My Research
Part 1-What I Need to Know
When I decided to enter into the field of psychology, I never really thought about school psychology fitting into this area. I only knew a little on the subject and I wasn’t sure as to how school psychology could be beneficial. I assumed school psychologists were similar to school counselors except they provided one-on-one counseling with students to help them with educational and personal problems they may be having. Therefore, knowing more about the topic would be beneficial in my life because I am considering going into this area of psychology and it would help me with the research I am conducting on the topic. Additionally, knowing more about this career field would give me insight as to whether this career is something I want to pursue and it would help me understand what roles school psychologists play in the lives of children. The main reason I became interested in school psychology is because I have a passion for helping others and I mainly want to have an impact on children so my research will give me insight on how to do so. Overall, I am highly interested in the area of psychology while I also want to have a positive impact on children. Therefore, I am researching school psychology so I can look at psychology from a different perspective and gain experiences of how I can potentially make a difference in a child’s life as well as seeing if this career is the right fit for me.
Part 2-What I Know or Assume
Currently, I have some prior knowledge relating to the area of school psychology. I know that every school has a school psychologist and their job is to help students who may be having educational problems. Mainly, school psychologists just test the students and provide feedback to the teachers who will be further helping them get better in certain areas. However, school psychologists do not offer personal counseling to students unless it is an unusual circumstance. Most of the time, school psychologists work in elementary schools rather than middle schools or high schools but will provide assistance and support if needed.
Part 3-The Search
To search for information to answer my essential question, I read over three articles and studies which all relate to my essential question and gave me examples of how school psychologists use psychology in an educational way. I also interviewed a school psychologist that I work with to provide further insight into the roles of school psychologists. Additionally, I created a survey on Surveymonkey which I had some of my friends take to get an idea of how other students perceive school psychologists and their duties.
From the articles I read for my Annotated Bibliographies, I learned that school psychologists can play a part when it comes to substance abuse, they are important to the area of special education in schools, and they can help students who may be struggling with different disorders that can ultimately affect their learning. With this information, I can understand how psychology fits into a school environment. This is because school psychologists provide assistance with substance abuse, they help with policies and situations when it comes to students in special education, and they diagnose certain disorders and ensure that students get assistance with these issues.
In addition, I interviewed a school psychologists that I work with regarding her role as a school psychologist. I asked her numerous questions about why she wanted to become a school psychologist and how they positively affect students. We also discussed differences between child psychologists and school psychologists as well as how school psychologists interact and work with teachers to develop a system for students with learning disabilities. From this interview, I gathered a lot of information that I was previously unaware of regarding school psychologist’s duties and the role they play in schools.
Also, I created a survey that I had some of my friends and family take to see how much students actually know about school psychology. I found that most students are completely unaware of the purpose of school psychologists and don’t fully understand the role they play in schools. There is much stereotyping when it comes to school psychologists as most people just hear the psychology part and assume they simply do one thing or another but there many unknown things that school psychologists take part in. This survey allowed me to understand that there needs to be more understanding when it comes to school psychologists as they are an important element in schools today. It also provides information on how students perceive school psychologists.
Part 4-What I Discovered
From my research, I found that many of my assumptions were incorrect. School psychologists do not provide counseling to students and they have many more duties than this. I also didn’t realize that every school is required to have a school psychologist. Overall, I have found that school psychologists play a much bigger part in schools than I had first thought and that without them, many children would be struggling with learning and development. I also learned school psychology is much more beneficial for younger students in elementary school as they have more time to adjust to the extra help. Although I now know that school psychology is so important, many other students and parents remain clueless to this area of education. I feel it would be beneficial to educate the students and parents in schools of this area so they are aware of the purpose it serves and how it could ultimately help their child in the long run.
Interviews:
Question 1: Why did you decide to become a school psychologist?
Answer: “I wanted to be helpful. I wanted to do something that would make a difference. It sounds very cliche but I had a degree in psychology and in education and this seemed to be the best marriage of both worlds.”
