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No description available.

No description available.

This study examined the strengths and weaknesses of employing part-time or contract school psychologists as primary providers of school psychological services for eight rural school divisions. In addition, data were obtained which facilitated comparison of full-time rural school psychological service delivery with the services obtained through these alternative employment arrangements. Questionnaires were completed by two part-time and six contract school psychologists employed by rural school divisions in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The supervisors of these school psychologists also completed questionnaires. Both groups of respondents participated in a 40 minute personal interview with the researcher. Additionally, questionnaires were completed by 58 school principals from rural school divisions in Virginia which employed full-time, part-time, or contract school psychologists. Other data analyzed in the study were questionnaire responses from 31 rural school psychologists who had participated in Merchant's (1982) study of the professional practices of full-time school psychologists in Virginia. Results indicated that for the majority of school divisions employing part-time or contract school psychologists, the strengths of the employment were: 1) cost efficiency; 2) impartiality of the school psychologist; and 3) high quality psycho-educational assessments and recommendations. Weaknesses of the employment arrangements were: 1) high psychologist-to-student ratios; 2) lack of school psychologist time to perform non-assessment functions; and 3) lack of accessibility to the school psychologists by parents and school personnel. Contracted school psychologists were found to devote almost all of their professional time to working with handicapped children. Full and part-time school psychologists spent approximately 30% of their time with nonhandicapped students. Salaries of part-time and contracted school psychologists were higher than those of full-time practitioners. Part-time school psychologists, based on a 200 day school year, earned an equivalent of $39,000. Contract school psychologists earned an equivalent of $35,000, while the average yearly salary of full-time practitioners was approximately $18,500. Recommendations included the need for research on contracted and part-time employment of school psychologists in other settings. Additionally, it was recommended that the school psychology profession become actively involved in public awareness activities geared to improving school psychological services in rural areas. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of different counseling strategies on the self acceptance, personal adjustment, and social adjustment of gifted adolescents. Subjects, age 13 to 16, were identified as gifted based upon a performance of 120 IQ or above on the Raven Advanced Progressive Matrices. The 89 subjects were assigned to one of four groups and the groups were randomly assigned to treatments: counseling only, consultation only, counseling-consultation, or control. Counseling included 25 gifted adolescents in a 12-week group counseling program focusing on communication skills. Consultation included the parents of 21 gifted adolescents in a six-week program focusing on communication skills. Counseling-consultation included 23 subjects in a 12-week group counseling program and their parents in a six-week consultation program, both focusing on communication skills. The control group included 20 subjects who received a standard developmental counseling program. The design of the study was a multi-group pretest-posttest control group design. Scales of the California Psychological Inventory, Adjective Check List, and writing sample were determined in an a priori manner as being appropriate measures of the dependent variables. Data was analyzed by an analysis of variance, Bartlett's-Box F test of homogeneity of variance, and Scheffe's post hoc comparison test. Further analysis was performed when necessary by an analysis of covariance. The results of the study indicated that there were significant differences among counseling strategies on self acceptance when measured by the writing sample and on personal adjustment when measured by the California Psychological Inventory and the writing sample. There were no significant differences among counseling strategies, however, on self acceptance when measured by the California Psychological Inventory and the Adjective Check List; on personal adjustment when measured by the Adjective Check List; and on social adjustment when measured by the California Psychological Inventory, Adjective Check List, and writing sample. / Ed. D.

The purposes of this investigation were to help teachers to a better understanding of children, to help each pupil to discover and to develop his potentialities for his personal good and social usefulness, to facilitate the administration of the guidance program, and to improve classroom instruction.

The problem involved in this investigation is to determine and evaluate the need of a functional guidance program within the Sanger, Texas, Public School, and to effect an organization which will adequately meet the needs of the students, both individually and collectively.

