Attitude of Secondary School Students Towards Career Guidance Services in Makurdi, Benue State

Student attitudes toward guidance services are critical determinants of service uptake and the effectiveness of career development interventions in Nigerian secondary schools. This study assessed the attitudes of secondary school students toward career guidance services in Makurdi, Benue State, North Central Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with 340 students from eight public secondary schools participating. A researcher-constructed Attitude Towards Career Guidance Services Scale (ATCGSS), validated by guidance and measurement experts, was used as the primary instrument. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and t-tests. Results indicated that the majority of students held moderately positive attitudes toward career guidance services in principle but demonstrated significant indifference toward actual service utilisation. Key barriers included perceptions that guidance services were primarily disciplinary in function, lack of knowledge about what career counselling entailed, and insufficient confidentiality assurances. Female students demonstrated more positive attitudes than males. Students in the final year of secondary school reported higher interest in career guidance compared to younger students. The study concluded that rebranding and communication of guidance services in Makurdi schools is urgently needed. Counsellors were recommended to organise open career guidance days and develop student-friendly promotional materials. Collaboration between guidance units and subject teachers was identified as a strategy for normalising career conversations across the school community. Keywords: career guidance attitudes, secondary school, Makurdi, Benue State, service utilisation.