Power Analysis of Research in Counselor Education

Statistical power analysis as a necessary and desirable activity in counselor education research is reviewed and discussed. Power of counseling research is discussed with respect to alpha levels, sample size, and size of effect. Four years of counselor education research are reviewed and analyzed according to the criteria of statistical power. Recommendations for increasing the power of research in counselor education are made.     

Competency-Based Evaluation for Selecting a Counselor Educator

This article describes an approach to faculty selection in a competency-based human development counseling program, the development of which enabled candidates to demonstrate their actual level of mastery for a wide range of skills associated with professional effectiveness. Candidates invited to participate in this evaluation procedure were advised in advance of the following five areas in which they would be evaluated: counseling and psychotherapy, teaching, supervision, research methodology, and program development. Candidates prepared 30- to 60-minute presentations characteristic of their best efforts for each area of evaluation. Both faculty and students completed professional effectiveness scale ratings for each of the activities engaged in by job candidates. This article reports the successes and setbacks of this model and presents critical recommendations of persons who participated as job candidates and of those who participated in the candidate evaluation sessions.     

Trends in Counselor Preparation: Courses,Program Emphases,Philosophical Orientation,and Experimental Components

This article presents the results of a survey of counselor preparation programs in the U.S. concerning courses, program emphases, philosophical orientations and experiential components. Trends are generated based on data collected over a 10-year period. The authors discuss implications for the future.     

COMPARISON OF MULTIPLE-CHOICE TESTS USING DIFFERENT TYPES OF DISTRACTOR SELECTION TECHNIQUES

3 multiple-choice tests were developed from judgmental, frequency, and discrimination procedures of selecting item distractors. Scores on each of these tests were correlated with scores on a completion test of parallel numeric and algebraic content. Matched triads, with 558 students in each group, were used. No significant differences in validity were found among the tests.     

Implementing the On-Site Supervision Model

This article is a companion piece to “A Model for On-Site Supervision of the School Counselor,” which appeared in the December 1972 issue. It describes the perceived value of on-site supervision by trainees and the possibilities of converting on-site supervision into a continuing inservice experience for counselors.     

Effect of Experimentally Induced Sets of High and Low ‘Expertness' During Brief Vocational Counseling

A study was designed to evaluate the effects of an experimentally induced set of “expertness” on clients' evaluations of their selected experiences during brief vocational counseling. Thirty-one college freshman males were randomly assigned to two induced sets of high and low expertness, and client responses to both quantitative and qualitative aspects of the interview were obtained. The results suggested that (a) clients responded more favorably to relationship aspects of the interview with a counselor who was introduced as a nonexpert than with a counselor who was introduced as an expert, (b) informational recall was greater for clients interviewed by the expert counselor, and (c) global ratings of counselor effectiveness did not differentiate between expert and nonexpert counselors. Implications for counselor training and counselor practice are discussed.