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This study explored U.S. high school counselors' lived experiences of gatekeeping in their work with underrepresented high school students enrolled in International Baccalaureate Diploma Programs (IB DPs). A transcendental phenomenological research design was employed with a social constructivist theoretical framework for this study. After conducting a pilot study (N = 5), a purposive, criterion-based sampling method was used to target U.S. high school counselors in IB World Schools with DPs who work with underrepresented students. Twenty-three school counselors (N = 23) participated in the study through three means of data collection to triangulate data sources: semi-structured individual interviews (n = 14), focus groups (n = 9), and document reviews of school-based documents regarding student criteria for consideration for DPs. Data analyses revealed three themes that encompassed school counselors' experiences of gatekeeping in their work with underrepresented students in IB DPs: (a) Pulling and Pushing, (b) Biases about Belonging, and (c) Double Bind. Altogether, these themes provided a greater understanding of the phenomenon of gatekeeping within the context of IB DPs in school counselors' work with underrepresented students and families and related stakeholders. School counselors experienced various challenges associated with gatekeeping, including enhancing access to DPs for underrepresented students and families, navigating biases of student belonging and fit for DPs, and grappling with the double bind of advocacy for students while constrained by systemic barriers. Additional novel findings that expand the understanding of gatekeeping are discussed, along with implications for school counseling practice and training, limitations, and recommendations for future research.

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The Problem. The purpose of this study was to measure discrepancies between perceived "importance", "attainment" and "effectiveness" of school counselor role and function behaviors as viewed by principals, counselors, and teachers. It was hypothesized that counselors, teachers, and principals will differ significantly in their perceptions of what is important, attained and effective in counselor role and function.;Research Procedure. The subjects (N = 687) were principals, counselors and teachers randomly selected from Virginia public secondary schools. A 55-item Counselor Role Repertoire Needs Assessment Survey was developed to collect role and function data on eleven constructs of: Educational/Occupational Guidance, Counseling, Research, Staff Consultation, Parent Consultation, Placement, Referral, Pupil Appraisal, Program Development, Public Relations, and Professionalism.;Findings. There was a significant difference among principals, teachers, and counselors on their perceptions of perceived "importance" of all role constructs except Placement and Research; on the "attainment" of all role constructs except Research and Program Development; and on the "effectiveness" of counselor role and function of all constructs except Educational Occupational Guidance, Research, Parent Consultation, and Professionalism. Principals and counselors appeared to respond similarly on the attainment of Staff Consultation and Placement and on the importance of Professionalism and Public Relations. Teachers differed on these four constructs. Principals and counselors felt Staff Consultation and Placement was attained to a greater degree than teachers felt it was attained. Principals and counselors also gave more importance to Professionalism and Public Relations; teachers felt it was less important.;Conclusions. The findings of this study have implications that counselors continue to rely on the individual treatment model for counseling and the administrator role of sorting and allocating students through the secondary curriculum with an emphasis on educational and occupational guidance. Counselor caseload, function, role and responsibilities should be more clearly delineated and redistributed to provide a more therapeutic environment for developmental counseling. Suggestions for program enhancement and recommendations for further research is provided.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the specific relationship which exists between selected sociodemographic characteristics and the religiosity of a group of incoming community college students and their sexual attitudes and sexual behaviors.;A sample of 204 community college students completed a survey aimed at assessing their sexual attitudes, sexual behaviors, and religiosity. The instrument was based on a number of previously printed surveys and its reliability was tested with a sample of 23 community college students.;The reliability study demonstrated conclusive evidence that this instrument is highly reliable. All items except two were reliable at the .01 level of significance. Those two remaining items were reliable at the .05 level.;In addition, factor analyses demonstrated that both the attitudes and behaviors sections of this instrument contain a high degree of construct validity. The validity of the religiosity scale had been established previously.;The survey demonstrated that this sample holds relatively liberal attitudes in the areas of petting, premarital sexual intercourse, oral-genital sex, sex education, and contraception. There were no responses which demonstrated a trend toward conservatism.;In the self-reported sexual behaviors segment, the majority of students reported that they had been engaging in a variety of heterosexual behaviors during the past 12 months. The percentages decreased as the solicited behaviors became more advanced, just as expected by the established hierarchy. Very few reported homosexual behaviors.;A stepwise discriminant analysis revealed that there were major distinctions between male and female responses to five of the attitude questions and three of the behavior questions.;Stepwise multiple regressions showed that religiosity was highly correlated with both sexual attitudes and sexual behaviors, when selected sociodemographic variables were controlled. Total religiosity score was the strongest predictor of sexual attitudes and the only significant predictor of sexual behaviors in this sample.;Additional regressions and correlations were calculated to demonstrate the relative strength of other variables and to offer a more comprehensive view of the results.

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