EFFECTS OF FILM-MODELING AND DIRECT-TEACHING TECHNIQUES ON SELF-CONCEPT OF SCHOOLING ADOLESCENTS

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background of the Study Human society is constantly being changed by the physical environment just as the latter is changed by human activities. Thus, the observation by Ekpo (1996) that the difficulties being experienced by the adolescents in educational, socio-personal and vocational adjustments could be attributed in part to environmental changes due to the increasing complexity of the contemporary world in both developed and developing countries. These difficulties create psycho-social problems among the schooling adolescents that have potential impact on their low self-concept formation. In Nigeria, specifically during the civil strife of between 1967 and 1970 the resultant imbalance in the social, economic and political systems reached alarming stages. The psycho-social decay distorted and disoriented the moral development of the citizens, particularly those of the children and adolescents. As a result, such social vices as vandalization of public properties, stealing, armed robbery, cultism, forgery, examination malpractice, sex abuse among others became enthroned among the youthful adolescents (Ekpo, 1996). These vices may be, were the products of the prevalent low self-concept formation in some Nigerian adolescents. The above scenario experienced among Nigerian adolescents conforms with the later findings expressed by Olowu (1983, 1985) in Nigeria, Mwanalushi (1979) in Zambia and Krystall (1973) in Kenya, that the changes in the socialization environment and the process of people, particularly the youths in developing/transitional societies had a warping effect on the self-concepts of adolescents. They listed such transitional societies as mainly African, Asian and Latin-American societies that are moving from their traditional ways of life to the new ways of the Western cultures. These changes which are by-products of such transition, are often accompanied by uncertainty and unpredictability, which in turn engender insecurity and anxiety which ultimately affect the self-concept of people and adolescents. Perhaps in realization of the obvious negative consequence of society infested with psychologically maladjusted adolescents that the Federal Government of Nigeria in the National Policy on Education (FRN, 2004, Revised) entrenched a formal guidance and counselling Programme in her secondary school system aimed at taking care of such students’ maladjustment problems.