TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Approval ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgement v
Table of contents vi
List of Tables ix
Abstract x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study 1
Statement of the Problem 7
Purpose of the Study 8
Significance of the Study 9
Scope of the Study 10
Research Questions 11
Hypotheses 11
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Conceptual Framework 13
Concept of Family 13
Concept of Family Stability 15
Concept of Guidance Counsellor 16
Concept of Family Counsellor 17
Guidance Counsellors' Roles 18
Concept of Gender 25
Theoretical Framework 25
Role Theory Model of Mangus 25
The Structural Theory of Minuchin 27
The Social Learning Theory of Bandura 29
Review of Empirical Studies 30
Empirical Studies Done Within Nigeria 30
Empirical Studies Done Outside Nigeria 34
Summary of Literature Review 36
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD
Design of the Study 37
Area of the Study 37
Population of the Study 38
Sample and Sampling Technique 38
Instrument of Data Collection 38
Validation of the Instrument 39
Reliability of the Instrument 39
Method of Data Collection 40
Method of Data Analysis 40
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRSENTATIONAND ANALYSIS 41
Summary of Major Findings 50
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS,
RECOMMENDATIONS,LIMITATIONS AND SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER
STUDY
Discussion of Findings 52
Conclusion 55
Educational Implications 56
Recommendations 57
Limitations of the Study 58
Suggestions for Further Research 59
Summary 59
References 61
Appendices
APPENDIX I: List of public secondary schools in Lokoja Education Zone 67
APPENDIX II: Corrected Instrument 68
APPENDIX III: Reliability Test 76
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Gender analysis of teachers' perception of Guidance Counsellors' roles in
maintenance of family stability
Table 3: Gender analysis on extent of influence of counsellors' roles in maintenance of
family financial stability of teachers
Table 4: Mean rating of male and female teachers on extent of Guidance Counsellors'
roles influence on family communication stability of teachers
Table 5: Mean rating of male and female teachers on extent of Guidance Counsellors'
roles that influence family stability in sexual relationship of teachers
Table 6: Summary of t-test analysis for Hypothesis One
Table 7: Summary of t-test analysis for Hypothesis Two
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The basic social unit of every group is the family The family is a universal institution
bounded together by social and biological ties Family is the logical outcome of marriage
consisting of a man, his wife, wives, child or, children It is characterized by common
residence, economic cooperation, cum-maintenance, reproduction, and a unit for primary
socialization It is also characterized by a sense of family identification and loyalty, social
placement and control, mutual assistance among members of the family unit (Aldons, 2005)
According to Anih (2008), it is a community which is regarded as the earliest and most social
institution in the context of which the character of the children are moulded The author also
opined that the family has its being in the context of a wider grouping of kindred, wide
neigbourhood and in a wider and more complicated society
The most important primary group of society which gradually introduces the child to
the complicated secondary groups of society is the family (Unachukwu & Igbogbor, 1990)
The family is a system organized around the support, regulations, nurturance, and
socialization of its members It is a small system made up of individuals who are related to
each other sharing strong reciprocal affections and loyaltiesIt also comprises of house-hold
that persists over years (Anih, 2008) Members enter the family through birth, adoption,
marriage or by ways of foster placement and nobody chooses which family to be born into
(Umeano, 1999)
Haralambos and Holborn (2008) defined family as a social group characterized by
common residence, economic cooperation and reproduction It includes adults of both sexes,
at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more
children, owned or adopted of the sexually cohabiting adults The family is described as the primary institution that socializes the young and provides surveillance over their behaviour
(Agulanna, 1999) This author also sees the family as playing the function of building the
psychosocial, moral and spiritual foundation of the overall development of the child in the
society
The family plays an important role in producing healthy personality When family
fails to protect her children, it could lead to serious problem in future Ezewu (2001) posited
that, it is the family that exerts the real, prime and lasting influence on the child's character
because, if there is deprivation in the family be it materials, lack of maintenance, mental, or
spiritual, there will be some form of deprivation in the personality of the child Couples are
therefore urged to protect and maintain the institution of family to avoid marital dysfunction
Haralambos and Holborn (2008) confirmed that the family lives together, pools its resources
and works together and produces offspring, and with at least two adult members (husband
and wife) who conduct sexual relationship according to the norms of the society
The family in the context of this present study therefore is a social group
characterized by common residence, economic cooperation, reproduction and provides
protection and maintenance for its members The institution of the family has been
partnership for survival with the preservation and improvement of the human species as its
