Problem Solving Skills of High School Students: Implications for School Counseling Curriculum

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine percieved levels of problem solving skills of 10th grade high school students in Istanbul and to examine the effectiveness of school counseling curriculum. A total of 829 students participated in the study, 411 of whom were female (49.58 A), and 418 were male (50.42%). Moreover, in order to get opinions from school counselors about problem solving skills in their schools, 19 school counselors were interviewed through a written form. Results showed problem solving skills scores of the 10th grade high school students were close the middle level problem solving skills (x=88.13, Sd=18.15). T-test analysis showed significant differences between boys and girls (t=3.123, p=.002) where girls have better problem solving skills. The interviews with school counselors supported these results in terms of gender. School counselors revealed that the behaviors of students with problem-solving skills are more autonomous and effective in managing their life skills.