Reflection/Response: Although I am not sure that I want to become a school psychologist, I do find that I am intrigued by both education and psychology, just as the school psychologist I interviewed is, and I do find that I want to be helpful and help others that may be struggling. School psychology is what integrates both education and psychology in order to help students and young children who may be struggling with learning and development.
Question 2: What qualities do you have as a psychologist that are important to being successful in this career field?
Answer: “I think you have to be flexible, number 1. There’s a lot of balls to juggle, there’s a lot of things to do so you have to be able to be willing to switch gears. I think you have to be a big picture thinker. Our job requires us to analyze a lot of different things that come from a lot of different people in a lot of different ways. It might be data, it might be a parent giving their opinion, or it might be a difference of opinion between a teacher an a parent. So trying to figure out how all those puzzle pieces fit together.”
Reflection/Response: I believe that all of these qualities are important to being a school psychologist and I also believe I demonstrate some of these characteristics and I am able to see the big picture in different situations. I also enjoy solving problems and puzzles so I feel that potentially this specialty might be a good thing to consider when going into psychology.
Question 3: What is the difference between a child psychologist and a school psychologist?
Answer: “A child psychologist is probably gonna be someone who, and that’s a very broad term, but basically it would be someone who probably would be certified by the state and could work outside of the school setting and work and might do some of the same kinds of things. It might be someone who tests a student or they might do therapy, maybe play therapy or things like that. They are driven usually by the legalities of insurance and they look at students and their needs based on the DSM 5 criteria. And they look at students with those needs. A school psychologist is certified but can only work in a school setting so I don’t have a certificate outside of working as a school psychologist.”
Reflection/Response: Although I have done my research on this career, I was still trying to understand the difference between a child psychologist and a school psychologist because they’re both similar in many different ways. But, the school psychologist’s answer cleared up misconceptions I was having because what’s important for your title is the certification you receive. With this answer, I now am able to understand one of the biggest differences between the two.
Question 4: How do school psychologists support teachers?
Answer: “We are responsible for being really an integral part of helping them when there are student needs. It can be an academic concern, it can be a behavior concern, and it doesn’t just have to be referring a student evaluation. The sooner we can be proactive and be involved in meetings or help a teacher that has a concern and needs help with a behavior chart can all better support students at school.”
Reflection/Response: I have learned through my internship that school psychologists spend a lot of time working with teachers and coming up with ways to help specific students. However, I was curious about the role between psychologists and teachers and I now realize that the psychologist is what links students and teachers. Psychologists are able to see the student’s problem and give the teacher options and ways to help this student.
Question 5: How does the role of the school psychologist change at the elementary, middle, and high school level?
Answer: “We’re often way more involved at elementary and middle than we are at high. The reality is to be proactive, students need more support early-on and if you can catch kids early-on when they’re having difficulties then they don’t need as much support at that secondary level. But there are still students that we try to support at high school. Kids can have academic issues no matter what the grade.”
Reflection/Response: As a senior, I did not know that every school is required to have a school psychologist because I have never seen my school’s psychologist at all. I didn’t realize my school even had one so I had no knowledge of the difference between the secondary level and the primary level in the psychology aspect. I learned that it is best to identify the problem early and fix it but that isn’t always the case and there are some students in high school who need the attention for difficulties they may be having. But I have never thought of this and how psychologists can work with high school students and help them to understand the issues they are having and why.
Question 6: What is the most rewarding moment you’ve experience in this position as a school psychologist?
Answer: “I think I could look at that in two ways: one from a student perspective and then one from a parent perspective. So I have worked in a high school, I have worked with high school students and I have gotten notes from a student that said, you know, “Thank you for helping me,”. When I have evaluated students, they’re involved in understanding how they learn. My job is to figure out the best ways that they learn so we’re going to do a lot of different things to make school the best it can be for that student. It’s all about taking ownership to realize, “Well this is the kind of learner I am,”. From a parent perspective, probably going over an evaluation or being in a meeting and they’ll realize it is something that has helped their child.”
Reflection/Response: When thinking about psychology as a career field, or any career field, I think it’s important to understand the highlights of the career. School psychologists get to work every day with kids and students and get rewarded in a variety of ways. It’s not always a present or gift but it can be an action, like how the school psychologist received a thank you note from a student, or it can just be helping a student understand a problem they may be having and being thankful for the psychologist’s work and recommendation.
