ABSTRACT
This study investigated Counsellors’ communication patterns as correlates of effective implementation of Guidance and Counselling programme in secondary schools in Umuahia Education zone of Abia State. The population of the study comprised 27,308 students, 38 principals, and 264 teachers giving a total population of 27,610. A sample of 1,456 (38 principals, 53 teachers and 1,365 students) was drawn from the population. Four research questions were posed and three hypotheses were postulated to guide the study. Correlational design was adopted for the study. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire developed by the researcher titled “Counsellors’ Communication patterns for principals, teachers and students Questionnaire (CCPPTSQ)”. Four point-scale of very High Extent (VHE), High Extent (HE), Low Extent (LE), Very Low Extent (VLE) were assigned weights of 4, 3, 2, and 1, respectively. Cronbach Alpha was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer research questions. Pearsons’ r (coefficient of determination) was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 levels of significance. Results showed that principals, teachers and students accepted that implementation of Guidance and Counselling programme in secondary schools was to a low extent as shown by the cluster mean of 2.00, 2.17, 2.09 and SD of .67, .73 and .79, respectively for Principals, Teachers and Students. The relationship between counsellors’ communication patterns to principals and effective implementation of counselling programme in schools predicted r-calculated value of 0.870 which shows high correlationship. Counsellors’ communication patterns to teachers in schools predicted r-calculated value of 0.884 which is also considered high correlationship. Counsellors’ communication patterns to students in schools predicted r-calculated value of 0.868 which is high correlationship between counsellors’ communication patterns to students in schools. Hypothesis 1, 2 and 3 were rejected showing that there is correlationship between counsellors’ communication patterns to principals, teachers and students in schools. It was concluded that counsellors’ communication patterns to principals, teachers, students in schools correlates effective implementation of Guidance and Counselling programme in schools. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that capacity building workshop and seminars be organized for serving counsellors. Limitation of the study included the use of only one education zone and the use of only public schools. The researcher suggested that the study be replicated using private schools in Umuahia education zone.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Title
page i
Declaration
ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgements v
Table
of contents vi
List of
Tables viii
List of
figures ix
Abstract x
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
to the Study 1
1.2 Statement
of the Problem 7
1.3 Purpose
of the Study 8
1.4 Significance
of the Study 8
1.5 Research
Questions 9
1.6 Hypotheses 9
1.7 Scope
of the Study 11
CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1. Conceptual Framework 12
2.1.1. Concept of guidance and counselling
12
2.1.2. Objectives and components of guidance and
counselling 16
2.1.3. Concept of communication patterns in
counselling
19
2.1.4. Communication patterns and guidance and
counselling programme in sec.
schools
24
2.2 Theoretical
Framework 28
2.2.1 Socio-Psychological theory of communication
by Hoy and Miskel (2005) 28
2.2.2 Berlo communication theory 31
2.3 Review of Empirical Studies 33
2.4 Summary of Literature Review 37
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHOD
3.1
Design of the Study 39
3.2
Area of the Study 39
3.3
Population of the Study 40
3.4
Sample and Sampling Techniques 40
3.5
Instrument for Data Collection 40
3.6
Validation of the Instrument 41
3.7 Reliability of the Instrument 42
3.8
Method of Data Collection 42
3.9
Method of Data Analyses 43
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1
Result Presentation 44
4.2
Discussion of Findings 49
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary 52
5.2
Conclusion 53
5.3 Educational implications of the Study 53
5.4
Recommendations 54
5.5 Limitations of the Study 55
5.6
Suggestions for Further Studies 55
References
Appendices
LIST OF TABLES
Table 4.1: Mean and Standard Deviation of the of
level of implementation
of Guidance and
Counselling Programme in Secondary
Schools in Umuahia
Education Zone of Abia State 44
Table 4.2: Mean response on the relationship
between counsellors’
communication patterns
to principals and effective
implementation of
Guidance and counselling programme in
schools 46
Table 4.3: Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation
Co-efficient of
Significant relationship
between the counsellors’ communication
patterns to principals
and effective implementation of Guidance
and counselling
programme 47
Table 4.4: Mean response on the relationship
between counsellor
communication patterns
to teachers and effective
implementation of
Guidance and Counselling Programme in
schools 47
Table 4.5: Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation
Co-efficient of
Significant
relationship between the counsellors’ communication
Patterns to teachers and
