An approach to goal-based evaluation of school psychological service departments

Increasingly, there has been concern among school psychologists for evaluating goal attainment of their services. Although adequate discussion has ensued about goalbased evaluation of individual programs (e.g., behavior management) and group programs (e.g., group counseling), little attention has been given to goal-based evaluation of organizational programs such as a department of school psychological services. This paper describes an approach for goal-based evaluation of school psychological service departments, termed “Needs-Based Goal Attainment Scaling,” that builds upon previously developed approaches to goal attainment scling.     

Examining the Process and Outcome of Career Counseling for Different Types of Career Counseling Clients

Using cluster analysis, we identified two types of career counseling clients: (a) Clients with moderate levels of career-related distress, discomfort, and uncertainty and (b) clients with high levels of career concerns, personal distress, and stigma about career counseling. The more distressed group expressed lower evaluations of a career counseling session and perceived their counselors as providing fewer action-oriented counseling skills than the less distressed group. No differences emerged in terms of client's perceptions of the therapeutic relationship. The practical implications and limitations of these results are discussed.     

Effects of involving conduct problem adolescents in goal setting: An exploratory investigation

Effects of involving conduct problem adolescents in goal setting were assessed. Two levels of goal setting were compared: Level 1—pupils were involved with a school counselor in goal setting as a basis for individual behavioral counseling intervention; Level 2—pupils were informed by a counselor that goals were being set, but were not involved in the goal-setting process. Four public school counselors and 16 adolescents were randomly assigned to one of the two conditions, with individual behavioral counseling being provided during a 10-week period. Results indicated greater degree of goal attainment and satisfaction with counseling for pupils who participated in goal setting.     

Attrition After Intake at a University Counseling Center: Relationship Among Client Race,Problem Type,and Time on a Waiting List

The present study examined the relationship between attrition after intake and the length of time that clients spent on a waiting list by client race and problem type. Participants were 1,461 clients who completed an initial intake evaluation at a large, Mid‐Atlantic counseling center over a 6‐year period. Full‐factorial hierarchical logistic regression analyses revealed that African American clients were less likely to return for counseling than were European American clients, regardless of the problem type.     

The Effects of Different Kinds of Hands-on Modeling Activities on the Academic Achievement,Problem-Solving Skills,and Scientific Creativity of Prospective Science Teachers

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the effectiveness of unstructured, semi-structured, structured hands-on modeling activities and traditional teaching methods in developing academic achievement, problem-solving skills, and scientific creativity in prospective science teachers in the subject of the human circulatory and respiratory systems. A pre-test–post-test quasi-experimental design was used to investigate the treatment effect. There were three experimental groups and a control group in a total of 88 prospective science teachers who were enrolled in the Department of Science Education. The Academic Achievement Test (AAT), Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI), and Scientific Creativity Scale (SCS) were applied as data collection tools. The researchers employed two-way ANOVA and ANCOVA to analyze the data. Results revealed that all modeling activities were effective in enhancing participants’ AAT scores when compared with those of the control group. In addition, unstructured modeling and semi-structured modeling activities were more effective than structured modeling activities in improving AAT scores. For the AAT retention test, unstructured and semi-structured modeling groups showed better performance than the structured modeling group and control group. Moreover, there was a statistically significant difference in PSI scores of the participants in favor of unstructured and semi-structured modeling activities. Lastly, there was no statistically significant difference in SCS scores with the experimental groups and control group.

     

HEALTH COUNSELING FOR OLDER PEOPLE IN HONG KONG

The benefits of a health counseling service within the Adult Health Promotion Centre (AHPC) in Hong Kong are described and offered as evidence of the benefits of self‐education in health for older people. The health complaints of clients of the AHPC are identified through health checks and screening. In 1980, on the basis of screening and the results of a survey of clients at a health education seminar on what topics they would like information on, health counseling small groups were planned for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, high serum cholesterol, and obesity. Clients were invited to join these health counseling groups, which were led by volunteer nurses. The main focus of the health counseling service was to enhance clients’ knowledge of health and preventative care through individual counseling and peer learning. In line with health promotion and empowerment concepts, clients were encouraged to monitor and record their own health. Health counseling focused on wellness, teaching clients skills that enabled them to take responsibility for their health, increasing their nutritional awareness, teaching them stress management techniques, and promoting physical fitness. The implications for the training of health professionals and the role of older people in health policy development are discussed. Ways of improving health promotion services for older people are suggested.     

