Teacher Counselor Perceptions on the Effectiveness of Counseling on Selected Social Cultural Factors in School Pupil Retention in Keiyo South Sub County, Kenya

Abstract

With the current socio-technological changes and educational demands, guidance and counseling is becoming a major area of concern for schools in Kenya. Counseling is the skilled and principled use of relationships that develop self-knowledge, emotional acceptance and growth. Counseling seeks to address and resolve problems, help one in decision making while also assisting one to cope with crises. Counseling is also concerned with helping individuals to work through feelings and inner conflicts so as to improve relationships with others. However, little is known on the effectiveness of counseling in pupils’ retention. The study therefore, sought to establish teacher counselor perceptions on the effectiveness of counseling on selected social cultural factors in school pupil retention in Keiyo South Sub County. The study was guided by social learning theory and perceptual organization theory. The research design employed in this study was a descriptive survey. The study population was 119 teacher counselors. The study adopted census sampling technique which enabled the researcher to survey the entire population. A total of 119 questionnaires were used to collect data from teacher counselors. Reliability of the instrument was estimated using Cronbach alpha method and a reliability coefficient of 0.82 was obtained from a pilot study of 30 teacher counselors. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented in tables and figures. Analysis of data was done with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) programme version 17. Findings showed that teacher counselors’ believed that counseling teaches pupils on dangers of some rites of passage. They also agreed that counseling sensitized pupils on the importance of education. Counseling also teaches pupils on dangers of engaging in unprotected sex and encouraged pupils to come back to school after initiation. Therefore, the study recommends that teacher counselor should enhance sensitization of the community on importance of going back to school after initiation. In conjunction with various stakeholders for example NGOs, churches and community, the education officers should enhance by organizing seminars and workshops where the pupils will be sensitized on the need to shun early marriage. Further, teacher counselors should ensure regular and effective sex education is implemented in the school for proper orientation of the pupils.