2009-05!13!093348cristobal,Jemuel Arnan r

8/2/2019 2009-05!13!093348cristobal,Jemuel Arnan r.

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THE PREVALENCE OF BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS AMONG

CHILDREN IN FIVE OF THE MOST POPULATED PRIVATE

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN ZAMBOANGA CITYAND A DESCRIPTION OF THEIR EXISTING

GUIDANCE COUNSELING PROGRAMS

A THESIS PRESENTED TO

THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

ATENEO DE ZAMBOANGA UNIVERSITY

ZAMBOANGA CITY

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT

OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF

MASTERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH

BY:

JEMUEL ARNAN R CRISTOBAL

APRIL 13, 2009


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ADZU-SOM RESEARCHES/MPH2009/CRISTOBAL,JEMUEL ARNAN R.

i

APPROVAL SHEET

This Thesis entitled THE PREVALENCE OF BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS

AMONG CHILDREN IN FIVE OF THE MOST POPULATED PRIVATE

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN ZAMBOANGA CITY prepared and submitted by

Jemuel Arnan Ramos Cristobal, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree

of MASTERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH is hereby accepted.

________________________

Dr. Servando D. Halili, PhDAdviser

Approved by the Oral Examination Committee with a grade ofPASSED

___________________________

Dr. Rosemarie S. Arciaga, MDChairperson

___________________________ ________________________

Dr. Fortunato L. Cristobal, MD Dr. Jocelyn D. Partosa, PhD

Member Member

_______________________

Dr. Ricardo Angeles, MDMember

Accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree ofMaster in Public

Health

________________________

Dr. Servando D. Halili, PhDDean, Graduate School

Ateneo de Zamboanga University


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ABSTRACT

The major objective of the current study is to determine the prevalence rate of

behavioral problems among school age children studying in five of the most populated

private schools in Zamboanga City. Composed of two phases, the first of which sought to

address the major objective by randomly selecting 356 out of 3,177 elementary school

children from the five schools included in the study. They were rated by their class

advisers with the use of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results show that

58 children or 16.2% are found to have behavioral problems. A breakdown of this overall

prevalence revealed that out of the 58 children found to have behavioral problems, 38

(65.5%) had conduct problems, 24 (41.37%) had peer problems, 23 (39.65%) had

hyperactivity, and 15 (25.86%) had emotional problems. The second phase of the

research involved describing each schools guidance and counseling programs through

in depth interviews with each guidance counselor and the use of a formulated checklist. It

was found out that majority of the existing guidance counseling programs of each school

did not adequately address the identified behavioral problems among the children of

these schools. Through the use of the checklist only one school out of five was evaluated

as having a good guidance and counseling program, while the rest were rated as having

only a fair program. The conclusion is that the prevalence of behavioral problems among

school age children studying in private elementary schools may be higher than the

usually expected in similar populations. In addition to this there is a need for majority of

the existing guidance and counseling programs to improve to significantly address the

identified behavioral problems among their students.


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Looking back over everything that has transpired, the following people deserve

more than a simple recognition for the support and help they have offered, so much so

that this paper could not have done without.

My parents for their encouragement throughout the whole MPH course, not to

mention sustaining me with all the expenses for this project.

My loving sister Lois for always putting a smile on my face when things seemed

down.

To my adviser Dr. Halili, for always being available for consultations; for his

constant words of encouragement and optimism through this research.

To Janice, for your steadfast prayers for me, your constant encouragement and

understanding and love.

Finally to my Heavenly Father, for seeing me through thus farenabling me to

see His hand in my yesterday, in my today, and in my tomorrow.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

APPROVAL SHEET .................................................................................... ii

ABSTRACT .................................................................................................. iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................. iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................. v

LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................... vi

LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................ vi

CHAPTER

I THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTINGa.) Background of the Study .................................................2

b.) Related Literature ............................................................3

c.) Statement of the Problem ..................................................10d.) Conceptual Framework ....................................................12

e.)Significance of the Study ..................................................13

f.) Scope and Delimitations of the Study ..............................14

g.) Definition of Terms .........................................................15

II METHODOLOGY

a.) Research Design ..............................................................18b.) Respondents ....................................................................18c.) Research Setting ..............................................................19d.) Sampling Design .............................................................20e.) Research Instruments ......................................................21f.) Data Gathering Procedure ...............................................24g.) Data Analysis ..................................................................26

III PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION

OF RESULTS ................................................................27

IV CONCLUSSION ...................................................................43

BIBLIOGRAPHY .........................................................................................45

APPENDICES ..............................................................................................46

A. Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire .........................46

B. In Depth Interview Trigger Questions .............................48


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C. Checklist to Rate Guidance Counseling Programs

Per School ..................................................................49D. In Depth Interview Verbatim Transcription .....................50

a. Ateneo de Zamboanga University .............50PAGE

b. Claret .........................................................52

c. Immaculate Conception Archdiocese

School (Calarian Branch) .......................54

d. Bethany Child Development Center .........56

e. Immaculate Conception Archdiocese

School (Tetuan) ....................................58

f. Zion Evangelical School ............................62

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Conceptual Framework Page 12

Figure 2 Flow of Activities Page 24

Figure 3 Prevalence of Behavioral Problems Among Five of Page 28

the Most Populated Private Elementary

Figure 4 Number of Cases of Specific Types of Behavioral Problems Page 29

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Demographic Profile of All Children According to

Grade Level Page 27

Table 2 Rating of the guidance counseling program of each school

based on the checklist Page 38


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CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Background of the study

In the international setting the number of researches regarding behavioral

problems has constantly been increasing. It is an established fact that such behavioral

problems may be manifested as early as childhood. An article by Goodman and Gurian

(2006) entitledAbout Conduct Disorders reports that an estimate of 6% of children in any

given setting would have conduct disorders. In another article by Tynan (2006),

emotional problems such as depression could in turn be at a prevalence rate of 1-2%

among children 5-11 years old, and would increase to 8% among children 12-18 years of

age. A longitudinal study done by Kokko and Pulkkinen (2000) observed children from 8

years old until they reached the age of 36. Aggressive behavior noticed at the early age of

8 positively predicted later behavioral problems at age 14, such as alcoholism, poor

educational attainment, increased number of school drop-outs, resulting to a lack of

occupational alternatives at the age of 27, eventually predicting future unemployment at

age 36.

Much of the data available at present which give prevalence estimates of child

populations with behavioral problems are from the United States and Europe, while no

data exists in the Philippines which give us a general picture as to exactly how many

children in the local setting are expected to have behavioral problems. Several studies

however have been conducted in Zamboanga City, mostly regarding only ADHD among

private schools. Psychiatrists on the other hand claim to see a lot of behavioral problems

among children in their private practice, with at least one new case seen out of the many

already diagnosed per week.


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There is at present a lack of documentation regarding behavioral problems in

general, most of which go undetected by both parents and teachers in the setting of the

school and the home. Such behavioral problems that are not known of and identified, can

never be properly addressed. Therefore the identification of such existing behavioral

problems is needed, and the school ought to know that such problems exist, being one of

the places where the child spends most of his time. And the school, playing a very vital

part in a childs development, is in such a strategic placement as to address such existing

behavioral problems.

