Quality and Improvement Potential in School Psychology Services

Abstract

The present study evaluates the collaboration and school psychology task priority of elementary school administrators, teachers and school psychology counsellors. The aim of the study was to shed light on the subjects' service quality concepts and to evaluate the change potential of the categorical school psychology services (SPS). Factor analyses of the Collaboration Index show different quality indicators between administrators and teachers. Some support was found for agreement among school personnel, that responsiveness of school psychology counsellors is the most important quality criterion. The Task Priority Index shows overlapping preferences among the school personnel-all groups wanting extension of all services. Teachers, however, want more consultation and systemic prevention services than administrators, who were more preoccupied by the timeliness and availability of the services. Teachers who are members of special education teams evaluate the collaboration with the SPS more positively than do non-members. They also demand fewer extra services than non-members. A promising finding is the school personnel's and the SP personnel's agreement that intervention, consultation and prevention need preference over categorical services. The finding is discussed in relation to the change potential of the SPS.