Counsellors Perception and Readiness to Use AI for Students Support in Secondary Schools in Nasarawa Zonal Ed. Directorate, Kano State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed the perception and readiness of secondary school counsellors regarding the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into counselling practices. It was noted that the effective use of educational technologies is strongly influenced by end-users’ perceptions, attitudes, confidence, and readiness, especially counsellors who play a key role in learners’ growth. The research employed a descriptive survey design with a population comprising all 76 counsellors from public senior secondary schools in the Nasarawa Zonal Education Directorate, Kano State; a full census sampling technique was adopted in which the entire population of the research was utilized. Data was collected via three set of structured questionnaires as indicated in the research and demonstrated high reliability with the overall Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.84. Key findings revealed that counsellors were aware of AI's benefits notably for reducing administrative tasks, but their primary concern was practical challenges like poor infrastructure, displacement. Readiness levels were critically low, characterized by low self-efficacy and a severe lack of institutional support, though a strong willingness to be trained was evident. The study recommends that the Kano State Government and the Zonal Education Directorate prioritize investments in foundational infrastructure and provide hands-on, practical training for counsellors to bridge the identified readiness gap and facilitate successful AI adoption.