primary purpose According to Okoh (2004), it is a mutual institution which guarantees the
procreation, care and education of the young; the stability of the family and permanence of
society upon which the survival of the race depends
In order for family institution to achieve its desired objectives, it deserves as a matter of necessity, high degree of stability, maintenance, reciprocity, harmony, cohesion, unconditional love and permanence Perhaps, it was in recognition of these virtues in relation
to the behaviour of couples toward marriage that Agulanna (1999) affirmed that family stability is remedy for a happy home It is on the stability of family and the permanence of society that the survival of the race depends
Family stability is the relationship in which couples and other members of the family
live together in marriage, enjoying the closest possible, loving and fulfilling relationship
without any intention of breakup(Adesanya, 2002) A peaceful relationship is achieved when
married couples understand their individual roles and work towards them Family stability
according to Sussman (2002), is the relationship in which couples and other members of the
family live together in marriage without any form of conflict, violence, mistrust, constant
bickering, neglect, marital distress, among others Adesanya (2002), identified certain factors
that ensure family stability such as economic wellbeing, responsiveness, among others Anih
(2008) noted that sexual satisfaction among couples, appropriate communication and finance
are the major factors of family stability
Family stability as a working definition in this present study therefore is the
relationship in which secondary schoolteachers and other members of the family live together
in marriage without any form of conflict It is a relationship in which secondary school
teachers and other members of the family live together in marriage, enjoying the closest
possible loving and fulfilling relationship without any intention of breaking up So for family
to be stable, harmony, cohesion, unconditional love are therefore necessary The
family in recent times however has been characterized by many problems These include
quarrels between husband and wife and sometimes such quarrels extend to the children
(Onwusoanya, 2006) In the distant past, the degree of stability in marriage was high and
commendable, but in recent past, marital stability has steeply slumped This slump could be
attributed to transformation and urbanization in the society through different complex
processes Most couples in Nigeria do not receive premarital guidance that made for family
stability in the past Differences in religious belief and practices within the families, sexual relationship outside the family, disagreements over economic, educational and career goals,
barrenness and allowance for the purchase of the basic house items constitute threat to family
stability The future of this nation will be in jeopardy if family instability is allowed to
continue Wives complain of physical battering, financial irresponsibilities by their husbands,
lack of material attention, dislike and indifference in sex among others
Family instability constitutes a major threat to national development Children could
constitute a nuisance to the society if they are not properly brought up in a stable
environment Teachers are meant to be role models, if they are experiencing instability in
their families, it will affect the whole nation
In many families in the society as noted by (Sussman, 2001), conflict, violence,
mistrust, constant neglect, marital distress, among others are the order of the day In such
families, instability usually occurs which in most cases could lead to separation,divorce and
other variety of problems that are characteristic of troubled marriages The misunderstanding
or conflictual situation usually creates confusion and eventually leads to family instability
Family instability according to Krupinsky, Marshall and Yule (2004) include inadequacy in
communication, sexual incompatibility, infidelity, loneliness, interference by in-laws among
others However, Yakubu (1998) observed that in many marriages, there are lots of stresses,
bitterness, rancor, bickering and failures thereby leading to family instability This calls for
guidance counsellors' roles in maintenance of family stability
It is the family counsellor that understands the nature of the institution through his
professional expertise The family counsellors' qualities of rapport, listening, sincerity and
unconditional acceptance, enable him/her to counsel the troubled family (Aziude and Iwundu,
2005) The qualities above help the counsellor to carry out his function effectively It is the
duty of family counsellors to provide services that can lead to the development of members
of the family as well as offer assistance to enhance their stability, protection, growth and preservation within the family structure The family counsellors introduce guidance and
counselling services to family members to bring about family stability
Guidance and counseling programme has provided complex scientific and
technological developments, the gate-way out of the existing numerous problems, ignorance,
and many other psychological difficulties among individuals and groups in the educational
institutions and society Guidance and counselling can be defined as a number of processes
used in assisting an individual to be effectively satisfied and useful in the society in which he
lives, (Ikechukwu-Ilomuanya,2003) The professional who offers the service is called a
counsellor Although couples and members of the family must work together to create
stability in their homes, the roles of guidance counselors in maintaining family stability is an
