Chapter 2/ Whiston & Thromas/
The two articles, The current status of school counseling
outcome research and A review of
school counseling outcome research: implications and practice, will be the
focus of my blog this week. This week’s
readings in conjunction with chapter 2 have helped to refine my research topic
interests. Both articles discuss studies
regarding a correlation between evidence based emotional intelligence
interventions and increases in academic achievement as well as a decrease in
maladaptive behavior. I am interested in
emotional intelligence because it encompasses so many of the specific interests
I have such as crisis, trauma, anxiety, and creative arts therapy. Essentially my interests can be generalized
as either issue that can be remediated with an increase in emotional
intelligence as well as creative ways to teach emotional intelligence. Lastly these articles have helped me to
understand the importance of continuously keeping current with research that
will help me to advocate for my profession.
Whiston and Thomas discuss
several studies linking counseling programs to academic achievement and a
decrease in disruptive behavior. Being
able to show administrators data linking research based interventions and
improvements in GPA and test scores will help counselors show the validity and
value of our profession. In addition
they show that the correlation between counseling programs and academic
achievement occurs in elementary, middle, and high school and a range of
student demographics.
McGannon, Carey, and Dimmit
discuss the importance of accountability with enforcement of such legislation
as No Child Left Behind. School
counselors need to properly collect and measure data and be able to prove that
the intervention is successful and if it is not successful then the program
needs to be improved or removed. Today I
had my first counselor interview with a counselor who has never had to use data
to show the effectiveness of her interventions in her entire 30-year
career. Times have changed and with school
audits and funding, you bet your buns I will be recording data and be prepared
to show my results. I feel empowered
knowing there is empirical data showing just how important school counseling
is. One of the best studies for school
counseling advocacy mentioned by McGannon et.al is, Sink & Stroh
(2003). Sink and Stroh conducted a
state-wide study to see if classroom guidance curriculum increases achievement
test scores of elementary school students.
They randomly selected 150 schools and compared the test scores of the
treatment group with the comparison group.
Tests included math, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, listening, and
reading. What they discovered is that
students who are in a CDG program do better academically. This correlation really fascinates me and I
want to learn more about how emotional intelligence not only helps to decrease
maladaptive behavior but also drives achievement results.
McGannon, W., Carey, J., & Dimmit, C. (2005). The current
status of school counseling outcome research. Center for School
Counseling Outcome Research, 2.
Whiston, S. C., & Sexton, T. L. (1998). A review of school
counseling outcome research: Implications for practice. Journal Of Counseling
& Development, 76(4), 412-426. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6676.1998.tb02700.x.
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