| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of the study was to find out about social cognitive skills as predictors of
delinquent behaviour modification among public secondary school students in Rongo
Sub-County. The study objectives were to examine the relationship between self-control and
delinquent behaviour modification among secondary school students in Rongo Sub-County;
establish the relationship between vicarious experience and delinquent behaviour modification among secondary school students in Rongo Sub-County; determine the relationship between rational attribution and delinquent behaviour modification among secondary school students in Rongo Sub-County and to establish the relationship between inhibition and delinquent behaviour modification among secondary school students in Rongo Sub-County. Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and Skinner’s reinforcement theory of motivation informed the study. The study adopted a Concurrent Triangulation research design within the Mixed Method approach. From a population of 3,740 students, 10% (374), were sampled for the study with a return rate of 92.3% (344) and 26.9% (7) of the target Deputy Principals and Teacher Counsellors from the 26 schools, making a sample of 7 for both officers. Stratified random sampling was used to cater for the different categories of secondary schools. Purposive sampling was used to sample the one (1) national school in the Sub-County. Quantitative data was collected using questionnaires while an interview schedule was used to collect qualitative data from the seven (7) Deputy Principals and Teacher Counsellors, Focus Group Discussions were used with groups of 6 for each sampled school leading to a total of 42 participants in 7 groups. The validity of the research instrument was ensured through expert judgement by the University lecturers. The reliability of the research instruments was determined by the use of Cronbach’s Alpha and a co efficient which in this study was .7 and above. The quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27 using statistical tests such as Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and Multiple Regression Analysis while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The study reported that there is statistically significant positive correlation between self-control and delinquent behaviour modification among secondary school students (n=344; r = .276; p<.05); a significant positive correlation between vicarious experience and delinquent behaviour modification among secondary school students (n=344; r = .207; p<.05); a significant positive correlation between rational attribution and delinquent behaviour modification among secondary school students (n=344; r = .240; p<.05) and a significant positive correlation between inhibition and delinquent behaviour modification among secondary school students (n=344; r = .190; p<.05). Recommendations included the need for the Sub-County Education office to mount awareness programmes for Parents’ Associations on how to provide better home environments for students, the need for guidance from the Ministry of Education to Principals in schools on behavioural development of students, Principalsto be proactive in the provision of Guidance and Counselling services to delinquent studentsinstiltill discipline in them, Teacher Counsellors should train students on self-control to assist them on appropriate behaviour modification and also apply person-centred counselling techniques to enhance inhibition in students and have structured Counselling sessions. | en_US |
