EFFECTS OF MINDFULNESS-BASED COUNSELLING ON EMOTIONAL REGULATION AND ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN JOS METROPOLIS, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Academic engagement and emotional regulation are critical for learning, yet many secondary school students in Jos metropolis, Plateau State, Nigeria, struggle due to chronic stress and limited coping resources. This study examined the effects of a school-based mindfulness-based counselling programme on emotional regulation and academic engagement among senior secondary school II students. The population consisted of all senior secondary school II students in public secondary schools in Jos metropolis. Using a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test control group design. A purposive and simple random sampling technique was used to select participants from the population. The sample size was 120 students who were identified with low emotional regulation and low academic engagement. These students were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 60) and a control group (n = 60). The experimental group received an 8-week mindfulness-based counselling programme, while the control group continued with regular school activities. Data were collected using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Adolescents and the School Engagement Scale. The instruments were validated by experts in Guidance and Counselling Unit, Educational Psychology Unit and Research, Measurement and Evaluation Unit, Department of Educational Foundations, University of Jos. Reliability of the instruments was done and gave 0.82 and 0.79 respectively. Data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The findings revealed that mindfulness-based counselling significantly improved students’ emotional regulation by enhancing self-awareness, emotional control, attention regulation and stress management. The treatment also significantly increased students’ academic engagement in terms of classroom participation, concentration, motivation and commitment to learning activities. Furthermore, the study found significant differences between the experimental and control groups in favour of students exposed to mindfulness-based counselling. The study concluded that mindfulness-based counselling is an effective therapeutic intervention for improving emotional regulation and academic engagement among secondary school students in Jos metropolis. Based on the findings, it was recommended that school counsellors, educational psychologists and school administrators should integrate mindfulness-based counselling programmes into secondary school counselling services to promote students’ emotional well-being and academic functioning.