Effect Of Cognitive Restructuring And Shaping Techniques In Handling Lateness To School Among Secondary School Students

Day 7 (7th session) Monday
Objective: Cumulative effect of lateness and lateness- provoked behaviours.
Step 1: The researcher warmly welcomed the students, saying: My beloved students, welcome to another session of the programme.   I hope that as much as we have gone, you are now convinced that lateness to school is bad. Therefore, every effort should be made to avoid being late to school. Today, we will discuss more of the adverse effect of lateness in terms of its cumulative effect and other bad behaviours resulting from lateness.
Step 2: The researcher asked the students to mention long-term effects of lateness and also bad behaviours that result from lateness.
Step 3:        The researcher discussed the cumulative effects of lateness and other bad behaviours that result from lateness. She said that when lateness had become part and parcel of any one, the individual must be late to every occasion, events and even work place. This attitude will make such one not to achieve much for the day and for a worker, it might lead to reduction in his or her salary, suspension from duty or even outright dismissal from work. She further said that lateness makes one look irresponsible and to be distrusted.
The researcher told them too that lateness can lead them into exhibiting other behaviours that are bad. She mentions them to include telling lies, missing school, truancy, cheating or even dropping out of school.
Question time: The researcher asked the students questions and asked them to ask questions on all that they have done so far. As they ask the question, she tried to answer them to their satisfaction.
Closure: At this point, the researcher told the students that she was convinced that they have now known and understood that lateness should be eschewed. She equally said that she hoped that they have learnt ways to avoid lateness to school.
She told them that the next session will be the final during which there will be celebration.
They exchanged greeting and left. Before they left, she encouraged them never to relearn coming late to school but to continue being punctual to school.
Day 8 (8th (last) session) Wednesday Objective: Termination.
Step 1:   The researcher welcomed the students as they arrived and made a roll call. She thanked them for their regularity and punctuality.
Question time: The researcher told the students to ask questions on any area they needed clarification. As they ask the questions, she tried to answer them to the students’ satisfaction.
Termination: At this point, the researcher thanked the students for participating fully in the entire exercise. She then gave them bottles of mineral and biscuits. Prayer was said and the exercise came to an end.

Treatment Model II
Approach: Shaping Therapy (Technique)
Theory employed:    Operant Conditioning Theory
Skills:    Rapport, clarification, reinforcement, roll-playing, explanation, questioning, etc.
Materials: The researcher, student latecomer, chalkboard, pieces of chalks, exercise book, duster, etc.
Mode:    Group counselling
Recipients: Latecomers in secondary schools in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Duration:    4 weeks of only one session of one hour.
Objectives: To help the students begin to come to school on time. It was to make them realize that there are so many benefits in coming to school on time. Finally lateness behaviours are changed.
Structure: Talks, discussions.
PROCEDURE:
Week 1:   Orientation
Day 1 (1st and only session) Tuesday
Step 1:    Here the researcher welcomed and received the students, introduced herself to them and asked them to introduce themselves one after the other. This was followed by questions from the researcher on the past life and background of the clients (students) one by one.
Then she made a brief explanation on the problem they have come to discuss by saying:
I discovered that many students were in the habit of attending school late despite the negative consequences of it. Examination failure is one of the negative consequences of lateness to school.
Come to school on time so that you will no longer miss lessons which caused your failure in examinations. Your guidance counsellor and these two teachers you are seeing are to help you come to school on time for your own benefits both now and in the future. The counsellor and the two teachers were trained for this purpose. These people are shown to you because after today they are the people to be interacting with you for the rest of this programme. After this sitting, you will not see me again until the last day when I shall come to thank them and to know how far you have improved in your late coming behaviour to school. It is then that I will come with surprising gifts for you.