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Unit 9: Personal Guidance at School Level

9.5.2 Guidance At the Secondary-School Level Notes
The pupils enter the secondary school around 10+ years of age. Their physical and motor development
is, by this time, generally complete. However, the other aspects, namely social, emotional, mental
and moral, still need to develop. It is during these years that the pupils enter the crucial period of
adolescence.
Besides, most of the pupils are at the pre-puberty stage and the physical development during this
period is rapid and marked, this is known as the puberty spurt. This is also a period of emotional
brittleness. Adolescence brings in its wake a host of problems that need to be met and resolved with
understanding. Therefore, guidance of the pupil at this stage is of great importance. There are
atleast two other factors that need to be considered :
1. At the secondary-school stage the pupils have to make academic choice that ultimately
determines their vocational future.
2. The pupil is becoming sexually mature.
Boys and girls tend to become self-conscious and inquisitive about each others’ new dimensions.
They become restless, agitated and distracted. They seek more freedom and independence and tend
to resent interference from adults.
The high-school years coincide with early adolescence and post-puberty years. There is a greater
need to help young boys and girls deal with the problems of growing up. They also tend to develop
fads and fetishes, and if not suitably helped to overcome them, can become emotionally crippled.
Although there is a tremendous all-round development, unfortunately only physical development
is given attention. Adolescents have their own ideas, interests and emotions and are keen to express
them and look forward to recognition and encouragement. The guidance counselor’s relationship
with high-school pupils must display warmth, understanding and friendliness by which a bond of
confidence and trust can be built between him and the pupils.
Thus it is possible to inculcate in them the desirable attitudes, interests and goals. The guidance
worker can help the pupil gain insight into his problems and help resolve them, which if neglected
could assume tremendous proportions. Another important aspect is to help the pupil develop
vocational consciousness, occupational interests and related goals. Most societies hold up academic
achievement as an important goal. The guidance worker can help adolescents surmount serious
frustrations by trying to relate their abilities and interests to academic pursuits.
Preventive guidance in secondary school, at the pre-puberty stage, reduces the need for remedial
guidance later and improves the ability of pupils to make independent choices with regard to
occupational, social, civic and other activities.
Society imposes on the adolescent the responsibility of having to choose a vocation to become a
productive member of the society and prepare for marriage and family life. The tasks necessitate
making important decisions for the future. Adolescence is the period of choice-making and guidance
is the systematic effort to help improve the quality of choices made. If guidance is to play a part in
increasing the individuals effectiveness, it must help them prepare themselves to take appropriate
decisions at this time.

9.6 Attitudes and Interests of School Students

During adolescence another dimension of important psychological change is the development of
attitudes and interests. As young individuals, most pupils exhibit similar interests but during
adolescence and later, there are changes in the mental and social characteristics, leading to different
attitudes toward parents, school, teachers, peers and authorities.
Interests change rapidly and sometimes are not easy to understand. The conduct of young people is
affected by all these changes that we have referred to. It is the responsibility of the school to help the

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