STRATEGIES FOR IDENTIFYING AND IMPROVING PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS WITH INATTENTIVENESS IN AWKA NORTH AND AWKA SOUTH L.G.A, ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Inattentiveness among primary school pupils continues to pose serious challenges to effective teaching and learning in Nigerian schools. This study investigated strategies for identifying and improving primary school pupils with inattentiveness in Awka North and Awka South L.G.A of Anambra State. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The study population comprised all 84 school counsellors across two randomly selected Local Government Areas including Awka North (39 counsellors) and Awka South (45 counsellors). Census sampling was adopted and all 84 counsellors served as the study sample. Data were collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire (QSIIP) with a Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of 0.83 and analysed using mean, standard deviation, and independent samples t-test at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that inattentiveness was highly prevalent, manifesting chiefly as failure to complete tasks, easy distractibility, and apparent non-listening behaviour. Identification practices relied overwhelmingly on informal approaches, while evidence-based improvement strategies were largely underutilized. A significant difference was found in the identification strategies employed by school counsellors in Awka North and Awka South L.G.A of Anambra State based on counselling experiences. The study recommends systematic adoption of validated screening tools, structured counsellor training, and multi-tiered support frameworks for inattentive pupils in these Local Government Areas.