extremely important one in today's society It is against this background that the researcher
picked interest to examine what can be done by guidance counselors to bring about family
stability of secondary school teachers in Lokoja Education Zone of Kogi State
The family counsellor is expected to understand the way the family functions A
family counsellor is an individual who treats married couples or family members in order to
help them overcome mental or emotional problems that may result within the home
(Gladding 2007) The family counsellor does diagnose any disorders and provides effective
treatment measures with which to help the family members resolve their issues The role of
family counsellor is very necessary in today's society There are many individuals who have
issues that need to be resolved yet are unable to do so on their own in an effective manner
Such individuals need the service of family counsellor The role ofcounsellorsaccording to
Jody, (2006) includes; meeting with family members who are experiencing problems,
diagnosing their emotional problems and effectively treating them over a period of time
The family counsellors also establish contact with their clients The family counsellor
in addition collects information from clients in order to properly diagnose and treat their disorders (Jody, 2006) This entails speaking with the clients and family members to
determine what issues need to be addressed in the therapy sessions This type of
correspondence can take the form of impersonal meetings, telephone conversations and mail
correspondence Record keeping is another important role of the family counsellor The
family counsellor must keep accurate and complete records for each client These records
include personal information of clients, documentations from sessions and referrals Family
counsellors also prescribe treatment for the client Once an individual has been diagnosed
with a certain disorder, the family counsellor determines the best way to proceed in the way
of treatment (Jody 2006)
However, guidance counsellorsin order to maintain stability among secondary
schoolteachers require family counselling The goals of family counsellors are very many
Primarily, family counselling is determined to help resolve family problems through the
therapeutic procedures for all members of the family (Okorodudu, 2010) The aim is to
promote general effective adjustment process to life engagements Family counselling also
helps family members become aware of the fact that if a family member has problems, such
problems may well be the effect of one or more other members' perception, expectations,
inadequate communication, lack of sexual relationship and lack of finance The specific goal
of family counselling is usually to assist the affected members of a given family unit to give
up their maladjusted ways of dealing with each other and to replace these ways with some
more constructive and more desirable ways of relating with each other (Okorodudu, 2010)
In this research work therefore, family counselling is defined as a technique which is
employed to maintain stability in family Whether guidance counsellors' roles lead to family
stability is subject of verification in this study
Gender also plays an important role in counselling Male counselling has been found to be
more skillful than their female counterparts in counselling, Nwafor, (2000) Gender is the condition of being masculine or feminine through one's behaviour (Sinclair, 1996) This
means there are behaviours meant for males and there are the ones meant for females For
instance, in the traditional Igbo society, males are expected to be strong and assertive while
females are expected to be soft and sensitive (Guinand & Lemessa, 2000) Obasi (2004)
referred to gender as many social and cultural constructed characteristics, qualities,
behaviours and roles which different societies ascribe to males and females
As noted by Cole (2006) teachers in Kogi State look at counsellors as those who bring
down the discipline of the school by condoning all the bad behaviours the students put up
This shows that both male and female teachers have negative perceptions with regards to
guidance counsellors' roles But this is not to say that all teachers in the state have negative
response in regard to counsellors' roles
In the implementation of the National Policy on Education (NPE, 2004), guidance
counsellors play significant roles and considering the negative labelling about them, the
researcher therefore wondered about what happens in maintenance of family stability among
male and female secondary school teachers in secondary school setting given such a poor
impression from the opinion of the teachersIt implies that either the counsellors in schools
are not equipped enough to perform their roles effectively or the communities whom they
serve are not yet ready to understand It is based on this background that the researcher
intends to determine the guidance counsellors' roles in maintenance of family stability among
secondary school teachers in Lokoja Education Zone of Kogi State
Statement of the Problem
Family instability is one of the most disturbing social problems of contemporary
times Available literature and observation tend to the fact that instability seems to be on the
increase in Nigeria and especially among secondary school teachers Couples are often seen
to complain of physical abuse like wife battering, financial irresponsibility, lack of material attention, dislike and indifference in sex, among others One is tempted to ask if secondary
school teachers in Kogi State also experience family instability If they do, could this
instability be due to lack of Guidance Counsellors' roles in maintenance of family stability?
