PROJECT: THE
IMPACT OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING ON TEACHING AND LEARNING IN SECONDARY SCHOOL
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Oraegbunam (2008) opined that since the
secondary school children are in their formative years they need mostly
developmental and preventive counselling rather than remedial. This point to
the fact that there is need for a redress in the secondary education in
Nigeria.Moreover, there is no doubt that early experiences have lasting effect
on adult personality hence the need to guide and counsel them young. For
counsellors to be effective in the primary schools adequate facilities are
needed such as psychological tests that are culturally oriented. Probably these
lacks of counselling facilities expose them to being unimportant before the
teachers.
Guidance and Counselling are two closely
interrelated concepts and each determines the availability and efficient of the
other.
According to Makinde (2010) and Patterson (2012), “guidance” refers to a
abroad area of all educational activities and services aimed at assisting
individual students to understand themselves and adjust to school life. In
Nigeria, the Ministry of Education (1977) considers guidance as a continuing
process concerned with determining and providing for the developmental needs of
„learners‟. Mutie and Ndambuki (2005) defines “counselling” as a
learning-oriented process which usually occurs in an interactive relationship
with the aim of helping the client learn more about him/herself. Guidance and
counselling is therefore aimed at bringing about maximum development and
self-realization of human potential for the benefit of the individual and the
society. Eze (2006) defined counselling as a helping relationship in which the
counsellor assists the client to better understand himself and the world.
Tambawal (2007) stated that counselling is concerned with the feelings,
attitudes and emotional dispositions of an individual about himself and situations
facing him. Counseling practice is mainly concerned with the ways of assisting
the individuals to understand himself and the world around him, be able to
utilize his potential to the fullest and live a normal and well-adjusted life.
Counselling in primary schools is in three dimensions namely resolution of
problems, prevention of problems and growth counselling which is available to
every child so as to enable him develop the hidden potentials and capabilities.
However, there are some challenges facing the practice of counselling in
primary schools which Oraegbunam (2008) listed as counselling-client ratio,
non-recognition of counsellors by the headmasters, absence of counselling in
the timetable. For Okere (2005), it is incompetence in handling pupils problems;
Ifelunni (2005), dual job and lack of authority for execution of programmes;
Nwokolo (2006), not giving free hand to organize guidance services and Akinade
(2009), lack of proper knowledge in interpretation of psychological test.
Guidance and counselling is described as an enlightened process whereby people
help people by facilitating growth and positive adjustment through
self-understanding. (Kolo 2001).
Akinade (2012) defines guidance and
counselling as a process of helping an individual become fully aware of himself
and the ways in which he is responding to the influences of his environment.It
further assists him to establish some personal meaning for this behaviour and
to develop and classify a set of goals and values for future behaviour. Corey
(1988) regards counselling as a process which occurs in one to one relationship
between an individual troubled by problems with which he cannot cope with and a
professional worker whose training and experiences have qualified him to help
others reach solution to personal needs. Okoye (1990) viewed counseling as an
interactional relationship designed to facilitate the personal development of
information leading to effective decision making and awareness of the self.
Counselling is a learning process in which a counsellor helps an individual or
individuals learn, understand themselves and their environment and be in a
position to choose the right type of behaviours that will help them develop,
grow, progress, ascend, mature and step up, educationally, vocationally and
socio personally. (Egbo,2013).In other words, counselling is a transformative
process of helping people to learn all that are to be learnt both in and
outside the School. Abolade (2000) describes teaching as a set of activities
that are designed to bring about changes in the behaviour of learners.
