Evaluating the Guidance Needs of Secondary School Students: An Empirical Investigation in Shimla City of Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

The contemporary world is undergoing rapid transformations, leading to intricate challenges such as conflicts, frustration, and unhealthy competition. These complexities contribute to a value crisis within the social system, affecting personal values, family dynamics, and fostering maladjustment among adolescents. Against this backdrop, the present research delves into the guidance needs of secondary school students in Shimla city. The study uses a descriptive research design, employing the Guidance Need Inventory (GNI) for data collection. The study encompasses the entire student population of arts and science streams of Government Senior Secondary Schools operating in Shimla city, with a sample size of 240 students selected through a simple random sampling technique. Descriptive statistics reveal uniformly high levels of guidance needs across all areas for all students. Intriguingly, the results indicate that guidance needs do not significantly differ based on gender and academic stream, except for the sociological part in relation to their stream. The findings underscore the pressing need for guidance programs within schools, emphasizing the importance of employing trained professionals to address the diverse and high-level guidance needs of students. In light of the ever-evolving challenges in today’s society, the study contributes valuable insights into crafting targeted interventions that can positively impact the physical, social, psychological, educational, and vocational development of students, fostering their overall efficiency and well-being.