GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING

Course Outline

I. Course Description:

The subject provides a prospective professional teacher an extensive and integral vision
of his multifaceted task of shaping the people, and on the macro-perspective, the society. It
specifically dwells on the teacher as a member of the society, as a classroom manager, as a
practiced professional who manifests global competitiveness, in depth knowledge of
multiculturalism, and profound understanding of the significant laws that are consequential to
his practice of the teaching profession.

II. General Objectives of the Course

This course specifically aims to:

 explain the concepts of guidance and counseling;

 identify the need for guidance and counseling in higher education
 distinguish between academic, social, personal and career guidance
 assess guidance and counseling within the context of higher education;
 demonstrate awareness of the ethics of guidance and counseling; and
 State the limitations of the higher education teacher in offering guidance and counseling
services.
 enable teachers improve their school environment by identifying preventive methods and
solutions to problems faced by them or groups of students.
 enable apply the principles of guidance and counseling to improve the performances of
students in their academic pursuits or endeavors.
 equip teachers with skills in helping students discover, understand; actualize well-
defined moral values, belief and principles to balanced life.
 identify some guidance and counseling functions among teachers in schools
 develop some conceptual framework for guidance and counseling in schools
 enable teachers diagnose students’ learning difficulties and offer acceptable solutions.
 define the terms guidance, and counseling
 differentiate between guidance and counseling
 identify the aims and objectives of guidance and counseling in schools
 identify the needs for guidance and counseling
 define practicum in the context of guidance and counseling.
 identify the aims and objectives of practicum.
 state the functions of practicum.
 equip the teacher with skills to assume professional role for the students in the school.
 understand, apply, and assess various counseling methods to address educational,
vocational; personal, and social concerns of individual students in the school or society.
 specific awareness and knowledge of individual counseling skills and group counseling.

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  develop skills in the use of competences in practicum supervision and arrangements. •
Show respect to community values and educational community and serve needs of the
client.
 facilitate change in the school and the community around the school.
 facilitate change in self and others in the school and the larger community.
 facilitate change in students’ attitudes and behavior for improved performance in school
activities.
 understand and facilitate students’ community pride and involvement.
 demonstrate competences in subject matters, knowledge and design learning experiences
that are coherent and meaningful to the students
 organize counseling activities for learners who are not succeeding in school.
 effective family communication;

III. Expected Outcome

 identify some counseling and guidance functions of the teacher in higher education
 develop a conceptual framework for guidance and counseling in higher education; and
 Carry out exercises on guidance and counseling on individual and groups of learners in
higher education.
 Develop or adapt instruments for data gathering for guidance and counseling.
 use the instruments developed/adapted for data collection
 process data collected;
 conduct group and individual interviews and observations; and
 Keep anecdotal records of learners.
 review general practices in academic, social and career guidance and counseling; and
 carry out exercises that are aimed at improving such practices.

IV. Course Requirements

Regular attendance
Quizzes
Examinations (Prelim, Midterm and End term)
Active Participation
Individual and Group Activities
Reporting/Oral Presentation
Paper Output (Critical Review of Journal Articles)

V. Teaching Approaches/Strategies

Individual Self-Inventory
Reporting
Collaborative and Cooperative Learning
Open discussion/Brainstorming (Dyadic or Group)

VI. Academic Performance Evaluation System

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 Examination (Prelim, Midterm and End term)……..................... 30%
Quizzes………………………………………………………………. 30%
Participation……………………………...…………………………. 10%
Attendance………………………………………………..………… 10%
Outputs/Report Presentation…………………………...........…… 20%
Total …………………………………………………...............….. 100%

VII. References

Commission on Higher Education

http.//www.ched.gov.ph

Congress of the Philippines

http.//www.congress.gov.ph

DECS Manual 2000 for Public Schools

Senate of the Philippines
http.//www.senate.gov.ph

Online Journals and Related Sites:

Chan Robles Virtual Law Library
http.//chanrobles.com/philsupremelaw1.htm
Educause Review
http. //connect educause.edu/er
International Education Journal
http.//ehlt.flinders.edu/education/ie

VIII. Content Coverage for Modular Students

Instructions:

1. Research the following and give an introduction or highlights about the MAIN TOPICS.
You can copy the important lessons and make an outline. Encode and use Microsoft
Words.

A. Psychological Testing
 Basic Skills in Psychological Assessment
 Statistics in Psychological Testing
 Evaluating Test Items
 Cognitive Assessment
 Personality Assessment
B. Vocational/Career Guidance
 What is a Career Guidance and Counseling Program?
 Why is Career Guidance and Counseling Key to the Delivery of Vocational-
Technical Education?
 Who Benefits from Career Guidance and Counseling Programs?
 Where are Career Guidance and Counseling Programs offered?

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  Where is Career Guidance and Counseling Working?
 What are the Key Components of Successful Career Guidance and Counseling
Programs?
 What does the highlight about Career Guidance and Counseling Programs?
 What are some Opportunities for Career Guidance Counselors under the
Perkins Act?
C. Philosophical/ Psychological/ Sociological Foundation of Guidance
 Philosophical Foundations
 Sociological Foundations
 Psychological Foundations
D. Counseling Theories, Tools and Techniques
 The Counselor: Person and Professional
 Ethical Issues in Counseling Practice
 Psychoanalytic Therapy
 Existential Therapy
 Adlerian Therapy
 Person-Centered Therapy
 Gestalt Therapy
 Behavior Therapy
 Cognitive Behavior Therapy
 Choice Theory/Reality Therapy
E. Organization and Administration of Guidance Services
F. Group Process and Program Development
G. Presidential Decree No. 6-A

2. Print and will submit to the author after you accomplished the Research.

SUPPLEMENTAL

What is Guidance and Counselling?

Guidance and counselling are two sides of the same coin. The goal in both cases is to give an
opportunity for an individual to see a variety of available options and thereafter, assist the person
in making a wise choice. Guidance is the process that is put in place at a time a choice is to be
made. Counselling on the other hand

o Helps with considering all sides of a potential choice even before the choice is made;
o ii) Takes place when a choice has been made and there is a need to modify, reinforce or
abandon such a choice.

Consider a new student in a university who is to register for courses in a program. The course list
has two categories - compulsory and elective courses. The compulsory courses are mandatory.
The elective courses offer some choice. Your effort at assisting the learner to select suitable elective
courses provides an example of guidance service. Assume after registration and some way into
the program, the learner has problems with some courses. Perhaps the learner is unable to cope
with the rigor of work or is having some problems with a course lecturer. Offering informed

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advice on how to cope with emerging problems is counselling. (Though counselling is far more than
advice since, among other things, it requires input from the counselee)

INTRODUCTION

Learners in the higher education system come in with a wide variety of backgrounds. There is
diversity in their entry socio-economic and academic profiles. This diversity translates into a
differential in their behavior patterns. Yet our desire is to ensure that all are found worthy in
learning and character to justify the degree or diploma given after the course of study.

Seckle (1999) has stressed the need for specialized support in guidance and counselling in higher
education, noting that each tertiary education lecturer/teacher should be familiar with the basic
principles by which problems can be identified and appropriate interventions suggested to
learners. The need for support for the tertiary teacher is becoming increasingly important.
Learners in the higher education system come from a diversity of learning backgrounds. This
means that there is diversity in their entry socio-economic and academic profiles, which translates
into a differential in their behavior patterns. Attention was paid to the subject of guidance and
counseling in light of this diversity of quality higher education. There is the need to identify
specialists who are trained to offer guidance and counseling services. The higher education
teacher who is not trained should not be expected to offer such specialized services.

The variety of mix in preferences, interests and cognitive competencies in the school system
require that learners are assisted in focusing and addressing their own particular interests if they
are to receive quality higher education. This is done through guidance and counselling. The goal
of guidance and counselling is to make it possible for an individual to see and explore his or her
unlimited endowed options (Odeck, 1999). Educationally, guidance should involve those experiences
which assist each learner to understand and accept oneself so as to live effectively in society.

Down through the ages, a scheme of guidance and counselling has been found to be essential for
all categories of learners. At the higher education level, this need becomes accentuated as we have
the greatest mix of interests, preferences and cognitive competencies in the school system.
Attention is turned in this module to the subject of guidance and counselling as a way for
improving the quality of higher education.

Definitions

Guidance is a broad term that is applied to a school’s program of activities and services that are
aimed at assisting students to make and carry out adequate plans and to achieve satisfactory
adjustment in life. Guidance can be defined as a process, developmental in nature, by which an
individual is assisted to understand, accept and utilize his/her abilities, aptitudes and interests
and attitudinal patterns in relation to his/her aspirations. Guidance as an educational construct
involves those experiences, which assist each learner to understand him/herself, accept
him/herself and live effectively in his/her society. This is in addition to the learner having
learning experiences about the world of work and people therein.

Guidance can also be looked at as a program of services to people based upon the need of each
individual, an understanding of his/her immediate environment, the influence of environmental

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factors on the individual and the unique features of each school. Guidance is designed to help
each person adjust to his/her environment, develop the ability to set realistic goals for
him/herself, and improve his/her total educational program. As a process, guidance is not a
simple event but it involves a series of actions or steps progressively moving towards a goal. As
a service, we can isolate three major services, that of educational, vocational, and personal and
social guidance.