Bamgbaiye (2005) sees teaching as explaining, demonstrating, guiding and
counselling by the teacher in order to effect a change in the learner. Okoye
(2010) stated that the main aim of teaching is to help someone acquire or
change some skills, attitude, knowledge, idea or appreciation. In other words,
it is to bring about some desirable changes in the learners, she also noted
that teaching is said to be effective only when the learners have been able to achieve
the set behavioural objectives. Nnabuike, (2012) believes that a teacher is
also a learner because there is no end to learning. Okoye (2010), views
learning as the mental activity by which knowledge and skills, habits and
attitudes, virtues and ideas are acquired, retained and utilized resulting in
the progressive adoption and modification of conduct and behaviour. Idowu
(1989) sees learning as the acquisition of new behaviour or a change in
behaviour whether positive or negative change.It also includes acquisition of
knowledge, information, skills and cultures. He therefore noted that learning
definitely will lead to change in one’s thought, patterns and feeling. Learning
also involves cognitive process especially mental reasoning. Thus teaching and
learning go together; it is like buying and selling. If nobody learns it
follows that nobody teaches. Nnabuike (2012) noted that the work of the teacher
is to help students to learn through deliberate and conscious manipulation of
information, knowledge, skill, values, attitudes and habits of the learners in
order to bring about learning, leading to desirable changes in character. Based
on the above, no effective teaching could be said to have taken place if
learning has not occurred. In most schools in Nigeria, most teachers are
cheating instead of teaching. Some do not know the methods for teaching and so
do not make any positive impact (teaching and learning); some abandon the
teaching job for which they are being paid, to engage in petty trading, farming
and even contract. (Odo, 2007).He noted that majority do not conduct research
to get more knowledge for effective, efficient and qualitative teaching and for
upgrading of knowledge and ideas. He noted that some teachers do not care about
the students under their care.
Kolo (2001) however, pointed out that teaching is a
difficult task and therefore not every teaching that brings about pupils
learning. He noted that you can take a horse to the stream but you cannot force
it to drink water. In a sense, it is possible that one could put in his best
effort to teach and yet some pupils fail to learn. This is where counseling
comes in for there are pupils who find it difficult to learn due to some
learning problems. Some do not understand why they are in school, what is
expected of them and how to handle some of their problems. Guidance is a
programme of service to individual students based on the need of each student,
in understanding of his immediate environmental factors and the influences of
such factors on the individual.
It is designed to help each pupil adjust to his
environment, develop the ability to set realistic goals for him and to improve
his total educational programmes while in school and post school life.
Statement
of the Problem
One
cannot overemphasize the need for secondary school guidance and counseling in
Nigeria including Nsukka in Enugu State, because it is a psychological truism
that assistance given to children early in life helps to ameliorate and offer
some compromises in an effort to serious development and behavioral problems
later in life. Academic performance of secondary schools in Nsukka local
government area of Enugu State has been declining over time. This has a
negative reflection on the various programmes put in place to promote academic
performance in the area. The main concern was the role of guidance and
counselling programme in improving the self-image of the students and
facilitating better achievement in academic performance.Little information was
available on the extent to which guidance and counselling programme has been
used to assist in raising the academic performance of secondary school
students. This study sought to provide some insights into these factors that
have retarded the services of guidance and counselors in solving problems
related to academic development in Nigeria
Cases of juvenile delinquency, drug and sexual
abuse, disobedience to school rules and regulations lateness, use of abusive
words among others are all reported dimensions of primary school children’s
problems which raise a lot of concern to counsellors, parents and other stake
holders. The resultant effect of this negative trend is evident in school
dropout, low academic achievement, and emotional and mental distress
maladaptive behavior. The Government realized that if the problem is not
checked, it will malign the very fabric of Nigeria developmental efforts. This
is why Government on the goals of Secondary Education included counselling as
one of the educational services (Federal Policy on Education, 2004:15). This
study is imperative because despite the provision made for Secondary school
counselling, the professional counsellors are facing a lot of challenges which
this paper seeks to address and proffer a way forward. It is against this
background that the researchers were motivated to empirically find out the
factors militating against guidance and counseling services in secondary
schools in Nsukka Local Government area of Enugu State.
Objectives
of the Study
The study
aimed at achieving the following specific objectives:
(i) To
establish effectiveness of guidance and counselling programme in secondary
schools.
(ii) To
determine the professional qualifications of the teacher counsellors handling
guidance and counselling programme in schools.
(iii) To
identify the role of school administration and other teachers in enhancing
guidance and counselling programme.
(iv) To
determine the attitude of students towards educational/career counselling in
their schools.
(v) To
examine academic performance among secondary school students.
(vi) To
establish the relationship between the level of effectiveness of guidance and
counselling and academic performance of secondary school students.
(vii) To
identify the challenges facing guidance and counselling programme.
