Abstract:
While education is expected to change the behaviour of learners positively by moulding them into self respecting and self- reliant individuals, discipline related issues have been at the fore of educational debates as students encounter challenges associated with adolescence. Cases of truancy, drug abuse, immorality, destruction of property and loss of life, are however, indicators of the existence of a conflict between educational aims and discipline among secondary school students. This is despite the provision of guidance and counselling services in schools, hence the need to examine the effectiveness of guidance and counselling in enhancing discipline among secondary school students. Person centred theory advanced by Carl Rogers guided the study. The objective of the study was to examine the effectiveness of teacher counsellors’ delivery of guidance and counselling services towards enhancing discipline among secondary school students in Olokurto Division of Narok County, Kenya. Descriptive survey design was employed in the study. The study population comprised 861 students, 12 teacher counsellors and 6 deputy principals drawn from the six public secondary schools in the division. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were employed and a sample of 129 students was obtained. Schools, deputy principals and teacher counsellors in the division were purposively sampled. Questionnaires were used to collect data from respondents. Using test-retest method, the instruments yielded a reliability coefficient of r = 0.76, thus accepted for the study. Data was analyzed by the help of SPSS software version 20.0 and presented in tables, charts, graphs, means, frequencies and percentages. The study found that teacher counsellors could not effectively deliver guidance and counselling services due to their low levels of training, heavy work load, lack of resources and facilities. The study recommended refresher courses in counselling, integration of counselling in teacher training curriculum, reduced work load for teacher counsellors and provision of resources and facilities for teacher counsellors as a way forward in increasing effectiveness of delivery of counselling services towards enhancing discipline among students in secondary schools.
