ABSTRACT
This research project was conducted to investigate the perception of guidance and counselling services in Urban Secondary Schools in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Ten urban secondary school were randomly selected for the study. In each of these ten Schools, 20 teachers from each School making a total sample of 200 were used for the study. Two hypothesis were tested for with the use of chi-square (X2) statistical analysis at 0.05 level of significance. Analysis of the result from data obtained through the questionnaire instrument reveal that: male and female secondary school teachers do not differ significantly (P>0.05) in their perception of the role of the counsellors, whereas male and female teachers differs significantly (P
Based on the above result, it could be recommended that, counselors should be provided with finance for various activities of the programme. Also, government and the Ministry of Education should organize seminars and workshops frequently to create conducive environment for consultation with counselors to teach or be consulted at least 1 hr every week.
CHAPTER ONE
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
According to the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, Guidance means “help or advice given to somebody, e.g. a child or young person, especially by somebody in authority”; while counseling in the other way round means “professional advice about a problem”.
From the above definitions of Guidance and Counselling, it therefore means that God is the supreme counselor. Biblically, facts remain that act of guidance and counseling had been right from the creation of Adam and Eve. According to Genesis 2:16-17 “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying “of every tree of the garden you may freely eat”, “but of the tree of the garden you may freely eat”, but of the tree of the knowledge of you eat of it, you shall surely die”. God having seen that He has put everything in such harmonious way that man should enjoy the garden, he advised. This then proved that God himself, did not leave man to live according to his own will and dictate, but advised them on how to live and enjoy the good things from the garden.
Relating Guidance and counseling to the nation, it proves unequivocal that the word is synonymous with order and administration. It becomes paramount since its spells out the general life conduct of citizenry. At any point in time, failure to adhere to this advice always come with consequences.
Academically, the origin of counseling is traced to vocational guidance movement pioneered by Frank Parson in 1986 (Uwe, 2005). This movement initiated an idea of specialist called “Counsellor” whose main aim was to help individual understand the facts about the world of work and themselves, and tried to help them fit these two components of information together in some meaningful way.
Also, Clifford Beers in 1988 also gave impetus to the emergence of this profession. By this he intensified public interest in mental illness and how such people could be help.