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Client Welfare as an Anchor: Lived Experiences of Gatekeepers in Counselor Education
Get PDFGatekeeping is an essential function within counselor education that is aimed at helping counselors in training (CIT) achieve competency to practice. There is a lack of research focused on understanding gatekeepers’ experiences, including how they resolve challenges. The purpose of this hermeneutic study was to understand the lived experiences of gatekeepers in counselor education, including gatekeeping challenges and how they are addressed in the training system. There were five emerging themes with eight subthemes. The findings highlight how gatekeeping is vital, cannot be done in isolation, and how individuals learn from their experiences. These findings inform the counselor training community about best practices to help decrease gateslippage, which may result in better client care and lead to positive social change
Postcolonial Analysis of Equity in the Ghanaian Education System
Get PDFThe paper contains information on the Ghana education system. As a product of the system, I will explain the Ghanaian education system\u27s structure in the first part of the paper. In this part of the paper, I explain the Ghanaian education system from early childhood to the tertiary level, the assessment practices used in Ghana, and diversity and inclusion in the education sector of Ghana. I will give a brief overview of all the educational levels in Ghana and the age brackets of all levels. Early childhood education in Ghana starts at birth to age 4, and kindergarten starts at age 4 or 5. The primary level, which is six years, starts at age 6, and the junior high level starts at age 12. Students write standardized tests at this level: the Basic Education Certificate Exams (BECE) and the SHS. Students are required to write the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, which is the same in all West African countries. I will also explain how the Senior High School in Ghana is categorized based on performance, population, and resources. I will elaborate on the assessment strategies in the Ghanaian education system, as well as inclusive education. The new form of assessment by the Ministry of Education will also be explained in the first section
Connecting Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Education Competencies in Teacher Preparation Programs to the Experiences of Mixed-Race Learners in K-12 Settings: A Mixed Methods Study
Get PDFMixed-race individuals are increasing in number within the United States population. There is limited research on mixed-race learners in K-12 school settings. This study delves into the unique educational experiences of this group of learners and provides implications for future teachers. With a focus on the Pennsylvania Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Education (CR-SE) competencies, the researcher incorporates the competencies into course work and field experiences for pre-service teachers taking a course focused on literacy instruction and intervention. Quantitative, pre- and post- surveys, and qualitative data, open-ended responses, observations, and end of semester reflections were collected from pre-service teachers. Qualitative data, anecdotal narratives, were collected from families of mixed-race learners. Through action research and a mixed methods approach, the insider researcher uncovers converging themes through the data analysis process. These converging themes center on the importance of culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogy and identity and sense of belonging. The connection between themes in the data and the literature review solidifies the need for changes to teacher preparation programs. This research suggests the use of the CR-SE competencies as an effective framework to infuse in courses and field experiences. In doing so, pre-service teachers will potentially increase their understanding and application of culturally relevant and sustaining education practices to create inclusive classrooms for their future, diverse students
School Social Workers Conducting Home Visits: Practice and Perceptions
Get PDFSchool districts are serving populations of students being faced with more multiplex sets of individual, school, family, and community level risk factors (Berzin & O’Connor, 2010; Boske & Benavente-McEnery, 2010; Frey et al., 2012; Kelly et al., 2010). Many children are unable to respond effectively to the school setting due to the stress in their family’s lives and the stressors in their home environment (Openshaw, 2008). There is knowledge that social and environmental constraints can negatively affect a child’s role in an educational setting and a student’s capability to learn tends to be challenged if their emotional and physical needs are not fulfilled at home (Forenza & Eckhardt, 2020; Ilhan et al., 2019). Even though there is research to suggest that socioeconomic factors are key influences in contributing to academic inequality (Dumont & Ready, 2020), the policy decisions made within school districts tend to be disconnected to the conditions outside of a student’s school day (Downey & Condron, 2016). The purpose of this research study is to investigate the practice of home visiting by school social workers conducting home visits for school districts. Gaining knowledge about home visits within school districts needs to come from comprehensive in-depth personal communication with school social workers to include their experiences and perceptions of the intervention of home visits. Three separate focus groups were conducted with a group of schoolocial workers from a school social work networking group. Grounded theory was used as the research method to uncover the meaning of social processes, research, and concepts that include social relationships and behaviors of school social workers which began with a set of observations and then drawing on conclusions from those observations. For this research study, the intersection of categories for construction of theory is as follows. School social workers consider home visiting to be a part of their practice within school districts, but school social workers are unaware of any policy and procedures to support their practice of conducting home visits for school districts. School social workers are not supervised by social workers at their school districts and do not receive formal supervision. This lack of guidance and support given to school social workers significantly impacts their practice within schools and the intervention of home visits. Based on the findings, recommendations for school social work education, practice, research, and leadership are provided
