Counsellor training in two different cultures

This article compares and contrasts counsellor training programmes of two institutions (University of Reading, United Kingdom and University of Ilorin, Nigeria) from two different cultures. Areas of differences as reflected in the objectives and curricular contents of the two porgrammes are observed to be dictated by the needs of the two societies.     

高校辅导员队伍专业化的现实困境浅析

专业化是高校辅导员队伍建设的重要内涵之一。当前,高校辅导员队伍专业化仍面临着以下困境:行政化思维下辅导员主体性价值的消解,经验依赖模式下的专(职)而不专(业),转岗流动机制下辅导员队伍结构的失衡,部门藩篱下辅导员群体间合作的缺失。突破专业化发展的现实困境,实现辅导员专业化从被动走向主动,加强辅导员队伍建设,提升思想政治教育质量,需要国家、社会、高校和辅导员的协同联动和合力助推。     

Guidance and counselling in New Zealand: Weathering a decade of transformation

This paper considers guidance and counselling needs and services in a country where dramatic changes in economic and social conditions have occurred over the past decade. The welfare state foundations of the nation are described followed by an outline of a move to a free market economy. Increased needs for guidance and counselling services and modified responses are outlined with the main features being a distinct shift from public to private sector provisions. Related domains of training and professional associations are addressed along with current issues facing the profession. The overall picture is of a more diversified climate of needs with a reduced but intensified coverage of services. The immediate future for the guidance and counselling field in New Zealand seems unpredictable. There is certainly a healthy and maturing level of professionalism evident, but also a need for greater sophistication in influencing social policy towards restoring greater social equity.Gary Hermansson is an Associate Professor and Susan Webb a Senior Lecturer in the Education Department at Massey University in New Zealand. Both are counsellor educators of longstanding.     

Hypnosis-induced mental training programmes as a strategy to improve the self-concept of students

The creation and implementation of strategies that could improve student development is receiving new research interest. The main objective of the research was to establish whether hypnosis-induced mental training programmes as a strategy could alter the self-concept of students which in turn could improve their overall academic functioning. Two experimental and two control groups were randomly selected from a population of undergraduate psychology students at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. The analysis of variance showed that the two hypnosis-induced mental training programmes had a significant positive effect on the self-concept of the participants.     

论我国高校辅导员队伍专业化与职业化建设

辅导员工作对于培养社会主义事业的合格建设者和可靠接班人具有十分重要的意义。文章分析了我国高校辅导员队伍建设的现状,指出了高校辅导员队伍建设的必然性,探讨了高校辅导员队伍建设专业化和职业化的措施。     

Professional development of principals: A path to effective secondary school administration in Nigeria

Abstract

The article examines the professional development of secondary school principals in Nigeria. Drawing from vast review of literature on professional development and appointment of school principals in other countries, the article canvasses the position that secondary schools in Nigeria should be administered by skilled personnel who have the appropriate training and competencies for school management and leadership, rather than the present practice of using years of teaching experience as a major yardstick for the appointment of principals. It advocates systematic professional development programmes for prospective and practicing school principals, and concludes that professional development of principals is a means to maintain and enhance the effectiveness of secondary school administration in Nigeria.     

Book Reviews

Abstract

This paper examines the current status of inservice education for teachers in Nigeria with particular reference to Cross River and Akwa Ibom States. It identifies three main approaches to teacher inservice education in the two states of Nigeria, viz. the central office approach, the long vacation (sandwich) programme and Associateship Certificate in Education‐‐part‐time evening programme distance learning approach. Inservice teacher education is seen as an effective means of augmenting the inadequacies of pre‐service training. It is a process for continuous updating of teachers’ knowledge, skills and interests in their chosen field. The paper discusses the factors which should be considered when planning and implementing inservice education programme. Some suggestions on how to plan and implement inservice teacher education programmes in Nigeria are given.     