Purpose
of the Study
This
study sought to assess the factors militating against guidance and counseling
services in secondary schools in Nsukka Local government area of Enugu
State
Significance
of the Study
Guidance
and counseling services in Nigeria secondary schools are faced with challenges
that if not well handled affect the academic achievement of the students.
Detailed studies are needed to evaluate the factors militating against guidance
and counseling services in Secondary schools in Nsukka Local government area of
Enugu State. This study was based on the premise that it is important to
understand the extent to which the programme is used in addressing challenges
facing students in schools.
Such a study helps in providing useful information
that could be useful in redesigning and giving impetus to the programme by
those concerned including the Ministry of Education, administrators of the
institutions, teacher counsellors and students so as to boost the academic
performance and overall self-actualization of secondary school students.The
teacher counsellor will use this study to evaluate the impact that guidance and
counselling will have on academic performance in their respective schools. The
Ministry of Education will also use this study in evaluating whether guidance
and counselling programme is an effective measure in addressing the challenges
facing secondary school students in the country. The study will also assists
school administrators in assessing their contribution to guidance and
counselling programme and its influence on academic performance of students in
their schools. When guidance and counselling programme is well
conceptualized by the Ministry of Education and implemented by the teacher counsellor
with the support of the school administrators, the students will benefit by
improving their academic achievements and self-actualization.
The Scope
of the Study
The study
is limited to the factors militating against guidance and counseling services
in secondary schools in Nsukka local government area of Enugu State. Nsukka
local government area of Enugu state was chosen as a research site due to the
available evidence of poor academic performance among students in Federal
examinations (PPSMB, Nsukk Zone, 2005).
Only guidance and counseling teachers
were used since they know better what affect them in their field of service.
Research
Questions
The study
addressed the following research questions:
(i) What
is the effectiveness of guidance and counselling programme in secondary
schools?
(ii) What
are the professional qualifications of the teacher counsellors handling
guidance and counselling programme in schools?
(iii)
What the role of the school administration and other teachers in enhancing
guidance and counselling programme?
(iv) What
is the attitude of students towards educational/career counselling in their
schools?
(v) What
is the academic performance among secondary school students?
(vi) Is
there any relationship between the level of effectiveness of guidance and
counselling and academic performance of secondary school students?
(vii)
What are the challenges facing guidance and counselling programme in schools?
Definition
of Terms
In this
section, operational definitions are presented as used within the context of
this study.
Academic
performance: This
refers to the academic achievement of a student which is Usually measured in
terms of grades or marks attained in a test.
Counselling: Involves
helping an individual to deal with or remove frustrations and obstacles that
interfere with their lives and develop his most acceptable self by thinking
through the situation him/herself in an accepting atmosphere.
Effective
counselling:
Producing a desired result. In this case, effectiveness refers to
the Ability/capacity of guidance and counselling programme to offer its
required services in a school. In this study, the effectiveness of guidance and
counselling will be measured on a likert scale by examining
the extent to which the programme is able to offer various components of
academic/career/educational counselling in schools.
Guidance: A process of helping learners to
develop self understanding, capabilities for making realistic career decisions,
overcome personality deficits and make optimal academic progress.
Guidance
and counselling: Includes all services that help an individual
understanding of him/herself, his/her attitude, interests, abilities, physical,
mental and social maturity for optimum development.
Teacher
Counsellor: A school teacher who has undergone formal training
in guidance And counselling including theory and practice.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF
RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter reviews literature on guidance and
counselling services in secondary schools.
The review discusses the genesis of
guidance and counselling, the role of guidance and counselling in secondary
schools, effective guidance and counselling programme in secondary schools,
causes of poor academic performance in secondary schools, major counseling
services in schools, and Problems facing the effective guidance and counseling
services
The
chapter also outlines the theoretical and conceptual frameworks to be used in
guiding this study.
Genesis
of Guidance and Counselling
Formal
guidance and counselling in the world originated from Europe and the United
States of America in 1900‟s and by 1911 an organized wide guidance programme in
the United States of America was in place and it catered for
students‟ needs. The emphasis was on vocational information, awareness of
the world of work, location of employment and reduction of examination anxiety
(Makinde ,1984). Bor, Landy, Gill and Bruce (2002) noted that views of guidance
and counselling have changed rapidly and that understanding the functions of
school guidance and counselling is important.Kilonzo (1984) states that in
Nigeria the concept of guidance and counselling was introduced to our school
system in late 1960‟s and formalized through the Ministry of Education in 1971.
