GUIDANCE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH PSYCHOLOGY, CURRICULUM, ADMINISTRATION, DISCIPLINE, COMMUNITY

GUIDANCE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH PSYCHOLOGY, CURRICULUM, ADMINISTRATION, DISCIPLINE AND THE COMMUNITY

Introduction
Education as a concept is a process of socialization of the child so that he becomes useful to himself and the society to which he belongs and be accepted by that society.
Guidance emerged as a rescuer of drowning educational processes, and so guidance is operational, functional and remedial. It is an essential and indispensable component in education. Hence, guidance was introduced in schools for socio-personal adjustment. Lack of this adjustment among school students can work against the successful realization of educational aims and objectives.

For an effective achievement of educational goals, there must be an inter-play of the school curriculum which encompasses all the activities involved in the school guidance. It provides persona-social sanity for teaching. Learning transaction based on the curriculum and administration involves the systematic organisation of the activities and their components so as to enhance a decent continuity of the educational process.

Guidance is an integral part of the total educational programme; it can benefit from as well as make useful contributions to other aspects of the school programme such as psychology curriculum, administration, discipline and the community.




GUIDANCE AND PSYCHOLOGY

Ekanem and Enoh (2005) defined Guidance as a process or service which helps in directing an individual to resolve his or her problems.

Akinade, (1996) defined Psychology as a scientific discipline that studies behaviour and the behavioral manifestations of experiences in human and other animals.

Guidance is related to Psychology in that both are fields of study that deals with shaping of human behaviour. Guidance and Psychology aim at modifying the behaviour of individuals to enable them understand themselves. The principles of Guidance and Psychology are geared towards preventing and reducing problems in the society. Their concepts are used in the educational system such as the school to make learners learn effectively.
In Educational Psychology therefore, the counselors who deal with human nature play a lot of roles in the lives of individuals both in the school and outside the school.

According to Makinde, (1983) three important roles should be specified for school counselors for effective guidance:

1) Rehabilitative role: This deals with helping people who are presently in difficulty.

2) Preventive Role: This is concerned with anticipating, circumventing and if possible, forestalling difficulties which may arise in the future and prevent them from occurring.


3) Educative and Developmental Role: This is concern with helping individuals to plan, obtained and derive maximum benefits from educational, school, vocational and other kinds of experiences which will enable these individuals discover and develop their potentials.

He said further that the counseling psychologists should:

i) Provide the individual and group guidance and counseling services in schools, colleges and Universities; hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centres and industries. This is done with the aim of assisting individuals in achieving more effective personal, social, educational and vocational development.

ii) He should collect data about the individuals through the use of interview, case history and observational techniques.

iii) He should select, administer, scores and interprets psychological tests designed to assists, applying /using his knowledge of statistical analysis.

iv) Evaluate data to identify the causes of problem. This will help to determine whether the counselor should handle the case or refer it to other specialists.

v) Conduct counseling or therapeutic interview so as to define goals and plan action that will reflect their interests, abilities and needs.

vi) Provide occupational, educational and other information that will enable individuals to make more realistic educational and vocational plans.

vii) Follow-up counseling results that will determine the reliability and validity of the treatment used.

viii) Engage in research that will help develop and improve diagnostic and counseling techniques.

GUIDANCE AND SCHOOL CURRICULUM

Denga, (2001) defines curriculum as the complete school environment encompassing academic programmes, co-curricular activities of students and other learning experiences organized under the auspices of the school.
Generally, curriculum includes the complete school environment. This includes courses, activities, and other things which are arranged to advantage students’ knowledge, exposure and ability.

Okon (1984) defines the school curriculum as:
“The sum total of all suspended learning experiences of the school whether they are in class or out of class, on the campus or off the school campus. It includes the complete school environment, course or school subjects. The Curriculum includes all planned school activities including, courses of study, organized play, athletics, dramatics and clubs. Each school, college and University has its specific curricular activities designed to suit the needs of the learners and society. The Curriculum is a planned learning activity engaged in by the learners to induct them into society”.

