Published Article

ABSTRACT

This study explored the comparison of male and female adolescents’ involvement of in cultism within Uyo Metropolis, Nigeria, examining the gendered dynamics and socio-psychological factors that contribute to their participation. In carrying out the study, comparative survey design was adopted for this study. The study was carried out in Uyo metropolis. The targeted population for the study comprised all male and female adolescence in Uyo metropolis. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 100 male and 100 female which gave a total of 200 respondents used for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled “Male and Female Adolescents’ Involvement in Cultism Questionnaire (MFACQ)”.  Face and content validation of the instrument was carried out by an expert in test, measurement, and evaluation in order to ensure that the instrument has the accuracy, appropriateness, and completeness for the study under consideration. The reliability coefficient obtained was 0.87, and this was high enough to justify the use of the instrument. Descriptive statistics was used to answer the research question and independent t-test analysis was used to test the hypothesis. The study showed that there is significant difference in the level of management of secondary school by male and female principals in Akwa Ibom State. It was also showed that the highest percentage (32.50%) was recorded for “Peer Pressure”, while the least percentage (10.00%) was recorded for “Influence of Media and Social Environment”. The study concluded that the research contributes to the growing discourse on youth violence and deviance in Nigeria and calls for more nuanced approaches to address cultism, with attention to gendered experiences and motivations. It underscores the need for gender-sensitive intervention strategies that consider these distinctions. One of the recommendations made was that local communities should be engaged in awareness campaigns that educate adolescents, parents, and teachers about the dangers of cultism.