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The concept of e-counseling is a relatively new concept, as the 1980s witnessed the first beginnings of e-counseling via email, and during the 1990s, the increasing use of smartphones, computers and the Internet led to the transfer of this to the world of therapeutic interventions through computers and other communication technologies. Applications such as e-mail, chat rooms and video conferencing were used to provide e-counseling services anywhere, and to groups that may not be reached by traditional face-to-face counseling services. The need for it has increased recently, especially in light of the many changes that have occurred in the international community, such as the Corona pandemic, which resulted in a radical change in the conditions of the learning environment and communication between students and each other or their communication with teachers; and of course, e-communication imposed itself on learning communities so that academic counseling for students became e-counseling (Al-Lahyani, 2016; Abdel Hamid, 2018). Online counseling can be defined as a means of communication between the counselor and the counselees via the Internet, through which many different counseling services are provided (Madini, 2018).

Many studies have addressed e-counseling and confirmed the existence of positive attitudes of both the counselor and the student towards its use, as well as the existence of a high level of satisfaction with e-counseling services, which saves time and effort and increases the quality of work, despite the existence of some difficulties in understanding the basics of counseling and training counselors on how to consult electronically or use various counseling tools (Salem, 2021; Madani, 2018).

At the Kingdom level, the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity has provided the “Consult Talent” service, through which educational, psychological and social consultations related to talent and creativity are provided, to guide and advise the gifted, their parents and all those who care about their issues, including teachers and educators. This is done through consultants specialized in educational, psychological and social fields.

The importance of e-guidance lies in creating an effective electronic environment by shifting from stereotypical guidance to interactive guidance with all its academic, psychological and social components. It aims to help the student understand his tendencies and trends, discover his abilities and determine his goals in line with his readiness, in addition to making positive changes in his behavioral patterns in line with the cultural, social and professional values ​​of society. And identifying their problems and how to confront them, whether within the family (such as indifference by parents, overestimating them or mocking them for their excellence and neglecting to satisfy their basic needs), or their problems within school (such as adaptation accompanying educational acceleration in regular school, failure of regular school to satisfy their needs, gradual fading of their enthusiasm, turning the school into a center for their dropout), or the social problems of the gifted (such as: difficulty in forming friendships with peers, difficulty communicating with others or feeling alienated), as well as helping parents to identify and understand the behavioral patterns of their gifted children and the problems they may face and the mechanism for preventing or solving them. In addition to providing preventive and developmental guidance services that contribute to increasing effectiveness and productive efficiency in the field of academic achievement (Al-Mutairi, 2022; Madani, 2018; Al-Lahyani, 2016).

Types of e-guidance

It is an electronic guidance in which the guide meets with the student at the same time to have a simultaneous communication via text chat, audio or video, and through it all guidance services are provided with the possibility of benefiting from various guidance tools (pictures, video, etc.).

 It is done via email or the platform, and provides them with the freedom to present the guidance session according to the appropriate time and effort, and also allows them to return to the guidance session, save it, and retrieve it at any time (Sharek, 2012).

It is a combination of synchronous and asynchronous guidance. It includes a set of tools that are designed to complement each other, such as instant virtual guidance software, guidance management systems, and measurement of all kinds (psychological, social, etc.), as well as providing many sources and auxiliary tools such as guidance video files, audio files, and podcasts.

The electronic guidance system for the gifted consists of several main elements: the counselor, the student, the electronic system, the school administration, and the guardian. To ensure the success of this system, all of these elements must be available and integrated.

The counselor must possess the appropriate counseling knowledge and skills, in addition to mastering the methods and strategies of electronic counseling, and the technical skills in dealing with the electronic counseling system and benefiting from all available tools according to the requirements and characteristics of the students.

It is essential to ensure that students have the basic technical skills to deal with electronic academic advising systems and deal with all available tools.

 

 

An electronic system must be available to manage the student guidance process, including all the tools for managing guidance, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and support processes in line with the needs and characteristics of all categories and levels of gifted students. In addition to enrichment tools such as experiences and knowledge, and specialized programs for all categories and levels of gifted students.

