Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies

Aim: The National Education Policy (NEP 2020) India, recognizes the importance of guidance and counselling in fostering student’s well-being and holistic development in schools. Policy also emphasizes that teachers are the guide and philosophers, endowed with potentialities of counsellor to help and facilitates personal growth and positive changes through self-understanding among students. This study aimed to develop a survey instrument by exploring the key constructs viz factors on which teachers provide guidance and counselling support to students in schools.

Methodology: Data were collected through self-developed survey instrument using Google Form from 626 school teachers (male n=342 [54.63%] and female n=284 [45.36%]). Purposive sampling method was used for data collection. Participants were teachers from public and private schools in Delhi-NCR.

Statistical Analysis: Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) technique was applied to identify key constructs underlying the survey instrument to explore teachers’ role as counselors in schools. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy and Bartlett’s test of Sphericity were used to assess the factorability of the data. To determine the number of factors to be extracted, Kaiser’s Criterion and Scree Test were examined. Varimax orthogonal factor rotation method was applied to minimize the number of variables that have high loadings on each factor. Reliability (Internal Consistency) and Convergent validity were also confirmed of the survey instrument.

Results: Findings indicated the four key constructs of teachers as counsellors i.e., (i) communication with stakeholder, (ii) boosting self-confidence and decision-making skills, (iii) assisting in academic, social and emotional issues and (iv) information dissemination among stakeholders.

Conclusion and Future Implications: The study concludes that there are four key constructs on which teachers function as counsellors in schools. The findings provide insight to educators, teachers, counsellors, administrators and policy makers with the valuable information that teachers can be orient and capacitate on these significant dimensions to assist the learners in socio-emotional and academic concerns in their school journey.