Expectations and Perceptions of the Role of the Guidance Counselor as Described by Students and Parents

This study compared the students' and parents' views with respect to both the perceived and the ideal role of the secondary school counselor. It was found that parents assigned higher ratings to both perceptions and expectations of counselors than did students, and both parents and students held higher expectations than perceptions of counselors. Apparently irreconcilable conflicts among idealized roles were found, which suggested implications for counselor training programs.     

Role Stress Among Practicing School Counselors

Practicing school counselors (N = 512) were surveyed, using the Role Questionnaire (J. R. Rizzo, R. J. House, & S. I. Lirtzman, 1970), to determine levels of role conflict, role incongruence, and role ambiguity. Additionally, 8 characteristics of the participants' positions as school counselors were examined to determine what factors might affect role stress. Data were examined for the total group and by school level. Elementary school counselors were found to have lower levels of role conflict and role incongruence than high school counselors. Believing that the job matched their initial perceptions, that they were adequately trained, and that peer supervision was available were predictors of reduced role stress among the group and for various school level subgroups.     

Correlates of School Satisfaction Among Adolescents

Abstract

Interrelationships among life experiences, academic self-efficacy, and school satisfaction reports from a sample of 92 adolescents in a private secondary school were investigated. Results revealed that life experiences, both positive and negative, were significantly associated with school satisfaction reports. Students' perceptions of their academic self-efficacy did not moderate the relationship between life events and school satisfaction; however, self-efficacy perceptions did contribute significant variance in a linear fashion beyond life experiences. The authors concluded that both a wide array of negative and positive environmental experiences and individual difference variables need to be considered to understand adolescents' reactions to schooling and to design prevention and intervention programs.     

Financial Delegation: its effect on the school and the role of the head

At the end of a decade of enhanced marketisation in schools, this article considers the subjective meanings attached to educational marketing by school teachers and the ways they construct and interpret teachers' 'idealised' and 'actual' involvement and contribution to school marketing. Through semi-structured interviews with 12 secondary school teachers from the south of England, the study revealed teachers' perceptions of and attitudes towards competition, marketing and education, their awareness of the marketing activities of their schools, the teachers' role in marketing the school and the perceived impact of the market upon teachers' well being. The results show that there is no coherent, organised view of education marketing among teachers in the study but rather that there are a number of inchoate voices amongst teachers concerning their role in school marketing. Broadly, two voices are revealed that reflect a cognitive dissonance which may exist among school teachers in the era of marketisation. This dissonance may stem from teachers' ideology-based difficulty in perceiving marketing as part of school life, while at the same time, they are aware of its importance to the school's success.     

Preparing to transition to secondary education: perceptions of Dutch pupils with migrant backgrounds

Background: The transition from primary school to secondary school is a crucial period of time for children and this may be especially the case for pupils with migrant backgrounds. While there has been considerable research on the transition from primary to secondary school, more needs to be known specifically about the experiences of this group of pupils during their final year of primary school, as they prepare for their transition to secondary school.

Purpose: The study investigated how Dutch children with migrant backgrounds in their final year of primary school perceive the preparatory process for the transition to secondary school. In particular, we were interested in who the children felt were the important ‘actors’ (e.g. pupils, parents, teachers and others) in the preparatory process.

Sample: We collected data from 76 primary school pupils from three schools in an urban city in the Netherlands. The sample included pupils who, according to the Dutch system, were preparing to follow an academic pathway (i.e. the tracks known in this system as ‘HAVO’ or ‘VWO’) and those who were preparing to follow a vocational pathway (i.e. the track known as ‘VMBO’) in secondary education.

Design and methods: We used photo elicitation (N = 76) and also conducted semi-structured interviews with a subsample of the pupils (N = 25) to examine the roles of the important actors in the preparatory process. Data were analysed qualitatively; responses were coded and underwent pattern analysis in order to identify and describe repeating structures in the data. Data were grouped according to whether the pupils received school recommendations for an academic track or a vocational track.

