CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

This chapter examines the following: The background of the study, the statement of

the problem, objectives of the study, research questions, hypotheses of the study, the

significance of the study, scope of the study and operational definition of terms.

Background of the study

Conceptually, according to Bobga [ 2016] guidance and counseling is define as

cognitive educational services [within or outside the school system] that helps people

understand themselves, provided the client reveals accurate ,reliable and valid

information about himself or herself and his or her environment.

Sani [2014] defines guidance and counseling as a facilitating two way collaborative

exchange of ideas with supportive relationship that enables clients to explore their

problems.

Historically, guidance and counseling has informally existed in almost any part

of the world where civilization existed. It is believed that guidance and counseling

principles began in ancient Greece and Rome with the philosophical teachings of

Plato and Aristotle [Wikipedia n.d]. When the religious organization, especially

Christianity, began to grow in the Middle Ages, guidance and counseling began to be

practiced by religious leaders. For instance, the Catholic priests in Catholic covet and

churches practiced the modern-day counseling techniques which were mostly based

on their individual confession doctrine [the 5^th century of discipline of Roman

church/encyclopaedia Britannica, 1910]. Another trace of the beginning of Guidance

and counseling is noted from the scholarly works of Tomaso Garzoni who in 1626

wrote a book called ―Universal Plaza of all the Professions in the World‖ in which

was a text about career options (Omoni, 2009). This book related to what a school

counselor in secondary school and colleges would talk to students about today.

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During the 19th century, the industrial revolution became the major event that began

to trigger factors that led to the development of guidance and counseling [Anthony

Paul Pichionic 1980]. It led to development of Social reform movements, compulsory

education movements and vocational movements in industrialized societies like the

United States of America. UNESCO, (2002) noted that the first systematic guidance

service was first practiced in the United States of America in the 19th Century by

George Merrill [1839] at California School of Mechanical Arts in San Francisco,

California. George [1839] explained to the learners the contents of each trade so that

they could use that information to choose a specific vocation or career path. This was

followed by counseling for job placements and a follow up service for the graduates.

Makinde (1983) points out that the formal genesis of the discipline of Guidance and

Counseling began in the United States of America during the early Vocational

Guidance Movement. Jesse Davis be in 1913 began his work on guidance and

influenced schools to have school programmes on personality, culture and character

development and also promoted vocational information which was related to the

regular curriculum subjects. He was the first to introduce educational guidance

services to the school system. He is therefore considered as the first School counselor

in the United States.

Guidance and Counseling in form of vocational guidance was pioneered by a social

and political reformer, Frank Parsons. Specifically, in 1908 Frank Parsons, founded a

Vocational Bureau in Boston. Thus, Frank Parsons is often known as the ‗Father of

Vocational Guidance. Parsons concern and belief was that if individuals can

understand their strengths and weaknesses, such knowledge can be used to choose

vocational opportunities. This pioneering effort played a great role in the evolution of

modern Guidance and Counseling. The vocational guidance movement was an

attempt to reduce problems of unemployment, want and poverty among

underprivileged Americans.

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Theoretically, in 1909, the Boston Vocation Bureau helped outline a system of

vocational guidance in the Boston public schools. The work of the bureau influenced

the need for and the use of vocational guidance both in the United States and other

countries. In support of this, Shertzer and Stone (1976) also assert that this experiment

started by Parsons yielded positive results in that many youngsters benefited

tremendously from the services rendered by the bureau.

In 1910, Meyer Bloomfield single handedly promoted the first National Conference

on vocational guidance in the United States of America. While other pioneer like Eli

Weaver, on the other hand, promoted the Second National Conference on vocational

guidance in 1912. By 1918, there were documented accounts of the bureau’s influence

as far away as Uruguay and China. Guidance and counseling in these early years were

considered to be mostly vocational in nature, but as the profession advanced other

personal concerns became part of the programmes. For instance, in 1937, the National

Association for College Admission Counseling was founded [Washington Boulevard

/Highland Street in Arlington]; whose programme emphasized personal, social, moral

development.

In other countries like the United Kingdom, Hugo Munsterberg [1913] at Harvard

University also pioneered the development of career guidance in industry with the

publication of his text titled ―Psychology and Industrial Efficiency‖.

Another major factor in the evolution of guidance and counseling in the United States

is the enactment of series of Pro-Counseling and Pro- Education Legislative Acts. The

great economic depression as well as expansion of government activities during the

new deal era greatly increased public funding for guidance programmes. Social

upheavals which accompanied great depression and other crisis, forced the American

government to enact series of pro-education and pro-counseling legislations. Of all the

legislation, the National Defense Education Act of 1958 more than any piece of

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legislature promoted the growth of guidance and counseling in the United States.

When the soviet launched the world‘s first satellite in 1957, the Americans were

worried that Soviet Union had surpassed them in space technology. With typical

competitive spirit peculiar to America‘s civilization, the United States space industry

took up the soviet‘s challenge. As part of their effort to achieve parity with the soviet

in space technology, the Americans decided to overhaul the educational system. In

order to achieve this goal, American‘s legislator decided that career counseling should

be provided in all American Schools. That was the basic goal of the passage of the

National Defense Act of 1958. This legislation made massive funds available to

Colleges and Universities for training guidance counselors for American Schools.

