Problem. The problem of this study was to compare attitudes of selected students toward counseling services provided by the Division of Special Services in colleges and universities in the State of Tennessee. Methods. The subjects involved were students enrolled in Special Services for Disadvantaged Students during the fall semester/quarter 1984. Using the Counselor Rating Scales (Short Form), students rated counselors in three areas: first impressions, helpfulness of the counselor, and helpfulness for specific problems. Findings. The findings of the study indicated a statistically significant difference in the following areas: Students who had been enrolled in Special Services for one or more semesters/quarters expressed a greater tendency toward favorable first impressions of the Special Services Counselor than did students who were new enrollees during the fall semester/quarter 1984; females and students who participate in many counseling functions reported a greater tendency to recommend their counselors to other students than did males and students who participate in very few counseling functions; and females and students who participate in many counseling functions expressed a greater tendency toward favorable perceptions of the helpfulness of the Special Services Counselor with specific problems than did males and students who participate in very few counseling functions. Conclusions. Based upon the areas in which no significant differences were found to exist, it was concluded that sex, race, frequency of participation in counseling activities, length of enrollment in the program, and geographical locale were not factors which influenced students' ratings of the perceived general helpfulness of the Special Services Counselor, specifically their optimism for the helpfulness of continuing with their particular counselors. However, sex and frequency of participation in counseling activities were factors that influenced students' willingness to recommend their counselors to other students.

Problem. The problem of this study was to investigate the extent of, and factors related to, professional burnout among public school counselors in Virginia within categories of demographic variables. Methods. Participants for the study were selected from a total population of 1664 school counselors in The Commonwealth of Virginia catergorized by the State Department of Education as: (1) Elementary school counselors, (2) Junior high/middle/intermediate school counselors, and (3) Secondary/senior high school counselors. The Maslach Burnout Inventory and a demographic data sheet were mailed to the 463 counselors selected to participate in the study. Of the returned instruments, 295 were complete and used for statistical analysis, with the data being analyzed using the SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Sixteen null hypotheses were formulated and tested at the .05 level of significance. Each hypothesis was directly related to a specific demographic variable and was tested using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). ANOVAs were performed across each demographic variable for each dimension (frequency and intensity) of each subscale (Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishment) of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Further analysis was conducted on dependent variables determined to be significant at the .05 level. The Newman-Keuls' multiple range test was used to determine significant differences between groups; the Duncan's multiple range test was utilized when differences could not be detected by the Newman-Keuls procedure. Conclusions. Significant differences were found in 10 of the 16 demographic variables used to test the hypotheses for the study. It was concluded that sex differences may reflect and account for the differences in perceived burnout in public school counselors. Ethnic background, marital status, age, school building level, and school system also appear to be factors in burnout. Salary and educational attainment levels do not appear to be significant factors in relation to burnout in Virginia counselors.

Although both are computer-based, computer science and computer information systems programs of study are markedly different. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to speculate that success factor differences may exist between them, and to seek an objective means of making such a determination based on a student's traits. The purpose of this study was therefore two-fold--to determine whether differences do in fact exist between successful computer science majors and successful computer information systems majors, and if such was affirmed, to determine a classification rule for such assignment. Based on an aggregate of demographic, pre-college academic, and learning style factors, the groups were found to differ significantly on the following variables (listed in decreasing likelihood of significance, for those with p $<$.05): sex, abstract conceptualization and concrete-abstract continuum measures, SAT - Mathematics, interest ranking for science, active experimentation measure, interest ranking for foreign language, and concrete experience measure. Computer science majors were found to consist of significantly more males than females, and to have significantly higher abstract conceptualization, concrete-abstract continuum, SAT - mathematics, and interest ranking for science measures than computer information systems majors, while computer information systems majors were found to have significantly higher active experimentation, interest ranking for foreign language and concrete experience measures. A classification rule, based on a subset of these factors, was derived and found to classify correctly at a 76.6% rate. These results have potential as a research-based component of an advising function for students interested in pursuing a computer science or computer information systems program of study.