Results: Findings suggested that the pupils perceived the most important actors to be the pupil, the classroom teacher and the parents. Both teachers and parents were considered valuable resources for pupils in the preparatory process. Patterns representing the participants’ perceptions of the roles of three actors – namely, (1) the child, (2) the classroom teacher and (3) the parents, were identified. Six patterns were identified with respect to the child, four with respect to the classroom teacher and two with respect to the parents. For some patterns, it was apparent that the responses of children in the vocational group and the academic group had different emphases.

Conclusions: The study highlights the importance for teachers and parents of children in their final year of primary school to be aware of the pupils’ perceptions of and feelings about their preparation for secondary school, so as to be in the best position to support them collaboratively.     

Educators’ Perceptions of Student Digital Citizenship Practices

Abstract

Digital citizenship, defined as exhibiting appropriate and responsible behavior with digital technology use, is an essential component of technology education. The purpose of this study was to examine K-12 educators’ perceptions of their students' digital citizenship knowledge and practices as they relate to cyberbullying, digital footprint, digital privacy, digital netiquette, and digital identity. One hundred and seven educators responded to a survey on digital citizenship practices. Based on the educators' perceptions, student understanding and practice of digital citizenship were rated as not well for most of the items on the survey. While educators' perceptions of their students' digital citizenship practices did not vary among school levels or based on their roles as teachers or technology coaches, educators who taught digital citizenship had higher perceptions of their students' digital citizenship practices.     

Counseling after Dark: Evening Students' Perceptions of Counseling Resources

Abstract

Community colleges have traditionally emphasized the role of educational-vocational counseling for students, although in recent times community college counselors seem to desire more involvement in personal-emotional counseling and to be more therapeutically oriented. This study assessed how evening community college students perceive various professional resource personnel and students' likelihood of consulting these professionals for assistance with diverse kinds of problems. Evening students' perceptions were discussed in comparison to perceptions held by day students and by students attending 4-year colleges and universities. Implications for training and the professional identity of community college counselors were also noted.     

Teachers' Perceptions of Their Students' Gender Roles

Abstract

Attitudes and perceptions of teacher behavior regarding students' gender roles were investigated. A questionnaire was administered to 221 Israeli teachers and responses were analyzed according to gender and education setting. Results indicate no extreme egalitarian or chauvinistic responses. In general, elementary school and female teachers gave more gender egalitarian responses to questionnaire items in comparison with male and secondary school teachers. Only 15% of teachers in this sample had attended courses on gender equality. Over 50% of teachers did not respond to the question concerning their school's gender policy. Those findings may reflect a relative lack of teacher awareness concerning the in-depth nature of gender stereotypes and their overall influences. Results may indicate compulsory courses and seminars on gender self-awareness during teacher training.     

Young girls in science: Academic ability,perceptions and future participation in science

Given the lack of information in either the school counseling or the gifted education fields on how school counselors and educators of the gifted work together, research into how individuals from both professions collaborate to serve gifted students and their families becomes important. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine gifted teachers' and coordinators' experiences working with school counselors. Fourteen participants, serving in a variety of K–12 settings, engaged in interviews regarding their different experiences working with their school counselors. Five primary themes resulted from these participants' reported experiences, including educators'/counselors' training and preparation, meeting gifted students' needs through service delivery, school counselors' perceptions and beliefs, systemic barriers and facilitators of collaboration, and teacher and counselor collaborative efforts. These findings are discussed with regard to current literature on gifted education, school counseling, and professional collaboration.     

Perceived severity of cyberbullying behaviour: differences between genders,grades and participant roles

This study aimed to develop a new scale to examine primary and secondary school students’ perceptions of the severity of cyberbullying behaviours, and to explore further whether differences exist in the means of gender, grade and participant role. A total of 707 primary and secondary school students (M = 14.7) in Taiwan participated in this study. Two Olweus-like global items were used to identify students’ participant roles. A self-reported cyberbullying severity scale (CSS) was developed and validated by Rasch measurement. Results of this study supported the reliability and validity of the 16-item CSS. Impersonation was rated as the most serious type of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying behaviours that occurred in private were rated as less severe than were those that occurred in public. A Rasch latent regression analysis revealed that some gender and involvement effects were found, but no statistically significant difference was found among means of four participant roles. The behavioural hierarchy of cyberbullying severity, mean differences among personal attributions and cyberbullying intervention are discussed at the end of the article.     

