Efficacy beliefs in counseling and guidance among guidance teachers in Hong Kong (China)

The purposes of this research were to explore, measure, and investigate efficacy beliefs and attitudes toward school counseling and guidance among secondary school guidance teachers in Hong Kong. A three-phase study was conducted. In the first phase, focus group interviews were conducted with 24 nominated effective guidance teachers to explore guidance teachers' perceptions of the elements of effective practices in school counseling and guidance. The data indicated that guidance teachers considered outcome expectations, comprehensive guidance services, whole school approaches, personal qualities, and positive beliefs in school counseling and guidance as important elements of an effective guidance program.; In the second phase, based on the focus group data, the researcher developed indigenous instruments for assessing self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and attitudes toward school counseling and guidance among secondary school guidance teachers in Hong Kong. A six-person expert panel validated the items and co-constructed the questionnaires. To examine the psychometric properties of the newly-developed instruments, 1,398 guidance teachers from 354 secondary schools completed a survey questionnaire designed for the specific purposes of the study (response rate = 63.4%). The findings of the study provided evidence for the validity and reliabilities of the instruments.; In the third phase, the researcher employed the newly developed instruments to examine the relations between efficacy beliefs and training levels. The empirical findings supported the notion that guidance teachers with higher training levels tend to have more confidence in their ability to perform counseling and guidance tasks, to have more expectations of the effectiveness of the counseling and guidance work, and to hold positive attitudes toward school counseling and guidance.; In addition, the multivariate analysis results suggested that the four groups of guidance teachers differed in terms of school counseling and guidance self-efficacy and outcome expectations, in rough correspondence to their training levels, namely no training, 15 to 60 hours of training, 61 to 120 hours of certificate training, and master's degree training. Furthermore, the newly developed instruments were used to examine the relationship of self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and attitudes toward counseling and guidance with the three dimensions of burnout. The results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that the self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and attitudes toward counseling and guidance of the guidance teachers significantly predicted their levels of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and, in particular, personal accomplishment. The School Counseling and Guidance Self-Efficacy Inventory (SCG-38), the School Counseling and Guidance Outcome Expectation Inventory (SCG-OEI), and the Attitudes toward School Counseling and Guidance Scale (ATSCGS) proved to be conceptually valid and psychometrically sound measurement instruments. The Multiple Layer Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance Program (ML-CCGP) Model, which was supported by research evidence, was proposed. Research and practical implications of the findings were discussed. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...