Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Counseling in secondary education'

This mixed method study examined the effectiveness of a school-based program that has been integrating trauma-informed education and art therapy for three decades to treat adolescents who have experienced complex trauma, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and toxic stress. To date, no clinical-effectiveness outcomes research or systematic program evaluation had been conducted at Northern California School (pseudonym). This research included 15 former student participants who attended the program over the past 15 years, as well as 28 current and former staff employed over the past 30 years. Research methods include tenets of effectiveness studies, program evaluation, and narrative analysis. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 195 archival clinical files, questionnaires distributed to former students and staff, and in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The results provide demographic characteristics of each sample; for former student participants, this includes ACE scores describing the prevalence of the 10 major types of childhood trauma, and GSE scores describing present-day level of functioning. Results also provide characteristics of treatment, significant correlates of graduating from the program with a high school diploma, and ratings of process and outcome variables as well as various treatment modalities by former students and staff participants. Dialogical narrative analysis was utilized to analyze qualitative data gathered during the in-depth, semi-structured interviews, and the stories of three former students, four art therapists, and the voice of the researcher are presented in the form of short stories to provide an overview of the experience of art therapy in the voices of former students and staff. This research contributes evidence that art therapy is an impactful and effective component of treatment for adolescents with complex trauma and higher ACE scores, and may create lifelong patterns for these individuals of seeking therapeutic support in times of distress.

This generic qualitative research study examined the impact that non-counseling duties have on school counselors’ professional identity. The 10 participants were tenured school counselors who worked in a suburban county in a mid-Atlantic state. This generic qualitative study explored how school counselors can perceive non-counseling duties and how those duties may be redefined by integrating clinical components to align them with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model. Generic qualitative methodology structures the study for a greater understanding of a phenomenon, school counselors’ perceptions of their professional identity and does non-counseling duties impact those perceptions. Semi-structured interviews revealed the participants’ perceptions towards their roles as school counselors, non-counseling duties, their own professional identities, and their ability to change their perception of non-counseling duties to align with the ASCA National Model. Thematic analysis of the data revealed themes that addressed how those participants perceived non-counseling duties and their perceptions of their professional identity. This study indicates there was a direct effect on professional identity due to the assignment of non-counseling duties and the perception of the school counselors of those duties. The participating school counselors spoke of a positive perception of their school counseling role, which focused on how they performed their job. They perceived non-counseling duties to be an interference to performing their role as a school counselor. In addition to their perceptions to non-counseling duties, the school counselors that participated struggled to describe their perceptions of their professional identity.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the internal and external influences on help-seeking behavior in Latino male high school students (n=22) who were academically at-risk. Participants were asked to describe how and why they sought assistance from school counselors for academic and personal concerns. The data were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. The findings indicated various cultural and societal factors (gender roles, masculinity/machismo, face, and teachers of masculinity) that negatively influence help-seeking habits, while internal factors (positive internal strength, perceived knowledge and competence, and trusting relationships) were identified as positive influencers. These influencers related to one another and their relationship is drawn out in a model that described the experience of participants. Recommendations for future research and practice are provided for scholars and school personnel who work with this population.

This study investigated the effectiveness of a new dropout prevention program, Project WALK, which was launched at a low-income high school in Missouri during the 2012-2013 school year. After examining alarming dropout statistics, Washington High School chose 40 students to participate in a new program, Project WALK, which was designed to use graduation coaches to improve at-risk students' performance. The program's six graduation coaches formed relationships with at-risk students, monitored student progress, and consistently communicated with parents, teachers, and school administrators about the at-risk students. The researcher, an administrator at the school, gathered quantitative data to measure the effects of the intervention and qualitative data to measure the perceptions of the students who participated. The quantitative data collected for this study enabled the researcher to assess whether the graduation coach had an effect on each student's attendance, discipline, and number of credits earned during the time of the intervention compared to other years the student was in high school. The researcher considered secondary data in order to compare students' performances before and after the intervention and thus to test for a correlation between a student's being paired with a graduation coach and student outcomes such as attendance, discipline, and number of credits earned.

In addition to quantitative methods, the use of qualitative methods enabled the researcher to describe and analyze student perceptions of their experiences. Little is known about the perceived experiences of individual students who are considered to be at risk of dropping out of high school. Because qualitative data on this subject have been lacking, the qualitative component of the present study could lend greater insight into the effectiveness of interventions in students' lives. This study looked at 30 males, 10 females, 20 general education students, and 20 special education students. The results of this study indicated that the graduation coaches were beneficial in preventing dropouts, which suggests that the strategy of using graduation coaches is a promising one for serving at-risk students. These findings inform the work of educational specialists, practitioners, and school systems personnel who design interventions to help reduce the dropout rates in schools.

