ERIC Number: ED371272
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1994-Mar
Pages: 14
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Minority and Non-Minority Undergraduate Psychology Majors' Familiarity with School Psychology and Factors in Their Selection of Graduate Schools.
Curtis, Michael J.; Hunley, Sawyer A.
The inadequate number of credentialed school psychologists in schools across the United States has concerned educational professionals for several years. One way that this problem was addressed was to mail information/recruitment posters to undergraduate psychology majors. Organizers mailed posters initially to psychology departments found in a list of Historically and Predominantly Black Colleges and Universities (HPBCU's), and then sent them to a wider audience. A sample of psychology majors who returned recruitment poster postcards served as the subjects in this study to determine the familiarity of undergraduate psychology majors with the field of school psychology. Researchers developed two forms of surveys: one for students from the HPBCU's and one for students from other institutions. The results reveal factors students consider when selecting a graduate school. Perhaps the most significant finding is that the majority of the undergraduate students, and almost two-thirds of African American and Hispanic students, report not having enough information about school psychology as a potential career choice. With regard to recruitment efforts, training programs should attend to the factors considered important by members of different ethnic groups, such as special financial support. Seven tables give detailed data on participant responses. (RJM)
Descriptors: Career Choice, Cultural Differences, Educational Psychology, Ethnic Groups, Graduate Study, Higher Education, Majors (Students), Minority Groups, Psychologists, Psychology, Racial Differences, School Counseling, School Counselors, School Psychologists, School Psychology, Student Interests, Undergraduate Students
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association of School Psychologists (26th, Seattle, WA, March 4-5, 1994).