| dc.description.abstract |
The deployment of counselors in schools remains as an elusive phenomenon in the country. An exploratory cross sectional study was conducted on the availability of school counselors, profi le their expected and actual on-site work activities in a sample of national and international h igh schools located in Karnataka. Their offi cial websites showed 19 out of 101 schools have counselors on their rolls. From another sample of 74 respondents, 1000 activities (Mean: 13.51) that described their job profi le was elicited. Content analysis show that counselors want to focus on student problems and issues, while parents and teachers want them to undertake academic advising, student discipline, confl ict resolution, crises intervention, career choice and guidance. The school administration and students expect them to liaise, handle admissions and conduct staff enrichment programs. They prefer counselors who give low priority for advocacy, equity and child rights or community issues, which is what counselors themselves want todo. In totality, the wide disparities between the ascribed, expected and actual roles of school counselors are at a risk if compared to their optimal job performance in Indian school settings. |
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