HEAD TEACHERS, TEACHER COUNSELORS AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING PROGRAMME IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KAMARINY DIVISION OF KEIYO DISTRICT, RIFT VALLEY PROVINCE, KENYA

ABSTRACT
The guidance and counselling programme is important and need be availed in all secondary schools and other places of human interaction. This programme need be introduced and strengthened in schools and colleges to help in the total development of the students. This will enhance discipline and proper choices regarding careers and vocational development. The purpose of the study therefore was to assess the perceptions of head teachers, teacher counselors and students on the implementation of guidance and counselling programme in secondary schools in Kamariny Division of Keiyo District. The researcher employed a descriptive survey design. The study targeted the head teachers, teacher counselors and students. The population of the study was 3,160 students, 10 head teachers and 10 teacher counselors. An accessible population of 1,455 students, drawn from Form Three and Four classes was used to determine the sample size of student respondents from each of the ten schools. Purposive sampling was used to select the head teachers, teacher counselors and form three and form four students; stratified random sampling was used to sample the students in co-educational schools and the schools with more than a single stream and simple random sampling method to sample the students in their respective classes. One for the teacher counselors and another for the students and an interview schedule for the head teachers were used to collect the data. A sample of 230 respondents was drawn from the population. The data collected from the field were analyzed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 12.5 for Windows. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics in the form of frequencies and percentages. The study findings indicated that guidance and counselling programme had been established in all the schools in Kamariny Division but majority of them lacked the requisite resources. The research recommended that each secondary school in Kenya should have a well trained guidance and counselling teacher to assist the students deal with existing and emerging challenges. The government should provide the necessary resources and policy structure on the implementation of the guidance and counselling programme in schools. The study is expected to reveal the implementation of guidance and counselling programme in Kamariny Division. The findings from this study may be of importance to the education stakeholders in the District in formulating policies and giving necessary advice on how guidance and counselling can be effectively implemented in secondary schools.

CHAPTER ONE:
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The guidance and counselling programme in Kenya has become increasingly important in recent years because the country is faced with new psychological and social challenges that require guidance and counselling (Mutie & Ndambuki, 1999). The Government of Kenya has reinforced guidance and counselling services by encouraging teachers to take specialized courses in guidance and counselling (GoK, 2009). This service should be offered in all learning institutions and especially in secondary schools to enable students cope with daily challenges since the incidences of drug abuse and related problems have led to students indiscipline that have caused devastating effects on students' personal lives, school structures and the entire society (Ochieng, 1986).

An organized guidance and counselling programme is essential in assisting students cope with the stresses they face while in and out of school. Some of these stresses according to Melgosa (2001) include physical and psychological changes they face due to adolescence. The challenges of adolescence according to Melgosa (1997) include adopting to their new image, facing the growing academic demands, establishing vocational goals, learning to control sexuality, emotional and psychological independence from their parents. Some of the learners in secondary schools are at an adolescence stage and an effective guidance and counselling programme in schools must be availed to assist these students (Melgosa, 2001).

The changing complexity of the society due to rapid change in technology and the effect of HIV/AIDS has caused undue demand on students (Mutie & Ndambuki, 1999). The threat of unemployment after school, children headed household and general insecurity threats cause a lot of stress on students. According to Makinde (1984), students ought to be helped on how to cope with these stresses, acquire life skills and career choices. This will contribute to high academic standards in schools and students are expected to make proper choices in preparation to enter and progress in a career after school. They therefore need to be informed about different jobs and available opportunities and qualifications needed and the responsibilities involved in the nature of work (Makinde, 1984; Mutie & Ndambuki, 1999). Students face problems at home and these are manifested by their poor academic performance and frequent indiscipline cases experienced in schools (NACADA, 2002).

Most schools in Kenya, according to Ndirangu (2002), are facing a problem of properly implemented guidance and counselling service and for those that have established the department, they are not well organized in terms of time allocation and infrastructure. This may be the prevailing situation in Keiyo District and therefore, there was need to establish the implementation of guidance and counselling programmes in Kamariny Division of Keiyo District.

