Middle School Counselors Research Articles

Analysis of counselor task commitment as a professional characteristic in junior and senior high schools in West Sumatra

Task commitment is an important thing for counselors to have so that the counseling profession provides professional services to various stakeholders. This research aims to look at the job commitment profile of middle school and high school level counselors so that it can be used as an evaluation regarding the counselor's current performance or services. The population in this study were counselors in eight cities in West Sumatra. This study uses a quantitative approach. The research sample was determined using an accidental sampling technique (convenience sampling), namely the sampling process simply involves taking the counselors the observer meets in the field. The research sample obtained was 86 counselors. The data collection technique was carried out by distributing questionnaires. The collected data was analyzed quantitatively using the SPSS 25 for Windows program and the Excel application for processing quantitative descriptive analysis, categorization and percentages and producing graphical data. The research results show that the majority of counselors' task commitment is in the very high category for all indicators, namely tough attitude, tenacity, not getting bored easily, independence, courage to take risks, desire to improve themselves, and desire to succeed.

School Counselors’ Reflections on Supporting LGBTQ+ Students

Background: Suicide attempts and suicide completion are on the rise for children and adolescents and even more so for LGBTQ+ youth. Despite some social progress, LGBTQ+ individuals still face oppression socially and legally. With much of the restrictive LGBTQ+ legislation occurring within educational settings, school counselors have an important role supporting the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth; however, many school counselors do not feel equipped to do so. Objectives: School counselors often exit their graduate programs and enter the profession with little to no knowledge of or experience working with LGBTQ+ students. The current study sought to better understand school counselors’ experiences supporting LGBTQ+ youth in their school by discussing results of two focus groups with school counselors working with LGBTQ+ students in a southeastern school district. Research Question: What are the experiences of elementary, middle, and high school counselors supporting LGBTQ+ students in a southeastern school district? Methods: Using thematic analysis of two focus group interviews, we gained greater insight into school counselors’ experiences of supporting LGBTQ+ students in their schools. Results: Through the thematic analysis, five themes and two subthemes emerged in the data. Conclusions: Although school counselors often lack time or resources to work with LGBTQ+ youth ( Gonzalez, 2016 ), the current study’s findings reveal additional barriers given less attention in the literature: navigating tension and pressure from legal policies and nonaffirming parents.

Avoiding “random acts of guidance”: Strategies for middle grades school counselors that lead to lasting learning

In a successful middle school, school counselors support young adolescents’ academic progress and personal wellbeing through a variety of methods. Classroom instruction, or classroom guidance, offers one method of providing such support and features the benefit of allowing middle grades school counselors to reach all students in their schools. However, school counselors often face challenges in designing effective classroom instruction that causes deep, long-term learning and allows students to apply new concepts or skills to their own lives. To achieve lasting learning of key mindsets and behaviors, school counselors’ lesson planning must be rooted in the science of how people learn. This article presents four research-based “laws of learning” that will help middle level school counselors avoid creating classroom instruction lessons with unintended barriers to learning in the form of strategies that contradict learning science.

CTE Can Be For Me: Middle School Counselors’ Perception of Their Knowledge and Abilities to Guide Students in Career and Technical Education in the State of Texas

CTE Can Be For Me: Middle School Counselors’ Perception of Their Knowledge and Abilities to Guide Students in Career and Technical Education in the State of Texas