Question 7: How would you describe school psychology to someone who doesn’t know the first thing about the field?
Answer: “I would say that a school psychologist is someone who supports teachers, and parents, and students by collaborating to solve academic and behavior difficulties that are occurring in the classroom and we do that by attending meetings sometimes. We do that by meeting one-on-one with teachers and coming up with new solutions. We do that by evaluating students and sometimes and sometimes determining that special education is the option they need.”
Reflection/Response: Asking this question to a school psychologist, you get a better perspective on the day-to-day tasks that they encounter. As a school psychologist, you work with teachers, parents, and students to solve various problems in the classroom by doing evaluations and meeting with parents and teachers. Because of this definition, I understand that the career is not just testing students all the time but that you get to meet with parents and teachers to come to a conclusion about a problem or issue a student is facing.
Question 8: What advice would you offer people who are considering pursuing a career similar to yours?
Answer: “I think a school psychology job is very rewarding. I’m going to be honest, right now in the state of Georgia, we are in a crisis of school psychologists. They are in high demand. The problem is the way to become a school psychologist takes a lot of education and the criteria for certification can be difficult that some schools will only accept 5 students per semester. You can’t load up on extra classes and the state no longer allows certain levels of certification. And it’s also the length of the school psychology profession and many people are retiring.”
Reflection/Response: Because I hope to work in the psychology field, I felt this was a good question to ask and get some answers regarding what I should be on the look out for. I did not realize school psychologists are in such high demand and if I am ever looking to enter into this career I know I’ll have a good opportunity of getting a job. However, I also didn’t know that it takes such a long time to get the education needed for a specialist degree. I thought that a doctorate was required but many who go on to get their doctorate end up in private practices.
Question 9: What are some challenges that hinder quality education in the special education area?
Answer: “I think that probably one of the biggest challenges is consistency and I mean that nationally as well as in the state. So, special education has rules and guidelines but they change depending on where you go. There’s a Federal rule that goes to the state and the state gets to interpret that rule. Then the same thing happens in local school systems. It usually happens the difference between state-to-state. You have to do certain things to get services in certain places.”
Reflection/Response: I am extremely interested in the special needs sector of this career and I felt I should ask one question regarding the problems with the education they receive because there has been a lot of controversy regarding it. I learned it all really depends on the state or area that one resides. Every state and county has different standards for special education and, according to the school psychologist, this is the main issue with special education. Certain students can be deprived of education due to their issues and diagnoses. It’s also difficult when one moves to a new state because the standards are different and then the school system must find a place in their standards for this student.
Question 10: Are there any materials you find are especially effective for slow learners? Are there any materials you find are especially effective for bright students who may have problems in only one area?
Answer: “I think it’s an issue of more being specific when a student has a difficulty. If it’s a problem of reading, what area of reading? Because it can be dissected down into really small parts and the best way to help is to figure out what specifically that problem is. I think that it’s not the materials, it’s the specific concern that gets identified. That’s where we try to find those interventions. It’s hard to say there’s one thing that will fix everything. Students that are bright sometimes have the misconception that they must be high-level all the time and sometimes that has to do with perception. This is where self-awareness is important. Some of that introspection is what can help with bright students.”
Reflection/Response: When asking this question, I expected a very direct answer. I expected the school psychologist to give me a specific way to “treat” a student’s problems but there are so many areas that there isn’t one thing that will fix all the problems. I understand now that it depends on the problem and that there are specific ways to help for each problem. By knowing the problem, the school psychologists can create specific plans to help the problem.
Surveys:
For another aspect to include in my research, I conducted a survey and asked that some of my friends take it so I could get an idea of how teenagers and young adults view school psychology. Through my survey, I found that many people do not understand the purpose of school psychologists or why they are useful in certain situations. Based on the data I gathered, I believe schools need to educate students and parents more regarding the roles of school psychologists and why they are important for students. Additionally, I feel it's important for students to understand that school psychologists are for a specific purpose.