Statement of the Problem
Guidance and counselling is becoming an essential service in institutions of learning right from primary schools through secondary and to the higher institutions of learning such as colleges and universities. It has become even more crucial in recent years following the withdrawal of corporal punishment that was initially used to instill discipline. However, there have been cases of student indiscipline in many secondary schools in Keiyo district including those in Kamariny Division, which have been known to occur due to students' inability to resolve their psychological, social and academic challenges. Such cases often lead to indiscipline which have resulted in strikes and massive destruction of schools' property. This situation puts in question the implementation of Guidance and counselling programmes in schools. It is for this reason that this study focused on the perceptions of head teachers, teacher counselors and students on the implementation of guidance and counselling programme in Kamariny Division in Keiyo District, Rift Valley province, Kenya.

Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions of head teachers, teacher counselors and students on the implementation of guidance and counselling programme in Kamariny Division in Keiyo District, Rift Valley province, Kenya.

Objectives of the study
The study was guided by the following objectives:

i) To establish the perception of students, teacher counselors and school head teachers on the implementation of guidance and counselling programme in Kamariny Division of Keiyo District.

ii) To establish the level of training of teacher counselors in these secondary schools in Kamariny Division of Keiyo District,

iii) To establish whether the guidance and counselling activities are implemented as planned in secondary schools in Kamariny Division of Keiyo District,

iv) To determine the factors influencing the implementation of Guidance and Counselling programme in secondary schools in Kamariny Division of Keiyo District.

Research Questions
This study aimed at answering the following research questions in order to fulfill the above objectives.

i) What perceptions do students, teacher counselors and school head teachers have on the implementation of guidance and counselling programme?

ii) What is the level of training of teacher counselors and school head teachers on guidance and counselling in Kamariny Division of Keiyo District?

iii) Are guidance and counselling activities in secondary schools implemented as planned?

iv) What factors influence the implementation of guidance and counselling programmes in secondary schools?

Significance of the Study
The changes taking place in the society and the struggle of every individual to survive has resulted to problems, which range from social, cultural and economic, and this needs the intervention from counselors. Through proper implementation of guidance and counselling programme, parents can be involved in making their children choose careers that match their abilities. The students can also be assisted to discover their skills and talents. This study was hoped to come up with the perceptions of head teachers, teacher counselors and students on the implementation of guidance and counselling programme in Kamariny Division in Keiyo District.

The results of this study may give an insight into the implementation of guidance and counselling programme in secondary schools in Kamariny Division. From the finding of the study, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology will plan for the training of school counselors and formulate poliices concerning guidance and counselling. The Ministry may also use the information to train school managers and teachers through the Kenya Education Staff Institute (KESI). KESI may also develop and disseminate knowledge, skills and attitudes in guidance and counselling related areas to managers and teachers through their training.

School head teacher, teacher counselors and student may develop appropriate measures to facilitate the implementation of guidance and counseling programme in their school Equally, the school will greatly benefit from this programme since level of discipline will improve thus enhancing performance of the learners. The learners will be in apposition to cope up real life challenges hence pursuing their studies.

Scope of the Study
This study was confined to secondary schools in Kamariny Division, Keiyo District Rift Valley Province Kenya. The study restricted it self to the form three and four students, teacher counselors and school head teacher. This study was interested in finding out the perceptions of head teachers, teacher counselors and students on the implementation of guidance and counselling programme in secondary schools within the division of the study.

Limitation of the Study
The study was done in one division and therefore the findings may not be generalized to the whole country

Assumptions of the Study
The study had the following assumptions:

i. That the respondents would cooperate and give the required information accurately and truthfully.

ii. That guidance and counseling programmes had been implemented in all the secondary schools in Kamariny division

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Item Type: Kenyan Topic  |  Size: 78 pages  |  Chapters: 1-5
Format: MS Word  |  Delivery: Within 30Mins.
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