A Self-instructional Surface-counseling Program: Development and Validation

Abstract

In the climate of educational refonnt cost-effective methods are needed to provide special education teachers with the skills they need to provide up-to-date instruction to their students. In this study the effects ofa self-instructional programon the surface-counseling skills ofteachers ofstudents with learning disabilities were investigated. The program included text, audiotapes, study guidest and quizzes aimed at instructing teachers in an interactive process involving the application oftwo sets of skills: relationship-building and problem-solving skills. A multiple-baseline across-teachers design was employed. In addition, professional counselors evaluated the quality ofsurface-counseling skills used by the teachers before and after training. Also, the social validity ofthe program was assessed by participating teachers who evaluated various aspects of the program including the content, training formatt and training effects. Results indicated that, before training, the teachers used few basic counseling skills and did not employ a structured problem-solving approach when presented a problem by a student. After self-instruction, the teachers' surface-counseling skills improved markedly. Experienced counselors rated the quality of the teachers' counseling interactions substantially higher after training than before training. Participating teachers gave favorable ratings to the skills learned in the surface-counseling program. and accompanying materials. More importantlyt they indicated that they often use the skills with students in their current teaching placements.