Gichinga (1995) has rightly noted that the need for formal guidance and
counselling in African countries is recognized at the present time more than
ever before. In pursuit of formal guidance, the Government of Nigeria has set
up various education commissions that have come up with reports on government
policy of guidance and counselling.
Government
of Nigeria (1984) opened a door for a number of Nigerians who were sent
overseas to further their education and be trained in various fields. This
commission made recommendations that touched on guidance and counselling; among
them was to ensure that children pursue courses of education and training best
fitted to their needs and also being provided with advice on careers and
opening for employment. The objective of guidance at this time was
vocation-oriented.Angaha (1987) observes that the government of Nigeria
recognizes that guidance and counselling is an essential service that must be
offered to every student in schools in Nigeria and made attempts in seeing to it
that an operational and effective guidance and counselling programme is
implemented policy in all learning institutions.
Role of
Guidance and Counselling in Secondary Schools
The
objective of guidance and counselling programme is to bring about the maximum
development and self-realization of human potential for the benefit of the
individual and society. Makinde (1984) observes that the school counsellor is
concerned with facilitating the optimum development of students. This is
supported by Bennars (1994) and Mutie and Ndambuki (1999) who argue that the
programme is supposed to develop the learner‟s intellectual abilities, develop
a balanced personality and to have a complete person intellectually,
spiritually, morally and socially. Guidance and counselling programme is
therefore aimed at assisting students to harmonize their abilities, interests
and values, thereby enabling them to develop their potential fully.
Self-knowledge helps one to formulate life goals and plans which are realistic.
In secondary schools, there is need for students to make proper subject and
career choices after the four year course. Borrow (1983) observes that it is
the role of guidance and counselling programme to provide the students with the
necessary information about the courses availability and the qualifications
required for each course.
Such information will assist students develop
realistic self-concept according to their academic capabilities. Most secondary
school students are in the adolescent stage. According to Robert and Elizabeth
(1983), during this time, adolescent experience alienation which is a syndrome
comprising of distrust, anxiety, pessimism, egocentrism, meaninglessness,
normlessness and powerlessness. They observe that guidance and counselling is
therefore needed during this adolescence stage to assist them understand their
developmental stage and adjust to school life.
Guidance
and counselling programme also help students choose and pursue achievable
careers. According to Borrow (1983) the world is highly complex and dynamic
which makes career choice very difficult. He reckons that time change, people
change, technology progresses and these challenges everyone to change to new
ways of living and working. The students need guidance and counselling
programmes to inform them about various jobs and openings available, the
qualification required plus the responsibilities involved and the nature of the
work so that they can decide and have clear occupational goals. The programme
also plays the role of intercepting and assisting disadvantaged students and
also checks on school drop-out. Makinde (1984) observes that one of the roles
for school counsellor is to help students who are experiencing difficulties.
Students from disadvantaged families of the society have many problems and
needs which, are to be dealt with in guidance and counselling programme
.Lindsay (1983) argue that such students may experience difficulty in
adjustment with peers, teachers and the environment thus guidance programme
helps such students to adjust and utilize the guidance facilities available
fully. Majority of the disadvantaged students later acquire low qualifications
for the world of work. This poor achievement may even marginalize them more if
guidance programme does not intervene; some may even drop out of school, thus
the guidance programme is well suited for assisting the students.
An
Effective Guidance and Counselling Programme in Secondary Schools
According
to Zeran and Antony (1962) a good and effective guidance and counselling programme
is essential in every school.
An organized guidance and counselling programme
will offer right environment for the growth and development of the student and
offer quality education. Gichinga (1995) acknowledges that there has been
steady growth of guidance and counselling programme in the secondary schools in
Nigeria. The major emphasis has been on vocational and educational guidance and
counselling aimed at fostering personal/social development.
