Guidance and Counselling Services in Secondary Schools in Eastern Gojjam Administrative Zone: A mixed Design Evaluation of Priority Needs, Service Barriers and Facilitators

Abstract

Problem areas that need urgent guidance and counselling intervention were not prioritized and barriers to fulfil these priority needs were not investigated in secondary schools in Ethiopia. This study aims to investigate students’ priority guidance and counselling needs and barriers and opportunities of meeting such guidance and counselling needs. A concurrent mixed methods design was used. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was used to investigate: (1) priority areas of guidance and counselling needs of the students and, (2) associates of these priority areas of counselling needs using linear regression. We conducted an in-depth interview and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with school counsellors and principals to investigate: (1) barriers and opportunities to provide guidance and counselling services. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. Results indicated that at a cut off 10 points of the PHQ-9 score, more than half of the participants had depressive symptoms. Student participants were more worried about their education and vocation than their emotional, behavioural and social problems. Increment in depressive symptoms (β=0.266, p<001) and anxiety (β=0.154, p<001) scores were positively associated with an increased score in guidance and counselling needs. Themes were identified as challenges related to meeting prioritized student guidance and counselling needs: (1) administrative challenges, (2) counsellor competencies and motivation, (3) resource constraints and (4) beliefs (staff perceptions, cultural beliefs).