Scottish secondary school teachers' attitudes towards, and conceptualisations of, counselling

This paper presents the findings of two independent questionnaire studies that examined Scottish secondary schools teachers' attitudes towards, and conceptualisation of, school counselling. Seventy-one teachers in a first study, and 33 teachers in a second study, responded to a range of qualitative and quantitative response-format questions that were designed to elicit their feelings and attitudes towards school counselling, and their notions of what counselling was. Results from the two studies confirm previous findings in this area, suggesting that teachers are generally positive in their attitudes towards counselling; valuing, in particular, the independence and expertise of the counsellor. A small minority of teachers, however, were found to hold strongly negative views towards counselling. Teachers also expressed concerns that students might abuse the counselling service, and that the service might not fully integrate with existing guidance arrangements provided by teachers in schools. The study also found that a high proportion of teachers conceptualised counselling in terms of advice-giving.     

The therapeutic effect of peace counselling among Nigerian secondary school teachers

This study examines the therapeutic effect of peace counselling among Nigerian secondary school teachers. 450 Nigerian secondary school teachers voluntarily participated in this study; 225 teachers (103 male and122 female) were used as control group while 225 teachers (103 male and 122 female) were exposed to peace counselling. Those in the treatment group participated in smaller groups made up of 25 teachers each. The teachers in the control group were also given peace counselling after the completion of the study. Two research questions were raised to guide the direction of the study. Teaching related Element of Peace Disturbance Scale (TEPDS) was used as the research instrument to collect pre‐ and post treatment data. Analysis of covariance was employed in the data analysis. The results showed that a significant difference existed between the control and the treatment groups with the latter ascertaining a higher degree of peace than the former. Also a significant difference was recorded between the male and female teachers who were exposed to peace counselling in their expressed peace level. Implications for peace counselling among all teachers functioning at all levels of education and their students were discussed.     

The influence of Confucianism: a narrative study of Hong Kong teachers’ understanding and practices of school guidance and counselling

School guidance seeks to promote the whole person growth of students. It is regarded as an integral part of an educational programme. In Hong Kong secondary schools, a team of teachers are responsible for school guidance. This article examines how guidance teachers made sense of their caring work in general and specifically the counselling services they offered to students. With the use of a narrative analysis and personal experience methods, the study explores the experience of guidance teachers in counselling. Twelve in-service teachers who had enrolled in the Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme at the Hong Kong Institute of Education were interviewed. The influence of the Chinese philosophy of Confucianism, emerging as a theme from the data, was prominent, as its key principles were incorporated into the teachers’ personal systems of counselling. The findings illuminate the influence of Chinese culture in Hong Kong schools. Implications for the promotion of culturally responsive approaches to counselling and culturally competent practices for helping are discussed.     

Cultural values and attitudes towards guidance and counselling services in one secondary school in Malaysia: the role of a school cultural system

This narrative ethnographic study aims to explore students' attitudes towards guidance and counselling services in one secondary school in Malaysia. Semi-structured individual interviews, group interviews and observations were conducted with school students of different racial backgrounds. They were identified as referred clients, self-referred clients, and those not deemed to be involved in counselling. The data were analysed using the constant comparative analysis grounded theory approach. The findings indicate that there were different attitudes among the three groups of participants concerning counselling services. The study highlights the role of a school system in elucidating attitudes towards guidance and counselling services. It poses implications for understanding counselling services within the school system.     

The effects of classroom teaching on students' self-efficacy for personal development

The personal development of students is an essential component of school guidance and counselling programmes, but no published research on guidance and counselling has investigated the effects of regular classroom teaching on students' self-efficacy for personal development. In this study, questionnaire items were constructed to measure classroom teaching, student self-efficacy for personal development and student use of deep learning strategies. Data were collected from 16,208 secondary school students in Hong Kong. Using structural equation modelling, regular classroom teaching was found to have a direct effect on personal development self-efficacy as well as an indirect effect through student use of deep learning strategies. Implications of these findings for implementing a whole-school approach to guidance and counselling are discussed.     

Mentoring in Dutch vocational education: an unfulfilled promise

Between 1998 and 2002 an estimated 250 mentoring programmes were started in Dutch secondary vocational education in order to decrease motivational problems and drop-out rates, especially among youngsters from ethnic minorities. Currently there are only two schools in secondary vocational education that include mentoring as part and parcel of their system of guidance and counselling. The vast majority of mentoring programmes do not run for more than two years. The main reason for this seems to be the absence of a vision of mentoring that explains how and why it works – a vision that is shared by mentors, teachers and school managers. In this article, data presented from four different case studies on mentoring in Dutch vocational education showed that the absence of a shared vision resulted in vague, often contradictory, and conflicting perspectives and actions taken by all parties involved in the mentoring scheme. In fact, because no synergy existed, the mentoring programmes had a marginal position in schools and disappeared as soon as external funding stopped.     

