DIFFERENCES IN PRACTICES AND EDUCATIONAL PREPARATION AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELORS.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether there were significant differences in practices and educational preparation among secondary school counselors. Five research questions and 130 hypotheses were formulated on the theory that counselor practices and educational background differ when counselors are categorized by various school environments. Data for the study were supplied by the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, specifically, the School File Documentation which includes counselor questionnaires from 1,057 secondary schools. One counselor questionnaire was selected from each of the schools to be included in the study. A chi square test was administered to find out if discrepancies among categorical groups were significant. The study found that major differences existed among groups classified under national geographical region, public and private control, and school location. Few differences were found among groups classified under the percentage of minority students in the school and the percentage of teachers with advanced degrees in the school. Results indicate that counselor practices and educational preparation are strongly influenced by geographical region, type of administrative control, and school location. While the study did not focus on the amount of training experienced by counselors, indication are that a sizable proportion of secondary school counselors had not taken any courses in educational, personal/family, or vocational counseling. Few in the sample had taken courses in minority group counseling. By the same token, a lack of practicum hours in these areas was also shown.