The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of British Columbia elementary school counsellors, in terms of the following primary research questions: (a) What counsellor competencies were included as part of each elementary counsellor's specialized educational or graduate program, (b) how effective was the educational content and experience in these competency areas, (c) how important is the educational content and experience in these competency areas with respect to their current role as elementary school counsellors, (d) what counsellor competencies are perceived as strengths and weaknesses of elementary counsellor education programs, and (e) what areas should be included in elementary graduate training programs to make them more effective? A list of B.C. elementary school counsellors was developed and 219 elementary school counsellors (67%) completed and returned the questionnaire. Respondents indicated that preparation related to the context of the elementary school was of primary importance to them. Theories were highly emphasized and well taught by counsellor education programs, but were viewed as less important than specific counselling skills and interventions. Implications of this study are discussed with respect to (a) contributing to existing literature in elementary counsellor role description, (b) assisting practicing elementary counsellors by outlining their challenges, recommendations and concerns, and (c) contributing to the development and relevance of elementary counsellor education programs.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of Indiana high school counselors relative to the usefulness of reputational rankings on higher education institutions. The perceptions of counselors were collected and examined through a survey instrument developed for this study. One-hundred and sixteen participants completed the survey resulting in a 39% return rate.Indiana high school counselors perceive themselves to have an impact on a students college choice. These results are representative of what other studies have pointed out about a counselors impact on high school students. 66% of the respondents felt that they understood the material presented in reputational rankings, however only 23% responded that reputational rankings were easy to understand. Counselors did not perceive that reputational rankings did not provide comprehensive material for a student to make a choice about college. Still, over 50% stated that they thought students should take the time to look at repuational rankings when making a choice about college.When describing positive and negative perceptions of reputational rankings, counselors listed a number of factors in each area. Positive perceptions about rankings were that they could serve as a good starting point and that they provided a good comparison of schools and programs.When looking at negative items, counselors felt that too much weight was put into rankings and that they were invalid or provided misleading information. / Department of Secondary, Higher, and Foundations of Education

The purpose of this exploratory study was to look at the importance of Indiana's Algebra I academic standards in relationship with essential, entry-level work skills as perceived by employers and guidance counselors in northern and northeastern Indiana. Counselors and employers were sent electronic (e-mail and web-based) or hard (paper) copies of a survey instrument. Section II of the survey asked for demographic data, (age, race, gender) as well as information related to the size of the business or school, type of business, and years in current position. Respondents were also asked to rate their knowledge of the Indiana academic standards, the Americans with disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act. In Section III, respondents were presented with the nine Indiana Algebra I standards, along with examples to illustrate and further explain each standard. Employers rated each standard, and the standards combined, on its importance to skills required from people seeking jobs immediately after leaving high school using a Likert scale. Guidance counselors rated the importance of the standards based on what they knew of the labor market within school district and surrounding areas using the same Likert scale. Comments were solicited at the end of the survey instruments. Employers disagreed with the importance of any of the Algebra I standards, or the standards as whole, as entry-level work skills. Their highest mean rating was 2.4. Counselors also disagreed, although on two standards their mean rating was above the Neutral rating. Sample size was deemed too low for generalization, but study does supply a framework for future research. / Department of Special Education

A discrepancy between the number of predoctoral internship applicants and Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers' internship positions has recently been noted (Gloria & Robinson, 1994; Murray, 1996). Applicants now outnumber positions available. This imbalance has caused researchers (e.g., Lopez, Moberly, & Oehlert, 1995) to focus on criteria affecting selection decisions. Researchers, who have relied strictly on non-experimental methodology, have ascertained that important and consistent criteria for intern selectors are breadth and types of clinical experiences, performance during interviews, and letters of recommendation.A criteria that was not specifically addressed in earlier surveys of intern selectors was doctoral program type (i.e. clinical, counseling, and school psychology). Interestingly, doctoral program type had been hypothesized by Gayer and Gridley (1995) to have a significant impact on intern selection decisions, such that a preference pattern would emerge with clinical applicants preferred over counseling applicants, and counseling applicants preferred over school applicants. This pattern was hypothesized to occur even if application materials from the three doctoral program types were identical. The present study, in the form of an experimental survey utilizing analogue techniques, was developed to test the aforementioned hypothesis. Results confirmed that doctoral program type has a statistically significant, moderate influence on intern screening/selection and that the hypothesized preference patterns pervasively exist across a variety of selector (e.g., gender and doctoral program type attended) and setting (e.g., geographic location, site type, population density in the site's locale, and socioeconomic status of a site's clientele) variables. Implications of this preference pattern and recommendations for applicants, trainers, and selectors are discussed. / Department of Educational Psychology

No description available.

Substance abuse is a prevalent occurrence among adolescents. A review of the literature revealed that adolescent substance abuse has a strong connection to their academic performance. School counselors address adolescents' academic and personal/social needs by providing services through prevention education, responsive services, and collaboration with community members. Yet, there is a dearth of literature as to whether pre-service school counselors are prepared to deal with substance abuse issues. The purpose of this study was to evaluate pre-service substance abuse training provided in CACREP accredited school counseling programs. The instrument utilized was entitled School Counselor Pre-Service Preparation in Grief/Loss and Substance Abuse Counseling. The survey included three questions concerning substance abuse training for pre-service school counselors and three questions concerning Grief/Loss training. The substance abuse questions and data were utilized for this particular study. The surveys were mailed to a total of 150 CACREP accredited school counseling programs, and 79 programs responded to the survey, resulting in a response rate of 53 percent. The results revealed that the majority of CACREP accredited programs in this study offered substance abuse training through either required or elective coursework. Limitations of the study, implications for CACREP accredited programs, and recommendations for future research are also discussed. / Graduation date: 2004

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Duquesne University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-73) and index.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--UCLA, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 225-238).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-101).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Riverside, 2009. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 130-141). Issued in print and online. Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations.