A Study of the Current and Desirable Status of Academic Counseling From the Students' view points in Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences

Accurate counseling is particularly important for improving the quality of life and development in society, especially in educational centers. The aim of this study was to investigate the students' viewpoints of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences regarding academic counseling.

In this descriptive- survey study in 2021, the opinions of 248 students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences were examined through a questionnaire which its validity and reliability were confirmed. Data were collected by completing a questionnaire, including three sections of students' personal characteristics, students' opinions about the current and the desired status of academic counseling. All analyzes were performed based on t-test and ANOVA at a significance level of 0.05 using SPSS.

Of the 248 participants, 149 cases were female and 99 cases were male. A total of 153 students (61.7%) stated that they were satisfied with their advisor and the advice provided.The highest number of students was in the age group of 23- 18 years (73.8%). Comparison of the mean and standard deviation of students' opinions from the current and desired situation was significant for the variables of gender, age and level of education (P<0.05). The results of Post Hoc test for the age group in the current and desirable status showed that the age group of 23- 28 years old compared to the age group over 35 years old were statistically significant with P=0.007 and P=0.036, respectively. The average scores of the students' opinions in the current and desired situations were 2.76±0.97 and 3.80±0.63, respectively.

According to the results, the students were not very satisfied with the current state of academic counseling in the university, and on the other hand, they had a positive attitude regarding its favorable condition, which is related to the importance and constructive role of counseling and guidance. It seems that in order to improve the current situation of counseling, this issue should be considered as a specialized issue and while supporting the professors and at the same time training them, the communication between the university counseling unit and the counseling professors should be facilitated.