Sense of community among school psychologists on an Internet site.

Abstract

A major challenge confronting psychologists is finding relevant professional development experiences. An Internet-based professional community is one approach to meeting this challenge. The authors investigated the development of such a professional community among school psychologists. Results from behavioral measures and questionnaires reflected a moderate to strong sense of community among the participants. The single best predictor of sense of community was the participants' perceptions that the Internet site enhanced their professional development. On-line participation and social support also related to sense of community. Results suggest that the Internet is a promising medium for the development of professional communities.Given the rapid pace of developments in psychology and related disciplines, professionals need to continually update their knowledge and skills. However, for many professionals, access to suitable professional development experiences is limited. In regard to school psychology, for example, clinical supervision, a potentially important professional development experience, is unavailable to many practitioners (Fischetti & Crespi, 1999). Furthermore, only large organizations with considerable resources might be willing to provide professional development programs tailored to the needs of their psychologists. The development of continuing education is further complicated by the diverse professional development needs of psychologists. Even within specialty areas, such as school Louis J. KRUGER received his PsyD in school psychology in 1986 from Rutgers University. He is an associate professor at Northeastern University and the director of two Internet communities: the Global School Psychology Network (www.schoolpsychology.ws) and the Global Early Intervention Network (www.earlyintervention.org). SHARONE L. MAHAL received her PhD in school psychology from Temple University. She lectures at the University of Haifa and Northeastern University and directs the School Psychology Services of the Megido District in Israel. GAYLE MACKLEM is the school psychologist at the Memorial School in the Manchester-Essex (MA) Regional School System. She is on the board of directors of the Massachusetts School Psychologists Association and the Global School Psychology Network. DAVID SHRIBERG received his MS in school psychology from Northeastern University in 1999 and is currently a doctoral candidate in school/counseling psychology at Northeastern. He works as a school psychologist, consultant, and author. DONNA M. BURGESS received her MS/CAGS from Northeastern University in 1998. She currently works as a school psychologist for the Billerica (MA) Public Schools and is a member of the Global School Psychology Network Research Team. RACHEL KALINSKY received her MEd/CAGS from the University of Mas-sachusetts at Boston. She works as a school psychologist for the Nashoba (MA) Regional School District. She is a member of the Global School Psychology Network Research Team and is on the board of directors of the Massa...

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