From serving families to community awareness.

Abstract

For school professionals to work effectively with families that have children with exceptional needs, they must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to connect families with community resources. This study examines the learning outcome of a course designed to expose graduate students to interacting with families and learning about the community through direct services. Results show that students' sense of self-efficacy, beliefs in families, and perceived knowledge in community resources significantly increased at the end of the semester.

Introduction

School professionals such as teachers, school social workers, school psychologists, school counselors, and school nurses are charged with the mission of assisting children to succeed in schools. To accomplish this mission, professionals must work with the family system (California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2001). Among the families that school professionals assist on a daily basis, families with exceptional children face extra challenges that require professionals to have both the sensitivity and knowledge in engaging families (Turnbull & Turnbull, 2001). However, not all graduate programs that prepare school professionals require specific training to work with exceptional children and their families (Korinek & Prillaman, 1992). Furthermore, few programs that prepare school professionals to work with this unique population require practical experiences with these children and their families (Milsom & Akos, 2003). However, a growing body of research illustrates many positive outcomes for college students to learn through servicing people in the community (Gray, Ondaatje, Fricker, & Geschwind, 2000). Milsom's study (2002) also demonstrates that both knowledge and direct experiences with students with disabilities enhance school counselors' sense of preparedness to work with this population. Not providing students with practical experiences can render these future professionals less prepared to work with this special population.

Among different types of services that professionals provide families, linking families with school and community is a crucial piece (Epstein, 1995; Epstein & Sanders, 2000). This triadic relationship, family-school-family, is pertinent since the needs of children and their families often exceed the scope of practice of one particular profession or one single system. To prepare future professionals to connect families to community resources, Milsom (2002) suggests that school counselors create a resource list of individuals, organizations, print materials, and web sites to be consulted for issues regarding special education or disabilities (p.337). In order to better prepare future school professionals to assist families that have exceptional children, a graduate course was designed to provide students with the opportunity of developing partnerships with families to explore community resources that can strengthen these families to assist their exceptional children. Besides providing direct services, these graduate students regularly integrate their experiences with the learning contents of their textbook and class materials by reflecting on their work with families in class discussion and in their reflection journals. Quantitative analysis of the learning outcomes of this course and comments of students' reflection are presented in this article.

Background

As a professor in a counselor education program, this author co-designed and co-taught a three-semester-unit course with another professor from the special education program of the same department to prepare school professionals to work with families that have exceptional children. In order to help students understand the unique situations and needs of these families and to learn how to connect families to resources, students were required to: 1) identify families that have children with exceptional needs in their community and are willing to establish partnerships with them; 2) provide direct services to families through meeting with them and developing a family resource notebook for them; 3) develop direct contacts with local agencies and report their experience in class; 4) research into community resources at different levels; and 5) reflect on their experiences in serving families and researching into community resources.

A total of 142 students took this course in four different semesters with an average of 35 students in each class. These are graduate students in a public university in a mid-size town in California. The number of students in different specializations is as follows: 37 Special Education Teachers, 23 Social Workers, 10 Marriage and Family Therapists, 46 School Counselors, 11 School Psychologists, 10 Deaf Educators, 1 School Administrator and 4 Undeclared Major.

Establishing Partnership with Families

Each student was required to establish a voluntary partnership with a family of an exceptional child in the community. The student would meet with the family for a minimum of four times. During the meetings, the student tried to understand the family's experiences, goals, strengths and needs. The student then developed a Family Resource Notebook with the family, including written information and resources available at the school and in the community that addressed their presenting goals and concerns.

Development of a Family Resource Notebook

Students were asked to work with their families to choose specific items to be included in the Family Resource Notebook. However, a few items are required in order to ensure that students consider community resources at different levels. The required items include the following: 1) relevant internet sites; 2) pamphlets or other information from relevant community agencies; 3) relevant support groups; 4) names and phone numbers of key educational personnel; 5) resources available through the school district; 6) opportunities for recreation, hobbies, and social experiences.

Reflection Journals and a Final Paper

Each student was required to write six reflection journals about their in-class experiences and four reflection journals about their family meetings. Reflection for in-class experiences addresses what students have learned in class; what questions/concerns they might have and other personal reactions. Reflection for family meetings focuses on what was discussed in the meeting, the responses of the family members, what students have learned and what they would do next. At the end of the semester, each student was required to write a culminating paper addressing the following areas: their learning about families of exceptional children, about themselves, the difficulties they encountered in completing the Partnership Project, and suggested changes to improve their work with families and to improve the course assignments. Each student was required to research available and appropriate information and resources by surfing the internet and visiting a local agency that can address the needs of the families, and present the information to the whole class.