Working alliance as a mediator and moderator between expectations for counseling success and counseling outcome among Korean clients

The study examined client’s perceptions of working alliance as a mediator and moderator between client expectations of counseling success and counseling outcome. Participants were 284 adult clients in counseling in university or community counseling centers or private practices in South Korea. Level of functioning at the start of counseling was used to control for counseling outcome. Results of structural equation modeling analyses indicated that working alliance fully mediated the relationship between client expectations of counseling success and counseling outcome. In addition, moderation of counseling expectations by working alliance on counseling outcome was supported. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

From drill to practice? A question of generalization

The current study examined the relationship between hearing-impaired students' (N = 20) ability to write syntactically correct sentences (Noun + Verb + Where and Noun + Verb + Noun) in two formats, one structured and one unstructured. Two sentence-generating tasks were administered as operational measures of the structured format. A story-writing task was administered as an operational measure of the second format. A comparison of student performance across the two formats indicated that students generated more syntactically correct sentences in the structured than the unstructured format. There were very low correlations between the performance on the two formats. The widespread use of structural teaching activities which utilize metalinguistic sentence patterns are discussed. Implications of these findings are discussed in relationship to this widespread practice.     

Structuring collaboration in mixed-ability groups to promote verbal interaction,learning, and motivation of average-ability students

Average-ability students often do not take full advantage of learning in mixed-ability groups because they hardly engage in the group interaction. This study examined whether structuring collaboration by group roles and ground rules for helping behavior might help overcome this participatory inequality. In a plant biology course, heterogeneously grouped fourth-grade boys (n=164) were randomly assigned to a structured collaboration condition or an unconstrained comparison condition. Results indicated positive effects of structured collaboration on average-ability students’ achievement, motivation, and contribution to the group interaction. Another positive result was that structuring collaboration did not lower the scores of the high and low-ability students on these measures.     

Variations Between Latino Groups in us Post-Secondary Educational Attainment*

Hispanics/Latinos are the fastest growing minority group in the US, and represent a diverse variety of ethnic groups with unique heritages. Yet educational and social research often analyzes this group in aggregate. This research, employing 1980 high school senior longitudinal data from the High School and Beyond project, demonstrates substantial differences in post-secondary educational attainment between some Hispanic/Latino groups. Net of a number of individual, socio-economic, family and high school background variables, logit analysis shows that Mexican Americans are significantly below others in post-secondary educational attainment after high school. The results are discussed in regard to future research adopting analysis of individual Hispanic/Latino groups rather than employing the aggregate measure which can substantially misrepresent the relationship between component Latino/a groups and educational attainment.We are indebted to Robert Kaufman for consultation on methodological and statistical approaches; and to Michael Hughes, James Michaels, and Ellen Plummer for helpful suggestions for revision on earlier versions of this paper. This paper is based in part on a Master’s thesis by the first-named author.     

A leisure counseling model for addicted persons

Conclusion This leisure counseling model provides a general framework for the counseling process rather than a strict guideline. While some clients may progress orderly through the stages, other clients may move back and forth amongst different stages. The specific counseling needs of each client should guide the client's progress through the model accordingly. In short, within the model's framework the counseling process has a great deal of flexibility.The purpose of this article has been to emphasize the importance of leisure counseling for addicted persons and to present a corresponding model that can supplement existing programs and support groups. Thus, the model is designed in such a way that it can be implemented in either individual or group settings. Whatever the particular application of this leisure counseling model, it adds an important extra dimension to existing addiction treatment approaches.The importance of leisure counseling for addicted persons in recovery cannot be overemphasized. Because the addiction was the center of their lives, recovering addicts must forge a new lifestyle without their drug of choice: their best friend and greatest source of security and reassurance. Recognizing their struggle, the addiction leisure counseling model should help counselors facilitate this transition by enabling addicted clients to begin using leisure to satisfy many of their unmet needs.     

Wilderness Schooling: A controlled trial of the impact of an outdoor education programme on attainment outcomes in primary school pupils

Gaps in education attainment between high and low achieving children in the primary school years are frequently evidenced in educational reports. Linked to social disadvantage, these gaps have detrimental long‐term effects on learning. There is a need to close the gap in attainment by addressing barriers to learning and offering alternative contexts for education. There is increasing evidence for beneficial impacts of education delivered outdoors, yet most programmes are un‐structured, and evidence is anecdotal and lacks experimental rigour. In addition, there is a wealth of social‐emotional outcomes reported yet little in the way of educational attainment outcomes. The current study explores the educational impact of a structured curriculum‐based outdoor learning programme for primary school children: ‘Wilderness Schooling’. A matched‐groups design: Wilderness Schooling (n=223) and conventional schooling (n=217), was used to compare attainment data in English reading, English writing and maths, collected at three time‐points: Pre‐ (T1) and post‐intervention (T2) and at a 6‐week follow up (T3). Data show that children in the Wilderness Schooling group significantly improved their attainment in all three subjects compared to controls. Trajectories of impact indicated attainment continued to increase from baseline in the following weeks after the intervention concluded. These results allow the case to be made for the core curriculum to be conducted outdoors to improve children's learning. However, it is important to consider that there are likely to be various components of the intervention that could form a theory of change essential to reported outcomes.     

