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This study examined the contribution of guidance and counselling services on the development of social interaction skills for pupils with disabilities in inclusive primary schools in Tanzania. The study was guided by Reality Therapy Theory and employed a mixed approach with descriptive design. Quantitative and qualitative data were obtained from 94 respondents including head teachers, teacher-counsellors, teachers with and without special education qualifications as well as pupils with disabilities. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and focused group discussions methods. The content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data and the SPSS software version 20 supported the analysis of quantitative data. The study findings revealed that there were three ways of providing guidance and counselling services to pupils with disabilities namely individual, group and peers. In line with this, peer guidance and counselling was being used more (56 (73.4%)) compared to individual (53 (68.8%) and group (50 (64.9%) guidance and counselling services. Additionally, the study findings showed that guidance and counselling services enabled pupils with disabilities to have social interaction skills. Specifically, guidance and counselling services were enabling these pupils to have communication skills, friendship skills, cooperation skills, peer support skills, conflict management and team-building skills. Of all the social interaction skills mentioned, the majority (67(87.9%)) of the respondents reported that communication skills were more improved through guidance and counselling services. Along with this, the results showed that all respondents reported that guidance and counselling services were facing different challenges including lack of guidelines on provision of guidance and counselling services, lack of special rooms for guidance and counselling services, shortage of time, communication barriers and shortage of special education teachers for assisting the teacher-counsellors during counselling services. The study recommends that the government deploy professional counsellors in schools who will assist in the provision of guidance and counselling services to pupils with disabilities. |
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