The role of principals in enhancing guidance and counselling programmes in secondary schools: a case of Gatanga district, Murang' a county
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Date
2014-09-11
Authors
Njoroge, Dorcas Njeri
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Abstract
The problem to be addressed by this study was that, while teachers and school
administrators recognize the important role played by guidance and counselling in
student management, it has been observed that guidance and counselling in most of
the schools in Kenya was not effective. The status of guidance and counselling in
schools suggests that teacher counsellors were not given adequate support by the
school administration. This could lower their effectiveness, whereby they feel
incompetent in offering guidance and counselling to students. The purpose of the
study was to find out the role of school principals and their effectiveness in enhancing
the delivery of guidance and counselling services in secondary schools of Gatanga
District. The objectives of the study were to: establish the responsibility of the
principals in the establishment of guidance and counselling programmes in secondary
school; determine the challenges faced by principals in the management of guidance
and counselling programmes and find out the support provided by principals to the
guidance and counselling teachers. The study was based on Role Theoryproposed by
Goffman (1961) and later developed by Biddle (1986). The study employed the
descriptive survey research design, and was carried out in Gatanga District. The
population covered by the study comprised all the 30 public secondary schools in
Gatanga District. The study sample comprised of 15 principals, 30 teacher counsellors
and 150 students, a total of 195 respondents. Data was collected using questionnaires
for teacher counsellors and students and interview schedules for principals. A pilot
study was conducted to improve reliability of the questionnaire using the split-half
technique. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics including frequency counts
and percentages. Results of the study were presented in summary form using
frequency distribution tables and pie charts. The study established that the major roles
of the schools principals in provision of guidance and counselling services in school
were: recommending and supporting in-service training for guidance and counselling
teachers, ensuring that there is a trained teacher for the counselling in the school;
ensuring that the guidance and counselling programme is allocated time in the school
timetable; providing resources and materials ;ensuring there was a counselling room
in the school and motivating teacher counsellors for their good efforts. However, the
major challenges faced by the principals in the establishment of guidance and
counseling programmes in school were: inadequate funds, lack of government
support, lack of cooperation from the parents and teachers in strengthening of the
programme in the schools, lack of enough counselling teachers, lack of facilities and
lack of time for supervision of the programme. The study recommends that: All
schools should provide basic resources for guidance and counselling. These include a
counselling room equipped with reference materials as well as adequate resource
materials; school administration should provide the guidance and counselling
department with all the necessary assistance and support it deserves such as financial
and moral support; among other recommendations.
Description
Department of Educational Management Policy & Curriculum Studies, 71p. 2014