1. Educational Guidance

Educational guidance is so far as it can be distinguished from any other form of guidance, is
concerned with the provision of assistance to pupils in their choices in and adjustment to the
schools' curriculum and school life in general. Educational guidance is therefore essential in
counselling service. Guiding young people to pursue the right type of education in which, for
example the right balance is met for accommodating the human resource needs of a nation.

2. Vocational Guidance

Vocational guidance is a process of helping individuals to choose an occupation, prepare for,

enter into and progress in it. Vocational happiness requires that a person's interests, aptitudes
and personality be suitable for his/her work. It plays its part by providing individuals with a
comprehension of the world of work and essential human needs, thus familiarizing individuals
with such terms as `dignity of labor' and `work value'.

3. Personal and Social Guidance

Personal and social guidance is the process of helping an individual on how to behave with
consideration to other people. Primarily, personal and social guidance helps the individual to
understand oneself, how to get along with others, manners and etiquette, leisure time activities,
social skills, family and family relationships and understanding masculine and feminine roles.

Counselling is usually viewed as one part of guidance services; it is subsumed by the general
term, guidance, in that it is one service within guidance rather than a synonym. It is difficult to
think of one definition of counselling. This is because definitions of counselling depend on the
theoretical orientation of the person defining it. Let us examine some of these definitions.

Counselling is learning-oriented process which usually occurs in an interactive relationship with

the aim of helping the person learn more:

 about the self;

 about others
 about situations and events related to given issues and conditions
 And also, to learn to put such understanding to being an effective member of the society.

Counselling is a process in which the helper expresses care and concern towards the person with
a problem to facilitate that person's personal growth and positive change through self-
understanding. Counselling denotes a relationship between a concerned person and a person
with a need. This relationship is usually person-to-person, although sometimes it may involve

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more than two people. It is designed to help people understand and clarify their views of their
life-space, and to learn to reach their self-determined goals through meaningful, well-informed,
choices and through resolution of problems of an emotional or interpersonal nature. It can be
seen from these definitions that counselling may have different meanings.

List any four activities you have carried out in your department within the last one year that are

 guidance and
 Counselling in nature.

From your list, indicate the elements which distinguish each activity as either guidance or
counselling.

In fact, counselling is provided under a variety of different labels. For example, there are instances
where counselling is offered in the context of a relationship which is primarily focused on other,
non-counseling concerns. For example, a student may see a teacher as a person with whom it is
safe to share worries and anxieties. In such a situation it seems appropriate to see what is
happening as being a teacher using counselling skills rather than engaging in an actual
counselling relationship. The teacher is counselling but not being a counsellor.

Guidance programs and the counseling service within them, usually deal with situational and
environmental conditions. Counselling is often seen as assistance given individuals to attain a
clear sense of identity. Counselling, as well as the total guidance program, stressed rational
planning, problem-solving, and support in the face of situational pressures. The counselling
relationship is usually characterized by much less intensity of emotional expression than that
found in the therapeutic relationship. Counselling services are usually located in schools,
universities, community service agencies, and pastoral organizations, while psychotherapeutic
services are usually found in clinics, hospitals, and private practice. The recipients of counselling
are `normal' individuals rather than those who exhibit abnormal or extreme modes of adjustment.
Psychotherapy exists for individuals with psychological disorders. Counselling helps the
essentially normal individual remove frustrations and obstacles that interfere with development,
while psychotherapy attempts to deal with disabling or disintegrating conflicts.

Counselling focuses upon helping the individual to cope with development tasks such as self-
definition, independence, and the like. Attention is given to clarifying the individual's assets,
skills, strengths, and personal resources in terms of role development. Counselling approaches,
are based more upon emphasizing present conscious material (material available within the
individual's awareness) while psychotherapeutic approaches tend to emphasize historic and
symbolic materials, relying heavily upon reactivation and consideration of unconscious
processes.

Still More Views

1. An appraisal service which is designed to collect, analyze, and use a variety of objective and
subjective personal, psychological, and social data about each student in order to better
understand them as well as assisting them to understand themselves.

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2. An informational service which is designed to provide students with a greater knowledge of
educational, vocational, and personal-social opportunities so that they may make better informed
choices and decisions in an increasingly complex society.

3. A counselling service which is designed to facilitate self-understanding and self-development

through dyadic or small-group relationships. The major focus of such relationship tends to be
upon personal development and decision making that is based on self-understanding and
knowledge of the environment.

4. A planning, placement, and follow-up service, which is designed to enhance the development
of students by helping those select and utilized opportunities within the school and in the outside
labor market.

The aims of counselling are broad. They may, in certain cases, depend on the situation and
environment, and also on the training. The basic aims of counselling include the following:

 To help students understand the self in terms of their personal ability, interest, motivation
and potentials.
 To help students gain insight into the origins and development of emotional difficulties,
leading to an increased capacity to take rational control over their feelings and actions.
 To alter maladaptive behaviors.
 To assist students in moving towards the direction of fulfilling their potentials or in
achieving an integration of previously conflicting parts of themselves.
 To provide students with skills, awareness and knowledge which will enable them to
confront social inadequacies.
 To help students gain some insight into the world of work, the realities therein and the
relationships to their education and specialization.
 To help students develop decision making skills.

Go through the statement of views on the meanings of guidance and of counselling. Review these
views with a colleague in the department. Agree on a meaning for each of the two terms
(guidance; counselling). What are the commonalities in your meanings (or definitions) and those
listed above?

Need for Guidance and Counselling

We found that higher education learners come in with a motley assortment of characteristics. In
that module, we also identified what their exit profiles should be. Between entry and exit, we
have some intervention, which include curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.
Guidance and counselling come into play in this intervention to enable us achieve our goal of
producing good quality graduates.

The table below summarizes some of the major reasons why we need guidance and counselling
in higher institutions.

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Need and Focus of Guidance and Counselling in Higher Education

Need Focus of Guidance and Counselling

To improve the Academic guidance for;
internal efficiency of - less able students thus reducing repetition, dropout and wastage
the system - average students to sustain stability, and improve;
- Able students to enhance progress from one level (class) to the
other.
to reduce/eliminate - Advice on social and academic clubs to join
anti-social activities - counselling and dialogue on matters that can generate friction and
on campus students' unrest
Counselling on emotional problems
To enhance career and - job and career advising
job prospects of - Relationship between course of study and world of work.
learners

GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

The major service areas of guidance and counselling are:

 Educational guidance and counselling which assists students in their curriculum and
school life choices.
 Vocational guidance which assists the individual to choose and prepare for an occupation
that is compatible with his interests and aptitudes.
 Personal and social guidance which assists the individual to behave appropriately in
relation to other members of the society.

Counselling could be conceived as an interactive relationship between two or more persons that
can take a variety of forms. It may address non-educational issues or even non-counselling
concerns. Counselling should be seen as a service provided to normal individuals to assist them
remove or cope with frustrations and obstacles that interfere with their development.

Guidance and Counselling in Teaching

In institutions of higher learning, guidance and counselling should address learners’ difficulties.
These difficulties encompass the whole spectrum of student life in institutions of higher learning.
A number of them may have negative impact on the teaching/learning process. Counselling
should probe what students’ difficulties are and then approach them systematically. For example,
in diagnosing learning difficulties the lecturer should focus on the following aspects:

 Difficulties that arise during instruction: these may be related to the content, the lecturer or
the way of presentation.
 Difficulties after instruction: these may be related to social activities of the student or they
may be related to the facilities themselves.

In such cases where should the information come from? The sources of relevant information
about learners can be found or gleaned through the following:

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Individual observation

This requires that individual lecturers are keen in noting any strange things that happen to the
students or with the students. The observation should arise out of a genuine desire to help and
get involved with the students.

Student statements

Students invariably make statements and comments which are indicative of the struggles that
they may face. The lecturers should be prepared to note these comments and statements which
are indicative of or are symptoms of other things that may appear later.

Student records and follow up

These usually yield information that would facilitate a lecturer to assist a student whose problem
may have been ignored or brushed aside for a long time.

Major Service Areas

The major service areas of guidance and counselling include:

Educational guidance and counselling

This aspect of counselling should concern itself with assisting the students in their curriculum
and school life choices. Students need assistance in subject choice and planning for the courses
that they take at these institutions of higher learning. All lecturers could be involved in this
without any need for specialized training in counseling.

Vocational guidance and counselling

This aspect of counselling addresses the learners’ problems as regards to vocational choices.
Again, here the lecturers are best placed to give relevant advice to learners since they know their
academic strengths and weaknesses in areas that may pertain to specific vocations, occupations
or jobs. The fact that the lecturers know the interests and aptitudes of most of their students makes
them the best persons to assist their students in areas that are related to their vocations.

Personal and social guidance and counselling

This aspect of counselling refers to the very personal problems that students meet. These
problems may range from financial needs to interpersonal relationships. Although the lecturers
may help to reduce these pressures, there is need for more specialized assistance from
professionally trained hands. The fact that the lecturers may have an upper hand in interaction
with the students only goes to show how crucial it is that they should get involved. As role models
to the majority of students it is important the lectures are made aware of their crucial role in social
guidance.

