EFFECTIVENESS OF RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY (REBT) ON IMPOSTER SYNDROME AMONG EARLY CHILDHOOD AND PRIMARY EDUCATION STUDENTS IN KWARA STATE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION, NIGERIA

Saadu Tunde Usman, Ezekiel Kayode OBAFEMI, Akeem Opeyemi RAHEEM

Abstract


 

 

This study investigated the effectiveness of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) in reducing imposter syndrome among Early Childhood and Primary Education students in Colleges of Education, Kwara State, Nigeria. A pre-test–post-test, non-equivalent quasi-experimental design with a 2×2 factorial structure was adopted. The population comprised 531 students across 16 Colleges of Education, 22 first-year students (13 males, 9 females) exhibiting frequent or intense imposter characteristics (ISS scores ?61) were purposively and randomly selected through a multistage procedure. Participants were screened with the Clance Imposter Syndrome Scale (ISS) and a 25-item Frequent and Intense Imposter Syndrome Scale (FIISS). The REBT package, validated by five experts, was administered for eight weekly one-hour sessions to the experimental group (n = 18), while a control group (n = 4) received no treatment. Internal consistency reliability was established using Cronbach’s alpha, yielding coefficients of 0.822 (ISS) and 0.823 (FIISS). Data were analysed with descriptive statistics for research questions and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at a 0.05 significance level. Results revealed that 81.8 % of respondents exhibited frequent imposter traits and 18.2 % intense traits. ANCOVA indicated a significant main effect of REBT on imposter syndrome scores (F(1,19) = 70.33, p < .05), while the interaction of treatment and gender was not significant (F(1,17) = 1.37, p > .05). Findings confirm REBT’s efficacy in restructuring irrational beliefs and reducing self-doubt irrespective of gender. It was concluded that REBT meaningfully lowers imposter feelings among teacher trainees. Counselling units in Colleges of Education are advised to integrate REBT-based interventions, routine screenings, and supportive mentoring programmes to bolster students’ confidence and professional readiness.

Keywords: Imposter syndrome, Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy, Early Childhood Education, teacher trainees

 

 


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