THE PASS-FAIL GRADING OPTION AT A STATE UNIVERSITY: A FIVE SEMESTER EVALUATION1

To evaluate the pass-fail grading option, course and grade data were generated each semester. Faculty and student attitudinal data were obtained once. Because pass-fail students were not identified to instructors, all students were given traditional A-E grades. During administrative data processing, the A-E grades of pass-fail students were converted to pass or fail. In comparison with traditionally graded students in the same classes, pass-fail students received lower grades on the average. The pass-fail option proved to be popular. Students favored the pass-fail option, although their reasons for electing the option were not necessarily in accord with the official rationale, to foster exploration. Perhaps because they perceived students as abusing the option, the small faculty sample had somewhat negative attitudes toward the pass-fail system.     

Preparing Counselors for Work with Older People

Several indicators suggest that older persons have been accepted as one of the special populations in U.S. society with whom counselors may appropriately work and for whom counselors need special preparation. Various approaches to providing such preparation are identified, including the integrated, separate course, concentration, and interdisciplinary models. Advantages and limitations of each model are discussed. The basic competencies described in the Accreditation Manual of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (1982) are proposed as an appropriate guide for the content of gerontological counseling curricula. Examples of how gerontological counseling topics can relate to the basic competencies are provided.     

Training of Support Personnel in Three Human Relations Skills: A Systematic One-Year Follow-Up

This article reports a systematic, one-year follow-up of trainees taught three human relations skills. Results support the conclusion that response-contingent behavior decreases when supervisor reinforcement is not present. The results and their implications for training support personnel and counselors via the microcounseling paradigm are discussed.     

Preservice Occupational Information and Vocational Guidance Curriculum: An Evaluation

This study was designed to identify the areas of strength and weakness in the occupational information and vocational guidance preservice counselor education curriculum. Interviews were conducted with 197 counselors and 21 counselor educators concerning the extent of coverage actually and ideally devoted to 22 content areas. Arranging the ratings for the 22 content areas from highest to lowest suggests a hierarchial emphasis for these topics in curriculum planning. In addition, within group and between group comparisons provide bases for discerning the types of curriculum that are seen as most advantageous by both counseling practitioners and counseling professors.     

Practicum Supervision Roles: Effects on Supervisee Statements

The practicum supervision model evaluated in this study utilized the three commonly accepted supervision roles of teacher, counselor, and consultant as methods of addressing specific supervisee issues. Supervisors performed the roles in structured supervision sessions, and supervisee statements were analyzed to determine if use of the roles influenced supervisee behaviors. Utilization of the roles was found to be a significantly effective means of influencing the content of supervisee verbalizations during practicum supervision sessions.     

Basic Skills for Leadership of Counseling Groups

Basic skills training has emerged as an important element in educating counselors and other helping persons. Although the literature on small groups contains numerous schemata for describing and categorizing the behavior of group leaders, none was discovered which was specifically developed as a basis for systematic skill training in the leadership of counseling groups. The author identifies a set of basic group leadership skills to be used in a systematic skills training approach. The skills fall into two broad categories, teaching and group management. Definitions and examples of the skills are provided, and the author discusses adaptation of a microcounseling format for training in group leadership skills.     

Coached-Client Effects on Counselor Trainee Response

This study investigated whether or not coached clients modified the verbal responses of counselor trainees. The responses were judged on two dimensions: (a) interpersonal relatedness and (b) portion of total time consumed by the counselor. The subjects of the study were 58 pre-practicum graduate students in counseling at the University of Washington. The coached clients did elicit significantly different responses on both the dimensions of relatedness and speaking time. For example, aggressiveness or intrusiveness on the part of a mother client limited counselor verbalism, while aggressiveness on the part of a boy client stimulated overtalk. The counselor's social responsiveness was significantly related to his tendency to respond with reflected feeling instead of inference of diagnosis.