고교학점제 운영에 있어 진로전담교사의 직무역량지원을 위한 요구분석 진로지도 및 상담직무 중심으로

Purpose: The high school credit system, which is a customized curriculum for each student that
 values the career design and growth of each student, is expected to be fully implemented in general
 high schools from 2025. These institutional changes in secondary education mean that it is necessary
 to prepare for the establishment and transformation of teachers and school management systems.
 Therefore, this study aimed to redefine the job competencies of high school and middle school career
 teachers in the operation of the high school credit system and analyze the educational needs necessary
 for job performance.
 Methods: The results of 242 career teachers in middle and high school were analyzed. Priority needs
 were derived by systematically and comprehensively applying the Borich demand analysis and The
 Locus for Focus model analysis to 39 'career guidance and counseling' performance capabilities.
 Results: As a result of the study, counseling for undecided students and counseling for students with
 low career motivation were the top educational needs of middle and high school career teachers. For
 middle school career teachers, instruction, and counseling for selecting subjects suitable for students'
 careers and aptitudes, and counseling for career advancement according to future jobs and social changes
 were the top educational needs, while for general high school career teachers, instruction, and counseling
 to ensure career connection between middle and high school were the top educational needs. For
 all middle and high school career teachers, the ability to prepare academic plans, counseling for
 undecided students, career-linked counseling for middle and high school students, and counseling for
 students with low career motivation were the top educational demands.
 Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it was suggested to provide programs to strengthen
 high-demand job competencies, provide new education every year for jobs that want to increase
 professionalism, establish an education system suitable for each annual level, and systemize career
 counseling records management linking middle and high schools.

The Use of Popular Social Media On Guidance And Counseling Services In Middle School Counselors

Along with technological developments, social media applications have emerged that support the dissemination of content, either in the form of photos or videos, guidance and counseling in schools needs to take advantage of its existence as a friendly and attractive BK service media for students. TikTok and Instagram are the most popular social media among teenagers that can be used as a medium for guidance and counseling services. This quantitative research on counselors or guidance and counseling teachers in East Java aims to capture the most popular use of social media among students. The results of this study describe the opinions of counselors or guidance and counseling teachers regarding the development and use of guidance and counseling media during the pandemic and how to use social media in counseling services. The results of the study became preliminary research in improving the competence of counselors in developing social media for guidance and counseling.

The Socratic Method and Opportunities for Its Application by Middle School Counselors to Increase Awareness About Bullying

The Socratic method is one of many methods used in counseling guidance services. The simple Socratic method can be applied by counselors to reduce bullying. The purpose of this study was to determine whether high school counselors in Yogyakarta Province recognize the Socratic method and whether there is an opportunity for this method to be applied to increase the awareness of students about bullying. A qualitative research approach was used, with a focus on phenomenology. The data were collected using an open questionnaire. The subjects consisted of 19 counselors from 15 secondary schools in the Yogyakarta Province who were selected by purposive sampling. Data analysis was carried out based on the guidance of Narbuko and Achmadi; this process consisted of three steps, namely editing, coding, and tabulation. The results showed that there was a substantial opportunity for the Socratic method to be applied by secondary school counselors in Yogyakarta Province to increase students’ awareness about bullying. This was evidenced by: 1) bullying continued to occur among middle school students, even though the counselors had used various methods and services to discuss bullying; 2) only a small number of school counselors had received information about the Socratic method, but the procedure for implementing the Socratic method was considered simple; and 3) all counselors stated that guidance on implementing the Socratic method was necessary and were enthusiastic about applying the Socratic method in an effort to increase students’ awareness about bullying
 Keywords: Socratic method, opportunity, anti-bullying awareness

Reviewing Identification and Intervention of School Bullying on Perception of Middle School Counselling Teacher on Dealing Bullying

<em>Bullying behavior is serious problem that can affect mental and psychosocial development in both the bully and the victim. School bullying happens in school aged children and occurs during or after school hours. As bullying happened in schools, counseling teacher is one of main resource in efforts to prevent and to intervene bullying situations. Counseling teacher has competencies and authorities regarding this matter. This study aimed to know perception of counseling teacher on dealing with bullying by reviewing information about identification and intervention of school bullying. This study was quasy experiment with one group pre-test and post-test design. Purposive sampling was used to obtain 16 middle school counseling teachers in Kasihan and Pajangan sub district as participants to join this study. The data were collected through modification of Perceptions of Bullying Questionnaire and The Handling Bullying Questionnaire. Data were analyzed by Paired t-test. Majority of respondents were more than 46 years with the highest level of education was bachelor degree. Counseling teacher had experience as counselling teacher for more than 10 years. Teacher’s perceived ability to identify the bully and the victim was in “enough” category. Perceived method to deal with the bully was involving students and their parents while method to deal with the victim was involving students, parents and school personnel. There are significant differences of teacher’s perception on handling bullying before and after intervention (p- value=0.032). Giving information can give a positive effect against the perception the guidance counselor in dealing with bullying.</em>

School Counselors’ Assessment of the Legitimacy of High School Choice Policy

Drawing on interviews with 88 middle school counselors tasked with implementing New York City’s high school choice policy, we show that counselors largely question the policy’s legitimacy and the equity of the high school assignments it produces. By highlighting issues of transparency and procedural fairness that threaten counselors’ acceptance of school choice policy, we offer lessons for policymakers and practitioners about how policy design and communication affect policy legitimacy and, as a result, implementation.

