MEANING OF GUIDANCE

To guide means to indicate, to point out, and to show the way. It means more than to assist. A man
falls on the street; we assist him to get up but we do not guide him unless we help him to go in a
certain direction.
The synonyms of ‘to guide’ are – to lead, to conduct, to regulate, to direct, to steer, to show, to
channel, to point.
Guidance involves personal help given by someone; it is designed to assist a person to decide
where he wants to go, what he wants to do, or how he can best accomplish his purpose; it assists
him to solve problems that arise in his life. It does not solve problems for the individual but helps
him to solve them.
The focus of guidance Is the individual, not the problem; its purpose is to promote the growth of
the individual in self-direction. This guidance may be given to groups or to individuals, but it is
always designed to help individual even though they may be in group.
DEFINITION OF GUIDANCE
Ruth Strang. “Guidance is a process of helping every individual, through his own efforts, to
discover and develop his potentialities for his personal happiness and social usefulness.”
Types:
1. Educational Guidance
2. Vocational Guidance, and
3. Personal Guidance.

1. Educational Guidance:
The guidance is provided by the teacher to students for their educational problems, is known as
educational guidance. It is based on student’s cumulative records.
It is used in the following purposes:
(a) In the choice of study subjects in school, and
(b) In removing the specific deficiencies of students related to study.
© In identifying the causes of their failure by using diagnostic tests in the study subjects.
(c) In providing the remedial teaching for the learning weakness of the students.
2. Vocational Guidance:
This type of guidance is given for choosing the job and problems of certain jobs.
The following types of tests are used for their potentialities:
(a) Differential aptitudes tests.
 (b) Intelligence tests and aptitude tests.
© Personality and interest inventories, and
(c) Achievement and scholastic aptitude tests.
3. Personal Guidance:
This type of guidance is provided for the personal problems of an individual or other than
educational and vocational problems.
These are:
(a) Family and home problems.
(b) Financial or economic problems.
© Physical-disabilities of the individual.
(c) Emotional adjustment and anxiety or curiosities.
€ Social relationship of the individual and husband wife relations problems.
(f) School and peers relation or classmates relation, may be isolated in the class.
The personal problems have wide range; therefore this type problem requires co-operative
guidance of parents, teacher’s peers and other experts in the field. This also requires his cumulative
record and case study of the individual. The individual is to be studied in depth to diagnose the
causes of this weakness.
Principles of Guidance
Need for guidance, and the nature and aims of guidance are based on certain principles and
assumptions. The principles of guidance generally accepted are the ones given by Crow and Crow.
They are:
1. Principle of all-round development of the individual. Guidance must take into account the
all-round development of the individual when bringing about desirable adjustment in any
particular area of his personality.
2. The principle of human uniqueness. No two individuals are alike. Individuals differ in their
physical, mental, social and emotional development. Guidance service must recognise
these differences and guide each individual according to their specific need.
3. Principle of holistic development. Guidance has to be imparted in the context of total
development of personality. The child grows as a whole and even if one aspect of
personality is in focus, the other areas of development which are indirectly influencing the
personality have also to be kept in mind.
4. The principle of cooperation. No individual can be forced into guidance. The consent and
cooperation of the individual is a pre-requisite for providing guidance.
5. The principle of continuity. Guidance should be regarded as a continuous process of service
to an individual in different stages of his life.
6. The principle of extension. Guidance service should not be limited to a few persons, who
give observable evidence of its need, but it should be extended to all persons of all ages,
who can benefit from it directly or indirectly.
7. The principle of elaboration. Curriculum materials and teaching procedures should be
elaborated according to the view point of guidance.
8. The principle of adjustment. While it is true that guidance touches every aspect of an
individual’s life, it is chiefly concerned with an individual’s physical or mental health, with
his adjustment at home, school, society and vocation.
9. Principle of individual needs. The individual and his needs are of utmost significance.
Recognition of individual freedom, worth, respect and dignity is the hallmark of guidance.
Freedom to make a choice and take a decision needs to be respected and encouraged.
10. The principle of expert opinion. Specific and serious guidance problems should be referred
to persons who are trained to deal with particular area of adjustment for their expert
opinion.
11. The principle of evaluation. The guidance programme should be evaluated in terms of its
effectiveness and improvement. Evaluation is essential for the formulation of new goals or
re-drafting the existing goals.
12. The principle of responsibility. Parents and teachers have great responsibility in the
execution of the work of guidance. The responsibility for guidance should be centred on a
qualified and trained person, who is the head the guidance centre.
13. The principle of periodic appraisal. Periodic appraisal should be made of the existing
guidance programme so that requisite changes, if any can be carried out for its
improvement.