In light of all this, the current research has been conducted with the purpose of

identifying the prevalence of behavioral problems among five of the most populated

elementary schools in Zamboanga City. It further delves deeper into investigating the

kind of guidance and counseling programs of each of these schools, looking into whether

or not such existing programs appropriately address the identified behavioral problems.

Review of Related Literature

Farrales (1997) conducted a study which focused on determining the prevalence

of behavioral problems among children 5-12 years of age who consulted at the

Zamboanga City Medical Center Out Patient Department. With the use of a Random

Questionnaire Checklist, out of 50 respondents, 15% were found out to have

maladjustment problems underlying the presenting medical complaints of cough, fever

and colds. While the aforementioned study focuses more on possible co-existing, if not

causative psychological problems along with medical complaints, such results show that

emotional problems can be existing but subtle and easily overlooked, remaining


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undetected unless sought for. If such is the case, then most certainly it is vital we

determine the true prevalence of behavioral problems among children, as many may

present with physical ailments, but are with nevertheless underlying serious emotional

problems.

Fernandez (2006) conducted a research looking into the prevalence of Attention

Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder among Grade I students of Baliwasan Central School,

Zamboanga City. This study involved 374 students evaluated by their parents and subject

teachers. Results showed that out of the total population, 5.3% were identified to have

ADHD, an estimate which falls under the prevalence rate proposed by the American

Psychological Association. This study is similar to the current research in terms of its

dealing with a specific type of behavioral problem among school age children, assessed

through a behavioral problem checklist administered to subject teachers of the children

included in this study. Although the current research aims to determine four different

types of behavioral problems, namely Emotional Problems, Peer Problems, Conduct

Problems and Hyperactivity, this study by Fernandez could give the researcher an

estimate of how many children might be found out to have hyperactivity problems in the

given setting.

Another research done by De Leon (2007) entitled The prevalence of attention

deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among students of private elementary schools in

Zamboanga City sought to address the most commonly diagnosed behavioral problem

among children in the United States, which has been estimated to be within 3-5% of the

child population. Through proportionate random sampling, 401 students from 19 different

private schools were included in the study, and with the use of the SWAN scale, 6% or


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24 children were found to have ADHD as rated by their teachers, while only 3% or 12

children were in turn found to have ADHD by their parents. This study is similar to the

current research in that both deal with behavioral problems among school age children.

The difference is that the former specifically focuses on ADHD, while the current

research aims to emphasize namely on four different types of behavioral problems,

namely Emotional Problems, Peer Problems, Conduct Problems, and Hyperactivity.

Results could yield other prevalent behavioral problems not initially identified in prior

studies.

Cristobal (2008) did a research entitled The Effect of Lecture Intervention on the

Knowledge of Parents and Teachers Regarding Behavioral Problems of School Age

Children in Three Elementary Schools within the Municipality of Sergio Osmena.

Through the use of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), class advisers

identified 225 children out of 923 (24.4%) to have behavioral problems. A breakdown of

the different types of behavioral problems noted were as follows: Peer Problems were the

most numerous, reaching a rate of 46.8%, followed by Conduct and Emotional Problems,

with 21.9% each. The least of behavioral problems noted was Hyperactivity, reaching

10.7%.

According to the above studies, ADHD has been most of the time focused on

regarding determining its prevalence rate among school age children. But according to

the last study mentioned, in a rural setting, determining the prevalence of four different

types of behavioral problems yielded that hyperactivity was one of the least prevalent.

Results of the current study could be compared to the current study, to determine

other behavioral problems other than hyperactivity and ADHD, which might even be of


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greater number which could still remain undetected. This research is also similar in

several respects to the current thesis in that it sought to determine the prevalence of four

different types of behavioral problems mentioned above through the Strengths and

Difficulties Questionnaire. Results can in turn be compared, scrutinizing the prevalence

rate of such behavioral problems in the public and private school setting. In addition to

these, the current study desires to take a step further and delve into the guidance

counseling programs of several schools chosen to take part in this research, to determine

whether or not they are appropriate in addressing the identified problems at hand.

Goodman and Scott (1999) in their study entitled Comparing the Strengths and

Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), is small

beautiful? Published by the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, evaluated the

efficacy and accuracy of both tools in detecting moderate to severe cases of 64 pre-

diagnosed children with behavioral problems. Yielded results showed a high correlation

for both questionnaires, being equally able to discriminate between children of low and

high risks despite that the fact that the SDQ had only 25 items while the CBCL has 118

items. In addition, out of 64 parent informants, 41 (64%) preferred the SDQ over the

CBCL. This aforementioned study affirms the use of the SDQ as a good screening tool

for detecting behavioral problems in children, which is even as good as the tried and

tested, but very long and tedious CBCL. The current study will be making use of the

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to screen and identify children with possible

behavioral problems.

Another study by Goodman et al (2006) entitled Using the Strengths and

Difficulties Questionnaire to Screen for Child Psychiatric Disorders in a Community


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Sample published by the British Journal of Psychiatry, had the goal of assessing the SDQ

as a potential for improving the detection of child psychiatric problems. A sample of

7984 children 5-15 years of age from the 1999 British Child Mental Health Survey were

included in this study, with parents, teachers and students themselves as informants.

Results showed that identified cases by the SDQ yielded a 94.4% specificity and a 63.3%

sensitivity for detecting behavioral problems. The paper concluded that, for community

screening programs, using the SDQ would potentially increase efficacy in the detection

of behavioral problems among school age children.

Shifting the emphasis from research involving behavioral problems among

children to at this point focusing on articles regarding Guidance Counseling Programs,

the following literature has been obtained by the researcher:

In a book entitledIntroduction to Counseling and Guidance (Gibson and Mitchell

1999) the authors highlighted one of the more popular Guidance Counseling Programs

devised by the American School Counselors Association (ASCA) in the year 1997. Such

programs exist to promote and enhance childrens learning process, with 3 areas of

emphasis, their development in academics, career, and in their personal and social areas.

This programs rationale states that a good guidance counseling program should be

developmental in nature, proactive and preventive with a goal of providing all students

with equal chance for life long success.

Another school of thought was developed by Gyspers and Henderson, discussed

in a book entitled Counseling in Schools: Essential Services and Comprehensive

Programs (Schmidt, 2003), called the Comprehensive Guidance Program Model. This

approach to the formulating of a guidance counseling program emphasized 4 areas that


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need to be addressed by the program, namely individual planning to cater to each

students needs, responsive services involving counseling and crisis intervention,

integration of the guidance curriculum into the school curriculum, and systems support to

maintain the program. This approach stresses the importance of guidance counselors to

have the appropriate training before being responsible for the schools guidance programs,

that they must be certified and accredited, with a degree and license to practice their said

profession. It also stresses the importance of structural competency, a clear vision and

mission for the existence of the program.

