IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education (IOSR-JRME)

e-ISSN: 2320–7388, p- ISSN: 2320-737x Volume 10, Issue 5 Ser. IV (Sep. – Oct. 2020), PP 06-13
www.iosrjournals.org

Availability and Use of Guidance and Counseling Services for

Career Choice in Selected Secondary Schools in Sokoto
Metropolis, Sokoto State Nigeria
1
S. Y. Sheriff, 2Usman Ibrahim Tune, 3Faith I. Agbomakha, 4Tajudeen
Abdulrasheed, 5Salihu Dandare,
1Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Kebbi State University of Science and
TechnologyAlieroKebbi State, Nigeria,, Universal Basic Education Commission , Kebbi State, BirninKebbi
Nigeria.,
3Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, AfakaMando Kaduna State, Nigeri,a
4Federal Government College Sokoto, Sokoto State Nigeria,,
5Canter for Continue Education, ShehuShagari College of Education Sokoto, Sokoto State Nigeria
Corresponding Author: S. Y. Sheriff

Abstract:
Background: The study assessed the availability and use of guidance and counselling services in selected
female Secondary Schools in Sokoto Metropolis of Sokoto State Nigeria.The Nigerian secondary school
educational system particularly in Sokoto State expects that students are to be properly guided on their
educational activities, vocational choices, emotional and socio-personal problems.
Materials and Methods:. the sample size was 100 respondents using well-structured questionnaires collected
from three selected secondary schools. The data of the survey was analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results: In the study, it was observed that the main factors influence the choice of Subjects by respondents is
meanly personal preference (49%) and Parents (29%). It was observed that 95% of respondents plan to
continue their education after graduation for secondary schools. Despite the assumption of lack of availability
of guidance and counselling in our schools, majority (85%) of the respondents indicated that there is existence
of Guidance and Counselling Services their various schools and 66% of the respondents have one time or other
accessed Guidance and Counselling services. the study indicated that majority of respondents (42%) accessed
guidance and counselling services in their respective schools at senior school one (SS1) class. The students also
reveals that almost half (49%) of the respondents received guidance and counselling advices on career choice
and 59% of the respondents were very Satisfied with guidance and counselling services. And majority (66%) of
the respondents rated the Guidance and Counselling Services provided as ‘Very good’ in respect of developing
career choice.
Conclusion: It recommended that adequate orientation and enlightening of the students will encourage them to
seek the service of Guidance and Counselling officers in female secondary school in Sokoto metropolis.
Key Word: guidance, counselling, female, Schools, Metropolis
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Date of Submission: 20-09-2020 Date of Acceptance: 04-10-2020
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I. Introduction
The Nigerian secondary school educational system expects that students are to be properly guided on
their educational activities, vocational choices, emotional and socio-personal problems. Therefore, to overcome
life inadequateness, guidance and counselling provides appropriate assistance to students to better understand
and accept themselves their personalities, endowment, their attitudes and worth as unique individuals. The
students are also helped through guidance and counselling to acquire better decision-making skills, identify their
unique needs, the needs of other people and the society in general. The present situations in Nigeria society and
educational system are the fundamental reasons for the introduction of guidance and counselling services. [1]
Guidance and counselling is the assistance given to the students or individuals through group
techniques to help them function more effectively in their school programmes and workplace. It assist students
to know and act in terms of their present and future educational needs and opportunities. [2]
Female education and career development are very important for societal development because if
female child is educated she will pass the knowledge to her family which is unit of a society. Women career
development couldtherefore be viewed as having much to do with their ability to prepare, enter into their chosen

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 Availability and Use of Guidance and Counseling Services for Career Choice in Selected ..