Below is the link to this survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TGH3QW9
When I decided to enter into the field of psychology, I never really thought about school psychology fitting into this area. I only knew a little on the subject and I wasn’t sure as to how school psychology could be beneficial. I assumed school psychologists were similar to school counselors except they provided one-on-one counseling with students to help them with educational and personal problems they may be having. Therefore, knowing more about the topic would be beneficial in my life because I am considering going into this area of psychology and it would help me with the research I am conducting on the topic. Additionally, knowing more about this career field would give me insight as to whether this career is something I want to pursue and it would help me understand what roles school psychologists play in the lives of children. The main reason I became interested in school psychology is because I have a passion for helping others and I mainly want to have an impact on children so my research will give me insight on how to do so. Overall, I am highly interested in the area of psychology while I also want to have a positive impact on children. Therefore, I am researching school psychology so I can look at psychology from a different perspective and gain experiences of how I can potentially make a difference in a child’s life as well as seeing if this career is the right fit for me.
Part 2-What I Know or Assume
Currently, I have some prior knowledge relating to the area of school psychology. I know that every school has a school psychologist and their job is to help students who may be having educational problems. Mainly, school psychologists just test the students and provide feedback to the teachers who will be further helping them get better in certain areas. However, school psychologists do not offer personal counseling to students unless it is an unusual circumstance. Most of the time, school psychologists work in elementary schools rather than middle schools or high schools but will provide assistance and support if needed.
Part 3-The Search
To search for information to answer my essential question, I read over three articles and studies which all relate to my essential question and gave me examples of how school psychologists use psychology in an educational way. I also interviewed a school psychologist that I work with to provide further insight into the roles of school psychologists. Additionally, I created a survey on Surveymonkey which I had some of my friends take to get an idea of how other students perceive school psychologists and their duties.
From the articles I read for my Annotated Bibliographies, I learned that school psychologists can play a part when it comes to substance abuse, they are important to the area of special education in schools, and they can help students who may be struggling with different disorders that can ultimately affect their learning. With this information, I can understand how psychology fits into a school environment. This is because school psychologists provide assistance with substance abuse, they help with policies and situations when it comes to students in special education, and they diagnose certain disorders and ensure that students get assistance with these issues.
In addition, I interviewed a school psychologists that I work with regarding her role as a school psychologist. I asked her numerous questions about why she wanted to become a school psychologist and how they positively affect students. We also discussed differences between child psychologists and school psychologists as well as how school psychologists interact and work with teachers to develop a system for students with learning disabilities. From this interview, I gathered a lot of information that I was previously unaware of regarding school psychologist’s duties and the role they play in schools.
Also, I created a survey that I had some of my friends and family take to see how much students actually know about school psychology. I found that most students are completely unaware of the purpose of school psychologists and don’t fully understand the role they play in schools. There is much stereotyping when it comes to school psychologists as most people just hear the psychology part and assume they simply do one thing or another but there many unknown things that school psychologists take part in. This survey allowed me to understand that there needs to be more understanding when it comes to school psychologists as they are an important element in schools today. It also provides information on how students perceive school psychologists.
Part 4-What I Discovered
From my research, I found that many of my assumptions were incorrect. School psychologists do not provide counseling to students and they have many more duties than this. I also didn’t realize that every school is required to have a school psychologist. Overall, I have found that school psychologists play a much bigger part in schools than I had first thought and that without them, many children would be struggling with learning and development. I also learned school psychology is much more beneficial for younger students in elementary school as they have more time to adjust to the extra help. Although I now know that school psychology is so important, many other students and parents remain clueless to this area of education. I feel it would be beneficial to educate the students and parents in schools of this area so they are aware of the purpose it serves and how it could ultimately help their child in the long run.
Interviews:
Question 1: Why did you decide to become a school psychologist?
Answer: “I wanted to be helpful. I wanted to do something that would make a difference. It sounds very cliche but I had a degree in psychology and in education and this seemed to be the best marriage of both worlds.”
Reflection/Response: Although I am not sure that I want to become a school psychologist, I do find that I am intrigued by both education and psychology, just as the school psychologist I interviewed is, and I do find that I want to be helpful and help others that may be struggling. School psychology is what integrates both education and psychology in order to help students and young children who may be struggling with learning and development.