An equally popular model for guidance counseling programs is the Strategic

Comprehensive Model, where this school of thought emphasizes that all programs must

address four specific areas, namely normal development, prevention, remedial measures,

and the addressing of crisis. School programs should cater to the school children to

enhance their academic, personal and social competencies at an early age, to ensure

normal development and progress. With early detection through testing and observation,

necessary measures may be taken to address the identified problems, referring to the

preventive phase of this program. The third aspect, remedial, refers to specific programs

that address real problems identified, resorted to when the first two phases have failed.

Crisis intervention refers to actual crisis debriefing, in case of traumatic experiences from

children, grief counseling and crisis resolution.

The fourth model is called the Essential Services Model by John Schmidt

(Counseling in Schools: Essential Services and Comprehensive Programs, 2003). It

emphasizes on 3 specific areas of development, similar to the prior models, namely the

childs educational development, as well as career, personal and social development.


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Through this model, it was suggested that guidance programs be grouped into four major

headings, which are counseling services, consulting services, coordinating services, and

the appraisal of the schools programs.

With the aforementioned articles and researches, it can be concluded that several

studies regarding behavioral problems among children have already been conducted, both

in the local rural and urban settings. Results of these studies yield a generally large

prevalent rate of behavioral problems among this age group, especially in the community

setting. Such prevalence is yet to be determined for the urban setting, while ADHD falls

within the proposed estimate by the American Psychological Association. Through the

review of related literature it can also be concluded that the Strengths and Difficulties

Questionnaire is a tried and tested tool, good for screening use in identifying children

with behavioral problems. Regarding the researches done by Fernandez (2006) and De

Leon (2007), both dealt with a specific type of behavioral problem, namely ADHD. The

latter took a step further to look into a citywide prevalence rate of ADHD among children

studying in all private schools of this city. The current research is unique in comparison

to these former researches in the fact that it deals with establishing the prevalence rate of

behavioral problems among 5 of the most populated schools in this city, namely

Hyperactivity, Emotional Problems, Peer Problems and Conduct Problems. It also takes a

step further into looking into the guidance counseling programs of each school,

determining whether or not such programs address the behavioral problems identified.

With the emerging trend of incorporating guidance counseling programs into the

school setting, virtually all schools have adopted this new approach to holistic education.

However at present there are no national guidelines that provide ideal models for


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guidance counseling programs. In the United States, however, numerous models are

already in existence, of which 4 of the more popular models were named above, as

recommended by the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Guidance Counseling Office.

Looking into these specific programs would give us a picture of the ideal programs that

our schools in the local setting should pattern their guidance programs after. It would also

give us a measure as to whether or not such existing programs in our schools are

sufficient to meet the childrens needs, and address certain behavioral problems which

were identified by the current research.

Statement of the problem:

This study aimed to address the question: What is the prevalence of behavioral

problems among children studying in five of the most populated private elementary

schools in Zamboanga City, and what is the description of their existing guidance

counseling programs?

General objectives:

To determine the prevalence of behavioral problems among children studying in

five of the most populated private elementary schools in Zamboanga City and to give a

description of their existing guidance counseling programs.

Specific objectives:

1. To determine the prevalence of the following behavioral problems: EmotionalProblems, Peer Problems, Conduct Problems and Hyperactivity, through the

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) among children studying in 5 of

the most populated private elementary schools in Zamboanga City .


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2.

To describe the Guidance Counseling programs of each school in terms of their

appropriateness in addressing the most prevalent behavioral problems based on in

depth interviews and a devised checklist patterned after the four models of

Guidance Counseling Programs used by the Ateneo de Zamboanga University

College Guidance Counseling Office.


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Conceptual framework:

In depth interview

w/ guidance

counselors

Evaluation of

programs w/ a

formulated checklist

Strengths and

Difficulties

Questionnaire

PREVALENCE

OF

BEHAVIORAL

PROBLEMS MATCH (?)

EXISTING

GUIDANCE

COUNSELING

PROGRAMS

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework


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The above figure illustrates in a nutshell the gist of the whole research. Having 2

phases, the first of which sought to determine the most prevalent of behavioral problems

among 5 of the most populated private schools in Zamboanga City. This was achieved

through the use of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire devised and validated by

Dr Robert Goodman.

The second phase of the research purposed to look into each of the five private

schools guidance counseling programs, through in depth interviews with their guidance

counselors, and with the use of a researcher-prepared checklist. The purpose behind this

was to determine whether or not such existing programs were appropriate to meet their

students needs in addressing the identified behavioral problems.

Significance of the Study:

Though several researches have already been done in this city regarding

behavioral problems in children, most of which have dealt with a specific type, namely

ADHD, identified as the most common of behavioral problem among school children in

the United States. However, other studies done in the rural setting have shown that

comparing prevalence rates of behavioral problems, hyperactivity has been the least

prevalent (Cristobal 2008). This comes to show that there might be other behavioral

problems still undetected among school age children in the urban setting, showing us a

lack of documentation in this area.

According to a recognized Psychiatrist in this city, the issue of behavioral

problems among school children is not given enough attention to by research. There are

no exisiting concrete data regarding such issues. her private practice, she sees at least 1


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new case of behavioral problem among children a week, and much more she claims

remain undetected.

Equally important is the issue of the appropriateness of the guidance counseling

programs of todays schools. It seems that since the trend nowadays is for every school to

have such a program, our primary and secondary educational institutions simply come up

with a guidance office and implement their own guidance programs in ways that they

deem appropriate. The question of whether or not such existing programs are of quality

and sufficiency to meet the childrens needs, and appropriate in addressing already

existing behavioral problems is yet to be answered.

Scope and Delimitations of the Study:

The current research is limited in several aspects: first of all as this study dealt

with school age children of only 5 private schools, and results cannot be generalized to

reflect the prevalence rate of behavioral problems to include other private schools and

those children studying in government public schools. Secondly results as well cannot be

generalized to include children who are not affiliated to any educational institution. The

tool to be used to screen and determine children with early manifestations of behavioral

problems is a 25 item checklist entitled the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire by

Robert Goodman. Cases did not have any cross evaluation by a professional Psychiatrist.

One of the tools used to give a description of the appropriateness of the said

guidance counseling programs of each school in addressing the identified behavioral

problems was a checklist devised by the researcher aided by the Ateneo de Zamboanga

University Guidance Counseling Office. There are no existing checklists that serve as


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quick rating tools for guidance counseling programs. There are however several theories

which suggest ideal programs that ought to be included in any given guidance counseling

plan. The mentioned checklist was patterned after these guidelines, edited by the

Guidance Office of the college of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, and was pretested at

a nearby private school in this city. Trigger questions were also formulated to facilitate

discussions for in depth interviews with each of the guidance counselors.

Definition of Terms:

Maladaptive Behavior: refers to full blown behavioral problems seen in later

developmental stages of life as a result of failure in early detection of these behavioral

problems in childhood and subsequent lack of interventions to address them.

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ):the tool used to determine and identify

behavioral problems among school age children. This is a checklist of 25 items devised

and validated by Dr. Robert Goodman in 1997 that measures four behavioral constructs

among children, namely Peer Problems, Conduct Problems, Emotional Problems and

Hyperactivity.

Peer Problems: as defined by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, refers to

behavior seen as rather solitary, tends to play by himself, is generally not liked by others,

is picked on or bullied by others, and gets on better with adults than with same age

children.


