| dc.description.abstract | The role of Guidance and Counselling in making informed choices cannot be overemphasized. Although institutional-based Guidance and Counselling was introduced to equip learners with the skills of making informed decisions so as to reduce risky sexual behaviours and teenage pregnancies, the numbers of teenage pregnancies are on the rise in Siaya county especially Ugenya Sub County in Kenya. The aim of this study was to investigate the counselling types and their effectivenessin management of teenage pregnancy among girls in secondary schools in Ugenya Sub-County of Kenya. The study’s objectives were: To assess the effectiveness of peer counselling in management of teenage pregnancy among girls, to establish the effectiveness of group counselling in management of teenage pregnancy, to assess the effectiveness of individual counselling in management of teenage pregnancy; and to examine the effectiveness of expert counselling in management of teenage pregnancy. The study utilized a Concurrent Triangulation Design within the Mixed Methods Approach. Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy Theory informed the study. Purposive sampling technique was used to sample 30 Principals and Teacher Counselors. Kerlinger formula was also employed to determine and select 347 teenage girls in Form 2 and 3 to participate in the study, while 50 peer counselors were selected to participate in the study using stratified random sampling. Data for the
study was collected using questionnaires, structured interview schedules and Focus Group Discussions. Ethical clearance was sought from the ethical review board of the
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology and the institutions where the data was collected. Reliability of the instruments was ascertained through a
pilot study of 10% of the population that did not take part in the study. The Cronbach’s Alpha was used to calculate internal consistency. Data collected from the
questionnaires was edited, coded and analysed using, inferential statistics such as Pearson Correlation and Regression Analysis in SPSS version 26 while. Thematic Analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. The findings indicated that there was a strong and positive correlation (r = .675) between peer counselling and the management of teenage pregnancy at p < 0.05; an average and positive correlation (r = .512) between group counselling and the management of teenage pregnancy at p < 0.05; a strong and positive correlation (r = .634) between individual counselling and the management of teenage pregnancy at p < 0.05, and finally, a strong and positive correlation (r = .628) between expert counselling and the management of teenage pregnancy at p < 0.05. Peer counselling, therefore stands out as being more effective as compared to group, individual and expert counselling in the management of teenage pregnancy in secondary schools. The Ministry of Education should emphasize
more diverse training of guidance and counselling teachers on varied therapies for them to be effective in schools. The policy makers in education should also come up with various training programs meant for peer counsellors to assist in therapy programmes in their respective secondary schools, since students preferred seeking counselling services from their peer counsellors. | en_US |
