Secondary School Students’ Perceptions of Their Counselling Needs in an Era of Global Financial Crisis: An Exploratory Study in Greece

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the counselling needs of a sample of secondary school students in Greece. Moreover, the effect of age, gender, and academic performance on such perceived counselling needs was also investigated. The sample consisted of 931 students (433 girls and 498 boys) aged between 12 and 16 years old. A 70-item questionnaire was developed and administered to assess participants’ perceived needs in various areas. The exploratory factor analysis yielded five factors: learning skills, vocational guidance/development, interpersonal relationships, personal development, and social values. Students particularly valued social values, learning skills, and vocational/guidance development compared to interpersonal relationship, and personal-development needs. In addition, the effects of age, gender, and academic performance on the five factors were all significant, suggesting that these variables were determinants of students’ self-reported counselling needs. The implications of these results for the development and implementation of effective school counselling programs are discussed.