A student's 'meaning in life' and his/her connectedness to school, friends and family are believed to be factors that influence the development of life skills. Teachers could be aware of these factors in their endeavours to foster 'whole-person development' in their students. In this small-scale study, twelve secondary school teachers participated…

In this article, we introduce a model for preparing school counselors-in-training to conduct large group developmental guidance. Additionally, we present findings from a focus group and individual interviews evaluating participants' perceptions of the model. We identified 7 themes representing school counselors'-in-training perceptions of the…

Why individuals choose not to sign up for social programs, particularly when the costs of sign-up are low and the benefits generous, is a crucial question for policy scholars. In this paper, we show that a substantial share of qualified middle school students fail to sign up for Washington State's College Bound Scholarship program, and this…

Since facilitating the fullest development of each student in terms of enriching their intellectual development as well as their personal, social, and emotional development has become an important objective, social and emotional guidance has become an integral part of education. This recent acknowledgment has stimulated research interest into how…

The purpose of this study was to use a nonexperimental, quantitative design to compare mail and web surveys with survey mode self-selection at two data collection waves. Research questions examined differences and predictabilities among demographics (gender, ethnicity, age, and professional employment) and response quality (pronoun use, item…

This counselor assessment instrument begins by listing 11 competencies for Mississippi school counselors. They should be able to: (1) organize and administer the guidance program; (2) provide counseling interviews for students during the school year; (3) provide group guidance and counseling with students during the school year; (4) coordinate…

Fourth-grade students in one elementary school were administered a listening inventory, the Listening Composite section of the Test of Language Development-Intermediate, and a questionnaire "Are You a Good Listener" to assess their listening skills. The results showed that students lacked listening skills and did not have adequate…

This research project, called Charger Connection, was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot transition program for incoming high school freshmen at Elkhart Memorial High School (Indiana). The Charger Connection class was developed to help students overcome problems associated with the transition from middle school to high school.…

Administrators, faculty, students, and counselors themselves are often unsure of the counselor's functions. This study sought to determine the problems for which selected high school seniors would seek help from their guidance counselors. Subjects were high school seniors (N=1,734) from 10 Indiana high schools. A 24-item Likert-type questionnaire…

The purpose of this study was to determine which strategies and interventions used by high school counselors to assist students in the college-choice process were perceived by the students as most helpful. Specifically, this study identified the perceptions of students in a middle-income, small city high school. Subjects (N=57) were members of a…

Appraisal and continued improvement of counselor performance is a significant phase of the guidance program improvement process. School counselors must be able to: (1) deliver guidance curriculum for all students; (2) plan individually for each student; (3) respond to requests by students, parents, and teachers; and (4) plan and coordinate…

The Education Department of Alberta, Canada has developed guidelines for practice in cooperation with guidance and counseling specialists throughout the province. The guidelines are designed to help schools implement a comprehensive school guidance and counseling program, thus improving the quality of education. The comprehensive school guidance…

This report elucidates problem areas in the education of gifted pupils in the Republic of South Africa (RSA), places the problems in perspective with respect to actual educational provision, and offers guidelines for further research on developing gifted education. Chapter titles are as follows: "Survey of Educational Planning for Gifted…

The aim of this study was to consider the extent to which guidance provision in secondary schools in Scotland met the guidance needs of pupils and their parents. The approach taken was to focus on experiences and perceptions of both consumers and providers of guidance, to relate their views to guidance processes, and to judge the situation in…

This document contains a report of a task force formed to evaluate the adequacy and quality of school guidance and counseling programs and services in Alberta, Canada. Although geographically specific, this material could be used in other evaluation efforts. The origins of the study are reviewed, followed by a description of the methodologies…