Measuring change in career counseling: Validation of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Career Futures Inventory</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">Revised</Emphasis>

This retrospective chart review study examined the factor structure of the Career Futures Inventory-Revised (CFI-R; Rottinghaus et al. in J Career Assess 20:123–139, 2012) and its utility as a career counseling outcome measure using a sample of 332 clients from a university career center. The CFI-R examines career agency and other career adaptability dimensions germane to clients’ career concerns. Confirmatory factor analysis results supported the proposed factor structure. Changes in CFI-R scale scores are reported for 116 clients who received counseling. The use of the CFI-R as an effectiveness outcome measure for individual, group, and classroom career interventions is addressed.     

Counseling sexually abused girls: the impact of sex of counselor

OBJECTIVE: The present study was conducted to assess the impact of sex of counselor on the therapeutic process for sexually abused girls in individual counseling. METHOD: Raters evaluated videotapes of counseling sessions recorded for 35 sexually abused girls who had been systematically assigned to brief-term psychoeducationally oriented treatment with either a male or female counselor. Clients' in-session behavior was rated using accepted therapeutic process measures, while statistically controlling for the effect of girls' pretreatment comfort level with male and female counselors. RESULTS: Overall, MANCOVA results revealed that girls' participation in counseling was not significantly related to session number, the child's age (i.e., preadolescent vs. adolescent), or the sex of counselor who provided treatment services. However, univariate results and graphic representations of girls' behavior suggest that adolescent clients, when compared with their preadolescent counterparts, seemed to be more reluctant to discuss certain child sexual abuse topics. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that caution is warranted regarding categorical recommendations on the assignment of young female survivors to male counselors. Delimitations and limitations of the study and directions for future research are discussed.     

浅析大五人格特质和社会群体地位的关系

个体的人格特质和他在社会群体中的地位存在一定的关系。人格大五的每一维度在个体获得社会地位中的作用不同。外倾性对个体的地位获得有很好的预测作用 ,而神经质则不利于个体获得社会地位 ;宜人性和社会地位之间的关系 ,目前尚无定论。在非正式社会群体中 ,个体的责任心、开放性和社会地位获得没有关系。     

The Effects of Modeling,Feedback, and Experiential Methods on Counselor Empathy

This study compares the effects of three supervisory techniques—modeling, feedback, and experiential intervention—in teaching counseling students to communicate empathic understanding. The students participated in three simulated counseling interviews during which their responses to standard clients were rated on the degree of empathic understanding conveyed. After each of the first two interviews students in the experimental groups were given one of the three supervisory treatments; students in the control group received no supervision. The ratings indicated that the modeling method of supervision was more effective than the feedback method and the feedback method was more effective than the experiential method in helping the counselors communicate empathy. No significant differences were found between students receiving experiential supervision and those in the control group. The interaction between method and sex was significant in that male students responded better than female students to the feedback method.     

Use of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms 62 (CCAPS-62) as a Repeated Measure

The purpose of this initial, exploratory study was to examine the utility of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms-62 (CCAPS-62) as a repeated measure tool at one university counseling center. This study investigated whether clients engaged in individual counseling changed in symptomology while in treatment and when (e.g., session) changes in symptomology occurred. To answer these research questions, reliable change indexes (RCIs) were calculated for each subscale of the CCAPS-62. Results indicated that all eight of the CCAPS-62 subscales demonstrated reliable changes from initial to subsequent administrations, and that changes occurred between sessions 3 and 6 at this specific university counseling center. Findings suggest the importance of incorporating CCAPS-62 information into counseling sessions to inform treatment and assessment.     

Family Background,Individual and Environmental Influences,Aspirations and Young Adults' Educational Attainment: A follow-up study

In this follow-up study of an earlier investigation (Marjoribanks, 2002a), relationships were examined between adolescents' educational aspirations and young adults' educational attainment, after taking into account measures of family background, individual characteristics and proximal learning settings. Data were collected as part of a longitudinal survey of Australian youth (3772 females and 3476 males). The findings from the two analyses suggest that: (a) family background, individual characteristics and proximal learning settings combine to have large associations with adolescents' aspirations, and these aspirations have the largest relationship with young adults' eventual educational attainment; and (b) there are ethnic group differences in the linear and curvilinear nature of relationships involving measures of individual characteristics, adolescents' educational aspirations and young adults' educational attainment. An 'aspiration 2 attainment 2 background' model is proposed to examine the ongoing and different interactions between aspirations and academic outcomes for students from various family backgrounds.     

A test of the poor leader-member relation cells of the contingency model on elementary school children.

The problem was to investigate the 4 poor leader-membrane relation cells of Fiedler's contingency model on fourth-grade elementary school groups. High and low least-preferred co-worker (LPC) leaders with strong and weak power were compared on structured and unstructured group tasks. When the task was structured, high LPC leaders were more effective than low regardless of position power. For the unstructured task, high LPC leaders were more effective than low for strong position power on 2 of 4 measures used, while low LPC leaders were more effective than high for weak position power on 1 of 4 measures.