The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships that exist among school counselor self-efficacy, perceptions of the professional school counselor's role held by counselors, and actual practice. Data were collected from 192 professional school counselors that attended a statewide counselor conference. Professional school counselors responded to two researcher-designed surveys; the first was a 14-item demographic survey; the second, a 20-item by four-question survey for a total of 80 responses. A Multiple Regression Analysis was used to ascertain what relationships existed between school counselor self-efficacy, school counselor perceived role, and actual practice. The questionnaire listed 20 different counselor and non-counselor roles, and four questions were asked of each role, to determine the degree to which school counselors identified with various roles, degree of self-efficacy in performing those roles, and how often they performed specific roles; the actual practice, and the degree to which professional development would enhance their performances in designated roles. Results indicated that there was a positive relationship between school counselors' experiencing higher self-efficacy and the actual practice in their perceived school counselor roles. As self-efficacy increased, their performance in various roles increased as well. Recommendations were made for preparation and practice of school counselors in counselor education programs. Additionally, suggestions were made for increased collaboration between counselor education programs and the school counseling programs in local schools to promote more integration of theory into practice. Furthermore, recommendations were offered for school principals and directors of school counseling programs to better utilize the expertise of professional school counselors in the school system.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd-1359 |
| Date | 01 January 2005 |
| Creators | Mitcham-Smith, Michelle |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Electronic Theses and Dissertations |
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