Action Research and School Counseling: Closing the Gap between Research and Practice

Abstract

Action research can be a valuable resource for strengthening the link between theory and practice in school counseling. Action research emphasizes practitioner action for change in conjunction with rigorous reflection on practice and careful gathering and analysis of data. This article presents background information on action research as well as the case for the relevance of action research to the situation that school counseling now faces as an emerging profession.

Kindergartners Are Ready to Learn: Applying Student‐Within‐Environment Theory to a School Counseling Intervention

“…For the current investigation, we designed a mixed‐methods, quasi‐experimental, nonrandomized study to illustrate how two ASE‐trained school counselors delivered a relevant curriculum (namely, RTL) and how the intervention contributed to select student outcomes. This design was used for the following reasons: (a) to work within the parameters established by the cooperating school district, (b) to align with action research practices familiar to practicing school counselors (Rowell, ), and (c) to evince how a theoretically informed school counseling intervention affects student outcomes (Research Questions 1 and 2).…”

A Quantitative Exploratory Evaluation of the Circle of Security‐parenting Program With Mothers in Residential Substance‐abuse Treatment

“…Action research is commonly used by teachers, administrators, and educational researchers to improve and evaluate programs in school settings (O'Brien, ). It also is useful for practitioners who want to research problems that they see in community and school settings (Guiffrida, Douthit, Lynch, & Mackie, ; Rowell, ).…”

Promoting Research as a Core Value in Master's‐Level Counselor Education

“…Action research among school counselors has since continued to receive attention as a means to promote practice and research as concurrent rather than mutually exclusive activities (Gilles, 1993;Ponte, 1995;Rowell, 2005;Whiston, 1996;Zinck & Littrell, 2000). Most recently, Rowell (2006) described the practical implications of school counselors as action researchers and as "practitioner partners" (Rowell, 2005, p. 29) in collaborative action research with counselor educators and graduate students.…”

“…Action research as advanced in educational settings has asserted the position that research should involve teachers and school counselors inside the school, rather than be an endeavor conducted solely by specialists from outside the school (Holly, Arhar, & Kasten, 2005;Rowell, 2006). Research therefore is focused on teacher and school counselor empowerment, giving voice to the experiences of practitioners.…”