A Multiple-Case Study of the Role Enactment of Wisconsin School Counselor Interns

The Wisconsin School Counselor Internship experience has been an interest to this researcher for some time. The internship offers the counselor educator the last major opportunity to guide and contribute to the professional development of a school counselor. Since my professional goal is to become a Counselor Educator, it seemed appropriate that this topic would become the focus of my dissertation. The purpose of this study sought to investigate the role enactment component of the organizational socialization process of Wisconsin school counselor interns. A multiple case study methodology was used to gather data from four interns. Triangulation was used to strengthen reliability, as well as internal validity, of the case studies. Data collection methods included two questionnaires, three semi-structured interviews, two observations, the Twenty-Statement Test, and review of documents. The constructs from the role enactment component of the organizational socialization process and Getzels and Guba\u27s (1957) socio-psychological theory of social behavior were utilized to collect data that were used to develop a template for a School Counselor Intern Preparation Model. The template from this study can be used to (a) reevaluate courses and curriculum for interns, (b) develop a school counselor personality profile by gathering data about the personal (Idiographic) dimension of the model, and (c further define the organizational (Nomothetic) dimension characteristics which could be beneficial for the evaluation of possible intern placement sites. The template offers a structure for data collection and that data can then be utilized to further define and refine the School Counselor Intern Preparation Model