Middle and High School Counselor Advocates for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Students

Three-hundred-and-ninety-eight school counselors were surveyed with regard to school counselor advocacy for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) students. Demographic variables were assessed, along with school counselors’ levels of LGB advocacy intention (i.e., advance plans to advocate for LGB students). School counselor LGB advocacy is significantly related to school counselors’ age, level of interaction with LGB people, years of full-time school counseling experience, sexual orientation, and school location. LGB advocacy intention was identified as a mediator—the variable mediated the effects of school counselors’ attitudes toward LGB people and advocacy self-efficacy on their levels of self-reported LGB advocacy activity.

A Sense of Mattering: A Group Intervention for African American Boys

African American boys have been disproportionately represented in school discipline data. School counselors are encouraged to integrate cultural considerations while developing interventions for African American boys. A middle school counselor (the first author) utilized discipline data to create a culturally responsive group intervention designed to affect behavior and develop social/emotional skills. Through the analysis of perception and outcome data, findings indicated improvement in behavior and social/emotional skills among participants. We discuss implications for school counselors, school counselor education programs, and school districts.

Surviving at the Street Level: How Counselors’ Implementation of School Choice Policy Shapes Students’ High School Destinations

Given the dominance of residentially based school assignment, prior researchers have conceptualized K–12 enrollment decisions as beyond the purview of school actors. This paper questions the continued relevance of this assumption by studying the behavior of guidance counselors charged with implementing New York City’s universal high school choice policy. Drawing on structured interviews with 88 middle school counselors and administrative data on choice outcomes at these middle schools, we find that counselors generally believe lower-income students are on their own in making high school choices and need additional adult support. However, they largely refrain from giving action-guiding advice to students about which schools to attend. We elaborate street-level bureaucracy theory by showing how the majority of counselors reduce cognitive dissonance between their understanding of students’ needs and their inability to meet these needs adequately given existing resources. They do so by drawing selectively on competing policy logics of school choice, narrowly delineating their conception of their role, and relegating decisions to parents. Importantly, we also find departures from the predictions of this theory as approximately one in four counselors sought to meet the needs of individual students by enlarging their role despite the resource constraints they faced. Finally, we quantify the impact of variation in counselors’ approaches, finding that the absence of action-guiding advice is associated with students being admitted to lower-quality schools, on average.

Experiences of Middle School Counselors Learning and Applying Principles of Neuroscience

Adolescence is period of substantial neurological transformation that can result in significant changes in thinking, feeling, and behavior. School counselors are on the front lines of working with adolescents and other adults that greatly influence adolescents’ development. Understanding principles of neuroscience and adolescent brain development may be helpful for school counselors engaging in this important role. In this interpretative phenomenological analysis study, we examined school counselors’ experiences learning and applying principles of neuroscience and adolescent brain development. Four overarching themes emerged from the data: neuroscience as relevant and useful; neuroscience as a helpful explanation for adolescent behavior; collaborating with key stakeholders; and barriers to application. Implications for school counselors and individuals who train school counselors, as well as implications for future research, are provided.

Addressing the Social and Emotional Needs of Refugee Adolescents in Schools: Learning From the Experiences of School Counselors

The United States continues to be one of the top resettlement countries in the world, and refugee children are entering U.S. schools at unprecedented rates. School counselors strive to develop and implement comprehensive counseling programs that address the academic, career, and personal/social needs of all students. This includes addressing the needs of refugee students; however, research remains limited with regard to this population. This article describes a qualitative examination of middle school counselors’ experiences and perceptions of the social and emotional needs of refugee students. Nine professional school counselors were interviewed, and five themes pertaining to identifying and addressing the social and emotional needs of refugee students emerged from the interviews: (1) school counselor’s role, (2) resilience, (3) perceived student trauma, (4) barriers, and (5) supportive factors. Participants perceived their professional role to be both a factor of support and a barrier to providing support. Awareness of trauma and other barriers are discussed, along with the perception of resilience among refugee students and factors that help support school counselors in addressing the social and emotional needs of this population. The authors present implications for practicing school counselors and ideas for future research.

