Date of Award

12-1998

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. Edward L. Trembley

Second Advisor

Dr. Robert L. Betz

Third Advisor

Dr. Ariel Anderson

Abstract

This research is an investigation into changes in individuals’ belief of self-efficacy as they advanced through master’s-level counselor training. Differences were examined between reported levels of beliefs of self-efficacy for a group of 30 master’s students involved in counselor practicum training and 31 master’s students involved in basic counseling coursework. Participants completed the Counselor Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE) (Larson et al., 1992) at the beginning and end of an academic semester. Data generated by the COSE included an overall score on beliefs of counselor self-efficacy along with five subscale scores of various aspects of counseling, consisting of Micro-Skills, Process, Difficult Client Behaviors, Cultural, and Awareness of Values. The participants also completed two surveys designed to gather demographic information about them. Differences between the practicum and nonpracticum groups were analyzed using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with the researcher controlling for an overall experimental error rate of 5%. Findings indicated that there were statistically significant differences between the practicum and nonpracticum group on the total score of the COSE and on the Micro-Skills and Process subscales. These findings support other research findings that attest to the usefulness of practical training in the development of self-efficacy beliefs.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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