School Psychologists’ Continuing Professional Development Preferences and Practices

Abstract

This study investigated school psychologists’ continuing professional development (CPD) activities, topics, needs, motivations, financial expenditures, and opinions, as well as relationships between select demographic characteristics and certain CPD practices and preferences. A survey was mailed to 1,000 randomly selected Regular Members of the National Association of School Psychologists, resulting in the return of 510 completed surveys, a 51% response rate. Respondents expressed opinions about CPD that were positive, optimistic, and consistent with their high levels of engagement and investments of both time and financial resources. Most respondents reported engaging in 25 or more hours of CPD during the previous year. CPD topics in which they engaged most frequently were response to intervention and academic, behavioral, and social–emotional interventions, and academic screening and progress monitoring. Respondents reported a high level of need for more CPD in those same topic areas, but a low level of need for offerings in standardized assessment. Older school psychologists were less likely to have engaged in CPD relating to contemporary assessment practices and interventions and more likely to have engaged in activities related to standardized assessment. Almost half of the respondents had engaged in CPD through an online activity and reported a desire for more online opportunities. No relationship was found between age and usage of, or positive opinions about, online CPD.

A Qualitative Study of Facilitators and Barriers Related to Comprehensive and Integrated School Psychological Services

“…However, these same themes also were the most frequently mentioned facilitators. Participants' perceptions of these factors as both facilitators and barriers appears to be consistent with literature that indicates they are critical elements for building capacity to implement effective services (Armistead et al, 2013;Forman et al, 2013). Key stakeholder involvement and personal variables also were reported as facilitators.…”

Facilitators of and Barriers to Model School Psychological Services

“…Personal Attributes facilitators likely predicted all practices because of the importance of school psychologists having the beliefs, knowledge, and skills needed to implement services. Whether attained through graduate training, continuing professional development, or some other mechanism, the role of school psychologists’ knowledge and skills is well established in terms of creating capacity to deliver services (Armistead, Castillo, Curtis, Chappel, & Cunningham, ; Ysseldyke et al., ). Additionally, researchers suggest that beliefs and attitudes contribute to whether educational professionals will implement practices (Learning Forward, ).…”

Psicólogos escolares em Portugal: perfil e necessidades de formação

“…No que diz respeito à intervenção indireta, as tendências observadas não são tão claras. Se em alguns estudos ela aparece como uma das áreas em que os psicólogos escolares identificam mais necessidades de formação (Fowler & Harrison, 2001;Lam & Yuen, 2004), em outros ela é uma área nitidamente secundária, tal como sucede nesta investigação (Armistead et al, 2013;Wnek et al, 2008). Também nesses trabalhos não tem sido possível observar uma relação significativa entre necessidades de formação e variáveis individuais e contextuais (Armistead et al, 2013;Fowler & Harrison, 2001).…”

“…Nesse contexto, e dada a influência das experiências de formação sobre a qualidade dos serviços profissionais, o presente estudo propôs-se a três objetivos: (a) analisar o perfil de formação dos psicólogos escolares portugueses; (b) identificar suas necessidades de formação; (c) compreender como essas necessidades variam em função de características individuais e dos contextos de trabalho. Procurou-se explorar estas últimas relações, na linha de estudos anteriores (Armistead et al, 2013;Fowler & Harrison, 2001), uma vez que o perfil de formação, a experiência prévia e as necessidades dos clientes ou contextos de trabalho emergem como variáveis importantes no momento de planejar as atividades de desenvolvimento profissional (Armistead, 2008;Brown, 2002;Fowler & Harrison, 1995).…”