career fields, thrive and advance in such career alongside with their male counter parts without any stereotypical
bias.[3]
Culture in Nigeria is vital to female career choice and development. This is based on the fact that
Nigerian Culture tends to believe in the inferiority of women relative to men. Some are of the opinions that
women’s place is in the kitchen and making of babies which makes it difficult for them to advance in their
career development. For this reason, career differential is often seen at play when it is time for the selection of
courses in school.
The ages that boy’s school tends to be more equipped and oriented towards science and technology.
Boys in mixed schools are also encouraged to enroll and perform well in these subjects. Female schools do not
offer technological subjects such as engineering; instead they offer domestic science and secretarial subjects. By
the time students come to choose career they have internalized gender norms.[4] In many countries of the world,
delivered circumstances prompted the establishment of guidance and counseling in secondary schools.[4] The
curriculum of our secondary schools should be built around the development stage of the youths. Learning takes
place if geared toward the cognitive development stage of individual children. This however, includes the
sensory motor, pre-operational, concrete operational and formal operational stages. Each stages has its own
characteristic set of learning out comes.[5] The National Policy on Education stresses the pressing need for
guidance counsellors in Nigerian educational system, to cater for the sensitive disturbed academic and societal
problems. Many individuals take career as an advantage for securing job, aspirating for further heights or
opportunities in life and for promotion to higher ranks in an organization system and it is observed that many
female students do not have the zeal to further their career after secondary school, especially in the north and
often find it difficult in choosing career for their choice which could be due to inadequate guidance and
counseling services. Hence, this study intends to find out the impact of guidance and counseling on career
choice among female students in secondary schools of Sokoto metropolis and also to determine the availability
of guidance counseling services in the selected schools; to determine the level at which female students access
G/C services; to determine the nature of G/C services accessed by female students under the study area; to
determine if G/C services provided has shaped the career choice of the female students.[6]
Moreover, Professional counsellors in schools are confronted with series of issues and challenges the
issues range from lack of appraisal tools for counselling; poor physical facilities for counselling; inadequate
communication by counsellors with teachers, administrator etc.[1]

1.2 Guidance and Counseling as a Concept

Guidance was defined by Makinde as a process of helping an individual to understand himself and his
surroundings, consequently, to understand oneself is to be able to know one’s weakness, strength and
potentialities. Also to understand one’s environment is to know what is happening around one’s environment/
surroundings as well as having ability to adjust to one’s surroundings.[7] and also Prayitno and Erman defined
guidance as the process of aid committed by people who are experts on one or several individuals, both children
and adolescent, and adults so that people can be guided to develop their own abilities, to harness the power of
individuals and facilities that can be developed based on the prevailing norms. They also see counseling as the
process of providing assistance through counseling interviews by an expert (counselor) to individuals who are
experiencing a problem.[8]
While Ipaye saw counseling as a method of helping the individual to utilize his/her psychological
resources by focusing on that individual positive strength for development and by concentrating on the
individual personality behavior and emotional asset that could be mobilized.[9]

II. Material And Methods

Survey design was used for the study and data was collected purposively from four (4) selected female
secondary schools in sokoto metropolis
Study Design: Survey design was used for the study.
Study Location: Data was collected from four (4) selected secondary schools within the sokoto metropolis
namely; Mabera in Sokoto South Local Government, Alkila in Wamako Local Government, Runjin Sabo in
Sokoto North Local Government Areas Council.
Study Duration: 8th July 2019 to 20th July 2019.
Sample size: 100 Students.
Sample size calculation: Purposive sampling was used to select four schools in the first stage and simple
random sampling was used in the second stage to select twenty five students using single proportion design to
drawn 100 sample frame.
Subjects & selection method: The students was drawn from four selected female secondary school in Sokoto
metropolis using purposive sampling and simple random sampling was use to select twenty five students from
each school to form the sample frame using a structured questionnaire and interview for data collection.

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 Availability and Use of Guidance and Counseling Services for Career Choice in Selected ..

Procedure methodology;
Purposive sampling was used to collect the primary data using well-designed questionnaire to answer
the research questions as to achieve the desire objective of the study. The questionnaire included socio-
demographic characteristics such as name of the school, age, gender, class, occupation of parents and parents
level of education, and relevant information on use of guidance and counseling was also collected.

Statistical analysis;
Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such frequency, percentage and average.