Science Laboratory Classroom Environments at Schools and Universities: A Cross‐National Study∗

ABSTRACT

Because already existing classroom environment scales are unsuitable for science laboratory classes, a new instrument was developed and validated in a Class form (student's perceptions of the class as a whole) and a new Personal form (student's perceptions of his/her own role within the class). The instrument was cross‐nationally field tested with 5,447 students in 269 classes in six countries, and cross‐validated with 1,594 students in 92 classes in Australia. Each scale exhibited satisfactory internal consistency reliability, discriminant validity, and factorial validity, and differentiated between the perceptions of students in different classes. Use of the new instrument revealed that: science laboratory classes are dominated by closed‐ended activities; Class form means consistently were more favorable than Personal form means; associations existed between attitudinal outcomes and laboratory environment; and the Class and Personal form each accounted for unique variance in student attitudes.     

Critique of the Definitions and Ideologies of Child Sexual Abuse that Underpin Current Educational Texts for Teachers

Teachers in a large, all-male urban school in Jordan were interviewed about their perceptions of the most frequently occurring student misbehaviour. It was hoped to be able to identify the causes of such ‘disruption’ to teaching and learning in the school. Teachers spontaneously identified eight forms of student misbehaviour, which reflected clearly different kinds of interference with the teacher's authority. Teachers showed great awareness of the constraints which operate in the school context, which in turn affect their means of managing discipline in the classroom. Though this study was undertaken in a context which is significantly different from England, it is interesting that the issues these teachers saw themselves confronted with were not significantly different from those reported in this country. The conclusions that the researchers draw from their data have relevance beyond the specific context in which this study was undertaken.     

Socialisation and citizenship preparation in vocational education: Pedagogic codes and democratic rights in VET-subjects

ABSTRACT

Previous studies of citizenship preparation in upper secondary school, including studies on vocational programmes, have primarily focused on general subjects. Potential and actual roles of vocational subjects in this context have received little attention, so we have little knowledge of what is likely a significant part of the citizenship preparation that occurs in vocational programmes. Drawing on the work of Basil Bernstein and ethnographic data, this study presents an analysis of socialisation processes in vocational elements of three vocational programmes in Swedish upper secondary school. The analysis addresses the formation of pedagogic codes in various vocational programmes and subjects, and how these codes condition students’ practice of citizenship at individual, social and political levels. The results show how different pedagogic codes have different implications for the students’ practice of citizenship, and thus raise questions about factors and processes that may either constrain or strengthen, this aspect in vocational subject classes.     

Sense of School Community for Preschool Teachers Serving At-Risk Children

Research Findings: Challenging the development of high-quality preschool education is the instability of the preschool teacher workforce, blamed in part on workplace conditions including isolationism, perceived lack of career reward, and lack of preparation. Little attention has been given to whether a preschool's organizational climate can mitigate these challenges, despite demonstrated workplace climate effects on teachers' attitudes, commitment, and practices in kindergarten–Grade 12 teachers. This study investigated preschool teachers' perceptions of a positive workplace climate (i.e., sense of school community); predictors of these perceptions (teacher qualifications and organizational features); and relationships among teachers' sense of community, classroom teaching quality, and attitudes toward teaching in a sample of 68 preschool teachers serving at-risk 4-year-olds. Overall, teachers provided high ratings for their sense of school community, although moderate interprogram variability and moderately large to large intraprogram variability existed. Teacher qualifications and preschool affiliation did not predict teachers' sense of community, but preschool size predicted perceptions of collegial support. Perception of collegial support and program influence was significantly related to positive attitudes toward teaching; only perceptions of program influence were related to classroom quality. Practice or Policy: We discuss the potentially important role of work environment in bolstering the quality and stability of the preschool teacher workforce.     