As more opportunities abound for students to accelerate their learning during middle and high school, research is limited in the relationship between accelerated learning and the psychosocial adjustment of adolescents. This explanatory correlational research study provided additional empirical evidence of the relationship between accelerated studies, psychosocial adjustment, and the coping strategies adolescents utilize. Participants were 93 eighth to twelfth grade students enrolled in accelerated learning courses in a northwestern state in the United States. Students were administered instruments measuring their perceptions of: stress, life satisfaction, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, suicidal ideation, academic beliefs and task values, school climate, and coping strategies. Correlation coefficients determined relationships between psychosocial adjustment, age, number of accelerated learning program classes, gender and coping variables of students participating in accelerated learning programs. Results suggest that additional research is needed in the exploration of the relationship between a number of accelerated learning program classes adolescents participate in and their psychosocial adjustment. Gender had few significant relationships to other variables and grade level correlated with psychological factors, life satisfaction, motivation, school climate, and grade point average. There were statistically significant, strong to weak correlations amongst psychosocial adjustment variables; and in particular, an intricate association between psychological indicators of possible mental health issues, stress, life satisfaction, school functioning, age, and coping strategies.

Students with disabilities have a disproportionately higher rate of dropout compared to typical peers. This study was intended to investigate the predictive factors of dropout for youth with disabilities. Specifically, this study examines how disability classification and demographics impact dropout rates for youth with disabilities. Participants in this study were all students in a large urban school district who were identified with a disability (as defined as having a IEP) in grades 9-12 (N=1439). As most variables were categorical, nonparametric analyses were used, including cross-tabulations and contingency table analyses. In addition, a binary logistic regression model was used to isolate the variables associated with dropout. Findings suggest that youth with serious emotional disability (SED) have a high risk of dropout compared to students who fall under other disability categories. Additionally, students who did not qualify for free and reduced lunch and students who were never retained (repeated a grade) were more at risk for dropout. Practical implications and future directions are discussed.

This qualitative study analyzes high school counselor caseload assignment models. It provides information on the impact of these assignments on the services provided to students, and the goals and mission of a school's counseling program and its site. It also examines the methods and rationales sites utilize to determine caseload assignment models, and counselors' perceptions of advantages and disadvantages of differing models. The study reviews relevant literature on effective and equitable school counseling programs, caseload assignment models, looping and developmental theories. The sample for this study is drawn from high school counselors in Sacramento County and its outlying areas. E-mails were sent to potential participants in the fall 2012. Nineteen in-person, semi-structured interviews were completed with 21 participants at 13 different school sites. Counselors interviewed came from schools representing the three major caseload assignment models utilized in the Sacramento area (alpha, grade level, and career academy) and five counselors whose schools did not fit into the above categories were also interviewed (alpha plus specialist counselor(s); alpha plus specialized program counselor; and counselor assigned by teacher advocacy group). Purposive, criterion and convenience sampling were utilized. School counselors in this study are clearly able to note distinct advantages and disadvantages for each major caseload assignment model utilized, and state that these distinctions affect major areas of the counselors working relationships with students, families, teachers, and the counseling team, as well as the specific function or role of the counselors at their sites. The study also shows that caseload assignment models impact the ways in which school counselors deliver guidance curriculum, individual planning services, and responsive services to students as outlined by the ASCA National Model. Descriptions for each major caseload assignment model are presented, and can be utilized for program planning and goal setting activities.

Without the rich stories of the experiences of teen parents who drop out of school and then re-enter, we do not have a total picture of the dropout phenomenon and how best to address the issues for this marginalized group. Using the research strategies of Charmaz' social constructivist grounded theory, Melton has gathered detailed stories about overcoming obstacles, connecting with others, and finding resources to complete their high school education. The pivotal role of school counselors as advocates becomes even more imperative to support teen parents in completing their education. Hopefully, this research has added depth to the understanding of what works, what is needed, and what interventions are most effective with teen parents. By using the Relational-Cultural Theoretical lens, Melton has developed the Model of Relational Resilience and Marginalization of Teen Parents who Re-enter High School after Dropping Out to better understand of the experiences of teen parents by defining their needs, exploring their resiliency, and highlighting the importance of protective factors and relationships in returning students to school.

