Influence of a Tripartite Framework of Guidance and Counseling on Student Outcomes in Selected Public Secondary Schools in Kenya

Abstract

Public secondary schools in Kenya are expected to implement guidance and counseling policy as directed by the Ministry of Education. However, guidance and counselling policy is not supported by a framework for implementation that takes into account the contextual realities of basic education in Kenya. This study sought to contribute to knowledge by originating and testing a tripartite framework of guidance and counseling for application in secondary schools in Kenya. The main objective of the study was to investigate the influence of tripartite framework of guidance and counseling in the outcomes of students of selected public secondary schools in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study was anchored on Person-Centered Theory and Social Learning Theory. Phenomenology was the selected research design. Data were collected using Narrative Assessment Interviews. This was undertaken with a purposive sample of 27 students drawn from three public secondary schools who successfully completed an eight-week long guidance and counselling program based on the tripartite framework. The data were transcribed and assigned codes before grouping the codes into themes. The study established that positive behavior change was the single overarching theme throughout the findings. This was reflected in parental involvement, trust enhancement, self-awareness and appreciation, self-discipline and parent-child bonding. The study concluded that the tripartite framework of guidance and counseling had a positive and compelling influence on student outcomes in the selected public secondary Schools in Kenya. Implementation of the framework resulted in immediate transformative behavior change that potentially set the students up not just for long-run future academic success but potentially holistic life outcomes. Incorporation of the tripartite framework of guidance and counseling into the school curriculum was endorsed by the study participants, and this should be adapted in public secondary schools in Kenya. In order to ascertain the suitability of the model across all public schools, replication of the study in other public secondary schools especially within a rural setting is recommended.