THE INFLUENCE OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS STUDENT IN MAKURDI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, BENUE STATE

Abstract

A guidance and counselling programme in school assist students to harmonize their abilities, interests and values and thereby help them to develop their full potential. All this is geared towards improving the personality of the students in all ramifications and facilitating better achievement in academic performance. This study sought to establish the influence of guidance and counselling programme on the academic performance of secondary school students in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State. This study adopted an ex-post facto research design. It targeted all the 5464 population of Form Four students, 21 teacher counsellors and 21 head teachers of the 52 available public secondary schools in the study area. A random sample of 196 students, ten teacher counsellors and ten head teachers were selected from the ten selected schools. Data were collected through the administration of questionnaires on the selected respondents. The collected data was then processed and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of mean and standard deviation. The study established the following findings: Secondary schools in the study area differed in the number of guidance and counselling services that they offer. Teacher counsellors had little training in guidance and counselling while Stakeholders adequately supported guidance and counselling programme in the schools. It is discovered that students were aware of the role and importance of career counselling in their schools and there was poor academic performance among students. Guidance and counselling programme has a positive impact on the academic performance of students. Based on these findings, it is recommended that there is need to improve the level of training of teacher counselors in guidance and counseling through further on the job training programme, further schooling for better skill development and competence as this will tell on the offering of all the services required for a focused and positive guidance and counselling programme. Teacher counsellors should also be encouraged to take advantage of the positive attitude and readiness of the students to make themselves available for guidance and counselling services in order to enhance career counselling in their schools. Above all, the concerned authority should be persuaded to see that Guidance and counselling programme in available schools is well strengthened in order to improve the academic performance of secondary schools in the area.