Guidance is that assistance which the school gives the pupil to aid him in fulfilling his potential, negotiating the tasks of development, and solving problems. It constitutes the most important aspect of pupil personnel work. Usually it necessitates personal contacts between the guidance workers and the student, while personnel work may or may not require such personal contact. Guidance connotes a planned and organized programme of school wide assistance to aid the individual to self-actualize, to develop his full potentialities. But guidance is more than a service.
Guidance has been seen from different angles by different schools of thought and this has resulted in the various definitions by scholars with different backgrounds. It could mean different things to different people depending on the context within which they use it.
According to Norbert (1990), “No one definition is totally adequate to satisfy the orientation of all schools of thought but there are key elements in guidance which should be incorporated in a comprehensive definition of guidance. These key elements are:
- Service towards human development
- Two major parties are involved in the service (These parties are the guidance personnel or agents and the benefi which may be students, parents or members of the community. These two parties enter into a relationship with a view to seeking ways and means of solving personal, social, vocational or educational problems)
- The normal individua involved in the relationship. ( These individuals are “normal“ in respect to the behavior in the environment but may need some guide information or different orientation in order to adjust well in an environmen);
- The interdisciplinary services provided in guidance activities which may be influenced by the cultural environmen.
- professionals involved in the provision of the services so as to ensure adequate guidance.
- Guidance activities concerned with feelings and actions on the part of the guidance personnel. These six key elements in guidance are reflected in almost all definitions of guidance.
Guidance services in an educational setting are oriented towards providing services, which could assist students in adjustment. These services are usually classified into three categories, namel:
- Educational guidance
- Vocational guidance
- Personal-social guidance
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