The researcher seemed worried that if guidance counsellors' roles in maintaining
family stability are lacking, it will affect national development and development of Kogi
State in particular Thus, if counsellors' roles in maintenance of family stability are not
employed, the future of this nation will be in jeopardyIt is against this background that the
present study investigated the guidance counsellors' roles in maintenance of family stability
in Lokoja Education Zone of Kogi State
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study is to determineGuidance Counsellors' roles in
maintenance of family stability ofsecondary school teachers in Lokoja Education Zone of
Kogi State
Specifically, the studyinvestigated:-
1 Guidance Counsellors' roles in maintenance of family stability ofmale and female
secondary school teachers in Lokoja education zone
2 The extent of family stability of male and female secondary school teachers in Lokoja
education zone
3 The extent to which Guidance Counsellors' roles influence maintenance of family
financial stability of secondary school teachers
4 The ways Guidance Counsellors' roles influence familystability of teachers in the area
ofcommunication
5 The ways Guidance Counsellors' roles influence familystability of teachers in terms
of sexual relationship
Significance of the Study
The result of this study will have both theoretical and practical
significanceTheoretically, the findings of the study will provide data that may be useful for
clear understanding of role theory, structural theory and social learning theory It is expected
that the findings will help to explicate the functions of the theoretical postulations of role
theory The role theory is based on central ideas that essential factor in any situation of
marital crisis is the phenomenon of role conflicts, which is said to arise where there are
incompatible role expectations among the couple in the marriage This role theory is related
to the present study in the sense that role theory deals with human behaviours and if teachers
are counselled well in their expected roles, they will achieve better results in their families
The structural theory is of great relevance to this study in the sense that this theory
describes the best approach to facilitate family counselling This study is relevant as it will
make teachers to understand the roles of guidance counsellors in maintaining family stability
The social learning theory is of great relevance to this study in the sense that this
theory describes the best approach to facilitate work and productivity in an organization, the
understanding of the workers and the working environment
Practically, the findings of this study will be beneficial to secondary school teachers,
guidance counsellors and the youths A study of this nature can serve as a guide, a source of
insight and understanding to secondary school teachers and youths who will certainly face the
crucial future task of not only mate performance and selection but also the challenges of
adjustment to marital life By unraveling the roles of guidance counsellors in maintenance of
family stability, the study will help to prepare their minds on the intricacy and reality of
marriage so that by taking precautional measures, they will not fall victims of the ugly
incidence of marital instability The study is therefore significant as these married teachers and young people will be better positioned to strike a balance between their expectations and desires and their marital aspirations
The study will also be gainful to Guidance Counsellors Revelations on the roles of
Guidance Counsellors in maintenance of family stability made in this study will make
married teachers realize counsellors' roles in the maintenance of stability in the family
The findings of this study when published will be of much significance to
traineecounsellors because they will be exposed through documented evidence to Guidance
Counsellors' roles and the maintenance of family stability thereby adding to their existing
wealth of knowledge The findings of this study when documented and published will be of
immense benefit to the society at large
The youths are the future leaders, when they learn adaptive ways of reacting to
experiences in their environment through guidance counsellors' roles and maintenance of
family stability, the society will become sanitized and free from most marital instability and
thereby improving the economic, social and moral tone of the society which will result in an
increase in the number of happier and more productive citizens
Finally, the findings of this study when documented and published will add to the
existing body of knowledge in the area of Guidance and Counsellors' roles in maintenance of
family stability The findings will be disseminated through workshops, learned journals,
conferences and interest posting
Scope of the Study
The study focused on the roles of Guidance Counsellorsin maintenance of family
stability using secondary school teachers in Lokoja Education Zone of Kogi State The study
also focused on the Guidance Counsellors' roles and maintenance of family stability in
financial spending of secondary school teachers, communication and sexual relationship of
married teachers
The area coverred in this study was Lokoja Education Zone in Kogi State
Research Questions
The following five research questions guided the study
1 What are Guidance Counsellors' roles in maintenance of family stability of male and
female secondary school teachers in Lokoja education zone?
2 What is the extent of family stability ofmale and female secondary school teachers in
Lokoja education zone?
3 To what extent do Guidance Counsellors' roles influence maintenance of family
financial stability of secondary school teachers in Lokoja education zone?
4 What are the ways Guidance Counsellors' roles influence stability of teachers in the
area of communication?
5 What are the waysGuidance Counsellors' roles influence family stability of teachers
in terms of sexual relationship?
Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were tested at P<005 level of significance
Ho1: There is no significant difference between the mean scores of male and female teachers
on the guidance counsellors' roles in maintenance of family financial stabilityof
secondary school teachers
Ho2: Guidance counsellors' roles do not have significant influence on family stability of
teachers in the area ofcommunication
Ho3: There is no significant difference between the mean scores of male and female teachers
on Guidance Counsellors' influence of teachers' family stability in terms of sexual
relationship
Table 8: Summary of t-test for Hypothesis Three
