dc.description.abstract |
School discipline is a serious challenge facing schools globally, Kenya
not excluded. With Kenya banning of corporal punishment in 2001,
Guidance and Counseling (G&C) is being promoted as an alternative
approach to managing students’ discipline. However, growing evidence
suggests that G&C services are ineffective in addressing students’
discipline. The current study was motivated by the need to investigate
the influence of students’ attitudes towards guidance and counseling
and its influence on students’ discipline in public secondary schools in
Machakos County. The study was guided by Client Centered Theory
advanced by psychologist Carl Rogers (1940). The study used
descriptive survey design while the target population was all 35 public
secondary schools, all 35 heads of schools, all 35 heads of counseling
units (HCUs) and 2,864 form three students in Matungulu Sub-county in
Machakos County. However, simple random sampling technique was
used to sample 11(10.0%) schools and 286 (10.0%) form three
students. All the 11 school heads and the 11 heads of the participating
schools were purposively sampled. In total, 308 participants were
sampled. Data collection instruments included questionnaires for
school heads, heads of counseling units and students. Additionally, an
observation checklist was used. The study results showed that G&C
interventions face a number of challenges such as and lack of trained
teacher counselors. Based on the findings, the study concludes that
majority of public secondary schools in Matungulu Sub-county do not
have G&C offices, and where the offices are available, they cannot offer
the much needed confidentiality to enable students open up during G&C
sessions. Although G&C is allocated time, the study concludes that the
time allocated is not adhered to. On the level of resources needed in G&C
department, the study concludes that G&C resources are grossly
inadequate. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education (MOE) should formulate policies that ensure schools implement G&C
programmes effectively. On students’ attitudes towards G&C, the study
recommends that; Guidance and Counseling services should be
strengthened, in terms of peer counseling interventions and teacher
counselor training to take advantage of students’ positive attitudes and
to ensure that more students seek assistance so as to improve school
discipline. |
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