PERCEPTION OF GUIDANCE SERVICES AND UTILIZATION OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NSIT IBOM LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, AKWA IBOM STATE
CHAPTER ONE
INTROUDCTION
Guidance and Counselling is a professional field of study which has a broad range of activities, programmes and services geared towards assisting individuals to understand themselves and the world around. Guidance plays a vital role in preventing educational, personal and social, mental, emotional and other similar problems among, secondary school students.
The utilization of guidance and counselling services have helped the students to develop effective study habits, good reading skills, make adequate plans, choices and decision pertaining educational goals. Guidance and counselling also enable the students to gain self-direction and self- understanding.
As a vital component of any educational system, the essence of non- utilization of these services in the present day school system has led to the unprecedented rise in the crime wave, violence among students, cultism, Wrong career choice, and wrong subject combination among other issues. Infact, the utilization of counselling services depend on students perception of those services (Denga, 2001).
Perception can be described as predispositions which have developed through long and complex process. Nwachukwu (2007) defined perception as “a tendency to react favourably or unfavourably towards a designed class of stimuli”. It is evident that perception cannot be directly observed, but must be inferred from overt behaviour both verbal and non-verbal. It is also a condition of readiness for a certain type of activity. Perception held by individuals may be simple or complex, stable or unstable, temporary or permanent and superficial or fundamental judgments based. According to Nwachukwu (2007), a child’s perception towards his work affects his worth in his activity. Also perception refers to the way you think about or understand someone or something. However, it must be acknowledge that school counselling as a strategy for moderating students behaviour, depends largely on the perception of students and the reaction they elicits. In other words, counselling in itself cannot effect any positive change without being accepted, patronized and utilized by students.
Counselling services are those services designed to facilitate self understanding and self-direction. They are directed towards enhancing self-image. With counselling services, the students are set to understand themselves and World around. Counselling services are often described as the corner stone or the heart of guidance programme. These services are presented by Nwachukwu (2007) as information services, placement services, appraisal service, and vocational service, counselling service, referral service, evaluation service, follow-up service, consultancy service and research service. The way students respond and perceive guidance and counselling services will to a great extent determine whether or not guidance and counselling services are needed or will be effectively utilized in the school. The perception of students toward guidance services in schools plays a vital role in the development and growth of the Guidance and counselling services.
Considering the above assumptions by other researchers, the researcher founds it pertinent to undergo a study on perception of guidance services and utilization of guidance and counselling among senior secondary school students in Nsit Ibom local Government Area, of Akwa Ibom State, since no research on the subject matter has been carried out in this locality.
Guidance and counselling occupies a very strategic position in any educational system. Despite this, it has been observed that the perception of guidance services and utilization of guidance and counselling are not encouraged at the secondary school level.
Perception of guidance services have been highlighted as affecting students utilization of the information, appraisal, orientation and counselling services of guidance and counselling. This has been discussed in seminars and workshops organized for secondary school students.
Wrong perception held by students toward guidance and counselling services have been identified as being responsible for non-utilization of guidance and counselling among senior secondary school students in schools. In fact, one of the greatest needs for guidance and counselling in school is to help the students develop effective study habits. Most of the students who have academic abilities and potentialities cannot cope with academic work due to lack of interest, poor reading skills, poor study habits, lack of information, orientation, poor attitude toward counselling services etc. Many students also find it difficult to adjust to new environment because of non-utilization of guidance and counselling services. Considering the above problems, the researcher sees it necessary to investigate the perception of guidance services and utilization of guidance and counselling among senior secondary school students in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
The main purpose of this study is to examine perception of guidance services and utilization of guidance and counselling among Senior Secondary School Students in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.\
Specifically, the study is expatiated into the following objectives:
- To examine whether student’s perception of information service influence their utilization of guidance and counslling in secondary schools.
- To find out how students perception of appraisal service influence their utilization of guidance and counselling in secondary schools.
- To determine whether students perception of orientation service influence their utilization of guidance and counselling in secondary schools.
- To determine whether students perception of counselling service influence their utilization of guidance and counselling in secondary schools.
Based on the above stated objectives of the study, the following questions were raised as a guide to the study;
- To what extent does perception of information services influence the utilization of guidance and counselling among Senior Secondary School Students in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area?
- How does perception of appraisal service influence the utilization of guidance and counselling among Senior Secondary School Students in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area?
- To what extent does perception of orientation service influence the utilization of guidance and counselling among Senior Secondary School Students in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area?
- How does perception of counselling service influence the utilization of guidance and counselling among Senior Secondary School Students in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area?
The following null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study
- There is no significant relationship between the perception of information service and utilization of guidance and counselling among Senior Secondary School Students in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area?
- There is no significant relationship between the perception of appraisal service and utilization of guidance and counselling among Senior Secondary School Students in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area?
- 3. There is no significant relationship between the perception of orientation service and utilization of guidance and counselling among Senior Secondary School Students in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area?
- There is no significant relationship between the perception of counselling service and utilization of guidance and counselling among Senior Secondary School Students in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area?
- Significance of the Study
This study will be significance to the following people: The ministry of education, parents, proprietors/proprietress/principal of schools, teachers, counsellors, students and other researchers.
The educational administrators will use the outcome of this research for educational planning and administrative purposes.
- It will enable the ministry of education to understand the needs for guidance and counselling in secondary schools and thereby, creating a safe and conducive environment for counselling.
- The parents will be enlightened on the need for effective guidance and counselling and why they should encourage their children to take part in counselling activities in their schools.
- The principals and teachers will be better educated on the educational, vocational, social and personal needs of students, thereby helping the students to always seek guidance from the counsellors.
- The results of this research work will go to a large extent to enlighten and educate the student of the needs for guidance and counselling, and thus, helping the students to resolve their educational, vocational, social and personal challenges.
- The result of the study will help the counsellor to understand why they should behave as role models, pacesetters, in their respective schools.. The study will help the students to develop positive attitude and perception towards guidance and counselling services in school.
The results of the findings will enable the researcher to make recommendations for further researches.
- Basic Assumptions of the Study
It is assumed that availability of guidance and counselling services in secondary schools in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area will enable students to develop effective study habits which are crucial to students’ academic performance.
- Delimitation of the Study
This study was delimited to perception of guidance services and utilization of guidance and counselling among Senior Secondary School Students in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Specific emphasis was laid on the influence of perception of information services, Appraisal services, orientation services and utilization of guidance and counselling among senior secondary school students in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area.
Perception:
This refers to tendency to react favourable or unfavourable toward a designed class of stimuli. It is the process of obtaining information from events or environment through sensation.
Guidance:
This can be defined as a process of guiding an individual by proving alternative for him or her to personally decide on what to do.
Counselling:
This is a process by which one person (the counsellor) attempts to understand and helps to clarify, through listening with objectivity and empathy, those feeling in the other person (the client or the student) which impede growth and maturation and which in turn leads to growth and increased self-esteem in the students.
Utilization:
The act of putting something to use, bringing something to bear, using it for a particular purpose.
Guidance Service:
These are services designed in schools by a counselllor for the purpose of helping the students to address their academic challenges.
