Abstract

The study aimed to identify the need of guidance and counselling framework for achieving improved learning outcomes in public sector secondary schools in Larkana. The teachers use corporal punishment to students for achieving academic results. This study determines how learners in public secondary schools in Larkana conceptualized the function of GC in academic achievement. We recruited 167 learners in this paper. The qualitative as well as quantitative method was adopted. The findings showed that most of the students were unaware of the counselling services' availability, they hardly ever used them. The study concluded that secondary schools in Larkana division faced a dearth of proper guidance and counselling framework. According to conclusions, the School Education and Literacy Department Sindh should implement a proper framework of Guidance and Counselling framework.

Key Words

Guidance, Counselling, Framework, Expulsion, Learning Outcomes Punishment, Instruction, and Suspension

Introduction

It is impossible to overstate the importance of Guidance in education which is instrumental in children’s moral development (Nanyiri, 2014). Okumbe (1998) contends that all members of the institution should closely adhere to the behavioural patterns required for maximum productivity in order to realize the vision and purpose of the organization.  Similarly, Nelson (2002) asserts that students' efforts to meet high educational standards and receive a successful education depend on their ability to maintain a high level of discipline through guidance and Counselling.  Therefore, learning and teaching cannot go effectively without reaching academic objectives (Nanyiri, 2014). Despite the importance of GC in academic success, there are issues with secondary school students' discipline in many regions of the world (Lam & Hui, 2010; Nanviri, 2014; Wambui, 2015; Wango, 2006). Skill like guidance and counselling is really important in this 21st century. Similarly, creativity is also important because through it the students can become critical thinkers and innovative (Andleeb et al., 2022; Arooj et al., 2021; Kamran et al., 2017; Kamran et al., 2021a; Kamran et al., 2021b; Kamran et al., 2022).

According to Lam and Hui (2010), family issues negatively affect the psychological well-being for which guidance and counselling are required (Kashif et al., 2023).

The GC addresses the issues involving self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, and other life-related difficulties that students in many secondary schools around the world are struggling with. Although perfectionism and self-efficacy are present among university students (Ashraf et al., 2023) but still guidance and counselling is needed. Despite the fact that GC has been accepted as a suitable strategy for fostering constructive discipline in educational institutions around the globe, study findings on the effectiveness of GC in schools show alarming results. Maluwa-banda (1997) looked into the secondary school counsellors' perceptions of improving learning outcomes.  According to the study, school counsellors are regular teachers who lack any official training in providing guidance and counselling. These results highlighted difficulties in offering this assistance. Mlalazi et al., (2016) demonstrate activities being institutionalized successfully, such as a lack of infrastructure. Furthermore, according to Khansa (2015) (as referenced in Mlalazi et al. 2016), counsellors in Lebanon lacked the necessary tools to offer GC services. Similarly, Kok Low and Lee (2012) pointed out several educational stakeholders had misconceptions about it. Numerous government circulars on the subject have highlighted the importance of GC services in Pakistan in maintaining and managing students' academic achievement (Wambui, 2015). Wango's (2006) investigation into the implications of GC policy and practice in secondary schools was dispersed in nature, wildly inconsistent, and entirely reliant on individual schools. It provided stakeholders with education expectations, according to Wango's (2006) research. These results were in agreement with Wambui's (2015) emphasis on the significance of GC services for educational institutions. Wambui also noted that there were not enough teacher counsellors to handle a large number of secondary school students. As a result, these counsellors were unable to perform their GC responsibilities effectively. Ajowi and Simatwa (2010), agreed with the positions taken by Wambui (2015) and Wango (2006). Furthermore, it was demonstrated cases of poor academic performance were frequently resolved with corporal punishment. These actions were counter to the Ministry of Education's recommendations for secondary school students’ academic achievement. It's interesting to note that Simatwa (2012) later confirmed that pupils did not view GC as a means of enhancing the classroom. Simatwa's study claimed that GC was only for people who couldn't take care of themselves and showed indicators of behavioural and emotional issues. The difficulties facing the implementation of Larkana Divisions are numerous; the necessary skills for managing concerns with school conduct (Kamore & Tiego, 2015). allegedly trained in guiding and counselling, per Ngumi (2003), only taken a small enough number of courses. The current structure of GC practice makes it potentially ineffective for improving learning outcomes. As a result, they lacked the necessary training to effectively advise and counsel students in a way that would encourage beneficial academic changes in the kids. Wango (2006) points out that while teachers are in the best position to enlighten students and offer assistance, there may be other priorities at the school. Lam and Hui's (2010) study supported these findings and emphasized challenges brought on by a range of students' demands.

