Showing papers in "Elementary school guidance and counseling in 1987"

An Inventory of Student Computer Anxiety.

Abstract: Coupled with this increase in the number of computers in schools is a concurrent increase in students' involvement in computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and computer-assisted guidance systems. Several studies (Jordan & Stroup, 1982; Maurer, 1983; Rohner & Simonson, 1981) have established that individuals often exhibit a complex array of emotional reactions (including fear) in situations requiring the use of computers. Furthermore, these fears and apprehensions, defined by Maurer (1983) as computer anxiety , may occur even when the situations pose no immediate or real threat. The reality of computer anxiety in students also was noted in the computer literacy objectives developed by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium's (MECC) Computer Literacy Project and reported by Klassen (1983). Two of the core objectives developed in the MECC project were (a) students not developing feelings of anxiety from computing experiences and (b) the students feeling confident about their computer abilities. Students experiencing computer anxiety may avoid interacting with computers in any setting and thereby eliminate current educational opportunities and possible future career choices. Therefore, it is important for counselors to be able to identify students who experience fears and apprehensions regarding computers. The purpose of this article is to describe the development of an instrument designed to identify computer-anxious students in Grades 4-8 as well as to provide counselors with information on how to use the instrument. A discussion follows regarding the use of computers in schools including a rationale for counselor involvement in this educational trend.

Puppets: The Elementary School Counselor's Right or Left Arm.

Abstract: Most elementary school counselors are likely to have the Developing Understanding of Self and Others kit (DUSO) (Dinkmeyer, 1970) or a DUSORevised kit (Dinkmeyer & Dinkmeyer, 1982), which uses puppets extensively for developmental work. Puppets, however, can be used as a counseling strategy in numerous other ways because they are a safe, secure way to allow a child to share very deep, private feelings (Bender & Woltmann, 1936; Woltmann, 1972). We have used puppets to acquaint entering kindergarteners with the counselor's role. In primary grades, puppets also have served as models for good attending and responding skills in classroom meetings (Glasser, 1969). We have used puppets in hospital settings to help children understand and discuss their feelings about such traumatic events as receiving chemotherapy or having surgery. Other counselors have used puppets in school settings to teach children positive attitudes toward school tasks (Davis, 1958), enhance their ability to express feelings (Mauer, 1977), and act out relationship problems (Schmidt & Biles, 1985). The only apparent limitation in the use of puppets for counseling children is the creativity of the counselor. Little has been written regarding the training of counselors in the use of puppets. The literature on therapeutic use of puppets has a definite psychoanalytic orientation (Bender & Woltmann, 1936; Woltmann, 1940, 1964, 1972) and has limited usefulness for counselors in school settings. Thus, the procedure for training elementary school counselors to use puppets has not been well developed. In our own university training program we quickly uncovered that issue when beginning graduate students in elementary school counseling became extremely frustrated as they tried to learn and combine active listening and responding skills with puppetry. The purpose of this article is to address this issue as well as to offer some suggestions for the use of puppets in counseling children.

Remotivation Group Interaction: Increasing Children's Contact with the Elderly.

Abstract: Young and old persons share common needs and both may lack opportunities for meaningful social roles. Because members of both generations may not be employed, they are (a) not taken seriously, (b) frequently patronized, and (c) experience varying degrees of conflict with the middle generations (Cherry, Benest, Gates, & White, 1985; Kuhn, 1985). Although commonalities exist, the young and the elderly lack the opportunity to interact with each other. Many children are geographically separated from their grandparents and are not well acquainted with other older people. Because children have limited knowledge of the aging process, they do not understand what it means to be old and may feel uncomfortable around older adults (Oklahoma Department of Education, 1982). Our age-separated society has produced myths and misinformation about old age. One solution is to increase contact between generations, thereby improving young people's attitudes toward aging (Newman, Lyons, & Onawola, 1985). Most elementary school children, however, lack the option of forming the necessary relationships with elderly persons who are institutionalized. This study was designed to determine whether there is a change in children's attitudes toward aging after intergenerational contact with nursing home residents.

Effectiveness of a Support Group for Children of Divorce.

