87 ATTITUDE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TOWARDS GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING SERVICES IN CROSS RIVER STATE EYO

The Study investigated the attitude of secondary students towards guidance and counselling services. Descriptive research design of the survey type was used. Three hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A total of 400 secondary school students were selected from ten (10) schools through stratified random sampling technique. A validated questionnaire vetted by experts in measurement and research was used as an instrument for data collection. Independent t-test statistic was used for data analysis. The study revealed that students’ attitude towards guidance and counselling services were significantly positive; that gender and school location significantly influenced students’ attitude towards guidance services. The results further revealed that there are significant differences between attitude of male and female students in rural and urban schools towards guidance and counselling services. Based on these findings, the researchers recommended that secondary education board should open well equipped counselling units in both urban and rural schools and qualified counsellors should be posted to practice and create awareness of guidance and counselling services. Introduction Guidance and counselling as the third force in education along with instruction, is an integral part of educational system. Guidance programmes for secondary school students are designed to address the physical, emotional, social, vocational and academic difficulties of adolescent students. This is to complement learning in the classroom and also enhance academic performance/achievements of students. Attitude of Secondary School Students towards Guidance and Counselling Services in Cross River State Eyo, M. B. ; Joshua, A. M. ; & Esuong, A. E. 88 Guidance plays a vital role in preventing educational, personal, social, mental emotional and other similar problems among secondary school students. Ministry of education and principals of schools are aware of the heavy reliance placed on guidance and counselling services for most aspects of the new 6-3-3-4 system to actually succeed. These services are presented by Nwachukwu (2007) as information services, placement services, appraisal services, vocational guidance services, counselling services, referral services, evaluation, follow-up, consultancy and research services. As a vital component of any type and any level of education the absence of non utilization of these services in the present day school system has led to the unprecedented rise in the crime wave, violence among students, fuelled cultism, wrong career choice, and wrong subject combination among other issues. Attitudes are predispositions which have developed through long and complex process. Anasasi (1990) defined attitude as “a tendency to react favourably or unfavourably towards a designed class of stimuli“. It is evident that attitude cannot be directly observed, but must be inferred from avert behaviour, both verbal and non verbal. Validya (1989) explains attitude as a condition of readiness for a certain type of activity. Attitudes held by individuals may be simple or complex, stable or unstable, temporary or permanent and superficial or fundamental. Judgments based upon insufficient facts are likely to yield wrong results and, thereby, develop biased attitudes. According to Crow and Crow (1979), a child‟s attitude towards his work affects his worth in his activity. An investigation of the attitude of students towards guidance and counselling services has derived impetus from the assumption that students are the major recipients of guidance and counselling services in the secondary school setting. It is believed that the success of any programme in school lies on the students‟ attitude towards it. The way students respond and perceive guidance and counselling services will, to a great extent, determine whether or not guidance and counselling services are needed or will be effectively utilized in schools. Conceptual Framework/Literature Review Guidance and counselling has been conceptualized as a programme of activities which has provided us with the gateway out of the existing numerous problems in our present age of complex scientific and technological development (Okobiah and Okorodudu 2004). Edo Journal of Counselling Vol. 3, No. 1, 2010 89 The UNESCO module on guidance and counselling (2000a) also posited that Guidance is a programme of services to individuals based on their needs and the influence of environmental factors. Guidance and counselling is a professional field which has a broad range of activities, programmes and services geared toward assisting individuals to understand themselves, their problems, their school environment and their world and also to develop adequate capacity for making wise choices and decisions. There is agreement among experts that there are three major components of guidance and counselling. These are educational guidance, vocational guidance and personal social guidance (UNESCO module 2000a). Under these three major areas, there are several guidance and counselling services such as appraisal, information, placement, orientation, evaluation, referral, and follow-up (Denga 2001) Each of these major components of guidance and counselling alone with their services address students needs, challenges and problems. The goal of guidance and counselling services is to enable each learner in institutions of learning to derive optimal educational benefits so as to actualize his/her potentialities. Thus, the highlights of the National Policy on Education (1998) states “in view of the apparent ignorance of many young people about career prospects and in view of personality adjustments among school children, career officers and counsellors will be appointed in post-primary institutions and tertiary levels. Unfortunately the practice of these services in our institutions of learning is nothing to write home about. The programme is not encouraging at the secondary school level and even at the university level. Anwana (1984) and Abiri (1996) argued that if the society is not to be plaque by a band/group of disgruntled, frustrated and unrealistic individuals, it is desirable that adequate guidance and counselling and career information be provided, to enable the school and society arrive at a realistic vocational choice for their children/wards with due realization of their potentialities. Ubom (2001) defined attitude as an individual perception and reaction to a task which is expected to be carried out or executed in a group, institution, school setting or an organisation. Attitude can be said to be positive or high when individual response to the task or programme is favourable and when they show commitment to their duties. It can be negative or low when the students express a nonchalant response, with regard to what is expected of them in the given situation. Attitude of Secondary School Students towards Guidance and Counselling Services in Cross River State Eyo, M. B. ; Joshua, A. M. ; & Esuong, A. E. 90 Previous studies such as those of Achebe (1986); Adenula (1988) Bulus (2001); Denga (2001); Edet (2008), have shown that principals and teachers constitute the greatest obstacle to the success of guidance and counselling services in schools. The report showed a negative attitude of school authorities to guidance services and to counsellors in particular. Adimula (1988) also attributed the negative attitude to the ignorance of principals and teachers about the relevance of guidance services in schools. Achebe (1986) explained that the counsellor is being seen as a new comer to the school system who is still being regarded with some sense of suspicion and caution and distancing. According to her, some of the principals and teachers regarded the services of the counsellors as an unnecessary frill. Bulus (2001) believed that principals and teachers misconceived the counsellor‟s status, which often creates conflict between them and in most cases teachers and principals who believe in the need for counsellors in the school may see no reason why there should be full time counsellors in schools. Denga (2001) stressed that the Principals who know little about counselling will not in any way appreciate the need for the counsellor to be relieved of heavy teaching load and other co-curricular duties. Such principals will stifle the counsellors‟ work by withholding budgetary allocation for guidance services. Achebe (1986) stated that some principals are rigid and traditional and would not welcome new ideas. She said even when principals are aware that modern schools require the practice of the counsellor, they may deliberately bark at the idea of implementing the guidance services in the school practice for the erroneous argument that historically, the school has operated successfully without formal guidance (p2). Edet (2008) on her research with 99 subjects, on parents‟ and teachers‟ perception of vocational guidance in secondary schools in Calabar metropolis discovered that teachers perception/attitude towards vocational guidance services was significantly negative (± = 4.6 72: p = 0.000) Researches carried out by Musgrove 1973; Ubana 2008; Denga 1983; and Onyejiaku 1991 have discovered both positive and negative attitudes of students towards guidance and counselling services including influence of sex and school geographical location. Musgrove, (1973) in the study of high school students‟ attitude toward guidance and counselling services discovered no significant differences in sex, and grade level, but a positive/favourable overall attitude toward their guidance offices. It was inferred that the needs and Edo Journal of Counselling Vol. 3, No. 1, 2010 91 expectations of the majority of the students were being met by the guidance and counselling services. Ubana (2008) in her research study on the attitude of secondary school students towards guidance and counselling services in Yakurr local government area of Cr