Primary school teachers' expectations of educational psychologists' role-functions

• Main Author: Oconnor, Wendy Catherine
• Other Authors: Sibaya, P.T.
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Educational psychologists > role and functions
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10530/751

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology, University of Zululand, 2002. === This study investigates the expectations that primary school teachers have of educational psychologists' role-functions. The study aimed to investigate what services primary school teachers expect school psychologists to render. The second aim was to determine what role-functions teachers feel are most important for educational psychologists to fulfill. The third aim was to investigate what modes of service delivery are preferred by teachers and the fourth aim was to investigate whether there is an association between teachers' characteristics (age, gender, teaching experience) and their expectations of educational psychologists' role-functions. The present study revealed that teachers expect psychologists to conduct assessment, counseling, research, make recommendations, follow up on cases, give advice to parents, provide preventative programs, provide written evaluative reports and be available as a consultant to staff. When respondents were asked to make recommendations regarding what they thought were the most important role-functions for educational psychologists, assessment was ranked as the most important role-function. This was followed by consultation, giving advise to parents, counseling of children, making recommendations, providing a written evaluation of results, following up on cases, remedial assistance and research. Regarding psychological service delivery, teachers felt it was important that psychologists work both on an individual basis with children and with groups of children. .They also believed that it was important to work with school management, parents and staff. In the current study, there was no association between teachers' characteristics (gender, age and teaching experience) and their expectations regarding educational psychologists' role-functions and preferred mode of service delivery.