Reducing Negative Value System in Students: The Impacts of Rational Emotive Behavioural Education

• Published in: Journal of rational-emotive and cognitive-behavior therapy Vol. 39; no. 4; pp. 578 - 601
• Main Authors: Abiogu, Godwin C., Ede, Moses Onyemaechi, Mezieobi, Daniel I., Nwosu, Nneka, Ogheneakoke, Clifford E., Ujah, Patrick, Chukwuemeka, Ezurike A., Agbigwe, Ifeanyichukwu B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.12.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Behavior; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Clinical Psychology; Community and Environmental Psychology; Education; Inappropriateness; Intervention; Psychiatry; Psychology; Public Health; Students; Value orientations; Value; Negative value system; Nigerian students; Rational emotive behavioral education; REBT; Education
• ISSN: 0894-9085; 1573-6563
• DOI: 10.1007/s10942-021-00387-2

Studies have shown that unvalued life and moral decadence among Nigerian students have reached an unbearable level (e.g. Adebisi in Adv Soc Sci Res J 5(2):190–199, 2018). Hence, this study was undertaken to find out if and how REBE can impact on negative value system among students. A total of 146 participants allocated randomly to the intervention group and the no-contact control group served as participants in this study. A 12-week REBE-programme that focused on reducing the negative value system was delivered to the intervention group by the therapists. Data analyses were completed using repeated-measures ANOVA. The result showed that REBE-programme strategy is significantly impactful in improving desirable value systems as measured by LVI at the posttest. Similarly, the effect of the treatment was maintained by the participants in treatment group compared to those in the comparison group at follow-up stage. Given the results obtained, we concluded that rational emotive behavioral education has a therapeutic effect in reducing negative value orientation among students exhibiting inappropriate behaviors and maintain greater enhanced improvement overtime. This is also the first study that tested the impact of rational emotive behavioral education on improving a desirable value system. Therefore, we suggest that future studies explore the impact of rational emotive behavioral education on a negative value system among students using similar populations.