The high school has an important responsibility of aiding individuals in making their choices, plans and adjustments, in undertaking self-direction, and in meeting social, mental, physical, and spiritual problems. Accepting this responsibility has added a new dimension to the high school program known as guidance. Purpose of the Study. The main purpose of this study was to construct a guidance program to meet the needs of the student body of Dan River High School. Other purposes were to: 1. Develop an organized system for administering a guidance program. 2. Develop a means of collecting and compiling data about each pupil. 3. Develop a system for providing educational and occupational information for each student. 4. Develop a system of providing counseling services for each student. 5. Develop a system of providing placement services for each student. 6. Develop a system for the evaluation of the high school guidance program. Scope of the Study. Data were secured from 530 Dan River High School students in grades eight through twelve, a study of the present guidance program of Dan River High School was made, and principles and practices of guidance validated through research were compiled. Procedures Used in Making the Study. Information having implications for guidance was secured with the use of a questionnaire from each student. The present guidance program was studied, a review of literature was made, and this iInformation was used in constructing a guidance program for Dan Fiver High School. Summary of the Proposed Guidance Program. A guidance program operates effectively when it is carefully planned and well organized. This requires the cooperation of each member of the school staff working under the leadership of a capable guidance director. As the staff plans and organizes the program together and understands and appreciates the different phases of the program, staff assignments and responsibilities need to be made very clear and definite. An effective guidance program is dependent upon how well the guidance services function. These services require the understanding and assistance of each staff member. / Master of Science

Of the 1190 four-year high schools of Texas there are 941 with an enrollment of 250 or less. This group of schools is missing many opportunities to guide the youth they graduate into effective and wholesome living by means of an integrated guidance program. It is the purpose of this study to develop a program which, if incorporated into the curricula of these schools, should result in an integration of guidance into the many phases of the school's activities and increase the school's usefulness to the student.

Historically, school psychologists have primarily performed the duties of tester and classifier of primary aged children. The 1970's, however, witnessed an increasing dissatisfaction with this traditional view of school psychology. Different functions, encompassing most aspects of the total school program, have been espoused for the profession. One such proposed function concerns school psychology's involvement with career development programs. Indeed the concept of the "vocational school psychologist" has gathered a discernible momentum since its inception in 1974. This study was undertaken to analyze proposed functions of practicing school psychologists in career development based on a survey of the membership of the National Association of School Psychologists. Specifically, the study sought answers to the following questions: l. What is the performance of school psychologists in the areas of vocational assessment, career counseling and development activities and career consultation, liaison and supervision? 2. What importance do school psychologists attach to the areas of vocational assessment, career counseling and development activities and career consultation, liaison and supervision? 3. What differences exist between the actual performance of school psychologists relative to vocational assessment, career counseling and development activities and career consultation, liaison and supervision and what school psychologists report should be practiced relative to vocational assessment, career counseling and development activities and career consultation, liaison and supervision? 4. What is the relationship of age, level of training, years of experience in school psychology, training and experience in career/vocational education to participant questionnaire responses? To gather the data needed for the study, a questionnaire was mailed to a national sample of school psychology practitioners. The questionnaire contained 58 proposed career development functions for school psychologists, cutting across three school psychology role areas. Personal data forms were also completed to gather demographic information regarding the participants. It was found that practicing school psychologists are only minimally involved in career development functions. Further, the importance practitioners attached to career development activities significantly exceeded their involvement in such functions. In all, participants favored and were more heavily involved in career development activities which indirectly related to responsibilities traditionally performed by school psychologists. This included testing students for placement in career/vocational education programs, interviewing students regarding their career development and interpreting vocational test findings. Greatest promise for school psychologists' future performance in functions related to career development involved the area of career counseling and development activities. Several demographic variables related significantly with questionnaire scale responses. The hours of graduate course work practicing school psychologists have in career/vocational education appears to influence positively their involvement in vocational pupil appraisal. The percent of job time practicing school psychologists devote to career development functions appears to influence positively the importance they attach to vocational pupil appraisal. Older aged practicing school psychologists are more likely to be involved in career development activities than are younger aged practitioners. Significantly, 90% of respondents felt inadequately prepared to participate in career development functions. It was concluded that school psychology needs to better prepare its membership for involvement in career development responsibilities. Particular attention should be paid toward establishing working relationships with other professionals who are involved in career education services. The relationship of the survey's findings to the literature was discussed and recommendations for future research and for the profession were offered. / Ed. D.