ABSENCE OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING: ITS IMPACT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Education has been defined as a critical and necessary component of any sort of growth (Jibrin, et al., 2012). Education, in its broadest meaning, covers all of the processes that people go through in their lives in order to develop and, potentially, exploit their potentials through the acquisition of knowledge, skills, talents, and attitudes required for effective societal existence (Umar, et al., 2012). In projection, it is a lifelong process that begins with birth and concludes with death, implying that education is a lifelong activity. Education is a tool for all nations' economic, political, and scientific progress (Jibrin, et al., 2012).

Secondary school education, according to Umar et al., (2014), is the engine room of knowledge acquisition, a stage in which pupils come into touch with a variety of topics that help them decide which field of study they want to pursue in higher secondary school. After primary education and before higher education, education is a kind of level. Its prominence is also reflected in its place in the educational system. According to the National Policy on Education (FGN, 2004), the goal of education is to instill a spirit of inquiry in children, and education should also prepare students to live effectively in our modern age of science and technology. Furthermore, the importance of school-based counseling programs was highlighted.

Guidance and counseling are crucial aspects in the discipline management of people in all civilizations, including the most primitive societies, which arose from the need to guide individual behavior patterns in their chosen paths. Hendrikz (1986) emphasizes that it is the role of teachers and school management to ensure that pupils progress steadily along their own unique path. Students are priceless assets and the most important component of education.

According to Orewere, E. (2012), guidance and counselling services are essential in all aspects of Nigerian society, as they are in all other rapidly expanding countries. The absence of guidance and counselling services in any country can result in a variety of issues that affect the lives of the majority. When it comes to educational considerations, one such concern that may occur is the considerable uncertainty in measuring students' intrinsic skills.

Today's schools do not have a large percentage of students who discovered their abilities or academic potential in secondary school. The schools have done nothing to help or support children in discovering their intrinsic strengths through counseling and counselling. As a result, students opt to study all courses in the school curriculum without taking into account each student's strengths and shortcomings (Orewere, 2012). As a result of this lack of knowledge about guidance and counselling, many students are unsure of which subject to study for their school certificate exams. As a result, they fail to get a good combination of results (Eyo, Joshua, & Esuong, 2010).

Many students have results that appear to be extremely good but lack the necessary combination for courses at any post secondary school. There is a point where doubt seeps in and makes deciding what courses to take, what profession to prepare for, or which higher educational institution to attend difficult.

Furthermore, in light of this condition, students who fail to perform well in examinations do so not necessarily owing to a lack of intellectual aptitude, but rather because they fail to adopt appropriate study skills due to ignorance or a lack of supervision and counselling.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Bolu-Steve, & Oredugba, (2017) noted that one of the contributing factors to students' low performance in secondary schools has been the school's disregard of advice and counselling. The guidance and counselling personnel who have found themselves in school are preoccupied with other academic duties that have prevented them from giving their all and making time for guidance and counselling services.

The guidance and counsellor have not been given the time or administrative assistance to carry out that one-on-one inter-personal relationship through which the deeply impacted client's difficulties could be resolved (Ebizie, Enajedu, & Nkechi, 2016).

In light of this circumstance, the researcher proposes to research on the absence of advice and counselling and its impacts on academic performance.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE PROBLEM

The primary objective of this study is to examine the absence of guidance and counselling: and its impact on academic performance. Specifically, the study seeks:

i.          To determine if guidance and counselling is important to secondary school students

ii.        To find out the extent guidance and counselling is carried out in secondary schools

iii.      To determine why the role of guidance and counselling is neglected in secondary schools

iv.      To examine the effects of guidance and counselling negligence on students academic performance

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions will be answered in this study:

i.          Is guidance and counselling important to secondary school students?

ii.        To what extent is guidance and counselling carried out in secondary schools?

iii.      Why is the role of guidance and counselling neglected in secondary schools?

iv.      What are the effects of guidance and counselling negligence on students academic performance?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The findings of this study will be greatly significant to the guidance and counselling sector as it will serve as the foundation for effective advice and counselling services in secondary schools, thus enhancing students' great performance. It is also envisaged that this study will be beneficial to the government as the results of this study will reveal why it is important to launch an initiative that will provide guidance and counselling in secondary schools.

Finally, this study will be beneficial to the scholars and students as it will serve as an existing material for further studies and future research.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will focus on examining the absence of guidance and counselling: its impact on academic performance. Specifically, this study will focus on determining if guidance and counselling is important to secondary school students, finding out the extent guidance and counselling is carried out in secondary schools, determining why the role of guidance and counselling is neglected in secondary schools and examine the effects of guidance and counselling negligence on students academic performance.

Guidance and counselling students of selected secondary schools in Ukanafun LGA of Akwa Ibom will serve as participants for the survey of this study.

1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The researcher encountered minor obstacles when conducting the study, as with any human endeavor. The significant constraint was the scarcity of literature on the subject due to the nature of the discourse, so the researcher incurred more financial expenses and spent more time sourcing for relevant materials, literature, or information and in the data collection process, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size. Furthermore, the researcher did this investigation alongside other academic activities. Furthermore, the sample size was limited because only a few respondents were chosen to answer the research instrument, therefore the results cannot be generalized to other secondary schools outside the state. Despite the constraints encountered during the research, all elements were minimized in order to provide the best results and make the research effective.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Absence: the non-existence or lack of

Guidance and counselling: is the process of helping individuals discover and develop their educational, vocational and psychological potentialities and to achieve an optimal level of personal happiness and social usefulness.

Impact: a marked effect or influence

Academic performance: is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goals. Completion of educational benchmarks such as secondary school diplomas and bachelor's degrees represent academic achievement.

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