Impact of Guidance Services on Students’ Attitude Towards Schooling Among Secondary School Students. A Case Study of Jos North L.G.A, Plateau State
CHAPTER ONE
Objective of the study
The objective of this study is to examine the impact of guidance services on students’ attitudes towards schooling among secondary school students in Nigeria. To achieve this overarching goal, the study aims to accomplish the following specific objectives:
- Determine the extent to which guidance services are available and accessible to secondary school students in Nigeria.
- Investigate how secondary school students perceive the effectiveness and relevance of the guidance services provided in their schools.
- Examine the influence of guidance services on students’ attitudes towards schooling
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEWED OF RELATED LITERATURE
Concept of Guidance Service
Guidance service refers to services offered to a person, leading that person to self-actualization or helping him to develop his full potential. This objective of self-actualization is difficult to attain if a student is unaware of, or unrealistic about his potential. Bhatnagar and Gupta (1999) define guidance as a process of helping the individual find solutions to his own problems and accept them as his own”. They further say that guidance is an integral part of education; a continuous service; both generalized and specialized service, for the “whole” child and is not confined only to some specific aspects of his personality.
Guidance services for secondary school students are designed to address the physical, emotional, social and academic difficulties of adolescence. By resolving physical, emotional, social and academic difficulties of the students and by helping students understand their learning strengths and weaknesses; their study habits can be improved. Better study habits and study skills lead to better achievement scores. The guidance programmes promote academic, educational, personal, social and career development. Guidance programmes foster positive attitude towards school learning and work and hence, improve academic achievement. A study was conducted by Hudesman in Njeri (2007) to compare the impact of structured and non-directive counselling styles on academic performance of high-risk students. Results indicated that students in structured counselling condition had higher GPAs than those in non-directive counselling condition at the end of semester.
Francis in Njeri (2007) also examined the positive effects of counselling on students’ communication patterns, study habits and academic achievement. The secondary school guidance programme should be a part of the total school programme and complement learning in the classroom. It should be child centered, preventive and developmental. The guidance programme should aim at maximizing the student’s potential by encouraging their social, emotional and personal growth at each stage of their development.
Kochhar (2000) considers guidance necessary to help the pupil with specific problems like lack of relationship between ability and achievement, deficiency in one or several school subjects, faulty study habits, and defective methods of learning and poor motivation. Bhatnagar & Gupta (1999) are of the opinion that for better student achievement, it is necessary to help pupils make progress in their education by removing their difficulties and developing good study skills. Hence guidance programmes must include this aspect of student aid. Guidance plays a vital role in removing the educational, personal, social, mental, emotional and other similar problems of the students. The main purpose of instruction is to enable the child to learn, whereas the teacher’s task is to facilitate the learning process and develop study habits and right attitude toward learning. A teacher who has the guidance point of view in teaching will keep all this in mind (Bhatnagar and Gupta, 1999).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered. A total of eighty (80) questionnaires were administered to respondents of which only seventy-seven (77) were returned and validated. This was due to irregular, incomplete and inappropriate responses to some questionnaire. For this study a total of 77 was validated for the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain impact of guidance services on students attitude towards schooling among secondary school students. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing impact of guidance services on students attitude towards schooling among secondary school students
Summary
This study was on impact of guidance services on students attitude towards schooling among secondary school students in Jos North L.G.A, Plateau State. Three objectives were raised which included: Determine the extent to which guidance services are available and accessible to secondary school students in Nigeria, Investigate how secondary school students perceive the effectiveness and relevance of the guidance services provided in their schools and examine the influence of guidance services on students’ attitudes towards schooling. A total of 77 responses were received and validated from the enrolled participants where all respondents were drawn from selected secondary schools in Jos North L.G.A, Plateau State. Hypothesis was tested using Chi-Square statistical tool (SPSS).
Conclusion
The study has highlighted the critical role that guidance services play in shaping students’ attitudes towards schooling among secondary school students in Nigeria. It has been found that effective guidance services, including counseling, career guidance, and personal-social support, can significantly enhance students’ motivation, engagement, and overall outlook on their educational experience. Despite the evident benefits, several challenges such as inadequate funding, shortage of qualified counselors, and limited awareness about the importance of these services persist, hindering the effective implementation of guidance programs in Nigerian secondary schools.
Recommendations
Allocate more funds and resources to support the establishment and maintenance of comprehensive guidance programs in secondary schools. This includes providing adequate facilities, materials, and technology to enhance the effectiveness of guidance services.
Advocate for increased budget allocations specifically for guidance and counseling services to ensure that these programs are well-resourced and can operate effectively.
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