Middle School Students' Guidance and Counseling Needs.
Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to determine the guidance and counseling needs of middle school (i.e., sixth, seventh, and eighth grades) students from their points of views by using qualitative research techniques. In addition, while collecting the data, semi-structured interview technique is used as a method of data collection. The study was conducted with 7th and 8th graders at public primary schools in the district of Selcuklu/Konya, during the 2006-2007 academic school year. The data obtained were coded into Nvivo2 and the following themes are established: Educational guidance and counseling, career guidance and counseling, and personal/ social guidance and counseling. The findings emerging from this research are discussed and the recommendations are developed with regard to these results. Keywords Educational, Career, Personal Guidance and Counseling Needs. We live in a century in which social structures and personal values are constantly changing. All these changes affect students' expectations for the future. Some of the problems confronted by students are as follows-a rapidly changing business world through globalization and labor force; violence at home, at school, and in society; divorce; increasing adolescent suicide rates; drug addiction and stress (Gysbers, 2001; Lapan, Gysbers, & Petroski, 2003). These problems usually affect students' personal, social, career, and academic developments (Hiebert, Kemeny, & Kurchak, 1998). There are three significant variables which have a great effect on students. The first variable is that sixth grade students transfer from the first stage to the second in the elementary level. The second variable is that seventh grade students enter the period of puberty. The third variable is that eighth grade students transfer to secondary school from primary school. These first two variables are the periods in which sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students need guidance and counseling. When the first variable is thoroughly analyzed, it is seen that students who have passed from one stage to another feel excited, anxious, and worried about the new school to which they pass. These emotions lead to anxiety and stress among students ( 2005). In adolescent period, passing from one education level to another can also cause reduction in students' performances, decline of motivations, decrease in self-esteem and psychological sadness (Akos & Galassi, 2004; 2005). During the transformation process, adolescents are exposed to personal and social changes. The physical, social, and emotional changes seen in adolescents during puberty not only cause emotional conflicts between the adolescent and the family, but also these changes can lead to disobedience with their parents. These changes man occur at different times and in different forms as a sign of puberty (Akos, 2002; Scales, 2005). Self-concept, self-esteem, and identity development start with the onset of puberty (Akos, 2005; Wigfield, Lutz, & Wagner, 2005). Individuals' self-evaluations and relations with their environments are determining factors in the development of these concepts, which are of great importance to adolescents. Shortly, another variable, which can be a clue in predicting guidance and needs of sixth students (age,12), who move from the first level to the second seventh grade (age,13), and eighth grade students (age,14) who are at puberty, is their developmental needs (Johnson & Kottman, 1992; Erkan, 1997). The purpose of determining students' guidance and counseling needs is to prepare them for life. Preparing students for life entails satisfying their educational, career, personal/social guidance and counseling needs. A student who has satisfied his/her educational guidance and counseling needs; knows efficient study methods and implements them, manages and uses his/her time effectively, learns how to learn, becomes aware of his/her own potential and knows how to boost it, knows how to get help from his parents about educational matters and lastly, doesn't have adaptation problems in school(Hauck, 1997; Selcuk & Guner, 2000; Tan, 1996; Telman, 1998; Yeflilyaprak, 2000; Yildirim, Doganay & Turkoglu, 2000; Yildirim, 2006). …
Author: Şahin Kesici
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W166507420