Tag Archives: Guidance and Counseling

THE EFFECT OF IMPROVING THE PROVISIONS OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING

THE EFFECT OF IMPROVING THE PROVISIONS OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING IN THE PERFORMANCE OF SS1 STUDENTS OF FILKOM SCHOOL

ABSTRACT

This research assesses the effect of guidance and counseling on the academic performance of SS1 students in Filkom School, Kaduna. The population of the study was made up of forty students in the study area. Four research questions were formulated to guide the study. Forty questionnaires were distributed to the students to fill and each questionnaire contains twenty items which they later returned after filling it.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 General Introduction

Guidance and Counseling as the third force in education along with instruction, is an integral part of educational system. Guidance is a program of services to individual students based on the needs of each student, and understanding of his immediate environment, teachers, peers, parents and people generally and the effect of their influences on the students.

Counseling is a process in which one person assists another in a person to person face encounter. Counseling provides an atmosphere within which one person or group of persons are provided with counseling services. Counseling is concerned with creating opportunities and suitable environment for personal, social, educational and vocational growth of the individual. The central purpose of counseling is to assist students to explore and participate in their own development towards becoming purposefully self directed.

1.1 Background to the Study

A guidance counselor is therefore a professionally trained person in the act of guidance and counseling that provides help to individual student based on the need of each student. Guidance and counseling assists all students in assessing and understanding their abilities, aptitudes, interests and educational needs. Guidance and counseling is a formalized educational service aimed at helping the individual with understanding himself well enough to be able to make appropriate decisions. These decisions may include educational or vocational choice and solutions to personal and social problems. Guidance and counseling can be regarded as a service to education which aims at helping students understand themselves in relation to their potentialities, aptitudes, talents, educational or vocational decision making.

Educational guidance involves helping students to decide what course or subject they take and what co-curricular activities best fit his needs.

The School guidance and counseling is aimed at providing students with opportunities to acquire skills and attitudes necessary to develop educational goals which are suitable to their needs, interests, and abilities, information that would enable them to make decision about life and career opportunities. This complements learning in the classroom and also to enhance academic performance or achievement of students.

Therefore, this project focuses on the realities of the effect of guidance and counseling on the academic performance of SS1 students, the feeling, thinking and the factors affecting the ability of the student to choose their career. Guidance and counseling is a vital component of any level of education as the absence or the non-utilization of these services in the present day SS1 students had led to the wrong choice of career and wrong subject combination among other issues.

The stage in SS1 class is a very crucial stage in which the students need to be properly guided and counseled in the importance of choosing a career or subject combination. The major problem of the student is that of choosing a career that will be of benefit to him. As a result, he need to be properly directed, guided and counseled to choose the right career and subject’s combination which will enable them to achieve what they anticipate to be in future. On the other hand, if not properly guided they will not be able to make a good choice of career.

Generally, guidance and counseling is the process of helping individuals understand themselves and lead to a better understanding of the other aspect of their lives. Therefore, it should be done by a professional counselor. This type of skills used in counseling students is important for effective counseling to take place.

Since there are varieties of careers or disciplines, it will be helpful to know their future ambitions and goals as the counseling is aimed at creating a brighter tomorrow in the life of the SS1students.

Hence, counseling is enhanced when the students are in group or even individually. It is paramount that before a pupil gets into secondary school, he should be properly guided and counseled. The guidance and counseling which should be given to SS1 students should be done by a professional career counselor.

When students are properly counseled, they will be able to:

Choose the right subject combination.
Establish habits and develop attitudes towards positive contribution in the field.
Put more efforts and carry some problem-based loads and cognitive loads in the field.

The questions which should be addressed as the counseling program is established are:

Area of interest of the individual.
The age of the SS1 students.
Health condition of the students.
Students/Parents financial strength.
The cognitive, affective and psycho-motive ability.

The counselor should provide a proper balance between counseling, guidance, and follow-up. In striking this balance, the counselor would find these factors important. Some of these factors include:

Student’s ambition.
Academic performance.
Ability to manipulate things.
Cognitive strength
Student’s area of interest.

It is the wish of the researcher to let the parents know that it is not the best thing for them to choose career for their children and wards. The SS1 students should be given room to make choice of career.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Guidance and counseling program of SS1 students on career choice and subject combination is assumed to be neglected in majority of schools. It has been noted that students face a number of problems during adolescent stage and the secondary school students happen to belong to the adolescent group, therefore, the need for effective school Guidance and counseling service becomes compelling; thus there is need for effective school counseling of students to achieve excellence in academic performance.

