An investigation of guidance officer selection criteria

Abstract

Unresponsive design guidelines for open spaces and the continuous allocation of land for the construction of buildings has led to the 'concretisation' of urbanscapes. This has resulted in the urban heat island effect marking the increase in air temperature making urban spaces almost unbearable for urban residents to dwell in. However, new effort is being made to reduce the effect of heat gain at the pedestrian level by planting vegetation in open spaces particularly urban nodes to create a comfortable outdoor environment. Appropriate vegetation selection in landscape design which is capable of reducing outdoor air temperature, is needed in designing urban nodes in hot-humid climates. The study is aimed to investigate the effectiveness of different vegetation types and their planting arrangement in adequately shading outdoor spaces for pedestrian activities. Two node intersections in Kuala Lumpur's urban space were selected based on vegetation type and planting arrangement. Daylight intensity was measured using the lux meters and the shadow casted underneath the vegetation. Human activity within the area was also observed to determine which vegetation type and planting arrangement is most suitable for pedestrian activity. Results revealed that the vegetation types and its planting arrangements significantly influences the amount of daylight penetrating the tree foliage and shadow casted on the ground which encourages human interaction at the node intersections.

Generalists or Specialists? Guidance Officers in Queensland Schools

“…Some early criticisms include that school psychologists/guidance officers should be more involved in the classroom (Carpenter, 1979), should be less isolated from school business and should have better documented roles and responsibilities for which they can be held accountable (Valine, Higgins, & Harcher, 1982). Communication skills are critical (Beavers, 1995), and according to data presented by Dickinson (1995), the communication and consultation skills of school psychologists/guidance officers are not always perceived to be adequate. Unfortunately, all of this critical discourse has yet to lead to any clear consensus on the role or function of a group attempting to balance the science and practice of their profession (Partin, 1993).…”

The Guidance Role in Queensland

“…While it may be surprising that traditional tasks such as assessment, program planning, and counselling did not feature on this list, Dickinson concluded that the key area affecting guidance roles in secondary schools was consultation and communication between guidance officers and school principals. In the light of this finding it is interesting to note that Beavers (1995), in a study into guidance officer selection criteria, also identified communication skill training as "critically important . .…”