Disciplinary problems and their Management among Students in Secondary Schools of Gambella Town: Implications for Guidance and Counseling

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess the disciplinary problems and their management among students and the implications for guidance and counseling in secondary schools of Gambella Town. The study adopted a mixed method for data collection and data analysis. The population of this study comprised 2825 students and 325 teachers from 4 selected secondary schools. Hence, all 8 principals and 5 teacher counselors were also included in the study. A purposive sampling technique was employed to select the schools to be studied. A sample of 93 teachers and 257 students were selected using simple random sampling techniques. Availability sampling was used to select principals and school counselors. Data were collected using questionnaires and in-depth interviews. A pilot study was conducted to test the validity and reliability of the instruments. Data collected through questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics in form of frequencies and percentages with the help of Statistical Package for Social Science version 20 for windows and the data were presented using tables. Data collected through interviews were analyzed using narrative techniques. The finding of the study indicated that cheating during an exam, frequent absenteeism, being late and stealing school’s properties were the common offences that student committed in schools; punishments especially corporal punishment, suspension and calling parents were used as methods to handle disciplinary problems. The study concluded that guidance and counseling was minimally used in the management of students’ discipline. The study recommended that effective guidance and counseling service programs should be put in place as essential parts of schools activities by the school administrators to manage students’ discipline in secondary schools of Gambella Town.