Building Competence: Trainee Counselors’ Supervision Journey with Self-Injury and Suicidality
Get PDFThis grounded theory study examines the supervision needs of counselors-in-training (CITs) addressing clients with non-suicidal self-injury and suicidal ideations. The qualitative research question focused on counselor-in-training perception of their counseling program and practicum supervision preparation. Four key themes emerge: Supervision Facilitation, Secure Base Provision, Clinical Identity Development, and Sufficient Preparation. CITs express readiness concerns and a need for enhanced support in supervision for NSSI and SI. CITs also clarify logistical and emotional support that addresses their needs to serve NSSI and SI clients effectively
An Exploratory Study of Academic Self-Efficacy in High School Education Completion Among a Group of Former Juvenile Offenders
No full textA primary goal of the United States (U.S.) juvenile criminal justice system is to foster an environment where a juvenile offender can complete a high school education or equivalent. Extant literature has explored persistence in obtaining a high school credential. However, little is known about the role of self-efficacy in such attainment, and research is further scant that involves the geographic region of Pennsylvania, U.S. This study aimed to explore how former juvenile offenders perceived their academic self-efficacy while pursuing their education in a juvenile correctional facility in Pennsylvania. This study was guided by the following research question: How do former youth offenders describe their academic self-efficacy in completing their high school diploma or equivalent while they were in a juvenile correctional facility in Pennsylvania? Purposeful criterion and snowball samplings were employed to recruit and conduct semi-structured interviews of ten former juvenile offenders in Pennsylvania. We collected data through a survey, semi-structured interviews, and reflexive memos. Data were analyzed utilizing NVivo 12 Plus®. Themes included (a) capability and (b) student motivation. In addition to possessing academic self-efficacy, findings indicated that participants’ educational experiences in a juvenile facility involved significant motivation from both internal and external sources
A Guide to Infuse Trauma Informed Principles in Counselor Education
Get PDFTrauma informed principles (TIPs) are minimal within counselor education and supervision literature. After reviewing TIPs that have been incorporated into other graduate programs, counselor educators (CEs) should consider integrating more trauma informed concepts. Through this conceptual article the author: a) defines TIPs, b) explores ways to combine TIPs into most curricula and the learning environment, c) infuses TIPs across the eight core areas of CACREP, and d) discuss future implications for having a robust and well-rounded curricular for future counselor educators.
Keywords: trauma informed principles, counselor educators, counselors in training, CACREP, counseling program
Hidden Meanings in Elementary Instrumental Music Method Books: A Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis
Get PDFTextbooks serve as the primary resource utilized to deliver curriculum in a variety of subject areas and educational contexts. However, much previous research has found that texts often convey concealed meanings in the form of hidden and null curricula. This Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA) explored the musical discourses and cultural contexts of musical examples in two elementary instrumental music textbook series to investigate whose values, cultures, perspectives, and knowledge are conveyed by the texts and whose are excluded or misrepresented. Framed by the social theory of Postcolonialism, the research revealed binary ideologies of exoticism embedded in many aspects of the texts, and the investigation also exposed instances of misrepresentation of hybrid musical excerpts which were inaccurately defined. In the form of a hidden curriculum, the texts privilege musical knowledge of social groups representing Eurocentric, White perspectives while tokenizing, excluding, portraying inaccurate knowledge of, or presenting cultural caricatures of certain marginalized groups. The texts further diminish the values and contributions of minoritized musical perspectives, revealing a null curriculum that imparts a sense of “otherness.
Trauma-Informed Teaching Perspectives of Arts and Non-Arts Educators: A Mixed Methods Study for Transformational Change
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to understand and answer the overarching research question: To what extent are PA educators prepared to recognize and respond to students impacted by trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)? This question is investigated using a mixed methods action research design on the preparedness of k-12 arts and non-arts educators within one school district. This study unpacks the level of preparedness of educators teaching students with trauma and adverse childhood experiences. The data analysis provided perspectives of non-arts teachers and arts teachers in one school district. Additionally, academic research revealed that the arts positively counteract the negative effects of trauma, and makes a case for why all teachers need to be trauma-informed. This study reveals how learning through the arts can become a solution that all teachers can benefit from as trauma-informed educators. The results of this study inform recommendations for professional development on trauma-informed pedagogy for all educators to apply transformational change within their teaching environments