effective implementation of Guidance
and Counselling
programme in schools 48
Table 4.6: Mean response on the relationship
between counsellors’
communication patterns
to students and effective implementation
of Guidance and
Counselling in schools 48
Table 4.7: Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation
Co-efficient of
Significant relationship
between the counsellors’ communication
patterns to students and
effective implementation of Guidance and
counselling programme in
schools 49
LIST OF FIGURES
Fig 1: Structure for
initiating Guidance Programme in Schools 25
Fig 2: The social-Psychological
model of communication 34
Fig. 3: Berlo’s Model of Communication 32
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
OF THE STUDY
Guidance
Counselling practice has become an integral aspect of the educational programme
in Nigeria in line with the modern trend in education. The Guidance programme
comes in as an aspect of educational programme that ensures that students take
advantage of all the opportunities offered by the programme. It is in the realm
of the programme of guidance that systematic efforts are made to guide students
towards understanding how the experience in schools can influence their
personal life in and out of school meaningfully. The secondary school stage
roughly corresponds with the adolescence stage of personality development. This
stage is normally very turbulent and have been described as periods of storm
and stress (Onah, 2002). This being the case, the need for guidance services in
the life of the students becomes expedient at the secondary school stage.
Guidance and Counselling has been viewed from different perspectives by
different scholars. Literally, guidance means to guide, direct, coach, advice,
watch over, pilot, aid, lead and inform. Guidance is a programme of services to
individual students based on the needs of each student, and understanding of
his immediate environment. Guidance was described by Shertzer and Stone (1980)
as a process of helping an individual to understand himself and his world.
Durojaiye (1987) sees guidance as the presentation of knowledge, information
and advice to people, individually or in groups in a carefully structured
manner so that the individual or group has sufficient materials, ideas,
examples and experiences which will enable the individual or group to make
choices and decisions. Egbo (2013) noted that guidance is a form of systematic
assistance given to students or others to help them acquire knowledge and
wisdom, free from compulsion or prescription and calculated to lead to
self-direction. One can therefore
describe guidance as the process of helping an individual to understand the
individual’s self and the world.
Akinade (2012) maintained that
counselling has been conceptualized as a face to face relationship between a
client and a professional counsellor aimed at assisting the individual to
maximize his overall personal development so that he could be more effective,
satisfied and more useful to the society in which he lives. Counselling was
described by Onanuga (1983) as an enlightened process whereby professional
counsellors assist people by facilitating growth and positive adjustment through
self-understanding. Egbo (2013) saw Counselling as a process of helping an
individual or individuals through direct personal face-to-face or even through
telephone encounter to gain insight into their problems. This makes all other
efforts of the school at educating the students a meaningful venture and thus
becomes the core motive behind the inclusion in the curriculum of a specialized
programme of services called guidance and counselling (Egbo, 2013).
A counsellor is a professionally trained person in guidance and
counselling who provides help to individuals or groups in need of counselling. Makinde (1988)
specifies three important roles for school counsellors as: to help persons who
are presently experiencing difficulties; to anticipate, circumvent and if
possible, forestall difficulties which may arise in the future and to help
individuals to plan, obtain and derive maximum benefits from educational,
vocational and other kinds of experience which will enable these individuals to
discover and develop their potentials.
Guidance and counselling services which are specifically facilitated by
counsellors include information services, orientation services, counselling
services, placement, appraisal, referral and follow-up services. These are
geared towards the attainment of the objectives of the guidance programme in
schools. Otta and Ogbuokiri (2012) argued that for effective implementation of
guidance programme in schools, relevant information is very important. Man
receives information from time to time through the sense organs, which could be
either sight, hearing, touch or even smell. The information giving is an
important and vital aspect of the guidance programme. These pieces of
information are aimed at enabling students or counsellees to acquire the
knowledge on educational, personal- social and vocational issues. Without
information, no guidance programme is complete. So for the students to possess
positive self-concept and the ability to see themselves as unique individuals,
the counsellor must provide them with meaningful and relevant information.
