BASIC PRINCIPLES TO UNDERSTAND

STUDENTS
A teacher of Guidance and Counselling or a counsellor needs to
understand his/her students
Every individual is a unique individual
O Background
O Personality
O Potential/ability

It can lead the teacher or counsellor for assigning the most

appropriate treatment or technique.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR STUDENTS IS A MUST STEP.

 3 steps before giving treatment
O Diagnosis
O Prognosis
O Treatment
 Diagnosis
O To find out the main problem
O To find out the factors affecting of the
emergence of the problem
O Analyse problems and relate it with the factors
to make a conclusion
 Prognosis
O Decide which treatment is suitable to give
(based on the level and types of the problem)
 Treatment
O Giving help (curative or not curative)

Curative: therapy
Not curative: giving information, orientation,
development (of potential and strengths)
Data gathering principles
 Types of Data
1. Ability
2. Personality
1. Ability
a. Potential ability
O Emotional intelligence
O Aptitude: numerical, verbal, spatial, social,
motoric abilities
b. Actual ability: achievement in studying
2. Personality
a. Physic and Health: five senses, allergic, certain disease,
etc.
b. Psychic: self awareness, emotion, habits, social relations,
future plan
c. Activity: extracurricular activities
d. Achievements in certain aspects: academic, sport, art, etc.
e. Background (family, social status)
f. Morality
g. Social environment
 HOW?
O Test
Measurement, standardized, result: score or
numbers
O Non Test
Collect information, description
 Test
1. Intelligence Test : IQ test
2. Aptitude Test
a. Scholastic aptitude: academic, mastering
certain school subjects
b. Vocational aptitude: special ability to support
or achieve success at work
 Types of Aptitude Test
O Rekonik test: motoric, perception, think mechanically
O Music test: rhythm
O Artistic test: drawing, painting, etc.
O Clerical test: speed and accuracy
O Multiple intelligence test: thinking verbally, numerical
ability, thinking abstractly, spatial, speed and accuracy,
etc.
3. Achievement Test: measure the achievement of the
objectives of the lesson with the aspect of cognitive,
affective, and psychomotor.
 Non Test
1. Observation 6. Case study
2. Interview 7. Case conference
3. Questionnaire 8. Home Visit
4. Autobiography 9. Documentation
5. Sociometry
 Observation
What you observe?
1. Learning activities in the class: discipline, attention,
interest, participation, honesty, etc.
2. Learning activities outside class: activities at laboratory
or library
3. Extracurricular activities: organization, art, sport, etc.
4. Social interaction at school: interaction with students,
teachers, staffs
 Observation Techniques
1. Daily observation
Unplanned, does not refer to any standards
It is conducted while the teacher is teaching.
Result: anecdotal record
2. Systematic Observation
Planned, refer to certain standards (time, place, questions)
3. Participative Observation
Observer engage in the observed activities
4. Non participative Observation
Observer only watches
 Strengths
1. Directly observe any symptoms
2. Record essential events
3. Complete the data from an/other techniques
4. The observer does not need to communicate
with the observed
 Weaknesses
1. Not all symptoms can be observed
2. Unnatural attitudes or behaviours
3. Time to decide the observation
4. Affected by many uncontrolled factors
 Interview
Whom you interview?
Students, students’ friends, parents

Questions:
Parents’ identity
Distance from home to school
Parents’ affection and attention
Daily activities
Reason for being not discipline
The number of family members
Position in the family
Economy condition
Motivation of going to school
The number of family members
 Types of interview
O Informational interview
Gather data and information
O Counselling interview
Problem solving and decision making
O Disciplinary interview
Related to rules at school
O Placement interview
Majoring at school (IPA or IPS), extracurricular activities,
etc.
 Strengths
O Get deeper information
O Can be applied to individual in all ages
O Can be conducted while doing observation
O Complete data from other techniques
 Weaknesses
O Not efficient (time consuming)
O the availability of both parties (counsellor and
counselee)
O Verbal competent to avoid misunderstanding
 Questionnaire
O Indirect communication (written)
O General information
O List of questions about students’ information
Student’s identity Habit (work, study, read, Organization activities
etc.)
Family condition Hobby Student’s opinions about
school and teachers
Education background Activities during spare Achievement
(family) time
Health Condition Dream job Problems
 Autobiography
O Student writes about his/her lived experiences,
dream jobs, interests, family conditions, and
etc.
O Secretive
O Precious data to help to understand students
wholly
 Weaknesses
O Sometimes, students only write the events that often
happen but not meaningful for teachers in the aspect of
guidance and counselling
O Students sometimes forget past experiences
O Students sometimes write what he/she expects and
throw things that they do not want
O Students’ unwillingness to give their autobiography to
be read by other people
 Sociometry
O Fix human relationship between the members
(class)
O Decide group of study or other activities
O Observe leadership ability of each individual
 Case Study
Steps:
1. Find a problem
2. Find data about the student (result of IQ test,
observation, interview from other teachers, home visit,
and etc.)
3. Analyse the data to find some factors that affect the
problem
4. Decide the treatment
 Cases conference
O A school meeting to discuss certain students’
problems
O Complete the data to decide appropriate
treatment
O Audience: counsellor, teachers, headmaster,
staffs, parent, or other people who are close to
the students
 Home Visit
O Manage good relations between school and parents
O Manage same perception and understanding towards students’
attitudes and behaviours
O Gather data about characteristics/personality, attitudes and
habits, daily activities in family and environment
O Building trust of parents to school
O Giving information and explanation about school policy,
student’s progress at school
O Sharing
 Documentation
O Gather student’s information or data
(document)
Achievement, family background, personality
condition, students’ activities
Documents: Score Reports, Personal Bio data,
etc.