Guidance and Counselling Services and Their Influence on Students' Academic Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Bureti Sub County, Kenya

Abstract

Individual, Group and Peer Guidance and Counselling (G&C) services in Secondary Schools are conceived as important services towards strengthening students' character and academic achievement. In Bureti Sub County performance in K.C.S.E. from 2007 to 2009 was below average, that is, mean scores of 4.445, 4.435 and 4.491 respectively in spite of G&C services being in place, perhaps due to shortcoming in the effectiveness of these G&C services on academic achievement. The purpose of this study therefore was to examine guidance and counselling services and their influence on students' academic performance in Bureti Sub County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were to: Establish the professional qualifications of the personnel providing G&C services; Examine the adequacy of G&C facilities and materials in secondary schools; Find out the preferred types of guidance and counselling services offered in secondary schools and; Determine the relationship between G&C services and students' academic performance in Public secondary schools in Bureti Sub County. A conceptual framework based on Biswalo's (1996) concept that guidance and counselling helps students develop proper study skills and acquisition of knowledge on examination techniques was adopted in this study to establish the influence of G&C services on student's academic performance. The study used descriptive survey and correlation research designs. The study population comprised of 22 principals, 22 heads of G&C department and 1,201 form four 2012 students from all the 22 Public Sub County secondary schools in Bureti Sub County. Two principals, two G&C teachers and 120 students were used in the pilot study. The study employed saturated sampling technique to select 20 principals and 20 heads of G&C department while simple random sampling technique was used to select 400 students. Questionnaire, interview schedule and document analysis guide were used to collect data for the study. Face and content validity of instruments was established by supervisors. Reliability of instruments was determined using test-retest method. Reliability coefficient of the instruments was 0.72, 0.71 and 0.74 for principals, .G&C teachers and students questionnaires respectively. Data collected using questionnaires were analysed using descriptive statistics in form of frequency counts, percentages and means; while inferential statistics, that is, Pearson r and multiple regressions were used to determine relationships between variables. Data collected using interview schedule were audio tapped and transcribed into themes and sub-themes as they emerged from the data. The study established that 13(65%) of the practicing school counselors did not have the required qualifications of diploma and above in G&C. Guidance and Counseling facilities were inadequate in most schools. Types of G&C services offered in schools included individual, peer and group. The relationships between G&C services offered and academic performance was statistically significant. The study concluded that the types of G&C services preferred were peer and group and that G&C services accounted for 47.5% of students' academic performance. The study recommended that teacher counselors should be trained and the facilities for counseling should be improved. The findings of this study are significant to teacher counselors, Principals and the Ministry of Education Science and Technology as they will enable them to enhance G&C services in schools so as to achieve the set objectives of school guidance and counseling program.