STUDENTS' AND TEACHERS' PERCEPTION OF COUNSELING NEEDS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Introduction

1.1 Background Of The Study

The inception of school counseling did not occur until the beginning of the 20th century. In its initial stages, school counseling represented a service provided to students primarily for vocational guidance purposes such as preparing students for work after school and discussing potential careers. Frank Parsons, known as the Father of Vocational Guidance, instigated the integration of career guidance at the high school level with the idea of designating specific counselor positions within the school to offer vocational guidance (Schmidt, 2003). Therefore, school counselling was borne out of offering career services to students. As the 20th century moved forward, academic guidance became more interwoven into the vocational counselor’s responsibilities (Gysbers, 2001) and hence the need for counselling in schools. Guidance leaders like John Brewer and G.E. Meyers began emphasizing the educational role that counselors could assume within schools. By the mid 1930’s into the 1940’s, counsellors began providing personal counseling to students as well. Therefore, in addition to providing academic and vocational guidance, counselors began offering mental health services to students.

The age group of secondary school students extends from 14 to 19, which span in the later adolescent period. Adolescence is considered as the most tumultuous period of life. Hall (1976) rightly remarked that adolescence is the period of stress and strain, storm and stiff. The life of modern industrial societies is so complex where the intricacies of adolescence period are more hazardous. The basic characteristics of secondary school students in modern times are increased emotional instability, period of unrealism, hero worship, moral dilemma, faster changes in the physical and biological system, temporary imbalance of whole endocrine system, tendency to incline towards anti social behaviour, drug and sex abuse and several other unique characteristics. It is widely accepted that the adolescent students need counselling support when they face personal, social, familial and educational issues. The present investigation is directed towards the identification of teachers and students perception of counselling needs of secondary school students in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State.

A need is any lack or deficit of something within an individual, either acquired or physiological, whose fulfilment would tend to promote the welfare of the individual. (Biswas & Aggarwal, 1971) Counselling needs are needs of a student that are required to resolve his/her problems which he/she confronts in day to day life situations and also to enrich his personal development. Counseling needs being a major factor to complement guidance, was also looked at through the teachers/students‟ eyes. How both parties (teachers/students) view the need for counseling services in secondary school. Students and teachers should view the advantages and disadvantages if it is introduced. In this study however, the perception of the students and the teachers shall be considered greatly towards counseling services in secondary schools.

Counselling needs seems to be growing in schools, for instance secondary schools experienced rampant fights and boycotting of classes. With the disintegration of African cultures, and a busy economic world, parents have left counselling of children to the teachers. On the other hand, teachers are under pressure to produce results academically (Nasibi, 2003). Therefore, little attention is given to the area of behavioural change which leads to a situation where students are not impacted with life skills. With this kind of situation, there is need to find out the perception of teachers and students of counseling needs amidst secondary school students.

Counseling is a professional field which has a broad range of activities and services aimed at assisting individuals to understand themselves, their problems, their school environment and their world (Lunenburg, 2010). The main policy goal for secondary level education is the provision of resources that would allow all school age children, and others so desiring, to receive and complete a junior high school program of quality. Further, that as many as can benefit as so wish, move on to and complete a diversified broad base high quality senior high school program or its equivalent in readiness for the next stage/phase of living and learning. Counseling is informally offered by elders and clan heads.

All members of the extended family especially anyone older than other is expected and was looked on to for counseling the younger members of the family. Therefore grandparents, aunts, uncles, older brothers or sisters were involved in informal counseling. Skills in carving, hunting and other occupations needed later on in life were passed on to young people by parents at different stages in the development of each child. Some of the behaviour and skills were learnt either by observing adults, or acquired through other means of training. Guidance and Counseling for individuals have always formed part of the African strategy for combating personality problems and practiced by indigenous counselors (Robinson, 1987).

A lot of changes have taken place and many more will continue to take place in our cultural and social patterns of life. This has occurred as a result of the intrusion of other cultures and social habits, and the developments in modern science and technology. Such changes bring in new ways of life and values. Girls and boys face major challenges in dealing with changes in adolescence, making educational decisions, handling the conflicting cultural messages and values, managing their sexuality in a social environment that encourages delay in adult hood, coping with changes in family structures and in essence giving counselors no choice than to take the responsibility of helping the students.

Understanding and coping with issues of HIV/AIDS for example single parent families, adolescent headed families, break down of the extended family and existence of orphans. All these and others not mentioned here are challenges that affect the students life and performance in schools. They have to be assisted to face them objectively, with courage and appreciation through counseling services. Hence, in the light of this, the study is set to look into teachers’ and students’ perception of counselling needs of secondary school students.

