Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

3-1982

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major

Educational Administration and Supervision

Major Professor

John T. Lovell

Committee Members

Siegfried C. Dietz, Robert C. Maddox, Gerald C. Ubben

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to facilitate the formulation of recommendations for the development of effective programs of inservice for dormitory counselors in residential schools for the deaf. This study, by providing data on the perceptions of the superintendents of the residential schools for the deaf in the United States, closed a major gap in the existing data base relative to the characteristics thought to be necessary to an effective inservice program for dormitory counselors.

All of the 58 superintendents of residential schools for the deaf in the United States were surveyed with a questionnaire designed to determine their perceptions of the values of 63 proposed components of an inservice program for counselors. These components were selected from those found in a survey of 192 pieces of literature on the administration of dormitory programs in residential schools for the deaf, the inservice education of professionals in education, and the preservice and inservice education of paraprofessionals in education.

1. The superintendents greatly valued the utilization of counselor input in the planning of inservice programs for counselors.

2. The superintendents did not view helping counselors to qualify for certification or to upgrade an existing certification as important goals for a counselor inservice program.

3. The superintendents placed a relatively low value on using inservice programs to help counselors to learn techniques for teaching self-care skills, to gain an understanding of common disabilities, or to learn techniques for planning and supervising recreational activities and teaching recreational skills.

4. The superintendents placed a moderate value on using inservice programs to help counselors to learn communications skills or techniques for teaching them and on the use of a variety of techniques for presenting inservice opportunities and utilizing a wide range of viewpoints in planning inservice programs for counselors.

5. The superintendents placed a moderately high value on using inservice programs to help counselors to understand and apply child development and behavior theories.

6. The superintendents placed a very high value on using inservice programs to help counselors to learn techniques for teaching social and career adjustment skills.

7. The superintendents were considerably lacking in agreement as to the value of a number of proposed inservice goals and planning procedures.

8. The superintendents' past experiences in education were poor predictors of the inservice goals and planning procedures which they would value.

Download
Files over 3MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "save as..."

Share

COinS