A survey and evaluation of the guidance practices provided by thirteen Vancouver secondary schools
Creators: name: Woodrow, Alexander
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2012

description: The present study was undertaken to find what guidance services are being offered in the secondary schools of Vancouver and generally to appraise the adequacy of those services. After an examination of research and other literature in the field it was decided to use the questionnaire-survey method of appraisal, and to restrict the investigation to the administrative services provided for the following seven major aspects of guidance; orientation of the student, gathering and using information on pupils, educational guidance, vocational guidance, placement of drop-outs and graduates, individual counselling, and growth and improvement of the guidance program. The report does not claim to evaluate the operation or results of the program. Prior to gathering any data, criteria were set up to afford a basis for appraising the adequacy of the services provided. A list was made of specific practices considered by the experts to be desirable in a guidance program and, on the basis of the criteria, a questionnaire was prepared which contained 116 items, covering as fully as possible the administration of the seven aspects of guidance being surveyed and evaluated. Interviews were held with the counsellors of each of the secondary schools in Vancouver. Using the questionnaire as a basis for questioning, the different aspects of each program were reviewed and comments made on the form where necessary or applicable. The report is so organized that each major aspect of the program is evaluated in a separate chapter. The applicable data are analyzed first by questionnaire item, then by school. Comparative evaluations of the individual programs are based on the number of specific practices reported by each school for that particular aspect. Only three evaluation categories are used, "Inadequate," "Minimum," and "Extended." In the last chapter of the study the comparative evaluations made in the preceding chapters are recapitulated. From this summary conclusions are drawn regarding the services provided by each individual school for all the seven major aspects under consideration. The strengths and weaknesses are indicated and recommendations are made for each school. Another recapitulation shows the incidence of the three evaluation types of services in the thirteen schools for each of the seven major aspects under consideration. From this summary general conclusions are drawn regarding the strong and weak elements in the guidance programs of the Vancouver secondary schools as a whole. Throughout the investigation the data reported by the counsellors repeatedly discloses the same specific weaknesses in many of the schools. These weaknesses are summarized in the final chapter in the form of recommendations. The study indicates the need for trained counsellors in every school no matter how small. It is also apparent that much more uniformity is needed in the guidance services. It is therefore recommended that a central guidance division be set up to coordinate all individual school services and carry out a systematic program of evaluation Suggestions are made for further studies to investigate the effectiveness of the practices, to determine the outcomes of the guidance in terms of the individual, to determine the effect on teachers and counsellors of the guidance program, to determine the areas of growth in the guidance program, and to determine the permanence of the effects of the guidance program.