ERIC Number: ED546965
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 278
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-1-2675-0873-7
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Implementing Innovative Counseling Practices: Are School Counselors MEASUREing Up?
Smith, Kimberly Nicole Tripp
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, North Carolina State University
The purpose of this study was to examine school counselors' perception of how innovative counseling practices are or are not lived in a local school district. The eastern North Carolina school district was selected because MEASURE was being introduced in the district as a new way for program evaluation. The acronym MEASURE stands for Mission, Elements, Analyze, Stakeholders-Unite, Results, and Educate and is a six-step accountability process that helps counselors with their school improvement efforts. A Phase One interview was conducted with the district's Director of Student Services to gain insights on the adoption of MEASURE along with factors that supported or inhibited this change initiative. The quantitative Phase Two involved Q-methodology with 34 school counselors from 25 schools sorting 37 concourse statements derived from the 2008 North Carolina School Professional Counseling Standards and other data sources. Phase Three involved a focus group of six counselors who responded to Phase Two findings and allowed the researcher to further clarify counselors' perceptions of practices. The Q-Sort revealed three model factor arrays representing based on counselor loadings: Factor One "The Helping Professionals," Factor Two "The Skill-driven Professionals," and Factor Three "Coordinating Professionals." The mixed methods research findings were linked to extant literature and the researcher used the lens of Everett Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation to discuss the personal change efforts involved with MEASURE. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: School Counselors, School Counseling, Counselor Attitudes, Innovation, School Districts, Accountability, Educational Improvement, Q Methodology, Focus Groups, Factor Analysis, Mixed Methods Research, Counseling Techniques
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: North Carolina
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A