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Adjustment Strategies for New Students 

Hyacinth O. Eze 

 

ADJUSTMENT STRATEGIES FOR NEW STUDENTS 

 

HYACINTH O. EZE 

 
Abstract 

The new student is that child who gained admission into a new school outside his 

former environment. A lot has been written and said about adjustment. No final 

conclusion appears to have been reached. The nature of the concept itself is such 

that universal approaches cannot be evolved. This paper attempted to examine the 

issue as it affects the movement from primary to secondary school. 

In doing this it was considered appropriate to examine also the roles of a guidance 

counselor in the school to get new student adjusted Consequently it was concluded 

that except all concerned (functionaries school authority) co-operate with the 

school counselor adjustment will remain a serious problem in our schools. 

 

Introduction  

There is the general awareness of 

problems (adjustment) of new students 

and the implications for the growth and 

development of such students. -To 

admit,  maintain and keep 

children in  new environment, 

efforts would need he made to attract 

the new students to stay. Provisions 

would also be made to resolve 

difficulties encountered while in 

school; the students would need to see 

progress1 in their new environment. 

To achieve these goals, guidance arid 

counselor to help remedy the situation. 

 

Meaning of the Term Guidance and 

Counselling 

Guidance, as a concept has been 

defined in many ways and the term 

still sound vague to lay persons, who 

may see it as an effort to guide, direct 

and advice. According to Shertzer and 

Stone (1976) guidance is the process of 

helping individuals to understand 

themselves and their world. As an 

educational construct, it refers to the 

provision of help for pupils to 

understand themselves while in their 

new environment. Durojaiye (1972) 

saw guidance as a complex process, 

which encompasses the total, needs of 

the individual, student to be directed or 

guided. This guide is to assist 'the 

student in educational, social, moral, 

emotional, health and leisure time 

needs and for the individual's 

preparation for a suitable career in 

future. 

 

The term counseling, on the other 

hand, has been wrongly used. 

Counselling may be defined as a 

learning process in which individuals 

learn about themselves, their 

interpersonal relationship and 

behaviours/ that advance their 

personal development. Olayinka 

(1972) defined counseling as a 

process in which one person assists 

another person in a. person- on-person 

or face-to-face encounter.  This 

assistance may take many forms: 

it may be educational; 

 



 

 

 

 

 

46 | P a g e  

 

 

ESCET  
Journal of Educational Research and Policy Studies (ESCJERPS) Vol. 1, No. 2 
ISSN: Print 2811-2717                                                                            https://journal.escetjerps.com 

 
 
 
 

 

vocational, social; recreational; 

emotional and or moral. 

 

Guidance and counseling 

services for new entrants in 

schools today seems to be or 

should be organized around the 

following. 

 

Warmth Receiving: This 

concern her new students were 

received on arrival; so that the 

people and the place does not 

look strange as new students 

does not have any friend. 

 

Information: Norris, Zeran & Hatch 

(1976) defined educational 

information as valid and usable 

data about all types of present and 

probable future educational or 

training opportunities and 

requirements including curricular       

and co-curricular offerings 

requirements for success and 

problems of student life. 

 

Orientation: Organizing a 

programme, where people come 

and talk to the new entrants about 

the school, academic works and 

interpersonal relations, etc, 

 

Placement: Promoting the 

development of the students and 

aid him in the selection of 

subjects. 

 

Appraisal: Collection and analysis 

of various data on the individual   for 

the purpose of understanding of the 

individual and assisting the 

individual to understand himself  

 

Training: This includes academic 

and coping mechanism; skills in   

human relations and personal 

adjustment and remedial needs. 

C 

ounseling: Facilitation of self-

understanding through group 

counseling, individual counseling 

etc.  

 

Fig. 1 Adjustment Circle.  

 

Key: 

Warmth Reception  

Information  

Orientation     

   
Placement  

Appraisal  

Training  

Counseling   

 

The figure 1 above is an attempt to 

show the working of a school 

counselor with the school authority. 

The programme attempts to marshal 

all resources in co-ordinate way to 

bring the new students in this, 

adjusted level, 

 

The implication of the above 

illustration is that, for any new student, 

to adjust efforts to succeed 605 of the 

time should be given to (1,  2, 3; 4, & 

5) the right side of the circle of service. 