Method to Measure Change in Students' Perception

In order to gather information about what difference this course may have made among students, this author and her co-instructor developed a questionnaire that utilizes the motivational factors identified by Turnbull and Turnbull (2001) in working with families that have children with disabilities. Those motivational factors include a professional's sense of self-efficacy and great expectation of families. For the purpose of this study, self-efficacy refers to students' belief in their own capabilities in working with families (Bandura, 1997). Students' great expectation of families refers to students' belief in families' abilities to affect what happens to them (Turnbull & Turnbull, 2001). In assessing change in students' perception, this questionnaire was also developed by adapting one originally used in the study of Evans-Schilling (2000). The individual items of the questionnaire were written to assess the following areas of students' perception: 1) the interest and ability of parents to help their children, 2) the student's own ability (skills and knowledge) to help children and their families, and 3) their knowledge about community resources available to parents of children with learning difficulties.

Questions used to assess students' perception of the interest and ability of parents to help their children include the following: 1) How interested are parents in playing an active role in their children's education and psychological growth? 2) How effective are parents at playing an active role in their children's education and psychological growth? Questions used to assess students' perception of their own ability to help children and their families include the following: 1) How prepared do you feel to lead a parent support group? 2) How prepared do you feel to consult with parents concerning the education of their children who have special needs? 3) How prepared do you feel to lead a support group for children with special needs? 4) How prepared do you feel to counsel a child with special needs? 5) How prepared do you feel to counsel a parent who has a child with special needs? The following question was used to assess students' perception of their knowledge about community resources: How informed do you think you are about community resources available to parents of children with learning difficulties?

Likert-type scales running from 0 to 10 were used to denote the respondent's relative agreement with each question, with 0 indicating "not at all," 5 indicating "so-so," and 10 indicating "very much." The questionnaire was given to all students twice, on the first day (pre-questionnaire) and the last day (post-questionnaire) of the semester of their enrollment. Students were invited to respond to the questionnaire on a voluntary and anonymous basis. Students supplied the maiden name of their mother and this name is used to pair the pre- and post-questionnaires for comparison. Based on students' responses to the questionnaire and their comments in their reflection journals, class materials were modified to address areas of concerns and students' expressed interests. For example, students indicated the lack of knowledge of resources in their community. We spent more time on researching for resources. Upon knowing that there are so many resources available, students wanted to know more about how to select the most appropriate agencies with the families they work with. In-class activities were modified to address prevalent concerns or interest among students.

Purpose of the Study

After having taught this course for four consecutive semesters, this author has accumulated information about the learning experiences of 142 students from their responses to pre- and post-questionnaires and reflection papers. Upon receiving approval from the department to use student data in research and publication, statistical analysis of pre- and post-questionnaires and thematic analysis of reflection papers were conducted to address the following questions:

1) Is there a difference between students' sense of self-efficacy in working with families?

2) Is there a difference in students' beliefs in families' abilities to help their children before and after taking this course?

3) Is there a difference between students' perception of their knowledge about community resources?

Demographics of the Sample

Not all students who took the course completed the pre- and/or post-questionnaires. Some were absent on the first day or the last day of class, while others chose not to respond to the questionnaire. Pre-questionnaires and post-questionnaires that do not have matching maiden names of students' mothers could not be used for comparison. In the end, responses from 85 students, 60% of all enrolled students, were usable for statistical analysis. Among these 85 students, 78% were female, and 22% were male. Their ages ranged from 22 to 58, with the following breakdown: 25 or under (32%), 2630 (31%), 31-40 (20%), 40-50 (12%), and 51 or above (5%). The breakdown of the ethnicity of students is as follows: African-American 4%, American-Indian, 1%, Asian 20%, Caucasian 38%, Hispanic 30%, and Other 7%. Students who checked more than one ethnicity blocks were grouped under "Other," together with students of other ethnic backgrounds.

Results

T-tests were conducted to compare students' pre- and post-questionnaire responses. Thematic analysis of students' reflection papers was conducted by grouping students' similar comments together and classifying different groups of comments by themes.

