Investigation of Functionality of Guidance and Research Centers Guidance Services Department

Guidance and Research Center (GRC), which has a history of 70 years, has an important position in School Psychological Counseling and Guidance services. The number of GRCs was 240 in the 2018-2019 academic year. GRCs provide services in two main sections (Guidance Services Section and Special Education Services Section). This research aims to investigate the functionality of the GRC Guidance services department according to the perceptions of the guide teachers working in the GRCs. The research was conducted in a mixed model. A questionnaire was applied to 231 counselors from 240 GRCs and 27 counselors were interviewed. GRC Guidance Services Department Assesment Questionnaire and semi-structured interview form were used as data collection tools. Frequency and percentages of the data were presented, and thematic analysis was conducted on the data. The results show that according to the guidance teachers working in the GRC the GRCs fall short in meeting the needs of the regions. In addition, the authorities perceive GRCs as special education rehabilitation centers. It was seen that the GRC Guidance services department suffers from a lack of staff but despite this, seven of the 12 job descriptions provided by the Ministry of National Education are fulfilled. Finally, in-service trainings, improvement of personal rights, increasing the number of personnel in terms of quantity and quality, and revising the mission statement of the GRC Guidance services departments are highly recommended.