III. Data Presentation, Analysis and Result

Availability and Access of Guidance and Counselling Services in the Schools;
In view of this, the availability of Guidance and Counselling Services in the School was determined in
Table 1. Indicated that majority (85%) of therespondents indicated that there is existence ofGuidance and
Counselling Services their schools. while 11% of the respondents stated that they were totally unaware of the
availability of Guidance and Counselling Services in their various Schools and 4% decline comments. The
implications of the result are that over 10% of the respondents lack awareness on the existence of Guidance and
Counselling Services. This ascension goes in line with the study of Brown that students the counsellors are
supposed to guide and assist in their educational, vocational and personal social development are not aware of
counsellor’s existence and even when they realize that, they are not sure of the exact role the counsellor
plays.[1] Possibly, Nigeria is aware of the importance of guidance and counselling, hence its entrenchment in
the new Federal Republic of Nigeria.[11]

Table 1: Availability of Guidance and Counselling Services in the Schools (n = 100)

Variables Frequency Percentage
Availability of G/C 85 85
Unavailability of G/C 11 11
Not specified 4 4
Total 100 100
Source: Field Survey 2019

Availability of Guidance and Counselling Services in the Schools

Unavailability Not specified 0%
of G/C 4%
11%

Availability of
G/C
85%

Source: Field Survey 2019

Stages at which the Respondents Accessing Guidance and Counselling Services

Table 2 reveals that 42% of therespondents accessed guidance and counselling services in their
respective schools at senior school one (SS1) class. This is followed by those who accessed the services at junior
secondary school (JSS) class 18%, while 15% of the respondents accessed guidance and counselling services.
And only 1% of the respondents accessed the services at senior school two (SS2) Class. A good number of
therespondents did not indicate their views. The finding explains that quite a number of students in the area of
study access guidance and counselling services in their respective schools at senior school classes.

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 Availability and Use of Guidance and Counseling Services for Career Choice in Selected ..

Table 2: Stages at which the respondents Access Guidance and Counselling Services (n = 100)
Variables Frequency Percentage
Senior Secondary School One 42 42
Junior Secondary School One 18 18
Junior Secondary School Three 15 15
Senior Secondary School Two 1 1
Not specified 24 24
Total 100 100
Source: Field Survey 2019

Stages at which the respondents Access Guidance and Counselling

Services

Senior
Not Specified
Senior Secondary
24%
Secondary School One
School Two 42%
1%
Junior
Junior Secondary
Secondary School One
School Three 18%
15%

Source: Field Survey 2019

Types of Guidance and Counselling Services to Students; Table no3: Shows The result in Table 3 reveals
that almost half (49%) of the respondents received guidance and counsellingadvices on career choice. Drug
abuses were 20%, while 10% was on marriage counselling. The result also indicates that 5% of the respondents
surfer advices on cultism, with only few 2% of therespondents seek advice on other service such as family
matters etc. and up to 20% have never seek any services from guidance and counselling office.

Table 3 Types of Guidance and Counselling Services Offers to Students (n = 100)

Variables Frequency Percentage
Career Choice 49 49
Drug Abuse 14 14
Cultism 5 5
Marriage 10 10
Family 2 2
Not specified 20 20
Total 100 100
Source: Field Survey 2019

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 Availability and Use of Guidance and Counseling Services for Career Choice in Selected ..

