Analyses of Elementary School Homeroom Teachers' Role Percept ion and Performance as Counsellors and Children's Expectation for Teachers' Role as Counsellors

초등학교 담임교사의 상담자로서 역할지각 및 수행실태와 아동의 기대 분석

The objective of this study is to conduct survey analyses of the role perception and performance of homeroom teachers in elementary schools in Seoul as well as their students' expectations for teachers' role as counsellors. The study also aims to analyze the causes behind the lackluster performance, to provide assistance in teachers' counselling and guidance activities and collect basic data for providing a plausible orientation for elementary school counselling. Research topics for achieving these study objectives are as follows. First, what is the status quo of counselling between elementary school students and teachers? Second, what is the role perception of elementary school homeroom teachers as counsellors and their current level of performance? Third, what are the differences in students' expectations for homeroom teachers' role as counsellors according to students' environmental variables such as gender and grade? Fourth, what are the discrepancies between the roles perception and performance of elementary school homeroom teachers and role expectation of students for homeroom teachers' role as counsellors? In order to answer these questions, surveys were conducted for 229 teachers and 385 students in grades 4, 5 and 6 in 11 elementary schools in Seoul, and the results were analyzed. The questionnaires used for this study were modified and supplemented according to the research objectives based on survey questions released by Gyung-Beom Lee(1989), Hak-Soo Lee(2001) and Gi-Nam Gwon(2005). Statistical analyses were peformed using the SPSS for Windows 10.0 program. The results of the study can be summarized as follows. First, most elementary school homeroom teachers were involved in counselling activities, and about half of them were providing counselling once a month or less. The classroom was the primary location of counselling, and more than half of the surveyed teachers were dissatisfied with their counselling activities. The teachers cited overwhelming teaching hours and excessive work as the factors that made counselling difficult. Second, it was revealed that most elementary school students have had experiences of anguish and most have had some form of counselling. They mostly sought counselling from their parents and friends, and the reasons behind such choices were that they were very understanding. Third, most students responded that they have had no experience of receiving counselling from their homeroom teachers. Among those with counselling experience with their homeroom teachers, most said that the counselling was helpful. The most significant reason for not receiving counselling from their homeroom teachers was that the students had no worries to talk about with their teachers. Fourth, as a result of categorizing the role of elementary school homeroom teachers as counsellors according to the areas of counselling, role perception for each area turned out to be generally high, while performance was substantially lacking. Fifth, in terms of the causes for the lackluster counselling performance, overwhelming teaching hours and excessive work were indicated for counselling areas of academic and personality issues. Sixth, the analysis of students' expectations for elementary school homeroom teachers as counsellors for counselling areas according to gender and grade revealed that there was no overall statistical significance. Seventh, from the general perspective, the level of role perception of the homeroom teachers were higher than the level of students' expectations. In conclusion, in order to enhance the teacher's role as a counsellor, there has to be a concrete perception of roles as a primary premise, calling for training sessions and programs dedicated to counseling for the teachers to take part in. Moreover, in order to alleviate the most significant causes for undermining teachers' counselling activities - overwhelming teaching hours and excessive work - there must be administrative consideration as well as provisions for effective counselling centers and dedicated school counsellors.