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 1. Comment on Odeck’s view that: "again here the lecturers are best placed to give relevant advice
to learners since they know their academic strengths and weaknesses in areas that may pertain to
specific vocations, occupations or jobs. The fact that the lecturers know the interests and aptitudes
of most of their students makes them the best persons to assist their students in areas that are related
to their vocations".
2. How are you as a teacher in a higher institution fitted to play these roles?

ASPECTS OF COUNSELLING

1. Educational Counselling

First coined by Truman Kelley in 1914 (Makinde, 1988), educational counseling is a process of
rendering services to pupils who need assistance in making decisions about certain important
aspect of their education such as choice of courses and studies, decision on interest and ability,
choices of college and high school. Educational counselling increases pupil's knowledge of
educational opportunities.

2. Personal/Social Counselling

Personal counselling deals with emotional distress and behavioral difficulties that arise when an
individual struggles to cope with developmental stages and tasks. Any facet of development can
be turned into a personal adjustment problem, and it is inevitable that everyone will at some time
encounter exceptional difficulty with an ordinary challenge of life. For example;

- Anxiety over a career decision

- Lingering anger over an interpersonal conflict
- Insecurity about getting older
- Depressive feelings when bored with work
- Excessive guilt about a serious mistake
- A lack of assertion and confidence
- Grief over the loss of a loved one

 Disillusionment and loneliness after parents’ divorce.

 Failure in examinations
 Inability to make friends
 Conflict with lecturers

3. Vocational Counselling

Vocational counselling is defined as individual contacts with counselees in which the counsellor's
main purpose is to facilitate the counselee’s career development process. This definition and
category would encompass counselling situations such as:

- Helping students become aware of the many occupations available for

exploration.
- Interpreting an occupational interest inventory to a student
- Assisting a teenager in deciding what to do after school.

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 - Helping a student apply for a course in a university or technician.
- Role playing a job interview with a counselee in preparation for the real job
interview.

Characteristics of Counsellors

The following are some of the characteristics of a higher education teacher as a counsellor;

- Abiding interest and faith in students’ capabilities

- Understanding of students' aspirations
- Sympathetic attitude
- Friendliness
- Sense of humor
- Patience
- Objectivity
- Sincerity
- Tact
- Fairness
- Tolerance

Prepare a checklist using the characteristics listed above (and others you may think of) for
assessing the guidance and counselling traits of a higher education teacher. Use the checklist to
carry out a self-assessment. Administer the checklist on other staff in your institution. How will
you rate yourself and your colleagues who responded to the checklist? How can your ratings be
improved?

Tips for the Higher Education Teacher when Counselling Students

o Assist the student to make adjustment to life in the university, polytechnic,

technician, or college of education.
o Encourage the student to participate in appropriate college/university activities
with a view toward increasing his or her effectiveness in personal and social
activities.
o Show concern for and assist in the planning of the student's educational, career,
personal, and social development.
o Aid the student in self-evaluation, self-understanding, and self-direction, enabling
him or her to make decisions consistent with immediate and long-rage goals to
higher education opportunity granted him or her.
o Assist the student in developing healthy and positive attitudes and values
o Help the student to acquire a better understanding of the world of work through
the acquisition of skills and attitudes and/or participation in work-related
programs.
o Encourage the student to plan and utilized leisure time activities well.
o Assists the student in understanding his strengths, weakness, interest, values,
potentialities and limitations.

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 1. State two differences between guidance activities and counselling activities that you
carry out as a teacher in a higher institution.
2. List any four things that your students refer to you for guidance and any four that they
refer to you for counselling.
3. Why do you think students do not like coming to their lecturers for counseling?
4. How would you get your students to develop sufficient confidence in you to enable
them confide in you and come to you for counselling?

Guidance and Counselling at Three Points in Higher Education

This table shows guidance and counselling activities that are commonly provided at point of
entry, during and at the point of exit into higher education.

Guidance and Counselling Activities at Three Points in Higher Education

Guidance Counselling
Functions/Activities Functions/Activities
Guidance & Counselling at Point  Orientation,  Self-understanding
of Entry  Registration  Individual counselling
 Choice of electives  Understanding others
 Familiarization with including lecturers and
important sites and significant others in the
locations on campus institution
(library, dinning,  Group counselling in
health center etc.) the three areas of
students’ unionism academic, personal-
social, career.

Guidance & Counseling during  Advanced Effective  Relationships between

the Course /Programme study habits courses/programs
 Intensive library use subject selection and
and search future plans
 Course changes  Academic counselling
 Strategies of keeping in various forms
steady academically,  Stabilizing inter-
socially etc. personal relationships
 Test taking behaviors; etc.
examination behavior  The ethics of
etc. examinations

Guidance & Counselling on Exit  Seeking a job  Life as a young

 Writing applications graduate
and gathering  The realities of the
information about world of work
openings  Frustrations of seeking
 Interview attending for employment
skills

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  Exit Orientation  Coping with the labor
 Steps and stages in market; Alternatives to
getting clearance, etc. paid employment etc.

The internal efficiency of the higher institution is the success rate in the use of available human
and material resources for the pursuit of organizational goals. Some of the prominent indicators
of internal efficiency are the success rates in the transition of students from one level to another,
repetition rate, dropout rate and graduate output. For example, a college where 90% of its first-
year students move successfully to the second year can be said to be more internally efficient than
one with 85% transition rate.

There are several factors which can positively influence internal efficiency. One of these is
guidance and counselling. If repetition and dropout are indicators, guidance and counselling,
therefore, have booster roles to play. Through proper guidance and counselling, students who
would have otherwise dropped out are retained and have success stories to tell.

Guidance and counselling are needed to reduce and possibly eliminate anti-social activities on
our campuses. There is a rising tide of campus unrest, gangsterism, closures and lockouts. If the
tempo of dialogue and counselling is increased, there is little doubt that the tempo of crises in our
campuses will drop.

It is not only the fresh entrants and the seniors that need and could benefit from guidance and
counselling; those students who are about to graduate need job and career guidance. How do I
know where the vacancies are? How do I apply? What should I look for in job positions? These
are some of the questions this category of learners asks. The question is best answered through a
carefully planned guidance and counselling scheme.

There are general circumstances as well as circumstances that are specific to your institution that
demand the use of guidance and counselling services. Prepare a table such as that of Table 8.1
that is specific for your institution. In the table, list the needs of your institution and indicate the
corresponding focus of the guidance and counselling service.

2. Study Table and map out various things you would do in each segment of the students’ stay
with you.

Academic, Social and Career Guidance and Counselling

There are different types of guidance and counselling services that can be offered to learners in
higher institutions. The focus of our attention should be to determine what kind of non-
specialized guidance and counseling service higher education teachers can offer in order to
promote meaningful learning. Some programs that could be instituted include, mentoring, tutor
systems, pre-university/college and specialized programs for teaching assistants. These needs
could be accommodated by academic/institutional development centers where they exist. Other
suggestions include the setting up of `help desks to deal with such issues as drug or excessive
alcohol related disorders and sexual abuse. It is also necessary to explore the provision of job
placement and career advice services. Establishing clinics on campus for social, health and legal

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aid need to be considered as essential student services. It is suggested that awareness could be
enhanced by celebrating certain days for particular events, e.g. such as HIV/AIDS awareness
days. Financial aid centers are also appropriate to cater for students who are increasingly required
to pay their own way. Let us now shift attention on academic, social and career guidance and
counselling.

Academic guidance and counselling is mainly on the curriculum-related needs of the learner.
Courses to enroll, how to carry out assignments and projects, how to prepare for examinations,
effective study habits, and how to remedy weaknesses in particular courses are some of these
needs. These form the core of the business the learner routinely engages in academic institution.
The finer focus of this module will, therefore, be on this category of guidance and counselling
service.

Since the learner is constantly interacting with peers and significant others in the university or
college, some form of guidance and counselling is necessary to enable the learner make the best
of such social interactions. Guidance on social clubs to join, advice on use of free time, counselling
on the use of drugs such as cigarettes and alcohol and guidance on burning issues that could
precipitate crisis in the school are some of the social guidance and counselling issues. To the
extent that they determine the internal and external images of the institution, to that same extent
could one say that social guidance and counselling is important in higher education. A university
or college with poor record of students' unrest and drug abuse is probably one with a poor scheme
in social guidance and counselling.

The third category is career counselling. It is not only at the pre-university level that career
guidance is necessary. It is estimated that not less than 10% of university or college students
would want to undertake courses other than that to which they were admitted. The Physics
student prefers to be in Engineering. The Biochemistry student prefers to be in the Medical
School. The History undergraduate would feel happier in the Law Faculty. On graduation, many
of these students feel disillusioned since they lay the recognition that there are equally exciting
career options in Physics, Biochemistry and History. The goal of career guidance and counselling
at the higher education level is to address the needs of the students.

ACTIVITIES: CASE 1

Tunde has just enrolled in a university. He found his first few days to be exciting. He also found
that life in the university was quite different from that of the secondary school. He concluded his
course registration and participated actively in the orientation for freshmen. Unfortunately,
Tunde is yet to secure accommodation in the hall of residence. Also, the little pocket money he
got from his poor parents had gone into settling unexpected expenses. Three days later, he was
approached by two students who asked him to join a club that has been banned by the University
management but which was still operating underground. Only two weeks into his studentship
in the university and Tunde is confused and in a great deal of emotional stress.

