Middle School and School

¶ … Expectations of Advisory Program

Validity threats

Foundation supporting this study design

Explain How Statement Meets the Criteria

Greenlee, B. J. (2010). School advisory council demography: Birds of a feather. Planning and changing, 41(1/2), 3-17

Adolescence is believed to be a stage in which people form their identity as well as develop the skills required for one to be academically successful. Benson &Poliner (2013) state that the failure of schools in involving most students due to their failure to meet 4 fundamental students needs: to love and belong, to enjoy themselves, have freedom and gain power. Thus, advisory programs are important for ensuring every student has a close relationship with a trustworthy adult that they can run to when they are having personal and academic issues (Knowles & Brown, 2000). This research is about advisory programs, how they enhance and analyze the association with academic improvement as well as the positive change that they may bring to the rates of graduations and reduction of risk traits. It also looks at how these programs allow for peer recognition and social exchange, a good way to improve academic career, self-esteem as well as social-emotional help.

The prevalent necessity for the programs have become significant, particularly to high poverty, low economic urban centers, where there are tight budgets which reduce finances and impact student discrepancies as well as poverty related necessities. Advisory programs are greatly needed to lower the level of seriously delinquent absenteeism among students who do not have enough support systems, educated optimism and skills for self-management.

Advisory program come up with and maintain the value of motivating peer, emotional and social issues in high and middle schools to enhance guidance development, which is significant to adolescent development and growth (between 10 and16) while in high and middle schools. Shulkind (2009) states that the required components for these programs are: (a) addressing educational performance to help assess intellectual needs, (b) development guidance through meeting their cognitive and emotional needs and (c) building teacher-student connections by meeting emotional needs. Counseling programs are essential and are broadly seen as important among high and middle schools (Brown, 2001). The assessed and reviewed are in line with the results. Schneider (2010) looks into minority students, formation, strengthening and shaping of a basis for high and middle school in school counseling programs which allow students to control their associations, which help in fostering and reinforcing the growth of the skills needed for them to be successful in future and have the needed academic achievements.

Statement of the Problem

Empirical evidence confirms that middle level advisory programs can be positively supportive to students, hence enhancing the attitudes of students towards education. At all school levels, there are different barriers faced by students, which can be alleviated or eased through effective counseling. According to Borgeson (2009), " The adviser-advisee system is important for the middle school system" (pg. 111). Mcclure, Yonezawa and Jones (2010) support the idea that where advisory programs are concerned, "higher personalization levels are linked with higher academic improvement, better school culture, as well as more student involvement." Urban district students are bound to have more benefits from emotional counseling than those in non-urban districts, since they face distinct barriers and problems.

As stated earlier, every schooling level has different problems which are centered on the needs of students during the period of their educational careers. Counseling can be done to meet the specific needs of students. According to Benson and Poliner (2013), the socioeconomic status of a student and/or the location of their school can greatly affect the kind of counseling they will require to help them improve in their academics (pg. 50). In addition, they assert that "as urban advisory programs are designed, it is important to consider having a flexible organizing theme in order to make sense" (pg. 50). Urban school students have special necessities which other students do not have; hence, these kinds of counseling programs need to be executed with regard to the needs of urban student. For instance, a "school-wide advisory program for Freshmen" which included the support of juniors, seniors and sophomores into the duties of counselors or mentors for students that are newly joining a school in Chicago, Illinois known as Maine East has reported a reduction of the failure rates of freshmen to 27% from 37% in two years (Lampert 2005, pg. 61-3). This shows the positive impact of modern advisory programs on urban school student outcomes.

