The study investigated the consultation approaches of collaborative-directive and collaborativenondirective and the influence of teacher expectations for consultation on their ratings of consultation success. Teachers viewed videotaped consultation sessions of a collaborative-directive or collaborative-nondirective consultation session that either matched or mismatched their expectations. The study found significantly higher ratings for the consultants and interventions when the collaborative-directive approach was used. In addition, teachers in conditions that matched their expectations for consultation rated consultants and interventions significantly higher than did teachers in mismatched conditions. The importance of this line of research lies in its practical application, allowing practitioners of consultation and trainers of school psychologists greater knowledge in selection of the appropriate consultation approach to maximize perceived consultant effectiveness and intervention acceptability. C 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Researchers in the area of school-based consultation have attempted to determine the most effective approach for consultation success. Although the collaborative-directive and collaborativenondirective approaches to consultation were introduced by Gutkin (1999), few published studies have addressed this new conceptualization of consultation (which may reflect a change in published literature toward problem-specific consultation [e.g., for students with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder {ADHD} or grief issues] and away from approach-oriented research). Additionally, the school-based consultation literature identifies teacher expectations for consultation as key to consultation success. The current research investigated whether teacher expectations for consultation more closely align with the collaborative-directive or the collaborative-nondirective approach to consultation and examined the impact of matching or mismatching teachers' expectations for consultation on their subsequent ratings of consultant effectiveness and intervention acceptability.
Collaborative and Expert ApproachesMuch of the present literature in the area of school-based consultation has focused on determining the most effective approach for school psychologists to use when consulting with teachers regarding academic, behavioral, and social-emotional behavior. However, the empirical focus on collaborative and expert approaches to consultation has dominated the consultation process literature. Thus, an academic debate has emerged between the collaborative and expert camps with proponents of each touting empirical evidence interpreted as supporting their respective approaches.The collaborative approach is generally believed to include the consultee in determining the content and process of consultation to a greater extent than other approaches. The psychologist offers a forum for processing the consultee's ideas without becoming directive. With the assistance of the consultant, the consultee identifies the issue t...