An Examination of Student’s Perceptions on the Effectiveness of School Guidance and Counseling Program in Public Secondary Schools in Nakuru West Sub-County, Nakuru County Kenya

An Examination of  Student’s Perceptions on the Effectiveness of School Guidance and Counseling Program in Public Secondary Schools in Nakuru West Sub-County, Nakuru County Kenya

*Dr. Naftal Michira Nyang’ara

School of Education, Laikipia University, P.O. Box 1100-20300, Nyahururu- Kenya

Department of Psychology, Laikipia University, P.O Box 1100-20300, Nyahururu-Kenya

*Corresponding Author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.8120352

Received: 21 December 2024; Accepted: 27 December 2024; Published: 23 January 2025

ABSTRACT

Counseling is a critical component in the smooth management and learning among learners in many educational institutions around the world. Counselling is an essential service in schools because of the many different types of indiscipline cases experienced by schools. This study therefore sought to examine student’s perceptions on the effectiveness of a School Guidance and Counseling Program in public secondary schools in Nakuru west Sub-county, Nakuru County Kenya. In order to realize this objective the study employed a descriptive survey Counseling Program, to determine the effectiveness of a school guidance and counseling program. The study targeted a population of 2200 students of form three from 40 selected secondary schools with a sample size of 327. Simple random sampling technique was used to select participants for the study. The study used questionnaire to generate data for the study. Split-Half reliability technique was employed to test the reliability of the questionnaire and the correlation coefficient of 0.76 as computed using the Spearman Brown Prophesy formula. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 22.0, the results were presented in frequency tables and percentages. The study findings revealed that; the effectiveness of guidance and counseling programs in selected secondary schools were affected by a number of factors which included lack of resources due to lack of well furnished rooms for guidance and counseling (66.7%), inadequate training of guidance and counseling teachers (70%),lack of special facilities for confidential records keeping (73.3%), unethical counselors and lack of support systems which included training materials and funding of the School Guidance and Counseling Program (SGCP). Students’ perception that counselors were not effective in their Guidance and Counseling roles curtailed them from seeking counseling services. The study findings concluded that; the government through the Ministry of Education should equip Guidance and Counseling Programs and capacity build teachers with relevant guidance and counseling skills. The study recommended that schools should set aside guidance and counselling rooms with fully furnished counseling facilities.

Keywords: Student’s Perceptions on the effectiveness of School Guidance and Counseling Program.

INTRODUCTION

Counseling is a critical component in the smooth management and learning among learners in many educational institutions around the world. Counselling is an essential service in schools because of the many different types of indiscipline cases experienced by schools. Kuhn, (2004), notes that in the 1940s and 1950s, a popular model of school guidance that focused on directive counseling was being used in the schools. The perceptions of students on importance of School Guidance and Counseling Program with regard to discipline in secondary schools cannot be overemphasized with reference to the local educational, socio economic, political and technological dynamism (Willis 2005).

Personal & Social Guidance is designed to help students to know how to behave with consideration towards others and to understand themselves better, know how to get on well with others, learn manners and etiquettes, pursue leisure time activities, practice social skills and understand social roles and responsibilities Opiro (2010). Psychosocial Care and Support Services aims at promoting learner’s personal and social development and to foster positive attitudes, through the quality of teaching and learning; through the nature of relationships among pupils and teachers and adults other than teachers and through arrangement for specific care and support structures and systems. Such activities diffuse out physiological and psychological tensions that would otherwise cause discipline to students (Willis 2005). Counseling Services are aimed at to create for the provision of help or self-realization.

The Kamunge report (1988) pointed out that guidance and counseling of the youth in secondary schools is essential in helping them identify their individual interests and needs. The report recommended that guidance and counseling should assist pupils to appreciate their roles as workers and develop the right attitude towards discipline and management of time. However, only a small number of adolescents seek out for guidance and counseling services offered by school counselors when in distress (Fisher D, 2006). Patterson (1973) has indicated that students perceive guidance and counseling services differently. He thus points out that the guidance and counseling service should be concerned about the way it is perceived by students.

The perception given to guidance and counseling determines whether or not students make use of guidance and counseling services in schools. According to Mutie (2002) the demand for guidance and counseling in secondary schools after the ban of corporal punishment in Kenya is very low. This was attributed to lack of trust, fear of being victimized and poor counseling environment. He therefore noted that students are yet to perceive the role of guidance and counseling positively and embrace it appropriately. Wango (2015) adds that most students feel that it is only those students with problems who should see a counselor. The students who are bright in class and with no academic problems should not seek for any help. This is why according to Amukoa (1984) and Wango (2015) students are indifferent to guidance and counseling services.

Gender has been reported as playing a significant role in determining attitude towards seeking help. Good and Dell (1989) reported that there appear to be distinct differences in help-seeking tendencies between the two sexes as two-thirds of all clients seeking psychological help are female. They hypothesized that one possible reason why men are more hesitant to use counselling services is adherence to traditional gender roles. Seeking psychological help would be seen as admitting failure, weakness, and defeat. However, Ojenge and Muchemi (2010) found out that most girls did not believe in the counsellors for lack of privacy in the counselling rooms.

Theoretical Framework

This study was guided by social learning theory of Bandura Albert (1977) who viewed learning by observing others as role models. The theory emphasizes on learning that take place within the social context. The theory states that people learn from one another through observation, imitation and modeling. The theory proposes that after observing the model, the learner observes mentally, processes the information by selecting, organizing the incoming stimuli from the environment into a cognitive of map. This shows that behaviour, personal (and cognitive), and environmental factors operate interactively. Behaviour can influence personal factors and vice versa. The person’s cognitive activities can influence the environment, the environment can change the person’s cognition, and so on.