In Larkana Division secondary schools, it has been noted that placed on GC for student academic performance, the method of academic performance of students continues to be a problem. The survey also found that despite the existence of GC government regulations regarding amelioration of academic achievement through guidance and counselling framework in the schools of the Larkana Division, pupils were subjected to harsh types of punishment, including corporal punishment for improving learning outcomes.  The perceptions of guiding and counselling among students have not been fully examined. Although the impact, there has been a troubling increase in student use of these services. Among secondary school pupils in many regions of Pakistan, incidents of bullying, arson, unrest, property destruction, absenteeism, and drug and substance addiction have been sharply rising. Concerns regarding kids' subpar academic performance in this area of Pakistan are growing among educational stakeholders. What is wrong with students' academic performance in educational institutions in Larkana Division, has been a troubling question. The literature that is currently available reveals that there are ineffectiveness gaps in the application of GC as a strategy to uphold student academic standards in educational institutions. In addition, research on GC's approach to managing discipline has not been extensive and has mostly disregarded students' perceptions. Numerous disciplinary concerns arise among students, who are also the main users of GC services in secondary education. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate students' perceptions of how this strategy has been applied to encourage academic performance in secondary schools in Pakistan's Larkana Division. The concepts in this context have to do with how pupils conceptualize or understand the nature and aim of guidance and counselling.

What is wrong with students' academic performance in educational institutions in Larkana Division, has been a troubling question. The literature that is currently available reveals that there are ineffectiveness gaps in the application of GC as a strategy to uphold student academic standards in educational institutions. In addition, research on GC's approach to managing discipline has not been extensive and has mostly disregarded students' perceptions. Numerous disciplinary concerns arise among students, who are also the main users of GC services in secondary education. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate students' perceptions of how this strategy has been applied to encourage academic performance in secondary schools in Pakistan's Larkana Division. The concepts in this context have to do with how pupils conceptualize or understand.




Study Purpose

The purpose of this study was to ascertain how Guidance and Counselling affected academic performance in secondary schools in Pakistan's Larkana Division

Theoretical Framework

The Self-Efficacy Theory by Bandura (1982) served as the foundation for this study. According to this notion, a person's confidence is in their innate ability to achieve goals and overcome challenges. faced with difficulties, which ultimately results in failure. Numerous difficulties that secondary school students confront around the world could prevent them from achieving their academic objectives. The effectiveness of counselling and assistance as an approach to handling students' difficulties in their academic endeavors does not appear to be guaranteed (Ajowi & Simatwa 2010; Lui & Hui 2010; Simatwa, 2012; Wambui, 2015; Wango, 2006). Lam and Hui (2010) emphasized the significance of instructors' involvement. 

Methodology

This study's design was essentially a descriptive survey study. For this study, which aimed to determine secondary school students' perceptions of the GC as a mechanism for raising academic achievement, descriptive designs are appropriate. 167 learners recruited in this paper in Pakistan's Larkana Division were used in the study. 62% of the sample, which was taken from forms one through four, were women and 38% were men. These kids were primarily in Forms 2, 3, and 4 (85%). 71% of them were between the ages of 15 and 18 years old. With this context, the researcher figured that the replies provided. The data collection process used validated questionnaires. Due to the fact that the study's target audience consisted of secondary school students with a range of academic backgrounds, the items in these instruments were written in a straightforward and basic manner. The instruments included both open-ended and closed-ended questions that were created specially to gather information on students' perceptions of GC in connection to academic achievement in secondary schools. The data was gathered using questionnaires given to the pupils. Two questions on this survey asked students about the presence of GC departments at their schools. The effectiveness of GC services in the pupils' schools had to be indicated for 2 more items. Three questions asked students their opinions on different types of punishment for raising academic performance. The instrument was examined by a team of experts to guarantee content validity before being used in the sampling schools to gather data. In the Larkana Division, ten schools participated in pilot research. Using Cronbach's Alpha, the instruments' dependability was tested, and a reliability score of 0.7 was obtained, showing that the tool was trustworthy.  When analyzing qualitative data, it was necessary to categorize the responses according to the study's goal. This made it easier to utilize descriptive statistics and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to analyse the trends. The trends were displayed by means, frequencies, and percentages.

