ABSTRACT
The study examined improving on the practice of guidance and counselling services and patronage of secondary school students to the counselling center in Uyo Local Education Committe. The main purpose of this study was to determine the influence of improving on the practice of guidance and counseling services on secondary school students’ patronage of counseling services. To carry out the study, four research questions were formulated and answered, while four null hypotheses were raised and tested at 0.05 level of significance, to guide the study. Relevant literatures were reviewed. The population of the study comprised of all senior secondary school students in Uyo Local Education Committee. A sample size of 200 respondents, who were randomly selected for the study. Data was gathered through researcher’s developed questionnaire and this was analyzed using an independent t-test statistical analysis. All the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance and they were all rejected, the alternative hypotheses were upheald. However, a descriptive survey design was adopted to investigate the variables under study. Theresults revealed that, there is a significant influence of employment of qualified counsellors, provision of adequate facilities, the right attitude of counsellor and inclusion of guidance and counselling services in the school time-table all influenced student’s patronage of counselling services in Uyo Local Education Committee, in Akwa Ibom State.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
According to Ikekhua and Yesufu (2001) guidance and counselling service is continuously organized to assist in the development of an individual for further positive growth and development in the school. Guidance and counselling practice is an applied subset of psychology that assist an individual (counsellee) in coherent living in the society through self-actualization, self-discovering, self-orientation and meaningful adjustment values inculcated by the counsellor to the counselee (Ruth, 2012).This suggest that, guidance and counselling practice is an imperative force, which often help counselling process on the aggregate thus enhance students/individuals for self-actualization, self-awareness, and self-adjustment.
uidance and counselling practices such as employment of qualified counsellor, provision of adequate facilities, right attitude of counsellors towards students, inclusion of guidance and counselling in the school time-table tends to influence students in their patronage. In light of this Okoro (2005) opined that students tends to generate varied view as to seek/visit counselling centre due to the way/practices in which things are done. Employment of qualified counsellors tends to induce most students to patronize counselling services at secondary school.
Opia (2002) contended that when qualified counsellors are employed in the school, students would tend to find it lively in visiting the counselling unit giving the fact that, when the student visit the counselling unit, solution insight is proffered to remedy their problem. The author added that this is because the counsellor has the needed competency and required skills to carry out his counselling work effectively and efficiently. Miller (2009) found that employment of unqualified personnel often reduce productivity in an organizational setup. In the light of the above, employment of unqualified counsellor may make students not to patronize the counselling centre, due to the fact that consultation by student at the end of the day may leave their problem unresolved. Employment of qualified counsellors would ensure that adequate facilities a provided in counselling centres.
Improving on provision of adequate facilities tends to make students patronize the counselling services, this is due to the fact that most students are predispose to visit a place where the needed facilities are provided to enable a counsellor remedy a given problem of the client. In the light of the above Miller (2004) contended that when teachers improvise facilitates at the school, students are encouraged to improve in their academic. From this perspective, when counsellors provide adequate facilitates, students may likely patronage the counselling centre. According to Ruth (2012) lack of adequate facilities creates in the students a mindset not to patronize a counsellor unit at the school. The author added that provision of counselling facilities such as computers, cumulative data sheets among others create the right environment for the counsellors to perform their job effectively.
Right attitude of counsellors towards students may inculcate in the students a mind of parent-child relation in the guidance and counselling process. According to Mark (2003) right attitude of a person often induce him to make use of all available avenue to accomplish a given task at hand. Inferring from this, with the right attitude of counsellors, they may likely explore all the needed strategies and techniques to remedy students’ problems. Students are likely to patronize the counselling centre when they have difficulties at the school or at home. The said right attitude may make the counsellor ensure that time for counselling is included in the school time-able.
Inclusion of guidance and counselling in the school time-table may likely make students patronize the counselling service. According to Opia (2002), when counselling hours are included in the school time-able students may want to visit the counselling unit for their problem to be remedied at the school. Kofi (2006) opined that if school administrator includes a given course or activities in the school time-table, students are predisposed to participate in such course or activity. In line with this, students may create room in their schedule to account for counselling hours.
From the forgoing, the researcher intends to investigate the influence of improvement on the practice of guidance and counselling service on secondary school students’ patronage of counselling centre in Uyo Local Education Committee.
- Statement of the Problem
Secondary school students due to improved facilities used in guidance and counselling services patronized counselling services in the last decades. Often than not when students patronize the counselling services solution insight is provided by counsellors to remedy students’ problems. This is because of qualified counsellors been employed, adequate facilities been provided, right attitude of counsellors towards student, and inclusion of guidance and counselling in the school time-able. In recent times, observation by the researcher seem to show that students tend not to patronize the counselling centres, due to the caliber of the counsellors employed, facilities available, attitude of counsellors towards students, and the availability of space for guidance and counselling in the school time-able.
This situation has continued over the years without solution in sight to remedy it. This created a platform for the researcher to investigate the influence of improving on the practice of guidance and counselling services on secondary school students’ patronage of counselling services in Uyo Local Education Committee.