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Conduct Problems: as defined by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, refers to

behavior such as: often hot tempered, generally disobedient, frequently fights with other

children or bullies them, often lies and cheats and often steals things.

Emotional Problems: as defined by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, refers to

behavior such as often complaining of headaches, stomacheaches, has many worries, is

often seen as unhappy, downhearted or tearful, nervous or clingy in new situations, has

many fears and is easily scared.

Hyperactivity: as defined by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, refers to

behaviors such as restless, overactive, cannot stay still for long, constantly fidgeting or

squirming, easily distracted with wandering concentration, does not think before acting,

and does not see tasks through to the end.

Behavioral Problem: this refers to the difficulty index according to the Strength and

Difficulties Questionnaire. It is the total sum of the scores (Total Difficulties Score) of

each of the behavioral constructs except the Prosocial Construct. When these total scores

reach 16-40, children are confirmed to have a Behavioral Problem.

Guidance Counseling Program: a comprehensive program devised, managed and run by

the guidance counselor/s of the elementary schools included for this study. Its purpose is

to aid in the schools vision and mission, by ensuring the equal development of all their

students in academics, as well as personal and social growth.


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Appropriateness of Guidance Counseling Programs: refers to the description and

evaluation of each guidance counseling program, as to whether they meet the appropriate

criteria followed by the Ateneo de Zamboanga University College Guidance and

Counseling Office. Such evaluation will be achieved through in depth interviews with the

guidance counselors, as well as evaluation through a checklist to be filled up by the

researcher during the interviews. At the end of each evaluation, the programs will either

be identified as appropriate or not in terms of addressing behavioral problems among

children identified through the current research. The scoring method for the checklist is

as follows: out of 23 items, a score of 10 and below would mean that the existing

guidance counseling program is poor, if a score of 11 to 17 is achieved, such program is

described as fair, and if a score of at least 18 and above is achieved, the program is

described as good.


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CHAPTER II

METHODOLOGY

Research design:

This research is a cross sectional study with two phases. The first aimed to

identify the prevalence of behavioral problems among the 5 most populated private

elementary schools in Zamboanga City, utilizing the Strengths and Difficulties

Questionnaire. The second phase aimed to determine whether the existing guidance

counseling programs by these schools appropriately address the needs of the children, as

well as the identified behavioral problems. This in turn will be achieved through in depth

interviews among guidance counselors of the schools included in this study, as well as a

devised checklist rated by the researcher during the interviews.

Respondents:

For the first phase of the study, class advisers of children studying within the 5

most populated elementary schools in this city served as informants who rated the

children with the use of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires. For the second

phase of the study, guidance counselors of the same schools underwent in depth

interviews with the researcher to determine the appropriateness of the existing programs

to address the behavioral problems identified. A checklist was also formulated in aiding

to achieve this goal.

Inclusion Criteria, Phase 1:

1. Children randomly selected per school to represent the sample population


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2. these children were selected according to the population size of each schooland stratified according to grade level and section

Inclusion Criteria, Phase 2:

All heads of the guidance counseling offices of each school included in the study

Research setting:

The current study was conducted among 5 of the most populated private

elementary schools in Zamboanga City. There are currently 21 elementary schools

operating in this city certified by the Department of Education for school year 2008-2009.

Schools with the most number of grade school enrollees were Ateneo de

Zamboanga University, Claret Elementary School, Immaculate Conception Archdiocese

School (combined ICAS tetuan and ICAS calarian), Pilar Elementary School and

Bethany Child Development Center. Since Pilar Elementary School did not approve the

researchers request to conduct the current study in their institution, this was replaced

with Zion Evangelical School, which was next in line in terms of number of elementary

students. The breakdown of the number of elementary students per school are as follows:

Ateneo de Zamboanga University with 1, 265 students, Claret Elementary School with

758 students, Immaculate Conception Archdiocese School with 543 (Tetuan and Calarian

branches combined), Bethany Child Development Center with 354 students, and finally

Zion Evangelical School with 257 students, bringing us to a total of 3,177 students in all.

Out of the five schools included in this study, three of them are of Catholic

background, namely the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Immaculate Conception

Archdiocese School and the Claret Elementary School. The remaining two schools,


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Bethany Child Development Center and the Zion Evangelical School were of Protestant

background. All of them however are open to accept enrollees from any religious sect.

Sampling design:

A total of 3,177 elementary students are presently studying in the 5 most

populated schools included in this paper. For the first phase of this study, with the use of

the Slovens formula the researcher computed for the sample size, obtaining a number of

355 students to represent the total population. This was achieved by summing up the

population of each individual school (N) multiplied by the square of 0.5 (constant), the

answer of which is added w/ 1, then divided by the total population of all five schools

(N).

The next step was to obtain a relatively equivalent sample size from each of the

five schools, considering that their individual populations were of differing numbers.

Simply to divide 355 by 5 (the number of schools) would not suffice. In order to compute

for the proportionate sample size per school, the researcher used the following formula:

school population was divided by the total number of the population (N) and multiplied

by the sample size. For example, using this formula to compute for the proportionate

sample size of Claret Elementary School, its school population (758) was divided by the

total population of all five schools (3177), multiplied by the sample size (355). The

answer obtained was 85, representing the number of children the researcher needed to

randomly select from Claret Elementary School.

With the use of this formula the researcher achieved to come up with a

proportionate sample size for each school; for Zion Evangelical School it was 29


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students, for Immaculate Conception Archdiocese School it was 61, for Claret

Elementary School it was 85, for the Ateneo de Zamboanga University it was 141, and

for the Bethany Child Development Center it was 40. Each proportionate sample size per

school was divided by the number of sections each school had from grades 1 to grades 6,

in order to have a stratification per section.

Using the fishbowl method, students were randomly selected per section to

represent the total population. Those selected were rated by each of their class advisers

through the use of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

For the second phase of the research, in depth interviews were held separately for

each of the Guidance Counseling Heads of each school, to give a description of their

existing guidance counseling programs. A devised checklist was also utilized during the

interview to achieve this purpose.

Research instruments:

In order to determine the prevalence rate of behavioral problems among school

children enrolled in the 5 most populated private schools included in the current research,

the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was utilized. This tool was

formulated by Robert Goodman (1997) and was first published in theJournal of Child

Psychology and Psychiatry. Volume 38. It is a brief behavioral screening questionnaire

with 25 items that provides a balanced coverage of assessing children and young peoples

behaviors, emotions and relationships. This questionnaire is currently used worldwide by

epidemiologists, developmental and clinical researchers, routine clinical and educational

practitioners, and has been translated into 30 different languages.


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The SDQ assesses 25 attributes, some positive and others negative. These 25

items are divided between 5 scales of 5 items each covering Conduct Problems, Peer

Problems, Emotional Problems, Hyperactivity and Prosocial Behavior. Each item can be

rated as eitherNot True, Somewhat True, or Certainly True, with a set of corresponding

points. The resultant scores if tallied can range from 0 40. All scores except the

Prosocial Behavior are summed to generate a Total Difficulties Score. If the total sum for

scores of the negative constructs reaches 16 40, then the child is considered to have a

behavioral problem.

