What is the Importance of the School Size for School Counselors?

Asli Tayli

doi:10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p1800

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the way in which the size of a school might impact on the psychological counseling services. In addition to several other features, the size of a school that is part of its structural characteristics also requires appropriate arrangements for the counseling services to be offered. As a matter of fact, there is a general principle that the guidance and psychological counseling services to be offered at school need to be customized as per the purposes and requirements of schools. This role is ascribed to psychological counselors most frequently since they are specialized in educational leadership, safe school climate and systematic change at school as a person able to assess the characteristics and potentials of students and they have the potential and power to have an impact on the social, cultural and political dynamics of schools as leaders in the social and emotional aspects of the education system. The psychological counselors are expected to perform these roles ascribed to them, to know the effects of the size of the school on the educational and psychosocial results and to make progress in preventing potential problems. There are various results with respect to the effect of the school size on the psychosocial aspects. In terms of the school size, the large, middle and small schools each have their own pros and cons as understood from the results. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p1800

Highlights

There is further need for holistic assessments by counselors such as those focused on the school climate and the structural characteristics of schools in terms of their effect on students
It is especially important to know that schools of every size whether medium or small have different advantages and disadvantages with respect to educational and psychosocial results and to make appropriate arrangements be made in the services to be offered
Given the fact that very small schools may provide an environment with much fewer stimuli in both social and intellectual terms, it is especially that psychological counselors engage in collaboration with universities and science institutions in the country to increase the academic achievement level and to meet the intellectual requirements of students and to exert their efforts for horizon-expanding experience and opportunities for these students, which is especially important for the students who are in the adolescence period

Summary

Introduction

The role of student advocacy and agency of social change expected from the counselors is recommended as an economical and effective way especially in crowded schools with a high number of students This new role makes it necessary to focus on aspects related to the entire school and the schooling system rather than focusing on the individual, to switch from a service-providing leader to the planner, to use information for change rather than collecting information, to integrate the stakeholders of education rather than being a complementary staff member, to trigger change rather than supporting what is present and especially to demand equal educational conditions for all students (Trusty and Brown, 2005). It was observed that the school size was inversely proportional with the level of student attachment to school, satisfaction with the student-teacher interaction and participation in extra-curricular activities at school (Walsh, 2010)

School Size and Psychological Counseling Services at Schools

Findings

Conclusion