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Diploma thesis Professional Identity of the School Psychologist, shows a profession of a school psychologist through the demands that are set before this profession, relationships in which the school psychologist is and a role in which he/she is engaged. The text is divided into a theoretical part, which contains information from the literature on the topic, part of the methodology, which shows the reader how to obtain research data and a practical part, which presents results of analysis of interviews with the school psychologists. In the first part we learn about issues of professional identity mainly from the perspective of social psychology. The text describes theoretically, on the basis of Czech and foreign literature, the profession of the school psychologist since its inception in foreign countries to the current forms. The theoretical part describes activities that characterize the profession of the school psychologist. Based on the work of several authors we specify the roles of the school psychologist. In the theoretical part we arise from the knowledge of professional identity of the school psychologist. Defining the profession of the school psychologist in the theoretical part provides basic understanding of the research chapters. The practical part is based on interpretation of...

The thesis deals with the profession of school psychologist. We are wondering if there are any reasons that prevent or encourage the introduction of psychologists into schools. The first part of the thesis deals with the concepts of school psychology and school psychologist from the present and historical point of view. We are dedicated to the legislative anchoring of this profession and its ethical standards. We uncover the complex network of the school psychologist, including aspects that can be partaking of teachers' expectations of school psychologists. The second part of the thesis deals with the questionnaire survey which was carried out at the school, where the institution of the school psychologist is already established and where it is not. The data analysis was conducted the analysis. Through her, we found five areas of interest which affect expectations. The first area concerns the role of the school psychologist. The second area concerns of his work. The third is the idea of teachers about the " ideal " school psychologist. The fourth deals with the concerns of teachers and the fifth area concerns the financing of school psychologists. The main findings introduce together with the direct quote. In another part of the main findings offer a comparison between schools, which complement the...

School psychologists have unique advisory, consultative, interventional, and therapeutic leadership functions within schools. Consequently, they are confronted with increased levels of occupational stress, which test their cognitive appraisal, coping mechanisms, and feelings of self-efficacy. Although studies have included school psychologists, none have examined the moderating effect of psychological hardiness on the relationship between occupational stress and self-efficacy. A cross-sectional, nonexperimental, and quantitative design used convenience, single-stage, and self-administered web-based surveys with 112 Georgia school psychologists. Using a framework structured by the theory of psychological hardiness, self-efficacy theory, and transactional model of stress and coping, sequential multiple linear regression revealed that occupational stress was not related to self-efficacy, psychological hardiness was related to self-efficacy, and psychological hardiness moderated the relationship between occupational stress and self-efficacy. Noting levels of increasing stress for American educators, these findings underscore the importance that school psychologists incorporate self-care techniques into their practice to maintain efficacious service. Future research might investigate other psychological constructs, which affect school psychologists' perceptions of occupational stress, psychological hardiness, and self-efficacy. Given school psychologists' important functions and responsibilities within communities and schools, the study endorsed positive social change with explication of the multidimensional influence of psychological health as a means to ensure the well-being of children, families, and schoolhouse personnel.

The negative impact of test anxiety has been well documented in the literature with empirical studies demonstrating the existence of a negative relationship between test anxiety and academic performance (Schwarzer, 1990; Seipp, 1991). In 1967, test anxiety was determined to be a problem for 10% of school aged children (Klondas). A decade later, studies suggested this rate was closer to 25 or 30% (Nottelmann & Hill, 1977). In a study of a Pittsburgh area school district, Beidel (1991) found clinically significant Test Anxiety Scale for Children (TASC) scores in 34% of students in a suburban school district that is predominantly white and has a middle to upper socioeconomic status, and 36% of students in an urban district comprised of mixed racial and socioeconomic groups. This data suggests that the prevalence of test anxiety has increased over time. Teachers are in a unique position to assist students in managing their anxiety through research based intervention and behavioral techniques. The results of this research will determine how much information is beneficial to the teacher in order for them to provide the best services for students who present with test anxiety. The role of the school psychologist will also be examined. / School of Education; / School Psychology / PhD; / Dissertation;

This study explored the current role of school psychologists in the provision of school-based mental health services, including factors that relate to their provision of such services, by surveying a national sample of practicing school psychologists. Despite an extensive knowledge base regarding which professional services school psychologists provide in general, few studies have focused exclusively on specific modalities of mental health services. Previous lines of research also have not fully identified why school psychologists do not spend as much of their professional time in the provision of mental health services as they would desire. Therefore, a central purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which specific factors are perceived as facilitating or prohibiting practitioners from providing psychotherapeutic interventions, including content/knowledge areas and training experiences that are tied to high perceptions of competence to provide mental health services in the schools. Mail out survey methodology was utilized to allow for data collection from a large, national sample of school psychologists in a timely and cost efficient manner. In total, surveys were completed and returned by 226 out of a possible 600 respondents, representing a 37.7% response rate. School psychologists reported receiving referrals for a variety of student issues (although primarily externalizing student behaviors, academic problems, and interpersonal problems) and providing a wide array of mental health services (e.g., consultation, social-emotional-behavioral assessment, individual counseling). Factors identified as posing significant to moderate potential barriers included caseload constraints, role strain, school-level factors (e.g., inconsistent treatment), and systems-level factors (e.g., insufficient funds for services from district administration). The highest rated facilitators to school-based mental health service provision involved personal characteristics (e.g., personal desire to provide mental health services), having adequate training and confidence, and school-related factors (e.g., availability consult with other mental health professionals). Important training preparation included a variety of didactic content areas (e.g., social-emotional behavioral assessment, consultation with teachers and parents) and many of the applied graduate training activities and professional development activities included in the current survey. Implications for future research and practice are presented, specifically related to the training and professional development needs of school psychologists.