Even if the programs are often recommended in middle-school change, the studies conducted on the view of students regarding counseling programs are limited, since there is little practice in schools. Stevenson (2001) states that teacher counseling is of great significance in middle schools, even though in most cases, it is the least executed. Advisory programs are among the hardest middle level programmatic factors to execute (National Middle School Association, 2006). According to Blum (2005) non-educational factors in schools are important to student and school achievement. Building trust connections and making sure each student is closely connected to one or more adult in schools can help enhance school relations. However, there is a belief that schools are more centered on providing knowledge than enhancing the overall growth of students. The research conducted by Wilcox and Angelis's (2007) on many state schools in New York showed students' emotional and social development as a major finding on the factors that help middle schools succeed. Results showed that schools which perform greatly acknowledge that making students in middle schools feel safe can give them a help network and closeness with the school. The results within the state schools in New York show diversified communities and communities with high violence and poverty may be a problem, but providing a friendly environment that enables students to feel successful and secure is essential (Wilcox & Angelis, 2007).

The National Association of Middle Schools states that there have been many writings regarding counseling programs, though there are some researchers who have thoroughly studied students' subjective experiences within counseling programs (2006). Counseling programs are still being proposed, even though there have been barriers in sustaining and executing it. The National Principals of Secondary Schools Association (2006) reported that a complete counseling or any other program meant to help students have meaningful and frequent for associating with adults to help them plan and evaluate their personal, social and educational growth comes fourth on the recommendation list of NASSP. Sardo-Brown and Shetlar (1994) state that more research on the views of students on the advisor-advisee time should be conducted in various kinds of schools. Research conducted earlier on counseling programs is qualitative, and the aims of the research are hard to assess. This research tries to deal with the necessity for improved information regarding advisory program traits that improve students' connection with their schools.

Purpose of the Study

The concept of the counseling programs framework forms the foundation of academic achievement in middle level school clearly indicates the necessity for students in the adolescence stage to be guided by adults to help them control their high and middle school life. Greenlee (2010) reported that the most important influence on the success of high and middle school students is similar to the connection with a trustworthy adult that cares about the growth of students. This case report is meant to find out the impact of counseling programs on the attitudes of middle school students. The targeted sample will incorporate students from school district number 152 in Southwest Harvey Illinois, Midwest U.S.A who have faced different barriers that disrupt their delinquency and academic success. The sample fits this research since Mcclure, Yonezawa and Jones (2010) agree with the notion that where advisory programs are concerned, "higher personalization levels are linked with greater performance in academics, better school culture, lower delinquency as well as better student involvement." The positive impacts in terms of social development are the potential for using counseling programs through cognitive, emotional or a combination of both, which can help in nurturing resiliency as well as increasing the skills for coping among endangered adolescents. On the other hand, positive social abilities, supportive relationships with adults, and skills for making good decisions help in solving the issue of providing counseling programs for educational achievement among high school and middle school students.

This study is aimed at investigating the view of students regarding counseling programs on traits with regard to school closeness. Therefore, this research will investigate whether counseling programs are vital factors influencing student associations, school involvement, and a feeling of belonging for students, eventually affecting school performance and relations.

Significance of the Study

This research on students in middle school evaluated the significance of associations, school involvement, and a feeling of belonging, which are important in school closeness within the modern counseling programs in middle level schools. In addition to that, the research provides information to be used in indicating further expert growth needs and find extra help for counselors, with regard to the view of the main targets of counseling; the student community. The data should help other schools come up with effective counseling programs and creating knowledge regarding the view of counselors and students as traits that affect school relations.

Research Questions

Qualitative aspects will mostly be featured in the research questions that will steer the study. The best research structure for the experiment, most importantly, is by use of two groups. This research follow-up comprises questions set to establish if the inclusion of sessions to give advice have ramifications on the views of the students regarding growing attendance, participation in extracurricular programs in school and failure. The study aims at achieving understanding and establishing the existence of any factual relationships concerning the inclusion of the advisory sessions and the eventual outcome by the students. Distinguishably, this study is set to deduce the relationship between an independent variable, the advisory sessions, and dependent variables, perception by the student of learning and the engagement of the learner, satisfaction of the learner or the student.

Research question1: what kind of effect does the advice sessions have on the expectations, feelings of the students and the few adolescents living in extreme poverty?

Null hypothesis: The sessions set aside for giving advice raises varying outcomes by the students.