Skill Acquisition through Indigenous Apprenticeship: A case study of the Yoruba blacksmith in Nigeria

This paper is primarily concerned with indigenous apprenticeship in the Yorubaland of Nigeria with particular reference to training in blacksmithing. First, it provides a background which considers the nature of apprenticeship and shows how it is different from schooling. Then it discusses the necessary and vital ground work that should be done before a candidate is admitted to apprenticeship. The article describes the various stages in the apprentice's training, their rationale and their implications. Finally, the implications of this indigenous approach to manpower development for schooling and out-of-school educational programmes are considered.     

‘Continuing education: an essential tool for teacher empowerment in an era of universal basic education in Nigeria

The relevance of the teacher to the success of any education innovation is not open to contention. Equally incontentious is the relevance of education and training to the success of the teacher in the attainment of his/her professional goals. It is against this background that this paper examines the continuing education imperatives in the present basic education crusade in Nigeria. Here continuing education is conceptualized as a process for developing teacher's skill for coping with changing demands of the job through regular exposure to professional renewal programmes. The paper contends that inasmuch as the teacher will continue to play a pivotal role in the execution of educational innovations, then further education and training as it affects him/her must receive priority attention in the conceptualization and implementation of such innovations. To this end, the paper advocates: teacher exchange programmes between Nigeria and other countries of the world; establishment of functional libraries in primary schools; and provision of opportunities to participate in workshops and conferences with such participation made a significant part of the criteria for teacher promotion and advancement.     

试论高校辅导员的管理素质

高校辅导员是高校学生教育管理工作的一支重要力量.依据其管理工作内容及其特点,要实现管理效益最大化,辅导员应具备高尚的管理道德、强烈的管理责任感、全面的管理能力、良好的管理心理和科学的管理方法等管理素质.     

Digital divide in the utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in counsellor education in Nigerian Universities

Abstract

This study investigated digital divide in the utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in counsellor education in Nigerian universities. It had two research questions and two hypotheses tested at .05 level of significance. It adopted a survey design and used ICT Utilization Questionnaire (IUQ) in gathering data from the entire population of 142 counsellor-educators and trainee-counsellors in the five universities in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria who offered Guidance and Counselling as a course of study at the Master's degree level in the 2007/2008 session. This instrument was validated by five experts, and its reliability was established to be 0.9. A direct delivery technique was adopted for data collection. Data was analyzed using mean, standard deviation and t-test. Findings show that there is no digital divide based on gender but there is digital divide based on status of the population as counsellor educator or trainee-counsellors. Recommendations were made to different stakeholders on bridging this gap.     

高校辅导员职业倦怠现状调查研究

高校辅导员是当前高校中的一个特殊群体,他们与学生的关系最为密切。辅导员的工作热情、工作情况关系到人才培养的质量。本文采用Maslach的职业倦怠问卷(MBI)对88名福建省高校的辅导员进行了调查研究。研究表明,高校辅导员的职业倦怠情况并不严重,去个性化水平较低,但个人成就感偏低。     

Student counselling services in a Nigerian University

Universities the world over exist to respond to the conditions of their environments. Thus universities in a multi-ethnic Nigeria are not only for the production of high level manpower but also for fostering national consciousness, cultural integration and unity as well as for producing in the students appropriate values and attitudes for psychologically healthy citizenry. The University of Ilorin, Nigeria, in its organizational structure and services recognizes its obligation for the facilitation of human development in its fullest capacity. The application of student counselling for the development of this whole person is viewed from the perspective of primary prevention. That is, student counselling is considered developmental rather than therapeutic and is aimed at assisting students to learn the techniques and skills involved in problem-solving and long-term planning. To this end, the University of Ilorin addresses itself to the dimensions of learning such as personal and interpersonal development, citizenship and leadership skills training apart from academic development. Services provided include admission, housing, advisement/counselling, health, social relations, sports, leisure-time activities and financial aids. Various units and committees of the university share in the responsibilities for rendering these services through provision of facilities and various informal learning opportunities for the production of psychologically matured citizenry for the Nigerian nation.     