Information
dissemination in guidance and counselling is an important aspect of the
Nigerian education system (FRN, Revised 2014). The National Policy on Education
stipulated the need for guidance and counselling in schools and mandated all
the State Governments to establish guidance and counselling Units in all
secondary schools and their Ministries of Education. Naturally, information is
the transmission of messages from a sender to the receiver; the content of
message refers to objective facts codified independently from the human
relationship between the informer and the informed. It can also mean data or
documents collected which can be expressed in writing. According to MacBride in
Onyemerekeye and Uhegbu (2000) information means interrelated or structured
data, including collection, storage, processing and dissemination of news,
data, facts, messages, opinions and comments required in order to react, acknowledge
as well as to be in a position to take appropriate decision. Information is the
material expression of human beings. It is highly indispensable for sound
decision- making. All decision- makers need information to help them in their
day to day activities such as employment, promotion, new products, new
technology, conditions of work and other matters that can influence individuals
in all facets of life. Information can also be in form of writing and pictures,
as well as various codes, character strings and numerical strings. Onyemerekeye
and Uhegbu (2000) mentioned that right information at the right time can help
avert imminent plague and save many from perishing. Information acts as a means
of storing knowledge. It can be seen as the material result of human
understanding of the objective world that enables individuals to retrieve
stored materials when needed. For instance, through career guidance attempt is
made to provide the youth with relevant information on saleable skills that are
of economic and national interest (Otta & Ogbuokiri, 2012). They noted that
students can get information about vocation from classroom instruction; from
the counsellor during morning assembly, the use of pamphlets in the library,
newspapers, magazines, workshops, and students can also get information through
career conferences.
However, effective implementation of counselling programme in secondary
schools according to (Odoemelam, 2004) means a process by which the counsellor
implores the use of morning assembly, pasting of notices, the use of bulletin
boards, written communication, career talk, class visitation and others in
sensitizing both the principal, teachers, students and personnel.
Communication
patterns in counselling programme are referred to as the systematic procedures counsellors
adopt in sensitizing the school community of the counselling services.
Counsellors offer assistance to students who are troubled with Educational,
Vocational and Personal social challenges in schools. According to Nwagwu,
Ijeoma & Nwagwu (2004) counsellor’s communication patterns include: information
giving, the use of morning assembly, use of bulletin board, individual and group
approaches, class visitation, pasting of useful notices and career day/week. The
school as a social service enterprise requires effective communication patterns.
This is to enable it achieve the objectives for which it was established. As a
professional counsellor, the success of school counselling programme depends
upon the ease and certainty of communication patterns of the counsellor. It was
asserted by Eneasator (2001) that the influence a counsellor has in school
setting is partly a matter of his or her effective communication patterns. A
school counsellor who stands at the centre of communication network within a
school is in a position to facilitate communication to enhance learning and
teaching activities and to create understanding and cooperation among all those
involved in the education process. The counsellor’s communication patterns
towards the principals, down to the teachers and the students play a unifying
role in terms of encouraging and establishing team spirit. This study
investigates counsellors’ communication patterns and the achievement of counselling
goals and objectives in schools. These objectives will be highlighted further
in this study. These objectives will be actualized by providing services under
three broad areas namely; Educational, Vocational and Personal-Social.
