Peer Support in Action
Peer Counselling at Pietermaritzbury Girls’ High School, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa
by Ann Dorrian, Pietermaritzburg.
This report is based on research I conducted in my capacity as a School Counsellor and as part of the degree of Masters in Education (Psychology of Education) completed in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg.
Aims and Motivation of the Programme
The peer counselling programme at Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School, in the province of Kwazulu Natal, began in 1996 for the most pragmatic of reasons. It was hoped that it would assist in providing a more viable service to the school population, in the light of ongoing staff cuts and the changing needs of the students. The school is a large, urban, single-sex secondary state school, which caters for girls from diverse social-economic backgrounds and cultures, with a wide range of needs.
Counselling and Guidance in South African Schools
An understanding of local attitudes to counselling and guidance in secondary schools forms an important backdrop to this programme. In South African schools, counselling and guidance programmes have been of a varied nature, differing from province to province and from school to school. During the apartheid regime, in both black and white schools, counselling and guidance services were generally highly manipulative. The suspicion that these policies generated, together with financial cutbacks and criticism of the general effectiveness of programmes, has meant that many students and parents viewed them with scepticism. At best these programmes have been seen as a luxury beyond the reach of the ordinary state school. Guidance programmes have therefore been marginalised in some schools, In other schools they have merely been accorded lip service or are not provided at all.
Development of the Programme
Initially in 1996 the peer counsellors at Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School fulfilled a purely administrative role, running the careers information section of the counselling classroom during teabreaks and lunch times. They were chosen from the Grade 12 (final year) students and were not allowed to hold positions of authority, for example as a prefect, so as to prevent role conflict. Although their past history was not considered in the selection procedure, it was emphasised that they would have to be role models for other students and were therefore expected to be caring and approachable. They would also have to give up free time after school hours. They were interviewed, and consideration was given to their ability to communicate as well as their natural warmth and sense of responsibility and motivation. The staff who know these students were asked for their opinions. A cross-section of students was selected. Although this initial group did not undergo a complex screening process, they attended an evolutionary training programme based on the needs they communicated at weekly meetings. The counselling classroom was used as a ‘drop in centre’ where students could discuss a variety of matters with the peer counsellors on duty. Besides this duty, peer counsellors were attached to Grade 8 classes to assist students with the transition to high school. Their portfolio was to support new girls who were struggling to adjust to high school. They visited home classrooms regularly and were expected to help with homework and to assist in settling disagreements.
The success of the peer counsellors was varied. Some were naturally good communicators, sensitive to the needs of others, and therefore flourished. Unfortunately others who were very keen and committed to their work as peer counsellors were not as successful. Therefore it became apparent that better selections criteria and training would have to be instituted if the peer counselling programme was to thrive.
By the end of 1998 certain aspects relevant to the peer counselling
programme had been formally researched. The main aim of the
research was to investigate the changes in the self concept
of senior (grade 11) students who participated in a pre-selection
programme. All girls who wished to become peer counsellors
had to complete the course as a pre-requisite for selection.
The study looked at changes in the self concept in an
experimental group of 25 girls. A comparison group was set up at a similar school in the neighbouring city of Durban.
A pre-test/post-test research methodology was utilized, using the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale. Use was also made of a short questionnaire consisting of closed and open-ended questions. The experimental group underwent an eight-week course in interpersonal skills. They met once a week for an hour. The training programme emphasised experiential learning, with a great deal of role-play. Every effort was made to distance the training from normal classroom practice, with the school counsellor taking the role of facilitator and many fun exercises were included. Training included developing listening skills as well as responding and problem solving skills. Issues such as sensitivity, empathy and ethics were discussed. The course was very well received, and so many girls wished to be considered for the role of peer counsellors, that the programme was run a number of times to accommodate all the interested students. In total, 80 of the 203 students in the Grade 11 year completed the programme during the course of the year. Secondary aims of this study included establishing a simple training programme, using local material, as well as increasing students’ helping skills and improving students’ perception and knowledge of the counselling process.
An analysis of the results pertaining to the initial group showed that students’ self concept, as measured on the TSCS, had improved significantly, when compared to the comparison group. However the questionnaires also reflected a number of additional achievements. Students felt they had made new friends and had a lot of fun. The multiracial nature of the experimental group was a significant aspect and students were encouraged to work with girls of different race groups. With one exception, the experimental group felt that they had got to know members of other races better. All members of the experimental group felt they had gained useful helping skills and the profile of guidance and counselling in the school was raised.
In 1999 attention has turned to the development of a post-selection
training programme to develop peer counsellors’ skills
in specific areas, namely conflict management, study skills
and retrieval of career information. A programme of assessment
is also being planned to try to formally appraise the effectiveness
of peer counselling in the school.
South Africa is a society undergoing rapid change, and is trying to establish itself on democratic principles. Schools are grappling with this newfound democracy, and are trying to find positive ways to involve all participants in the educational process. At Pietermarizburg Girls’ High School, peer counselling is proving to be an increasingly significant form of participative management.
All in all it looks as if peer counselling is here to stay!
Contact address:
A
Dorrian,
PO
Box 100620, Scottsville 3209,
Kwazulu
Natal, South Africa.
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