Alternate hypothesis: no changes are witnessed in the students by the advisory sessions.

Research question 2: how does perception of a student in school relate to effects of advisory sessions?

Null hypothesis: Consultative sessions and its impact on perception of a student in school share a link.

Alternate hypothesis: Consultative sessions have no relationship with their impact on the learning and understanding by a student in school.

Research question 3:In comparison to growing attendance, participation in nonacademic activities and reduced failure, how does the consultative sessions affect the learning and fathoming by a student in school?

Null hypothesis: There is considerable growth in participation in the nonacademic activities and attendance, compared to reduced failure.

Alternate hypothesis: There is remotely no link between the impact of the consultative sessions on the students' studies in comparison to attendance and participation in nonacademic activities by reduced failure.

Theoretical framework: Phenomenology

Mac Iver (1990) proposes an artistic lens for brilliant results that almost match speculated ideas in life by professionals. The researcher chose a deeper, appropriate tool to obtain information from those participating in alignment with a researcher's philosophical ideology. Research questions are set straight by the interview questions, which are used as the tools for the study in progress. It's important to understand the significance of students' experiences in relation to the consultative sessions under the study. The chief advisers associated with the consultative sessions were the school heads.

Research shows that qualitatively researching based on phenomena is best suited for conducting interviews on the students involved. Van Manen (1990) opines that human research participants are a famous phenomenon for qualitative data collection. I used interviews to conduct my research, and discovered the perception of principals on counseling programs to gather information from their stories, which may be related or unrelated to the paper. The term phenomenon means a renewal of already lived experiences by participants, which help create a meaning for the interviewer and the respondent. Van Manen (1990) says that interviews produce the most appropriate results in the attempt to find qualitative data by mean of an informed interview. In addition, Van Manen (1990) states that the informed interview allows respondents to narrate their experiences with a language that leads to truthful and genuine response. For this reason, the research method used was primary interviewing. The interview included leading questions like, "What is your view on the advantages of middle school programming?" Such qualitative questions enhance the constructivist method used while trying to develop and capture the importance of the respondents' experiences.

Brief Review of the Literature

Shulkin (2009) suggests that the required advisory program contents are: (a) to address educational achievement through dealing meeting intellectual needs. (b) Giving growth guidance by meeting cognitive and emotional needs. (c) Building student and adult connections by meeting emotional needs. Counseling programs are important to middle schools. The assessed and reviewed research in all the papers concur with the results Schneider (2010) look at " Minority students, the basis of a high school, middle school and college begins, is shaped and enhanced with regard to the school counseling program" (p.22).

Benson &Poliner, R. E. (2013) looked at the plan in establishing advisory in a high school in Needham Massachusetts; Needham High. The writers' say, "What is the work of an advisory?" Advisory involves such sessions as discussion, meditations and activities to enhance the advisees' self-assessment, goal-setting, communication skills, negotiation and collaboration. The researchers studied for two-years Washburne middle; Needham high; Natick high, with 30-40 minutes counseling sessions in two years. They discovered that successful session counseling program establishment had short-lived and voluntary and they were terminated 18 months later. In addition, they lacked the tools for collecting feedback and making the required changes.

Weilbacher& Lanier (2012) stated the important tools for use in counseling programs in a middle school known as Tri-Valley. The respondents included young students to those in 12th grade and came up after the Ellsworth and Downs School Districts consolidation in 1962. The research handles gender differences to build honesty, trust and privacy in the counseling program (p. 29). There was a sample of 48 adults (9 male, 39 female) out of a population of 422 learners. The qualitative research studies the Horizon School counseling program to study middle schools. The writer mainly centered on assessing problems related with the impact of gender segregation on building trust, confidentiality and openness in the program. There were seven cluster interviews. The results were that gender segregation encouraged dialogue, association and social contact among students in different social classes within the school. The research enabled same gender students to have open discussions in settings where such obstacles as judgment and awkwardness were minimal. There was a challenge where teachers and students opined that teachers' gender needed to be the same as that of students in order for gender segregation to work.

