Impediments against Peer Counselling Strategy for Alleviating Drug Abuse in Zimbabwean Rural Learning Ecologies
- March 2, 2019
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: Education, Psychology
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue II, February 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186
Munyaradzi Chidarikire
School of Education, Educational Psychology, Student Bachelor of Honours in Educational Psychology – Great Zimbabwe University, Zimbabwe
Abstract: – There is high drug abuse in Zimbabwe rural learning ecologies, many learners are failing academically, and have behavioural and other social problems. To mitigate the drug abuse problems in Zimbabwean rural learning ecologies, peer counselling strategy has been mooted as one of the key methods of dealing with drug abuse. This study used qualitative approach and used Participatory Action Research as methodology and Critical Emancipatory Research as theoretical framework and focus group discussions to generate data. Critical discourse analysis was used to analyse data after transcribing, verified and put it in themes.However, some of the impediments generated from the research empirical data were: inadequate knowledge and lack of understanding of what a peer counselling strategy entails, the fact that the Guidance and Counselling subject is not examinable; Some recommendations: more training workshops to enhance peer counselling knowledge; examining Guidance and Counselling and giving teacher counsellors and peer counsellors incentives.
Key words: peer counselling, rural learning ecologies, peer counsellors, participatory action research, drug abuse, learners, communities
I. INTRODUCTION
There are threats to a peer counselling strategy. The need for a peer counselling strategy is based on the abuse of drugs by the Zimbabwean rural learners. This resonates with literature which states that there is a high level of drug abuse in Zimbabwean rural learning ecologies, for example, the study done in Zimbabwean rural areas by Cooper (2009:136), who confirmed that “rural secondary pupils should an 18.5% prevalence rate of tobacco usage and 42.9% admittance rate of smoking and alcohol consumption among the patients.” In addition, in 2016, at Mucheke High School in Zimbabwe, the headmaster wrote in the school newsletter informing parents about school children who are expelled from school after abusing drugs.
