Date of Award

5-2015

Degree Type

Creative Project

Degree Name

Master of Education (MEd)

Department

Special Education and Rehabilitation

Committee Chair(s)

Robert L. Morgan

Committee

Robert L. Morgan

Committee

Marilyn Likins

Committee

Jared C. Schultz

Abstract

School counselors provide career and college guidance services to secondary students to prepare them for transition to post-secondary education and employment. Successful post-secondary transition is a desired outcome for students in special education. This project surveyed 96 currently practicing secondary school counselors from two Northern Utah school districts. A survey questionnaire using rating scale items and open-ended questions was administered to assess the degree to which school counselors provide specific career and college guidance services to students in special education, counselors rating of preparedness to provide such services, counselor beliefs about providing these services, and what factors negatively or positively influenced school counselors in providing career and college transition services to students in special education. The majority of participants reported providing services to 50% or more of the students in special education on their caseload for seven of the 10 identified college and career guidance activities., The majority of participants also reported providing services to 76% or more of the students in special education on their caseload for six of the 10 identified college and career guidance activities. There was not one of the identified college and career guidance activities for which the majority of participants reported provision to 91% or greater of students in special education. Less than 50% of participants reported being “very prepared” to provide each of the college and career guidance activities to students in special education. These results may have implications for increasing school counselors’ provision of career and college guidance services to students in special education. These results may also evidence a need for increasing school counselor education program content related to special education services and developing and providing in-service training to assist school counselors in being prepared to provide transition services to students with disabilities.

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