Evaluation of Counselling Intervention in Reducing Examination Anxiety among Senior Secondary School Students in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study evaluated the effectiveness of counselling intervention in reducing examination anxiety among senior secondary school students in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The study adopted a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test control group design. The population comprised all senior secondary school students in public secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State. A sample of 500 students identified as having moderate to high levels of examination anxiety was selected through purposive and simple random sampling techniques. The instrument used for data collection was the Examination Anxiety Scale (EAS), which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.86 using Cronbach's Alpha method. Participants in the experimental group received an eight-week counselling intervention programme involving cognitive-behavioural and relaxation techniques, while those in the control group received no treatment. Data collected were analysed using mean, standard deviation, and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that students exposed to counselling intervention recorded a substantial reduction in examination anxiety, with a mean anxiety score decreasing from 68.42 (SD = 8.31) at pretest to 42.17 (SD = 6.45) at post-test, representing a 38.4% reduction. In contrast, the control group showed only a marginal decrease from 67.85 (SD = 7.96) to 64.73 (SD = 7.28). ANCOVA results indicated a statistically significant effect of counselling intervention on students' examination anxiety, F(1,117) = 45.62, p < .05, η² = .28. The study further revealed no significant difference in the effectiveness of counselling intervention based on gender, F(1,117) = 1.84, p > .05. The study concluded that counselling intervention is an effective strategy for reducing examination anxiety among senior secondary school students in Akwa Ibom State. It was recommended that professional counsellors should regularly organize anxiety-management programmes and provide psychological support services to students preparing for internal and external examinations.