In an organization like school setting, formal or informal communication
can lead to effective implementation of counselling programme which aid the
achievement of secondary school counselling goals such as providing career
information to the students, carrying out orientation programme for new
students, organizing group and individual counselling for students (Akinubi,
Gbadiyen, Fashiki & Kayode, 2010). A school counsellor cannot organize
school guidance programme and control counselling activities as well as
delegate responsibilities without proper communication patterns. Communication
is concerned with transmitting and receiving information which is key to all
aspects of school life whether by planning, controlling, problem-solving,
decision-making, motivating, interviewing and other counselling services (Ijaiya,
2000). There is a general feeling that counsellors do not utilize effective
communication patterns to principals, teachers and students in secondary schools
(Nwankwo, 2007). This apparent and sad
development according to him, may adversely affect the growth of our education
system as students may no longer be receiving the desired qualitative
education. However, Communication patterns in guidance and counselling could be
the process by which the counsellor implores the use of morning assembly,
pasting of notices, use of bulletin boards, written communication, career talk,
classroom visitation and others in sensitizing both principals, teachers,
students and other school personnel. Communication patterns may involve organizing
orientation programme, report writing, file searching, document content
analysis, literature searching, referral and counselling services, compilation
and research activities which includes the use of journals, magazines and many
others.
A look at the extent communication patterns serves as a factor for
effective implementation of counselling programme in schools may reveal the relationship
between the effectiveness of the communication patterns of the counsellors to
principals, teachers and students and implementation of counselling programme
in schools. Halawh (2005) indicated that communication pattern of the counsellsors
to principals is positively related to implementation of counselling programme and
that there was significant relationship between communication pattern of the
counsellors to principals and effective implementation of counselling programme
in schools. Okendu (2009) indicated that effectiveness of communication
patterns of counsellors to principals, teachers, parents and students in the
implementation of counselling programme has positive and significant
relationship with students’ performances in secondary schools in Ikwere Local
Government Area. One therefore wonders the extent counsellors communication
patterns serves as a factor for effective implementation of counselling
programme in schools in Umuahia Education Zone of Abia State. It is against this
background that this study was designed to investigate if there is a connection
between counsellors communication patterns to school principals, teachers and
students and effective implementation of guidance and counselling programme in
Umuahia Education Zone of Abia State.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
Guidance and Counselling programme has been established in all secondary
schools in Nigeria to carter for the educational, vocational and personal
social needs of the students. This is aimed at preparing students adequately
for higher education and to maximize their full potentials for productive adult
life. However, consistent report of poor academic achievement, high youth
unemployment rate and rising juvenile delinquencies are evidence of poor
implementation of Guidance and Counselling Programme in the secondary schools.
The role of the counsellor in the implementation of the counselling programme
in secondary schools is vital. The counsellors’ patterns of communication in
the achievement of the objectives of guidance and counselling in schools are
the key. This is because he/she has to galvanize the support of all school
personnel towards achieving the goals of guidance and counselling as well as
properly sensitize the students to seek guidance and counselling services
provided by the schools. The patterns of communication the counsellors adopt is
significant in determining the extent of implementation of Guidance and
Counselling programme in secondary schools.
This study therefore sets out to investigate the relationship between
the counsellors’ communication patterns and effective implementation of
counselling programme in secondary schools in Umuahia Education Zone of Abia
State. The problem of this study, therefore is: Does Counsellors’ communication
pattern correlate effective implementation of Guidance and counselling
programme in secondary schools in Umuahia Education Zone of Abia State?
1.3 PURPOSE
OF THE STUDY
The major purpose of this study was to find out the extent counsellors’
communication patterns correlate with effective implementation of counselling
programme in schools in Umuahia Education Zone of Abia State. Specifically, the
study sought to:
1)
determine the level of implementation of counselling programme in secondary
schools in Umuahia Education Zone.
2)
find out the relationship between counsellors’ communication patterns to
the principals and effective implementation of counselling programme in schools.
3)
find out the relationship between counsellors’ communication patterns to
the teachers and the implementation of counselling programme in secondary
schools in Umuahia Education Zone.
4)
find out the relationship between counsellors’ communication patterns to
the students and implementation of counselling programme in secondary schools
in Umuahia Education Zone.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
The findings of this study will be significant to a number of persons in the society including
counsellors, counsellor-educators, principals, teachers, students, parents, government
and society at large if disseminated through conferences, seminars and
workshops.