The number of women joining the work force is greater today than it has ever been in the history of the United States. Between 1960 and 1988, statistics have shown a 37% increase in the number of employed women who are married with children (U.S. Department of Labor, 1989). It is not uncommon for women to postpone marriage and/or childbearing in an effort to attain educational and professional goals (Katz, 1988). Jewish women are a unique ethnic group among the population of women in the United States. As a group, Jewish women are typically well educated, among the highest female wage earners, married or plan to marry, and have or plan to have children (Monson, 1987). The difficult and complex decisions which Jewish women face regarding marriage, motherhood, and career development often create conflicts between values, including education, marriage, childbearing, individual achievement, career development, and gender equality (Monson, 1987; Katz, 1988). Additionally, unclear values or conflicting values can lead to difficulty in decision-making, difficulty in coping, and difficulty in achieving self-actualization (Simon & Kirschenbaum, 1973; Simon et al., 1978). Through in-depth interviews, this dissertation qualitatively analyzed five case studies demonstrating links between ethnicity, career development, and multiple role lifestyle for selected Jewish women. Some of the most interesting findings included: life polarities expressed by the participants; identification with superwoman syndrome; power of career typing, ethnic and secular socialization and both positive and negative messages received from parents, role models, and mentors; and the ability of this research paradigm to link ethnicity, career development and values. The ability of academe to provide research which describes and analyzes women's lifestyle options is tantamount to women's successful integration of marriage, family, career, personal growth and development. This research has important implications for counselors, educators and policy makers who are concerned about appropriate counseling, education, and program development for women who are occupying or may occupy multiple roles. This research further served as a successful pilot study testing the applicability of this conceptualization for replication encompassing women of other ethnic and racial groups.

Death due to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a particularly difficult loss to cope with because of the stigma surrounding the disease (Nelkin, Willis, & Parris, 1991). Adolescents who are faced with the death of a parent to AIDS are likely to be dealing with an aura of secrecy which hinders their opportunities to receive social support and their abilities to cope with their loss (Nagler, Adnopoz, & Forsyth, 1995). A study was conducted to investigate the relationship between social support and depression levels, living situations, number of coping strategies, gender, and whether a teen reported their parent's cause of death as AIDS. Participants included 15 males and 5 females, between the ages of 11 and 17 years, who had one or both parents die from AIDS. Interviews were conducted and data was collected on the following variables: the total number of people who provided informational and emotional support; the reported satisfaction as a total amount as well as an overall average rating of the satisfaction with the information; the reported dependability as a total amount as well as an overall average rating of the dependability of the emotional support; a depression score: the teen's living situation; the total number of coping strategies utilized; and the frequency of the reported cause of death as AIDS. Results indicate that higher amounts of support are related to greater numbers of coping strategies, and a greater likelihood of reporting a parent's cause of death as AIDS. In addition, female adolescents reported a greater number of coping strategies than male adolescents. Depression was not found to correlate with measures of informational or emotional support. Whether a teen resided in a residential treatment facility or in a home with relatives or a foster family was not correlated with depression levels, informational or emotional support, or number of coping strategies.

In large American corporations, even though women comprise almost 50% of the workforce and over 30% of management, less than 5% of senior managers are reported to be women. Successful senior executive women have developed strategies, skills and leadership styles to overcome challenges and barriers throughout different phases of their careers. Many complex factors contribute to executive women achieving senior positions. Several corporate barriers have been reported which may prevent senior executive women from being promoted to even higher positions. This study explained internal barriers, including self-confidence or personality traits, and external barriers, including gender biases or the 'old boys' network'. The purpose of this study was to explore how senior executive women cope with diffcult situations, perceive challenges and overcome barriers and to identify some of the factors that facilitated their advancement to senior executive positions. A related purpose was to examine developmental career patterns or stages that may have evolved during senior executive women's careers and compare these stages with other reported career stages. This qualitative descriptive inquiry consisted of interviews with twelve senior executive women located on the east coast of the United States. They described their perceived experiences, skills, coping styles and self-concepts. The key findings in this study included: (1) the complex way senior executive women developed and maintained self-confidence as well as educational and professional support systems; (2) their approaches to meeting challenges and overcoming barriers within the corporate culture; and (3) the way they developed their dynamic and eclectic leadership styles and skills needed to cope with difficult situations. The participants in this study were action-oriented and took charge of their careers, gathering the required resources and education to achieve senior level positions. They navigated within the corporate environment, avoiding obstacles and confronting challenges or overcoming barriers within the corporate culture to succeed. The results of this study were discussed in terms of five major themes that contributed to senior executive women's advancement: (1) navigating within changing corporate environments; (2) evolving into flexible leaders who make a corporate impact; (3) developing learning strategies and support systems vital for success; (4) reframing corporate barriers into challenges, and, (5) overcoming gender bias in the corporate culture.

