Teacher-Factors Related to Counselling Strategies affecting Guidance and Counselling in Lower Primary School in Uniformed-Forces Based Schools in Nakuru County, Kenya

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VI, Issue X, October 2019 | ISSN 2321–2705

Teacher-Factors Related to Counselling Strategies affecting Guidance and Counselling in Lower Primary School in Uniformed-Forces Based Schools in Nakuru County, Kenya

Adelaide Atakha Asenahabi, Dr. Margaret Mwangi

School of Education, Kenyatta University, Kenya

Abstract: – The main aim of this study was to establish the teacher counselling strategy-related factors affecting guidance and counselling in lower primary school pupils in uniformed forces-based schools in Nakuru County. The research adopted a descriptive survey. The study sample included all the five (5) head teachers of the study schools, five (5) teacher counsellors and (30) lower primary school class teachers of the study schools. Qualitative data was obtained from the open-ended questionnaires and the interview while quantitative data was derived from the closed-ended questionnaires. The results were presented using descriptive statistics such as frequency distributions, percentages and tabulations while qualitative data was presented using texts and verbatims. The results of the study indicated that lack of appropriate strategies for counselling of lower primary school pupils, the heavy workload and other non- guidance and counselling duties such as subject teaching and training of pupils in co-curricular activities hinder provision of guidance and counselling service in lower primary schools. The study concludes that teacher counsellors do not use a variety of strategies when counselling pupils. The study recommended that schools should use play activities such as sand play in guiding and counselling the lower primary school pupils; resources need to be availed to enhance provision of the guidance and counselling services to pupils effectively; teacher counsellors should be exposed to frequent training to acquire new and varied competencies and strategies for counselling lower primary school pupils, head teachers and class teachers should fully be supportive to counselling in the uniformed –forces based schools.

Keywords: Teacher-Factors related to Counselling Strategies, Teacher Counsellor, Lower Primary School Pupils, Uniformed-Forces Based Schools

I. INTRODUCTION

The importance of guidance and counselling in learning institutions cannot be overemphasized and the role of school counsellors has changed over time. However, in the previous decade, counsellors did not exist, rather, teachers used a few minutes of their day to provide students with vocational guidance. The art of guidance and counselling has enabled the psychologically troubled in one way or the other (Masoumeh, Nazanin & Tajudin, 2012).

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