Variation in Counseling Styles in High Schools: Effects of Context and Location

Abstract

This study addresses the following research question: How do counselors in different school contexts evaluate their students’ college readiness and offer post-secondary guidance? Best practices in school counselor use of time and job duties are well understood and studied. Similar guidelines for best practices in post-secondary advising exist but have not been studied in the same way. Based on standards established by the American School Counselor Association, a Scale of Student Development and Control is used to understand how much student autonomy counselors give to students in the post-secondary advising and guidance process. Counselor placement on this scale is analyzed in the context of various job, school, and counselor characteristics to better understand the factors that influence a counselor’s strategy for appropriate post-secondary guidance. Interviews with a variety of counselors indicate that graduate training for post-secondary guidance is not adequate, that counselors are more likely to exhibit guidance that offers a high level of student autonomy if they are in collaboration with colleagues, and that college advisors who are not trained as counselors are likely to use more directive guidance strategies.