Need-Based Guidance and Counseling Services for Tertiary Students: The Antecedents and the Outcomes

Abstract The continuous decline in demand for guidance and counselling (G&C) in institutions of higher learning (IHLs) is blamed on the design of G&C not based on the needs of tertiary students, resulting in unsatisfactory G&C services provision. Based on psychological need theory, the study proposed a need-based guidance and counselling (NBGC) and explored its antecedents and examined its impacts on the expectations of tertiary students. The study relied on SmartPLS 3.8 to analyse data collected from 401 tertiary students drawn from 6 IHLs. The findings revealed that except academic needs, personal and social needs are the major determinants of NBGC. This study therefore, highlights the importance of NBGC and contributes to our understanding that NBGC can be used to improve students’ academic performance, desirable attitudes, self-discovery and self-confidence, interpersonal relationships, and their time and financial management skills.