While dual enrollment participation has substantially increased among Caucasian, Hispanic, and Asian high school students, the rates of participation among African American students, especially male students, has decreased since 2006. As a result of low participation rate in dual enrollment and research studies, little is known about the dual enrollment experience among high-achieving African American males. The purpose of this qualitative study, using a transcendental phenomenology design, was to explore the dual enrollment experiences of 10 high-achieving African American males, between 18 to 22 years, who currently attend a community college that is part of the Texas State Community College Consortium (a pseudonym). Descriptive interviews with study participants and qualitative data analyses were conducted in accordance with transcendental phenomenology methodological Four themes emerged from the data. The first theme was academic rigor of college, noted by all 10 participants. The second theme, also noted by all 10 participants, was social support and encouragement, which had six sub-themes pertaining to support from family, fellow students, and high school and college faculty/administration. Data from the 10 participants revealed the third theme of college and academic readiness, which was delineated into three sub-themes related to college and academic readiness, responsibility, and planning skills. The fourth and last theme was college tuition/financial benefits of dual enrollment, remarked upon by three students. Results from this study, can be utilized to promote social change as it concerns African American male’s academic achievement and college persistence.

High school counselors today have many roles. Through these roles, counselors strengthen student experience. Most of the scholarly literature concerning counselors' roles overlooks the voice of high school counselors serving in a Linked Learning environment. As a result, counselors' voices are missing in conversations about their roles in a Linked Learning environment. Linked Learning is a high school reform initiative that seeks to successfully prepare students for postsecondary education and careers by engaging students in linking strong academics with demanding technical learning, and thereby strengthening their real-world experience in a wide range of fields. The purpose of this qualitative interview study was to investigate high school counselors' perceptions of their roles in a Linked Learning environment. This study contributes to a small body of literature regarding counselors and Linked Learning environments. A conceptual framework was develo.ped utilizing components of the American School Counselors Association themes and delivery systems, as well as the Transforming School Counseling Initiative skills, and community counseling theory to serve as a valuable lens to view the research. This interview study found that counselors in a Linked Learning environment hold and collectively maintain a culture of high expectations and support for all students by serving as advocates, utilizing school guidance curriculum, and providing direct school services. Secondly, counselors work with their Pathway community to identify and intervene for students who are in need of additional support by serving as collaborators, providing responsive services, and indirect student services. Thirdly, counselors get to know their student's needs, and are familiar with the unique characteristics of their Pathway program by serving as systems change agents, providing system support, and indirect school services. Lastly, counselors guide decisions about postsecondary education, training, and career pursuits by serving in the role of leader, guiding students through individual student planning, and providing direct student services. Implications of the study and recommendations for policy and practice are offered within the discussion.

Whether academic achievement is defined as passing a state-mandated test for graduation or earning "A's" in a rigorous course load and having a resume full of extra-curricular accomplishments, the pressure to achieve is pervading public education, creating a culture of competition and causing academic stress. A culture of competition within a school can negatively affect adolescents during a developmental stage in which other's expectations influence the way adolescents' view themselves. Many school leaders struggle with how to rigorously prepare students for the 21^st century and global markets, within the confines of a seven-hour school day.

Popular and journalistic literature acknowledged the issue of academic stress (Robbins, 2006), and some researchers recognized the prevalence of academic stress among high achieving students (Connor, Pope, & Galloway, 2009; Pope, 2001; Pope & Simon, 2005; Richard, 2009) in this academically competitive time. However, the literature had not yet addressed how the school's organizational culture, specifically the scheduling of courses, organization of time, homework and workload policies, and extracurricular activities caused or alleviated academic stress. The researcher conducted three-part interviews with students and school leaders to learn about their experiences with academic stress in an academically competitive school culture. The researcher learned that there were positive and negative impacts of academic stress and that some of the main causes included simultaneous deadlines, conflicts between extracurricular activities and homework, and busywork. This study is important for school leaders, particularly to examine whether and how high school students perceive and articulate that time-related school components common in high school culture (such as scheduling, homework/workload policies, and extracurricular activities) contribute to these students' stress levels. The study illuminated similarities and differences in student versus school leader perception about the stress of time-related school components on students. The researcher hopes that the understandings gained from this study will help school leaders make decisions on how to schedule teacher and student time.