Types Guidance and Counselling Services Students

Family Not Specified

2% 20%
Career Choice
Marriage
49%
10%

Drug Abuse
14%
Cultism
5%

Source: Field Survey 2019

Factors Affecting Improvement of Guidance and Counselling Services for Effective Career Choice;
For effective and efficient Guidance and Counselling Services in female secondary schools for career
choice lies on many factors. Table 4 indicate that considerable numbers (23%) of the respondents were of the
view that adequate orientation and enlightening of the students will encourage them to seek the service of
Guidance and Counselling officers. On this note, 6% of the respondents were with the opinion that providing
regular Guidance and Counselling Service working materials and support from school management could
improve career choice in female School.The result further reveals that another 6% belief that if more qualified
Guidance and Counselling Service Officers were provided in female schools, it will aid effective Guidance and
Counselling Service and career choice among female students. While 5% of the respondents opine that good
relationship and motivation between the Guidance and Counselling Service Officers and Students will facilitate
and improve Guidance and Counselling Services in the area of study. This is in accordance with work of Brown,
asserted that Professional counsellors in schools are confronted with series of issues and challenges. The issues
range from lack of appraisal tools for counselling; poor physical facilities for counselling; inadequate
communication by counsellors with teachers, administrators, students and parents.[1] And 3% of the
respondents opine that Professional Guidance and Counselling Officers should be employed in female Schools.
While 2% of the respondents were of the view that Guidance and Counselling Services can be improved if the
Guidance and Counselling Officers were allowed to focus and concentrate on Guidance and Counselling
Services in the Schools. This also portray the work of Denga in year 2001, the public have a lazy, confused and
blurred perception of counsellor’s roles and functions.[16] Abraham and Brown noted when counsellors are
posted to schools, principals assign duties to them according to their schools need. Most of the times, the
counsellors posted to some schools may be asked to play the role of vice principals, to teach as full time
teachers,to act as guidance counsellors, to perform the role of career master and mistress, to act as
school clerk or cashier among others.[17] Few (2%) of the respondents were with opinion that creating guidance
and counselling services Clubs in male and female schools could improve guidance and counselling services.

Table 4: Factors Affecting Improvement of Guidance and Counselling Services for Effective Career
Choice in Female Secondary Schools. (n = 100)
Variables Frequency Percentage
Orientation and Enlightening 23 23
Working Materials and Support 6 6
Trained G/C Officers 9 9
Good Relationship and Motivation 5 5
Focus on G/C Services only in the Schools 2 2
Creating G/C Services Clubs 1 1
No Comment 54 54
Total 100 100
Source: Field Survey 2019

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 Availability and Use of Guidance and Counseling Services for Career Choice in Selected ..

Factors Affecting Improvement of Guidance and Counselling Services for

Effective Career Choice in Female Secondary Schools

Working
Orientation and Materials and
Enlightening Support
23% 6%
Not Specified
54%
Trained G/C
Officers
9%
Good
Relationship
Focus on G/C and
Creating G/C Services only Motivation
Services Clubs in the Schools 5%
1% 2%
Source: Field Survey 2019

Effect of Guidance and Counselling Services on Respondents behaviour;

Respondents were debriefed information based on the advice given to them by the guidance and
counselling services officers in table 5; the result indicated that 40% of the respondents were with the opinion
that guidance and counselling services has significantly changed their life in the area of guide. While 29% were
with opinion that guidance and counselling services has change their life. Moreover, the result further illustrate
that 5% of the respondents were of the view that guidance and counselling services had not affected their life in
any away, and 3% of the respondents were with the opinion that guidance and counselling services had partly
impact on their life while 23% of the respondents did not express their opinion. This explains the assertion of
Steffire, that the skill requirement for guidance and counselling service officers vary drastically depending in his
specific area of responsibility.

Table 5: Effect of Guidance and Counselling Services on Respondents behaviour (n = 100);

Variables Frequency Percentage
Change significantly 40 40
Change 29 29
Partly Change 3 3
Not Change 5 5
Not Specified 23 23
Total 100 100

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 Availability and Use of Guidance and Counseling Services for Career Choice in Selected ..

