Abstract

This study examined University of Buea students’ awareness of the roles of guidance counselors in the University of Buea. Data were collected from 86 respondents using a questionnaire. These research questions guided the study: what is the degree of awareness of University students of the roles of guidance counselors in UB?

This research question was sub-broken down into 4 items which include: Is there a guidance counselor in your Faculty? Do you know where his/her office is? Have you ever gone for counseling? What are the natures of the problems that you took for counseling? Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency and percentages).

It was found out that the majority of the students are aware of the presence of the guidance counselor in their faculty, it was equally noticed that despite that some of the students are of the presence of a guidance counselor but they have never made any effort to see the guidance counselor.

Thus, very few students want counseling with various problems. The finding shows that guidance counselors play an important role in the role of students thus every faculty should endeavor to have at least a guidance counselor who will provide the students with guidance and counseling services.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Introduction

The aim of the study is to know the degree of awareness of University of Buea students of the role of guidance counselors in UB. This chapter consists of the background of the study, statement of the problem, purpose, research questions and justification, significance, the scope of the study and operational definition of terms, and equally the goals of higher education.

Background Of The Study

The study of school counseling formally began in the 20th century. Some of the skills and techniques of modern-day counselors had been practice by priests in the middle ages. Teachers use to give in a few minutes of their day to provide vocational guidance to students (Browers and Hatch, 2002).

Actors that led o the development of guidance and counseling began in the 1890s with the social reform movement in the United States and the Industrial Revolution in Europe. The difficulties of people living in urban slums and widespread use of child labor led to the compulsory Education Movement.

As a result, a large number of different types of students were enrolled in school which initiated the development of the school Guidance Movement. Guidance and counseling in their early form were vocational in nature. At this period, the role of guidance counselors was to avoid behavioral problems, guide people into the workforce to become productive members of society and equally, were responsible for character development.

As a result of the advancement of the profession, their personal issues were included as part of the school counselor’s agenda. In 1913, the National Guidance Association was formed which legitimized and increased the number of guidance counselors. Guidance counselors at this point were often teachers appointed to assume the extra duty in addition to their regular teaching responsibilities.

Between the 1920s, the roles of guidance counselors were expanded to include social, personal, vocational, and educational aspects of the student’s life. In 1938, counselors began to receive support for their work following the George Dean Act which provided funds for counseling purposes.

Between the 1940s and 1950s, a directive counseling approach was a popular model of school guidance. This approach was developed by E.G Williamson and Albert Ellis. They emphasized that man is capable of rational thinking being self-directed and self-actualization and possesses good and bad qualities. To the man is capable of resolving his own problems but if allowed total freedom he can develop his bad qualities at the expense of the society at large. To avoid this, man needs to be given instructions, guided, and directed.

Also, in the 1960s, an American psychologist Carl Rogers developed a nondirective approach to focus o the relationship between the counselor and the client (Muns and Kottman, 1995). Rogers’ theory is essentially built around the concept of self and environmental experience.

The practice of guidance and counseling services in Cameroon started as a vocational and orientational service that was responsible for selecting personnel for specific jobs in factories and industries. This was in 1945 when a Polytechnique service was created in Douala in 1963 it was changed to a professional orientation service and psychological study unit, charged with carrying out psycho technique testing and testing for the ministry of National Education, which eventually generated guidance and counseling in schools as time went by.

A section for training guidance counselors was created in 1982 at the Higher Teachers Training College Yaounde and in 1989 counselors were sent to universities from the Ministry of Higher Education. In 2008 and 2011, a section for training guidance counselors was created in E.N.S Maroua and Bambili respectively. Most of the universities today in the country both public and private are filled with the presence of guidance counselors.

Today, school counselors perform the role of leaders, effective team members, and an integral part of student education. They address the needs of students through group and individual counseling, large group guidance, consultation, and coordination (ASCA; 1999).

Guidance counselors equally help students to resolve and cope with developmental issues. School counselors have studied their emphases from service-centered for some of the students to program-centered for every student (Bowers and Hatch, 2002).

However, counselors’ work differentiates according to the developmental stages of their students.  Counselors’ universities (schools) are the only ones with formal training in both mental and health education (ASCA).

Schools counselors act like team players and they understand the importance of stanny responsibilities within the school system. School counselors are also responsible for carrying out tests. At some point, school counselors’ roles can be altered.

For instance, in case of testing and when asked to assist the school administration, since he/she is solely responsible for coordinating the test, he became too busy to assist his student. Also, when a school counselor takes the office of the Head of Department in his/her absence, students can alter their awareness of the counselor role; they may see him or her as a disciplinarian rather than somebody who is out to provide support service.

In addition, school counselors in the University of Buea are included in the admission process the University of Buea. The counselors help students to the ability to choose a program that corresponds to their points and subjects especially level 200 students who are applying. From the 1960s, school counselors have been taught the three “C” as a measure to defining their role in the school setting.

The three Cs are counseling, consultation, and coordination that enable the school counselors to provide a comprehensive guidance program (Gysber and Henderson; 1944). Apart from the three Cs, Gysher and Henderson introduced the roles o guidance, assessment, program management, and professionalism.

Statement Of The Problem

It has been observed that there are about six guidance counselors in the University of Buea with each faculty having a guidance counselor. The guidance counselor in association with the school administration, lecturers and parent help to make learning a positive experience for students and to see into it that students’ individual needs are attained.

Guidance counselors have a great influence on student’s academic life and their lives after school. However, it has been observed that most students pass through the University of Buea without knowing who their guidance counselors are.

Also, some students are not aware of the presence of guidance counselors at the University of Buea. Those that are aware do not know the kind o problem and issues that they can take to the school guidance counselor for guidance and counseling.

In addition, students’ awareness equally influences the ways in which they see and relate with the school guidance counselors. Student awareness can also e influenced by the gender of the school counselor. For example, if the school guidance counselor is a male, female students may find it difficult ad embarrassing to take some of their problems to him or her for counseling.

Purpose Of The Study

The purpose of this study is to investigate students’ awareness of the roles of guidance counselors in the University of Buea. More specifically, the study seeks to examine the awareness of the existence of guidance counselors and the impact of guidance counselors.

Objectives Of The Study

1. To investigate the degree of awareness of University of Buea students of the role of guidance counselors in the University of Buea.
2. To determine the impact of guidance and counseling on students.