Abstract:
This study attempts to scrutinize how guidance counseling is implemented and its
impact in enhancing quality in higher education institutions. The sole purpose of
the investigation is to explore students’ views and attitudes and how the current
practices of guidance counseling contribute to foster excellence of the various
university academic training programs. To this effect, it is believed that the
finding related to this study could serve to identify challenges and opportunities,
develop an appropriate strategy for future guidance counseling effort in the
Ethiopian Universities in general and Haramaya University in particular. The tool
designed to serve the purpose is questionnaire, and personal as well as colleague
observation of the day-to-day interactions. The findings of this study uncover the
fact that students do not have sufficient knowledge on the kind and the extent of
guidance counseling services offered in the university campuses. However, about
80 percent of the respondents claimed that they have favorable attitudes toward
the guidance counseling services in general. In the study, examination on the
differences with respect to certain variables (such as programs, sex, and locality)
in perceptions and attitudes toward the guidance counseling services are
vigilantly scrutinized. At the end, pertinent suggestions that would assist Ethiopian
universities in the sector of guidance counseling are included.
