This study explored the intervention factors that elementary school counselors perceive as effective for facilitating referrals during parent consultations concerning students identified as at-risk through emotional and behavioral screening assessmen...
This study explored the intervention factors that elementary school counselors perceive as effective for facilitating referrals during parent consultations concerning students identified as at-risk through emotional and behavioral screening assessments. The concept mapping research method was employed to achieve this purpose.
Through this study, the dimensions and clusters of intervention factors perceived as effective for referrals by elementary school counselors during parent consultations were structurally examined. In addition, the importance and implementation ratings for each statement and cluster were analyzed. The research followed a five-stage procedure according to the concept mapping methodology.
First, in the preparation phase, focus questions reflecting elementary school counselors' experiences with parent consultations were developed, and a pilot study was conducted. Second, during the idea generation phase, 11 counselors participated in generating statement ideas. These participants met specific criteria: at least 5 years of counseling experience, Level 1 professional counselor certification, and a minimum of 10 successful referrals to external professional institutions through parent consultations. Interview data were transcribed, and statements were extracted, integrated, and edited based on meaning units. Following expert review, 74 final statements were confirmed.
Third, in the statement structuring phase, all 11 research participants engaged in similarity sorting, as well as importance and implementation rating tasks. Fourth, in the concept map analysis phase, multidimensional scaling (ALSCAL) and hierarchical cluster analysis were conducted using SPSS 29.0, based on the similarity sorting results and importance-implementation rating data. The analysis revealed that a two-dimensional interpretation was appropriate for the concept map, yielding five clusters. Fifth, in the interpretation phase, the meaning of each dimension and cluster was interpreted and named, followed by an examination of the importance and implementation ratings for clusters and individual statements.
The research findings are as follows: First, the intervention factors perceived by elementary school counselors were structured into two dimensions. The X-axis (Dimension 1) reflects the primary target of intervention: the positive domain represents "relationship-centered intervention with parents," while the negative domain represents "school and external system-centered intervention." The Y-axis (Dimension 2) reflects the functional dimension of intervention in the referral process: the positive domain represents "enhancing implementation capacity" to support parents' actual participation in the referral process, while the negative domain represents "promoting understanding" to help parents comprehend the necessity and procedures of referral. This structure demonstrates that intervention factors in parent consultations can be explained through the interaction between relational and systemic approaches, and understanding-centered and implementation-centered functions.
Second, five clusters emerged: Cluster 1, "Activating internal and external collaboration systems"; Cluster 2, "Securing autonomy and accessibility for referral"; Cluster 3, "Building rapport with parents"; Cluster 4, "Promoting awareness of referral necessity"; and Cluster 5, "Providing professional explanations about referral." These clusters reveal that the process of conducting referrals during parent consultations involves a dynamic combination of counselors' relational interventions, parents' understanding and emotional acceptance, and collaboration structures at school and community levels.
Third, regarding importance and implementation ratings, all clusters generally showed high levels in both dimensions, though differences were observed among clusters. The "Promoting awareness of referral necessity" cluster exhibited the highest averages in both importance and implementation. The "Activating internal and external collaboration systems" and "Building rapport with parents" clusters also received high ratings in both dimensions. Conversely, the "Securing autonomy and accessibility for referral" and "Providing professional explanations about referral" clusters showed relatively lower importance and implementation ratings.
The significance of this study is threefold. First, this study represents one of the first empirical studies to analyze parent consultations within the specific context of referral decisions following emotional and behavioral screening assessments, structurally presenting the actual process through which referrals occur in school counseling settings. Second, by utilizing the concept mapping research method to structure intervention factors perceived by elementary school counselors into dimensions and clusters, this study contributes to systematizing parent consultations as a domain of professional practice. Third, by simultaneously analyzing importance and implementation, this study empirically demonstrates the gap between counselors' perceptions and actual practice, thereby providing foundational data for future parent consultation training and improvement of school-based referral systems.