Student Perspectives on Recruiting and Orienting Prospective School Psychology Trainees

• Published in: School psychology 2021-07, Vol.36 (4), p.261-270
• Main Authors: Grapin, Sally L., Bocanegra, Joel O., Rossen, Eric, Woytas, Taylor M., Rossel, Jennifer
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Access to Information; Behavior; Career Choice; College students; Cultural Background; Disproportionate Representation; Diversity; Educational Programs; Ethnic Diversity; Expectation; Female; Graduate Students; Group Membership; Human; Male; Minority & ethnic groups; Minority Group Students; Orientation; Outreach Programs; Personnel Recruitment; Professional Associations; Professional Role; Race; Recruitment; Role Perception; School Psychologists; School Psychology; Student Attitudes; Student Recruitment; Trainees; Training; Workplace diversity
• ISSN: 2578-4218; 2578-4226
• DOI: 10.1037/spq0000435

This study investigated current school psychology students' perspectives on recruiting and orienting prospective trainees to the profession. Two hundred sixty-two student members of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) responded to two open-ended survey items regarding: (a) information they wished they had known prior to beginning their training and (b) their beliefs about effective recruitment practices for increasing racial and ethnic (R/E) diversity in the profession. Qualitative analyses revealed that approximately one-third of participants from R/E minoritized backgrounds reported wishing they had known more about the roles and functions of school psychologists. Participants also generated a wide range of potentially valuable recruitment strategies. Implications for improving recruitment practices are discussed. Impact and Implications School psychology graduate students, and students from racial and ethnic (R/E) minoritized backgrounds in particular, reported wishing they knew more about the assessment-focused role of practitioners before applying to their training programs. They also believed that outreach in college settings as well as promoting general awareness of the profession and its emphasis on cultural diversity was essential for increasing R/E representation in the field. These findings may be helpful for expanding and diversifying the school psychology workforce.