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

Guidance and counseling services are widely known to be beneficial in shaping the thinking and decision making capabilities of both students and even people at work places. To have such services in places where youths are growing without knowing what is expected of them such as the case of secondary schools which are been affected by high level of dropout. As a result of these, we can presume that there seems to be little or no traces of counseling services in secondary schools in Ijebu North Local Government which in essence should become a need for secondary school students. Incidences of children growing without any direction and making regrettable mistakes are quite many.

For example, several young people choosing to embrace early marriage while others select subjects that do not have appropriate combination especially for joining A‟ Level. Presently the perceptions of teachers and students are not known and as far as I know, there is less or no study that has been conducted in Ijebu North Local Government in relation to the perceptions of teachers and students about the need for counseling to be offered in secondary schools. In this light will this study make its findings on students’ and teachers’ perception of counseling needs of secondary school students in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State.

1.3 Objectives Of The Study

The main objective of this study is to bring to fore the Students’ and teachers’ perception of counseling needs of secondary schools students in Ijebu North Local Government.

This study is set to achieve the following objectives;

1. Analyze teachers and students perceptions about guidance and counseling needs in secondary schools in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun state.
2. To assess the difference in the perception of students in respect to their gender of counselling needs in Secondary schools in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun state.
3. To analyze the difference that exist in the perception of male and female teachers of counselling needs in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun state.
4. To assess teachers and students perceptions on the availability of resources needed for counseling in secondary schools in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun state.

1.4 Research Questions

1. Is there any difference between the perception of teachers’ and students’ of counseling needs in secondary schools in Ijebu North Local Government.
2. Are there differences between male and female students’ perception of counselling needs in secondary schools in Ijebu North Local Government.
3. Are there differences between male and female Teachers’ perception of counselling need in secondary schools in Ijebu North Local Government.

1.5 Hypothesis Of The Study

H01: There is no significant difference between the perception of teachers’ and students’ of counseling needs in secondary schools in Ijebu North Local Government.

H02: There is no significant difference between male and female students’ perception of counselling needs in secondary schools in Ijebu North Local Government.

H03: There is no significant difference between male and female Teachers’ perception of counselling needs in secondary schools in Ijebu North Local Government.

1.6 Significance Of The Research

This research is expected to be significant to different groups of people. To a greater extent, it is expected to be significant to the students, teachers and school management. However, other groups of people are expected to feel the impact of the findings of this research as well.

The findings could be useful to politicians and parent. Students are expected to benefit in the sense that most of them are currently affected by the teenage pregnancies, absentees and drop-outs making them not focused. The results of this research could enable counseling services to be started in secondary schools since the need for counselling is noted, hence enable students to reshape their lives and become responsible citizen of the country and the local government itself.

Through the establishment of counseling services in schools, there would be an assurance that students would be trained to make sensible decisions and hence reduce failure rates by choosing what they like most and work hard towards achieving it. Additionally, with the perception of teachers and students to be considered, the spreading of counseling services to schools becomes easy, the future generation will be assured to be more productive by being more focused than the way they are now.

Parents too stand to benefit in the sense that they may have less trouble looking after children. Children are expected to be shaped by counselors in conjunction with the religious leaders of the different religions. In the process, the students are expected to be more productive compared to the way they are now because the study could change their perceptive toward counselling needs. By being more productive, it is expected that they would impress their parents and or guardians who would be willing to involve them (children) in most of their activities to boost the level of their productivity.

There is likelihood that the counselors may reap big in the process. This study could inform policy makers on the need to implement counseling services in schools which may create huge employment opportunity for those people in the profession of counseling. This would be good economically since it would uplift the standards of living of councilors and in a way it may increase spending levels of citizens bringing about increase in National Income Levels.

1.7 Scope Of The Study

This study will be delimited to secondary schools in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun state.

1.8 Definition Of Terms

Perception:

Perception is defined in Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary as an “attitude or understanding based on what is observed or thought.” A teacher’s perception, like anyone else’s, is ultimately a product of his or her belief system.

Counseling services:

It is the interaction that comes as a result of the vocational relationship between a specialized counselor and his student where the counselor assists the student to understand himself and his abilities and talents to achieve self and environmental compatibility in order to attain the appropriate degree of mental health in light of the techniques and specialized skills of the guidance process.

Guidance:

Guidance is a group of planned services that include counseling, it provides the trainee with miscellaneous information to upgrade his feeling of responsibility, understand himself and know his abilities and provide guidance services to trainees.

Teachers:

Is a person who provide education for students.

Students:

A person formally engaged in learning, especially one enrolled in a school.