Students Perspectives on the Guidance and Counselling Units in the School System

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the student's perspectives towards the School Guidance and Counselling Unit. School Guidance and Counselling Units were established in all government schools with the assistance of the Ministry of Education through the applications recommended by circulars no 16/2011and 6/2013. Due to the students' emerging psychological and behavioral problems, there was a growing interest in enhancing the School Guidance and Counselling Service. The research objectives were to investigate the student's awareness about the School Guidance and Counselling Unit, student's attitudes towards the School Guidance and Counselling Unit, perception of the students towards the School Guidance and Counselling Unit, and identify the steps to increase the function of the unit. A questionnaire survey was administered under the mixed- method research design, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten purposively selected students. Data analysis was done by using quantitative and qualitative methods. Findings indicate that most of the students are unaware of the services provided by the School Guidance and Counselling Unit. Students positively perceive that seeking help from the unit is beneficial. However, most students believe that seeking guidance and counselling services consumes much time, and the unit does not encourage one to seek counselling services. It was evident that whether schools have implemented the recommendations addressed via circulars, the function of the school guidance and counselling service is not up to the desired level. Therefore, it is essential to circulate a proper monitoring system towards the school guidance and the counselling center. Needed utilities and resources should provide for the proper function of the Student Guidance and Counselling Unit within the school level with the assistance of the ministry of education.