William Allan Kritsonis, PhD, Dissertation Chair for Desiree Adair Skinner

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High School Counselors’ Roles As

Perceived by High SchoolPrincipals and Counselors in Texas

A Dissertation Defenseby

Desiree Adair Skinner

March 11, 2010Chair: William Allan Kritsonis, Ph.D.



Committee Members

William Allan Kritsonis, Ph.D.

(Dissertation Chair)

Tyrone Tanner, Ed.D(Member)

Edward Mason, Ph.D.

(Member) Camille Gibson, Ph.D.

(Member)



Dissertation Defense Format

I. Purpose of the Study

II. Research Questions

III. Conceptual FrameworkIV. Method

V. Findings

VI. Previous CFI Results

VII. AccountabilityVIII. Implications

IX. Conclusions

X. Recommendations for Future Research



Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study was todescribe the perceptions of high

school principals and high schoolcounselors about the role of highschool counselors.



Quantitative ResearchQuestions

1. Is there a significant correlationbetween high school counselors’

perceptions and expectations onthe Counselor Function Inventory(CFI) scores as it relates to the

American School CounselorAssociation (ASCA) standards?




2. Is there a significant correlationbetween high school principals’

perceptions and expectations onthe Counselor Function Inventory(CFI) scores as it relates to the





3. Is there a significant differencebetween high school counselors’

and principals’ expectation scoreson the Counselor FunctionInventory (CFI) as it relates to the





4. Is there a significant differencebetween high school counselors’

and principals’ perception scoreson the Counselor FunctionInventory (CFI) as it relates to the





5. What are the most importantfunctions of the high school

counselor as perceived by the highschool principal and counselorbased on the American School

Counselor Association (ASCA)standards?



Null Hypothesis

Ho1: There is no statisticallysignificant correlation between high

school counselors’ perceptions andexpectations on the CounselorFunction Inventory (CFI) scores as it

relates to the American SchoolCounselor Association (ASCA)standards.



Null Hypothesis

Ho2: There is no statisticallysignificant correlation between high

school principals’ perceptions andexpectations on the CounselorFunction Inventory (CFI) scores as it




Null Hypothesis

Ho3: There is no statisticallysignificant difference between high

school counselors’ and principals’ expectation scores on the CounselorFunction Inventory (CFI) as it




Null Hypothesis

Ho4: There is no statisticallysignificant difference between high

school counselors’ and principals’ perception scores on the CounselorFunction Inventory (CFI) as it




Conceptual Framework

Role Theory

Role theory exists when there are

inconsistent expectations causingstress, dissatisfaction, and lesseffective performance (Rizzo, House, & Lirtzman, 1970).



Conceptual Framework

Based on the work of Falls andNichter (2007) “high school

counselors are challenged with roleambiguity, role conflict, and workoverload on a consistent basisresulting in exposure to chronic job

stress, which research indicates canlead to burnout” (Nelson, Robles-Pina, & Nichter, 2008, p. 41-42).



Method

Participants The population was 241 5A high school

principals and counselors, grades 9-12,in Texas. Potential participants=482.

249 participants: 113=principals,136=counselors completed the survey

51.66% return rate



Method

Modified Counselor FunctionInventory (CFI) selected

Modified survey completed onSurveyMonkey



Method

The survey was modified: Items were chosen to represent the

ASCA standards Contains 42 questions

Validity Established through expert opinion



Method

Reliability Cronbach alpha, α = .872

Indicates consistency and reliability in whateach survey item tested

Replication

Maser (Washington-1971) Johnson (Florida-1989)

Moore (southwestern Indiana-1997)



Method

5-point Likert scale was used

1. Counselors have total responsibility

2. Have primary responsibility, thoughmay not personally perform thefunction

3. Share function with other groups

4. Serve as a consultant

5. No direct responsibility



Method

Scores Correlation

T-tests Ranking



Findings-Question 1:

There is a statistically significantcorrelation between high school

counselors’ perceptions andexpectations on the CounselorFunction Inventory (CFI) scores as it





This suggests high school counselorsare not in agreement about the

functions they perceive themselvesperforming and the functions theyexpect themselves to perform.

There is a statistically significant

difference between their reportedactions, and what they think theiractions should be.