Challenging ideological environments: international teachers’ experiences in an outside-of-country teacher training programme

Teacher training for developing nation contexts is often conducted in short, intensive inside and outside-of-country programmes. Concerns have been raised in relation to the uncritical take-up of the western-centric material provided by these programmes, which are usually funded by national and international government organizations. This paper explores an approach used in an outside-of-country teacher training programme funded by an Australian government grant. The research focused on teacher trainers from the Monastic education system and their reflections on whether critical literacy approaches could be incorporated into curriculum in Myanmar. It used a Bakhtinian framework to analyse the teacher trainers’ ideological environments and their hybridizations of critical literacy discourses for their own contexts. It was found that while the teacher trainers were passionate about the worth of developing critical literacy skills for their teachers and pupils, they struggled with a range of constraints that existed for them within their country. The research illustrated the importance of providing spaces for participants in programmes such as these to critically reflect on the relevance of non-government organization (NGO) and international non-government organization (INGO) training programmes, especially in light of the multiple challenges that are a part of their everyday lives.     

The Counsellor's Self in Therapy: An Inevitable Presence

Each counsellor brings his or her personal qualities or what is sometimes referred to in the literature as the “counsellor's self,” when working with clients. The aim of this paper is to highlight the theoretical, clinical and research work regarding the self of the counsellor, and to indicate gaps within such work. It is argued here that while the person of the counsellor is vital to the therapeutic process, more work needs to be directed at defining this concept, and describing the process by which the counsellor engages his or her self whilst working with clients, particularly from a trans-theoretical perspective. Such research has implications for the training and supervision of counsellors, as well as providing potentially valuable information for future studies that focus on counsellor variables, particularly those associated with developing the therapeutic alliance.     

高职专业创新性人才培养模式探索与思考——以桂林师范高等专科学校生化制药技术专业为例

培养创新性人才对于建设创新型国家具有极为重要的意义。结合高职专业创新性人才培养的背景,对当前高职专业创新性人才缺失的原因进行了分析,并以桂林师范高等专科学校生化制药技术专业为例,对该专业学生创新性培养模式的探索与成效进行了总结,同时对高职专业创新性人才培养模式的完善提出了建议。     

论研究型大学本科生导师制的构建模式与实践

本文对我国大学本科生导师制的实施现状进行了剖析,指出了目前实行过程中存在的主要问题与困境。同时归纳总结了中国地质大学（北京）工程技术学院本科生科研导师制试行以来的一些有益探索,强调个体指导、平等关系和互动式教学是研究型大学创新人才培养的核心理念,并提出了研究型大学本科生导师制的构建模式与思路。     

Improving children's behaviour and attendance through the use of parenting programmes: an examination of practice in five case study local authorities

In this article, Professor Susan Hallam, of the Institute of Education, University of London, Lynne Rogers, lecturer in psychology at the Open University, and Jacqueline Shaw, music teacher, researcher and educational psychologist in training, report the key outcomes of their recent research into parenting programmes. The survey suggested that most local authorities in England were at a relatively early stage in their preparations for meeting demand for programmes focused on developing parenting skills in order to improve the attendance and behaviour of children in school. Here the authors present case studies of five local authorities that had well-developed provision based on contrasting approaches. Two of these authorities used existing programmes available through alternative providers or early years provision; the others offered programmes in schools, one based on established and internationally-available material and two that used content developed within the local authority. Longer term needs relating to parenting programmes are considered in relation to these case studies and the implications for schools, that may be actively encouraged to take on responsibility for these programmes, are explored.     

American college students' perceptions of counsellor approachability: Professional implications

The Repertory Grid technique was used to explore differences in the way in which freshers and postgraduate counselling students perceived the roles of “counsellor” and “friend”. Postgraduates viewed counsellors as more approachable than other students, while freshers viewed other students as more approachable than counsellors. The constructs identified by the students were content-analyzed to define “approachability” for each group. The perceptions held by students were used to address implications for the provision of outreach services, role-induction programmes, and the status of the counsellor as the professional.     

Education and Nation Building in Nigeria since the Civil War

Nigeria, perhaps more than other African nations, faces the awesome task of forging a nation out of a diversity of cultures. The need was accentuated by the tragic civil war that engulfed Nigeria from 1967‐1970. In the task of reconstruction and reconciliation that is now being undertaken, education plays a major role.