The remaining 40% (6 % 7) of the time 

should be devoted to providing such 

service as training and- counseling 



 

 

 

 

47 | P a g e  

 

 

Adjustment Strategies for New Students 

Hyacinth O. Eze 

 

without which new students find it 

difficult to adjust within a short period 

of the time. 

 

Counselors’ Roles to Get Students 

Adjusted  

The need for a counselor to help the 

students has been recognized. Parents 

and School authorities also recognize 

the needs to decrease mal-adjustment 

behaviour while increasing their 

ability to adjust and adapt the 

proper school behaviour. The 

students themselves want to live a 

well-adjusted worthwhile life. 

Add these seem to suggest the need 

for affective guidance and 

counseling for the new students. 

 

Today, students need better 

adjustment programme to deal 

with increasing complex social 

and academic problems. 

To assist students the following 

adjustment programmes should be 

organized for students. 

 

Recreational facilities: The 

counselor should request the 

school authority to provide some 

recreational facilities such as 

football, lawn table-tennis, 

badmiting; basketball; chess etc. 

These sporting activities helps 

student to release tension after six 

hours of academic work. 

 

Provision of Excursion: This 

helps students not only to be 

adjusted but helps them to collect 

information, verify. Classify and 

evaluate the ones they already 

have. 

 

Enlisting   students to school clubs 

such as guidance Club, Young 

farmer; young engineers debating 

society, dramatic, cultural club, 

etc. 

 

This should be organized vertically 

or horizontally within the school. 

Training in human relations here 

refers to the interaction of people in 

all. Types of human transactions or 

endeavour whether social club, family 

school setting; business, etc. The 

counselor should employ action-

orientated; goal-directed and 

operational-programme. This must 

generate some actions in 

interactions and such actions must 

be sustained by emotions.  

 

Counselling programme: This 

counseling programme should 

focus on behaviour modification; 

such as truancy, quarrel; theft; 

choice of subjects skills in study 

habits; referral techniques-etc. 

 

Mounting Disciplinary Programme. 

According to Turner (1973), 

discipline is a structure, which is 

designed to facilitate the 

smooth working of some activity 

whether this is -acquisition of 

knowledge by the student the skill 

of craftsman, the 'training of 

professional soldier, or rearing and 

education, of children. 

 



 

 

 

 

 

48 | P a g e  

 

 

ESCET  
Journal of Educational Research and Policy Studies (ESCJERPS) Vol. 1, No. 2 
ISSN: Print 2811-2717                                                                            https://journal.escetjerps.com 

 
 
 
 

 

The counselor should endeavour to 

see that new students are 

disciplined to get them well 

accommodated by older 

students and the school 

authorities.  

 

Conclusion  

In conclusion; it is very obvious 

that new students are faced with 

problems of adjustment. The 

future seems bleak for any student 

who is not well adjusted in this 

environment. 

 

The school counselor should 

mount adjustment programme. 

The school authorities should 

also provides the need facilities 

for the new student. Where these 

are available, most students will 

not find it difficult to become well 

adjusted and accepted by others. 

Though for the programme to 

succeed both the school 

authorities and counselor must co-

operate arid work a hand in hand 

for a complete change in the 

students' adjustment problems. 

 

References 

Durojaiye, M. O, - A. (1972) 

Psychological guidance of the 

School Child (NY) 2nd Ed 

Evans Brothers. 

Norris, W; Zeran P, and Hatch T, C. 

(1976) Information Service in 

Guidance    Chicago: Rand I 

Meanally & Co. 

Olayinka, M. S. (1972) The Role of 

Guidance and Counselloing 

Unit, Federal Ministry of 

Education unpublished pap.er. 

S h e r t z e r  B .  &  S t o n e  S h e l l y  

G .  ( 1 9 7 6 )  I  

Fundam enta l s  o f  

Counse l l i ng .  (2nd  Ed)  

Bos ton :  j Houghton Miffcin. 

Tunner, H. C. (1973) Career 

Information in Counseling 

and Teaching (3rd) Boston, 

Allyn & Baccon Inc. 

 

 