According to Scarborough & Culbreth (2008) experience also

plays a part of what counselors doand should do.

Nelson, Robles-Pina, and Nichter(2008) found that counselors with

10 or more years experience have abetter understanding of nationallydefined expectations.




There is a statistically significantcorrelation between high school

principals’ perceptions andexpectations on the CounselorFunction Inventory (CFI) scores as it





This suggests that high school principalsare not in agreement about the functionsthey perceive counselors are performingand the functions they expect them toperform.

There is a statistically significant

difference between the reported actions,and what the actions should be.




Opinions of the counselor’s role may varydue to the everyday needs of theindividual campus (Kirchner & Setchfield,2005).

Amatea and Clark (2005) found that thedisagreements between principals could

possibly come in many forms. Someprincipals do not agree with the value of the work responsibilities.




There is no statistically significantdifference between high school

counselors’ and principals’ expectations scores on theCounselor Function Inventory (CFI)

as it relates to the American SchoolCounselor Association (ASCA)standards.




There is no statistically significantdifference (t = 1.45, p > .05) betweenhigh school counselors’ expectation

scores and principals’ expectation scores;therefore, the null hypothesis cannot berejected.

This would suggest that high school

counselors and high school principals tendto agree on the functions that high schoolcounselors should be performing.




The study conducted by Kirchner andSetchfield (2005) found that counselorsagree regarding duties that are congruentwith the national standards.

According to Pérusse, Goodnough,Donegan, and Jones (2004), counselors

and principals believe the nationalstandards should be the underpinning of counseling programs.




There is a statistically significantdifference between high school

counselors’ and principals’ perception scores on the CounselorFunction Inventory (CFI) as it





There is a statistically significantdifference (t = 3.39, p < .05) betweenhigh school counselors’ perception scores

and principals’ perception scores;therefore, the null is rejected.

This would suggest that high schoolcounselors and high school principals do

not agree on the functions that highschool counselors are actuallyperforming.




If a principal feels that the counselingprogram will not help the campus to meetfederal and state accountability

indicators, the principal is going toprioritize and assign duties to maximizethe counselor’s benefit.

Chata and Loesch (2007) have stated

that the most effective way for counselorsto fulfill duties is to have a collaborativerelationship with the principal.






1. Assisting students in selecting highschool courses.=80.3%

2. Providing the student anopportunity to “talk through hisproblems.”=79.1%

3. Counseling with potentialdropouts.=71.5%




4. Counseling with studentsconcerning academic

failures.=69.9%5. Counseling with students in regard

to educational and vocational

plans.=61.0%6. Checking credits for graduation and

college entrance.=60.6%




7. Counseling with studentsconcerning personaldecisions.=54.6%

8. Providing collegeinformation.=41.0%

9. Assisting students with college

plans.=34.5%10. Scheduling new students.=30.1%





Previous CFI Results

Johnson (Florida, 1989)-analyzedhigh school principals and

counselors agree in their perceptions and

expectations about the functions thatcounselors do and should be doing



Previous CFI Results

Moore (southwestern Indiana,1997)-analyzed existing and ideal

counselor roles as perceived by highschool principals and counselors.

similar perceptions and expectations of what counselors do and what theyshould be doing



Accountability

The ASCA National Model providesopportunities for counselors to use andassess quantitative and qualitative data-gathering techniques (Sabella, 2006).

Accountability and achievement create anopportunity for school counselors to

become more involved in the educationalprocess affecting academic outcomes(Webb, Brigman, & Campbell, 2005).





Implications

Principals have varying opinions onwhat counselors’ duties entail.

Therefore, counselors may develop job survival skills to avoid conflict aswell as frustration with their job.





Implications

Many counselors find themselvesbogged down with schedule changes

and paperwork; not a lot of counseling. One might wonder if more individual counseling washappening would the achievementgap be impacted.



Implications

Without proper knowledge of national and state expectations,

counselors are not used to their fullpotential and students are notserved to the fullest capacity.



Conclusions

Referring to the ASCA standardsmay alleviate some of the gaps for

what a counselor should do andactually do on a campus. It isimperative for principals to havecommunication with counselorsregarding campus expectations andperceptions.



Conclusions

With increased communicationcounselor job duties can be more

clearly defined. Clarity will reduce job anxiety giving counselors asense of purpose.

