Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

5-2004

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Ed. D.

Department (Legacy)

Department of Leadership, Foundations, and Human Resource Education

Committee Chair

Winter, Paul A.

Author's Keywords

Education; Teacher; Career; School counselor; Job satisfaction; Recruitment

Subject

Student counselors--Kentucky--Attitudes; Student counselors--Training of

Abstract

This study addressed the administrative task of recruiting school counselors in the largest school district of Kentucky, a state undergoing systemic school reform. The participants (N = 553) were elementary (n = 162), middle (n = 113), and high (n = 278) school teachers.The independent variables included personal characteristics of the participants (age, gender, number of dependent children, ethnicity, education, current school enrollment, current school level, current school CATS level, years of teaching experience, years of teaching experience in JCPS, years of teaching experience in Kentucky) serving as control variables. The other independent variables were counselor job facets (predictor variables) and job satisfaction (current, expected). The dependent variable was a two-item composite score for applicant rating of a school counselor position as depicted in a simulated counselor job description. The coefficient alpha for the composite rating was .9531. This research study utilized a correlation design with hierarchical multiple regression analysis as the primary analytical procedure. The results indicated one control variable (years of experience in JCPS) and four predictor variables (ECE paperwork, administration, testing/assessment, counsel/mentor) explained significant variance in the dependent variable (rating of a school counselor). JCPS experience (beta = -.20, p < .01) was a negative coefficient indicating as teaching experience in JCPS increased, participant rating of a counselor job decreased. The full model (adjusted-R2 = .35) explained 35% of the variance in the rating of a counselor job. Additional statistical procedures included the independent-samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to analyze group mean scores with the two-item composite (counselor job rating) serving as the dependent variable. The one-way ANOVA with highest degree serving as the independent variable was significant (p <; .05). The participants with a bachelors degree (M = 6.0) as the highest degree earned was significantly higher than the mean for participants with masters degree +30 hours (M = 5.1) as the highest degree earned. The Pearson correlation between age and job rating (R = -.19) was significant (p < .0001) indicating as age increased, the score for job rating decreased. Paired t-tests results indicated that teachers rated their current satisfaction with six job factors as teachers higher than they did their expected job satisfaction as a school counselor. The participants completed three open-ended questions which have implications for counselor recruitment and job restructuring. Implications for future research might involve casting practicing counselors in the role of simulated applicants for position vacancies.

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