Findings with Discussion

In order to fulfil this purpose, data on students' perceptions of the GC services provided in schools to support student’s academic goals and other disciplinary practices were collected. The study themes were used to analyze the students' responses, which resulted in a breakdown of their perceptions about GC and academic performance.

 

Availability and Effectiveness of GC Services in the Schools

It is expected that GC departments will impart values to students. Current study findings revealed the vast majority of students (98%) said that their schools don’t have GC departments. Only 2% of respondents were unaware that there was advice that did not have any GC departments and that the majority of students were not aware of the availability of GC services. These results are consistent with the study, which found that Larkana Division public secondary schools had not any GC services on a formal basis. Policy, which is mandated may be credited with encouraging the establishment of GC departments in educational institutions. Determining whether or whether the departments were properly carrying out their responsibilities as planned was a challenge. In order for GC programmes to be successful, students must volunteer to use the services. As a result, a question asking if students used GC services was added to the data-gathering tool. Table 2 provides an overview of responses to this question.

In the current study findings, more than half of the students (55%) said they did not use the guidance and counselling department's services. The success of GC programming mostly depends on students' willingness to volunteer for the services. As a result, the data gathering tool included a question to ascertain whether students sought out GC services. The responses to this question are compiled in Table 2. According to Table 2's findings, more than half of the students (55%) said they did not seek any assistance.




 

Table 1

Presence of Guidance and Counselling Departments

Departments	Frequency	Percentage
No	160	45
Yes	7	55
Total	167	100

 

Table 2

Visits to the Department for Service

Visits by Students	Frequency	Percentage
Yes	72	45
No	88	55
Total	160	100

 




Current study findings showed that counselling and support were available to pupils who couldn't handle their problems on their own and who had emotional or behavioural issues. These ideas would prevent students from proactively seeking therapy and guidance services in order to avoid stigmatization. As a result, kids could continue to have problems that go unsolved and subsequently become serious disciplinary difficulties.

Unrest and poor academics in Larkana Division (Republic of Kenya, 2001) were also supported by the study's findings. The majority of schools, according to this committee, had not properly the GC policy, which predicted disappointment strategy as a tool for managing student behaviour. The findings of this study support Wango's (2006) claim that most secondary schools ran their diverse manner. Similar results were noted by Maluwa-banda (1997) and Mlalazi et al. (2016), who made reference to challenges that prevented the effective implementation of GC activities in their study regions.

In order for GC to be successful, counsellors should look into ways to motivate students to voluntarily seek out GC services. This is possible if teacher counsellors reevaluate the methods utilized to carry out this course. In their 2010 article, Lam and Hui addressed various methods that could be used to provide guidance and counselling services in schools. Even if the individualized type of counselling is the most popular and highly effective strategy, Lam and Hui (2010) and Auni (2010 as referenced in Mlalazi et al., 2016) suggested a strategy instead. According to these writers, a large number of children may receive GC services at one time thanks to the whole-school strategy. As a result, schools can start by implementing a whole-school strategy to gain students' trust in the services of GC. Later, students can personally request the departments' services. The risk with this strategy is that its efficacy might not be assured. On the other side, in an effort, Auni (2010, as mentioned in Mlalazi et al., 2016) backed the peer-counselling strategy ask for assistance from other students.

 

Punishment of Students for Raising Academic Achievement

We were looking for information on how pupils perceived different types of discipline in schools. The data collection tool contained a question intended to ascertain students' perceptions of the usage of physical punishment in their schools. The results are summarized as in the current study, only 2% of children were not caned in school, according to an analysis of the prevalence of physical punishment. These results showed a significant incidence of corporal punishment despite the several Ministry of Education laws prohibiting it in Pakistani schools. Simatwa and Ajowi's (2010) results that caning was frequently utilized to resolve discipline matters in the schools examined for their study are supported by the high prevalence of caning found in this study. Given that GC departments exist in schools, these findings are concerning (Simatwa, 2012). Students were also asked to list any additional forms of discipline they had received in school. Students reported that further sanctions included being asked to leave class, bending over, performing manual labour, being suspended as mentioned in the current study results.

