Students’ Socio-Cultural Background And Counselling Seeking In Higher Learning Institutions In Tanzania: A Case Of The University Of Dodoma

ABSTRACT

Counselling services in higher learning institutions are very important and inevitable for smoothening students’ social and academic adjustment as well as career development. Socio–cultural background of the students has great contributions in influencing their counselling seeking behaviours in higher learning. This study assessed the influence of students’ socio-cultural backgrounds towards counselling seeking in higher learning institutions by drawing examples from the University of Dodoma. It employed a descriptive research design using qualitative research approach and some aspects of quantitative research approach. A total of 99 respondents including 20 counsellors and 79 students from two selected colleges of the University of Dodoma were involved. Purposive and random sampling techniques were used in selecting respondents for this study. A questionnaire was used to obtain data from students and wardens (counsellors). Furthermore Interviews were used to obtain data from wardens, where as Focus Group Discussions were used to obtain data from students. Qualitative data were analyzed according to their pattern of descriptions from the respondents to generate themes and sub-themes. Quantitative data were processed and analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 to compute frequency and percentages of responses. The findings are presented using Tables, percentages, Figures and simple bar graphs. Findings revealed that students were aware of the counselling services provided by counsellors in higher learning institutions and their importance to them. Despite that fact, their tendency of seeking counselling was minimal. It was further revealed that most of the students’ counselling services provided at UDOM were personal, social, academic and career development. Furthermore, the study found that students’ social background such as prior help seeking experience, gender, age and family background influenced the seeking behaviour of counselling services at university. Moreover, the data revealed that the media of communication (language), secrecy and religious beliefs have influence in counselling seeking behaviours of students at the University of Dodoma. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the University management as well as the government should cooperate to ensure that effective counselling services are provided to students through employing qualified wardens and advocating students to seek for counselling services available at the university.