Out of the total study population, the prevalent behavioral problem is determined

by counting the number of children with Difficulty Index scores described by the SDQ.

In addition to determining the total number of children with behavioral problems, the

prevalence of the four different constructs (Hyperactivity, Emotional Problems, Peer

Problems and Conduct Problems) was also done, while identifying the construct with the

highest number of children as the most prevalent of the four. These SDQs were rated by

each of the class advisers of students randomly selected from 5 of the most populated

private schools of this city.

The second phase of the research involved in depth interviews with each guidance

counselor of each school in order to look into their specific guidance programs, to

determine if they indeed are appropriate to address the needs of the children, and in terms

of addressing the identified behavioral problems by the researcher. A checklist was also

devised to help achieve this goal.

The researcher sought advise from the guidance counselors of the Ateneo de

Zamboanga University College Guidance Counseling Office. With their help, the


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researcher came up with trigger questions to ask for the in depth interviews. A checklist

was also devised with their aid in order to be filled up by the researcher, determining

what programs and services should be present for it to be considered an appropriate

guidance counseling program. This was patterned after the Four Models of Guidance and

Counseling used by the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Guidance Counseling Office,

composed of 23 items. Of items that were found to be present in a certain guidance

counseling program, these were marked with a yes, and those that were absent were

marked with a no. The scoring procedure was as follows, schools which had a total of

10 yes marks or below were rated to have a poor guidance counseling program, those

who faired between 11-17 were rated to have a fair program, while those who had a mark

of at least 18 and above were rated as having a good guidance program. Both the trigger

questions and checklist were first pretested and dry run in a local private elementary

school not included in the current research.


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Data Gathering Procedure:

Visit DepEd, obtain formal list of all certified and registered private

elementary schools of Zamboanga City

Inquire as to which 5 schools are the most populated

Formal visitation of principals of the 5 most populated schools, requesting permission to include

their schools in the research

Computation of sample size, with random selection of students to

be rated by advisers

Administer SDQ checklists to class advisers,

give ample time for completion

Collection of questionnaires, collation and

analysis of data

Develop interview trigger questions and checklist to investigate

guidance counseling programs

In depth interview with guidance counselors

Writing of formal paper

Figure 2: Flow of Activities


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The following portion maps out the steps the researcher took in the conduct of the

current research. After visiting the Department of Education office of this city, a formal

list of all certified and registered private elementary schools of this city were obtained,

and 5 schools with the most number of enrollees from grades one to six for school year

2008-2009 were looked into. These were the Ateneo de Zamboanga University (ADZU),

with 1, 265 students, Claret Elementary School with 758 students, Immaculate

Conception Archdiocese School with 543 students (both Tetuan and Calarian), the

Bethany Child Development Center with 354 students and finally Zion Evangelical

School with 257 students. After computation of sample size with the Slovens formula

and stratification of samples per class, random selection was done via fishbowl method.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was then given to each of the class

advisers of students selected to be rated by them. Ample time was allowed for these

advisers to complete these checklists, and upon collection data was collated and analyzed.

A group of trigger questions was then devised with the help of the Ateneo de

Zamboanga University College Guidance and Counseling Office, as well as a checklist of

guidance counseling services. With these the researcher did an in depth interview with

each of the guidance counselors of the five schools included in the said study, to

determine whether or not the programs of their guidance offices are indeed appropriate in

addressing the identified behavioral problems by the researcher through the Strengths and

Difficulties Questionnaire. Upon obtaining the needed information, formal writing of

the paper was then done.


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Data Analysis:

To determine the prevalence of behavioral problems among school children

studying in the 5 most populated private schools of Zamboanga City, frequency

distribution was utilized.


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CHAPTER III

PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

The following presentation of results have been divided into the following parts,

the first of which refers to the demographic profile of the children, followed by the

prevalence of behavioral problems identified, and finally a description of each guidance

and counseling programs through in depth interviews and a formulated checklist.

Demographic Profile of Children:

Table 1: Demographic profile of all children according to grade level

School A School B School C School D School E

Grade I 16 10 25 9 6

Grade II 12 15 20 6 5

Grade III 8 15 25 6 5

Grade IV 8 15 16 9 5

Grade V 20 15 20 6 5

Grade VI 8 15 20 6 5

TOTAL 72 85 126 42 31

The above table shows how many students per grade level of each school have

been randomly selected to be evaluated by their class advisers through the use of the

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Out of the 3, 177 children from five private

schools selected to take part in the study, 356 children were randomly selected to


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represent the total population, stratified according to section per grade level. For School

A 72 children were randomly selected, for school B 85 children, for school C 126

children, for school D 42 children, and finally for school E 31 children.

Out of this sample population, the male to female sex ratio was quite equal, with

181 females (51%) and 175 males (49%) respectively.

Prevalence of Behavioral Problems among Children:

The following results refer to the prevalence of behavioral problems among the

children included in the study, as well as the breakdown of the four types of behavioral

problems identified by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.

behavioral

problemsno behavioralproblems

The above figure shows that out of the 356 children selected to represent the total

population of 3,177 children studying in 5 of the most populated private schools in

Zamboanga City, 58 of them were found to have behavioral problems, or 16.2% of the

total population.

58 (16%)

298 (84%)

Figure 3: Prevalence of behavioral problems among 5 of the most

populated private elementary schools in Zamboanga City


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Out of this total number of children identified, 42 of them were males (72%)

while 16 were females (28%). Apparently behavioral problems seem to be more

predominant among male children compared to females.

23

15

38

24

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

hyperactivity

emotional problems

conduct problems

peer problems

The above figure in turn shows us a breakdown of the specific types of

behavioral problems identified through the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.

Take note that one child may manifest several types of behavioral problems and not just

be confined to a specific type. Results show only the number of children with the specific

types of behavioral problems, but do not show the individual results per child. Out of the

3,177 children from 5 of the most populated private elementary schools, 356 children

were randomly selected to represent the total population. And out of 58 children found to

have behavioral problems, 38 (65.5%) were found to have Conduct Problems, behavior

expressed as one who often bullies, gets into fights, cheats, steals, lies and is generally

disobedient. Peer problems is the next most commonly found behavioral problem, with

24 children (41.37%) manifesting such symptoms. Specifically these children are seen to

not have any friends, generally get along better with people of older age, who tend to play

alone, and who are not liked by other kids.

Figure 4: number of cases of specific types of behavioral problems


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Hyperactivity was also found in 23 out of 58 (39.65%) of the children identified

with behavioral problems. This behavior is seen in children who are unable to sit still for

a period of time, with very short attention span, who often get into temper tantrums, who

do not see tasks through to the end.

Finally emotional problems among the children were also observed, amounting to

15 out of 58 (25.86%) of the children with behavioral problems. These are children who

often complain of headaches and stomacheaches, who are often clingy and nervous, with

many fears and worries.