Assume Tunde is a student in your Department. After his first lecture in your course, he walks
up to you and ask for an appointment in the office which you share with another colleague, he
narrates his ordeal.

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1. After listening to Tunde's story, which of the following will you do and why?

(a). Refer him to the Head of Department/Dean

(b). Ask him to see the University Guidance Counsellor
(c). Refer him to appropriate sections of the university where his problems can be solved.
(d). Offer him advice on all the problems.
(e). Tell him you are not a trained Guidance Counsellor and he should seek help
elsewhere.

2. Which aspect of Tunde's problems have to do with

(a) Academic counselling; and

(b) Social counselling?

ACTIVITIES – CASE 2

Diane is a final year female undergraduate. She is easily one of the most brilliant in class. Within
the last two semesters. Her attention had been diverted by her boyfriend to social rather than
academic activities. She justifies this shift by claiming that she has to get married to her boyfriend
immediately after graduation to avoid his being `snatched' by other girls. By her engagement in
social activities. She cuts classes and galls to do most of her assignments. Her Grade Point
Average (GPA) fell drastically. The sudden drop in GPA was noticed at a meeting of College
Department. As Head of Department, you were asked to investigate and counsel Diane
accordingly.

Describe in detail your plan for tackling this College assignment.

Ethics of Guidance and Counselling

Some ethical codes of behavior should guide the manner in which we offer guidance and
counselling services. These apply to both the counsellor (person offering counselling service) and
the counselee (person being counseled). Adherence to such ethical behavior is important if
successful practice is to be assured. Confidentiality is one of such ethical behaviors. The identity
of the counselee, problems discussed and advice given should be within strict confidential limits.
It is out of place during a lecture or public discussion to narrate what student `A' told you about
a problem he/she had and what you gave as advice. Apart from the public embarrassment to the
student, such student and many others will hesitate to come again to you for guidance and
counselling. Tolerance is another behavior that should be maintained by the person offering
guidance and counselling service. You must be sufficiently tolerant to hear out the counselee. As
much data as you can get must be sufficiently tolerant to hear out the counselee. By being tolerant,
you get full information and hence vantage positioned to offer good advice and counsel.

The request for guidance and counseling service should be voluntary. It is improper for the
counsellor to force the service on the counselee. On the part of the counsellor, it is the prerogative
of the counselee to elect to take up the service. This is in a way similar to selling insurance. You
are not forced to take the insurance. If you are, however, convinced in favor, you then go ahead
to buy the insurance.

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Objectivity is another ethical issue. We must remain completely impersonal in proffering advice.
The counselee should have the benefit of objective views on the matter at hand. Final decision-
making lies with the counselee. The counsellor provides possible options, stating their merits and
demerits. On the basis of the prevailing circumstances, the counselee is then assisted to make a
decision. The counsellor's point of view should not be forced on the counselee.

The Practice of Individual Counselling

Counselling involves two people in interaction. The interaction is highly confidential and since
counselees discuss themselves in an intimate fashion, it is highly private and unobserved by
others. The mode of interaction is usually limited to the verbal realm, the counselor and counselee
talk with one another. Counselees talk about themselves, their thoughts, feelings, and action.
They describe events in their life and the way they respond to these events. The counsellor listens
and responds in some fashion to what the counselee says to provoke further responses. The two
thinks, talk and share their ideas and feelings.

The interaction is relatively prolonged since alteration of behavior takes time. In contrast to a brief
conversation with a friend in which distortions or unconscious desires are usually maintained
and usually only temporary relief is gained, counselling has as its goal the change of behavior. It
is assumed that through the counselling interaction the counselee will in time revise his
distortions and alter his behavior.

THREE STAGES OF THE HELPING MODEL

1. The Present Scenario

Help clients tell their stories. In telling the story, clients reveal and discuss their problem
situation and missed opportunities. Some clients are vocal while others may be almost mute.
Some will be reluctant to reveal everything that is bothering them, while others will do it very
easily. The story needs to be told whether all at once the beginning of the helping process or in
bits and pieces. For this to come out, counsellors need to develop an effective relationship with
clients as helpers. They need assess rather than judge their clients. They need to assess such things
as the nature and severity of the problem situation, limits at further problems that are not being
discussed, and the impact of client’s environment on their problems, the personal and
interpersonal resources clients have access to.

Help clients become aware of and overcome their blind spots and develop new perspective on
themselves and their problem situation; Many people fail to cope with problems in living or fail
to exploit opportunities because they do not see them from new perspectives. They lock
themselves in self-defeating patterns of thinking and behaving. Using imagination and
brainstorming in the service of problem management and opportunity development is one of the
ways counsellors can empower clients. Challenging blind sports is not the same as telling them
that what they are doing is wrong. It is helping them to see themselves, others, and the world
around them in a more creative way.

Help client search for leverage: The clients should be helped to identify and work on problems,
issues, concerns or opportunities that will make a difference. Leverage includes three related

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activities. First, the cost of the problem has to be screened in terms of effort and time to be spent
on it. Secondly, if clients, in telling stories reveal a number of problems at the same time or if the
problem situation discussed is complex, then criteria are needed to determine which concern to
be dealt with first. Lastly, the problem, issue concern, needs to be clarified in terms of specific
experiences, behaviors and affects (feelings, emotions).

2. THE PREFERRED SCENARIO

Help clients develop a range of possibilities for a future: If a client's state of affairs is problematic
and unacceptable, then he/she needs to be helped to imagine, conceptualize, or picture a new
state of affairs that is alternative more acceptable possibilities. Ask right future oriented questions
like;

"What would this problem look like if I was managing it better?"

"What changes in my present life styles would make sense?"

"What would it look like if it looks better?"

Clients should be helped to find right and realistic models. Another ways could be reviewing
better times or getting them involved in new experiences. A writing approach and use of fantasy
and guided imaginary has also proved beneficial for most clients.

Help clients translate preferred scenario possibilities into viable AGENDA: The variety of
preferred scenario possibilities developed constitute possible goals or desired outcomes of the
helping process. The client is helped to choose the possibilities that make the most sense and turn
them into agenda; a set of goals that need to be accomplished.

Help clients identify the kinds of incentives that will enable them commit themselves to the
agendas they fashion: ideally the agendas a client chooses are on their face, appealing. If not, then
incentives for commitment need to be discovered. The goals that are set in the agenda need to be
owned and appealing to the client. It is better if they are chosen from among options. The focus
should be on those that will reduce the client's crisis or pain. Challenging goals should not be
avoided. The counsellor can help clients see ways of managing current dis-incentives that stand
in the way of goal attainment. Contracts can also help clients commit themselves to choices and
the client needs to be helped to identify action strategies for accomplishing their goals.

3. STRATEGIES (GETTING THERE)

Help clients brainstorm a range of strategies for implementing their agenda. Clients are helped
to ask themselves questions like "How can I get where I want to go?" Strategies tend to be more
effective when chosen from among a number of possibilities. A strategy is a set of action designed
to achieve a goal. If the preferred scenario is complex, then it needs to be divided into a number
of interrelated outcomes or accomplishments. Each of these sub-goals will then have its own
strategies. This divide and conquer process can lead to accomplishment that seemed impossible.
One reason people fail to achieve goals is that they do not explore the different ways in which the
goal can be accomplished. Brainstorming plays a role by suspending judgment, producing as

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many ideas as possible, using one idea as a take-off for others, getting rid of constraints to
thinking, and producing even more ideas by clarifying items on the list.

Help clients choose a set of strategies that best fit their environment and resources. "Best" here
means the single strategy or combination of strategies that best fit the client's needs, preferences,
and resources, and that is least likely to be blocked by factors in the client’s environment. They
should be clear and specific, tied to the desired goal, realistic, effective, owned by the client, and
in keeping with his or her values.

Help clients formulate a plan that is, step-by-step procedure for accomplishing each goal of the
preferred scenario. A plan then takes strategies for accomplishing goals, divides them into
workable bits, puts the bits in order, and assigns a timetable for the accomplishment of each bit.
Formulating plans helps clients search for more useful ways of accomplishing goals, that is, even
better strategies. Plans provide an opportunity to evaluate the realism and adequacy of goals.
They tell clients something their strategies. Clients are also helped to uncover unanticipated snags
or obstacles to the accomplishment of goals.

1. List four ethical behaviors of a counselor

2. Give descriptions of four unethical behaviors of a counselor, giving examples in each case

3. Not all lecturers in the university or college or polytechnic can offer quality guidance and
counselling'. Discuss.

4. Why do some lecturers use the confidential discussions they earlier had with some students as
examples in the open class? How do you rate such a behavior?

Limits of the Teacher in Offering Guidance and Counselling

Most higher education teachers are not trained guidance counselors. This lack of formal training
places limits on the extent to which the untrained can go in offering guidance and counselling
services. One hates to believe also that only the supposedly trained and qualified guidance
counselor can attend to the guidance and counselling needs of the learner. There are some services
that the untrained can offer on account of personal experience. In all circumstances, the important
thing to note is that we should not be "Mr. Know All". We should carry on only to the limit of our
knowledge and experience. We should, thereafter, identify other resource persons in and outside
the school community that can fill the gaps.

The typical higher education teacher is tooled to offer mainly academic counselling. Most are able
to guide learners in their discipline of specialization and counsel when students have learning
difficulties in these areas. If this is your limit, stay within it and do not stray into unfamiliar
territory of social guidance. Perhaps the school counselling office will fill the gap.

