SYSTEMATIC DESENSITISATION AS REMEDIATION OF PRE-RETIREMENT ANXIETY AMONG OYO STATE SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS.

Abstract

This study examined the efficacy of systematic desensitisation in alleviating pre-retirement anxiety among secondary school teachers in Oyo State. A pre-test, post-test, control quasi-experimental design was utilised. The population consisted of 12,422 senior secondary school teachers in Oyo State. A multi-stage sampling procedure alongside simple random sampling was utilised to select eighty-two (82) participants. Two hypotheses were developed to direct the study at a significance level of 0.05. The data collection instruments included the pre-retirement anxiety scale developed by Oluseyi and Olufemi (2015), which demonstrated a reliability coefficient of r = .85, the Generalised Self-Efficacy Scale by Schwarzer and Jerusalem (1995) with a reliability coefficient of r = .88, and a systematic desensitisation treatment package. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was employed to evaluate the hypotheses. The results indicated a significant main effect of treatment (Systematic Desensitisation) on pre-retirement anxiety among secondary school teachers in Oyo State; F(2,70)= 7.416, P< 0.05, ?2= 0.186. A significant main effect of self-efficacy on pre-retirement anxiety was observed among secondary school teachers in Oyo State; F(1,70) = 16.424, p<0.05, ?2= 0.202. This suggests that pre-retirement anxiety among secondary school teachers in Oyo State differs according to their self-efficacy levels. It is recommended that Systematic Desensitisation (SD) be regularly implemented in the training of secondary school teachers to manage pre-retirement anxiety. Teachers should receive guidance regarding retirement, encouraging them to perceive it as a new chapter in their lives rather than the conclusion of their professional careers.   Keywords: Anxiety, Intervention, Pre-retirement, Retirement, Self-efficacy and Systematic Desensitization.