Question 2: What qualities do you have as a psychologist that are important to being successful in this career field?
Answer: “I think you have to be flexible, number 1. There’s a lot of balls to juggle, there’s a lot of things to do so you have to be able to be willing to switch gears. I think you have to be a big picture thinker. Our job requires us to analyze a lot of different things that come from a lot of different people in a lot of different ways. It might be data, it might be a parent giving their opinion, or it might be a difference of opinion between a teacher an a parent. So trying to figure out how all those puzzle pieces fit together.”
Reflection/Response: I believe that all of these qualities are important to being a school psychologist and I also believe I demonstrate some of these characteristics and I am able to see the big picture in different situations. I also enjoy solving problems and puzzles so I feel that potentially this specialty might be a good thing to consider when going into psychology.
Question 3: What is the difference between a child psychologist and a school psychologist?
Answer: “A child psychologist is probably gonna be someone who, and that’s a very broad term, but basically it would be someone who probably would be certified by the state and could work outside of the school setting and work and might do some of the same kinds of things. It might be someone who tests a student or they might do therapy, maybe play therapy or things like that. They are driven usually by the legalities of insurance and they look at students and their needs based on the DSM 5 criteria. And they look at students with those needs. A school psychologist is certified but can only work in a school setting so I don’t have a certificate outside of working as a school psychologist.”
Reflection/Response: Although I have done my research on this career, I was still trying to understand the difference between a child psychologist and a school psychologist because they’re both similar in many different ways. But, the school psychologist’s answer cleared up misconceptions I was having because what’s important for your title is the certification you receive. With this answer, I now am able to understand one of the biggest differences between the two.
Question 4: How do school psychologists support teachers?
Answer: “We are responsible for being really an integral part of helping them when there are student needs. It can be an academic concern, it can be a behavior concern, and it doesn’t just have to be referring a student evaluation. The sooner we can be proactive and be involved in meetings or help a teacher that has a concern and needs help with a behavior chart can all better support students at school.”
Reflection/Response: I have learned through my internship that school psychologists spend a lot of time working with teachers and coming up with ways to help specific students. However, I was curious about the role between psychologists and teachers and I now realize that the psychologist is what links students and teachers. Psychologists are able to see the student’s problem and give the teacher options and ways to help this student.
Question 5: How does the role of the school psychologist change at the elementary, middle, and high school level?
Answer: “We’re often way more involved at elementary and middle than we are at high. The reality is to be proactive, students need more support early-on and if you can catch kids early-on when they’re having difficulties then they don’t need as much support at that secondary level. But there are still students that we try to support at high school. Kids can have academic issues no matter what the grade.”
Reflection/Response: As a senior, I did not know that every school is required to have a school psychologist because I have never seen my school’s psychologist at all. I didn’t realize my school even had one so I had no knowledge of the difference between the secondary level and the primary level in the psychology aspect. I learned that it is best to identify the problem early and fix it but that isn’t always the case and there are some students in high school who need the attention for difficulties they may be having. But I have never thought of this and how psychologists can work with high school students and help them to understand the issues they are having and why.
Question 6: What is the most rewarding moment you’ve experience in this position as a school psychologist?
Answer: “I think I could look at that in two ways: one from a student perspective and then one from a parent perspective. So I have worked in a high school, I have worked with high school students and I have gotten notes from a student that said, you know, “Thank you for helping me,”. When I have evaluated students, they’re involved in understanding how they learn. My job is to figure out the best ways that they learn so we’re going to do a lot of different things to make school the best it can be for that student. It’s all about taking ownership to realize, “Well this is the kind of learner I am,”. From a parent perspective, probably going over an evaluation or being in a meeting and they’ll realize it is something that has helped their child.”
Reflection/Response: When thinking about psychology as a career field, or any career field, I think it’s important to understand the highlights of the career. School psychologists get to work every day with kids and students and get rewarded in a variety of ways. It’s not always a present or gift but it can be an action, like how the school psychologist received a thank you note from a student, or it can just be helping a student understand a problem they may be having and being thankful for the psychologist’s work and recommendation.
