School guidance and counselling and psychological well-being of learners in primary schools. A case of Kasambya county, Mubende district, Uganda.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine relationship between school guidance and counselling and psychological wellbeing of learners in primary schools in Uganda basing on a case study of Kasambya County. The objectives were to assess the relationship between individual counselling and psychological wellbeing of learners, to investigate the influence of group counselling on psychological wellbeing of learners and to assess the association between peer counselling on psychological wellbeing of learners in Kasambya County. The study was guided by Psychodynamic Theory as the main theory and other theories included Behavior Theory, Humanistic Theory and Cognitive Theory. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design and employed a mixed method research approach where both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to collect data. Simple random sampling and convenience sampling was used to select 153 respondents who were drawn from a population of 250 individuals from categories of headteachers, deputy headteachers, PTA members, school counsellors, parents and teachers. A self-administered questionnaire, interview guide and focus group discussion were used to obtain data from respondents under each sampled school. For objective one, results showed that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between individual counselling and the psychological wellbeing of learners (r = .551, p = .000). For objective two, the results showed that group counselling and the psychological wellbeing of learners also had a statistically significant positive relationship (r = .734, p = .000). For objective three, results showed that peer counselling and the psychological wellbeing of learners had a statistically significant positive relationship (r = .613, p = .000). The linear regression analysis indicated that group counselling has the most effect on psychological wellbeing of learners given that its Adjusted R Squared .528 was higher than that of individual counselling (Adjusted R Squared =.314) and peer counselling (Adjusted R Squared =.371) respectively. Under objective one, it is recommended that counsellors should adopt confidential, non-judgmental and learner-focused approaches that build trust and encourage openness. Under objective two, it was recommended that administrators should initiate structured group counselling programs that address common learner concerns such as stress, peer pressure, bullying and academic anxiety. These programs can be scheduled weekly or bi-weekly and should be included as part of the school’s co-curricular calendar. For objective three, it was recommended that school administrators should formally integrate peer counselling into the school’s support system by selecting, training and supervising peer counsellors