Counselling help-seeking behaviour among male students in a higher learning ecology
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Date
2020-01
Authors
Seyi-Oderinde, Damilola Ruth
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
In recent times, depression, suicidal incidents, substance use and academic underachievement among young males in Nigerian tertiary institutions have increased. These stem from both an inability to cope with the daily demands of life and the failure of male students to seek appropriate help from a professional counsellor. The failure of past intervention and programme designs to facilitate help-seeking behaviour in male students accentuates the need for an innovative approach – ‘an enabling environment for male students help-seeking’ – to these problems in Nigeria. In response to the lack of research in this area, this doctoral study set out to propose a model of enabling environment strategies that can facilitate help-seeking behaviour in male students within a higher learning ecology. This study was situated within the transformative paradigm, guided by a participatory mixed method design that facilitated the co-creation of knowledge between the researcher and participants. A transformative embedded design guided the collection, analysis and interpretation of data. The quantitative phase used a questionnaire with 323 male students across faculties in a Nigerian state university. The qualitative strand engaged with multiple methods, namely, focus group discussion, semi- structured interview and photovoice, for generating data from six of the same sample, while four stakeholders were selected for semi-structured interviews, using a stakeholder sampling technique. Data in the quantitative strand was analysed using percentages, means, t-test, ANOVA and regression. For the qualitative part of the study, Atlas.ti.8 software and thematic analysis were used in data analysis. Findings from this study show that attitudes towards help-seeking are typified by masculine ideologies, a sense of spirituality and religiosity, myths and misconceptions. These are linked to self- reliance, privacy, ignorance and risk-taking. Furthermore, warm and accepting spaces, access and availability, recreational facilities and equal opportunities for both genders were identified as elements of an enabling environment for counselling help-seeking. Ten strategies for creating an enabling environment were uncovered and inputted into the designed model for enhancing male students’ help-seeking behaviour. The study provides a framework for developing an environment that would facilitate and improve the counselling help-seeking experiences and behaviour of male students.
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Keywords
Thesis (Ph.D. (Education Studies))--University of the Free State, 2020, Counselling help-seeking, Enabling environment, Help-Seeking behaviour, Higher education, Male students, Masculinities, Participatory research, Mixed-methods, Photovoice