A Comparison of the Actual and Ideal Perceptions of the School Psychologist’s Role

The professional role of the school psychologist has been studied for over thirty years. The school psychologist has traditionally spent the greatest percentage of professional time engaged in testing and assessment functions. Concerns have arisen as to the effectiveness of this traditional role. School psychologists, as well as other related professionals, have indicated a desire for a greater emphasis on the Consultation function within the ideal role of the school psychologist and a decrease in emphasis on the assessment functions. Difficulty in defining the role and function of the school psychologist was noted due to the inconsistent use of terminology. It appeared important for this study to identify the school psychologist\u27s professional functions by specific activities which make up that function. The purpose of this study was to determine the related professionals\u27 perceptions of the role of the school psychologists in the State of Iowa and to compare the ideal and actual perceptions of this role from related Supervisors of Psychological Services, Directors of Special Education, and selected School Psychologists. The major job functions of Assessment and Consultation were closely studied in order to determine if significant discrepancies occurred between the ideal and actual perceptions of these functions as was the case in related studies