Onwere, Chioma.; (1992) National Youth Service Corps programme and national integration in Nigeria. Doctoral thesis , Institute of Education, University of London.

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Abstract

The study examined the effectiveness of the National Youth Service Corps programme in Nigeria in relation to its major objective which is to help bring about national integration. Specifically, it has attempted to find out the attitudes of a sample of graduate youths from the Hausa and Yoruba ethnic groups towards the Igbos and the country, and to assess whether participation in the National Youth Service Corps programme produces a change in their attitudes. The major hypothesis for the study - those who have served in the National Youth Service Corps programme will have a more positive attitude towards national integration as measured by the National Identity Scale, than those who have not served in the scheme - is supported. The favourable change in attitude however is moderate (P <.01). The results indicate that the respondents' job satisfaction, as typified by the significance of the jobs assigned to them, rather than participation per se is a better predictor of national integration in the present study. Quasi-experimental design was adopted. Evidence of the corps members' attitudes towards the Igbos and the country before their participation in the one year national programme serves as a baseline for measuring change. Four major scales are used. The National Identity Scale in the form of Likert-type attitude scale; Marriage Choice Scale - a modified Bogardus' Social Distance Scale. Socio-metric-type questions form the Friendship Choice Scale. Osgood's semanticdifferential scales of 'a typical Igbo' make up the fourth attitude scale. 460 randomly selected respondents form the sample. 260 are the experimental group, while 200 are the control group. Questionnaire and interview methods are used to collect data from the experimental group before and after their service in Imo state. Only the questionnaire is used to collect data from the control group. For data analysis, Factor analysis, t-test, (and One-way Analysis of Variance, where appropriate) and Step-wise Multiple Regression analysis are employed. The mean difference between the experimental and control group is examined in terms of participation and non-participation in the NYSC programme. Comparisons are also made between the entire sample as categorised by such biological/demographic factors as sex, ethnic origin and religion of respondents. For the experimental group only, the possible effect of such factors as frequency of contact with their host community - the Igbos, job satisfaction in their place of assignment, language acquisition (Igbo) and location of their assignments in terms of urban/rural environment are also examined at the end of their service year. This is done in order to determine the most effective factor/s within the context of the National Youth Service Corps programme that help reduce prejudice, and therefore increase national integration.

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