Perception of the benefits and effectiveness of counselling services among adult learners in University of Lagos, Nigeria.
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Date
2012-06-17
Authors
Ememe, P.I.
Igbokwe, G.N.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Collaboration of Education Faculties in West Africa (CEFWA Ghana
Abstract
The increasing need to update and upgrade initial education and the quest for lifelong learning have made it pertinent for many adults to take up one educational programme or the other in the university, either on part-time or full-time basis. These adult learners are unique and characteristically different from youth learners because they often combine learning with other responsibilities and social roles. In addition, they also have to grapple with physiological and psychological changes as a result of declines in the functions of their body organs due to ageing. All these pose enormous personal social and academic problems for the adult learners and make it mandatory for the adult to be guided and provided with counselling services, in order to alleviate and mitigate the effects of these 'problems on the adult learners' ability to learn. The purpose of this study was to determine the perception of adult learners on the benefits and effectiveness of counselling services in the University of Lagos. The paper also sought to identify the problems
confronted by adult learners in the Distance Learning Institute (DLI) and Sandwich Programme in the University of Lagos. The paper employed the descriptive survey design. A total of550 students, 250 from DLI and 300from sandwich were involved in the study. Data for the study were collected using a structured questionnaire developed by the researchers. The data were analysed using simple percentage and graphs while the hypothesis was analysed using the Wilconxon Statistical
tool. The study revealed, among others, that adult learners from both DLI and Sandwich programmes were confronted by an array of problems; counselling services on campus are abysmally small and as such, highly ineffective. However, the study reveals that all the adult learners were unanimous in their view on the benefits and usefulness of counselling services to their studies. The study recommended that efforts should be made to scale up the number of professional counsellors in the University of Lagos. It 'was suggested that efforts should be made to ensure that counsellors for adult learners are those who are familiar with their unique characteristics to make counselling effective.
Description
Staff Publications
Keywords
Adult Learners , Distance Learning , Programmes , Counselling , Research Subject Categories::SOCIAL SCIENCES::Social sciences::Education
Citation
Ememe, P. I. & Igbokwe, G. N. (2012). Perception of the benefits and effectiveness of counselling services among adult learners in University of Lagos, Nigeria. Journal of Research in Education, 1(2), 61-83.