An
effective guidance and counselling programme should be led by a trained
counsellor who is responsible for coordinating guidance and counselling
activities in the school (Nelson, 1972). Makinde (1984) observes that the
trained counsellor is a leader and consultant in the school‟s student appraisal
programme and also helps to plan and develop guidance and counselling programme
and the curriculum in relation to students‟ needs. Kyungu (1994) argue
that effective guidance and counselling programme should have active
cooperation of teachers, teacher counsellors and administrators.The school
should make arrangements to enlist the support of the parents and introduce
them to the idea of guidance and counselling. Therefore, in an effective
guidance and counselling programme, various guidance and counselling services are
offered to assist students in personal development and psychological growth
towards maturity. According to Schertzer and Stone (1976), these services
include the following:
Orientation
Services
Orientation
services are provided to help students to adjust better to school environment.
According to Makinde (1984), when new students are admitted every new academic
year in secondary schools, they feel lost socially and psychologically in their
new environment.
This is because they no longer enjoy the psychological support
of their parents, friends and former teachers. Also the new environment has
rules, regulations and administrative set-up appears completely different.
Orientation services are therefore designed to help such students adjust during
such critical transition periods. Good guidance programme is hence drawn to
familiarize then with the overall school situation.
Appraisal
Services
Appraisal
services involve a teacher counsellor collecting, analyzing and using a variety
of objective data that can enhance better understanding of the student. A
teacher counsellor without adequate and reliable information of a student will
have difficulties in assisting him/her (Makinde 1984). It is therefore
important to collect and make available a variety of information through
observation, interview, testing, history, and social adjustment data about each
student so that they can be in a position to plan satisfying educational,
vocational and social programme.
Educational
and Occupational Informational Services
These
services have the aim of providing students with better knowledge of
educational, vocational and social opportunities that can be used to make
better and well informed decisions. In secondary schools, students need at all
times to make decisions about their education, career and social life Borrow
(1983) Mutie and Kochhar (1992) observe that students need information related
to job opportunities, training opportunities, and academic qualifications
required.
Counselling
Services
Counselling
services are designed to help an individual student analyze himself/herself by
relating their capabilities, achievements, interests and mode of adjustment to
what new decision they have to make Gichinga (1995) These services are very
critical for the students because they need it to solve career, study, personal
and social problems they encounter in life. The school is supposed to provide
time, place, and personnel required for skilled assistance of individual
students in working out solutions to their personal problems. The services are
designed to facilitate self-understanding through individual or group
relationships. Kyungu(1994)support this by observing that effective guidance
and counselling in secondary schools and other learning institutions has become
extremely important in guiding students on the relationship between health and
the environment, life-earning skills, the knowledge and attitudes that lead to
success or failure in life. Effective counselling service should assist in
improving the self-image of the students and facilitate better achievement in
academic performance.
Placement
and Follow-up Services
The
placement services are very essential at the end of secondary school education,
where students need to decide on the next step after secondary school. These
services assist students in selecting subject combinations required for
particular courses and choosing of the right careers. Makinde (1984) states
that placement service is designed to aid an individual to select and utilize
opportunities within the school and in the labour market.
Follow-up services
are needed follow or trace a student after school and to the world of work.
School counsellors develop a systematic plan for maintaining contacts with
former students. Makinde (1984) notes that the data obtained from follow-up is
kept in the school and it is used in evaluating the effectiveness of the entire
guidance and counselling programme.
Causes of
Poor Academic Performance in Schools
Teachers,
parents, peers and personal motivation strongly influence a student's academic
self-concept and academic achievement.(Napier 1972) observes that leaving
secondary school students on their own to develop self-reliance,
self-understanding, self-direction and problem-solving skills without proper
guidance from trained counsellors will not yield lasting results. There are
therefore a host of problems which cause students to attain poor academic
performance including: anxiety, poor self-concept, and sexuality, poor methods
of study, poor reading techniques, organ disabilities and indiscipline.
Anxiety
According
to (Mandler and Sarason 1952) anxiety exists when individuals are at odds with
themselves.
The underlying conflict springs from a clash between incompatible
impulses, desires and values. Secondary school students are in adolescence
stage, whereby many adolescents are seriously confronted for the first time
with facts about themselves and in specific their academic performance. This
brings forth conflict and frustration in them that produce anxiety and tension thus
affecting their concentration in studies and they end up performing poorly in
academics.