As was the case with other behaviorists, Bandura believes that punishment in whatever form does not work as well as reinforcement and may backfire on us (Boeree, 1998). It is therefore very clear from this study that students can be motivated to model both positive and negative behaviors. This is why students’ model desired behaviors for those they want to please, and in the next instance, they will model negative behavior in order to get the attention they are seeking.

Skinner (1938) was a behaviorist who argued that every personality is the product of environmental experiences. In this study, it is posted that the principal and teachers should work cooperatively in guiding and counseling students for the purpose of achieving high standards of discipline. On the other hand, students have to see themselves, as instruments, which the future society depends upon. Thus, they should aim to be role models. To the theorists, students must accept and adhere to the rules and regulations within the school organizations. As students, they are expected to enhance their capabilities, opportunities and abilities in life, which are provided by the school curriculum.

This theory was useful to the study because it shade more light with regard to student’s perceptions on the effectiveness of Guidance and Counseling while in school. By looking at the elements that are ascribed to the student’s perception on the effectiveness of Guidance and Counseling.

METHODS

The study adopted quantitative research method and it employed a descriptive survey research design in preliminary and exploratory studies to allow the researcher to gather information, summarize, present and interpret for the purpose of clarification (Orodho, 2002). Mugenda and Mugenda (1999) adds that it gives the purpose of descriptive research as determining and reporting the way things are. Descriptive survey research was preferred for this study because it would produce cross-sectional statistical information on various issues concerning the students’ perceptions on the effectiveness of School Guidance and Counseling Program in public secondary schools in Nakuru west Sub-county, Nakuru County Kenya. The target population of this study was 2200 that comprised all the form three students in 40 Secondary schools. The sample comprised of 327 respondents drawn from various public schools. Data was collected by a questionnaire because a large sample of the participants were reached at a relatively low cost, offering an efficient use of time, anonymity ( for participants), the possibility of high return rate and use of standard questions.

RESULTS

The study sought to establish on the student’s perceptions on the effectiveness of School Guidance and Counseling Program in public secondary schools in Nakuru west Sub-county, Nakuru County Kenya. Table 1 presents results of the perception of students on the effectiveness of school guidance and counseling programs.

Table 1:  perceptions of students on effectiveness of School Guidance and Counseling Program

Responses from Selected Secondary school Students from Nakuru west Sub County, showed that majority of the respondents (73.4%) do not access counseling services and a small number (26.6%) strongly agreed accessing counselling services. Majority of the participants (86.7%) responded to have acquired behavioral change as a result of guidance and counseling program in most secondary schools, whereas 26.7 % of the participants agreed with the statement. Only 13.3% of the participants disagreed with the statement. It was therefore noted that guidance and counseling program had drastically changed student behavior in terms of teacher-student relationship and behavior change in secondary schools from Nakuru west Sub County consequently leading to students acquiring desirable learning behaviour.

On the issue of school dropout rate, the study findings revealed that there had been a decrease due to guidance and counseling services. A simple majority (40.0 %) of the total number of participants strongly agreed with the statement and 33.3% agreed. The rest of the respondents disagreed, (26.6%). From the information given, it was therefore concluded that guidance and counseling programs had greatly reduced the school dropout rates in secondary schools in Nakuru west Sub-County.

Table 2 presents participants perceptions with regard to school guidance and counseling resources

Table 2: Students’ perceptions of SGCP with regards to school resources

The data obtained indicated that the majority of the selected schools lacked special rooms or offices for guidance and counseling. The respondents (66.7%) stated that guidance and counseling offices were not available and if they were available they were not well furnished. This meant that there was no special room for effective counseling services. Some participants (33.3%) indicated that counseling rooms were available in their schools, 60% of the participants indicated that there wasn’t any time allocated for guidance and counseling services in their school program, whereas (40%) of participants agreed to have time allocated for guidance and counseling program.

Majority of the participants (60%) agreed that training in guidance and counseling were lacking in their schools, (46.6 %) positively agreed that materials for training guidance and counselors lacked in their schools. Guidance and counseling open all five days in a week (66.7 %) as well as lockable facilities for safekeeping of students’ confidential records (73.3 %) was reported by participants.

DISCUSSION

The purpose of this study was to examine the students’ perception on the effectiveness of school guidance and counseling programs in secondary schools in Nakuru west Sub County. The study findings revealed that where there was effective guidance and counseling services the students had improved particularly on student to student cohesive coexistence and student-teacher relationship. This indicated that the students had acquired behavioral change as a result of guidance and counseling program which resulted in improved performance in academics in secondary schools in Nakuru west Sub County. It also emerged that clients who embraced guidance and counseling services had excelled in extra co-curriculum activities. The school dropout rate had decreased in secondary schools in Nakuru west Sub County, this was attributed to guidance and counseling services.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This study revealed that some perceptions of students can discourage them from seeking counseling services which includes the perception that counseling was for only delinquents. Students mainly associated the counseling programs in their schools with mental problems and hence kept off from such services. Those secondary schools with well-established guidance and counseling programs are advantaged since their students showed good academic performance, improved student-teacher relationship and their students had acquired behavioral change. The study recommends  for quantitative studies that link counseling utilization to moral behavior and academic performance to be conducted  in order to bring to light the real effects of counseling on students.

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