Consultees' Perceptions of Variables Relating to the Outcomes of School-Based Consultation Interactions

This study sought to examine the subjective perceptions of consultees as they related to a variety of assumptions regarding school-based consultation. Levels II, III, and IV (Meyers, Parsons, & Martin, 1979) consultation services were delivered to 191 teachers. Independent variables included consultees' expressed understanding of consultation processes, interest in active participation during consultation interactions, and consultees' subjective perceptions of consultants' process (i.e., communication) skills, content expertise (i.e., knowledge of psychological principles), and enthusiasm. Dependent variables included the number of consultation contacts between each consultant and consultee, and consultees' subjective ratings of remedial (i.e., utility of programs and ideas), preventive (i.e., extent to which consultees' professional skills improved), and overall outcomes. Regression procedures indicated highly significant (p <.001) relationships for each analysis, with the latter three results proving to be clinically meaningful (R's ranging from .69 to .80).