Poor
Self-Concept
Self-concept
is the sense of self. Its basis is ones knowledge of what he/she has been and
has done. Self concept helps a student to understand himself/herself and
regulate their behaviour. Teachers, parents, peers, personal motivation and the
student's gender strongly influence a student's academic self-concept and
academic achievement.Teacher‟s approval - disapproval patterns are directly
related to pupils academic self-concepts (Davidson & Lang, 1960). The more
positive a student believes about his/her teacher's evaluation of him/her, the
better his/her academic achievement as measured by grades, and vice versa. The
teacher bears a major responsibility for helping student's develop positive
academic self-concepts. According to Makinde (1984), most students in secondary
schools being in adolescence have poor self-concept as they undertake the tasks
for adolescents. Lindsay (1983) supports this by observing that the adolescents
compare their real and ideal selves and judge themselves by how well they
perform in academics. Self-concept remains fairly stable during adolescence
especially for the students whose view of themselves was initially positive
(Engel, 1959).Hence, the individual‟s academic self-concept is a learned
structure which grows through training, identification with individual peers,
teachers and significant other.
The self - concept of an individual is
effectively assessed from self-reports in academic and non-academic domains
(Marsh, 1990). Since the academic self concept is such a major factor
influencing development and learning, the school must assume a prominent role
in helping students to develop a more adequate academic self concept.
Poor
Methods of Study
A student
with self-knowledge will develop a powerful motive or aim in academic
achievement. Mutie and Ndambuki (1999) observe that poor organization,
laziness, being easily distracted and lack of self-confidence are among issues
that contribute to a student‟s poor academic performance.But he emphasizes that
through academic counselling; teacher counsellors can motivate students and
help them improve their academic standards. To achieve academic success, a
student needs to be trained on effective study methods and examination
techniques.
Poor
Reading Techniques
Many
secondary students are faced with academic problems such as poor reading
habits, whereby most of them are slow readers and do not comprehend what they
read. Lack of recognition of underlying framework and the main points in
information already acquired has contributed to students‟ poor academic
performance. Poor concentration has been an issue to many students who have
performed poorly Mandler and Sarason (1952) . Academic counselling is thus a
good remedy for students with reading problem b y training them to have
effective reading.
Indiscipline
Indiscipline
being acts of disorder in a student against the established norms in a school
has widely affected many students‟ academic performance. Lindsay (1983)
observes that there are two reasons why adolescents result in indiscipline.
These are internal and external reasons. The internal reasons involve
fulfilling the needs of the adolescent while the external reasons include
individual, administrative and the social community causes. When
the students‟ needs are not met, then they are frustrated and this affects
their academic performance.
Major Counseling Services in Schools
According to Egbo (2008), the rationale for
guidance and counselling in schools is based on the belief that prevention is
always better than cure in every aspect of life. She therefore noted that
counselling no doubt has the key for the prevention of almost all the problems
associated with learning therefore the need to understand the services provided
under the school guidance
programme towards attainment of effective teaching
and learning.
1. Orientation service: This is designed to assist students adjust adaptively when found in
new school environment for effective learning. The teachers should also be
given orientation on how to handle the learners from time to time.
2. Information service: This service is designed to provide students with data about
educational, social and vocational opportunities.
It involves collection of
data for clients/students.
3. Appraisal service: Appraisal involves the collection, administration, interpretation and
clinical usage of variety of test devices in order to provide effective
counselling services to students. (Akinade2012).
4. Placement service: The goal of this service is to ensure that students achieve placement
whether on programme of the study, a career, work study or even a medical
treatment programme.
5. Follow-up, research or evaluation service: The goal of this service is to provide feedback on the effectiveness
of school guidance through research into the concrete outcomes of the school
guidance.
6. Referral service: This is sending a client to another person or agency for assistance
where
the counsellor is unable to solve the problem. The
counsellor does not claim to know everything and so the need for referral to
other needs of the students (Salawu 2000).
7. Counselling service: Oko (2006) stated that counselling service is the interaction between
a client and counsellor that aims at solving or understanding the client’s
problems the more.
