The purpose of this study is to analyze elementary students' perception of counseling and causes of their troubles and thereby, provides for some basic data for elementary counseling. For this purpose, the following study points were set up : would elementary students' perception of counseling differ depending on their demographic variables (gender, grades, regions, family relations, academic performances)?; would the causes of their trouble differ depending on their demographic variables?
In order to find the answers to the above questions, the researcher sampled 430 elementary 4rd~6th graders in Gangreung for a questionnaire survey. 396 students' responses were found serious enough to be analyzed.
The results of this study can be summarized as follows;
First, as a result of analyzing elementary students' perception of counseling, it was found that most of them responded that teachers had shared their troubles, advising them to find the solutions to their troubles and helping them to enjoy their school life happily. Such perception of teachers' counseling differed significantly depending on gender and grades. Namely, boys, high-graders and those living in
Gangreung city district felt more negative toward teachers' counseling thangirls, low-graders and those living in town district.
The major reason why the elementary students had decided to consult their teachers was teachers' request, which did not significantly differ depending on students' demographic variables. Many students answered that they had had no particular troubles or that it had been difficult for them to consult their teachers due to lack of such experience. On the other hand, there was found a difference of perception between boys and girls; boys tended to think that counseling would not be helpful, while girls tended to feel that their privacy might be disclosed.
In addition, most of the students felt positive for professional counselors, which differed significantly depending only on gender; girls felt more positive than boys.
The female counselors were preferred most. Specifically, boys were indifferent to counselor's gender, or preferred male counselors, or preferred female counselors in their order. Girls proffered female counselors, or they were different to counselors' gender or they preferred male counselors in their order. Namely, preferred gender of counselors differed significantly only between boys and girls.
The age of counselors preferred was 20's~30's, which differed significantly depending on gender and grades; boys and 4th~5th graders tended to be indifferent to the age of counselors.
Second, the most frequent cause of elementary students' troubles was personal matter, followed by family problem, human relationship and school-learning problem in their order, which differed depending on their demographic variables (gender, grades, region and academic family relations, performances).
Lastly, as a result of analyzing elementary students' perception of counseling depending on the causes of their troubles (experience of counseling, perception of teachers' counseling, counselors' preferred gender and age), there was found no significant difference.