The research by Greenlee (2010) mainly centers on the population characteristics of School Counseling Councils and mandated structure of councils, like increasing the connections of community and parents. The sample included Florida district, with the test being taken from 126 elementary level schools of between 329 and 1287 students; 38 middle level schools, between 601 and 1622 students; 22 high schools, between 1211 and 2712 students. The writers prepared a framework which suggests a unifying social group standard in the research. The evaluation gives an explanation of how population factors (community/ business leaders, student, parent, and teacher) with school principals apply to the arrangement development in SAC membership. The main research shows that people prefer to relate with those whom they are the same. The issue is established that SAC demographic structures show partiality for role and cultural similarity of people with similar demographic features and attitudes. The conclusion attracts concern to the choices of school principals on the basis of race worldwide.

McClure, Yonezawa& Jones (2010) centered on the relationship between apparent phases of viewed personalization opinions of students on educational outcomes and counseling time. There was greater improvement noted among students with the increase in personalization. The general positive linkage is seen between students in each survey conducted in spring 2005. In the years 2006 and 2007, learners from 14 schools located Avalon Unified closed with a response to a research connecting the yearly GPA of students. The survey included10, 044 students within 3 consecutive years, and was conducted in 14 schools. The members included 44% whites 25.3% Asian-Pacific students, 17% blacks and 13. 5% from other races (Mcclure, Yonezawa& Jones, 2010). The qualitative research showed similar teacher and student relation through the entire program. The results concur with the progressive phases of personalization related to progressive phases of academic achievement, better school culture, and more student devotion. Results also showed that the research gave non-causal rational connections among personalization, counseling time and educational impacts do not come out as clearly as expected.

Shulkind& Foote (2009) used a case study in data collection the writers investigate does counseling create any connectedness with the school? Connectedness distinguishes school beliefs whereby students have essential relationships. The target population was from schools in Los Angeles. The four chosen middle schools shared information regarding the questions asked. The procedure suggests that counseling is a fundamental unifying factor among social clusters under study. The findings acknowledged in the research the comprehensive relationship between building strong connections with peers and adults for middle school academic achievement.

Borgeson (2009) utilized a combined case report that evaluated a counseling program in one high school and exclusively centered on the feeling of belonging among students. The research focused on collecting information from 214 students in the 9th and 10th grade. This research looked at the change as seen by those that went through the procedure. The respondents answered opinion-based open-ended queries and the study was evaluated through typological analysis. For responses to Likert questions, the survey-assessment goals were evaluated through descriptive statistics. The findings indicated that those who were counseled gained from relating with counselors and wished for longer counseling time, and they cared about education.

Expectations of Advisory Program

A counseling program needs to include one helpful approachable adult who actively participates in child development. The programs acknowledge student growth in connection to skill. The parts of adolescent growth and motivation join and make a well-structured counseling program, which helps students connect with at least one kind adult. According to Ziegler and Mulhull (1994) "the role advisory is to encourage student's personal, social and educational growth, and the direction curriculum focusing on matters of social and personal significance among students" (p. 42). Some sample expectations of the programs are time management skills, conflict management skills, study skills, community service, decision-making and relationship creation. These kinds of advisory activities enhance student growth and development.

Are there any important effects in middle school that do not have counseling programs? Counseling programs with weekly meetings have greater direct effects on learners than those without the program. Learners have less stress due to academic failures, peer issues or school phobias. Disciplinary issues, anxiety and depression rates are also low (Galassi et al., 1998). Students gain from academic achievement in primary classes, and are able to solve problems. The literature indicates that teachers are more ethical when the learning environment is good, helpful and have intrinsic motivation. In addition, teachers have good relations with advisory students, extrinsic and intrinsic behavior and rewards and active involvement in counseling projects.

Counseling programs are the primary factor separating middle school from secondary and primary school. They create a close, nurturing connection between middle school students and advisors. According to Beane and Lipka (1987) "Transescents can connect with adults; feel safe in school and find out the true meaning of being a healthy person" (p. 40). Counseling programs help students be more responsible and risk with good resources and tools for decision-making.