INSTRUMENTATION IN GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING

We need as much information as possible from learners in order to make a success of guidance
and counselling, it is when most, and perhaps all the information is in that we can take a global

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look at the problem and offer meaningful guidance. The tool for gathering information is known
as the instrument. Such tools include tests, questionnaires, inventories, interview guides and
observational schemes. Just as the thermometer is an instrument in the hands of the scientist, so
also is the questionnaire the instrument in the hands of a guidance counsellor. For data collected
to be useful, the instrument should be valid and reliable. In this section, you will learn to develop
instruments for data collection and adapt existing instruments for your case. First, let us see the
different types of instruments.

Types of Instruments

Several typologies exist for classifying instruments. For example, instruments can be grouped on
the basis of

(a) what they measure, e.g. cognitive (achievement tests); affective (attitudinal inventories and
questionnaires); psychomotor (practical skill tests); and

(b) how they measure e.g. power and speed tests. For the purpose of this Module, we shall adopt
the scheme presented.

Instruments for the Guidance Counsellor

PURPOSE TYPE AND USE

Cognitive Measure Psychometrics Tests; e.g. for measuring intelligence Quotient
(I.Q), cognitive style/preference; self-concept, reasoning skills
and problem solving.

Achievement Tests: for measuring achievement in cognitive

domain such as subject matter test.
Affective Measures Questionnaires
Inventories
Opinionnaires
For measuring attitudes, perceptions and affective behaviors.
Psychomotor Measures Observational Schemes
Practical skills inventory
For measuring different aspects of practical abilities

Instrument Development and Validation

The stages in the development of any of the instrument listed in table.

DOMAIN SPECIFICATION
PREPARATION OF BLUEPRINT
ITEM WRITING
FIRST LEVEL VALIDATON AND REVISION
PILOT TESTING
FINALIZATION

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Domain Specification

This is where the construct, attitude or skill to be measured is identified and specified in both
general and specific terms.

Preparation of Test Instrument

This is an important stage of preparing the plan or blueprint for writing items for the instrument.
The plan showing coverage of the instrument in terms of objectives and domain content are put
on a grid. This is to ensure that the domain in focus is covered in breath and in depth.

Item Writing

This is the process of composing the first draft of the instrument by writing its component items.
The structure of the instrument starts developing from this stage. It is perhaps the most
intellectually demanding step in the process of instrument development. The process ends when
the distribution of items in the test blueprint is completely covered.

First Level Validation and Revision

After the first draft of the instrument is composed, it is subjected to validation for face and content
validity. Comments from the validation items are used to revise the structure and items on the
instrument.

Pilot Testing

The revised draft is pilot tested on a sample of the population for which the instrument is meant.
Further refinement of the instrument is made on the basis of pilot test data.

Finalization

Data from the pilot testing exercise are used to further refine the instrument. At this time, the
reliability values are determined.

Adapting Instruments

Sometimes, it is not worth the effort developing and validating a new instrument if standardized
forms exist. It could be like re-inventing the wheel Most times however, it may not be able to use
the standardize instrument in the pure form without adapting it to our situation. Adaptation
could be with minimum modification. The modification could also be major. The direction of
modification is usually in the areas of -

- Degree of fit with the test blueprint

- Cultural bias
- Length.

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After modification, the instrument should be subjected to validation and reliability examination
as if it was a new instrument.

Develop and validate the following instruments which could facilitate your providing
objective guidance and counselling service to your students (refer to Module 5 for further
assistance.
1. A questionnaire to collect background data on your students that are relevant to their
academic, social and career guidance needs.

2. A questionnaire to measure their attitude towards the course you teach.

3. A 50 item achievement test in your course which will reveal the learning difficulties of your
student.

4. Adapt a standardized psychometric inventory e.g. for measuring self-concept for use in your
class.

4. Provide an opportunity for your students to talk about themselves: their "now" and
their "tomorrow". Note what they avoid saying, what they emphasize and relate these
to your prior knowledge of each student. Do you gain a better understanding? Are you
confused the more?

Data Collection and Processing

Instruments can be administered individually or to a group of learners. After administration, the

responses should be scored and the data recorded in a manner that is amenable to processing.
Data processing can simply involve manual calculation (using the hand-held calculator) of
percentages and means and drawing of graphs to show the distribution of scores. It can also be
through the use of a personal computer for more elaborate analysis.

Processed data should be stored in such a way as to facilitate retrieval when needed for offering
guidance and/or counselling to individuals or groups of learners.

1. Administer the questionnaire you developed in 6.4 for measuring the attitude of your
students towards your course. Score the items in the questionnaire. Remember to reverse
scoring for negative terms. Take the total for each section of the questionnaire and for the
whole instrument. Calculate the mean for the group. Record the scores for each student in the
different sections and also the total scores. What counselling decisions need to be taken on the
basis of the graph?

2. Call selected students on individual basis and get to know them better based on item 5 of
exercise 6.3. e.g. "You said in class that you were xyz, but efg is what I knew of you. Can you
explain further? Or can you help me reconcile the two views about you?

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Group and Individual Interview

The interview is a good technique for getting in-depth information that could otherwise not be
obtained from most instruments. In a relaxed atmosphere, the interviewee (the person being
interviewed) could furnish the interviewer (the person conducting the interviewer) with a large
volume of information. In order not to be drowned by the avalanche of information, we need to
systematically plan for, execute, and follow-up interviews that we conduct during guidance and
counselling exercises.

Planning The following steps need to be taken in planning and interview:

Step 1 Stage Setting

Identification of characteristics of the interviewee
Step 2 Arranging the sitting, audio/Video recording
Developing an interview guide
Step 3 Pilot testing the instrument
Step 4 Finalization of the interview guide

Executing: In executing the interview plan, the interviewer needs to -

- present the questions audibly and ensure that the interviewee fully understands the demand of
the question.
- Avoid forcing the pace of response
- Complete the question and answer session for a question before moving on to the next.
- Take notes as the responses are given.

Follow - Up

- Develop the interview transcript

- As follow-up questions if there are areas that need clarification from the interviewee.

For group interviews, target respondents should be identified. Agreements should be reached by
the group on a subject before being recorded by the interviewer.

Group and Individual Observations

Observations are designed to provide perspectives to data gathering that are not capture by test
administration and interviews. These perspectives include non-verbal behaviors and interaction
patterns. A sad look, a look of excitement, gait when walking, shy tendencies in class, and
aggressive tendencies are some of the characteristics of the learner to be counseled that a
questionnaire may not reveal in full. By observing the learner, we are able to record in graphical
and direct form, such physically observable behaviors.

The development of an observation instrument is the first step to be taken. We should follow the
sequence shown in steps 1 to 4 on the previous page. After developing the instrument, we could
use it in gathering data by observing the group as a unit or for observing individual students with
specific problems.

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There are two main types of observation. The observer, in this case the teacher, participates in the
activities given to learners. This enables the teacher pit himself or herself in the place of the learner
(empathy). In non-participant observation the observer looks from a distance and records
unobtrusively. This is the more common mode of observation in guidance and counselling.

Anecdotal Record

This is record of snapshots of significant events in the life of the learner. The events can be
recorded either by the teacher or by the learner. Whichever way, the teacher keeps the record for
the purpose of having insights into the behavior patterns of the learner. This record is important
as the teacher prepares to attend to the counselling needs of the learner.

Student Advising

This is an organized scheme for offering guidance to students. The focus is usually on academic
guidance although it could be stretched to include social guidance if social activities in the life of
the learner impacts negatively on learning.

In many institutions, the scheme is department based. Each lecturer in the Department is assigned
a group of students. The students are expected to meet periodically with the Advisor, as a group
or individually. Where such schemes exist, they have been known to be effective in helping
students overcome their learning difficulties.

Records to be kept by the Teacher/Counsellor

Records of Achievement

A good record of achievement test can serve as an effective instrument with which we can
measure an individual's performance with (a) those of others in his group and (b) his past
achievement. With this one can diagnose his weakness and strength. School progress of each
student can also be measured, need for remedial measures determined and the progress of the
entire students improved. For instance, a Mathematics test if well-constructed could provide
information as to whether or not; students’ weakness is in the fundamental operation.

Personality Information Records

Personal qualities and interests are equally important as factors which affect one's success in
occupation, life, social life, and in school. The only way to measure personality is by observing
how the individual behaves in different situations. Such observations can be made in the
classroom, at playground, during social gathering, etc. when the individual is quite himself or
herself.

Personality records should contain the following views about the students;

o Concern for others - antisocial, indifferent, dependable, sometimes socially concerned

or deeply concerned.

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 o Responsibility - unreliable, somewhat dependable, usually dependable, conscientious,
assumes much responsibility.
o Emotional stability - hyper-emotional, excitable, usually well balanced, exceptionally
stable.

Health Records

Though the university teacher cannot have this, it is necessary that the school counsellor has a
record about student's health. This should be made up-to-date indicating the type of disease from
which the individual must have suffered, the duration of illness and the time of the year, if
possible. Medical statements about student's ears, eyes, teeth, posture, nervous symptoms, or
speech defects should also be included. A cumulative up-to-date health record will help the
school counsellor refer particular students at different times to specialists for treatment. This also
helps to decide the type of job to which a student can be assigned. A research fellow on school
discipline has suggested that the offence should not determine the punishment but instead type
of punishment recommended should depend on the physical strength of the individual offender.
It therefore follows that a detailed, up-to-date health record will help remind the counsellor and
the school authority of the importance of individual differences in dealing with the children.

