Career guidance,career assessment,and consultancy

Summary Although career guidance activities can positively influence students' career development, the effectiveness of such activities is often impaired because they attempt to provide the same services to all students at the same time. Programs typically do not consider either students' differential developmental patterns or the fact that many students have particular needs due to learning, physical, or emotional handicaps. Therefore, a primary focus of refining programs must be the individualization of services to meet a wide variety of student needs.Referral to career assessment or to professionals trained in career assessment and consultation is a valuable option open to school counselors who have neither the time nor the specialized training to conduct such assessments themselves. Career assessment centers offer comprehensive assessment services, including both more traditional assessments as well as innovative activities. Using a consultation paradigm, the school counselor and career assessment officer can better provide comprehensive, individualized assessment and counseling tailored to the specific needs of students, regardless of their handicaps and their different levels of developmental readiness     

Guanxi and school success: an ethnographic inquiry of parental involvement in rural China

This study examines the differential patterns of school success of rural students as a result of China’s market transition. The process dimension, how families from different social backgrounds within rural society get involved in rural schooling and how this contributes to the inequality of school success within rural society, is investigated. The data analysis suggests that schools as institutions provide few official channels for rural parents to participate in rural schools and help their children to achieve school success. This raises the importance of families’ strategic initiatives to employ guanxi within family, community and between school and family. These make the point that guanxi and their employment have become an important mechanism for social inclusion and exclusion in the competition for advantages in school success in post-socialist China.     

FROM PRESERVICE PREPARATION TO WORKING LIFE: CAREER EXPERIENCES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS IN FINLAND

ABSTRACT

This is a case study of four students in an early childhood teacher preparation program at a large, state university that intentionally seeks to emphasize supporting children and families from diverse backgrounds and using culturally responsive pedagogy. The program includes a family engagement course in the first semester that is designed to facilitate students’ recognition of the perspectives of diverse families, as well as practica in schools serving children and families from a range of backgrounds. Our investigation revealed that not all of our participants were willing to completely let go of their preconceived understandings of family diversity and engagement, but those who did were very willing to try multiple ways of building mutually beneficial relationships with families. Our findings suggest that teacher educators must have an understanding of the cultural and family backgrounds of teacher preparation students so as to better support students in decentering and resisting normalizing their own family and school experiences.     

A look at the single parent family: Implications for the school psychologist

The purpose of this article is to: (a) review briefly the efects on parents and children of living in a single parent family, and (b) to suggest ways in which a school psychologist can aid schools and single parent families in dealing more effectively with this type of structure. School-based interventions for children and parents are presented. These include achievement and behavioral assessment, evaluation of a child's support systems, counseling groups, bibliotherapy, parent education classes, in-service training for teachers, and referrals to community agencies. Changes in administrative policies to meet the needs of single parent families are suggested.     

Examination of Chinese homeroom teachers’ performance of professional school counselors’ activities

Chinese homeroom teachers’ performance of professional school counselor activities was explored. A total of 109 homeroom teachers in Beijing and Harbin, China reported their performance of 68 different school counseling activities as part of their regular actions as a homeroom teacher. Results found that on average homeroom teachers performed a wide variety of counseling tasks and together almost all tasks were performed by homeroom teachers. Further, participants reported frequently providing individual counseling to students on a range of concerns. Findings in this study support calls for the continued development of school counseling in China, hiring more school counselors, and additional training for homeroom teachers. Limitations, recommendations, and avenues for future research are described.     

Djaji Mahsheye,Moghrabeye, and Labaneh: Making science relevant

Students often perceive school science as purely theoretical, overloaded with facts, and mostly disconnected from their school, home, and community life. One way to bridge the disconnection between school science and lived experiences, and support students in realizing the relevance of science to their everyday life, is by enabling them to integrate their funds of knowledge (FoK), the knowledge and expertise people have because of their roles in their families, communities, and culture, within science. To support students in this task, we developed Together with Science, a series of Vlogs (video blogs) designed to guide families and students through home-based experiments and support the emergence of a third space, where science and everyday life intersect. The Vlogs provided the necessary scientific background for the experiments and encouraged participants to share aspects of their lived experiences and reflect upon the realization of scientific phenomena in their lives. Using videotaped discussions of students and family members, we examined the interactions between them, as well as the FoK addressed in the conversation. The results indicate that multiple types of interactions emerged between students and family members, as they jointly conducted the science experiments and discussed their findings. Shifts in these interactions were associated with the development of a shared third space, in which both students and family members were able to concurrently relate everyday life to the scientific phenomenon. Most FoK were associated with participants' homes and culture. Our results suggest that family members can serve as brokers to support their children in realizing the relationship between science and their everyday life, by bringing in their unique FoK into the scientific discussion, and highlighting the importance of thoughtfully designed learning environments to support them in the process.     