Counseling programs also help students with organization, stress management and time management skills. They form a structured system that nurtures suitable age guidance and helps endangered students in middle school. Advisory involves inclusion of students in the discourse and discussion. This creates a feeling of belonging. It also motivates students to open up regarding relevant matters, while counselors listen and give advice. Arnold (1991) argued that counselors should create a feeling of moral growth, and motivate citizenship which help students grow into responsible adults. Nonetheless, not every study saw counseling topics as proactive for the growth of students. On the contrary, Kohn (1997) argued against character training for students. Giving learners a disparity of view, he spoke against the "fix-the-child" (p. 432) strategy for character building. Kohn was against imposition of belief of ethical and moral training by counselors. He opined that learners are not supposed to participate in activities requiring that they share, reflect and think of ethical matters (Kohn, 1997, p. 429). Counseling programs in middle schools involve ethical and moral character building and middle school curriculum. The programs allow for social and emotional education along with academics. For instance, counseling programs in middle school can provide early stage adolescents with resources, decision-making skills and insight to create a good future for them.

The connection between a counselor and a student may permanently impact the growth of a learner, both personally and academically. Researcher Goodwin (2003) states that schools that have counseling programs create a trusting connection between learners and educators. The connection is quite important in helping student develop healthily. Connections between teachers and students can impact the way students behave, their academic achievements and feeling of belonging. A researcher; Foote (2007) indicated that a counseling program can motivate positive development of young people when it affects the environment in which a student develops. This is possible though having direct connections between teachers and students. Adolescents in their early stages get most of their educational encouragement from their feeling of the support they get from other people while at school. This means that students are bound to have better performance if they see that they have a supportive and caring teacher. Influencing factors of the relationship between teachers and students are; gender, socio-economic condition, temperament, gender and the kind of connection the student had with the people who raised them.

Teachers as Advisors: Fostering Active Citizens in Schools writing agrees with the study indicating that the relationship between a student and their teacher can have an impact on their entire being (Barker, Basile, & Olsen, 2005). Henderson and Milstein (2003) found that pro-social relationships increase positive relations among young people, adults and their peers. These relationships create resilient skills, which are important to the success of students. A county school known as Jefferson, locate in Colorado utilizes an all-rounded strategy in motivating the child in all aspects. This strategy is meant for all levels, and it deals with the personal, social and intellectual requirements of their students. One of the strategies the school uses for all-rounded development is counseling. This helps teachers bond directly with the students being counseled. I addition to that; students gain communication, problem solving and conflict resolution skills.

Studies on the feeling of belonging among students have many times been linked with positive emotional and intellectual effects. Feeling of belonging among students has been connected closely to self-reported endeavor, lower absenteeism and school-based motivation. The study has not as much clarity and prevalence for the feeling of belonging among students with regard to the achievement of students. However, many researchers are of the opinion that academic success and feeling of belonging among students may at one point be reciprocally connected, with every positive impact being enhanced for each area. A feeling of belonging has for a long time been a great necessity. Capps (2004) study concurs with order of needs; people have the need to be part of groups. They need to feel accepted and loved by other people. The order of needs state that there cannot be true learning until a person satisfies their need. Schools will continue to struggle with trying to improve their performance until they create a feeling of belonging.

Research Methods

Research design

This qualitative study's research design will entail officially-structured interviews with learner partakers exploring their viewpoints on advisory programs. Wolcott (1994) expounded on consolidating and displaying qualitative data through description, examination, and interpretation. Perceptions, experiences and descriptions that will be captured by this study will be shaped by the analysis. The practical steps will involve data gathering through interviews, recording of the audio-tapes and note taking. The interviews will deliver distinctive discussions that will be applied to gain understanding on partakers' viewpoints of advisory programs (Creswell, 2013). The partakers will not be interrupted or get assisted by the researcher in their open ended replies, as warned by Patton (1990). Performing this would inhibit the partaker's contributions, perceptions and experiences of reliable data collection through a sincere interview process.

