Guidance and Counselling Needs for Student Teachers: A Case Study of One Teachers' College in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Guidance and counselling is an integral component of teacher training and development. Generally, student teachers grapple with personal-social, academic and career-oriented needs or challenges during their training, which, if not effectively addressed or brought to the attention of counsellors, may retard the students’ development. Guidance and counselling services offered in teacher training colleges are ideally meant to empower students to effectively deal with, manage or address their needs or issues. Given this backdrop, the authors found it necessary to establish the guidance and counselling needs of students at one primary school teachers’ college in Zimbabwe, codenamed Shasha Teachers’ College. A case study was therefore conducted to find out the guidance and counselling needs of first- and second-year students at Shasha Teachers’ College. Purposive and convenience sampling methods were used to select research participants, that is, 5 lecturers-cum-counsellors (2 males and 3 females) and 20 students (10 females and 10 males from both first and second-year intakes) respectively. Data were collected from the lecturer counsellors through unstructured interviews and from students through focus group discussions. Informal document analysis of students’ assignments, research projects, teaching practice files, supervision and assessment reports was also done. Informal but systematic observations on how students interacted with peers, academic staff, learners and mentors (for those on teaching practice attachment) were also done by one of the researchers. The study revealed that students needed much guidance and counselling services in personal-social and academic related issues which are, inter alia, time management, financial constraints, study habits, relationship management, academic performance and health related. The study found out that there were no trained guidance counsellors at the college and, consequently, there was no effective counselling relationship between lecturers-cum-counsellors and their clients (students). The study concluded that, if students’ needs were effectively addressed through guidance and counselling, the students would excel in their personal-social, academic and career pursuits. The study recommended that full-time counsellors be appointed at this college and any other teacher training colleges so that students’ needs, or issues are readily identified and addressed.