Question 7: How would you describe school psychology to someone who doesn’t know the first thing about the field?
Answer: “I would say that a school psychologist is someone who supports teachers, and parents, and students by collaborating to solve academic and behavior difficulties that are occurring in the classroom and we do that by attending meetings sometimes. We do that by meeting one-on-one with teachers and coming up with new solutions. We do that by evaluating students and sometimes and sometimes determining that special education is the option they need.”
Reflection/Response: Asking this question to a school psychologist, you get a better perspective on the day-to-day tasks that they encounter. As a school psychologist, you work with teachers, parents, and students to solve various problems in the classroom by doing evaluations and meeting with parents and teachers. Because of this definition, I understand that the career is not just testing students all the time but that you get to meet with parents and teachers to come to a conclusion about a problem or issue a student is facing.
Question 8: What advice would you offer people who are considering pursuing a career similar to yours?
Answer: “I think a school psychology job is very rewarding. I’m going to be honest, right now in the state of Georgia, we are in a crisis of school psychologists. They are in high demand. The problem is the way to become a school psychologist takes a lot of education and the criteria for certification can be difficult that some schools will only accept 5 students per semester. You can’t load up on extra classes and the state no longer allows certain levels of certification. And it’s also the length of the school psychology profession and many people are retiring.”
Reflection/Response: Because I hope to work in the psychology field, I felt this was a good question to ask and get some answers regarding what I should be on the look out for. I did not realize school psychologists are in such high demand and if I am ever looking to enter into this career I know I’ll have a good opportunity of getting a job. However, I also didn’t know that it takes such a long time to get the education needed for a specialist degree. I thought that a doctorate was required but many who go on to get their doctorate end up in private practices.
Question 9: What are some challenges that hinder quality education in the special education area?
Answer: “I think that probably one of the biggest challenges is consistency and I mean that nationally as well as in the state. So, special education has rules and guidelines but they change depending on where you go. There’s a Federal rule that goes to the state and the state gets to interpret that rule. Then the same thing happens in local school systems. It usually happens the difference between state-to-state. You have to do certain things to get services in certain places.”
Reflection/Response: I am extremely interested in the special needs sector of this career and I felt I should ask one question regarding the problems with the education they receive because there has been a lot of controversy regarding it. I learned it all really depends on the state or area that one resides. Every state and county has different standards for special education and, according to the school psychologist, this is the main issue with special education. Certain students can be deprived of education due to their issues and diagnoses. It’s also difficult when one moves to a new state because the standards are different and then the school system must find a place in their standards for this student.
Question 10: Are there any materials you find are especially effective for slow learners? Are there any materials you find are especially effective for bright students who may have problems in only one area?
Answer: “I think it’s an issue of more being specific when a student has a difficulty. If it’s a problem of reading, what area of reading? Because it can be dissected down into really small parts and the best way to help is to figure out what specifically that problem is. I think that it’s not the materials, it’s the specific concern that gets identified. That’s where we try to find those interventions. It’s hard to say there’s one thing that will fix everything. Students that are bright sometimes have the misconception that they must be high-level all the time and sometimes that has to do with perception. This is where self-awareness is important. Some of that introspection is what can help with bright students.”
Reflection/Response: When asking this question, I expected a very direct answer. I expected the school psychologist to give me a specific way to “treat” a student’s problems but there are so many areas that there isn’t one thing that will fix all the problems. I understand now that it depends on the problem and that there are specific ways to help for each problem. By knowing the problem, the school psychologists can create specific plans to help the problem.
Surveys:
For another aspect to include in my research, I conducted a survey and asked that some of my friends take it so I could get an idea of how teenagers and young adults view school psychology. Through my survey, I found that many people do not understand the purpose of school psychologists or why they are useful in certain situations. Based on the data I gathered, I believe schools need to educate students and parents more regarding the roles of school psychologists and why they are important for students. Additionally, I feel it's important for students to understand that school psychologists are for a specific purpose.
Below is the link to this survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TGH3QW9