It will involve use of semi-structured interviews since they allow the chance to obtain a more detailed understanding of the partaker's experiences in relationship to a different research method. Hatch (2002) proposes that the primary data gathering tool regularly directs the study's purpose. To that conclusion, a small range of study questions will structure this study. The researcher will split the data into reduced groups centered on codes preset by the researcher to produce a manageable and meaningful data set. A minor sample size will be gathered in optimisms of collecting distinctive patterns, not generalities, from the discussions. Through data reduction centered on indicators, the one researching will be at a better position to expose entrenched common subjects.

For this research, the sample will get split into two sets. Concerning this study design, all subjects will undergo measuring; nonetheless just a few of the subjects will receive intervention or treatment. Subjects will all get measured again, and an alteration detected in the control set is paralleled with the alteration in the experimental set. Creswell & Plano (2011) states that, experimental design is a valuable method for gathering data about causative relations as it permits researchers to establish the association between variables. The important foundation of the research design is that a variable is influenced to know if it has an effect on the other one, strict randomization and controls. Interviews will thus be employed in data gathering to enable generalization. In this research, the independent variable that is; advisory programs, will be influenced, and the results accredited to the influences will then be the dependent variables these are; learner engagement, learner satisfaction and learner awareness of advisory program. The purpose of this research design will be to answer hypotheses to handle precise study queries of the research.

Population and Sample

Learners registered at Middle School that have an active mentor program at the period of the study will form the population for this research. Using this population, the study will employ a solitary- stage purposive sampling process to handpick a study sample. Lunenburg and Irby (2008) indicated that purposive sampling is a form of non-random sampling applied when the researcher possesses knowledge and experience of both the dependent and independent variables that determine the sample choice. The sample will be carefully chosen as to comprise learners who are participating in the advisory program. The sample of the research will contain juvenile learners aged between ten and sixteen learning in their mid-level school years. It is appropriate because young learners in their mid-level school years require advisory programs to direct them on emotional, social and peer issues key for progressive growth (Galassi, 1997).

Instrumentation

The instruments to be applied in the research will be the 'Student Advisory Program Questionnaire with Coded Domains'. This has been established by researchers Shulkind& Foote (2009). It will be applied to measure learner insights on advisory program. Perceptions will be graded on the strength of the learner view on every domain. The gauge ranges from one (never) to four (often). The Engagement domain, containing 13 elements, defines feelings of being a dynamic partaker in school events and educationally. The Sense of Belonging field, which contains 14 elements, defines feelings of linking to others and trust. The Meaningful Relationship field, containing 9 elements, defines feelings of possessing an optimistic engagement in an advisory sitting.

Data collection process

The sampling method to be used is random assignment sampling in which numerous study clusters will be made for the study. The partakers allocated to a particular study cluster will have the same attributes to guarantee that all study clutches or groups are equivalent at the onset of the study. This method of sampling will entail stratified sampling of partakers to a trial treatment program (Myrick & Highland, 2003). The data gathered will be the overall data conveyed by the learners concerning what they perceive about advisory programs.

The data gathering techniques to be used will include interviews, focus groups and surveys. Supervision of survey will include the engagement of 3 concerns; the first one being consideration of survey supervision is the use of comparison groups in which data will be gathered from learners in two learning institutions one having an advisory program and the second one without advisory program. The second is pre and post-intervention valuation for the gathering of data on overall learner insight earlier and later after the introduction of the program. Data gathered will be applied in comparing the differences in learner insights. The other technique of data gathering will be through the use of interviews and assumed by engaging pre/post intervention, pre/post intervention with regulation and comparison cluster and data gathered will be the learner insights alteration as an outcome of using the program (Punch, 2003). The process of data gathering will entail getting school therapists to issue accord forms to learners; dissemination and assembly of written surveys, evaluation and examination of surveys; contact interview partakers to get accord forms; interviewing partakers; revising data gathered and coding and formulating. At this phase data gathered will be complete for examination.