INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES ON PEER CONFLICT RESOLUTION AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PANKSHIN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, PLATEAU STATE
Keywords:
Christian Religious Studies, Peer Conflict Resolution, Secondary School Students, InfluenceAbstract
This study examined the influence of Christian Religious Teaching (CRT) on peer conflict resolution among secondary school students in Pankshin Local Government Area, Plateau State. The study was guided by three objectives, three research questions, and one null hypothesis. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The target population comprised 5,218 senior secondary school students across 12 public secondary schools in Pankshin LGA. A sample size of 372 students was determined using Taro Yamane’s sampling technique. A structured questionnaire titled “Christian Studies Teaching and Peer Conflict Resolution Questionnaire (CRSPCRQ)” with 15 items (5 items per objective) was validated by three experts and achieved a Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of 0.84. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation for research questions, and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation (PPMC) for the hypothesis at 0.05 significance level. Findings revealed that CRS significantly influences students’ understanding of forgiveness, empathy, and non-violent communication in peer conflicts. The null hypothesis had r-cal as 0.612 with p-value of 0.001 which was rejected, indicating a significant positive relationship between exposure to CRS and effective peer conflict resolution skills. Challenges identified were from informal comments such as inadequate application of biblical principles in real-life disputes and lack of structured peer mediation programmes. The study recommended among others that Plateau State Ministry of Education should formally support the House of Representatives' resolution to separate CRS and IRS from the Religion and National Values (RNV) curriculum and restore Christian Religious Teaching as a distinct subject, as demanded by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).References
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