As society changes, school curricular change when there is a serious societal change, the school curricular is affected and therefore care and attention should be given to its purpose and content. More so, in a rapidly changing society like ours, the policies of education should be constantly revised to meet the needs of people since according to Denga, (2001) curricular objectives are derived from the subject matter, the content, teaching, assessment and evaluation.
A deficient curriculum does not take care of all the needs of an individual in the school. For instance in Nigeria, we concentrate on subject and classroom (i.e. cognitive) without doing anything about the adjustment and social life of the learner. If an individual is to achieve satisfaction and meet his needs from his experiences in the school, then the school should be able to address the purposes for which the child is in the school and also what the society needs from the school. So to support the development approach of the school objectives, it is necessary to inter-relate Guidance programme with the curriculum contents because both of them help in the complete education of the learner.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GUIDANCE AND CURRICULUM Guidance as an educational service permeates the determination of curricular objectives, contents, teaching, assessment and evaluation Denga, (2001). A nation may decide to fashion its educational system towards vocational emphasis in order to boost or increase the required manpower for socio-economic and technological development, Oladele J.O. (2000). This was the philosophy behind the introduction of the 6334 system of education in Nigeria. National Policy on Education (1981). The skills were taught by the teachers but the placement were effected by appraising the students attitudes, interests, personality and placing them into appropriate educational programmes and it was the work of Guidance Counsellor. The Counselor needs to take part in planning the learning experiences, assist teachers by removing all personal, social, emotional, and other things that run against learning. Denga, (2001)

From the above, it is clear that Guidance and Curriculum activities are related because they help the individual to achieve their highest potential and are able to have self direction.
Although, Guidance and Curriculum are related, they are wide apart on their methods of operations. The first is that distinct specialists are required in each field to render distinct, complex activities. The second point is that Curriculum deals with large groups of students while Guidance is individualized.

The third is that Guidance unlike School curriculum deals on the need of individual to have self knowledge, know their strengths, weaknesses, interests, values, and aspirations. Guidance deals in the affective domain of a child which calls for a modification in teaching strategies to suit the vocational needs of the individual while Curriculum stresses the skills, Denga (2001)

Anther difference lies on the fact that learning experiences provided through the curricular are for groups of students and for the needs of the society, these could be in the area of specific manpower, discipline citizens, community health needs etc. While the learning experiences provided by Guidance are for individuals.

The fifth and maybe the most crucial is that the emphasis of learning by Guidance is the learner itself. This is because the subject of the learning experience is the learner himself.

From the above, it is clear that Guidance and Curriculum though share in the need to help students, they are not the same, but whether they are relevant to one another or not, there is a need for one to complement the other, because none can replace the other.

GUIDANCE CONTRIBUTIONS TO CURRICULUM

Guidance and Counseling seeks to help an individual develop his or her potentials and so, the counselor should take part in curricular activities that will make the students abilities and interest to develop.
One, in placing a child in curricular activities the counselor can help the school administration, teachers and parents with the implications, applications of child development process and how individuals are different so the students are helped to choose circular activities that are best suited for each child to develop their skills and potentials.

Two, the Counselor can give the teacher data concerning a student so that the teacher can individualize instructions. For example, when a student is having learning difficulties, the counselor can diagnose and advice the teacher on what to do, it could be giving extra lesson, paying close attention or other remedial programmes, Denga (2001).

Three, the Counselor can help teachers with facts they got from administering test to students to know their abilities, so that the teachers could enlighten the parent about the weaknesses and strengths of their children to avoid them making unrealistic demands. Guidance Counselors can meet with Curricular Planners and provide them the ability range, achievements, strengths and weaknesses of student population in order to help the planners modify the curricular. For instance after research, the counselor might meet with the curriculum planners and tell them about their findings that what is being taught is above the capabilities of the child at that stage.

CURRICULUM CONTRIBUTIONS TO GUIDANCE

Curriculum exposes the students to a variety of knowledge that will help in their various occupational learning. A well planned curriculum contributes to the development of the individual.
One, a well planned curriculum provides all or most of the information or knowledge a student will need to pursue a vocation. Classes should include the environmental information on the vocations, the job satisfaction, hazards and rewards derived from being in such occupations.

Secondly, the curriculum should be broad and versed. For instance, there is arts, sciences, crafts etc. this allows the individual to flow into a vocation that best suits his personality and interest. Somebody who wants to be a sports person should have every opportunity to actualize his dreams. A dramatist should be allowed to flourish.

Thirdly, school curriculum should be flexible; students should easily rotate, or explore themselves. A science student who likes to draw should be encouraged to decipher if he just likes to draw and paint generally or should be an architect. With the availability of choices he could sort out the type of person he is and the vocation he should be in.

