COUNSELING SELF-EFFICACY (CSE) AMONG MALAYSIAN SCHOOL COUNSELORS

Abstract

The paper reports a study on how school counselors generate and use counseling efficacy in their work place. This study was a continuation from the first phase studies on emotional intelligence (EQ), counseling efficacy and counselors’ commitment to the profession. The overall study involves a quantitative (survey methods) in the first phase, followed by a qualitative research method which is a case study in the second phase. The EQ results from the first phase findings were use to identify the subject to be interviewed in second phase. The criteria of the selected subjects for the second phase were the sampel with the highest EQ scores on each EQ domain and the lowest EQ scores in the first phase study. Four school counselors, two with a high EQ score and two with a low EQ score were interviewed to explore their experience on how they developed and used the counseling efficacy in performing the guidance and counseling services to the students. The data were analyzed using the Browse Nodes, Assay Scope, Matrix Intersection, Document Attribution and Explore Model, Pattern Matching and Explanation Building Technique. The analysis produced three ways on how the school counselors develop their efficacy, which is reflected through three main emerging themes and four main emerging themes on how school counsleors used counseling efficacy in performing counseling services. Results of the study revealed that the generating of Counseling Self-Efficacy is developed through a holistic personality development process, the environmental stimuli resources and the clear perception on the role as a full time school counselor. The results also show that self-efficacy is used while school counselors generate critical thinking, initiate action plan, create self-endurance, and develop the direction for career pathway. The study has proven that counseling efficacy functions as a mechanism in ensuring commitment towards the guidance and counselling services. The implications of these findings for the counseling practice are also discussed.