Results denote a significant increase on all assessment items at the end of the semester, with p<.001. Regarding perceptions about families, students feel more strongly that parents are interested in playing an active role in their children's education and psychological growth (mean score changed from 7.61 to 8.45) and parents are effective in doing so (mean score changed from 6.61 to 7.58). As regards their self-confidence, students agree more strongly that they are effective in working with parents (mean score changed from 7.12 to 8.35), and their sense of preparedness in doing the following tasks has increased: to lead a parent support group (mean score changed from 5.49-7.08), to consult with parents concerning their children's education (mean score changed from 6.24-8.29), to lead a support group for children with special needs (mean score changed from 5.36-7.29), to counsel a child with special needs (mean score changed from 5.93-7.76), and to counsel parents who have a child with special needs (mean score changed from 5.76-7.78). Students' perceived knowledge of community resources also increased (mean score changed from 5.81 to 7.75).

Common themes that emerged from students' comments about their experiences in linking families with community resources include: 1) gaining knowledge of the existence of resources; 2) gaining an awareness of the unequal distribution of /access to resources; 3) gaining confidence in one's ability to help families with the support of resources; 4) valuing the importance of researching for resources; and 5) gaining empathy with families' difficulties in getting support to help their children. The following comments of students in their reflection paper could illuminate reasons behind their gain in self-efficacy and respect for families:

   "My project forces me to learn of the different agencies and
   assistance programs. Now I feel that I am able to inform other
   friends and families about these resources."

   "There are many resources in and through the community that I did
   not even know existed, which will be a valuable tool in my future."

   "While researching information, I gained hope for my family and the
   child."

   "I realized that people in smaller communities don't have the
   options that we have in bigger cities."

   "I was disappointed because many of the agencies only served people
   with severe disabilities. My students fall between the cracks."

   "This project reinforced in me the notion of networking and
   developing community ties."

   "It is difficult for families to find time to research available
   resources in their community."

   "I look forward to continuing my research on community resources to
   keep up-to-date with resources."

Discussion and Conclusion

Generalization of results from this study is constrained by the following factors: only responses from 60% of all students who took this course could be used for data analysis; the study took place in only one public university in California, the self-report nature of the data; students' tendency to rate their experience as more positive at the end of the semester regardless of their experience and students may have an increase in their sense of preparedness as a result of combined learning from other courses they took concurrently with this course.

Despite the above limitations, the results of this study demonstrate the potential benefits of providing students with experiential learning through serving families in the community. Students become more appreciative of families that they have worked with, more confident about their abilities to serve families, and more aware of what the community can offer to these families. The tendency to advocate for families was developed in the natural process of knowing the difficulties that families encounter when assessing the community support that can make a difference in their situations. Further research will include comparing courses with the component of service learning to other courses that do not have such a component, comparing students' perceptual change to the change in their helping behaviors with families, and gathering data from parents who have received service from students in this partnership. A follow-up study on students who have taken this course in a couple of years will generate more information on how this course might have impacted their approach in working with families in their respective fields.

References

Epstein, J.L. (1995). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 76, 701-712.

Epstein, J.L., & Sanders, M.G. (2000). Connecting home, school, and community: New directions for social research. In M.Hallinan (Ed.), Handbook of sociology of education. New York: Plenum.

Evans-Schilling, D. (2000, April). Psychological aspects of teacher/family collaboration: Implications for teacher educators. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association.

Gray, M.J., Ondaatje, E.H., Fricker, R.D., & Geschwind, S.A. (2002). Assessing service-learning: Results from a Survey of "Learn and Serve America, Higher Education." Change, March/April, 30-39.

Korinek, L., & Prillaman, D. (1992). Counselors and exceptional students: Preparation versus practice. Counselor Education and Supervision, 32, 3-11.

Milsom, A.S. (2002). Students with disabilities: School counselor involvement and preparation. Professional School Counseling, 5 (5), 331-338.

Milsom, A., & Akos, P. (2003). Preparing school counselors to work with students with disabilities. Counselor Education and Supervision, 43, 86-95.

Turnbull, A., & Turnbull, R. (2001). Families, professionals, and exceptionality: Collaborating for empowerment. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., and Upper Saddle River.

Lam, Ed.D., is an Assistant Professor of the Counselor Education Program in the California State University, Fresno