Investigation into the Effectiveness of Self-Management Counselling Techniques in Reducing Examination Anxiety Among NCE Students at Adamu Tafawa Balewa College of Education, Kangere, Bauchi State

Ishaq Inuwa Kwagga, Mohammed Hassan Garba

Abstract


This study investigated the effectiveness of self-management counselling techniques in reducing examination anxiety among Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) students at Adamu Tafawa Balewa College of Education, Kangere, Bauchi State. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design involving experimental and control groups. A sample of 330NCE students was selected from the total population of 2745, using stratified random sampling techniques. The instrument for data collection was a standardized instrument titled Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI)) complemented with counselling session plans on self-management techniques such as goal-setting, relaxation, self-monitoring, time management, and positive self-talk. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and inferential statistics to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that students who were exposed to self-management counselling techniques showed a significant reduction in examination anxiety levels compared to those in the control group. The results also indicated that self-management strategies enhanced students’ confidence, focus, and preparedness for examinations. Based on these findings, the study concluded that self-management counselling techniques are effective tools in helping students cope with examination-related anxiety. The study recommended that counselors in Colleges of Education should adopt self-management techniques as part of their intervention strategies, and that institutional management should support counselling units with resources to sustain such interventions. 


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