The menace of vices, poor academic output and performance at work in the society has been a source of concern to all stakeholders in education that is, the government, teachers, parents and society at large.

The society cannot exist without making mention of the school which is the major agent of change. In addition, the view of the school as a context where students experience a number of problems as well as the increased number of problems they face in the modern society, have prompted the researcher to investigate the effectiveness of the school guidance and counseling services in the SS1 class in relation to their academic achievement.

The counseling offered to the SS1 students should be understood as a counseling given to someone who doesn’t have direction and knows not how to go ahead.

It is based on the above premise that the study to examine the notable impact on the effect of the school counselor on the academic performance of SS1 students in Filkom Schools.

1.3 Significance of the Study

This study is mainly set out to examine the effects of Guidance and counseling on the academic performances of SS1 students of Filkom Schools in Kaduna.

The study intend to

Determine the effects of Guidance and counseling on the students’ academic performance.
Identify Guidance and counseling services available to the SS1 students in Filkom Schools.
Determine the adequacy of human and material resources for effective counseling in Filkom Schools.
Identify the problems faced by Guidance counselors in the provision of effective Guidance and counseling services in Filkom Schools.

1.4 Purpose of the Study

This study is meant to be an expository on the role of Guidance and counseling on SS1 students’ performance and it is envisaged that the study will benefit school counselors, students and researchers.

School counselors will have set criteria to evaluate their guidance services. Furthermore, they will also have the information needed to make a number of decisions related to what guidance and counseling services to students to be provided, how these services are to be provided and when to provide them. Such information will make the school counselors more effective in the execution of their duties, thereby maximally benefiting the students and also improve the service delivery of the schools.

SS1 students will benefit from the increased awareness of the available guidance and counseling service in the school they will have information needed to weigh the value of guidance and counseling services the school offers them. Students will also be allowed to suggest improvements in the guidance and counseling services and how they are implemented. This study will add to the limited literature in Nigeria on the effectiveness of school guidance and counseling services on the academic performance of students.

1.5 Scope of the Study

This project work will attempt looking into the areas which SS1 students will be guided and counseled. It is limited to the choice of career and the effect on academic performance. It will also assess the adequacy of human and material resources for effective provision of guidance and counseling to students and as well examine the problems faced by guidance and counseling in the provision guidance services to students in Filkom Schools.

1.6 Limitation of the Study

The following limitation were inherent in the study. First, the respondent sincerity of purpose were not sure since what was conceived in the mind were hidden.

Secondly, due to time constraints, the ability to reach out to many secondary schools for the collection of data was hindered, and the area which the study was conducted at that time was congested.

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The Importance of Guidance and Counselling in Secondary Schools (A Case Study of Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Worldwide, students experience social, personal and academic problems at schools and at homes. The problems include living in distressed family, for example, where parents are separated or divorced, where conflicts occur and where disease such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Deficiency Syndrome(HIV/AIDs) are rampant. These problems negatively affect the students in their school endevours.

The problem of Adolescents in the Schools

Robinson (1991) states that ‘’Social experimentation in drugs and sexual relationship have some causalities among students”. A good number of student engage in drug, prostitution, truancy, indiscipline and other misdemeanours (Robinson 1991). The outcome of the above problems is summarized by Lines and Davies (2003), who view the school as bee hive of activities where teenage difficulties and peer group tension arise. In the light of these problems, schools should be more involved in conducting students’ need assessments and developing comprehensive guidance and counselling services (Kameam, et al 1980). Related to the above is Elkind’s (1990:17) argument that schools should move into a leadership role in dealing with the emotional and family problems of their students.

Nziramanzaga (2009) posits that because of many pressures imposed on the families, parents tend to have little time with their children to give them the necessary guidance. The parents expect the school to provide solutions to their children’s indiscipline in secondary schools.

Paisdly (2001) calls for schools guidance and counselling to be restructured so that they become responsive to the existing social economic and political realities within today’s complex and diverse society.

Research has demonstrated high prevalence of risk taking behaviour among adolescents who attend school in Kachia Local Government Areas Kaduna State. Okechukwu Obianugu (2010). Students in the adolescent age bracket experience rapid growth and changes, physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially (Robinson, Linderman 1991) found that rapid developmental changes occur at a time when environmental stress occur. For example parents and teachers pressures on young people to excel in school, peer pressure to experiment with drug, conflict in families or poor relationship, loneliness and pressure to make career choices are at peak.