He also stated that this interaction enhances
effective teaching and learning.
8. Teachers Forum: The Teachers Forum is meant to gather all the teachers in the school to
discuss teacher/students problems (Teaching and Learning).The counsellor uses
this programme to introduce himself to the teachers and what he stands to do in
the school.The counsellor invites some resource persons who will talk to
teachers on some students need areas that affect teaching and learning, like
Harmony in the place of work, cordial relationship between teachers and
students, handling students without stress, different methods of teaching,
learner’s individual differences and so on. Guidance and counselling services
when rendered as it should be rendered in the schools bearing in mind the
Federal goals of education will no doubt go a long way in ensuring effective
teaching and learning in schools.
Problems facing the effective guidance and
counseling services
Odu (2004) stated that the main aim of guidance and
counselling is to assist the student to develop physically, mentally,
emotionally, morally and educationally to cope with the learning situations
within and outside the school environment. Some of these services provided by
counsellors are hindered because of the following problems;
1. Lack of trained counsellors: Despite
the fact that there are many holders of higher degrees in guidance and
counselling in Nigeria today, not as many are qualified to be real counsellors
because they lack the skills necessary for the practice. There is limited
number of trained counsellors in Nigerian schools and the ones already trained
choose to go into non-school settings (Akinade 2012).
2. Doubt about the efficacy of guidance and
counselling: Some people such as uninitiated colleagues, teachers,
principals or administrators doubt the efficacy of counselling. They are
skeptical about reliance on its use. (Orubu 1986, Akinade 1990).
3. Lack of commitment of Government
officers: Ogunyemi (2003) noted that although the federal Government
entrenched the guidance and counselling programme in the NPE (1981), there is
still much to do when it comes to practical support and its implementation. He
noted that more committed action will help the growth of the profession.
4. Lack of or inadequate funding:
Guidance and counselling is not well funded today, the education enterprise has
become a costly venture. Enough funds are not allocated to each school to run
its various services. Where funds are available, very little is earmarked for
counselling purposes. It seems the various levels of government (Federal, state
and Local)
do not want to stretch their budgets with extra
demands from emerging unit such as guidance and counselling, yet it is known
that effective counselling demands adequate funding to purchase items such as
psychological tests, journals and various publications, play gadgets,
cardboards and various felt pens as well as money to organize activities such
as Orientation, Excursions, career clubs and Career Day/week and furnishing a
counsellor’s office.
5. Confidentiality: Clients expect that
their secrets or privileged information be kept secret or confidential and not
exposed to others. However, referrals agents such as teachers, peers, parents,
principals etc expect counsellors to divulge such information to them. Failure
of the counsellor to reveal the “secret” may raise the degree of suspicion of
his activities. Revealing the secrets lead to loss of faith in counselling and
counsellors on one part will lose clients. Yet all these are happening.
(Akinade 2012)
6. Counsellors created problems:
Counsellors also create major problems to guidance and counselling delivery.
Some are not fully committed to the counselling profession. Instead of being
serious minded in their counselling duties, some join in the staff room
discussions.
7. Feeling of suspicion of the role/of
integrity of counsellors: Some school personnels still see the counsellor
as having a “hidden agenda” or something to hide when a client goes into the
counselling room (where this is available) some give counsellors negative or
derogatory labels. This is more so where the other workers doubt the moral
integrity of counsellors who give individual counselling to young ones. This
feeling becomes more serious when a male counsellor treats female students and
gives the interaction high confidentiality (Oladejo 2006).
8. Blurred role of the guidance counsellor:
Several people in the society do not know the specific roles of the counsellor.
Even in the school settings, where awareness is expected to be high, school
personnel such as teachers and principals do not understand or they misconstrue
the functions of the counsellors. For instance, Makinde (1980) wrote that head
teachers see them as rivals instead of helpers.
Theoretical
Framework
This
study was based on the principles of person-centered and social learning
theory. The person centered theory emphasizes on the human interaction between
two people (the counsellor and the client, in this case). Social learning
theory, on the other hand, postulates that a child learns behaviour through social
interaction in the form of observation and imitation of what other people in
the society are doing.
