Attitudes of American School Counselor Association members toward utilizing paraprofessionals in school counseling - Statistical Data Included

Professional School Counseling, Feb, 2002 by Randall L. Astramovich, Janice Miner Holden

Cronbach's alphas were calculated to test internal consistency reliability of survey items assessing counselor-student ratios (.83), views of time available to provide direct services (.67), and overall support for using counseling paraprofessionals (.86). Internal consistency was also tested for items assessing support for specific job domains, including clerical duties (.83), indirect helping tasks (.71), and direct helping tasks (.87).

Procedures

Participants were drawn from a systematic random sample (Rea & Parker, 1997) of the ASCA 1999-2000 Membership Directory (ASCA, 1999a). The sample was stratified by state to maximize obtaining a representative national sample of ASCA members. From the ASCA membership of approximately 12,000 members, a sample of 600 members was drawn, representing about 5% of the current membership. Rea and Parker (1997) cited low response rates as a major limitation of mall surveys. To increase the return rate of this survey, respondents were entered in a drawing for a digital video disc (DVD) player.

Surveys were mailed to the 600 randomly selected ASCA members along with an introductory letter, an entry card for the DVD player drawing, and a stamped envelope for return. A total of 186 surveys (31%) were returned within 15 days of the initial mailing. A follow-up postcard requesting the completed survey was mailed to participants who had not responded within 15 days of the initial mailing. After the postcard mailing, 55 additional participants returned their surveys. Data collection ended on the 28th day subsequent to the initial mailing. The final return consisted of 241 surveys representing a 40% return rate. Of the returned surveys, only those participants currently employed as school counselors were used. This yielded a final sample of 207 ASCA members for this study.

Results

What Are the Current Counselor-Student Ratios in Participants' Schools?

The mean counselor-student ratio of the participants was 1 counselor per 465 students (SD = 312). A one-sample t test indicated this ratio significantly exceeded (t = 9.87, p < .000) ASCA (1999a) recommendations of 1 counselor per 250 students. Elementary school counselor participants had the highest mean counselor-student ratio of 1 counselor per 594 students (SD = 393). Middle school counselors had a mean ratio of 1 counselor per 387 students (SD = 206), while high school counselors had the lowest counselor-student mean ratio of 1 counselor per 338 students (SD = 122). A polynomial contrast of the counselor-student ratio showed a significant linear trend (F (1, 203) = 25.19, p < .001). Thus, counselor-student ratios decreased as school level increased. The majority of participants (60%) reported an inadequate counselor-student ratio at their schools. Furthermore, the majority of participants (52%) indicated that the counselor-student ratio at their school hindered their ability to serve students.

What Percentage of Time Do Participants Report Spending in Direct Counseling and Guidance Services with Students?