Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education
Advisor
John Harrison
Committee Member
Deborah Wortham
Committee Member
Ronald P. Kern
Keywords
academic achievement, attendance, comprehensive guidance and counseling model, counselor-led intervention, counseling, Grade 12, guidance, guidance curriculum, high school preparation, individual counseling, kindergarten, large-group sessions, peer interaction, postsecondary education, quasi-experimental design, report-card grades, school counseling, small-group sessions, social skills, student achievement, student attendance, teamwork skills, treatment outcomes, Gysbers and Henderson model
Abstract
This applied dissertation investigated the impact of a counselor-led intervention on student attendance. The intervention used in this study applied the guidance-curriculum component from the Gysbers and Henderson (2006) comprehensive guidance and counseling model, which was designed to help students develop and learn the academic, personal, and social skills needed to be successful in kindergarten through Grade 12 and postsecondary education. The 9-week counselor-led intervention was intense and incorporated small-group and large-group sessions, along with individual counseling sessions, which required participants to interact with peers and work in teams.
To evaluate the impact of the counselor-led intervention program, a quasi-experimental design research method was used to compare the attendance of students who participated in the intervention with students who did not participate in the intervention. In order to determine if significant gains had been made, the researcher compared participants’ pretest and posttest scores on attendance and 4-week report-card grades.
An analysis of the data indicated that the counselor-led intervention program showed a statistically significant difference between pretest and posttest scores of students who received the treatment and those who did not receive the treatment. Outcomes from the data revealed that improvements were made in each area. This study’s findings add to the literature that supports the role of counselors in helping students to achieve academic success and preparation to meet the rigorous demands of high school. Future research is recommended.