ERIC Number: ED296210
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1988-Apr-7
Pages: 47
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Attitudes, Experiences, and Feelings of Guidance Counselors in Working with Homosexual Students: A Report on the Quality of School Life for Southern Gay and Lesbian Students.
Sears, James T.
During the past 15 years, a variety of studies conducted mostly in the industrial North and Far West, have sought to determine the attitudes and feelings of various populations toward homosexual men, lesbians, and homosexuality. These studies often reported the relationships between attitudes and personality traits or demographic variables. During this same time period articles have appeared in professional counseling journals advising practitioners of their professional responsibility to address the special needs and problems of homosexual clients, particularly students. This study examined the attitudes, experiences, and feelings of school counselors in the state of South Carolina about homsexual students. All 483 counselors (grades 5-12) in the state were surveyed. Responses were received from 142 counselors for a return rate of 29 percent. Instruments used were the Counselors' Perceptions of the Quality of School Life for Gays and Lesbians Survey (a measure designed specifically for this study), the Modified Attitudes Toward Homosexuality survey (MATH), and the Index of Homophobia measure (IH). Significant differences were found between counselors' attitudes and feelings about homosexuality vis-a-vis their educational level, gender, and race. Counselors often expressed ambivalent attitudes toward homosexuality though few harbored neutral feelings. Most counselors felt ill-prepared to work with homosexual students. Data are displayed in 13 tables, including the mean and standard deviations for each item on the MATH and IH surveys. (ABL)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: South Carolina Univ., Columbia. Coll. of Education.
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A