Using Narrative Therapy With Low-Income Middle School Students: A Model for School Counselors

The physical, emotional, and cognitive changes incurred during adolescence coupled with heightened anxiety levels and social issues associated with attending middle school can be challenging for youth. For middle school students from low-income families, these challenges are often compounded by poorer health, lower academic achievement, and decreased likelihood of upward social mobility (e.g., completing college) as compared to their more affluent peers. Researchers have found narrative therapy to be a beneficial method of treatment for adolescents from underserved populations or those experiencing social issues (e.g., incarceration, diagnoses of mental health conditions). In this article, the authors propose a six-meeting model of narrative therapy for middle school counselors to implement with low-income students.

School Counselor Sexual Minority Advocacy Competence Scale (SCSMACS)

The purpose of this study was to develop the School Counselor Sexual Minority Advocacy Competence Scale (SCSMACS), a measure to use in training school counselors to advocate for sexual minority students. Developing the SCSMACS involved (a) generating items, (b) reducing items, and (c) gathering data from middle and high school counselors to conduct principal component analysis and reliability and validity testing. The author found support for content validity, construct validity, criterion validity, and test–retest reliability.

The Achieving Success Everyday Group Counseling Model: Implications for Professional School Counselors

This article presents the Achieving Success Everyday (ASE) group counseling model, which is designed to help school counselors integrate students’ academic and personal-social development into their group work. We first describe this group model in detail and then offer one case example of a middle school counselor using the ASE model to conduct a group counseling intervention in a school setting. Finally, implications for school counselors are presented.

Students' Perception of Career and Technical Education in Traditional High Schools

Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this study is to determine if the perceptions of Career Technical Education (CTE) influences students' choices in their path of study upon entering high school. The counselors' knowledge of the curriculum paths students must choose affects the guidance offered to students when choosing a path of study in high school. Students must choose a path upon entering the ninth grade and school counselors help provide input into the students' decision making process. In studying the perceptions, both positive and negative, of career technical education of middle and high school counselors, the results would provide an image of career technical education held by school counselors. Research Questions: This study will seek to evaluate students' perception of career and technical education in traditional high schools. 1. What are the identifiable perceptions of students in traditional high school regarding Career Technical Education? 2. Is there a predictive relationship between the perceptions of students in traditional high school and non-traditional high school students in choice of career? 3. What are the students' perceptions of the role guidance counselors in facilitating career guidance?

A National Survey of School Counselors’ Perceptions Of Multiracial Students

A total of 1627 school counselors from all 50 states and the District of Columbia participated in a study designed to investigate their personal perceptions of multiracial individuals. Results indicated that school counselors held a wide variety of perceptions and those with 1 to 5 years of experience were more likely to believe that multiracial students experienced more academic and behavioral problems. Middle school counselors were more likely to believe that multiracial students have a more difficult time adjusting to society. School counselors who were unsure if cultural diversity and awareness programs were promoted in their school were also unsure if the physical appearance of multiracial students impacted how they racially identified themselves. Finally, school counselors in schools with a Very Diverse student body believed that multiracial students would experience fewer problems related to identity development if they lived in a diverse community. They also believed the problems experienced by multiracial students were related to identity conflicts.

A National Survey of School Counselors' Perceptions of Multiracial Students

A total of 1627 school counselors from all 50 states and the District of Columbia participated in a study designed to investigate their personal perceptions of multiracial individuals. Results indicated that school counselors held a wide variety of perceptions and those with 1 to 5 years of experience were more likely to believe that multiracial students experienced more academic and behavioral problems. Middle school counselors were more likely to believe that multiracial students have a more difficult time adjusting to society. School counselors who were unsure if cultural diversity and awareness programs were promoted in their school were also unsure if the physical appearance of multiracial students impacted how they racially identified themselves. Finally, school counselors in schools with a Very Diverse student body believed that multiracial students would experience fewer problems related to identity development if they lived in a diverse community. They also believed the problems experienced by mu...