This study explored the current role of school psychologists in the provision of school-based mental health services, including factors that relate to their provision of such services, by surveying a national sample of practicing school psychologists. Despite an extensive knowledge base regarding which professional services school psychologists provide in general, few studies have focused exclusively on specific modalities of mental health services. Previous lines of research also have not fully identified why school psychologists do not spend as much of their professional time in the provision of mental health services as they would desire. Therefore, a central purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which specific factors are perceived as facilitating or prohibiting practitioners from providing psychotherapeutic interventions, including content/knowledge areas and training experiences that are tied to high perceptions of competence to provide mental health services in the schools. Mail out survey methodology was utilized to allow for data collection from a large, national sample of school psychologists in a timely and cost efficient manner. In total, surveys were completed and returned by 226 out of a possible 600 respondents, representing a 37.7% response rate. School psychologists reported receiving referrals for a variety of student issues (although primarily externalizing student behaviors, academic problems, and interpersonal problems) and providing a wide array of mental health services (e.g., consultation, social-emotional-behavioral assessment, individual counseling). Factors identified as posing significant to moderate potential barriers included caseload constraints, role strain, school-level factors (e.g., inconsistent treatment), and systems-level factors (e.g., insufficient funds for services from district administration). The highest rated facilitators to school-based mental health service provision involved personal characteristics (e.g., personal desire to provide mental health services), having adequate training and confidence, and school-related factors (e.g., availability consult with other mental health professionals). Important training preparation included a variety of didactic content areas (e.g., social-emotional behavioral assessment, consultation with teachers and parents) and many of the applied graduate training activities and professional development activities included in the current survey. Implications for future research and practice are presented, specifically related to the training and professional development needs of school psychologists.

This study illuminated the perspectives of school psychologists who have developed behavior intervention plans (BIPs) that support successful change in student outcomes. A total of 15 school psychologists from two different school districts were interviewed using the critical incident method; participants shared their perceptions of effectively implemented behavior intervention plans. The participants emphasized the need for consistent communication among the team members, collaboration with key stakeholders, making modifications as needed during the implementation period, and adequate time to for school psychologists to provide training to teachers. The findings of this study emphasized the importance for school teams and other school stakeholders to understand the factors that are needed when they are addressing student behavior.

The passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 2004 have placed increased demands on all educators and administrators. School psychologists find themselves charged with addressing a broad range of issues today, and there is an emphasis on leadership in the effective provision of services. Although the literature is replete with examples of the centrality of leadership in regards to the educational experience of students, there have not been sufficient studies that have studied this topic in school psychology. The purpose of this study was to discover, understand, and describe in rich detail the lived experience of school psychologists exercising leadership. The researcher interviewed school psychologists within a mid-size school district in Central Florida who were nominated by district administrators that supervise of them. Additionally, this study sought to identify the contexts, domains of practice, universal structures, and opportunities utilized in their experiences. School psychologists demonstrated leadership through collaboration and consultation, professional expertise, student-oriented needs, expert-problem solvers, and communication skills. The contexts of their leadership experiences varied due to the diverse roles taken on by the individual, however they were all demonstrated at the district level, school level, and with their peers. The leadership experiences identified by the study participants correspond to most of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) domains of practice and also correspond to transformational leadership. The results are particularly salient to school psychologist, as the information comes from the perspective of school psychologists who were noted to be "effective" and displays "leadership" and are now exercising leadership. Future research is encourage to examine leadership experiences across multiple school districts to identify experiences of other leaders across various settings.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) introduced Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) into United States law in 1990, and the reauthorization of IDEIA occurred in 2004. Even though BIPs have been codified into law, school personnel struggle to meet BIP mandates due to poor implementation fidelity. Barriers for BIP implementation are varied, but there is little research regarding whether practitioner competence and confidence through teaching experience is a factor. School psychologists (N = 122) from eight states completed a self-evaluation survey using the tailored design method. Results from the survey compared responses from school psychologists with and without teaching experience on BIP writing, implementation, and staff support. There were no differences in responses noted between the two groups for competence or confidence. However, school psychologists received substantially more training in writing BIPs than implementation or methods to support staff, and experience directly implementing BIPs provided the strongest correlation to confidence. This suggests that additional research surrounding the concept of training to practice for BIP implementation may be beneficial in identifying methods for improving BIP implementation fidelity as well as school psychologists' competence and confidence in BIP creation and implementation support.