In comparison to statistics given in the international setting, prevalence rates of

behavioral problems are not quite the same. According to an article by Doodman and

Gurian (2006) entitledAbout Conduct Disorders posted at the NYU Child Study Center

reports that 6% of children in any given setting may be expected to have conduct

disorders. In the United States, as reported by Tynan (2006), such disorders range from 2

to 9% of all children. Emotional problems as depression may in turn be seen among 5 to

11 year olds at a prevalence of 1 to 2%, while among 12 to 18 year olds it would reach a

rate of 8%. And according to the American Psychological Association, ADHD cases may

range from 2 to 5% among children of any given population. These statistics, though

foreign give an idea that behavioral problems may range from 2 to 9%, depending on the

type of problem being talked about. Results show that out of 5 private elementary schools

included in this study, 16.2% of children have behavioral problems, an alarmingly large

number. In contrast to a similar study done by Cristobal (2008), where he looked into the

prevalence of behavioral problems in 3 public schools in the setting of a rural

community, results showed that 24.4% of children had behavioral problems. This is an


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equally large amount, although such behavioral problems seem to be more prevalent in

rural setting.

The above breakdown of behavioral problems suggest that the most common type

found among elementary school children in the 5 most populated private schools of this

city is conduct problems. This is quite alarming, as defiance and aggression among our

children is common place, probably stemming from a number of factors and causes. One

could possibly be due to family background, aggression seen at the setting of the home

are picked up by the children and manifested elsewhere. One issue pointed out by

virtually all the guidance counselors is that a lot of their problematic children come from

broken homes and have parents who are separated, some even come from parents who

abuse them physically. Such family background could have a negative effect on the

children, manifested as physical aggression, that if left unattended to would lead to future

maladaption in the adulthood (Kokko and Pulkkinen, 2000).

In reference to the results mentioned above, the second most common behavioral

problem is Peer Problem. This problem is manifested as children having difficulty in

socialization and establishing friendships and peers. Such behavioral problems may in

turn be caused by deeper issues, most probably that of poor self image and low self

esteem. Hyperactivity, accordingly the most common behavioral problem in the United

States only ranks as the third most common behavioral problem in our local setting.

Although such cases have not been cross referenced by Psychiatrists, they nonetheless

could be cases of early manifestations that could eventually lead to ADHD, if left

undetected and ignored. The least of the four behavioral problems identified by the

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is Emotional Problems, where several


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children were noted by their advisers to manifest constant fears and worries, clinginess to

new situations, and a frequent appearance of being sad and downhearted. Such cases in

turn could come from deeper problems of the home that ought to be delved deeper into.

Description of the Guidance Counseling Programs of Each School:

With the help of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University College Guidance Office

the researcher developed trigger questions which were used for the in depth interviews

with the guidance counselors of each school included in the study. The following section

is a summary of their answers during the interview, together with a few statements taken

verbatim. A complete compilation of each interview is found at the appendices section.

Referring to the duration of the individual guidance counseling programs of each

school, majority of them already had such programs for more than 10 years now. The

longest running guidance program was that of School E, which is in its 13th

year now.

Only 2 schools had guidance programs which have been operational for less than 10

years, referring to School D, with a program since 7 years ago, and School A in turn with

a program which is in its 4th

year at present.

Each school claimed that their individual mission and vision all are the same with

that of their respective schools. Training received by the Guidance Counselors of each

school has also been looked into. Three of the schools counselors claimed to have been

in their position for more than 10 years now. Out of the three, only School A has a

counselor who is licensed to practice her profession as the head of the guidance office.


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I took my masters in counseling but am without thesisrecently a group

of guidance counselors in Zamboanga were accredited to be certifiedso

I am licensed.

The counselors from School B in turn have had some training in counseling but are not

yet certified guidance counselors.

We are four counselorsone of us had masters in guidance counseling in

Diliman, I also received my mastersas well as another one of usno

thesis yet, but we have complete units for the course

It is interesting to note that School E, the institution with the longest running guidance

program has a counselor for all these years who does not have any training in guidance

counseling whatsoever.

From the time I started at 2003, I am a pastor, a master in Christian

education and doctorate on Christian education, my background really

qualifies as to hold the guidance counseling office, although they still want

me to take up masters in Guidance Counseling

The remaining guidance counselors claim that they have been working in their profession

for less than 5 years now, with both counselors from School A and C claiming they have

received masteral training in guidance counseling, but only the latter received her license

as a certified guidance counselor. School D in turn has a guidance counselor who has

been in office for less than one year, who acknowledges that she has had no formal

training in guidance and counseling.

Its been so difficult when I started, I had no idea what to doI had no

background at all at counselingwhen I am confronted with the different


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problems, I dont know how to start dealing with the childrenso

difficultno training, no seminarsbut if I am to choose, I dont want to

take this job, but whatever task given to me I will do my best

Manpower has been another issue which was discussed among the guidance

counselors of the five schools in this study. Majority have only one guidance counselor,

while all of them work without any assistants to do clerical and filing work. They are

overworked, and overwhelmed with all the responsibilities of the guidance office.

There are no other guidance counselors, I am by myself, and this is so

difficult, to be by myselfI teach, I handle everything, filing,

everythingI even plan to go abroad!...if I have the opportunity I would

leave this workits difficult

But I am by myself, lack of manpower, especially during the mornings, im

not even sure if these are even my rolesI am at a loss how to handle

them

In reference to the updating of these counselors regarding the latest information

on guidance and counseling, two of the schools counselors agree that they have not

taken part in any seminars or training workshops for this school year. School C attends

such training workshops in a regular basis, both local and national congresses. The rest of

the schools attend local seminars at least once a year.

The general framework of the guidance counseling program of each school has

not been patterned according to standards set by a recognized guidance and counseling

program. Most of the programs in general have been in existence before the present


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counselors took office. Through the years these programs have evolved and have been

added upon according to what was seen fit to address certain needs the guidance office

identified. As to the specific programs each school offers, all of them generally do

counseling. The programs offered by the counseling office of Schools A, D and E have

similarities in the fact that all counselors here agree that their programs are still in need of

much improvement. Basically their main focus is counseling those who are referred to

their office because of misbehavior in class or problems with academics. In other words,

not all students get sessions with the counselors, only those who are referred. They also

schedule meetings with the parents of these children to talk to them, and agree with

certain measures to take in addressing these problems.

Counseling, one on one, anybody can just come inbut usually these are

referrals from teachers who cannot handle the children(we also) meet

with the parents to inform them how the students are

if the offense is serious, I call them up (parents) and have a conference

with them(we) come up with an agreement, and usually parents are

unreceptive

They also agree that most of the problems are from the high school students, with

little attention given for counseling to the grade school, as they seem to not have much

behavioral issues to deal with. The function of the guidance counselors in these schools

seem to overlap with that of the school disciplinarian.

School A, B and C in turn offer more holistic and complete services. In these

schools, the heart of each program still falls on counseling. Both the latter 2 schools


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schedule at least one session of counseling each school year for all students. Those with

failing grades and those who are problematic are scheduled for several other counseling

sessions. Only School A does not have such counseling for each student, due to the lack

of their manpower in the guidance counseling office. In turn, only School C offers group

counseling aside from individual counseling. Counseling and referrals are also done with

the parents and teachers. All three of the aforementioned schools conduct several

workshops catering not only to the students, but also to parents to improve on parenting

skills, and teachers to enhance their knowledge on guidance and counseling. Among the

lectures catered to the children are those about career information, lectures on friendship

and communication, drug addicion, etc. Another commonality between the three schools

mentioned above is that they all have individual profiling of each of their students,

arranged as files in the guidance office. They also offer testing for the children, most of

which are tests that measure learning styles, learning difficulties and personality tests.

