Effect of Social Training Skill on Bullying Tendency among Secondary School Students in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria

Aims: This focused on the effect of social training skill on bullying tendency among secondary school students in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra state, Nigeria.

Study Design: The study employed the quasi-experimental research design (pre-test, post-test, non-randomized control group)

Place and Duration of Study: Secondary school students in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria, between June 2021 and January 2022.

Methodology: The population consists of 329 students in JS2 and SS2 in all the secondary schools from all the co-educational schools in Nnewi-North LGA having high level of bullying tendency. The sample for this study comprised 108 secondary school students that were identified with high bullying tendency. This was drawn from JS2 and SS2 students from the two coeducational schools selected for the study. The instrument for data collection was an already established Students Bullying Tendency Questionnaire developed. The students’ tendency to bullying questionnaire (STBQ) which was adopted for this study was structured to ascertain the students’ tendency to bullying. The SBTQ total score range from 20-80 with higher level of bullying tendency. Bullying scale reads; strongly agree =(SA) 4points, agree (A)=3 points, disagree(D)= 2 points and strongly disagree (SD)=1. The instrument used the Pearson product moment statistical technique to obtain a co-efficient of reliability of 0.89. The researcher administered copies of the bullying tendency questionnaire through direct delivery method to all JS2 and SS2 students to complete. The administered instrument after collection will be scored in line with the instrument scoring guide and analyze using Analysis of Co-variance (ANCOVA), The data which relates to the research questions was analyzed using mean, while data relating to the null hypothesis was analyze using ANCOVA. Scores that are above the norm 47.77 for males and 47.77 for female while those scores below show no bullying tendency behaviour.

Results: The results of the study revealed that, social skills training technique is effective in reducing bullying tendency among secondary school students. More so, social skills training technique is more effective in reducing male secondary school students’ bullying tendency. The effect of social skills training technique on the bullying tendency of secondary school students is significant. The study further revealed that the effectiveness of social skills training technique on the bullying tendency of male and female secondary school students do not differ significantly.

Conclusion: Based on the analysis, it was concluded that social skills training technique is effective in reducing bullying tendency among secondary school students, social skills training technique is more effective in reducing male secondary school students’ bullying tendency. The effect of social skills training technique on the bullying tendency of secondary school students is significant. The effectiveness of social skills training technique on the bullying tendency of male and female secondary school students do not differ significantly.