Thesis Abstract

<p> The primary aim of this research was to investigate the implementation of student<br>personnel services in federal and state colleges of education in south –eastern<br>Nigeria. Student personnel services are regarded very important as they aid in the<br>all round development of the students, thus, enabling them to achieve their<br>objectives and those of their institutions. Student personnel services embrace all<br>those services to students that supplement regular instruction. As part and parcel of<br>school administration, it is seen as a critical function to the effective operation of<br>any school. This informed the present study on implementation of student<br>personnel services in federal and state colleges of education in south-east Nigeria.<br>The purpose was to ascertain the extent of implementation of these student services<br>in federal and state colleges of education in south-east Nigeria. Four research<br>questions and four null hypotheses were formulated for the study. A 51 – items<br>questionnaire was developed and administered to 770 respondents, comprising of<br>330 staff and students of federal and 440 staff and students of state colleges of<br>education. A non-proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to<br>sample 10 senior staff of student affairs department and 100 final year students<br>from each of the seven federal and state colleges of education in the geopolitical<br>zone. Mean score was used to answer the research questions, while t-test statistics<br>was employed in testing the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The<br>study revealed that the student personnel services studied was available, but<br>inadequate and are of poor quality. Constraints to the effective implementation<br>include poor funding of education sector, poor maintenance culture, inadequate<br>attention to communication between students and management, careless use of<br>facilities by students, mismanagement of funds by college authorities, poorly<br>executed projects, among others. There are measures to be adopted for<br>improvement, they include the government giving special grants to colleges for<br>hostels, involving the private sector in the provision of student personnel services,<br>school authority completing all abandoned projects, students admission being<br>guided by existing student personnel services, financial assistance to students,<br>supervision of students affairs personnel more effectively etc. Based on the<br>findings, the educational implications were drawn and the following<br>recommendations, among others, were made. School authority should organize<br>seminars, orientations and talks on how to manage the student personnel services.<br>Funds should be judiciously used by the college administration. Private sector<br>should be encouraged to assist in the provision of these services. The education<br>sector should be adequately funded and admission exercises should be guided by<br>the available student personnel service.<br>11<br>11 <br></p>

Thesis Overview

<p> </p><p><strong>INTRODUCTION</strong></p><p><strong>Background to the Study</strong></p><p>The teaching and research functions of higher educational institutions play a<br>very important role in national development, especially in the development of<br>high-level manpower. However, in most cases, the societal expectations in terms of<br>goals are hardly met and part of the explanation is linked to the absence of<br>adequate and conducive environment for effective learning. To achieve this<br>objective, adequate provision of certain services to students should be fostered for<br>effective teaching and learning process. Among these are the student-personnel<br>services. Student personnel services in this context, refers to all the non-academic<br>services rendered to the students at the schools setting outside the formal<br>classroom instruction, for the purpose of healthy, physical, emotional, social and<br>moral development as part of their preparation for a responsible and productive<br>adult life. These services are complementary to the academic programme in<br>making a holistic and balanced education of the students. While the task of<br>intellectual and skill development can be accomplished through curriculum<br>planning and implementation, the task of developing responsible attitudes and<br>morals can only be achieved through the provision and administration of student<br>personnel services.</p><p>Although student personnel services has received very little attention in<br>professional literature and social administration, Duffy in Ejionume (2010)</p> <br><p></p>