Family Records

The home is one of the major factors which affect the education of students. An unstable home
causes the student emotional imbalance. The family record should include name and address of
parents, their nationality and occupation, and the socio-economic status.

If family records are kept and maintained up-to-date by the counsellor, clues can be found in an
attempt to spot out student's difficulties with the aim of helping to alleviate his or her suffering.
A good knowledge of the family records of the student will help to foster the triangular
relationship, which should exist between the teachers, the parents and the student.

Cumulative Records

The counsellor should examine the cumulative records of each student to;

 Help the counsellor get acquainted with a new student more quickly at the beginning of
the semester or session.
 Help students who are not working up to class level to cope with their problems. The
under-achievers and those students who need remedial courses are this identified and
helped.
 Identify gifted students and other students of unusual ability and help them by finding
appropriate and challenging work for them.
 Find out students who attend classes irregularly and encourage them towards regular
attendance.
 Study the personality traits of students who misbehave and suggest ways for their
learning other adaptive behaviors.
 Help the counsellor to study students for whom special aids, such as scholarship are being
considered.

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  Gain background knowledge about students before assisting them in the choice of course
for study.
 Gather some information about a student before conferring with his parents.
 Discover students of exceptional talents in such special fields as arts, music, athletics or
creative writing.

o Which records of the students in your class do you have?

o How do you obtain them?
o Of what use are the records to you?
o Which ones would you have loved to have but which you do not have? Why
would you wish you had them?

o Think of your student’s days, did any of your lecturers ever give you any advice,
suggestion, threat etc. If "yes", what was it upon? Why did he have to do so? What
was your reaction?
o Find out if any of your students would have loved to discuss his life, program,
career, or future plans with you but was afraid or reluctant t to do so. How many
students? Why were they afraid or reluctant? What do you intend to do after this
discovery?
o After a class test, do you discuss students’ performance with them?

 review general practices in academic, social and career guidance and counselling; and
 carry out exercises that are aimed at improving such practices.

General Practices in Academic, Social and Career Guidance and Counselling

In higher institutions, there are various schemes of guiding students and counselling them on
their academic, social and career needs. Practice varies from one institution to another. At one
end, we have institutions with well-developed central Guidance and Counselling Office. As well
as Faculty/Department levels offering such service. Trained counsellors with access to data on
each student and a host of other resources are found in such institutions. At the other end are
institutions without any of such facilities. Many of the higher institutions in Africa are in between.
In some, a central office exists without Faculty/Departmental branches. In others, there is no
central facility. The Department/Faculty organizes guidance services for the students.

The practice that is most common is to have a University/Technician/College Guidance and

Counselling Unit. Such Unit takes responsibility for academic, social and career guidance of the
students. At the time of registration, packages are handed out which provide the learner with
basic information on the operations of the institution. This is expected to serve as a road map for
the activities of the learner. The office has one or more trained Guidance Counsellor. There are
consulting hours during which students with problems have sessions with the counsellor.

There is also the Orientation Committee. In all higher institutions, arrangements are made for the
immersion of the new entrant, usually from the secondary school, into the higher education sub-
culture. This is done during what is popularly known as the Fresh student Orientation week. The
typical programme for the Week includes lectures, symposia, guided tours and social events.

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Students get to learn about life on campus, rules of the institution, rights of the student, teaching
and learning styles and procedures as well as assessment and grading systems.

Another common practice is informal counseling of freshmen by seniors. This is important in the
breaking-in process. There are several elements in the hidden curriculum of the institution that
need to be known by the fresher. The seniors are in the best position to transmit the contents of
such curriculum. This is done through information interactions, chats and guidance in the hall of
residence and lecture rooms. How you can succeed in X; understanding the behavior of Lecturer
Y; and the attitude of the Management of the institution to certain students' behaviors are some
examples of the information the seniors pass on to fresh students.

- Give a critical review of existing guidance and counselling practices in your institution stating
the strengths and weaknesses.

o If you are asked to recommend areas for movement, what areas will you list and
what improvements will you suggest?
o State the pattern of Orientation Program in your institution. What changes would
you want to see effected?
o In your own view, how effective are the yearly orientation programs for fresh
intakes in your institution? What problems and difficulties do you think the
organizers have? How could these be overcome?
o What percentage of new students participated in the Orientation programme
during the last exercise?
o How would you organize an Orientation for students who are transferring into
your institution?

DIAGNOSING LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

Many learners including the supposedly brilliant, have difficulty with understanding some
concepts. Cell biology may be easy while physiology may be difficult for Student A. for student
B, the reverse may be true, while Student C may find both aspects of biology difficult. Learning
difficulty is expressed in poor performance in the concept and in a demonstration of negative
attitude towards the subject or a particular topic in the course.

When students find difficulty with learning some concepts, frustration results. Further learning
may also be impeded. It is useful, therefore, to detect students’ learning difficulties and through
a systematic regimen of guidance, assist the learner to jump the barrier posed by the difficult
concepts. How do you as a teacher know that a learner has difficulty with learning? What
techniques do you employ to detect students’ learning difficulties? These questions will be
addressed next

Diagnosis During Instruction

Use of questions: As the lesson progresses, well-structured and modulated questions that are
thrown to students in a random manner would reveal those with learning difficulties. Even if the
learner does not signify intention to answer the question, the teacher should still direct the

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question to the learner. Those with `wobbly’ answers give away their deficiency in understanding
the concept being taught.

Apart from oral questions, written tests should be given. Questions should be set in a way that
would expose learning difficulties of students. Questionnaires could also be administered to
provide an insight into students’ attitude towards the concept.

Use of Concept Maps: Ask your students to prepare concept maps from the lesson you just
completed. The maps will give a detailed clue of misconceptions and aspects of the concepts that
students have difficulty with.

Observation of Class Behavior: a frown on the faces when the lesson is progressing could give
indication that there is some problem with getting the gist of the lesson. Their manner of response
and their show of anxiety are other pointers to how easy or difficult they are finding the lesson.
Available facilities permitting, audio and video recording of lessons are useful ways of capturing
classroom climate and in detecting learning difficulty.

Diagnosis after Instruction

Item Analysis of Performance: In scoring the test given to students, score and record item by item.
Analyze performance on each item. Summarize your findings. Such a summary will give a good
view of understanding of students on the concept to which each item is directed. If a
questionnaire was administered, it will provide a feel of the attitude of students towards the
concept. This information is important since negative attitudes impede learning.

Group and Individual Interview of Students: Interview the students in a group and then a random
sample of individual students. Use the procedure to conduct the interview. The thrust of the
interview is to find out where students find difficulty with learning the concept. Students should
also give suggestions as to how the difficulties encountered can be removed.

Analysis of Audio/Video Recordings:

Analyze the audio/or video recording of your lesson. From the transcript, make notes of your
actions (and inaction) that contributes to the difficulty that students had with learning the concept
presented during that lesson.

Describe three ways by which you can detect students’ learning difficulties in:

a. a course taught by you

b. a course taught by another lecturer

2. After assessing a test you gave to students, you discovered that none of them had a pass mark.

What will be your most immediate reaction?

What would you do to find out what was responsible for such a poor performance?

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Summary and Conclusion

In this module, we discussed and carried out exercises aimed at enhancing the skills of the higher
education teacher in guidance and counselling. These activities are expected to:

o Assist the student to make adjustment to life in the university, polytechnic,

technique, or college of education.
o Encourage the student to participate in appropriate college/university activities
with a view toward increasing his or her effectiveness in personal and social
activities.
o Show concern for and assist in the planning of the student's educational, career,
personal, and social development.
o Aid the student in self-evaluation, self-understanding, and self-direction, enabling
him or her to make decisions consistent with immediate and long-rage goals to
higher education opportunity granted him or her.
o Assist the student in developing healthy and positive attitudes and values
o Help the student to acquire a better understanding of the world of work through
the acquisition of skills and attitudes and/or participation in work-related
programs.
o Encourage the student to plan and utilized leisure time activities well.
o Assists the student in understanding his strengths, weakness, interest, values,
potentialities and limitations.

As we wrap up the discussion, we should note the limitation of the teacher. Specialized cases
should be referred to the specialist- the trained guidance counselor.

Guidance and Counselling in Early Childhood and School Education

Academic Guidance
Teachers undertake the academic guidance of students. Their work also includes teaching,
educating and schooling their students.
The coordinators of educational work are in charge of the scientific and educational guidance of
teachers per region. They co-operate with school heads and school teachers' boards.
At all levels of school education, the main issues of concern for the school teachers' board is
among other things:

 The academic progress of students

 The guidance of students
 Learning difficulties.

Guidance in pre-primary school

In pre-primary school (nipiagogeio), the teacher’s role is decisive. The teacher intervenes and
facilitates the learning procedure. At this level, there is no standard pathway toward
learning. Emphasis is given on:

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 1. Processes of acquiring knowledge within creative learning conditions
2. Development of communication skills
3. Promotion of individual accountability through group work, research and critical thinking
4. Promotion of the development of self-esteem and co-operation skills, an understanding of
the value of team work and shared discovery.