School tutoring and academic performance: A too close relationship?

In Spain, each student class is assigned a tutor teacher who is also responsible for individually following their tutoring students’ performance, guiding them in personal issues and regularly meeting their families. Although tutors may suppose an important support for students during their school life, their close personal relationship may also influence the teaching and learning process in additional ways. This research analyses whether the fact that the tutor teaches a particular subject makes any difference in students’ academic achievement in that subject and if this differential achievement is conditioned by tutor-student/family relationship or not (being a possible over/under-marking). With this objective we employ a rich administrative census database from the most populated region of Spain (Andalusia), using student fixed-effects within-students between-school subjects. Our main results show that tutors seem to be only slightly inclined to over-mark their tutoring students, being this small bias conditioned by their relationship with the student.     

Children’s Daily Routines During Kindergarten Transition

Routines are an important feature of family life and functioning in families with young children. Common daily routines such as dinnertime, bedtime, and waking activities are powerful organizers of family behavior and may be instrumental to children and families during times of transition, such as elementary school entry. Daily routines were examined in 132 families with children entering kindergarten. Although the majority of families reported regular daily routines for their children, parents anticipated that their child’s daily routines would substantially shift upon kindergarten entry, including changes in children’s sleep habits. Significant changes in child and family routines have been implicated in adjustment difficulties during kindergarten transition. Results of this investigation are discussed in terms of aligning family daily routines with kindergarten expectations. Furthermore, educational professionals in early childhood education and elementary school can partner with families to promote seamless kindergarten transitions for all children.     

Family Engagement and Tiered Approaches for Middle and Secondary Students

Tiered instruction and social/emotional supports (such as Response to Intervention or Positive Behavior Intervention Supports) are not only for elementary students. Middle and high school educators are now implementing these strategies to close the skills achievement gap and support students in various classes. One crucial component often neglected in professional literature involves ways to collaborate with families, especially when their student is receiving specialized tiered instruction. Due to the importance of engaging and empowering families, this article describes ways middle and high school personnel can strengthen the family–school collaboration when a student is receiving support in tiered systems.     

Homework in the Home: How Student, Family, and Parenting-Style Differences Relate to the Homework Process

Parents (n = 709) were surveyed about involvement in their child's homework. A factor analysis revealed three dimensions of homework involvement similar to those found in more general studies of parenting style. These dimensions are autonomy support, direct involvement, and elimination of distractions. A fourth dimension, parental interference, differentiated itself from autonomy support for students in higher grades. Two-thirds of parents reported some negative or inappropriate form of involvement. Parenting style for homework was then related to student and family characteristics and student schooling outcomes. Results indicated parents with students in higher grade levels reported giving students more homework autonomy and less involvement of all other types. Parents in poorer families reported less support for autonomy and more interference. Parents reported less elimination of distractions when an adult was not at home after school and, for elementary school students, when there were more than one child living in the home. Elementary school parents of males reported more direct involvement in homework, while high school parents of females reported more direct involvement. More parental support for autonomy was associated with higher standardized test scores, higher class grades, and more homework completed. More positive parent involvement was associated with lower test scores and lower class grades, especially for elementary school students. Student attitudes toward homework were unrelated to parenting style for homework. Stage–environment fit theory and conceptions of families as varying in resources to support children are used to explain the findings and draw implications for parent behavior and educational practice.     

Environmental Threats to College Counseling Strategies in Urban High Schools: Implications for Student Preparation for College Transitions

Preparing high school students to skillfully and successfully navigate the pathway to college is a growing concern among researchers and policymakers. This issue has raised important questions about what urban school districts can do to build capacity among their high schools to guide students and families toward successful college transitions. This analysis examines how district-level policies impacted the capacity of two urban high schools to establish and maintain college counseling strategies that effectively prepare students to manage the transition to college. Drawing upon concepts from institutional theory, the analysis illustrates how pressures from urban policy environments can threaten the viability of a college counseling strategy that has strong positive implications for urban high school students.     

Does distance matter? A study of married Indian women professionals staying away from families to pursue higher studies*

‘Return to school’ for enhancement of career is considered a means to career mobility. However, if ‘return to school’ is chosen after a certain stage it has its own costs and challenges. It becomes more complex, especially for women, if geographical distance from family becomes an additional variable to it. Present study, grounded in Indian context, examines married Indian women professionals, who opted for geographical separation from their families (including, in some cases, infants and small children) to pursue higher studies. The study explores what spurs well-qualified married women professionals to take a career break and join a rigorous educational programme which requires them to stay away from their families for a substantial time. Key themes that emerged from the study can be categorised as motives: dissatisfaction with work situation, need for skill enhancement, and an urge to develop one’s own identity; facilitators: support and encouragement from spouse and other family members and age; challenges faced: psychological turmoil, strain on relationships, and financial stress.     

