Prosocial behaviour in secondary school students: Influence of altruistic models and gender

Abstract

Majority of adolescents spend most of their time on screen media and this raises concerns about the potential impact of screen media on adolescents’ behaviour. This experimental study investigated the influence of altruistic models on screen media and gender on prosocial behaviour (PSB) among secondary school students. Forty students from a secondary school in Nsukka (50% male) were randomly selected to participate in the study. Data was collected by means of test performance scores derived from a self-report helping test. Participants’ scores were analyzed by using 2x2 analysis of variance. Results showed that there was statistically significant influence of altruistic model on PSB, but no statistically significant gender difference in PSB, indicating that gender is not a significant variable in PSB. The findings were explained in relation to their implications for day to day social realities. The research limitations of the study were stated, and suggestions were made for further studies.