Counselor role-performance in one-counselor middle and high schools in Virginia

This study investigated the role-performance of middle and high school counselors in one-counselor public school settings in Virginia; in particular, how these counselors use their time. One goal was to determine whether these counselors were currently meeting the state’s “sixty percent counseling accreditation standard” and what impediments they encountered in their efforts toward compliance. The researcher observed and interviewed a middle school counselor and a high school counselor to gather information about counselor role-performance in the one-counselor school which would be helpful in designing an appropriate research instrument. All counselors who work in one-counselor middle and high schools in Virginia were contacted to participate in a survey regarding their use of time. In addition, a sample of these counselors participated in the next phase of the study by recording their activities over a two day period on a counseling log provided by the researcher. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data and to report the findings. The findings of this study are consistent with prior studies of counselor time-utilization showing that counselors spend much of their time in activities considered outside their role, and less time in counseling than they would like. More than half of the counselors in this study did not meet the 60% counseling standard and identified the barriers to compliance they encountered. Recommendations are made regarding counselor time management, educational preparation, and a system of accountability linked less to time-utilization and more to student outcomes. Additional recommendations are made for further research.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Counselor Education and Student Personnel Services

Department dc:contributor.department

Counselor Education and Student Personnel Services

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

1991

Author dc:creator

• Weiss, Frieda Deitell

Chairs dc:contributor.committeechair

• Gerstein, Martin
• Impara, James C.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• McDaniels, Carl O.
• Wildman, Terry
• Talbutt, Lou C.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

etd-10142005-103105

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/39873