CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS
5.1 INTRODUCTION
Ithas been argued that the evaluation of a school-based helping programme demands a holistic framework (see Section 2.3.2). Watkins (1994) uses the phrase "whole-school guidance" to describe an attitude and practical approach to guidance and counselling. In essence, he proposes that, to be effective, a school guidance programme needs to receive strong support, contribute to the atmosphere ofthe school, and permeate the curriculum. This
"whole-school" guidance approach follows the contemporary trend in education away from crisis-oriented guidance towards a more permanent and prevention-oriented guidance.
Section 1.2.3 discusses the new life skills curriculum within the nationwide Outcomes Based Education system in South Africa. This educational system is attempting to incorporate life skills into secondary schools in a visible, sustainable, and prevention-oriented way. This study attempted to evaluate the peer counselling programme through a recognition ofthe whole-school context in which the peer counselling programme operates. To this end a discussion of the results will necessarily involve considering the perceived and expressed role of peer counselling at the school; its impact on the learners, peer counsellors, teachers, and school counsellor; and its overall integration into the life of the school.
This chapter aims to make links between previous research into the development and efficacy of peer help programmes, and the results of the present study. A number of
recommendations for the improvement of the present peer counselling programme are also discussed. Section 5.4 will attempt to conclude the evaluation of the present peer counselling programme through consideration ofthe general goals for peer led counselling programmes.
Finally, Section 5.5 will also review the limitations identified in the present study.
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5.2 A "WHOLE-SCHOOL" APPROACH TO EVALUATION
5.2.1 School Learners' Needs
A starting point in this evaluation was to determine the concerns that learners at this school might have. Section 4.2.1.1 and 4.2.1.2 provides the concerns of learners according to both the school counsellor and the learners themselves.
Personal, family, boyfriend, and school issues were among the concerns that were mentioned.
The school counsellor's and learners' observations oftheir concerns are strikingly similar.
Of note here is both the school counsellor's and learners' recognition of the systemic issues the learners face. The school counsellor also stressed socio-economic factors as a pervasive challenge facing these girls in the context of their family lives and their hopes for the future.
Family issues/difficulties in particular appeared to be the most commonly cited cause for concern by the learners. Itcould be argued that family difficulties may, in part, stem from an adolescent's need to establish an identity in their social network and parents' frequent
reluctance to allow this (Ntshangase, 1995). The adolescent's response may be one of dissatisfaction and frustration.
Related to the above discussion is that the learners' concerns in this study might indicate their entry into an identity-forming process in which they are attempting to establish a sense of identity in their social networks (see section 2.2.3 and 2.2.4 for a discussion ofthese aspects of adolescence that are recognised in the literature). Anemphasis on family, peer, and boyfriend relational concerns points to the centrality of relationships in the adolescent's developing sense of self
Some of the family concern themes suggest that some adolescents might be battling with a family in conflict (see Appendix H, question 1). McCown et al. (1996) discussed the concept of adolescents at risk (Chapter 2, section 2.2.5). Their discussion suggests that some
adolescents' circumstances place them at risk due to their experiences within their family context in particular. This may affect their ability to reach their potential (Hallahan&
Kauffman, 1994 in McCown et aI., 1996).
In addition, the emphasis on family relationship difficulties was recognised by the school counsellor as being strongly related to pervasive socio-economic difficulties that the learners experience. The literature suggests that poverty and dysfunctional family relationships are variables that place learners at risk for academic and personal difficulties (Petersen &
Hamburg, 1986). A link has also been drawn between poverty and parenting (Richter, 1994) with the recognition that poverty may directly or indirectly affect the ability to parent
effectively.
A positive and helping school environment may be a source of support and therefore resilience especially for adolescents at risk (Garmezy, 1985 in Petersen& Hamburg, 1986).
The following section discusses the role of helping and support in the school.
5.2.2 The Role of the School in Helping the Learners 5.2.2.1 Guidance and Counselling in the Life ofthe School
The school counsellor and school principal emphasised the importance of the life skills and counselling component in the school (see section 4.2.1.4). The school counsellor also recognised that the counselling component ofthe school curriculum was given priority. She added that the school management provided "100%" support for the counselling activities in the school. The significance of this support is discussed further in section 5.4 ofthis chapter.
Of relevance here is that the peer counselling programme had developed and is operating in a context that supports the value of guidance and counselling in the school. Cowie and Sharp (1996) emphasise that peer counselling is more likely to thrive in supportive and proactive environments where the value of caring for one another and oneself is actively reinforced.
This indicates that a peer counselling programme, such as the one in the study, is more likely to be successful and sustainable within a context of helpfulness and support at the school.
5.2.2.2 Support in the School Environment: The Learners' Perspectives
The learners seemed to view their school as a helpful and supportive context in which to address their concerns. The learners indicated that the school provided help for a variety of concerns (these can be viewed in Table 4.1). Only a very small proportion oflearners
indicated that their school did not offer help for any of their concerns. A large majority of the
learners indicated that the peer counsellors, counselling teachers, and teachers in general provided help for their problems. More than half of the learners recognised peer counsellors as a form of help available to them. This suggests an awareness and recognition ofthe helping role of the peer counselling programme. However, it may be that reference made to peer counselling in the introduction to the learners' questionnaire, increased the mention of peer counselling as a source of help in the school more so than if it had not been included in the introduction.
Research into the perception of school counsellors as agents of help to learners in secondary schools (Haffajee, 1991; Ntshangase, 1995) reveals that learners' peers, and not the school counsellors, are the first source of help sought. In this study, peer counsellors were the most commonly recognised sources of help, followed closely by counselling and academic teachers. Learners therefore recognised the help available to them through peer counselling programme and the other teachers at the school. This in itself seems to confIrm previous research fIndings that peer assistance is often the first source of assistance sought by adolescents. However, the present fIndings also appear to contradict earlier research that learners infrequently seek counselling teachers out for assistance. In the present study, the school environment seemed to provide learners with a supportive help-seeking context. The \ availability of both peer and adult help was recognised by the learners.