Author: Marybel Lafuente Ruiz

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

Despite the development of the American School Counseling Association's National Standards for school counseling programs, the school counseling profession continues to struggle with role ambiguity and role conflict. In an effort to gain additional information regarding the school counselors' role, this study employed a research survey design to examine the principals' and counselors' perceptions of the school counselors' role and to investigate the similarities and differences between those perceptions. A purposeful sample of 141 public school principals and 149 counselors from elementary and secondary schools located within Region 4 in southeast Texas were solicited to complete a modified version of the School Counselor Activity Rating Scale (SCARS) (Scarborough, 2005). The researcher analyzed the data obtained from the SCARS by calculating frequency distributions and percentages for each statement of the SCARS to determine which activities were perceived by principals and counselors as most and least important. The findings of this study indicate the majority of principals and counselors have similar perceptions on 35 of the activities and differing perceptions on 15 of the activities measured on the SCARS.