Counselor Educators\u27 Perceptions of their Doctoral Level Teaching Preparation

This study examined experiences in doctoral counselor education programs that prepare graduates to teach at the university level, and perceptions of the effectiveness of those experiences. There is an abundance of research in the field of higher education that raises the concern that many Ph.D. graduates are aptly prepared researchers, but are not able to teach effectively. Despite the fact that research in the field points to the problem of inadequate teaching preparation, there has been no known research conducted to examine what experiences in doctoral training are perceived as effective for teaching preparation. The major contribution of this research is that it is the first known empirical work that addresses activities aimed at teaching preparation in counselor education doctoral programs. A researcher designed instrument, the Preparation For Teaching Scale, was used in this study. Pearson product moment correlations were computed to examine relationships between frequency of experiences and ratings of perceived overall preparedness for teaching. Results of this study confirm the assumptions present in the literature; several of which include that observation and feedback from faculty, teaching under supervision, being mentored to teach and attending seminars on college teaching are all positively correlated with participants’ perceptions of overall teaching preparedness. The collective findings of this research provide a foundation for considerable future research endeavors in both quantitative and qualitative modes. Implications for counselor education and recommendations for further research are presented