THE INFLUENCE OF SCHOOL COUNSELORS ON THE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS OF FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS

Open Access
- Author:
- Gilfillan, Elizabeth
- Graduate Program:
- Counselor Education
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- March 31, 2019
- Committee Members:
- Richard Hazler, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Richard Hazler, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Diandra Janelle Prescod, Committee Member
Rayne Audrey Sperling, Committee Member
Bernard Joel Badiali, Outside Member - Keywords:
- school counselors
college and career readiness
first generation college students
social capital
career decision-making
academic buoyancy - Abstract:
- This study examined differences in college and career readiness indicators of social capital, academic buoyancy, and career decision-making between first generation and continuing generation college students. The study also explored how students’ perceptions of school counselors’ college and career readiness counseling practices influenced their college and career readiness indicators. Participants were 195 first-year college students. The first research question included comparing the two groups’ social capital, academic buoyancy, and career decision-making scores. Results indicated significantly lower total social capital and bonding social capital, and higher external conflict in career decision-making for first generation college students. Differences between the two groups in bridging social capital, academic buoyancy, and career decision-making total, decision-making conflict, and commitment anxiety were not significant. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the influence of perceptions of school counselors’ college and career readiness counseling practices, with the findings showing that these practices predict social capital and career decision-making, but not academic buoyancy. Finally, bivariate correlation analysis was used to analyze how each group's perceptions of school counselors’ college and career readiness counseling practices relate to social capital, academic buoyancy, and career decision-making. Findings showed that the two groups’ correlations for the three indicators were different in terms of strength and direction of the correlations of scores. The study offers evidence of significant differences between first generation and continuing generation college students’ college and career readiness. It also provides evidence of the influence of school counselors on these indicators. Implications of how to work with first generation college students and training and practical ideas for school counselors are discussed, along with suggestions for future research.