Guiding and counselling practice in relation to academic performance

Abstract

This study was based on establishing the influence of guiding and counselling practice as applied in secondary school in relation to strategies towards academic excellence. The objectives were: to determine the effect of peer guiding and counselling in relation to academic performance, access its impact towards subject and career choices, determine the influence of discipline counselling towards performance and its effect on personal, social and moral challenges. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population comprised of Quality Assurance Officers, teachers and students in secondary schools in Bungoma County. The instrument used to collect data was a questionnaire. Data was analyzed using quantitative statistics and presented using tables and graphs with the aid of SPSS. The results show that, guiding and counselling as practised does not meet the required standards of what is desired in academic performance. This has a direct bearing on human development that is related to what is effective practice regarding vision and mission of schooling: the self and self-conceptualization process for mastery of development tasks. These are agents of what constitutes comprehensive guidance and counselling practice. Further without access to counselling programmes, the self and self-actualization are jeopardized more so towards self-actualization, belonging, safety and expectation as a drive. Also, lack of visibility of counselling programmes poses a challenge, as this reflects lack of recognition. There is need to review guidance and counselling practices with the view of ensuring they meet the professional standards that lead to academic excellence thus performance. The recommendations are tailored towards guiding policy and mandating the practice. The study recommended that there should be a national policy put in place, to enable teacher training colleges and secondary schools have guiding and counselling included in their curriculum. In addition, the Ministry of Education should come up with alternative means of discipline in place of the corporal punishment that has been abolished and organize seminars to sensitize the teachers and students on a comprehensive practice of guiding and counselling. More than anything it should be comprehensive and should go beyond mere career guidance to disciplinary issues, personal-social-moral as well as support learning