Effect of Guidance and Counselling Services on Respondents behaviour

Not Specified Change

23% significantly
Not Change 40%
5%

Change
significantly Change
3% 29%

Source: Field Survey 2019

IV. Discussion
The important role of Guidance and Counselling Services for effective career choice in secondary
schools in Sokoto Metropolis is highly imperative due to the nature of the female child students. This study
provides an insight on the need of Guidance and Counselling Services for effective career choice in female
secondary schools. However, the study has explored the need for Guidance and Counselling Services in some
selected female secondary schools. Moreso, this study revealed that Guidance and Counselling Services in
secondary schools has helps to improves on the effective choice of Students career in the area of study
especially in choose of subject combination. The result depicts that adequate orientation and enlightenment and
awareness will improve effectiveness ofGuidance and Counselling Services in female Schools. This implies that
Guidance and Counselling Service Officers require to emphasis on adequate orientation, enlightening and career
talks in the Schools.[13] it was noted that even in the school setting, effective guidance programme has not
emerged in a large scale. This possibly may be due to some challenges facing guidance and counselling which is
a dilemma to the education sector, which is still not solved, according study of Udom, no meaningful services
are cheap. Funds are needed for the purchase of counselling materials like psychological test, collection and
keeping of information,[14]. This is also in line with Brown and Joshua that Counselling services are the
services rendered by the counsellor to an individual or group of persons in an organized institution or setting. A
professional counsellor is one that is academically trained in the field of guidance and counselling in a
recognized tertiary institution. Therefore, the educational counselling service of the counsellor takes care of all
aspects of educational matters as applicable to schools setting.[ 15] The assertion of the result also align with
the work of Steffire, who remarked that the factors moving an individual towards an occupation are of variable
importance, depending upon sex, age, social class, nationality and even change. He classified vocational
development into social accidental, economic psychology factor.[12] Vocational development classifies
individuals in their status in the society through The Guidance and Counselling Services had become more
prudence in guiding the students’ on career choice, drug abuses, cultism, marriage and other areas of needs. The
results also indicated that the Guidance and Counselling Services has change the behaviour of the students
positively after meeting of Guidance and Counselling Service Officers.

V. Conclusion and Recommendations

The National Policy on Education (NPE) stressed need for Guidance and Counselling Services in the
Schools To overcome life inadequateness, guidance and counselling provides appropriate assistance to students
to better understand and accept themselves their personalities, endowment, their attitudes and worth as unique
individuals. The students are also helped through guidance and counselling to acquire better decision-making
skills, identify their unique needs, the needs of other people and the society in general.The result of the study
guided to make the following recommendations on how to improve, implement an effective use of Guidance and
Counselling Services in female secondary schools should be given managementsupport in all educational
establishments which include; Ministry, Schools, and the parents.as well as donor Agencies. This will go in line
with strengthening and improving on the Students career choice.

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 Availability and Use of Guidance and Counseling Services for Career Choice in Selected ..

1. More emphasis should be given to orientation, enlightening and awareness programmes to guidance and
counselling services in female Secondary Schools. This will also strengthening and improving on career
choice among the Students as well to provide Counselling Officers the skills through enlightenment
programmes.
2. Strong commitment, involvement, collaborations and good relationship and motivation of all stakeholders
in guidance and counselling services in order motivate and improve the services and career choice among
female secondary school students;
3. As most Guidance and Counselling Services Officers in Secondary Schools have no hands-on-experience
on Guidance and Counselling Services. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that Qualifies Guidance and
Counselling Officers should be employed encouraged to work in Secondary Schools in order to improve on
Career choice;
4. Finally, to encourage the students towards seeking guidance and counselling services in female secondary
schools, guidance and counselling clubs should establish all secondary schools which both students and
staff in areas of the study.

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[13]. Jospeh, A. E. (2012). Issues and problems affecting guidance and counselling programme in Nigeria. International Journal of
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[14]. Udom, J. E. (2010). Introduction of guidance and counselling services in schools. Calabar: Rapid Educational Publishers Ltd.
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[16]. Denga, D. I. (2001). Guidance and Counselling in school and non-school settings. PortHarcourt: Double Diamond Publications
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S. Y. Sheriff, et. al. "Availability and Use of Guidance and Counseling Services for Career
Choice in Selected Secondary Schools in Sokoto Metropolis, Sokoto State Nigeria." IOSR
Journal of Research & Method in Education (IOSR-JRME), 10(5), (2020): pp. 06-13.

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