The teaching environment fosters reflection, experimentation, concept-building approaches and

attractive activities. Pre-primary school gives the possibility to identify and tackle potential
special educational needs. Meanwhile, it also considers:

 The characteristics of each student

 Differences in the way and progress of learning
 Personal skills
 Learning opportunities within the social and family environment.

Guidance in primary school

In primary school (dimotiko), the teacher contributes towards:

 The building of key concepts and principles

 Development of positive attitudes toward lifelong learning
 Co-operation
 Individual accountability.

Evaluation offers valuable feedback in the whole education process. It helps to identify learning
deficiencies and assists students’ progress.

Guidance in secondary education

In lower secondary school (gymnasium) and upper secondary school (lykeio), education is based
on the studying of autonomous subject modules through a cross-thematic approach. In this way,
students follow the holistic approach to knowledge. They learn things through suitable
interconnections.
Teachers apply modern and apt teaching methods based on:

 Students' needs
 The specificities of each subject.

Guidance in special education

The aim of the reforms in education seen in the last few years is to improve the quality of
education provided to all students, including students with disabilities and special educational
needs by giving priority to inclusive policies and practices.

Psychological counselling
Within the school, the psychological counselling of students depends on the teachers themselves
who must support the progress of all students by offering a comprehensive education.

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Psychologists and social workers
PE30 Social Workers may exercise duties in specific general education and vocational education
school units, which are defined in accordance with the current provisions, provided there is a
particular need for supporting vulnerable social groups or the implementation of psychosocial
and emotional support programs for students is deemed necessary.

Officers for health education/school activities

The main support for school units, teachers and students on health education issues are the
officers for health education and school activities, who belong to the Primary and Secondary
Education Directorates.
More generally, the implementation of health education programs contributes to the promotion
of mental and physical health, as well as students' social and emotional well-being.
Officers for health education/school activities support the health education programs
implemented in the school units of their respective Primary/Secondary Education
Directorates. Within their responsibilities, and among other things, they visit school units and
attend school classes and also supervise the progress of school programs. Moreover, they
encourage and support students in the process of discovering knowledge through research, data
analysis-synthesis and the experiential approach.

ASSESSMENT

1. Guidance and Counseling Programs in schools are…

a. Ensure the education and well-being of learners.
b. Make learners think and be respectful while in school.
c. Grow well and mature into adults.
d. Promote boy/child education.

2. A Counseling Psychologist conducts an experiment to compare mental processes that different

students use to remember theories of counseling or principles. He/she is investigating:

a. Artificial intelligence
b. Cognition.
c. Mental set
d. Semantics

3. Psycho-social care in education is meant to mitigate the effects of:

a. Trauma, distress, and common problems experienced by children.
b. Trauma, distress, and strengthening resilience
c. Trauma, distress and depression
d. Trauma, distress and development

4. Significant displaced children develop debilitating emotional reactions and disorders following
various traumatic events. These include:
a. Stress reactions, phobia, anxiety, depression, and complex grief reactions.

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 b. Complex grief reactions, reactions, phobia and distress
c. Complex grief reactions, stress, phobia and depression
d. Stress reaction, complex grief reactions, phobia and anxiety.

5. When a counselor goes to market his/her skills to customers, the first group of people who
should learn about the service is the:
a. Customers who are most likely to use the service
b. Customers who are in most need of the service.
c. Customers who are working in the same area or program
d. Customers who might be ready to sell the product

6. The acronym SWOT in planning counseling strategies stands for weakness, opportunities, and
threats:
a. Situations
b. Strength
c. Strategies
d. Solicitation

7. Arrange the steps in the order of how a student decides to use a counseling product in school:
Becoming aware maintaining the use of service Comprehending the use of the product or service
Preference of the product or service
a. 1245
b. 1354
c. 5153
d. 1342

8. How serious an individual thinks a disease would be affecting the life or activities are part of
the:
a. Maslow’s hierarchy of Needs
b. Behavior change model
c. Health Belief model
d. A Behavior Chain

9. Which of the following stages of change including when a student verbalizes there is a problem
and wishes to take action?
a. Preparation
b. Contemplation
c. Action
d. Maintenance

10. One of the major objectives of School Guidance Counseling should be:
a. Encourage behavior change among students.
b. Teaching Guidance and counseling programs in schools.
c. Encourage behavior change among male and female teachers.
d. Utilizing cultural diversities for the benefit of all in the school

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11. The Model includes individual learners who or constantly affecting or being affected by the
environment:
a. Behavior modification
b. Social modeling
c. Stages of change
d. Maslow’s hierarchy of Needs

12. Counseling styles used in the past are different form the modern ones. Which of the following
represent a modern method of counseling techniques?
a. Limited follow-up
b. Give the do’s and the don’ts
c. Fosters choice
d. Client is dependent.

13. When developing Guidance and counseling programs in the school, the first persons to learn
about it should be:
a. Student body
b. School administration
c. Students who need the program
d. Students and parents

14. At one stage of Guidance and Counseling life cycle, the services rendered is beginning to
decline in use, and a teacher starts worrying about his/her job security. A good Head teacher
would:
a. Continue to have the service in place
b. Consider diversification and reformulation plans to meet new needs.
c. Help other staff find different options or positions
d. Re-assess students’ needs.

15. A comprehensive school counseling programs includes four components:

a. Curriculum; individual student planning; response service; support system
b. Curriculum; individual student planning; response service; and delivery system
c. Curriculum, individual student planning, delivery system and assessment
d. Individual student planning, response service, support system and school
counselor

16. School counselors implement programs in collaboration with:

a. Teachers, administrators, parents, and students
b. Students, community, administrators and parents
c. Teachers, administrators, parents and community
d. Administrators, community, parents and teachers

17. Which of these bests describe dysfunctional family?

a. A family in conflict, misbehavior, and abuse
b. A family in conflict, misbehavior and disability
c. A family in conflict, misbehavior and harmony
d. A family in conflict, misbehavior and dysfunction

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18. Personality disorder can be expressed as:
a. Inflexibility and pervasiveness
b. Character disorder
c. Fixed fan tansies
d. Ego-systolic integrity

19. Psychological dependency is a dependency of the mind and leads to withdrawal symptom
such as:
a. Cravings, irritability, insomnia, and moods
b. Cravings, irritability, insomnia, and depression
c. Cravings, irritability, insomnia and anxiety
d. Cravings, irritability, insomnia and stress

20. Children growing up in a dysfunctional family have been known to adopt one or more basic
roles. Tick one role that is not descriptive of such a child:
a. Good child
b. Problem child
c. Perfectionist child
d. Lost child

21. The homeroom advisers requested the guidance personnel to orient the fourth-year students
and grade six pupils on how to take National Achievement Test properly and with ease. Which
type of guidance service is being provided?
a. Placement service
b. Information service
c. Evaluation service
d. Counseling service

22. What is the positive measure to take when an advanced learner in your class starts to cause
some discipline problems?
a. Let him go to the library to read.
b. Better challenge him to do something that will attract his attention.
c. Give him other activities that are very difficult for him to do.
d. Tell him that you don’t like misbehaving students even if they are bright in class.

23. How should you help a student who is intelligent but he is under-achieving in class?
a) Provide challenging activities which he can excel.
b) Recognize his talents by asking him to help students in the work in class.
c) Identify the immediate causes of difficulties that cause his being an under-achiever.
d) Allow him to work with the slow group of students to cope with the academic needs of
the lesson.

24. Ms. Jeiar observes that she misbehaved boy is gifted in creating a drawing. To minimize his
negative behavior in class, it might be well for Ms. Jeiar to:
a) Ask him to draw illustrations for other co-teachers.
b) Have him organized by making posters and decorative work of all kinds.

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 c) Have his creations displayed and admired by his classmates.
d) Group him in school activities that require drawing skills.

25. How can you help your student who seems to be timid and withdrawn because of his physical
defect or abnormality?
a) Treat him like other normal students and let him join friendly and accepting classmates.
b) Advise his parents to give him a companion always.
c) Let him go to the doctor for some advice.
d) Provide him a wheelchair so that he can join the group.

26. One of your students just came from the province and he seems to have a speech defect. How
will you assist him when the whole class laughs at him the moment he is called to recite?
a) Explain to your class his class disorder.
b) Laugh also with them.
c) Shout at your class at stop them.
d) Encourage the whole class that he is also a learner and he should be accepted.

27. Ricky has been absent from his Makabayan Class for sic consecutive days. What is the best
thing to do when he reports back to school?
a) Ask an excuse letter approved by his adviser.
b) Send him to the guidance counselor.
c) Give him many tasks to do for make-up.
d) Valuing the advantages of reporting to school regularly.

28. At puberty age, adolescents are always curious and experimenting many experiences. It
happens that you caught them smoking and you have a suspicion that it is marijuana. What
would you do?
a) Tell them to smoke at the smoking area.
b) Report immediately to the principal for appropriate action.
c) Confront them and scold them.
d) Clarify to them the hazards of smoking to their health.

29. It is a thing now that the Home-School should have a team collaboration of helping their
children to the fullest. How can you encourage and maximize the potentials and involvement of
your parents in school programs?
a) Always call regular meetings.
b) Do the home visitation in your locality.
c) Encourage PTA’s to plan for a fund-raising campaign.
d) Organize a more feasible and valuable parenting activities like (P-Y-E) Parent Youth
Encounter.