In summary, both Guidance and Curriculum could work co-operatively in planning, extensively and evaluating school programme. The data gotten through cooperative research could help revise curriculum and Guidance Services.

GUIDANCE AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION

According to Denga, (2001) Educational administration is defined as a process of planning directing, coordinating and modifying the efforts of people and in several cases, machinery towards the achievements of the organizational goals.
Administration when applied to a school organisation helps in the learning and teaching process by making appropriate arrangement to enable the school realize its purpose. The way the school conducts itself or operates is largely determined by the administrative style.

Therefore, the need for professional administrative leadership cannot be overemphasized. The headmaster or principal of a school are administrative leaders who coordinates the staff to achieve a desired goal. One of which is effective teaching and learning, another is creating a good environment for learning.

Guidance Relationship with Administration
The above administrative function shows the relationship between Guidance and Administration. Administration helps the school ensure its goals. School administrators ensure that the schools function efficiently. Administrators provide the infrastructures, personnel, and are responsible for students’ welfare. Nevertheless, the school administration is concerned about what happens to the students and their training, so they introduce a school counselor to the school and school community, thus, initiating the guidance programme. Any school administrator who wants the school system to run well recruits human and material resources for all the programmes including guidance and counseling services. Guidance is related to school administration because it is responsible for preserving and protecting the individuals within the organisation of the school. While Guidance is structured to help individuals attain their goals within the system, the Administration provides good environment for learning.

School Administrator Contribution to Guidance

1) The School Administrators make provision of finance and personnel for effective running of the Guidance programme.
2) They provide office space, bulleting, boards, filling cabinets, equipment. Like TV or radio, Carriers, library and other facilities Oladele (1987).
3) They make sure that guidance and counseling are put on the time-table and to see that time is effectively utilized.
4) They provide and allow for publicity of the programme to the students, staff, parents and the community.
5) Then allow for interaction between staff, parents and the community.
6) Then allow for interaction between staff, parents and the community on the Guidance Programme being done in the school to help them to fully understand their use and their input to the Guidance programme.
7) Above all, they provide leadership for the guidance programme so that the service will be well executed.
8) Allow the Counselor to go for conferences, meetings etc and also the teachers should be encouraged to attend too.

GUIDANCE CONTRIBUTION TO ADMINISTRATION

1) Guidance through research data on student’s progress in school and out of school will be able to gauge if the school is achieving its goals.
2) Guidance provides data on students to help need identification and to help to provide this need. For instance a child having difficulty in learning would be help by the data provided to the teacher by the Counselor.
3) Guidance focuses on curbing student interest through proactive and remedial measures, also through the application of psychological tools and knowledge. For instance the knowledge of any school reoccurring problem coupled with the knowledge of adolescent behavior, a Counselor can stop or manage dangerous trend that might affect the smooth running of the school.
4) Guidance helps students achieve self realization, understanding, direction and actualization.

GUIDANCE AND SCHOOL DISCIPLINE

When there is violence or any act of indiscipline in the school, the principal or the head of the school recover most of the blame. There is a lapse in administration of a school that has unrest.

Hence students discipline remains and forms a great part of the school administration. It will help the school administration to work effectively and for the general conducive environment for leaning if the school counselor is allowed to function effectively and does help to curb the unrest.

What is discipline?
There has been a misconception of the word discipline. Many think that discipline means class control or a system where nobody speaks or move around but does anything in accordance to some rules and regulation. They feel discipline should be enforced and maintained through any means no matter how rough. So degrees of punishment are given to make sure nobody go away or everybody stay in line. But researches have proved that it’s not always like that.
Discipline can mean the way in which a teacher operates in a class or the way an individual is trained to follow rules that have been established by any authority. It can also mean punishment; Lee (1963) defines discipline as a function of power. It could be external, defective and threatening. It is external because it is from the authority, directive because it involves specific things to be done or undone. It is threatening because punishment is disconcerting.

