Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to discover the characteristics of change in school counselors during a time of widespread school environmental changes during the implementation year of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Methodology. A qualitative study was conducted using the dynamic narrative approach (Hyatt, 2011) to explore change factors from the perspective of high school counselors in California. Research questions emanated from an extensive review of the literature. The open-ended questions were used to guide the collection of stories related to Lewin's model of change (1947). Thirteen school counselors who met the study criteria voluntarily participated in the research. Findings. The study discovered the characteristics of change in school counselors during the implementation phase of the CCSS. It identified specific factors related to change and high school counselors. The change factors identified were aligned with Lewin's (1947) three-phase change process: unfreeze, change, and refreeze. The research resulted in 17 specific factors across the conceptual framework: 6 unfreeze: 9 change, and 1 freeze. Conclusion. This study adds to the literature on school counselors, broadening the previous research on the school counseling profession by including change theory and by examining factors affecting school counselors within a period of educational reform. Findings from this study show that there are no existing strategies being applied by school leaders toward supporting high school counselors to change their practice to meet the demands of CCSS. The results also illustrated that a directive leadership style was used by school leaders toward high school counselor change, which was in contrast to the planned and managed process used with school teachers. School counselors' change frequency was found to be less than that of school teachers. This factor may relate more toward the contextual issues facing school counselors within the educational environment rather than their capacity to change. Recommendations. Findings from this study may further assist school leaders in their leadership practices with school counselors. Additionally, the findings may also aid educational leaders to focus on more strategic approaches based on change theory with school counselors. Further research could also build upon the findings of this study by adding critical understanding of change factors and strategies that could be applied towards school counselors' greater inclusion in U.S. educational reform initiatives.