A qualitative content analysis of novice consultants' responses to a consultee's request for assistance

Abstract

Applying qualitative content analysis methods, this study focuses on how school psychology graduate student consultants responded to a simulated request for assistance by a teacher. Seventy-three total students participated in the study before they had engaged in their first course on school consultation. Additionally, transcripts were analyzed for subsets of students following a course on consultation (n = 23), or a course on consultation plus a supplemental communication skills focused training (n = 22). Before their consultation course, student consultants exhibited variable responses including some basic listening skills, but also offering premature problem hypotheses and solutions. They also restated child deficit focused language, often without asking for clarification, and asked questions not directly related to information provided by the consultee, which sometimes included more than one question at a time (double-barreled). Following a typical consultation course, student consultants responded in nearly identical ways. Student consultants that completed a consultation course plus a supplemental training including deliberate practice of communication skills increased their application of basic listening skills, reduced leading questions, eliminated double-barreled questions, and applied a pattern of paraphrasing followed by clarifying to understand concerns in more observable and measurable ways. Data are presented with qualitative examples, and implications are drawn regarding school consultation training.