Howard, (1996) said that the word discipline, comes from the root word disciplinare to teach or instruct, it refers to the system of teaching and nurturing that prepares children to achieve competence, self control, self direction and caring for others.
Discipline could be classified into five broad areas; developmental, authority responsive, preventive, and corrective or rehabilitative. Tan, (2002)
Discipline is rehabilitative in function. It is a reconstructive effort to make individuals change and do well.
Discipline can also be preventive, when discipline is a focused training to develop self control, individuals finds it easy to repress misbehavior. The environment encourages the discovery of self and helps one to accept and develop good social standards; in this case it is developmental. Discipline can also be said to be Authority responsive, Tan (2002). The aim of any discipline is to help individual inculcate the habit of respect for the rule of law and order.
Nevertheless, the counselor view of discipline is that of correcting the underlying cause of indiscipline than the external maintenance of social control. Active rehabilitative methods are needed to transform misbehavior to an enlightened self directed behavior Howard, (1996).
So the concept of discipline should involve the encouragement and assistance that permits good attitudes and feelings for productive and constructive living.

Cause of indiscipline in schools
According to Chauhan, (1978) there is a trading of responsibility between the schools and the parents. Parents criticize the school that they do not discipline the students very well while the school on the other hand blames parents that they do not train their children in fundamental social etiquettes.

The following factors may lead to indiscipline in schools.
1. Location, if the school is located near a market or near a big commercial centre. Chauhan, (1978)
2 Lack of discipline, if there is no discipline or the discipline is too strict, when there is arbitrarily use of Authority, high handedness.
3 Emotional climate of the school, when the teachers fight themselves or the school administrator, and the students are associated with the politics involved, when there is oppression and ill treatment of new or Junior Students by the Senior Students, the percentage of indiscipline will increase.
4 Lack of school facilities like fence and gate, amenities and essential services like good food or poor food services in the dinning, lack of teachers, chairs and tables, light, water, textbooks, laboratory equipment, toilets, etc.
5 Partiality. Sometimes teachers have pets and they give them undue attention and advantages. Their behavior and treatment with children of the class is unfair and partial. This teacher’s attitude creates these favorites or pets, and at times this result in permanent grouping among student.
6. Meaningless and narrow school curriculum when the school curriculum is broad, versed and flexible as mentioned earlier the students find school exciting and engaging for instance, they not only do bookish work or use their cognitive domain only, their affective and psychomotor domains are involved. This is by diversifying the curriculum to include games, debate library, excursion, drama, scouting etc, all these not only engages the students but also teach them morals. The reverse is the case when the curriculum is meaningless, narrow, and defective.
7 Indiscipline in students sometimes originates from the home or within the students themselves. When a student has problem at home as a result of unsteady or polygamous home the tendency to be unruly, to let out steam negatively will be there.
8 Lack of understanding and guidance. When the school does not understand the need of the student neither communicates with them by promptly meeting their grievances, developing extra curriculum activities to meet their needs, the students could be frustrated and these will manifest in anti-social activities. When a school has a guidance service instituted and functional most of these problems will be nipped in the bud.

Strategies for Effective Discipline in Schools
Effective discipline according to Howard, (1991) requires three essential components:
· Use of positive reinforcement strategies to increase desired behaviors.
· Removing reinforcement or applying punishment to reduce or eliminate undesired behaviors.
· Promoting Optimal Parent-Child Relationships and Reinforcing Positive Behaviors.
Strategies for parents, Schools and other caregivers that help children learn positive behaviors include:
providing regular positive attention, sometimes called special time (opportunities to communicate positively are important for children of all ages);
listening carefully to children and helping them learn to use words to express their feelings;
providing children with opportunities to make choices whenever appropriate options exist and then helping them learn to evaluate the potential consequences of their choice;
Reinforcing emerging desirable behaviors with frequent praise and ignoring trivial misdeeds; and modeling orderly, predictable behavior, respectful communication, and collaborative conflict resolution strategies. Kohlberg, (1964)
Guidance contribution to school discipline
There are so many cases of indiscipline in schools. Really, an individual who misbehave have an underlying problem or unsatisfied needs. Using punishment, without an organized plan to remove the cause does not necessary stop the indiscipline. The work of guidance service can not be downplayed in the fight against indiscipline in schools. Students can be helped to grow toward self discipline only as they understand their behavior and the way it affects others and themselves.
Where there is discipline, administration of any social system, organization will be easy. Where discipline is lacking, punishment alone does not provide the solution. Hence guidance and counseling play a vital role in helping individuals attain self discipline person- social and environmental satisfaction. This it does through exposing and taking care of the aspect of life that cause dissatisfaction maladjustment, violence and aggression.