30. What should you do to a child who is intelligent but an underachiever?

a) Discover his talents
b) Develop his interests
c) Provide challenging activities
d) Ignore his abilities

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31. Ruth was crying and was sent by the teacher to the guidance office. She told the counselor
that her money was lost and she suspected her friend took it. What would be done first?
a) Scold the classmate of Ruth.
b) Suspend the friend of Ruth for one day.
c) Confer with Ruth and her friend to discuss the problem objectively.
d) Call the parents of Ruth.

32. The teacher conferred with the parents of Joseph regarding his academic performance in the
school. This move of the teacher is recommendable because____________.
a) There is an open communication between the teacher and the parents.
b) There is no more time to improve the grade of Joseph.
c) The principal asked for the parents of Joseph.
d) The teacher does not want to pass Joseph.

33. Divine, a grade six pupil is actively involved in various co-curricular activities. Her attention
was called regarding her poor performance in the academic subjects. If you were the teacher,
what would you tell her?
a) Request for special project to pass the subject.
b) Terminate all her co-curricular activities and stay home for good
c) Prioritize her concerns with focus on academics.
d) Ask for excuse letters to attend other activities.

34. What counseling approach was used when the counselor kept on listening to the client who
was pouring out her anger for the relative who abused their family? Later on, the emotions of the
client subsided and realized what she should do.
a) Directive
b) Non-Directive
c) Eclectic
d) Rational Emotive

35. On what principle that the child is given an opportunity to “get in” anytime at the counselor’s
office?
a) Counseling is required of every child to open communication.
b) Counseling is focused on individuals’ problems and solutions.
c) Counseling is to recognize the worth and dignity of the individual at all times.
d) Counseling is a continuous, sequential, and educational process.

36. Which statement is NOT true in counseling?

a) Counseling is giving directions to the lonely, confused, suffering and the lost.
b) Counseling is focused on the possibilities of choices of staying or leaving an unfaithful
husband
c) Counseling is seeking out helping relationship with self, family, friends and God.
d) Counseling is an active listening; a counselor behaves that clients/counselees are not sick,
just stuck.

37. Which assumption must be AVOIDED in order to become successful in counseling?

a) The counselor must be able to relate to the student.

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 b) The environment must provide assurance of confidentiality.
c) The counselor tells the student what to do.
d) The student is willing to participate in the process.

38. Which testing service can effectively determine and analyze the student’s career pathing?
a) Aptitude and interest test
b) IQ and EQ test
c) Projective technique
d) Personality test

39. Of the following methods/approaches in counseling, which does not belong to the group?
a) Analyzing activities that the individual performs.
b) Using interests and inventories
c) Producing case studies.
d) Asking the individuals what they like to do.

40. The guidance counselor as a social worker means that the guidance, counselor will.
a) Do counseling with children who are disturbed emotionally.
b) Offer tutoring/remediation
c) Give vocational and educational guidance.
d) Spend much time planning, administering and interpreting tests.

41. A school counselor is planning a guidance lesson for seventh- and eighth-grade students.
Which of the following instructional approaches would likely be most responsive to the
developmental needs of students in this age range?
a) Small-group activities that involve active participation
b) Open-ended activities that encourage free exploration
c) Counselor-directed activities that are highly structured
d) Individual activities that encourage friendly competition

42. Lev Vygotsky's theory of human cognition and learning emphasizes which of the following
concepts?
a) The role of trial and error in learning
b) Learning as a conditioned response to external stimuli
c) The role of social interaction in learning
d) Learning as a process that unfolds in a sequence of stages

43. A school counseling department has been asked by the principal to implement a suicide
prevention initiative at the school. Which of the following strategies would be most effective for
the counselors to use in collaborating with teachers on this effort?
a) Encouraging teachers to make referrals to help identify the students most at risk of
suicide
b) Meeting with teachers to plan how best to integrate the initiative into the existing school
program
c) Training teachers to deliver a suicide prevention unit through classroom guidance
lessons

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 d) Arranging for teachers to be responsible for publicizing the initiative throughout the
school community

44. A school counselor wishes to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of a developmental
guidance unit on discrimination and harassment. Which of the following strategies would be the
best to use for such an evaluation?
a) Surveying the opinions of faculty and staff on whether such behaviors have decreased
b) Interviewing parents/guardians about types of behaviors being demonstrated by their
children at home
c) Using a spreadsheet to track incident reports related to such behavior at school
d) Soliciting feedback from students who are participating in behavior-related counseling
groups

45. A school counselor wants to facilitate ongoing evaluation and feedback with regard to the
counseling program's individual planning component. The most effective strategy for this
purpose would be to:
a) Interview students with whom the counselor has conducted individual planning to
discuss how the experience helped them and how it might be improved.
b) Maintain a chart of each student seen for individual planning, the amount of time spent
with each student, and the primary issues and topics addressed.
c) Conduct periodic comparisons between the academic records of students who have been
seen for individual planning and those of students who have not.
d) Ask the teachers of students who have received individual planning services to inform
the counselor of any changes they notice in their students afterward.

46. After collecting referral data from teachers, an elementary school counselor concludes that it
will be necessary to implement several small counseling groups focused on social skills. When
selecting the members for each group, the counselor could best promote group effectiveness by:
a) Assembling groups of students whose members share similar backgrounds and values.
b) Creating groups whose members are already friends.
c) Establishing groups in which at least one member is a positive role model for other
students.
d) Forming groups that have fewer than five members.

47. In response to a large caseload, a school counselor decides to implement small-group

counseling as an efficient way to meet students' needs. Which of the following steps would be
best for the counselor to take first when implementing such counseling?
a) Obtaining informed consent from parents/guardians
b) Conducting a needs assessment to identify potential topics and participants
c) Developing goals and an action plan for the group
d) Publicizing the decision to administrators, teachers, parents/guardians, and students

48. When meeting with the school counselor, a student reveals that she often feels faint and has
been losing a significant amount of hair. During the session, the counselor observes that the
student makes several negative comments about herself and her appearance and that she is
wearing clothes that are noticeably too large. The student's disclosures and behaviors are most
likely indicative of which of the following problems?

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 a) Drug or alcohol abuse
b) A mood disorders
c) Physical abuse
d) An eating disorders

49. A teacher at an elementary school dies suddenly during the school year and the school
counselor is notified. The counselor's initial action in this situation should be to:
a) Offer to help plan a memorial service for the teacher.
b) Assemble the school's crisis response team.
c) Schedule individual and group counseling for students.
d) Announce the school's cancellation for the rest of the week.

50. A school counselor meets with a student who has shown signs of depression, including social
withdrawal and loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities. At one point during the meeting,
the student discloses having recurring thoughts about suicide. Which of the following would be
the counselor's best response in this situation?
a) pointing out to the student that suicide is an irreversible act
b) arranging to conduct a series of individual counseling sessions, beginning the following
day
c) informing the student that the counselor must contact the student's family immediately
d) asking the student questions to evaluate the degree of risk

51. A school counselor is planning a career development lesson focused on helping preteens
expand their self-understanding. Which of the following types of assessments would likely be
most effective to use in conjunction with this lesson?
a) interest inventories
b) achievement tests
c) behavioral observations
d) intelligence tests

52. A student with a physical disability is meeting with the school counselor to discuss
postsecondary planning. The student is pessimistic about having a rewarding career and says
that employers don't hire people with disabilities for anything but "boring jobs." Which of the
following would be the counselor's best response?
a) providing the student with examples of famous people with disabilities who have
achieved success in various careers
b) reminding the student that individuals with disabilities have employment rights that are
guaranteed by federal and state law
c) seeking out successfully employed individuals with similar disabilities who are willing to
serve as mentors to the student
d) pointing out that many individuals who start out in entry-level jobs achieve career success
through persistence and hard work

53. Data on course enrollment at a high school indicate that students from a particular
demographic group have been significantly underrepresented in college preparatory courses
over the past four years. The school counselor's best initial response would be to:

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 a) develop in-service training for teachers on how to guide targeted students to enroll in
advanced-level courses.
b) schedule a parent night focused on how students' course selections can affect their
prospects for postsecondary success.
c) develop informational handouts for entering ninth graders that stress the idea that every
student is capable of succeeding in college.
d) Schedule a meeting with the school principal to assess the scope of the problem and begin
developing an action plan.

54. A school counselor is reviewing a database of dropout rates for the school. The counselor sees
that the school's ninth-grade dropout rate last year fell by 8 percent from the previous year. To
obtain more precise information on school effectiveness, the counselor should take which of the
following steps next?
a) inspect different graphic representations of the data
b) disaggregate the data by various student subgroups
c) review similar data for other middle schools in the region
d) extend the current trend to project next year's dropout rate

55. During a meeting with a school counselor, a student confides that she is pregnant and asks
for information on obtaining an abortion. The counselor has a strong moral objection to abortion
and is hesitant to provide the requested information. Under these circumstances, the counselor
has an ethical responsibility to:
a) Refer the student to another counselor at the school.
b) Explain that many people believe abortion to be wrong.
c) Suggest that the student consider alternative options.
d) Probe the student's level of commitment to her decision.

God Bless!
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