The findings will inform the counsellors more on their responsibilities
to providing effective counselling programme in schools especially in relation
to the effect of counsellors’ communication patterns in the effective
implementation of counseling programme in secondary schools. Often the tasks
for which counsellors are trained are not necessarily the very ones they are
expected to perform by those they serve. Indeed, the counsellor’s duties in schools
are a function of his training, best judgment and of various professional and
personal attributes he or she brings to bear on his or her roles and
responsibilities.
The findings of this study will provide principals an insight into the
roles of counsellors’ communication patterns on the effective implementation of
guidance and counselling programme in schools. This might spur the principals
to ensure that they give counsellors the necessary support towards the
achievement of the objectives of the guidance and counselling programme in
schools. It might enable the principals to recognized the important role they
play in the success of the guidance services in schools.
The findings of this study will benefit teachers of secondary schools,
especially in Umuahia Education Zone. It will motivate them to get involved in
guidance and counselling services. These services in schools are so challenging
that the school counsellors cannot effectively embark on them alone. He needs
to involve the teachers. Teachers’ involvement promotes understanding,
acceptance and assimilation of changes that will enhance the implementation of counselling
programme in schools.
The findings of this study will enable counsellor-educators to stress
communication patterns as one of the factors that are necessary in the training
of counsellors for the effective implementation of guidance programme in
secondary schools.
The findings of this study if disseminated and put to good use will
facilitate the effective implementation of counselling programme in schools.
The students who are the end-user of the programme will be equip students with
necessary skills to make informed career choice, acquire necessary skills on
how to relate well with counsellors, teachers and their fellow students and
maximize their potential for academic excellence. This study will also provide
students with the necessary skills to cope with life challenges.
The findings of this study will enable curriculum reviewers to
understand the relationship between counsellors’ communication patterns and
effective implementation of counselling programme in schools and accommodate
the counsellors’ communication patterns in counselling when reviewing the curriculum.
The findings of this study which emphasized the relationship between
counsellors’ communication patterns to principals, teachers and students and
effective implementation of Guidance and Counselling Programme in Schools will
benefit the government. Government represented by the relevant ministries will
utilize the findings to proactively to work towards equipping the counsellors
with communication skills to enhance the implementation of guidance and
counselling programme in schools.
The society is the beneficiary of all the end products of all education
endeavours. The findings of this study if used to facilitate the implementation
of guidance and counseling programme will lead to positive outcomes on the part
of the students who will in-turn become responsible and productive members of
the society
1.5 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
To achieve the objectives of the study, the following research questions
were posed.
1)
What is the level of implementation of counselling programme in
secondary schools in Umuahia Education Zone of Abia State?
2)
What is the relationship between counsellors’ communication patterns to
principals and the effective implementation of counselling programme in schools
in Umuahia Education Zone of Abia State?
3)
What is the relationship between counsellors’ communication patterns to teachers
and the effective implementation of counselling programme in schools?
4)
What is the relationship between counsellors’ communication patterns to
students and the effective implementation of counselling programme in schools?
1.6 HYPOTHESES
To further guide the study, the following null hypotheses were
formulated and tested at 0.05 levels of significance.
HO1: There is no significant relationship between
counsellors’ Communication patterns to principals and the effective
implementation of counselling programme in schools.
HO2: Counsellors’
Communication patterns to teachers do not have significant relationship with
the effective implementation of counselling programme in schools.
HO3: There
is no significant relationship between counsellors’ communication patterns to
students and the effective implementation of counselling programme in schools.
1.7 SCOPE
OF THE STUDY
The study was delimited to public secondary schools in Umuahia Education
zone of Abia State which is made up of Umuahia North, Umuahia South, Ikwuano
and Umunneochi Local Government Areas. It focused on counsellors’ communication
patterns as correlates of effective implementation of Guidance and Counselling
programme in secondary schools in Umuahia Education zone of Abia State. The
study addressed the relationship between communication patterns of counsellors to
principals, teachers, and students and implementation of counselling programme
in schools. Counsellors’ communication
patterns used here include; the use of morning assembly, classroom visitation,
the use of bulletin board, the use of flash cards, individual and group
approaches, orientation week and career day/week.
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