The role of a counselor as perceived by principals, teachers, students, parents and counselors

النوع : Mémoire

A school counselor plays a significant role in school life. The role function of a counselor has been defined by the American Counseling Association (ASCA). Standards of practice have been aligned to provide school counselors with baselines for practice. The description of a school counselor's role has been adopted by the Guidance Office in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (EMEH) as based on the definition and standards provided by the ASCA. The review of the literature has revealed confusion and misperception regarding the role function of a school counselor. Parents, teachers, and principals were found to have different perceptions regarding the role of a counselor. According to Lambie & Williamson (2004), even counselors were found to have different perceptions regarding their own role. Research has revealed the absence of recent studies regarding the role function of a school counselor in the Lebanese Educational Settings. The purpose of this study intended to investigate how the role of a counselor is perceived by students, teachers, parents, principals and counselors themselves. The study examined the current perceptions, highlighted misperceptions and studied the effect of those misperception on the implementation of the role in school setting.A sample of (482) students from the middle and secondary levels, (482) parents, (384) teachers, (7) counselors and (5) principals participated in a descriptive study whereby they responded to a questionnaire instrument aimed to investigate the present perceptions regarding the role function of a school counselor. All counselors participated in a focus group to answer questions regarding the current perceptions, misperceptions if found, and how the role is being implemented at their current schools.There was a general agreement on groups' perception regarding the role of a counselor. There were some misperception which were discussed with a focus group of counselors. The study investigated the effect of those misperceptions on the implementation of the role in school setting, and provided recommendations.