The purpose of this study was to examine the state of elementary school counseling and the needs of teachers, students and parents for that in a bid to determine some of the new directions for school counseling. Three research questions were posed:
1...
The purpose of this study was to examine the state of elementary school counseling and the needs of teachers, students and parents for that in a bid to determine some of the new directions for school counseling. Three research questions were posed:
1. What is the perception of teachers, students and parents about the reality of counseling services?
2. What are the needs of teachers, students and parents for counseling?
3. In which way should elementary school counseling improved to address their needs?
The subjects in this study were 300 elementary school teachers, 300 upper graders and 300 parents of upper graders in Gyeonggi province. After a survey was conducted, only the completed answer sheets were analyzed by SPSS for Windows 15.0 program. To check the level of significance, x2(Chi-square) test was employed, and statistical data on frequency and percentage were obtained.
The major findings of the study were as follows:
First, the teachers investigated weren't in possession of a lot of counseling materials, compared to the level of their interest in it. The students pointed out parents as their favorite counselors with whom they discussed their troubles. Those who could understand their difficulties the best or whom they could speak out their mind were mainly chosen as counselors. Most of the parents attached importance to school counseling, but they weren't quite satisfied with it.
Second, regarding needs for counseling, the teachers called for less teaching load and less workload as what should be done to bolster counseling. As to a preferred counselor image, the students had the most preference for friendly, gentle and cooperative teachers, and the parents asked for teachers who had a fine personality and a tight relationship with students.
Third, as for reform measures, separate counseling rooms should be prepared, and school managers and educational research institutions should wake up to the necessity of school counseling. Students and parents should be informed about its necessity, and teachers should be allowed to be responsible for less teaching load and less workload.
Teachers should be aware of the necessity of counseling as well, and try to enhance their expertise in this field. They should have a strong bond with students and parents, and provide better counseling in response to their needs after getting a precise grasp of what they want.