Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Training Needs Assessment and Competence Measure: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

Abstract

PurposeTo validate an 80-item self-report measure, A Systems Approach to Placement: Self-Assessment for Students and Counselors (SAP-SASC), designed to identify critical areas of knowledge, skills, and competencies possessed by rehabilitation counselors in state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency settings.Participants275 rehabilitation counselors from state VR agencies in Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and tribal VR in Oklahoma participated in this study.MethodDescriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were utilized to validate the factorial structure of the SAP-SASC.ResultsEFA revealed a six-factor solution comprising professional competence related to the following subsystems: employer, health and education, client, social and contextual, funding, and placement personnel. The internal consistency reliability coefficients for the six sub-scales range from .90 to .96. Counselors in this study rated themselves as having high competence in addressing direct job placement, formal education/skills enhancement, and family related needs impacting delivery of VR services.ConclusionThe SAP-SASC provides a useful measure of professional competencies required for VR practices. The six key competence areas of the instrument are essential for the provision of quality VR services.