Only the guidance office of School C claims to have referral of certain cases they

encounter to specialists like psychiatrists and pediatricians. In addition to the above

mentioned, only Schools B and C do formal evaluations in a regular basis to determine

the effectiveness of these specific programs.

A general misconception among many individuals is the fact that behavioral

problems are not common among our school children. In fact, it could be noted that

almost all of the guidance counselors interviewed claim that their programs in the

guidance office are geared to address the high school, to a certain extent neglecting the

elementary school children. They claim that such behavioral problems are more rampant

among the former than the latter. Such misconceptions cloud majority of the minds of


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today, further contributing to the lack of identification of such behavioral problems

among this age group. Results from the current research prove that such behavioral

problems among our children not only exist, but exist in an alarmingly large number. And

ironically, majority are left undetected and unidentified. If such is the case, if nothing

would be done, then these children with early manifestations of such behavioral problems

would develop into further problems in the adulthood identified as possible poor school

performance, drop outs, early alcoholism and drug addiction (Kokko and Pulkinen 2000).


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Rating of each guidance counseling program based on the checklist

Aside from the in depth interviews conducted, a checklist was also devised to

look into each guidance counseling program of the 5 schools included in the study.

Variables School

A

School

B

School

C

School

D

School

E

Manpower

Ideal ratio of counselor to students No No Yes No No

Licensed guidance counselors Yes No Yes No No

With assistants for clerical work No No Yes No No

Facilities

Must have separate guidance office Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Office with good space, privacy Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Tables and chairs for sessions Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Counseling Program

Individual Counseling for all students No Yes Yes No No

Walk in counseling and referrals from

teachers

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Group counseling for students Yes No Yes No No

Counseling for teachers and parents No No Yes No No

Crisis debriefing No No Yes No No

Consulting Program

For students, instruction on career,education, advice

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Provides parents and teachers updates

how the child is

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Seeks consultation from parents and

teachers on childs behavior in class and

home

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Coordinating Program

Testing: academic, career, emotional and

social

No Yes Yes No No

Profiling for student records No Yes Yes No No

Referrals to specialists No No Yes No No

Seminars for parents No No Yes Yes Yes

Seminars for teachers No No Yes No No

Seminars for children: educational,social, for academics and career Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Coordinating with other departments

within the school

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Coordinating with other organizations

outside the school

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Appraisal Program No Yes Yes No No

TOTAL SCORE 12(fair) 14(fair) 23(good) 11(fair) 11(fair)

Table 2: Rating of the guidance counseling program of each school based on the checklist


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With the use of a checklist devised with the help of the Ateneo de Zamboanga

University College Guidance Office, as well as several trigger questions used for in depth

interview, it was found that most of the schools, though with guidance counselors who

implement their own guidance counseling programs, are inadequate to meet the needs of

their children. Probably the school that comes closest to having a complete and holistic

guidance program is that of School C. However, with consultation with the Ateneo de

Zamboanga University College Guidance Office, this too is still inadequate.

The checklist was filled up during each interview by the researcher, serving as a

guide in identifying the available programs of each guidance office. This checklist was

derived from the 4 most commonly used guidance counseling standards from the United

States. Ideally, any given guidance counseling program should have all of the mentioned

services for it to be considered appropriate in meeting the needs of the children. Scoring

was also devised by the researcher, to identify how each school has fared in terms of the

evaluation of their guidance counseling programs, either Good, Fair or Poor. Those

schools who have been rated to have 10 or less out of 23 of the programs identified have

been rated with a mark of Poor, while those who were rated to have 11 to 17 in turn were

rated to be Fair, while those schools with a rate of 18 above received a mark of Good.

Out of the five schools rated with the checklist, only School Bs guidance

counseling program was rated as good, while the rest of the schools were found to have

guidance programs which ranked as fair.

Looking into the relevant details of the above checklist, in reference to manpower,

only School C meets the standard as to appropriate ratio for each guidance counselor to

number of students. All other schools have a single guidance office for both grade school


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and high school, while School C has a separate office and program for each. In turn only

2 schools have licensed guidance counselors, namely Schools A and C, while the same

schools among the rest have assistants for clerical work. In terms of facilities, all

guidance counseling programs meet the general guidelines for the physical set up and

arrangement of the guidance office.

With reference to the counseling program, only Schools B and C schedule

individual counseling for all students, while the rest of the counselors cater to only

problematic students. In addition to this, only Schools A and C offer group counseling.

The latter school as well is the only school which addresses certain crisis debriefing, and

offers counseling for both teachers and parents. However all of the schools in the study

provide consulting programs for the students, teachers and parents.

Only 3 schools offer testing services, namely A, B and C, as well as student

profiling. Only School C refer special cases to psychiatrists and pediatricians for further

evaluation and treatment. In turn all schools offer lectures and seminars on appropriate

topics, while only a few offer relevant topics for the parents and teachers. Finally all

guidance counselors coordinate with other departments within the school as well as with

organizations outside the school, while only 2 schools regularly appraise their programs,

namely Schools B and C.

Since there is at present a lack of a standard in the local setting for which to

pattern the guidance counseling programs, schools in the Philippines rely on the patterns

devised by several international organizations. Those of which were mentioned by the

Department Head of the College Guidance Office of Ateneo were the Comprehensive

Guidance Program Model, the Essential Services Model, the Strategic Comprehensive


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Model, and the model devised by the American School Counselors Association (ASCA).

Accordingly, guidance programs by schools must be tailored after one of the four

different models mentioned.

In formulating the trigger questions for the interviews done with the guidance

counselors, these four models of guidance counseling were taken into account. The

formulating of the checklist for rating each guidance program was patterned after the four

different models as well.

Similarities among the four models were as follows, each recommends that those

who would man the guidance program be certified and licensed guidance counselors,

with adequate training and experience. Such programs ought to be patterned to

complement the schools vision and mission, addressing 3 areas of a childs development,

academic, career, and most importantly personal and social. It must cater not only to the

children, but to the parents and teachers as well, with programs that specifically address

each group. All guidance programs should start its implementation for students as early

as the kindergarten level, all the way to high school. These models proposed that the

appropriate ratio of guidance counselors to children is at least 1:250-500, with the

presence of assistants to aid in clerical work. The essential services that are expected for

the guidance program to provide may be divided into counseling services, consulting

services, coordinating and appraisal services.

Majority of the schools do not have licensed guidance counselors who are

handling the guidance program, which is in direct violation of the standards set by the

four models identified. In addition to these, most of the schools claim that there is not

much need to address the children in the elementary level, as it may seem that there are


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not much problems encountered with them. These problems, according to them are

heavier and more pressing in the high school level, where most of the programs cater to.

This is not congruent with the findings of the current study, as 16.2% of children are

found to have behavioral problems, and these clearly go unnoticed.

