Ethical Re-Engineering for Value Education and National Security in Ebonyi Secondary Schools, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Secondary schools in Ebonyi State operate within a context in which value formation, school safety, and responsible citizenship are closely connected. This study therefore examines ethical re-engineering as a perceived educational approach rather than as a proven causal solution. Objective: This study examines the extent to which ethical re-engineering principles and tools are perceived to support value education and responses to security-related challenges in secondary schools in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive survey design was used and guided by two research questions and two null hypotheses. The population comprised 815 education personnel. Yamane’s formula produced a minimum sample benchmark of 268, while the final stratified sample reported in the study comprised 557 respondents. Data were collected with a 12-item, two-cluster four-point questionnaire and analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and independent-samples t-tests at the 0.05 significance level. Results: Respondents rated teachers’ use of ethical re-engineering principles for value education at a high extent (grand M = 3.49, SD = 0.66) and the use of ethical re-engineering tools for security-related challenges at a high extent (grand M = 3.43, SD = 0.72). The overall sex-based comparisons were not statistically significant (p = 0.41 and p = 0.54). Conclusion: The findings indicate broadly positive perceptions of ethical re-engineering principles and tools among the respondents. Because the study is descriptive, the results should be interpreted as perceived contributions to value education and security-related school practices rather than evidence of direct causal effects.