Becoming a psychotherapist has generally been understood in terms of a passage through phases of professional development. Recently, however, structural models of adult development have begun to inform a new literature on developmental approaches to psychotherapy supervision. Using a structural developmental lens transforms one's understanding of psychotherapist development, suggesting that there is not just one process of becoming a psychotherapist, but many. It shifts the focus from the phasic tasks of skill development to the transformations which therapists undergo when development includes a fundamental shift in one's way of making sense of the world. How might the experience of key issues in clinical work be different, depending on the structural developmental lens with which we view our experience? This research explores the applications of Robert Kegan's (1994, 1982) model to this question. Twelve female psychologists were interviewed using a semi-structured format focused on six areas of clinical practice. Data was analyzed according to the coding scheme for Kegan's model and a qualitative analysis of emergent themes. The results of this study generally support the utility of Kegan's model for explaining differences in therapists' understandings of their clinical work. Developmental differences were found for four of the six areas studied. Therapists at Kegan's stage four were contrasted with those in transition from stage three to stage four in the following areas: responses to manipulative clients, dealing with the termination of psychotherapy, changes experienced as a therapist and perceptions of therapeutic challenges. Developmental differences were not apparent in therapists' manner of dealing with dual relationships or in their perceptions about clinical supervision. Kegan's model has significant implications for psychotherapy supervision. It can address the complexity involved in becoming a psychotherapist, while providing an organized schema for understanding the challenges therapists are likely to face at each stage of development. Kegan's model adds another dimension to Carl Rogers' person centered approach by illuminating the particular structures of meaning by which people understand their experience. For clinical supervisors, this new understanding might serve to deepen one's empathy for the different experiences of becoming a psychotherapist.

This research utilized Ivey's Developmental Counseling and Therapy (DCT) model to investigate the cognitive-developmental levels (CDL's) of postsecondary students with learning disabilities. First, a critique of current service delivery models showed an emphasis on services best utilized by students exhibiting Concrete and Formal skills. Despite this emphasis, it was hypothesized that a more balanced frequency among all four CDL's existed. It was also hypothesized that students who presented at the Concrete and Formal levels would be more successful than students presenting at the sensorimotor and dialectic/systemic levels. Results show that a balanced frequency among all four CDL's did exist, and that students who presented at the Concrete and Formal levels were more successful than students who presented at the other CDL's. Further analyses show that the Concrete level may be the most important level to consider for students and service providers. An instrument is offered to examine student's CDL's, and implications for clinical application and future research are proposed.

The purpose of this study is to learn about the ways in which female Technology Education Teachers understand sources of influence on their career choice. The findings from this study are intended to provide key insights in the participants' perspectives that might shed light on how to encourage females to aspire to and enter Technology Education as a profession. The objective of this study is to create a deeper understanding of how some women moved beyond cultural barriers and make "unexpected transitions" to become female technology education teachers. This qualitative study is based on a purposive sampling of ten female technology education teachers.

In recent years, the category “transgender” has evolved to name and describe the identities and experiences of those who transgress traditional categories of sex and gender. Unlike “man” and “woman,” where the boundaries of identity are generally understood to have clear and distinct (although contested) definition, the borders of transgender identity necessarily remain nebulous. This qualitative study focuses on female-bodied individuals who identify as transgender but do not physically change their bodies through surgery or hormonal treatments. There is a conspicuous deficiency of information about female-to-male transsexuals, and especially about female bodied non-transsexuals—those who identify as transgender, but not transsexual. Therefore, it is important to examine not only who chooses to claim this identity and their process of doing so, but how they construct and make meaning of gender in their daily lives. Transgender identity offers an intriguing arena in which to explore the connection between experiences of self, gender, and the body. The specific questions this study addresses include: Why and how do female-bodied people claim a transgender identity? How do they understand their transgender identity? How do they manage and make this identity known? The participants explain how they understand their transgender identity and address the themes of gender identity, gender presentation, and the body.