Parental Involvement in Prekindergarten At-Risk Programs: Multiple Perspectives

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among the attitudes and perceptions of parents, teachers, and family support staff toward parental involvement in prekindergarten programs for children identified as being at risk for later school failure. Focus group interview data identified, from multiple perspectives, factors that encourage or discourage parents from assuming an active role in their young children's education. Results are discussed in terms of future research and program development efforts aimed at helping family support professionals and early childhood educators better meet the needs of the diverse groups of children and families represented in prekindergarten programs.     

Responding to the Voices of Homeless Preschool Children and Their Families

By utilizing all of the voices of homeless children and families we can gain a better understanding of their needs and thus be more effective in designing programs that can support them in becoming more independent. This article reviews the importance of the voices of homeless preschool children and their parents as well that of the professionals who work with them in developing responses to this problem. Strategies that empower homeless preschool children and their families are noted. These strategies include: quality preschool care, therapeutic practices that empower the entire family, case management schemes that provide support to homeless children and families, and societal changes that empower the family. Critical roles that early childhood education professionals can carry out in this empowerment process are delineated and discussed.     

School Principals’ Influence on Trust: Perspectives of Mothers of Children with Disabilities

ABSTRACT

The authors employed a qualitative research design to explore issues of trust in family–professional relationships. They specifically focused on the nature of trust between mothers of children with disabilities and school principals. Analysis of the mothers’ responses to face-to-face interview questions yielded two primary categories related to their perspectives regarding principals: (a) personal and professional principal attributes and (b) principal actions within the education system, with students, and with students’ families. Subcategories were developed that further delineated the relationships participants had with the principals of their children's educational programs. The authors address implications for school leadership and the establishment of trustworthy family-professional relationships, especially as they impact the lives of students and families in need of special education support.     

A study of urban middle school students with high and low attitudes toward science

Scientific literacy is essential to survive in this technological world, but it appears that scientific literacy is not of high priority for many students. This research project was undertaken to gather demographic data, intentions to engage in science, and attitudes of urban, middle school students. Scores on the Simpson-Troost Attitude Instrument were analyzed using the Statistical Analysis System. Results indicate less than 50% of the students come from high-school-graduated parents who work full-time to support the family. Less than 50% of these students indicate any interest to engage in science at the high school level, yet many plan to enter a science-related career. A majority of the students possess an uncertain attitude toward their science teachers and science curricula. However, all possessed high achievement motivations, strong positive attitudes toward their families, and high self-concepts.     

Selection of School Counselor Candidates: Future Directions at Two Universities

A new vision of school counseling asserts that counselors must address all children and must orient counseling services toward the primary mission of schools: to educate young people and to support their healthy development. Two universities that are working to prepare new vision school counselors have changed their recruitment and selection procedures to attract increased numbers of candidates who can be optimally trained to fulfill the requirements of this vision. The authors describe criteria and procedures used to select graduate students who have the greatest promise of becoming leaders, advocates, and change agents in schools to promote student learning and achievement.     

THE PROVISION OF COUNSELING SERVICES AMONG SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS: AN EXPLORATION OF TRAINING,CURRENT PRACTICES,AND PERCEPTIONS

Although school psychologists have been called on in recent literature to assume a leadership role in a collective and comprehensive effort to address students’ mental health needs, many practitioners find that their professional roles continue to be narrowly focused on special education‐related activities, such as individualized assessment and eligibility determination. Meanwhile, students’ mental health needs have never been greater. The current study focused specifically on school psychologists’ provision of school‐based counseling, an activity that has been shown to be effective in addressing students’ mental health needs, as well as a professional role that many practitioners have expressed a desire to expand. A national sample of school psychologists responded to an Internet survey related to various aspects of counseling service delivery, including their training to provide services, current practices, and perceptions of the importance for school psychologists to assume the responsibility of providing school‐based counseling services.     

Cultural capital,family background and education: choosing university subjects in China

This article employs Bourdieu’s conceptual tools to unpack family influences on students’ subject and university choices in China. This empirical study employed mixed research approaches, using both quantitative and qualitative methods, to examine students’ choices of subjects and universities in a sample of secondary school students from the age of 16 to 18 in China. This study reveals that while there are few class differences in subject choice, students’ choices of a selected university is significantly associated with higher family income level. The data show that the probability of entering a top university for students from high-income families is greater than that of students from low-income families.