Abstract: Today, more children than ever before are being affected by divorce. According to a U.S. Bureau of the Census report (1983), 22% of all children younger than 18 live with a single parent. Of these schoolchildren, 20.5 million live with their mothers and about 1 million live with their fathers. Children whose parents divorce are faced with unique problems and concerns, including changes in life-styles and loss of part of their previous psychological support systems (Cantor, 1977). Additional concerns include shame at what has happened, anger at mom or dad or both, fears of being forgotten or abandoned, a shaken identity from being taken out of a family, loneliness, and loyalty conflicts (Kanoy & Cunningham, 1984; Wallerstein & Kelly, 1976, 1980). Reactions to divorce may also be observed in school through acting-out behavior, decline in achievement, and strained relationships with peers and teachers (Wallerstein & Kelly, 1976, 1980). Although children of divorce have the potential to develop problems, divorce in a family does not always mean that problems will occur (Gardner, 1971; Hetherington, Cox, & Cox, 1976; Rohrlich, Ranier, Berg-Cross, & BergCross, 1977; Scherman, 1985; Wallerstein & Kelly, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1980). Children's reactions vary according to their age at the time of divorce. Children 9 and 10 years old tend to show a greater disruption in school performance than do children at other age levels (Kanoy & Cunningham, 1984; Wallerstein & Kelly, 1976, 1980). Children in this 9and 10-year age group are also very aware of the family disruption and parental turbulence, even though the parents often try to shelter and protect the children (Cantor, 1979; Wallerstein & Kelly, 1976, 1980). Community agencies and schools are a viable treatment setting. Graver and Morse (1986) believed that "Although assistance to children can come from a variety of sources, . . . help can be provided in a school setting. The school has contact with students on a regular basis and for a significant amount of time" (p. 10). Thus, for 9 or 10 months a year, support can be provided for the children in their school setting.

Using Therapeutic Stories in the Counseling Process.

Abstract: Elementary school counselors are often faced with children who have accumulated an extensive resume of counseling and helping experiences, yet seem relatively unaffected by the counseling process. Many times these children present themselves in a reluctant, uncooperative, or passive, nonverbal fashion. Ultimately, counselors may assess the situation and surmise that they are dealing with a "resistant" child for which standard techniques alone are insufficient (Keat, 1974; Muro & Dinkmeyer, 1977). The use of constructed or adapted stories is an indirect technique that is often effective with these children. In this article I provide background, methodology, and the results of one case study using therapeutic stories with a child. The use of stories in the form of tales, myths, and parables is a timehonored means of conveying morals, lessons, and insights to children by appealing to their vivid imaginations and sensory experience through words and gestures (Baker & Green, 1977; Bettelheim, 1975; Gordon, 1978; Shepperson & Henslin, 1984). The literature on the therapeutic effectiveness of storytelling is far from conclusive (Matthews & Dardeck, 1985), but such problems as poor self-esteem, intolerance, timidity, inability to cope with change, physical handicaps, hostility, and troublesome anxiety and anger have been ameliorated through the medium of stories (Andolfi, Angelo, Menghi, & Nicolo-Corigliano, 1983; Baker & Green, 1977; Gardner, 1971; Haley, 1976, 1984; Wallas, 1985; Watzlawick, 1978). Milton Erickson, in particular, has gained notoriety for using stories therapeutically as an indirect method of presenting ideas and suggestions to help his clients approach their problems from a different and more productive frame of reference (Bandler, Grinder, & Delozier, 1977; DeShazer, 1983; Haley, 1973, 1976, 1984; Mills & Crowley, 1986). The success of Erickson's work with stories, applied to a wide range of problems, has been addressed extensively in the literature (Lankton & Lankton, 1983; Matthews, Davis, & Stanitis, 1985; Rosen, 1982; Rossi, 1980; Watzlawick, Weakland, & Fisch, 1974; Zeig, 1980).

Counselor-Led Human Relations Training as a Consultation Strategy.

