Patrick Akos

Engagement in adolescent career preparation: Social support, personality and the development of choice decidedness and congruence

This longitudinal panel study investigated predictors and outcomes of active engagement in career preparation among 349 Swiss adolescents from the beginning to the end of eighth grade. Latent variable structural equation modeling was applied. The results showed that engagement in terms of self- and environmental-exploration and active career planning related positively to interindividual increases in career decidedness and choice congruence. More perceived social support, early goal decidedness, and particular personality traits predicted more engagement. Support and personality impacted outcomes only mediated through engagement. Early decidedness and congruence were significant predictors of their respective later levels. Implications for practice are presented.

Utilizing the Developmental Influence of Peers in Middle School Groups

The developmental importance of peers in early adolescence creates an opportunity for school counselors to utilize group work to promote development and achievement. This article will review research on peer relationships and demonstrate how developmental forces in early adolescence are consistent with and related to therapeutic factors in group work.

Extracurricular Participation and the Transition to Middle School.

Abstract Research demonstrates a host of negative student outcomes associated with the transition to middle school. As school personnel seek to connect students to the new school, extracurricular participation, in particular, has the potential to influence student belonging and promote positive academic and psychosocial outcomes. Data from this investigation reveals that participation in multiple extracurricular activities relates to academic achievement and school connectedness. Implications for transition and extracurricular programming are included.

Improving Middle School Student Engagement Through Career-Relevant Instruction in the Core Curriculum

ABSTRACT The authors assessed the effect of career-relevant instruction on school valuing and engagement of middle school students in a southern U.S. school district. Previous research and theory indicate students learn best when new knowledge is provided within the context of information students consider to be of value. The data come from a school-based randomized trial of the CareerStart intervention that was introduced in 7 of 14 middle schools, and include the initial 3 years of data for 3,493 students. The authors examined the effect of the CareerStart intervention and student-reported career-relevant instruction on psychosocial measures of school engagement and school valuing. After controlling for previous school engagement, demographic, socioeconomic, and academic factors, the analysis confirms that students in the treatment schools reported significantly higher levels of school valuing than students in the control schools, and students reporting greater career-relevant instruction indicated significantly higher levels of school engagement and valuing.

Advancing Academic Achievement Through Career Relevance in the Middle Grades A Longitudinal Evaluation of CareerStart

Research and theory suggest that students learn more effectively when they perceive course content as relevant to their futures. The current research assessed the impact of CareerStart, a middle grades instructional strategy designed to advance the occupational relevance of what students are being taught in the core subjects—math, science, language arts, and social studies. CareerStart was introduced randomly in 7 of 14 middle schools in a diverse district with 3,295 students followed for 3 years. The analyses examined impact on end-of-grade test scores on math and reading exams. Findings confirm a significant treatment effect for math performance but no effect for reading performance.

Preparing School Counselors for Group Work

The American School Counselor Association has endorsed group work as an important component of school counseling programs, and research has demonstrated the effectiveness of group work in schools. Yet there is still considerable variation in practice of group work in schools. The type of group training preservice school counselors receive is an important factor. School counselor educators should maximize the one group course format by integrating and sequencing content most appropriate for school counseling, linking and infusing group principles in all coursework, especially practicum and internship classes, and consider group leadership skills and competencies in admission and programmatic decisions. This manuscript presents a one-course infusion model for preparing school counselors for group work.

Transition Groups for Preparing Students for Middle School

School counselors can use groups as an effective and efficient means of helping students. Psychoeducational groups provide information and build skills to help prepare students for developmental tasks. As students complete elementary school, these preadolescents face the challenging tasks of moving to middle school and beginning puberty. School counselors can capitalize on peer influence and prepare students for the transition to middle school by using the group format. This article describes a model of a psychoeducational group aimed at preparing fifth graders for the transition to middle school. Implications and results of a pilot group are also presented.

School Counselor Contributions to the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Process.

School counselors provide a variety of services to students with disabilities, and becoming involved in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process is an opportunity through which school counselors can demonstrate their unique contributions. The authors highlight specific skills (e.g., group facilitation, consultation) and developmental knowledge (e.g., career, psychosocial) of school counselors in relation to their roles in serving students with disabilities throughout the IEP process. The authors recommend ways in which educators can encourage school counselors to become involved in the provision of services to students with disabilities.

Building empathic skills in elementary school children through group work

Abstract Elementary school counselors are challenged to meet the expanding needs of todays children. These counselors can best promote personal and social development through groups, in which peers contribute to development. A group focused on developing empathic skill helps children moue beyond egocentrism and build the foundation for social skills. A psychoeducational group model is presented along with theoretical and practical considerations.

A Psychoeducational Group Approach to Postsecondary Transition Planning for Students with Learning Disabilities.

Group work has been identified as an important intervention to prepare children and adolescents for a variety of transitions. Students with disabilities can benefit from participation in psychoeducational groups as they prepare for their transition to postsecondary school. This article describes a psychoeducational group model designed to increase disability self-awareness, increase postsecondary education knowledge, and promote self-advocacy skills for students with learning disabilities.