Examining the perceptions of teachers about the responsibilities of school counselors: A mixed methods approach

Teachers play a central role in the growth and development of students that leads to academic, social, and vocational success. Teachers also influence the effectiveness of the school counseling program. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, this study attempted to strengthen the knowledge base, specifically correcting the misconceptions and clarifying what is known about teachers’ perceptions of the responsibilities of school counselors. Additionally, the present study endeavored to generate new ideas related to understanding the relationships between teachers’ perceptions of the responsibilities of school counselors and their subsequent willingness to refer students to their resident school counselor(s). To accomplish these research purposes, a concurrent, embedded mixed methods design was utilized (Creswell, 2003). The research revealed a number of models suggested significant relationships among selected teacher characteristics, school characteristics, perceptions, past referring behavior, and willingness to refer. Additionally, strong positive correlations existed among most variables. The universal theme among the selected participants was “availability, training, and communication could improve referrals.” None of the selected participants had received any formal training or had participated in any professional development opportunities that explicitly indicated the responsibilities of school counselors. As such, their responses reflected a lack of willingness to refer and a negative view of the effectiveness of counseling.