| dc.description.abstract | The main purpose of the study was to assess the students perception of the importance of guidance and counselling with emphasis on its importance in curbing indiscipline in secondary schools in Getembe Division ofKisii Central District. The study sought to establish whether secondary schools have adequate resources to implement guidance and counselling programmes effectively, to determine the resources at the disposal of students to utilize in guidance and counselling, to find out whether corporal punishment was being administered in schools, to investigate the causes of indiscipline in secondary schools and finally to find out the possible effective ways of improving guidance and counselling services in secondary schools.
The literature review was organized thematically under various sub-headings. These were the concept, the philosophy, the government policy, the rationale, the objectives and the scope of guidance and counselling. The review further dealt with the concepts of perceptions and attitudes, and how they may affect ones disposition towards certain situations, the concept of discipline and indiscipline, students growth and development and the impact of students positive perception of the importance of guidance and counselling and how it can facilitate the development of positive behaviour and eradicate deviant behaviour patterns among the youth.
It further dealt with the rationale for establishing guidance and counselling in schools. The major objectives of guidance and counselling were also outlined.
With regard to the scope of guidance and counselling the review focussed attention to the six components of guidance and counselling, namely; educational, vocational, personal/psychological, health, civic and disaster preparedness and conflict resolution guidance and counselling. Under corporal punishment the review examined the various legal instruments, for example the regulations promulgated in 1972 under the Kenya Education Act of 1968; the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and the Children's
Act; all which have relevant articles to school discipline and the manner in which school children should be treated. It also dealt with the concept of students growth and development which not only showed their growth from adolescence to adulthood but also the challenges encountered as one moves from primary school to secondary school level and how to overcome the handicaps or adverse conditions simultaneously in a relatively short time.
In this study, a questionnaire was used as a research instrument. The questionnaire targeted secondary school students as respondents. The target
population of the study were two hundred and sixteen students from both public and private secondary school in Getembe
Division of Kisii Central District. Before the
main study a pilot study was conducted in two secondary schools to test the validity
and reliability of the instruments. The pilot study results were used to modify the research instruments. Some of the items were deleted, others were reworded and new ones constructed and added to the questionnaire.
Research questions were formulated to guide in the collection of the information required for the study. From the findings of the study it was established that students needed guidance and counseling programmes in schools, it improves discipline leading to a reduction of indiscipline in schools. However, the findings revealed that students were not certain of the importance of guidance and counseling in providing information on civic, disaster preparedness and conflict resolution, vocational career choices, educational opportunities and health issues. The research further established that all schools had teacher-counselors but a majority of them were not trained.
The findings further revealed that students were not involved in the formulation of school rules and regulations and 71.30% of the schools administered corporal punishment, with caning (74.07%) slapping (70.37%) and pinching (61.57%) being the common forms of corporal punishment in schools.
To improve guidance and counseling in schools, there was need for the
provision of reference materials, training of teacher- counselors, reduction of corporal | en |
