Gender differences in risky behaviour, learned helplessness and school connectedness among undergraduates in Osun State

Abstract

The study examined gender differences in risky behaviour, learned helplessness and school connectedness among students of Redeemer’s University and Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun State, Nigeria. The study was conducted using quantitative method, which is the use of questionnaires to collect data. The Beck’s Hopelessness Scale, Risky Behaviour Scale and Measurement of School Connectedness (MOSC) questionnaire were administered to participants. The participants were selected using purposive sampling and consisted of 278 university students studying at Redeemer’s University and Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun state Nigeria. Independent sample t test and Pearson Product Moment Correlation, were used to analyzed the data. The result of this study indicated that there was a significant difference between male and female on risky behaviour. There was no significant difference between male and female on learned helplessness. In addition, no significant difference was found between male and female on school connectedness. Finally, there was no relationship between learned helplessness and school connectedness. Implications for educators and further research are discussed.

Keywords: Gender, risky behaviour, learned helplessness, student, school connectedness.