School-community collaborations as predictors of security management in technical colleges in Akwa Ibom State

Abstract

The study investigated the extent to which school-community collaborations predicts security management in technical colleges in Akwa Ibom State. Four (4) research questions and 4 null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The correlational research design was adopted for the study. A sample of 545 respondents, comprising 10 principals, 19 vice principals, 382 teachers and 134 PTA members was drawn from the entire population of 1011 participants, using the purposive and random sampling techniques. Two (2) researcher-developed instruments; School-Community Collaborations Scale (SCCS) and School Security Management Scale (SSMS) were used for data collection. The instruments were validated by the researcher’s supervisors and two other experts in the area of Educational Management in the University of Port Harcourt. The reliabilities of the instruments, were established, using the test- retest method. The results obtained were 0.92, 0.66, 0.97, and 0.64, for sections A, B, and C, of SCCS respectively while 0.98 was obtained for SSMS showing that the instruments were reliable. Out of the 549 copies of instruments administered, 545 (99%) copies were retrieved and used for data analysis. The research questions were answered using simple linear and multiple regressions while the hypotheses were tested using t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results revealed that school-community collaborations (planning, parenting, funding and information sharing) predict security management in technical colleges in Akwa Ibom State. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others, that principals, should involve parents/community members in security planning and funding. Parents should be encouraged to monitor and discipline their children and also coordinate their efforts with those of teachers to promote acceptable behaviours in their children.