Person-Centered
Theory
This
theory focuses on the human interaction between the counsellor and the client.
Rogers (1980) called it the Person-centered theory in order to suggest that his
principles extended beyond the client-therapist relationship to encompass all
human interaction. The current person-centered theory is understood as a
process of helping clients discover new and more satisfying personal meanings
about themselves and the world they inhabit. The student will drive towards
growth, health and adjustment (Makinde, 1984). The model assumes that human
interaction is only possible when certain conditions prevail. In the case of
guidance and counselling, these conditions should prevail sellor‟s
demonstration in the counsellor-client orientation. According to Omulema
(2000), these conditions include counselor‟s demonstration of empathy,
unconditional positive regard and warmth to the client. He notes that growth
occurs in an acceptance, warm, empathetic, non-judgmental environment that
allows students the freedom to explore their thoughts and feelings and to solve
their own problems.
Guidance
and counselling programme that lacks these characteristics culminate into poor
performance of students in school. When a counsellor communicates the above
conditions, those being helped will become less defensive and more open to
themselves and their world and they will behave in more social and constructive
ways. Many students habour feelings of failure in academics and thus have low
self esteem, but a counsellor is able to counter the feelings by working
towards fostering the students capacity to hope and believe that they are
capable of overcoming academic failure they are experiencing and even end up
performing their best potentialities.
A
conducive environment for the student should be provided and teachers should
provide room for self-actualization by being friendly, loving, competent and
responsible. Teacher counsellor should also help the student set goals and
allow positive self recognition after attaining set goals and aspirations that
will boost success in academic performance. Therefore, a good environment
should be created by teacher counsellor.
Social
Learning Theory
Learning
is a process where behaviours are learnt or acquired from the environment. One
way of learning is through social observation and imitation. This theory is
advanced by Albert Bandura (1986). This theory explains delinquency as a behaviour
learnt through the complex process of socialization. The theory postulates that
the behaviour is reflective of people observing and imitating others and
imagining the consequence of their own behaviour. The theory advocates that
human behaviour is modified using learning principles to change behaviour
(Omulema, 2000). The behavioural approach emphasizes that the client define
goals in behavioural terms provide resources and encouragement in helping
clients more towards goals and helps clients with different problems
(Patterson, 1973). Teacher counsellors can therefore apply this in counselling
students concerning their academic performance. Makinde (1984) notes that
counselling effectiveness and outcome of counselling are assessed by change in
the specific student‟s behaviour.
This implies that counselling can use
behavioural counselling to create a conducive environment for the students to
modify their behaviours in order to solve their academic problems through
creation of learning conditions. Teacher counsellors can use behavioural
techniques like self management programmes and self directed behaviours which
may deal with learning, study and time management skills in schools. This will
foster the students‟ academic performance. The student will drive towards
growth, health and adjustment (Makinde, 1984). Therefore, a good environment
created by the teacher counsellor. School can provide room for good
self-concept that will boost success in academic performance.
Conceptual
Framework
The theoretical framework assisted in the
conceptualization of this study to show the relationship between guidance and
counselling and academic performance of the students. The study conceptualized
that all secondary schools in the country had established guidance and counselling
programme to offer orientation, appraisal, educational/career, counselling and
placement services to students (independent variable). The programme is
supposed to assist students to harmonize their abilities, interests and values
and thereby develop their full potential. All these activities and services are
geared towards improving the self-image of the students and facilitate better
achievement in academic performance (dependent variable). Academic performance
of students in a school is determined by very many factors including the
ability of the individual student, the quality of the teachers, the staffing
level, availability of facilities, and guidance and counseling, among others.
Other factors like extraneous and intervening variables were controlled using
one of the methods of controlling variance that of holding factors constant.
This involves reducing a variable to a constant which helped in reducing their
effects on the dependent variable.. Therefore, the influence of these factors,
though present, was not directly captured. The actual influence of guidance and
counseling programme on the academic performance of the student is in turn
given chance to be assessed.
TO GET THE FULL PROJECT , PROCEED TO PAY:
#5000
TO ACCOUNT NO: 6171742627
BANK: FIDELITY
FOR BARGANININ OR FURTHER ENQUIRIES CALL OR WHASTAP
+23407064532617