Enhancing Counselling Services Through Artificial Intelligence among Secondary School Students in Zaria Metropolis, Kaduna State, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64348/zije.2026295Abstract
This study examined how artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance counselling services among secondary school students in Zaria Metropolis, Kaduna State. The study was guided by two research questions and two objectives with two corresponded hypotheses. Two null hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population consisted of all secondary school students in Zaria Metropolis, and a sample of 380 students was selected using the stratified random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire titled Artificial Intelligence and Counselling Services Questionnaire (AICSQ) was used as the instrument for data collection. The instrument was validated by experts in guidance and counselling as well as educational measurement, and a reliability coefficient of 0.84 was obtained using Cronbach’s Alpha. The study revealed that artificial intelligence significantly enhances the efficiency, accessibility, and responsiveness of counselling services among secondary school students in Zaria Metropolis. It also found that challenges such as inadequate digital infrastructure, limited ICT literacy among counsellors, and insufficient training opportunities hinder effective AI integration into counselling services. The study therefore recommended that the Ministry of Education and school administrators should integrate AI tools into counselling practices and provide continuous digital training for counsellors to improve the quality-of-service delivery. Furthermore, adequate ICT infrastructure and policy frameworks should be developed to address implementation challenges and ensure equitable access to AI-assisted counselling services across secondary schools in Zaria Metropolis.
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