The Contribution Of Professional School Counselors\u27 Social-cognitive Development To Their Levels Of Ethical And Legal Knowledge, And Locus-of-control Orientation

Professional School Counselors (PSCs) are to serve as advocates for all students and promote systemic change (American School Counselor Association, 2008) while navigating complex work environments. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of PSCs‟ social-cognitive development to their levels of ethical and legal knowledge and locus of control orientation. The three constructs and instruments investigated in this study were: (a) social-cognitive development (ego development; the Washington University Sentence Completion Test [WUSCT]; Hy & Loevinger 1996), (b) Ethical and Legal Knowledge (the Ethical and Legal Knowledge in Counseling Questionnaire-Revised [ELICQ-R]; Lambie, Ieva, Gill, & Hagedorn, 2010), and (c) Locus of Control (the Adult Nowicki-Strickland Internal External Scale- College [ANSIE-C]; Nowicki & Duke, 1974; the Work Locus of Control Scale [WLCS]; Spector, 1988). The findings from this investigation contribute to the school counseling and counselor education literature. The sample size for this study was 301 certified, practicing school counselors (elementary school, middle school, high school, and multi-level) in five states (Colorado, Florida, Maine, Maryland, and New Mexico) across the country. The participants completed data collection packets including a general demographic questionnaire, the WUSCT (Hy & Loevinger 1996), the ANSIE-C (Nowicki & Duke, 1974), the WLCS (Spector, 1988), and the ELICQ-R (Lambie, et al., 2010). The statistical procedures used to analyze the data included (a) structural equation modeling (path Analysis), (b) simultaneous multiple regression, (c) Pearson productmoment (2-tailed), and (d) Analysis of variance (ANOVA). The primary research hypothesis was that practicing school counselors‟ social-cognitive development scores would contribute to their locus of control orientation and their levels of iv ethical and legal knowledge. The statistical analyses identified several significant findings. First, the path analysis model testing the contribution of school counselors‟ social-cognitive development to locus of control and ethical and legal knowledge did fit for these data. Specifically, the results indicated that school counselors‟ social-cognitive development contributed to their ethical and legal knowledge (less than 1% of the variance explained) and to locus of control (14% of the variance explained) in the model fit for these data. In addition, locus of control contributed to school counselors‟ ethical and legal knowledge (2% of the variance explained). Implications for professional school counseling and counselor education are presented, along with areas for future investigation

Impact of a Counseling Ethics Course on Graduate Students’ Learning and Development

Data from graduate counseling students (N = 28) enrolled in an ethical and legal issues in professional school counseling course at a research university were used to investigate the impact of the course on students’ levels of ethical and legal knowledge (Lambie, Hagedorn, & Ieva, 2010) and ego development (Loevinger, 1976, 1998). Students’ ethical and legal knowledge scores increased significantly and pre-course ego maturity correlated with post-course ethical and legal knowledge. Implications for the scholarship of teaching and learning are discussed

The Relationship Between Perceived Career Barriers and Career Decision Self-Efficacy on Initial Career Choice Among Low-Income, First Generation, Pre-Freshman, College-Bound Students

This study was an investigation of the predictive value of perceived career barriers and career decision self-efficacy on the certainty of initial career choice among low-income pre-freshman college students, an under-studied college population with respect to career development (Winograd & Shick Tryon, 2009). The moderating effects of certain cultural characteristics (race, gender and college generational status) on the certainty of initial career choice were also examined. A non-experimental correlational research design was utilized, along with a multiple linear regression analysis, to investigate the predictability of perceived career barriers and career decision self-efficacy, directly and as moderated by the cultural characteristics of gender, race and college generational status on the certainty of initial career choice among pre-freshmen low-income, first generation college-bound students

Equipping School Counselors for Antiracist Healing Centered Groups: A Critical Examination of Preparation, Connected Curricula, Professional Practice and Oversight

This paper highlights the potential for school counselors to promote antiracist practices and racial healing engagement utilizing small group counseling to ultimately eliminate inequities in schools. However, counselor educator programs, founded on middle to upper class white ideals, worldviews, and narrowly focused theoretical frameworks, currently function in ways that fail to equip future school counselors with the group facilitation knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for equitable practice in schools across the nation using case illustrations and a broad current literature review, the authors conceptualize the rationale for more competencies beyond group course assignment, clinical requirements (e.g., CACREP standards, 2016), practice, and supervision. Critical questions for counselor educators to reflect upon for group and connected curricula transformation are provided

