The identification of peer-counsellors in the secondary school

Abstract

In South Africa the idea of a peer helping service has gained impetus and is viewed as a viable option given the fact that there is a shortage of professional school-counsellors and complementary care-givers in the public school environment. This research emanated from an awareness that there was a need to develop an objective assessment tool regarding the identification of peer-counsellors. This instigated an investigation of the essential criteria, predominant characteristics and requirements of effective peer-counsellors. The primary focus of this research has been to develop a self-assessment instrument that will assist in the identification and selection of potential peer-counsellors. The self-assessment instrument proved to be a valuable tool in discriminating between good, average and weak peer-counsellors. Findings indicate that the self-assessment instrument should be used in conjunction with other modes of assessment such as the self-report data, teacher ratings and peer ratings.