Support for students

6.4.1 Perceptions of whether the students ever talked to a school counsellor

‘Culturally responsive counsellors also help students to reach beyond their grasp, to dream, and to actualize their dreams’ (Banks, 2008, p.38). In addition, counselling can give an important service to students from multicultural backgrounds in the school. ‘Counselling may also be of a personal nature and assist students in their adjustment to a new culture by organizing peer support programs or putting students and their

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families in touch with personel and agencies that are able to provide culturally sensitive services’(Coelho, 1998, p.108). The Report of General Education Reforms (1997) covered the entire spectrum of general education from primary to junior and senior secondary levels, with the expected outcome of achieving the national goals and the five competencies. There were some changes that were proposed, and one of them was student guidance and counselling. The LLRC Report (2011) in Sri Lanka notes that there are children who suffer from psychological disorders as they have been exposed to violent conflict and have lost their parents and special attention should be provided to these children including counselling where necessary.

The student questionnaire indicated a larger proportion of Sinhala students had talked to a school counsellor than Muslims and Tamils in the schools in Sri Lanka (Table 29,

Appendix D). However, a chi square calculation indicated there was no significant difference between ethnic groups in terms of whether students ever talked to school counsellor (p = 0.300) (Table 29a, Appendix D). Across the five schools, a higher proportion of female students (67.7%) replied ‘Yes’ to the statement with a slightly smaller proportion of male students (58.9%) (Table 9, Appendix E), but a chi square calculation indicated there was no significant difference between the gender groups (p = 0.239) (Table 9a, Appendix E). The majority of students from all ethnic groups felt that counsellors understood them as a person (Table 30, Appendix D).

Over 60% of teachers from all five schools reported that schools provide counselling services related to students’ academics needs and social needs. The proportion of teachers in all five schools who agreed strongly with the statement ‘The school provides counselling services related to students’ social needs’ was very small, with none in the Mixed School with the total proportion of those agreeing being less than 60%. The lowest proportion was in the Mixed School (40.9% total). Up to 50% across all schools disagreed to some degree (Table 29, Appendix J). Only a very small number of teachers from all five schools strongly agreed that school counsellors serving in that capacity had the knowledge and skills required for effectively

supporting students’ academic needs, and none at all in the Mixed School (Table 30, Appendix J). Up to 50% disagreed to some degree regarding perceptions of whether counsellors have knowledge and skills for effective cross-cultural counselling (Table 31, Appendix J). These counsellors clearly needed appropriate training in the view of the teachers.

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Unlike Sri Lanka, in England the data indicated that students from all backgrounds had talked to a school counsellor. But the number of students who talked to the counsellor was small (five of them were males and two females). Of those, most students had feelings that their counsellor understood them.

Teachers in England reported that their school provided counselling services related to students’ academic needs and social needs (Table 17 and 18, Appendix K). However, they disagreed about whether counsellors serving in that capacity had the knowledge and skills required for effective cross-cultural counselling (Table 19, Appendix K). There may be a need to consider whether, and what kind of, training might be appropriate here. Only a small proportion of teachers in schools in Sri Lanka (but none in the Mixed school) and the English school agreed that teachers themselves had the knowledge and skills required for effective cross-cultural counselling.

Nearly two thirds of teachers in the schools in Sri Lanka and all teachers in the English school agreed that the school took action when a specific group of students appears to be having social or academic difficulty

.

In Sri Lanka, the principal of both Girls’ schools reported that students are given additional help for their learning where required, irrespective of ethnicity.

In England, Year Eleven focus group students said that the school helped students who struggle with academic requirements. The head teacher of the school also explained that the Church of England donated £75,000 to the academy a year for ten years as an endowment. The interest can be used for the purpose of helping under- privileged children. However, the head teacher liked to spend that on buildings as well as under-privileged students.

In terms of peer mediations programmes, the majority of teachers in the schools in Sri Lanka and the English school were unsure as to whether they had such programmes in their schools

.

6.4.2 Teachers’ perceptions of whether the schools had established mutually

supportive relationships with community groups and agencies

Sixty-eight per cent of teachers in Girls’ School 2 in Sri Lanka strongly agreed their schools have established mutually supportive relationships with community groups and agencies. In other schools most teachers responded that they ‘agree somewhat’. The biggest percentage of ‘disagree responses’ was in Boys’ School 2 (34.8%) (Table 32, Appendix J). However, this is at variance with teacher focus group interviews in Boys’

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School 2 where there was a perception ‘We have a good relationship with parents at our school’.

The principals of all five schools said parents of their students always helped with school activities except the principal of Boys’ School 1, who mentioned that parents of students of his school found it difficult to help because of their poor economic background. The principal of Girls’ School 2 explained that they allowed parents into the school to see their children’s work. In Boys school 1 the principal said. ‘We don’t have an old boy association. We started thinking about it last year. I am expecting to do some work with it in the near future.’

The principals of all five schools explained that the involvement of minority ethnic community groups or their leaders in the school was very important in different ways. This includes: delivering speeches for special occasions, to building new buildings, giving gifts and money for the prize giving, and to developing school facilities.

In document A study of multicultural practices in Sri Lankan secondary schools and an English comparator school (Page 140-143)