The role of the regular teacher in a whole school approach to guidance counselling in Ireland

A whole school approach to guidance counselling has been promulgated by Irish policy-makers as a model of good practice in the delivery of guidance counselling in the post-primary sector since the 1998 Education Act (DES, 2005a, 2009, 2012). This approach to guidance counselling provision is viewed as a whole school responsibility where schools are expected to collaboratively develop a school guidance plan to support the needs of their students. The role of the regular teacher in a whole school approach to guidance counselling has received very little attention either in the Irish education system or in empirical research. This article will address this deficit through its discussion of a case study carried out in one school in 2012. It will position the findings from the study in the context of the re-allocation of post-primary guidance counselling provision in the national Budget 2012 that has witnessed the substantive erosion of the guidance counselling service in the last two years.     

The Challenges of HIV/AIDS Counselling in Nigerian Secondary Schools: A Case Study of Kwara State

The study investigated the challenges of HIV/AIDS counselling in Nigerian secondary schools as expressed by school counsellors in Kwara state, Nigeria. The respondents comprised 132 purposively selected counsellors in Kwara state public secondary schools (Male=85; Female=47). Data were collected with the use of a survey instrument and the data were quantitatively analyzed. The study identified the challenges hindering effective implementation of HIV/AIDS counselling in Nigerian secondary schools as ignorance, non-existence of governmental policy on HIV/AIDS counselling in schools and negative attitudes of school administrators, students and teachers to HIV/AIDS. Geographical location and job status had significant influence on the respondents' views of the challenges facing HIV/AIDS counselling in Nigerian secondary schools. The Counselling Association of Nigeria (CASSON) should enlighten Nigerians on the importance of HIV/AIDS counselling in schools.     

Inclusion practices with Special Educational Needs students in a Hong Kong secondary school: teachers’ narratives from a school guidance perspective

Schools in Hong Kong are concerned about the growing enrolments of students with special educational needs (SEN) and how these students could be included in school guidance. This study examines teachers’ narratives of the inclusivity of school guidance. The study was qualitative, being a case study of a Hong Kong secondary school. School documents were collected for textual analysis and semi-structured interviews with 13 teachers were conducted, including nine guidance teachers and four other teachers who worked closely with these guidance teachers. Four dimensions for the inclusivity of school guidance were identified: the development of inclusive practices of guidance, the adoption of a proactive approach, the promotion of inclusive discipline, and the clear definition of the partnership between school guidance and professional organization offering specialised services for students with SEN. The study provides insights into contextual influences of Hong Kong education on school guidance and the development of an inclusive approach to guidance.     

Counselling values and their relationships with self-efficacy among Chinese secondary school teachers in Hong Kong

Two-hundred-and-ninety-nine Chinese secondary school teachers in Hong Kong were assessed on their endorsement of counselling values using a 19-item self-report checklist, and on their perceived self-efficacy towards helping using the 10-item Schwarzer-Wegner scale. These teachers were found to share the same counselling values as counselling psychologists. They prized most highly the humanistic counsellor qualities, followed by counselling practice with a preventive, developmental and holistic perspective. Their relative endorsement of scientific values suggested that they were not resistant to the promotion of empirically supported and evidence-based treatment approaches. Teachers’ self-efficacy towards helping was also predictable from endorsing values related to interpersonal relationships and diversity in counselling practice. Implications of the findings for improved counselling training for teachers are discussed.     

Online counselling in secondary schools: would students seek help by this medium?

Students in secondary schools experience problems that can impact on their well-being and educational outcomes. Although face-to-face counselling is available in most Australian secondary schools, many students, particularly boys, do not seek appropriate help. Research suggests that online counselling can be effective and increase engagement. This study of 215 secondary school students sought to assess students' intention to use online counselling if it was made available in schools. The results found no gender difference in the likely intentions to seek online help though year level was significant and students experiencing psychological distress had a preference for online counselling. If students did use online counselling it was more likely they would discuss sensitive topics rather than for career issues. Implications for school counselling are discussed.     

Secondary school professionals' ability to identify depression in adolescents

Adolescent depression represents a growing concern for secondary school personnel. Depression is often related to suicide, which currently ranks as the second leading cause of death in adolescents. Since secondary school personnel should be able to identify characteristics of adolescent depression, the purpose of this study was to assess regular classroom teachers', guidance counselors', and special education teachers' ability to identify characteristics of adolescent depression. Results indicated that counselors possess the greatest knowledge of these characteristics, while regular and special education teachers are somewhat less able to identify them. Results are discussed in terms of training and evaluation issues for teachers.     

Guidance in Hong Kong schools: Students' and teachers' beliefs

The perceptions which students and teachers in Hong Kong have of school guidance were investigated, with specific reference to the match and mismatch in their respective views. A survey of 2,045 secondary students and 267 teachers revealed that students and teachers held similar beliefs about school guidance, demonstrating convergence rather than divergence in perceptions. The results showed assent by both groups to proactive and developmental guidance, with some reservations about remedial guidance. Both groups affirmed the role of teachers in individual guidance and its helpfulness, and teacher participation in guidance as a means of school improvement of guidance. Divergence in views was mainly in the magnitude of agreement. Moscovici's theory of social representations is employed to explain the findings. Implications of the findings for the concept and development of guidance are discussed.     

