STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SECURITY OF SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION ZARIA, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined students' perceptions of the psychological security inside the school environment at the Federal University of Education Zaria, Kaduna State. A total of 360 NCE II students (240 males and 120 females) participated in the study. A self-created questionnaire, named the Psychological Security Scale, exhibiting a Cronbach's alpha reliability of 0.83, was employed for data collection in the study. The mean and standard deviation were employed to address the study issues; an independent sample t-test was utilized to evaluate the first hypothesis, while analysis of variance was applied to assess the second hypothesis. The results indicated a considerable disparity in psychological security between male and female students, whereas no notable differences were observed among other age groups in terms of psychological security. The government is advised to enhance security surrounding the college by deploying military and police forces to safeguard the safety of students and personnel. The security personnel assigned to the college must execute their responsibilities with utmost diligence, rather than compromising the oath they swore to serve their homeland. Students must adhere to all college directives for their own benefit, refraining from remaining on campus late if residing there, and returning to their respective homes promptly if living off campus, rather than staying out late at night.

Keywords: Perception, Psychological Security, Gender, Age, Metropolis