Effects of Cognitive-Restructuring-Counselling Technique and Token Economy on School-Refusal Behavior among Secondary School Students in Gwale, Kano State, Nigeria

This study investigated the effects of Cognitive Restructuring Counselling Technique and Token Economy on School Refusal Behavior among Junior Secondary School Students in Gwale Local Government Area, Kano State. The objective of the study was to assess the effects of both cognitive restructuring counselling technique and token economy on economic, social and behavioral dimensions of school refusal behavior. Three research questions with corresponding null hypotheses were raised and tested at a 0.05 significance level. The study adopted quasi-experimental design in the form of pretest and posttest design. The population of the study consists of 156 Junior Secondary School Students in Gwale Local Government Area identified with higher school refusal behavior, out of which two schools were sampled to participate in the study, 15 students from each school. Two data collection instruments were used for the purpose of the study: Validated School Refusal behavior Checklist (SRBC) with a reliability index of 0.867 was used for identification, while validated School Refusal behavior Scale (SRBS) with a reliability index of 0.706, 0.839, 0.852 and 0.904 for the three dimensions of school refusal behavior and the overall questionnaire was used for pretest and posttest. Statistical analysis, specifically t-tests for related samples and t-tests for dependent samples were used to test the hypotheses of the study at a 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that both Cognitive Restructuring Counselling Technique and Token Economy were significantly effective in reducing school refusal behavior across all three dimensions. However, no significant difference was found between the two techniques, suggesting they were equally effective. The study recommends that schools and counsellors inculcate the use of both Cognitive Restructuring Counselling Technique and Token Economy into school guidance efforts.