The purpose of the study is to examine developments in
guidance and counselling in North Wales against the background of
general developments in this field . This is done in Part One through
the literature and in PartsTwo and Three by an examination of
original documents, postal questionnaires, personally administered
questionnaires and interviews.
The literature shows that before 1965 care was largely
unformalised; in the 1970s care had become structured and specialists
in guidance had e.merged. Factors influencing these developments
include educational, societal and economic changes.
Data obtained in North Wales revealed a similar pattern:
in 1965 there was no formal provision: caring was accepted implicitly
without explicit definition: systems were simple; there were no
trained specialists in guidance; transitions were informal processes.
Heads felt personally responsible for the care of pupils and there
was little delegation.
By 1979 guidance systems had become formalised: all secondary
schools had careers teachers, some of whom had received professional
training; careers officers had a wider brief and now interviewed all
fifth year pupils; five schools had counsellors anci transitions had
become highly organised.
Teachers' attitudes showed widespread agreement that there
was a need for a formalised system of guidance, for trained careers
teachers and for training in guidance for all teachers and students
in initial training, but there was no consensus on the need for school
counsellors. There was a clear majority in favour of a "horizontal"
system (the most common system in the schools in the sample).
The role of the Head has changed: care is now very largely
delegated and a majority of Heads say that most of their time is
spent in administration. The role of teachers too has changed: no
longer is a teacher expected to be only a register-keeper and a
teacher of a subject - many teachers now have administrative and
pastoral roles that take up much of their time.