY AMONG FINAL YEAR SECONDARY SCHOOL,, STUDENTS IN KADUNA METROPOLIS.