Four Views of the Professional School Counselor—Principal Relationship:A Q-Methodology Study

Abstract

This study in this article investigated how school counselors and principals perceive their professional relationship. Q methodology was used to develop 45 opinion statements about the relationship between school counselors and principals, and 39 professional school counselors and principals then sorted the statements. Four factors emerged representing different viewpoints of this relationship. Each contained constructive attributes of the school counselor-principal relationship, but one factor exhibited an appreciation of the context of interpersonal collaboration along with the content of school improvement initiatives.