It is essential for the school to actively participate in monitoring the system’s activation and the performance of counselors and gifted students. In addition to providing the necessary training and technical support for all users to ensure optimal use of the system.

Parents must actively participate in following up on the performance of their gifted children and their progress, watching the student counselor’s notes and instructions, and playing their role in the counseling process and intervening if necessary according to the roles assigned to them by the counselor on the system.

The advantages of e-counseling are many compared to traditional counseling, as it is considered an effective method with students, especially those who suffer from anxiety and social phobia. It also allows the counselee to save records and return to the consultation at any time, and read it more than once. It also does not require scheduling, appointments, or prior reservations like direct counseling. This type of counseling is also good in cases of scarcity of qualified counselors in a particular field, or those who do not reside in the same place as the student (Al-Lahyani, 2016; Mukhaimer, 2013).

E-guidance is also characterized by the possibility of benefiting from various tools in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment processes for all categories and levels of gifted students. In addition to the availability of specialized programs that take into account individual differences and the characteristics and abilities of different students.

Despite the importance of e-guidance, there are some challenges and difficulties that may affect its activation in the required manner, such as the absence of non-verbal communication, especially body expressions, gestures and facial expressions, which affects the efficiency of the guidance process, especially since it is considered an important tool in the diagnosis process. In addition to some technical and technological problems such as the failure of the communication network or the lack of financial ability to obtain Internet services, or the students owning a computer, or the counselor or student not having the skills to use e-guidance tools and applications, and from the administrative point of view, the school administration does not support the idea of ​​e-guidance or provide appropriate technical and technological support for all users (Abdul Hamid, 2018).

In the end, the most important question remains for us... Is it time to create an integrated national platform for electronic guidance for the gifted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to meet their various needs according to scientific foundations and with the participation of experts, specialists and experienced people from inside and outside the Kingdom?

 

1. Salem, Mohamed Mohamed; Ali, Hossam Mohamed Abdel Aal Mohamed; Desouky, Sherine Mohamed Ahmed; and Mohamed, Abdel Sabour Mansour. (2021). The effectiveness of integrated electronic guidance in developing emotional creativity among gifted students with learning difficulties. Journal of the Faculty of Education, Issue 33, 643 - 709. Retrieved from http://search.mandumah.com

2. Sharek, Omar. (2012). Using the Internet in the field of educational psychological counseling - A study of sites in the United States as a model. Journal of Laboratory Notebooks. Vol. 9, No. 1, 2014 pp. 447-462. Algeria.

3. Abdul Hamid, Ahmed Mohammed. (2018). Predicting the trend towards electronic counseling in light of the variables of career direction and professional compatibility among student counselors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Journal of the College of Education, Vol. 34, retrieved from: 8824/http://search.mandumah.com/Record

4. Al-Lahyani, Malak Ayed Abdul Shafi’i. (2016). The trend towards electronic guidance among a sample of workers in the care of gifted and talented students in the General Administration of Education in Jeddah Governorate: A comparative study. Journal of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Vol. 3, 10, 20, 355.

5. Mukhaimer, Sihar Salah. (2013). Online psychological counseling: its nature, dimensions, and means of its applications in Egypt and the Arab world. Journal of Psychological Counseling, (35), pp. 591-607.

6. Madani, Manal Ibrahim Abdullah; Al-Rashidi, Aisha Manaji Nasser. (2018). Electronic guidance and its relationship to the quality of work among secondary school counselors in Jeddah. Arab Journal of Social Sciences, 14, Vol. 5, 18 55 - Retrieved from: 964241/http://search.mandumah.com/Record

7. Al-Mutairi, Khadija Dakhil; Al-Ghamdi, Nawal Gharm Allah. (2022). The trend towards electronic counseling among a sample of secondary school female students in light of some demographic variables in light of the Corona pandemic in Jeddah. Arab Studies in Education and Psychology, No. 143, 45 - 90. Retrieved from http://search.mandumah.com/Record/1296443 :

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