R d ti f



Recommendations forFuture Research

A study could be conducted thatwould include the perceptions and

expectations of teachers, students,and parents of the counselors role.

A study could be conducted choosing

schools of various populations. A study could be conducted in rural

schools.

R d ti f




A study could be conducted in urbanschools.

A study could be conducted in suburban

schools. A study could be conducted where

principals and counselors work togetherto establish a comprehensive guidance

and counseling program that is congruentwith the American School CounselorAssociation.

R d ti f




A study could be conducted on individualcampuses to create, revise, and evaluateguidance and counseling programs toensure congruence with the ASCAstandards.

A study could be conducted to determine

the effectiveness of a complete guidanceand counseling program on studentachievement.

R d ti f




A study could be conducted to determinethe effectiveness of a complete guidanceand counseling program and its impact onstate accountability ratings.

A study could be conducted to developappropriate professional development for

both principals and counselors to betterunderstand the role of the counselor.



References

Amatea, E. S., & Clark, M. A. (2005). Changingschools, changing counselors: A qualitativestudy of school administrators' conceptions of the school counselor role. Professional School

Counselor, 9, 16-27. Retrieved October 10,2007, fromhttp://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/Journals

Chata, C. C., & Loesch, L. C. (2007). Futureschool principals' views of the roles of

professional school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 11, 35-41. RetrievedNovember 24, 2007, from EBSCOHost database.



References

Falls, L. & Nichter, M. (2007). High schoolcounselor's lived experiences of burnout: Aphenomenological study. Professional School Counseling, 5 , 47-55. Retrieved May 13, 2009,

fromhttp://www.jsc.montana.edu/articles/v5n13.pdf. Johnson, T. H. (1989). An analysis of senior high

school guidance counselor role perceptions and expectations by high school principals and

guidance counselors in Florida school districts (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuestDissertations and Theses database (UMI No.8917455).



References

Kirchner, G. L., & Setchfield, M. S.(2005). School counselors' and schoolprincipals' perceptions of the schoolcounselor's role. [Electronic version].Education, 126, 10-16.

Maser, A. L. (1971). Counselor function in

secondary schools. The School Counselor,12, 367-372.



References

Moore, L. G. (1997). An analysis of existing and ideal guidance counselor roles as perceived by high school principals and counselors insouthwestern Indiana (Doctoral dissertation).Available from ProQuest Dissertations andTheses database (UMI No. 9724573).

Nelson, J., Robles-Pina, R., & Nichter, M. (2008).An analysis of Texas high school counselors'

roles: actual and preferred counseling activities. Journal of Professional Counseling: Practice,Theory and Research, 36(1), 30-46.. Retrieved,from EBSCOHost database.



References

Pérusse, R., Goodnough, G. E., Donegan,J., & Jones, C. (2004). Perceptions of school counselors and school principalsabout the national standards for schoolcounseling programs and thetransforming school counseling initiative.

Professional School Counseling, 7 , 152-161. Retrieved November 22, 2007, fromEBSCOHost database.



References

Ponec, D. L., & Brock, B. L. (2000).Relationships among elementary schoolcounselors and principals: A unique bond.Professional School Counseling, 3, 208-217.Retrieved July 20, 2007, from EBSCOHostAcademic Search Premier database.

Rizzo, J. R., House, R. J., & Lirtzman, S. I.(1970). Role conflict and ambiguity in complex

organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly,15 , 150-163. Retrieved October 16, 2007 fromhttp://www.jstor.org



References

Sabella, R. A. (2006). The ASCA nationalschool counseling research center: A brief history and agenda. Professional School

Counseling, 9, 412-415.

Scarborough, J. L., & Culbreth, J. R.(2002). Examining discrepancies between

actual and preferred practice of schoolcounselors. Journal of Counseling and Development, 86, 446-459.



References

Webb, L. D., Brigman, G. A., & Campbell,C. (2005). Linking school counselors andstudent success: A replication of the

student success skills approach targetingthe academic social competence of students. Professional School Counseling,

8, 407-413. Retrieved August 13, 2007,from EBSCOHost database.

Documents

William Allan Kritsonis, PhD, Dissertation Chair for Desiree Adair Skinner