According to Gysbers, N.C. & Henderson, P. (2001) it seems as though many educators take it for granted that students know how to succeed in life, when in fact many never learn about attitude, behaviours and other factors that contribute to success in life; and guidance and counselling services to student to cultivate attitude and behaviours leading to success in life is very important. Otwell and Mullis (1999) believe that guidance and counselling is important in schools because it increases behaviour related to achievements such as studying effectively.

In rural areas of some of the villages in Kachia Local Government Areas Kaduna State, for example, many students drop out of school as a result of poor performance in academic grade and failure to adjust to high school learning situations. A student who loses confidence in his or her ability and who devalues himself lacks concentration and this leads to academic failure. Rectondoki,(2001).

Guidance Counselling and the Domains of Learning

The provision of guidance and counselling should address the following three domains of learning, namely: Personal Social, Vocational career and educational guidance and counselling.

Personal social guidance and counselling deals with self identity, social skills relationships, conflicts resolution, personal loss and other problems; Vocational career counselling includes information about course, requirements, post secondary or tertiary institutions, career path, planning, potential employers and job hunting; Education guidance and counselling provides information about educational opportunities beyond schools; promotion and achievement, learning strategies and studies and test taking skills. (Graham- Migel 1999) reiterated that comprehensive school guidance and counselling services address the development need of students in secondary schools in the three domains of learning mentioned above. Thus the most function of school guidance and counselling services is to discover their abilities, interests and needs, thereby helping them to make effective adjustment to school life and to give shape to their future plans. Rutondoki (2001) states that complete guidance and counselling should be continuous. Counselling should begin when the student enters school and should carry that student into adult life. The counselling should be preventive in the sense that counselee receive help in order to avoid certain problems.

The present study sought to access whether guidance and counselling services in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State are as effective as expected.

1.2 Statement of the Problems.

It has been noted that students face a number of problems during adolescence (Amakos 1990. Since secondary school students are in the adolescent stage, the need for effective guidance and counselling becomes compelling. Thus there is need to establish the importance of services from schools counsellors and students.

In addition, the view of the school as a context where students experience a number of problems (Line in Daries 2003) as well as the increased number of problems students face in modern society have prompted the researcher to investigate the importance of school guidance and counselling services in Kachia Local Government Areas Kaduna State’s secondary schools.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The purposes of the study are:

To examine the adequacy and quality of guidance and counselling personnel in Government secondary schools in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
To investigate the adequacy of guidance and counselling facilities in secondary schools in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
To examine the guidance and counselling services carried out in secondary schools in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
To find out the factors hindering effective guidance and counselling service, in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

1.5 Significance of the Study

It is envisaged that the study will benefit school counsellors, students, researchers, policy makers and administrators by making relevant information available about guidance and counselling programmes. It will help school counsellors with information and criteria with which to evaluate their guidance and counselling services. It will help parents to know the effect of guidance and programmes in shaping the future of their children. It will also provide the information needed by students in order to weigh the value of the guidance and counselling services which the school offer them.

1.5 Research Questions.

The following research questions were put forward to guide the study.

Do secondary schools in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State have adequate and qualified school guidance and counsellors?
Are the guidance and counselling facilities in secondary schools in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State adequate in number and quality?
What are the guidance and counselling services provided by secondary schools in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
What are the obstacles to effective guidance and counselling services in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State?

1.6 Scope of the study:

The research limits the topical coverage of the study to the assessment of guidance and counseling services offered within secondary schools in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

1.7 Limitation of the Study:

This research had several limitations:

The study was primarily limited by its small sample size. A larger sample size with more diversity would have benefited the results. Therefore to generalize the results for larger area the research should have involved more participants at different levels.

The literature seems not to have established proper causal relationship using the instrument of questionnaire. A greater deal of information would have been obtained with participant observation method. The researcher was constrained by both time and finance.

However, much effort has been put into it to make the best within the limit of available time and funds.

1.7 Definition of Terms

Assessment: Euvrard, G. (1996) describe assessment as any effort to gather, analyse and interpret. The study sought to access whether guidance and counselling services in the schools are as effective as expected.

Evaluate: Kansayara (2005) defines it as the judgement of the quality of something. In this study it is the making of judgement about the worthiness or importance of school guidance and counselling services.
Importance: Rund ell (2002) describes it as working well and producing the desired result. In this study it is the extent to which the guidance and counselling personnel’s in secondary schools in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State are accomplishing desired results.
Guidance: Rund ell (2002) defines guidance as advice about what one should do or how one should behave. In this study, it is a process of assisting individuals to help themselves through their own effort, to discover and develop their own potentials for personal fulfillment and social usefulness.
Counselling: Rund ell (2002) defines it as advice and help that is given to someone experiencing problems. In this study counselling means helping students to help themselves.