The Influence of Guidance and Counselling on Students’ Social Adjustment in Public Senior Secondary Schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State

The study examined the effect of guidance and counselling on students’ social adjustment in public senior secondary schools in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. The study was guided by the following two research questions and two hypotheses. A descriptive survey design was used. The study population involved students of public secondary schools in Obio Akpor and an estimated sample size was about one thousand two hundred students which were selected by stratified random sampling at a rate of thirty percent. The instrument used for the study was self- structured questionnaire: The Influence of Guidance and Counselling on Students Social Adjustment (TIGC SSA). The instrument’s reliability was confirmed through the use of Cronbach Alpha measurements between zero point eight two and zero point eight nine, all demonstrating a solid internal consistency. The mean and standard deviation were the statistics employed to answer the research questions while for hypotheses independent samples t test with zero point zero five level of significance was used. The results revealed that guidance and counselling were significant in promoting social adjustment among students by improving their interpersonal relations, assisting them to cope with peer pressure and facilitating positive behavioural choices. The research also showed a mix of challenges such as lack of qualified counsellors and irregular availability of counselling services. The study therefore suggested the deployment of more professionally trained counsellors, better enlightenment on the good aspects of counselling services, and greater incorporation of guidance and counselling into school programmes to help improve the social adjustment of students. The study recommended guidance and counselling as one of the means through which healthy social adjustment could be promoted among students in public secondary schools in Obio Akpor local government.