Students' Perception of the Role of Guidance and Counselling at Tertiary Institutions

Abstract

Implementation of guidance and counselling in Kenyan tertiary institutions has been hindered by various factors. This study aimed at determining the kind of guidance and counselling offered at the Kenya Polytechnic. It also hoped to find out the levels at which providers of guidance and counselling are professionally trained and how students and teachers perceive the role of guidance and counselling provision. Results of the study indicated that there are various kinds of guiding and counselling offered at the Polytechnic. It was also clear that the students had some level of understanding of the importance of guidance and counselling services, but this did not translate to guidance and counselling seeking behaviour. Results also indicated that most of the students associated guidance and counselling with improved interpersonal relationships, increased responsibility and behavior change. The research highlights various barriers that hinder guidance and counselling provision lack of time allocated for the programs, limited access to guidance and counselling services, lack of professional counselors, and little support from management. To overcome the barriers, various recommendations have been suggested so as to improve provision of the service at the Kenya Polytechnic. Among the most important is the need to have regular workshops and seminars so as to educate students on the importance of seeking guidance and counselling services.