The Influence Of Guidance And Counselling Programme On Academic Performance Of Students

1.3 Purpose of the Study

This study sought to assess the influence of guidance and counselling programme on academic performance of selected public secondary school students in Bahati division of Nakuru district.

1.4 Objectives of the Study

The study aimed at achieving the following specific objectives:

(i) To establish effectiveness of guidance and counselling programme in secondary schools.
(ii) To determine the professional qualifications of the teacher counsellors handling guidance and counselling programme in schools.

(iii) To identify the role of school administration and other teachers in enhancing guidance and counselling programme.

(iv) To determine the attitude of students towards educational/career counselling in their schools.

(v) To examine academic performance among secondary school students.

(vi) To establish the relationship between the level of effectiveness of guidance and counselling and academic performance of secondary school students.

(vii) To identify the challenges facing guidance and counselling programme.

1.5 Research Questions

The study addressed the following research questions:

(i) What is the effectiveness of guidance and counselling programme in secondary schools?
(ii) What are the professional qualifications of the teacher counsellors handling guidance and counselling programme in schools?
(iii) What the role of the school administration and other teachers in enhancing guidance and counselling programme?
(iv) What is the attitude of students towards educational/career counselling in their schools?
(v) What is the academic performance among secondary school students?
(vi) Is there any relationship between the level of effectiveness of guidance and counselling and academic performance of secondary school students?
(vii) What are the challenges facing guidance and counselling programme in schools?

1.6 Significance of the Study

Secondary school students face various challenges that if not well handled affect their academic achievement. Therefore, in order to adequately address these challenges, emphasis has been placed on the existing programmes within the schools. Guidance and counselling is one of these programmes. Detailed studies are needed to evaluate the influence of guidance and counselling programme on academic performance. This study was based on the premise that it is important to understand the extent to which the programme is used in addressing challenges facing students in schools. Such a study helps in providing useful information that could be useful in redesigning and giving impetus to the programme by those concerned including the Ministry of Education, administrators of the institutions, teacher counsellors and students so as to boost the academic performance and overall self-actualization of secondary school students. The teacher counsellor will use this study to evaluate the impact that guidance and counselling will have on academic performance in their respective schools. The Ministry of Education will also use this study in evaluating whether guidance and counselling programme is an effective measure in addressing the challenges facing secondary school students in the country. The study will also assists school administrators in assessing their contribution to guidance and counselling programme and its influence on academic performance of students in their schools. When guidance and counselling programme is well conceptualized by the Ministry of Education and implemented by the teacher counsellor with the support of the school administrators, the students will benefit by improving their academic achievements and self-actualization. 

1.7 The Scope and Limitations of the Study

The study focused on the influence of guidance and counselling programme on academic performance of secondary school students in Bahati division of Nakuru district. Bahati division was chosen as a research site due to the available evidence of poor academic performance among students in national examinations (Bahati Division Education Office, 2005). Only Form Four students were involved in this study because they have been in the school for a higher number of years. Therefore, they were in a better position of evaluating guidance and counselling programme more objectively and also have established academic trend.

This study encountered a number of limitations which impeded effective answering of the research questions. These limitations include:

(i) Academic performance of students in a school is determined by very many factors including the ability of the individual student, the quality of the teachers, the staffing level, availability of facilities, and guidance and counselling, among others. Therefore, it is not practically possible to isolate one factor and link it to the level of academic performance. However, in this study, the researcher is confined to the academic areas that are of concern to the guidance and counselling programme only.

(ii) All secondary schools in the country were expected to have implemented guidance and counselling programme as directed by the government through the Ministry of Education. Therefore, effective analysis of the influence of the programme in the country requires a consideration of as many schools as possible. However, due to time, manpower and financial resource constraints, it is not practically possible to cover all the schools in the country. This means that only a small sample of the schools was be involved. Thus, the 10 public secondary schools in Bahati division, which are a very small fraction of the total number of schools in the country, were involved in this study. The findings of this study were therefore confined to the sampled schools and students in Bahati division and can not be overly generalized to all secondary schools in the country.

 1.8 Assumptions of the Study

The study is based on the following assumptions:

(i) Poor and falling academic performance in the study area is due to inefficient and ineffective guidance and counselling programme.
(ii) Guidance and counselling programme face a number of challenges in addressing the academic problems of students in secondary schools.
(iii) The views expressed by the sampled respondents are a true reflection of guidance and counselling programme in their respective schools.

1.9 Definition of Terms

In this section, operational definitions are presented as used within the context of this study.

Academic performance: This refers to the academic achievement of a student which is

Usually measured in terms of grades or marks attained in a test.

Counselling: Involves helping an individual to deal with or remove frustrations

and obstacles that interfere with their lives and develop his most acceptable self by thinking through the situation him/herself in an accepting atmosphere.

Effective counselling: Producing a desired result. In this case, effectiveness refers to the

Ability/capacity of guidance and counselling programme to offer its required services in a school. In this study, the effectiveness of guidance and counselling will be measured on a likert scale by examining the extent to which the programme is able to offer various components of academic/career/educational counselling in schools.

Guidance: A process of helping learners to develop self understanding,

capabilities for making realistic career decisions, overcome personality deficits and make optimal academic progress.

Guidance and counselling: Includes all services that help an individual understanding of

him/herself, his/her attitude, interests, abilities, physical, mental and social maturity for optimum development.

Public schools: These are schools facilitated and controlled/regulated by the

government.

Teacher Counsellor: A school teacher who has undergone formal training in guidance

And counselling including theory and practice