Topic 2: GENESIS OF GUIDANCE MOVEMENTS IN THE WORLD AND

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING

- Development of Guidance in schools started in Europe and USA towards
the end of the 19th C. But this gained momentum in the 20th Century.
- At the beginning of guidance movement, the main focus was to provide
occupational information to students in schools.
- Later the Guidance movement provided looking into more objective
methods of accessing individuals of different goals.
- Among the pioneers of guidance was a man called Frank Person from
Boston in USA.
- This man helped to establish the vocation bureau and he also wrote a book
on vocation entitled “Choosing a Vocation” between 1905 – 1909.
- Another founder of guidance was a man known as George Merril
- Merril was a teacher at Californian school of mechanical engineering.
- In 1885 Merril provided exploratory experiences in the area of guidance
and counseling.
- He helped students to get job placement after their training.
- He also followed students who had left the school to find out their
destination in their job market after they left college.
- Another founder of Guidance movement was a man called Goodwill who
in 1901 organized a wide guidance program for students in USA.
- Goodwill also proposed four major conditions that are necessary for a
successful guidance programe in high school. Which includes the
following:-
1) Continous application of Guidance
2) A close contact with each student with at least one teacher who is
intelligent, available and willing to give help to the students.
3) A logical analysis of each student in relation to their abilities and future
career ambition.
4) Adaptation of school work and curriculum to the vocational needs of the
community.
- Another founder of Guidance movement was Weaver who was
responsible for the establishment of Guidance services in New York in
1912.
- Weaver organized a number of local agencies and motivated them to start
guidance services and job opportunities.
- At this time Weavers’ agencies focused on Educational planning which
aimed at helping students to develop their goals in the society they live.
- During the era of the genesis of guidance movement the concept of
educational guidance programmes started in the basis of the following
factors:-
1) The fact that both human personalities and economic order are
processes of continuous change and development.
2) The fact that people differ in their potential capacities and therefore
they qualify for different occupations.
3) The fact that each occupation requires unique characteristics and
patterns of behavour, interests and other personal qualities.
4) The fact that vocational Guidance is a long process extending through
the period of school and later the working life period.

Because of other reasons the founders of guidance movement realized that

there are various needs in our society that are related to vocational
development. The needs include the following:-
- Need to possess thorough knowledge of aptitude and interest patterns
among students that are important for successful vocational adjustments
and achievements.
- Need to know various aspiration, ambitions, mental abilities and social
economic background of students in schools.
- Need to have adequate information about the world.