Another short coming of these existing guidance programs is the over emphasis

on the academic development of the children, with less attention to the social and

personal aspects of development. Testing is also inadequate, as most schools do not have

any services in this area, and those that do, prioritize on the academic testing and IQ

testing, neglecting equally important issues concerning childrens personal and social

development, as mentioned earlier.

Since one of the limitations of guidance counselors is the fact that diagnosis and

treatment of behavioral problems are out of their jurisdiction, the most that can be done

by them is early identification of suspected behavioral problems, testing of personality,

and further observation of such children, while referral to specialists is truly expected of

them. Sadly out of all schools which have been interviewed, only School C does referrals

to specialists. The rest either do not notice any behavioral problems among their students,

or simply intervene in their own ways, claiming that what they do seems to work.


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CHAPTER IV

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECCOMENDATIONS

In reference to the general objective stated at the start of this paper, the prevalence

of behavioral problems among school age children studying in 5 of the most populated

private elementary schools is 16.2%. The specific prevalence of each of the four

behavioral problems included in this study is as follows: Conduct problems with 38 cases

(65.5%) out of 356 children randomly selected to represent the total population. This is

followed by Peer Problems with 24 cases (41.37%), then Hyperactivity with 23 cases

(39.65%), and finally Emotional Problems with 15 cases (25.86%).

Regarding the description of the existing guidance and counseling programs of

each of the schools, an in depth interview was done with each of the guidance counselors.

A checklist was also used to describe each program. Out of the 5 schools, only one was

rated to have a good guidance counseling program, while the rest were rated to have fair

programs in terms of their appropriateness in addressing the identified prevalent

behavioral problems among children in their schools.

In conclusion, there is a significant prevalence of behavioral problems among

school age children. Specifically the most prevalent behavioral problems are Conduct

Problems, followed by Peer Problems. Prior researches have proven that conduct

problems manifested at an early age, if not identified and addressed, would develop into

worse problems in the adulthood seen as alcoholism, school drop out, and

unemployment. But despite such significant prevalence of behavioral problems, there is a

general inadequacy of existing guidance counseling programs in the schools which fail to

address the identified behavioral problems.


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The current research has yielded quite a large number of behavioral problems

among just five private schools. And alarmingly, Hyperactivity and ADHD, which has

been the focus of several papers already conducted, appears to be the third most prevalent

behavioral problem, superseded by Conduct Problems and Peer Problems respectively. It

is suggested that further research be done in a much wider scale, probably involving both

private and public schools in the local setting, as to establish a concrete prevalence of

behavioral problems among children for the entire city.

It is also recommended that further investigation and evaluation of the existing

guidance and counseling programs be done among the elementary schools. As mentioned

earlier, most of the schools guidance and counseling programs were found to be

inadequate in addressing such behavioral problems. Currently the Ateneo de Zamboanga

University College Guidance and Counseling Office is conducting a city wide study

regarding the evaluation of the different guidance programs made available by different

schools in this city. It would be interesting to see what the evaluations would turn out to

be. After all, without such evaluation and research, there would be no room for

improvement of these existing programs.


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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cristobal, J. 2008. The effect of lecture intervention on the knowledge of parents and

teachers regarding behavioral problems of school age children in three

elementary schools within the municipality of sergio osmena.

De Leon, Warlito 2007. Prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (adhd)

among students of private elementary schools in zamboanga city.

Farrales, A. 1997.A survey on behavioral problems on children seen at the zamboanga

city medical center.

Fernandez, C. 2006.An estimate of the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity

disorder (ADHD) among grade one students in baliwasan central school,

zamboanga city.

Gibson, Robert L, Mitchell, Marianne H (1999) Introduction to Counseling and

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Goodman, Robin and Gurian, Anita. 2006.About conduct disorders. NYU ChildStudy Center. http://www.aboutourkids.org/aboutour/articles/about_conduct.html

Goodman R, Ford T, Simmons H, Gatward R, Meltzer H 2006. Using the strengths

and difficulties questionnaire to screen for child psychiatric disorders in a

community sample. British Journal of Psychiatry 177:534-539.

http://bjp.repsych.org/cgi/content/full/177/6/534

Goodman R and Scott 1999. Comparing the strengths and difficulties questionnaire

(SDQ) and the child behavior checklist (CBCL), is small beautiful? Journal of

Abnormal Child Psychology 27:17-24.

http://www.findarticles.com/plarticles/mi_mogoz/is_1_27/ai_54422552/pg_1

Kokko K and Pulkkinen L. 2002.Agression in childhood and long-term unemployment

in adulthood: a cycle of maladaption and some protective factors. Developmental

Psychology. 36:463-472

Tynan, Douglas. 2006. Conduct Disorder.http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic2793.htm

Schmidt, John J (2003)Counseling in Schools: Essential Services and Comprehensive

Programs (Fourth Edition). Arlington Street, Boston.


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APPENDIX A

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

For each item, please mark the box for Not True, Somewhat True or Certainly True. It would help us if you answered all

items as best as you can even if you are not absolutely certain or the item seems daft! Please give your answers on the basis

of the childs behaviour over the last six months or this school year.

Childs Name Male/Female

Date of Birth

Not Somewhat Certainly

True True True

Considerate of other peoples feelings

Restless, overactive, cannot stay still for long

Often complains of headaches, stomachaches or sickness

Shares readily with other children (treats, toys, pencils, etc)

Often has temper tantrums or hot tempers

Rather solitary, tends to play alone

Generally obedient, usually does what adults request

Many worries, often seems worried

Helpful if someone is hurt, upset or feeling ill

Constantly fidgeting or squirming

Has at least one good friend

Often fights with other children or bullies them

Often unhappy, downhearted or tearful

Generally liked by other children

Easily distracted, concentration wanders

Nervous or clingy in new situations, easily loses confidence

Kind to younger children

Often lies or cheats

Picked on or bullied by other children

Often volunteers to help others (parents, teachers, other children)

Thinks things out before acting

Steals from home, school or elsewhere

Gets on better with adults than with other children

Many fears, easily scared


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Sees tasks through to the end, good attention span

Signature .. Date

Parent/Teacher/Other (please specify)

Thank you very much for your help

Dr. Robert Goodman, 1997


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IN DEPTH INTERVIEW TRIGGER QUESTIONS

INTRO TO THE SCHOOLS GUIDANCE COUNSELING PROGRAM:

- how long has the program been ongoing?- What is the Vision and Mission of the schools guidance office?- Please share about the whole guidance counseling program that you have

MANPOWER:

- how long have you been head of the guidance counseling program?- What is your experience? Any qualifications and training?- How many staff members do you have?- Is the ratio enough to meet the childrens needs?- What are the qualifications of those who work as staff member?- Any means of updating yourselves?

GUIDANCE COUNSELING PRORGAM:

- where did you pattern the program from?- What is the breakdown of your programs in specific? Please share

o Do you have testing? What typeo Do you offer counseling? What type? How?o Do you cater to walk ins and referrals?o Do yo

Documents

2009-05!13!093348cristobal,Jemuel Arnan r