Approaches for Effective Vocationalisation of Secondary School Agriculture in Nigeria: The Views of Agricultural Science Teachers in Delta State,Nigeria

Abstract

This paper describes a random sample of serving agricultural science teachers in Delta State, Nigeria, as a background to understanding their views on four selected approaches for effective vocationalisation of secondary school agriculture. These approaches were used to develop a 23-item questionnaire based on current literature. A five-point Likert-type scale was used to determine how well the views of the respondents corresponded with the items in the questionnaire. Results showed, among others, that the average teaching experience of the 322 sampled teachers was 12.9 years; 50.6 % of the respondents were BSc(Ed) degree holders; 38.8% had Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE), while 10.6% were Higher National Diploma (HND) holders. The respondents agreed that the identified approaches were necessary for effective vocationalisation of secondary school agriculture. The paper therefore recommends that the identified approaches should be pursued by the Nigerian government to ensure that vocational agriculture in secondary schools achieves the goals of the National Policy on Education.     

中职生的升学选择及影响因素研究——基于全国10660名中职生的调查

基于中等职业教育基础性转向的政策背景,通过对全国10660位中职生的问卷调查,研究了影响我国中职生升学的若干因素。研究发现：中职生具有很高的升学意愿,且以本科为主要期望学历;毕业班和学习自我效能感强的中职生更可能选择升学;学生干部身份和学校生涯教育质量会影响中职生升学意愿;家庭对中职生升学与否的影响主要体现在经济、文化和社会资本,但影响方式和程度与普高生存在差异;对省域中职升学政策的了解和认同会促进学生升学,而对就业市场和本科招生政策的了解和认同会削弱中职生升学意愿。基于此,未来应从职教本科办学规模、高等职业教育招考机制、央地项目设置、公共财政兜底、生涯教育和升学指导等方面优化中职升学环境。     

Confidentiality With Minors: The Need for Policy to Promote and Protect

Abstract

This article presents research about school counselors' attitudes toward breaching confidentiality that the authors conducted immediately before and after the tragic shootings at Columbine High School in April 1999. Two groups of school counselors were demographically similar but differed significantly in their predictions as to whether they would breach confidentiality and in their attitudes toward certain aspects of school counselor practice such as informed consent. School counselors at all levels of employment reported that they were less likely to breach confidentiality after the highly publicized high school shootings and that they were more responsible to their minor clients than to the parents of those clients. Implications for policy makers are discussed.     

Emirates secondary school science teachers' perspectives on the nexus between modern science and arab culture

During the 1999/2000 school year, 286 secondary school science teachers, from the seven Emirates that constitute the UAE, participated in the study. Teachers responded to an instrument composed of 52 items. Results indicated that Emirates secondary school science teachers did not view modern science as only a sub-culture of the Western culture. They disagreed that Western beliefs, values and conventions are implicit aspects of science. Teachers indicated that there are no differences between modern science and Arab culture. It seems that teachers lacked an understanding of the social component of science. The study suggests that Emirates secondary school science teachers should be informed about the social component of science. It is argued that when discussing culturally critical scientific issues, Emirates science teachers should assume the role of cultural brokers to facilitate students' understanding of science.     

Checklist agreement among observers of children

This study compared parents,' teachers,' and counselors' Behavior Problem Checklist ratings of 57 elementary and middle school children in counseling. Although a larger sample might have produced more significant results, analysis of variance revealed only one difference among the raters. School counselors perceived more personality problems in the children than the teachers did. Otherwise, parents, teachers, and counselors did not differ in their perceptions. Correlations were low to moderate, with mother-father agreements being higher than those of parent-teacher, and teacher-counselor observations.     

Perceptions of Quality of Higher Education: An Exploratory Study of High School Guidance Counselors

ABSTRACT

Perceptions of the quality of higher education are thought to have considerable impact on the decision making process to attend higher education institutions. High school guidance counselors are known to be influencers of higher education attendance through their work with high school students in the selection process. This paper reports an exploratory research program designed to assess the perceptions of high school guidance counselors regarding college and university quality. Ten measures of quality, an overall measure and rune specific indicators were utilized. A total of 256 guidance counselors provided measures of quality on 434 of the 435 institutions of higher education listed. Based on this data it was shown that overall perceived quality is primarily determined by five components; good academic programs, leadership opportunities, good job after graduation, opportunities for financial aid, and good value for the money, and that some 77.3% of the variance in overall quality was predicted by the five components.