School Counselors' Perceived Multicultural Competence, Adherence to the ASCA National Model, and Students' Performance

School Counselors’ Perceived Multicultural Competence, Adherence to the ASCA National Model, and Students’ Performance by Jessica H. Conroy MA, Webster University, 2009 BA, University of Central Florida, 2007 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Counselor Education & Supervision Walden University July 2015 Abstract Multicultural competence (MCC), despite its integral part in school counseling and the school setting, is not applied within the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) national model (NM). Rather, the ASCA NM is a guideline that is expected of school counselors with limited opportunity for deviation. Without incorporating multicultural practices in the school setting, student performance may suffer. Student performance affects everyone who is learning, working, or has a child who is or will be at the middle school level. The purpose of this study was to identify if perceived MCC, as measured by the MCCTS-R, and/or adherence to the ASCA NM, as measured by the SCPIS, could predict student performance and if there was a relationship between the perceived MCC and adherence to the ASCA NM. The school counseling and multicultural counseling theories were used together as a lens for the study. Florida middle school counselors (N = 115) were invited to participate electronically. Results were compiled in PsychData anonymously and transferred into SPSS. Multiple linear regression and Pearson correlation statistics revealed that perceived MCC and adherence to the ASCA NM collectively predict students’ GPAs. Recommendations for future research include expanding to different educational levels and states. The results indicate that the ASCA NM would benefit from multicultural concepts within the guidelines, implicating positive social change for future learning, school counseling practices, and educational practices.Multicultural competence (MCC), despite its integral part in school counseling and the school setting, is not applied within the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) national model (NM). Rather, the ASCA NM is a guideline that is expected of school counselors with limited opportunity for deviation. Without incorporating multicultural practices in the school setting, student performance may suffer. Student performance affects everyone who is learning, working, or has a child who is or will be at the middle school level. The purpose of this study was to identify if perceived MCC, as measured by the MCCTS-R, and/or adherence to the ASCA NM, as measured by the SCPIS, could predict student performance and if there was a relationship between the perceived MCC and adherence to the ASCA NM. The school counseling and multicultural counseling theories were used together as a lens for the study. Florida middle school counselors (N = 115) were invited to participate electronically. Results were compiled in PsychData anonymously and transferred into SPSS. Multiple linear regression and Pearson correlation statistics revealed that perceived MCC and adherence to the ASCA NM collectively predict students’ GPAs. Recommendations for future research include expanding to different educational levels and states. The results indicate that the ASCA NM would benefit from multicultural concepts within the guidelines, implicating positive social change for future learning, school counseling practices, and educational practices. School Counselors’ Perceived Multicultural Competence, Adherence to the ASCA National Model, and Students’ Performance by Jessica H. Conroy MA, Webster University, 2009 BA, University of Central Florida, 2007 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Counselor Education & Supervision Walden University July 2015 Dedication I would like to dedicate my work to my daughter, Jazalena. While I have always been driven to continue my education, she has been such a motivation to keep going and to meet my goals. She is amazing and such a gift in my life. Acknowledgments I would like to dedicate my work to my family. They have been so supportive to help me through furthering my education. My daughter, Jazalena, has also been very patient and understanding through many late nights of me working on this. I have sacrificed a lot of my time to gain this success, but I could not have done it without the support of my family and the motivation from my little girl. I would also like to thank Dr. Shelley Jackson, Dr. Sidney Shaw, Dr. Laura Haddock, and Dr. Gary Szirony for their leadership, assistance, and guidance in writing my dissertation. This has been a very challenging process, and they have been there, right alongside of me to contribute to this being a successful process.