COUNSELLOR TO STUDENT RATIO

The relationship between the counselor to student ratio in school's success in meeting AYP

The relationship between the counselor to student ratio in school's success in meeting AYP

The lack of leadership and the high counselor-to-students ratios have inadvertently caused the school counseling programs to appear inefficient and nonproductive by school administrators (Burnham & Jackson, 2000). School guidance counselors have a leading role in identifying the issues and problems that are prevalent in schools today (Schultz, 2005). With high counselor-to-student ratios coupled with added administrative activities for the counselor (Amatea, 2005), the high school guidance counselor must find ways to continue to promote academic success of schools (Cole & Ryan, 2000). As the focus of this study is the number of students assigned to a counselor, the school guidance counselors can directly benefit from this study. Ostensibly, school guidance counselors may use the result of this study to sustain employment during times of budget cuts.

Research Method Appropriateness

Research methodology refers to the research process? the procedural framework within which the research is conducted. This methodology is defined by Leedy (p.120) cited by Remenyi et al? 1998? (p. 28) as 'an operational framework within which the facts are placed so that their meaning may be seen more clearly'.

Some methods provide data? which are quantitative and some that are qualitative. Quantitative methods are those? which focus on numbers and frequencies rather than on meaning and experience. Quantitative methods (e.g. experiments? questionnaires and psychometric tests) provide information? which is easy to analyse statistically and fairly reliable. Quantitative methods are associated with the scientific and experimental approach and are criticised for not providing an in depth description.

Qualitative methods are ways of collecting data? which are concerned with describing meaning? rather than with drawing statistical inferences. What qualitative methods (e.g. case studies and interviews) lose on reliability they gain in terms of validity. They provide a more in depth and rich description.

For the purpose of the study quantitative method was deemed more appropriate. Quantitative are said to be systematic. Qualitative research is thought to be objective whereas quantitative research often involves a subjective element. It is thought that in gaining? analysing and interpreting quantitative data? the researcher can remain detached and objective. Often this is not possible with qualitative research where the researcher may actually be involved in the situation of the research (Jankowicz? p.16).

Research Design

The quantitative correlation research study will be used to investigate the relationship between the counselor to student ratio in school's success in meeting AYP. Using descriptive research, the correlation approach is appropriate for the study since the goal of the study was to investigate whether a relationship existed between the counselor to student ratio in school's success in meeting AYP. Creswell (2005) described quantitative research as an inquiry approach that is useful for describing trends and explaining relationships among variables. It was the attempt of the study to identify those relationships. Creswell (2005) also described qualitative research as analyzing words or pictures to describe a central ...