Abstract: The human relations development (HRD) model has received considerable attention in the professional literature on counseling. Rogers (1953) first suggested that the success or failure of the therapeutic relationship may hinge, at least in part, on the counselor's ability to provide certain core conditions (e.g., warmth, empathy, respect). Although these core conditions have been the focus of numerous studies, Halkides's (1958) investigation seems to have set the stage for much of the subsequent research. Halkides observed differences in the core conditions as they related to therapeutic success or failure. The research that followed examined the core conditions and associated skills as they related to a variety of outcome variables such as self-exploration (Holder, Carkhuff, & Berenson, 1967; Shapiro, Krauss, & Truax, 1965; Truax & Carkhuff, 1965), therapeutic outcomes (Carkhuff & Berenson, 1967; Pagell, Carkhuff, & Berenson, 1967), and client conflict resolution (Tosi, 1970). Thereafter, research began to focus on a more global representation of the helping relationship through the examination of the teacher-student relationship (Aspy, 1965, 1968; Aspy & Hadlock, 1967; Carkhuff, Krotoehvil, & Friel, 1968). These studies placed the emphasis on the examination of core conditions within the teacher-student relationship as the conditions related to student outcomes. As with counseling and psychotherapy, the focus of this research changed with the advent of systematic training models designed to provide programs that enabled teachers to function at effective levels. Researchers, using the findings of the HRD process research, began to develop training strategies to assist individuals in acquiring higher levels of the core conditions in helping relationships (Carkhuff, 1969). Later, the research focused on the effects of training programs on the teacher-student relationship (Aspy, 1972; Aspy & Roebuck, 1977; Berenson, 1971; Harbach & Asbury, 1976; Hefele, 1971; Robinson & Brosh, 1980, Saba, 1975). The culminating effect of this research suggested that teachers trained in HRD skills focusing on interpersonal

Learned Helplessness and the Elementary Student: Implications for Counselors.

Abstract: Learned helplessness is a phenomenon that occurs when people are repeatedly exposed to situations over which they do not have control When adults believe that it is impossible to influence outcomes, many will stop trying Likewise, many instances exist in which children are unable to control events in their environment Because this feeling of lack of control may be exaggerated by physical, mental, or emotional reasons, adults and children often fail to recognize opportunities for control when they arise Whether the lack of control is real or imagined, the results are equally devastating Once children develop learned helplessness behaviors, they are reluctant to attempt the initial task in which failure was experienced and tend to avoid related activities In addition to avoidance of activities, other behaviors displayed are listlessness, passivity, depression, lack of motivation, and negative beliefs about oneself and abilities Another characteristic of children who develop learned helplessness is a difficulty in seeing relationships between responses and outcomes As a result, many children do not recognize the successes that they have achieved, whereas, on the other hand, they take personal responsibility for all perceived failures In short, if children start to believe that experienced failures are indicative of their future performance, they will develop learned helplessness and stop attempting to influence outcomes In this article we explore the topic of learned helplessness in children as well as counselor strategies for helping

Counselor Contact of the Noncustodial Parent: A Point of Law.

Abstract: A persistent issue confronting elementary school counselors is clarification of the noncustodial parent's status regarding access to a child's educational records in the absence of a specific court order or other restraint. The issue becomes a real concern with the passage of the 1974 Family Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), commonly known as the Buckley Amendment. This federal legislation, part of the sweeping due process reforms of the 1970s, brought public attention to the problem of maintaining and gaining access to records (Gibson, Mitchell, & Higgins, 1983; Hummel & Humes, 1984). The law and regulations do define important terms such as parent , custody , and court order ("Privacy Rights," 1980), but there is room for interpretation, particularly regarding the ethics of confidentiality (Remley, 1985). During the past decade much has been written about the law and its regulations, with an entire issue of Elementary School Guidance & Counseling (Larrabee & Terres, 1985) devoted to the topic. The law and regulations, however, do not address the issue of whether a school counselor, with good reason, may contact a noncustodial parent to share information without notifying the custodial parent. Obviously, this is a highly charged emotional issue and can engender both rancor and litigation. The answer to the dilemma may be found in case law. These points interpret the law and regulations through judicial decisions. An actual case is presented below, including the question posed, a statement of facts, the issues, and a conclusion.