TRUST, PRIVACY CONCERNS, DIGITAL LITERACY AND ADOPTION OF AI-BASED COUNSELLING TOOLS FOR MANAGING SCHOOL- RELATED STRESS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELLORS IN DELTA NORTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT, DELTA STATE

Abstract

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into educational and mental health systems has led to the emergence of AI-based counselling tools, such as chatbots to assist. This study investigated how school counsellors perceive the adoption of chatbot counselling tools for managing school-related stress in secondary schools in Delta State. The objective was to examine how perceived trust, privacy concerns and digital literacy influence counsellors’ intention to adopt AI-based chatbots. Four research questions were raised and three hypothesized and tested at 0.05 level of significance. This study employed a descriptive survey research design with a target population consisted of 80 registered school counsellors in Delta North Senatorial District of Delta State. A purposive sample of 67 practicing counsellors from public secondary schools in Delta North Senatorial District was selected, based on their active counselling roles and digital literacy exposure. Data were collected using a researcher-developed instrument, titled Counsellors’ Chatbot Acceptance Scale (CCAS), comprising 25 items based on the Extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Responses were rated on a 4-point Likert scale. Face and content validity were ensured through expert review and factor analysis, while the reliability of the instrument was established with a Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of 0.89, indicating high internal consistency. Data analysis was conducted applying descriptive statistics, Coefficient of determination, Regression, and ANOVA. Results showed that perceived trust, privacy concern and digital literacy significantly predicted intention adoption of chatbot counselling tools for managing school-related stress. Thus, it is recommended that counsellors should work on their trust and privacy concerns as well as their level of literacy in use of chatbot counselling tools in counselling activities. In addition, professional training for counsellors on ethical AI integration is encouraged.