Punishment types revealed that 12% of students said they had once been suspended, 11% had to kneel, and 8% had been expelled from class. 18% were made to perform manual labour, and 4% received additional punishment for poor academic position. It was determined that under all of these disciplinary methods, students missed out on instructional time. This was supported by the fact that 53% of students said that time lost from learning was a result of all forms of punishment administered to them.

In addition to being punitive, the study found that punishments given to students in the study area also caused them to miss class, which had a serious negative impact on their academic performance and development as people. The findings of studies conducted by Muthoga (as cited in Nanyiri, 2014) are consistent with the results shown above. According to Muthoga, certain school sanctions actually served to undermine efforts to raise students' academic performance. Muthoga observed that some kids dreaded going to class. Additionally, Wango (2006) pointed out that rather than presenting indiscipline instances to teacher counsellors, school officials may deal with them in a harsh manner. When GC services are readily available inside their classrooms, it is troubling that school officials and teachers still employ antiquated modes of discipline. Perhaps this is the main deterrent to students using GC services for improving academic achievement. According to Mlalazi et al. (2016), cases where students are recommended for advice and counselling following sanctions may make it more difficult for students to seek out such services. Only a very small percentage of students would request GC services from their teachers at schools, according to these authors, in such circumstances.

Students' Conceptions of Role of Guidance and Counselling in improving academic pursuits in Secondary Schools in Larkana Division 167 Schools were sampled. According to the results, 69% of the students said that when they committed serious infractions, they were suspended, while 28% said they were expelled. Consequently, their academic performance was badly affected.  According to this analysis, school suspensions and expulsions were common. These results support Nanyiri's (2014) claim that some forms of school discipline actually worked against efforts to raise academic achievement. It is important to keep in mind that some Pakistani schools' disciplinary practices may undermine the government's efforts to increase student retention rates and provide a seamless transition from primary to secondary education. Guidance and counselling should be completely adopted as a discipline management approach in Pakistani schools if Pakistan is to become a globally competitive nation that offers high quality lives to its citizens as envisioned by Pakistani Government. Punishments that cause students to miss out on educational opportunities ought to be avoided.

Conclusion

The main objective of any institution is to impart quality education. All the activities carried out in any institution must ameliorate the academic environment. It has been noticed that there are many schools emphasizing discipline only and academic pursuits are the second priority that results in poor academic performance of students in any institution. Most of the Secondary schools in Larkana Division are lacking in implementing Guidance and counselling framework, which results in poor learning outcomes for secondary school students.  If any institution has to accelerate, it has to perform in the academic pursuit which is the nucleus of all the activities being carried out in any institution.   It has been observed that in the school most of the students lack assistance from guidance and counselling departments, despite the fact that these departments are present only in the papers. Additionally, it was determined that the use of counselling and counselling as a method of raising the academic performance of students in schools has not been completely embraced.  This is supported by the continued use of corporal punishment and other cruel forms of discipline in schools, in violation of Ministry of Education policy directives. The dropout ratio of students is increasing day by day because of the poor administration mainly resolving the academic pursuits through violence and corporal punishment. Last but not least, the majority of sanctions administered to secondary school pupils in the Larkana Division resulted in students skipping class.

There are several recommendations made by this study. First, the study suggests that secondary schools in Pakistan educate students about the services provided by GC departments and enhance the competence of GC teachers by providing them with the required training and resources. The research also suggests that schools manage student discipline concerns professionally and follow the government's ban on corporal punishment. Finally, this rule should be enforced by the Ministry of Education. and principals, who should also discipline any teachers who break the prohibition on corporal punishment for increasing ratio of academic performance of students. Studies should be undertaken to determine differences in academic performance between day and boarding schools as this study examined students' perceptions of the GC's involvement in raising academic performance of students in the schools of Larkana Division. Additionally, research may be done to determine the connection between the credentials of GC teachers and the efficacy of GC services in their schools.

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