Using Methodological Reviews and Meta-analyses to Identify Current Best Practices in School-Based Counseling

Abstract

This chapter is an introduction to the use of methodological reviews as a means for analyzing and synthesizing the available school counseling research through a systematic evaluation of the quality of the research method. In this chapter, we (a) describe the purpose of a methodological review, (b) provide a step-by step process for conducting a methodological review in school counseling, and (c) review three articles on school discipline to provide an example of the methodological review process using school counseling-related research articles. The aim is to help school counseling researchers and practitioners to understand the critical elements of quantitative research designs and provide the reader with a template and a process for analyzing and synthesizing school counseling research in a systematic manner.