Effectiveness of Group Counseling and Study Habits on the Academic Performance of Underachieving Students in Senior Secondary Schools in Rivers State

Ngozi Allwell Egwurugwu

Authors

Ngozi Allwell Egwurugwu PhD, Department Educational Psychology Guidance and Counseling, Faculty of Education, Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Rivers State

Keywords:

Group Counseling, Study Habits, Academic Performance, Underachieving Students, Learning Motivation, Senior Secondary Schools, Rivers State, Counseling Intervention, Quasi-Experimental Design

Abstract

This study examines the effectiveness of group counseling and study habits on the academic performance of underachieving students in senior secondary schools in Rivers State. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design involving pre-test and post-test measures for experimental and control groups. The population of the study consisted of underachieving senior secondary school students in public secondary schools in Rivers State. A sample of 80 students was selected using a multistage sampling technique, with 40 students assigned to the experimental group and 40 to the control group. The experimental group participated in structured group counseling sessions and study habit training for eight weeks, while the control group received no intervention during the study period. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and students’ academic performance records. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that group counseling significantly improved the academic performance of underachieving students. The results also showed that group counseling significantly influenced students’ learning motivation. Furthermore, improved study habits had a significant effect on students’ academic performance. The study also found that the combined intervention of group counseling and study habit training produced the highest improvement in students’ academic performance. The study concluded that counseling interventions and effective study habit strategies are important tools for improving academic outcomes among underachieving students. The study recommended that schools strengthen counseling services and integrate study habit training into academic support programmes for students experiencing academic difficulties.