Abstracts Education

Virtual Schools, Real Counselors: A Qualitative Examinationof the Role and Practice of the Virtual School Counselor

by Amber V Baughman

Although virtual schools have become a rising force in public education, very little is known about how professional school counselors operate within this educational context or the specific challenges and role tensions they might encounter. Since the opening of the Florida Virtual School in 1997 (Barbour & Reeves, 2007), the phenomenon of virtual schooling in the United States has expanded rapidly to serve almost two million American students (Queen & Lewis, 2011). Despite this growth, there is little research in the field of counselor education about the role and practice of the school counselor within the virtual school environment. To address this issue, fourteen educators at virtual schools (e.g., school counselors and administrators) at were interviewed, and grounded theory analyses were conducted on how school counselors understand and practice their role within the virtual school environment. Analyses revealed that the primary means of role transmission for virtual school counselors came from their peers and the optional existence of a counseling trained supervisor within the school, while out-of-school resources and support were scarce. To this end, a model explaining the factors that aid the acquisition and practice of school counselors' role in a virtual school was developed and explained. Implications and recommendations for school counseling practitioners, professional associations, and counselor education programs are discussed. Advisors/Committee Members: Moore, James (Advisor), Dollarhide, Colette (Committee Co-Chair).