ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6679-8567

Date of Award

2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Education (Ph.D)

Department

Administrative and Instructional Leadership

First Advisor

Anthony J. Annunziato

Second Advisor

Stephen Kotok

Third Advisor

Heather C. Robertson

Abstract

Bullying is a major challenge faced by students and stakeholders in the education system. Governments and educators have implemented various initiatives and strategies to address bullying. Rising cases of bullying have raised scrutiny over the role of school counselors. This research investigated school counselors' perceived self-efficacy in bullying intervention and prevention services from the context of Social Learning Theory, Self-efficacy Theory and Ecological Systems Theory. Theoretically, self-efficacy emerges from the experience and skills of school counselors, and it is affected by factors associated with the environment where it is experienced. The adopted a qualitative case study of New York middle schools. Semi-structured interviews were administered to 15 respondents who were purposefully and conveniently selected. Thematic data analysis was conducted. Findings indicated that self-efficacy is an important aspect of prevention and intervention, and that school counselors are more reliant on their self-efficacy compared to policies and guidelines implemented in the school. Effective prevention and interventions are reliant on the skills and knowledge of the school counselor. Improvement in self-efficacy requires increased cooperation between stakeholders in addressing bullying and increased training and professional development opportunities.

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