D Research on ASCA's Developmental Domains
According to the ASCA National Model, the comprehensive school counseling program is founded on three developmental domains. Each domain is accompanied by standards that help school counselors monitor their efficacy. These standards and domains are below. Additionally, I have provided a synopsis of a research article that corresponds to each standard.
1. Academic/educationalStandard A: Students will acquire the attitudes, knowledge and skills that contribute to effective learning in school and across the life span.
Standard B: Students will complete school with the academic preparation essential to choose from a wide range of substantial post-secondary options, including college.
Standard C: Students will understand the relationship of academics to the world of work and to life at home and in the community.
Hall, A. S. (2003). Expanding Academic and Career Self-Efficacy: A Family Systems Framework. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 81(1), 33.
"School counselors need a way to think and to intervene in the powerful beliefs students hold about their ability to succeed in reading, math, and science, because many students hold beliefs that hinder their academic performance"(p.34).
This article asks that professional school counselors work with children and their family systems to boost the students belief in their abilities to successfully accomplish their academic goals (self-efficacy). It points to the importance of the counselors working within the preexisting family structure to promote positive feelings around a childs' personal goals and achievements. When a family has positive feelings about their childs' learning, a students self-efficacy is reinforced.
In the article, Hall also makes the connection between academic self-efficacy and career development, and further emphasizes the importance of family support in a students career development. Hall supports this theory by examining a social cognitive model, specifically focusing on "feedback" and "feedforward". In "feedback" a children will develop a sense of their goals based on messages and information they receive when interacting with others. "Feed forward" means children will develop sense of their goal before they receive messages and information from others. Both of these present the idea that a students processes are complex and rely heavily on both how they are received in the world and how they perceive themselves. Families are at the core of this and it is in the best interest of the child that school counselors understand the importance of the family dynamic when working with a student towards academic and career achievement.
2. Career/vocational/technical
Standard A: Students will acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions.
Standard B: Students will employ strategies to achieve future career goals with success and satisfaction.
Standard C: Students will understand the relationship between personal qualities, education, training and the world of work.
Gysbers, N. C. (2013). Career-Ready Students: A Goal of Comprehensive School Counseling Programs. Career Development Quarterly, 61(3), 283-288. doi:10.1002/j.2161-0045.2013.00057.x "School counseling has become a developmental program focusing on prevention as well as remediation. As a developmental program, it has strengths-based content consisting of knowledge, skills and dispositions that contribute to the overall development and success of all students becoming career ready"(p.285).
This article discusses what it means for a student to be career ready, and specifically informs the reader on the different methods school counselors utilize when working within the domain of career readiness. These methods include, classroom guidance, individual counseling, and responsive services. The author notes that career ready students exhibit a work ethic and responsibility, and have the interpersonal skills necessary to function in a working environment. They know how to seize opportunities that are advantageous to their career goals and how to accommodate for unforeseen events that may derail their plans. An important point the author makes is that career readiness requires a whole school approach. School counselors can collaborate with teachers, administration, community partners, and families to create a whole school environment that prepares students to be career ready.
3. Personal-social(social-emotional)-
Standard A: Students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes and interpersonal skills to help them understand and respect self and others.
Standard B: Students will make decisions, set goals, and take necessary action to achieve goals.
Standard C: Students will understand safety and survival skills.
Park-Taylor, J., Walsh, M. E., & Ventura, A. B. (2007). Creating Healthy Acculturation Pathways: Integrating Theory and Research to Inform Counselors' Work with Immigrant Children. Professional School Counseling, 11(1), 25-34.
“ According to the ASCA National Model, school counselors are not only trained educators who specialize in childhood and adolescent development but are also leaders of school change”(p.26).
This article targets the development of immigrant children specifically referring to the process of acculturation and the stress associated with this acculturation. A child who has immigrated to the United States has an added stress placed upon them when entering the school system. The older the student is when they immigrate, the higher their stress levels. This stress can have detrimental impacts on their mental health, their social relationships, and their behavior.
The article notes that youth are often times language/culture brokers for their parents, meaning their parents rely on them to be the go-between when interpreting both language and culture outside their own. This can be both a stressor and an asset for the child.School counselors can work as advocates to eliminate or reduce acculturation stress. This can be done by working collaboratively with teachers, administrators, and families to ensure that immigrant children are viewed holistically, and are valued for their contributions to the school, as well as supported with their particular needs.
