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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol.7, No.12
Publication Date: December 25, 2020
DOI:10.14738/assrj.712.9430.
Osaat, D. S. (2020). Level Of Teachers Awarness Of Their Roles In Counselling Secondary School Students For Skill Aquisition In Rivers
State, South-South Nigeria: Management Perspective. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(12) 250-258.
Level Of Teachers Awarness Of Their Roles In Counselling Secondary
School Students For Skill Aquisition In Rivers State, South-South
Nigeria: Management Perspective
Osaat, Dinah Sunday
Department of Education Management
Faculty of Education
University of Portharcourt
ABSTRACT
The study was designed to investigate level of teachers’ awareness of
their roles in counselling secondary schools for skill acquisition in
rivers state. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The
population of the study consist of 8196 (4436 males and 3760) females.
A samples size of 450 teachers which was 5% of the population was
selected being 222 males and 190 females, using the stratified random
sampling technique. The instrument for data collection included a self
constructed questionnaire’, which was based on a four-point likert type
scale of very high extent (4points), high extent (3 points) low extent (2
points) and very low extent. (1point). The mean and standard deviation
were used to answer the research questions. Findings showed among
others that the extent of teachers’ awareness of their roles in
counselling secondary school students for skill acquisition in school is
poor and this implies that the students are not exposed to adequate
knowledge of the need for skill acquisition which will still lead to
laziness and idleness of our graduates. The study therefore
recommended among others that; adequate training should be given to
teachers of their roles as counsellors in secondary schools and enough
time should be created for guidance and counselling programme in the
school time table so that teachers can comfortably handle their clients
INTRODUCTION
Unemployment has been observed to be a challenge facing the youth of our nation. Considering the
increase level of unemployment rampaging the youth and graduates of education system today,
with its incidences of poverty, the need to give these youths early intervention by necessary
counselling specially with focus on skills acquisition cannot be over emphasized. Exposure to these
counselling would guide these students into having positive thoughts of acquiring practical skills
other than book knowledge which would help them to be self employed, creation of wealth and
generating employment for others.
Education has being seen as an instrument ‘per excellence’ for effecting national development (FRN
2014). Education is really expected to build the character of learners, getting them informed about
themselves, their environment and society. Education is an opener, which opens the eyes of the
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Osaat, D. S. (2020). Level Of Teachers Awarness Of Their Roles In Counselling Secondary School Students For Skill Aquisition In Rivers State, South-South
Nigeria: Management Perspective. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(12) 250-258.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.712.9430 251
learner to know who he is, what he is and what it can do. Education plays such great role through
the school and of course through the teachers who are the chief instructors in the school.
While primary role of the teacher is that of teaching, Best in Agabi and Okorie (2002) observes that
the teachers play such pastoral roles such as guidance and counselling, career advisory and
academic counselling, activities that are targeted at and enhancing and realizing student
potentialities in the – learning environment. If teachers therefore are aware of their positions as
counsellors and early intervention is given to these students on skills acquisition, it would go a long
way in breading students with skill which in turn would enable them to be self employed when they
are out of school.
Sometimes in 2015 the President of Nigerian, Muhammadu Buhari said that Nigerian youths are
lazy. Could it really be laziness or idleness due to lack of what to do? If these youths get themselves
engaged in any skill would there be any room for laziness or any form of idleness? Though a lot of
reasons could attest for this menace of unemployment such as rapid population increase among
others, as rightly observed by Osaat, Osaat and ochuba (2014) the researcher observes that lack of
career guidance and counselling is also a cause of unemployment. Early intervention of counselling
of students at the secondary school level by classroom teachers for skill acquisitions could go a long
way to provide students with skill awareness and knowledge which will enable them to confront
social inadequacies. If classroom teachers play their roles well as counsellors by applying some
counselling tips and involving in regular counselling of students on skill acquisition to a great extent,
the issue of unemployment would be minimized.
The researcher is of the assumption that unemployment persists greatly because early intervention
is not giving to these students inform of early counselling by the teacher on skill acquisition. As one
of the ways of managing students, classroom manager being the teacher should be able to involve
students in counselling especially as it has to do with career guidance and skill acquisition. As a form
or classroom teacher the need to give the students the pastoral care cannot be overemphasised.
Against this background has the researcher decided to investigate extent of classroom teachers
’awareness of their roles in counselling students for skill acquisition, extent of involvement in
counselling students and challenges facing teachers in counselling students especially with
reference to skill acquisition. In attempt to do that review was be made on concepts such as ;
counselling aims of counselling, goals of secondary education, skill of acquisition and teacher roles
in counselling on skill acquisition .
CONCEPT OF MANAGEMENT
Gibson in Peretomode (2012) defines management as a set of activities which has come to be
classified as planning, organising, leading and controlling in order to use available resources to
achieve desired outcomes in the most efficient way. It is the act of organising resources to ensure
that the goals of an organisation are achieved. Management in education is a process of planning,
planning, organising, leading and controlling the activities of an institution by utilising human and
materials resources so as to accomplish the functions of teaching (Daniel & Juliet, 2020). The scope
of educational management therefore includes;
• Material resource Management
• Management of educational environment
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol.7, Issue 12, December-2020
• Personnel management which include management of staff and students
• Financial management
• Communication management
• Instructional management
THE CONCEPT OF COUNSELLING
Counselling means to give advice to someone. Counselling is a professional assistance and guidance
in resolving personal and psychological problems. According to Ogazie & Ndiezi (2017) Counselling
is seen as a process that helps to develop the individual and to enable him function effectively
wherever he finds himself. Counselling falls under the umbrella term ‘talking therapies’ and allows
people to discuss their problem and any difficult feelings they encounter, in a safe confidential
environment. It is a process people seek when they want to change something in their lives or
simply explore their thoughts and feelings in more depth. Counselling is used to help people come
to terms with any problems they are facing with an ultimate aim of overcoming them. The
counsellor therefore does not sit one down and tell him or her what to do instead he encourages the
client to talk about what is bothering him or her in order to uncover any root cause and identify the
specific ways of thinking. He may look to create a plan of action to either help one reconcile his
issues or help one to find ways of coping.
Counselling is usually viewed as one of the guidance services. It is learning –oriented process which
usually occurs in an interactive relationship. In the school specifically, Malik (2013) sees guidance
and counselling as one of the methods of student personnel management that comprises
administrative and supervisory functions of the teachers other than classroom situation. Some of
these personnel services rendered to students according to the American Council on Education
studies are;
• Orienting the students to his educational environment
• Providing a diagnostic services to help the students discover his abilities, aptitudes and
objectives
• Assisting the students to clarify occupational aims and his educational plans in relations to
them
• Supervising, evaluating and developing the social life and interest of students
• Assisting the students to find appropriate employment when he lives the institution
• Keeping the students continuously and adequately informed of the educational
opportunities and services available to him.
AIMS OF COUNSELLING
Pasha (2008) enumerates some of the aims of counselling among which are;
1. To help students understand the self in terms of their personal ability, interest, motivation
and potentials
2. To help students gain insight into origin and development of emotional difficulties leading
to an increase capacity to take rational control over their feelings and actions
3. To alter maladaptive behaviours
4. To help students develop decision making skills
5. To assist students in moving toward the direction of fulfilling their potentials or in achieving
an integration of previously conflicting parts of themselves