Guidance and Guidance Systems in Secondary Schools: The Teacher's Views

The reorientation of school guidance to involve teachers in career guidance was the premise for this study. The objectives were to assess the attitudes of secondary vocational teachers toward the importance and adequacy of school guidance systems. Some 248 teachers were sent an instrument listing 19 guidance activities. Two scales of five options were used for importance and adequacy. A 75% response rate was achieved. Overall, the teachers believe that career guidance is an important function; however, they have an unfavorable disposition toward the adequacy of school guidance systems in providing students with career guidance.     

An Examination of Outside Work Experience of Public School Personnel

This study is one segment of a research project initiated by the Bureau of General Research, Kansas State University, Manhattan, to examine work attitudes and work experience of school personnel and their implications for career education. This article deals with the work-experience portion of that project. Data were obtained through the use of Work Attitude Inventory of Teachers (WAIT), a survey instrument that included a work-experience questionnaire. The instrument was administered independently to school administrators, vocational educators, secondary teachers other than vocational, elementary school teachers, and guidance and counseling personnel. Respondents recorded work experience outside teaching as well as teaching experience. The responses were categorized according to length of employment (full, part time, summer) and according to the U.S. Office of Education's 15 career clusters. The combined sample of 831 respondents to the work-experience element showed an average of 14.5 years of teaching experience and one out of five persons with no work experience outside education. Most work experience recorded was of a temporary nature and usually in a low-level or menial category.     

Organizational Identification and Perceived Intra-School Conflict Among Secondary Special Education and General Education Teachers

The relationships between the organizational variables-teacher assignment (general education or special education) and primary organizational identification (teachers' individual schools or respective district-level departments) and perceived organizational conflict were investigated. Four-hundred and fifty-four high school teachers—382 general education and 72 special education—responded to a three-part questionnaire. Both general education and special education teachers identified with both the school and the district-level departments to a greater than neutral level; the general education teachers identified more with their local schools than their district-level departments and the special education teachers identified equally with both their local school and the district-level department. Significant correlations between teacher organizational identification and perceived conflict were found for both groups of teachers—as the identification increased, the perception of conflict decreased. No significant differences were found in comparisons of general education and special education teachers on the identification or perceived conflict variables. Conclusions, with alternative causative factors, and recommendations for enhancing relationships between general educators and special educators are provided.     

The ‘tyranny of time’: getting to the heart of the impact of educational cuts on the provision of guidance counselling in Ireland

The Irish Education Act (Government of Ireland 1998) stipulates that each young person in secondary school in Ireland is entitled to access ‘appropriate’ guidance. It has been argued that this very right has been eroded since Budget 2012, where resource re-allocations in guidance counselling are obstructing the requirement for schools to implement this section of the Act. This qualitative study explored the effects of ‘educational cutbacks’ from the perspective of guidance counsellors. Findings from interviews with guidance counsellors, suggest that the effects of such cutbacks in guidance counselling are far-reaching and ultimately students are the one’s losing out. The paper proposes that there is a need to reinstate guidance counselling hours to allow guidance counsellors provide a comprehensive service to young people – which they are entitled to.     

Teacher stress and guidance work in Hong Kong secondary school teachers

Major sources of stress in Hong Kong teachers were investigated, with specific reference to guidance work as a potential source of stress. A survey of 415 secondary school teachers revealed that guidance-related aspects of work constituted a major dimension of stress, with guidance teachers, female teachers, younger teachers and junior teachers perceiving more stress than their counterparts in this dimension. Workload and time pressure were perceived as the most stressful aspects of work for all teachers. Results also showed an association between stress and job satisfaction, and biographical variables. Implications of the findings for teachers doing guidance work in Hong Kong and internationally are discussed.     

Using phenomenography to unearth factors influencing the delivery of guidance services

Which factors influence the delivery of school guidance services in Colleges of Education (CoEs) in Ghana? The guidance needs of students in the CoEs may not be fully met if the factors that influence guidance service delivery at that level of education are not explored for effective upgrade of service quality. This phenomenographic study therefore explored factors influencing the delivery of guidance services in CoEs in Ghana. We interviewed second-year teacher trainees (n = 24) and counsellors from three randomly selected CoEs in the Volta region of Ghana (n = 3). The findings indicate that material resources and awareness influenced guidance service delivery in the CoEs. It was also found that although students reported that confidentiality and attitude influenced service delivery in the colleges, the counsellors did not agree with this. Finally, the study discovered that human resource does not influence guidance service delivery in the colleges. It was recommended that college authorities should provide the material resources, such as offices, computers, and test batteries, that are needed for counselling, and counsellors should publicise the guidance programme to raise awareness and lead to the development of positive attitudes towards the programme. This study contributes to the guidance and counselling literature by illuminating the factors influencing guidance service delivery in CoEs. This should be of interest to practitioners, policymakers and researchers in school guidance and counselling.