The need for counselors in school discipline;
1. Helping to institute disciplinary codes that are preventive, developmental and rehabilitative or corrective.
2 Helping teachers, parents to notice or identify an early case of indiscipline so offer help to the student involved.
3 Helping the school administration in planning the school extra curricula activities and giving the teachers some activities that will help students who misbehave.
4 Easy referrals encourage teachers to notify counselors of potential disciplinary cases.
5 Being in constant touch with the students to know when an issue needs early attention.
In summary, treatment and prevention of indiscipline in schools should not just be punitive but rehabilitative, developmental and preventive. Tan, (2002)
Effective discipline requires re-education, compromise, information, intervention, arbitration persuasion and counseling among others.
The school can do a great lot to prevent indiscipline such as providing good atmosphere devoid of tensions, facilities, understanding and knowing the students. According to Nenmeyer, (1961) in Chauhan, (1978), the school has an important role to play to indiscipline.



GUIDANCE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY

The school exists for the community; this is because education is needed by all in the community. The desire to attain, work and be relevant is the goal of every body in the community and so people send their children to school for this goal to be achieved, without the problem of dropouts and delinquencies which in turn becomes a nuisance to the community, there is need for guidance services. On the other hand the community supports guidance in many ways, in supplying human and material resources to the school also provides for guidance services.

Educational guidance, as was said earlier is important in helping students who are members of the community, stay in school and because self actualized. They are then ploughed back to the community to help build it.
Social Guidance is also another area Guidance enhances the community. This service covers the industries, and work places for workers to have job satisfaction, the hospitals for workers job satisfaction, special counselling and psychotherapy services given to patients. In the social welfare; family, persona-social guidance and marriage guidance is given, all these are aimed at improving the quality of life in the society.

For the reasons given above and many more the provision of guidance services in the community and school can not be compromised. The reduction of suicide cares arising from problems in the home, at work, relationships and other causes of hopelessness are the benefit accruing from the community- Guidance relationship.

Contributions of Community to Guidance
There is need for cooperation between guidance and the community. The community apart from providing human and material resources has agencies provided by the Government and private organizations. Places like the juvenile centres, Library, old people homes, motherless babies’ home etc. can be a good resource centre providing data, career information, avenues for guidance service and other resources.

Contributions of Guidance to community
· Counsellors are Liaison officers between the school, teachers and the parents in the community.
· The counsellor helps the parents or the community through consultation and meetings to understand and get along with their children.
· Guidance service can help the community in avoiding break down of law and other.
· Through conferences, PTAs, consultations, community members should be brought into the school. They should be helped to understand the workings and goals of the school and in what ways they can better relate and help each other.

Conclusions
Guidance, school Administration, school discipline and the community play an interwoven role, and contribute to each other for efficiency to be achieved in the school system- which will alternately help the student to achieve success. Relationships among these sectors are being encouraged through Guidance Services. These sectors should play their part effectively in helping the school achieve its purpose students for the ultimate goal of life fulfillment

REFERENCES

Chauhan, S.S. (1978) Advanced Educational Psychology, Vikas Publishing, House, PVT ltd., New Deilhi
Denga, D.I. (1983) The Counsellor in a Developing Nation: Problems and Prospects 3rd edn. Rapid Educational publishers ltd. Calabar
Howard, B.J. (1996) Advising Parents on Discipline, what works. Pediatrics Pg 98,
Howard B.J. (1991) Discipline in early childhood. Pediatr Clin North Am.;38:1351-1369
Ikeotuonye, A.I., Olufegba, and Gambari, (1990) eds. Career Guidance, Hudahuda Publishing, Company. Zaria
Kohlberg L. (1964) Development of moral character and moral ideology. In: Hoffman ML, Hoffman LW, eds. Review of Child Development Research. New York, NY: Russell-Sage Foundation; 383-431
National Policy on Education, (1981) pg 16-21
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Oladele, J.O. (1987) Guidance and Counselling, a Functional Approach. 1st edn. Johnson-Lad Publishers
Oladele, J.O. (2000) Guidance and Counselling, a Functional Approach. 3rd edn. Johnson-Lad Publishers
Tan, E. (2000) Care and Control: On the relationship between Discipline and Counselling in education Discipline and Counselling, Vol. 5 No. 5
Williamson, E.G. (1955) The fusion of Discipline and Counselling in the Educative Process. Personnel and Guidance Vol.34 (October)