Ever since that time, guidance and counseling in the United States had been

developing rather phenomenally.

Contextually, according to Ndongka and Leke, (2000), the development of counseling

in Cameroon could be traced from 1945, with an in-service unit of counseling opened

in the Public Works Department. It however went through a series of changes in

name: in 1949 it was called the Centre for Psychological Counseling and Vocational

Choices (CPOSP). In 1963, this unit of counseling became the Service of Vocational

Guidance and Psychological Studies of Labour Problems [Ndongka and Leke 2000]

(SPOSP). It was thus placed under the Secretariat for Labour and was linked to the

Ministry of National Education. The role of the service included carrying out

psychological studies, adaptation to the orientation and vocational selection of

individuals for the public and private sectors.

In 1966, a guidance bureau was created within the planning service of the Ministry of

National Education (Ngoran, 2013). This bureau received technical assistance from

UNESCO and was given the assignment of:

1. 1. Providing parents and students with all necessary information relative to their

studies.

2. 2. Orient students to follow the paths corresponding to their aptitudes both physically

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and intellectually in line with their personal interest and economic needs.

3. 3. To initiate and maintain school files and undertake studies on the most appropriate

psychological methods for use in school and Universities.

In 1974, following Decree No. 74/406 of 24 April 1974, a department of Planning

Orientation and School Equipment with a service of Counseling in the Ministry of

National Education was created in order to enhanced the academic performance of

students especially students with disabilities in the Cameroon government secondary

schools (Ngoran, 2013).With increased awareness and needs of students, a section for

training of counselors was established within the Department of Science of Education

in the Higher Teachers‘ Training College (HTTC) Yaoundé in 1982 by Decree No.

79/309 of the 10th of August, 1979. Admission into the two-year programme was

through a competitive examination (Ngoran, 2013; Nkegoa, 2011). Presently, apart

from HTTC Yaounde, there are many other teacher training institutions training

academic and vocational counselors. They include: University of Maroua, Higher

Teacher Training College and Higher Technical Teacher Training Colleges in Bambili,

Kumba, Douala, and Ebolowa (MINSEC).

Cameroon school system has six counseling services as stated in its terms of reference

(MINESEC 2009). The terms of reference outlines a summary and recurrent guidance

and counseling activities that should be carried out in an academic year in the central

and decentralized services of the Ministry of Secondary Education as well as in

educational establishments under the Ministry of Secondary Education (MINESEC).

These services include: academic, orientation, follow up and evaluation, research,

vocational and career services. These guidance and counseling services was put in

place and many school counselors trained in order to enhance students‘ academic

performance and specifically students with disabilities .But to what extend does

guidance and counseling services correlate to enhance the academic performance of

students with disabilities?. This study was meant to investigate the extent to which

guidance and counseling services correlate to enhance the academic performance of

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students with disabilities. However, Guidance and Counseling Services can be

affected by the following factors; the administrator‘s leadership style, Counselor‘s

skills an inclusive classroom.

Statement of the Problem

The Cameroon government had opened many training schools through which many

counselors are recruited, trained and posted to government secondary schools in order

to help in solving and improving the educational, emotional and personal state or

situation of all students through the guidance and counseling services instituted in

schools.

School counselors on their part encourage and support all students‘ academic, career,

social and emotional development through school counseling programs. School

counselors are committed to helping all students realize their potentials and meet or

exceed academic standards with consideration for both the strengths and challenges

resulting from disabilities and other special needs.

Despite the efforts made by the Cameroon government ,school counselors through

the guidance and counseling services to enhance the academic performance of all

students, academic performance of students with disabilities still remains a problem as

the cases of the disabled students observed by the student researcher during her

practicum in G.T.H.S Nkwen . During group counseling, the investigator noticed that

the school counselors were giving information and orientation in a generalize manner

without taking into consideration of students with disabilities despite the fact that

there were many students with different types of disabilities like autism, stammered

physical disabilities and so on. The situation of a student who was using crutches to

walk in school campus, a dwarf who was not confortabling sited in the classroom

during lesson due to the nature of the benches which were higher than him [ legs

hanging up],and another student who was suffering from dysgraphia and dyslexia

motivated the student researcher to investigate on the topic guidance and counseling

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services as a correlate to academic performance of students with disabilities in some

private and public secondary schools in the Bamenda III Sub-Division and to fill the

gap.

Objectives of the study

The main aim of the study was to investigate Guidance and Counseling Services as a

correlate to academic performance of students with disabilities in some private and

public secondary schools in the Bamenda III Sub-Division.

Specifically, the study sought to:

1. 1. Find out whether the administrator’s leadership style can promote Guidance and

Counseling Services to enhance academic performance of students with disabilities.

2. 2. To examine if counselor‘s skills can influence academic performance of students

with disabilities.

3. 3. To determine if an inclusive classroom can promote academic performance of

students with disabilities.

Research Questions

The main research question was, what is the relationship between guidance and

counseling services and academic performance of students with disabilities?

The following research questions were stated to guide the study:

1. 1. What is the relationship between the administrator’s leadership style and the

effective use of guidance and counseling services which can enhance academic

performance of students with disabilities?

2. 2. To what extend do the Counselor‘s skills enhance academic performance of

students with disabilities?

3. 3. How can an inclusive classroom enhance academic performance of students with

disabilities?