A Survey of the Services Provided by Elementary Guidance Counselors in Kansas

This study was concerned with the identification of the services provided by elementary school counselors in Kansas during the 1966-67 school year. Procedure: Books, Periodicals, and other publications were reviewed to provide background material for developing a questionnaire. The first part of the questionnaire contained items dealing with personal data and job description. The second part was divided into four categories concerning the services actually provided by the elementary counselors. The four categories were: (1) services to the administration; (2) services to the teachers; (3) services to the parents; (4) services to the pupils. On the first part of the questionnaire, each counselor was asked to provide information concerning personal data and job description. This required giving yes or no responses and numerical or short phrase answers to specific questions. The counselor was asked in the second part of the questionnaire to determine the services provided by circling the correct response, yes or no. If the “yes” response was given, the counselor was asked to check the ways that explained how the service was actually provided. The information given on the personal data and job description section of the questionnaire was tabulated and summarized in paragraph form. The yes and no responses on the questionnaire concerning the services provided were tabulated and given in both the total number and percent. The questionnaire was mailed to the thirty-seven certified elementary school counselors who were residing in Kansas. Of the thirty-seven questionnaires mailed, two were returned unanswered, having not reached the addressee. Seven questionnaires were not returned; one was returned with no responses given; six were returned by inexperienced counselors; and twenty-one were answered and returned by experienced elementary counselors who were serving in this capacity during the 1966-67 school year. This study was based on the responses of these twenty-one counselors. Results: The study showed that three out of every four experienced counselors in Kansas were women who had left the classroom to enter the counseling field. The women were older, had more teaching experience, and more experience in counseling than the male counselors. The most common school organization in which counselors were assigned was K-6. The counseling load varied from 222 to 2,000 pupils per counselor. Of the forty-four services listed on the questionnaire, seventy-five percent or more of the counselors agreed that they actually provided twenty-seven of the services (Table I) and that they did not provide three of the services (Table II). Using the standard of seventy-five percent or more, counselors agreed on thirty of the forty-four services. There was a lack of unanimity on fourteen of the forty-four services (Table III). The greatest diversity was in the area of services to the administration. Counselors disagreed on eight of the fifteen services listed. The other six services that were disagreed upon were in the categories of services to teachers and pupils, three in each category. The counselors were in agreement on all the services provided to parents