A Study of Junior High Student Awareness of Guidance Services in Taiwan, the Republic of China

The purpose of this study was to investigate the student awareness of the guidance services in junior high schools in Taiwan. Specifically, it was anticipated that the study findings would provide a basis to generate guidelines for developing a realistic guidance program based on a better understanding of students for whom the service is offered. A questionnaire composed of 26 items was designed to investigate attitudes toward the current guidance services from 1,664 respondents who were junior high students in Kaohsiung Metropolis, Taiwan, the Republic of China in 1981. Besides total students, the attitudes of the various grade levels and sex differences toward the guidance services were determined. This study primarily focused on seven aspects of guidance services, including general attitudes toward guidance services (Item 1-5), utilization of standardized tests (Item 6-7), contacts between teacher-counselors and parents (Item 8-10), personal guidance (Item 11-14), educational guidance (Item 15-19), vocational guidance (Item 20-23), and evaluation of guidance services (Item 24-26). According to the results of this study, it was found that junior high students, in general, were satisfied with the following guidance services implemented by their school guidance center: informed of the location of their teacher-counselors office; encouraged to deliberate the students\u27 conditions concerning educational and vocational development; helped to understand the significance of standardized tests and to utilize the test results to make a future plan; helped to learn the new school situations and to get along in it; assisted in overcoming personal problems; accepted help in the improvement of study skills and habits; helped to select activities; provided access to post-high school information; interpreted test results for their educational and vocational planning; helped to understand a variety of occupations and to have access to occupational information; assisted in setting goals; and helped to develop self-confidence. Some guidance services were evaluated as not bad, i.e.: helped to participate in group discussion; helped to use the media to understand personal problems; and helped to decide the ability of study in college. However, they were not satisfied with a few current guidance services, for example: unable to feel free to discuss with teacher-counselors; unable to talk about their real feelings; only a few contacts between teacher-counselors and parents; unable to understand the curriculum presented in senior high schools; and unfamiliar with the employment possibilities. It must be mentioned here that for those guidance services the different sex students and the various year level students had their own viewpoints. It is difficult to make a brief, but detailed description here about their different reactions on the guidance services. Please read the text in order to get more information you need