Date of Conferral

2015

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Counselor Education and Supervision

Advisor

Shelley Jackson

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.

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