A case study of an approach to whole school guidance counselling in a second level school; focusing on the classroom aspect

The aim of this research study was to investigate how a whole school approach to guidance counselling (DES, 2017a) is adopted in one secondary school, particularly in the context of the delivery of classroom guidance across the Junior and Senior Cycle (DES, 2014, 2016b, Gysbers, 2010). The researcher was interested in investigating this topic due to the re-allocation of guidance counselling hours in second level schools in the 2012 Budget which has hampered guidance counselling provision in schools (DES, 2016a). A case study through the interpretivist approach was used in this research to gather in depth information (Thomas, 2013). The design aimed to gain a concise understanding of the approach used in the school incorporating the views of key personnel and students (Cohen et al. 2011; Mc Leod, 2001; Yin 2009). The gathering of data involved semi-structured qualitative interviews with a number of key personnel, and a student focus group with participants randomly sampled from both the Junior and Senior Cycle. The data was analysed by combining the themes from both the focus group and the semi-structured interviews. This unified approach provided a clearer understanding of the data gathered (Wertz, 2005). A six-step thematic analysis was followed (Braun and Clarke 2006). In conclusion, the findings of this case study were interpreted from one second level school and are not representative of other schools’ delivery of classroom guidance. The findings highlight the need for a more structured approach to guidance counselling, and its classroom delivery in the Junior Cycle programme in particular. Further consideration is needed for ongoing research in classroom guidance delivery in second-level education. This dissertation concludes with a number of recommendations for policy and practice in the delivery of guidance counselling in second level education.