The Intentionality of Confronting Racism, Systemic Oppression, and Cyclical Trauma in Counselor Education: A Self Study

Utilizing self-study methodology, the researchers sought to understand their practices in developing school counselors and counselor educators who acknowledge and resist anti-Black racism and marginalization to prevent harm through complacency. Given counselor education’s existence as overwhelmingly white and Eurocentric, the authors investigate disrupting the heteronormative structures inherent in counseling and the academy with the prioritizing of race, systemic inequities, and cyclical trauma in their faculty roles (e.g., teaching, supervising, and service) in efforts to shift a profession slow to address society’s ever-changing mental health needs. The team of counselor educators from different states in the northeast use a thematic analysis to highlight their challenges and successes at each institution, and within the broader counselor education and academic context

Graduate Counseling Students\u27 Learning, Development, and Retention of Knowledge

The present study investigated 52 graduate counseling students’ levels of ethical and legal knowledge (Lambie, Hagedorn, & Ieva, 2010) and social cognitive development (Hy & Loevinger, 1996) at three points: (a) prior to a counseling ethics course, (b) at the completion of the course, and (c) four months later. Students’ ethical and legal knowledge scores increased and they retained their learning; however, their social-cognitive development did not change. Implications for the scholarship of teaching and learning are discussed

Liberatory School Counseling Practices to Promote Freedom Dreaming for Black Youth

The American School Counseling Association calls for professional school counselors to support the holistic development and success of all students. However, the field of school counseling is riddled with practices that have harmed and dehumanized Black students. For example, school counselors engage in practices (e.g., social–emotional learning and vocational guidance), which work to reinforce white supremacy and dehumanize Black students. Further, school counselors may also contribute to the ways that the basic and unique needs of Black students are overlooked, leading to the continued systemic adultification of Black students. What is needed is a radical imagination of school counseling, which centers on homeplace as the foundation in order to engage in freedom dreaming. In this article, the authors engage this radical imagination to detail an antiracist view of school counseling practice that embraces freedom dreaming and homeplace through healing and Indigenous educational practices, youth-led school counseling, and critical hip-hop practices to promote joy, creativity, power, love, resistance, and liberation

Graduate counseling students’ learning, development, and retention of knowledge

The present study investigated 52 graduate counseling students’ levels of ethical and legal knowledge (Lambie, Hagedorn, & Ieva, 2010) and social-cognitive development (Hy & Loevinger, 1996) at three points: (a) prior to a counseling ethics course, (b) at the completion of the course, and (c) four months later. Students’ ethical and legal knowledge scores increased and they retained their learning; however, their social-cognitive development did not change. Implications for the scholarship of teaching and learning are discussed

Board # 63 : Algae for STEM Education

This project is an innovative initiative involving the College of Engineering at Rowan University and the Center for Aquatic Sciences (CAS) at Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey to enhance STEM education at all levels. Three other educational institutions will have a direct impact from our proposed activities. These include the Rowan College at Gloucester County (RCGC), Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) and the STEM Academy at Glassboro High School. The project uses algae to introduce engineering students to the Global Grand Challenges of the 21st Century with a strong focus on combining critical reflection through activities that invest in the humanities especially literary readings, sociology, environmental justice and public policy. While everyone recognizes algae as a photosynthetic organism that is ubiquitous, it is rare that that students make a connection to the prospect of this microbe playing a significant role in impacting the future of this world. The use of algae can range from biofuels, carbon sequestration, nutrient removal to use in the nutraceutical industry. The algae production facility is the backbone of CAS activities at the Adventure Aquarium as it is food for various zooplankton, filter feeders or larval fishes. Students are engaged in the scientific discovery process using both exciting hands-on activities and cyberlearning experiences that introduce chemical, mechanical, electrical engineering, civil and environmental principles such as mass and energy balances; fluid flow; work, energy, and efficiency; water quality and treatment; unit physical, chemical and biological processes; microbiology; power and electrical signal processing. The algae theme also adds to the need for an understanding of biological systems, ecosystems, pollution, alternate energy and sustainable development. A strong unique focus of this project is in combining critical reflection through activities that invest in the humanities