What is the importance of the school size for school counselors?

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the way in which the size of a school might impact on the psychological counseling services. In addition to several other features, the size of a school that is part of its structural characteristics also requires appropriate arrangements for the counseling services to be offered. As a matter of fact, there is a general principle that the guidance and psychological counseling services to be offered at school need to be customized as per the purposes and requirements of schools. This role is ascribed to psychological counselors most frequently since they are specialized in educational leadership, safe school climate and systematic change at school as a person able to assess the characteristics and potentials of students and they have the potential and power to have an impact on the social, cultural and political dynamics of schools as leaders in the social and emotional aspects of the education system. The psychological counselors are expected to perform these roles ascribed to them, to know the effects of the size of the school on the educational and psychosocial results and to make progress in preventing potential problems. There are various results with respect to the effect of the school size on the psychosocial aspects. In terms of the school size, the large, middle and small schools each have their own pros and cons as understood from the results. © MCSER-Mediterranean Center of Social and Educational Research.