Research
Indicates CACREP Makes a Difference
Several researchers over the past
two years have investigated how CACREP accreditation influences
counselor preparation, knowledge, and skills.
A summary of three of those studies, conducted
as dissertation research, is provided below.
Graduates of CACREP-accredited Programs
Score Higher on the NCC Exam
In 2000, Susan
Scott, Ph.D., conducted dissertation research at the University
of North Texas designed to determine whether CACREP accreditation
had an effect on student knowledge of core counseling
areas, as assessed by the National Counselor Examination
(NCE). She compared
mean scores on the NCE for graduates of CACREP accredited
and non-CACREP accredited but Board eligible programs
over a six year period (1995-2000). Because people who
did not graduate from a CACREP accredited program still
had to meet the NBCC national standards to sit for the
NCE (i.e., number of credit hours, courses in each of
the common core knowledge areas, supervised field experience
during the graduate program), Scott believed these were
relatively comparable groups for research purposes. A
number of variables were included in this study, including
examinee mean scores on the eight common core knowledge
domains identified by the 1994 CACREP standards, as well
as examinee total score on the NCE.
Scott’s research
suggests that graduates of CACREP accredited programs
scored significantly higher overall on the NCE, as well
as in each of the common core knowledge domains, than
graduates of non-CACREP accredited programs. Dr. Scott
provided several possible reasons that graduates of CACREP
accredited programs scored higher, given that all the
examinees had to meet the NBCC requirements to sit for
the NCE. First,
CACREP accredited programs must provide specific knowledge
and information to students that address the core knowledge
areas of counseling. Graduates of non-accredited programs only need to show that the
core knowledge areas are addressed in course titles, and
as Dr. Scott noted, “students in non-accredited programs
may not benefit from the depth or quality of curricula
expected and provided in an accredited program.” In addition, graduates of CACREP accredited
programs receive at least 700 hours of supervised clinical
experience, which may not be true for graduates of non-accredited
programs. Finally, CACREP accredited programs must have
at least three full-time faculty who have doctoral degrees
and are actively involved in professional endeavors such
as research and presenting at conferences, which may not
be the case for non-accredited programs.
Program Coordinators Perceive CACREP Accreditation Improves
the Quality
of Counselor Education Applicants
Leah Brew, Ph.D., completed her dissertation
at the University of North Texas in December 2002. Using a preliminary instrument designed by
Altekruse and Chandler, she surveyed the program directors
in 150 CACREP accredited programs about their perspectives
on the change in applicants in terms of quality and number
before and after they received accreditation. Ninety-nine people responded to the survey,
which including an assessment of 11 frequently held beliefs
about improvements after accreditation.
Results show that after CACREP accreditation, respondents
believed that the students in their programs had higher
grade point averages and test scores; that their students
were younger, were better learners, and received more
employment opportunities; and that a higher percentage
of students passed licensed professional counselor exams
and had higher average scores on the National Counselor
Exam. Respondents also noted they received more applications
after they received accreditation, and that their faculty
were involved in more professional activities, including
publishing and conference presentations, after they received
accreditation. The item where respondents noted the smallest amount of change was
whether there was an increase in applications after accreditation. The item where respondents noted the largest
degree of change was in the increased number of employment
opportunities graduates received after CACREP accreditation.
Graduates of CACREP-accredited Programs have
Higher Levels of Counseling Skills
Laura McDuff, Ph.D., a 2001 graduate
of the University of North Texas, used the Counselor Rating
Form-Short Version (CRF-S) to measure counseling skills
of doctoral level counselor trainees who graduate from
accredited and non-CACREP accredited master’s degree programs.
Eleven doctoral students participated in the study,
seven who graduated from a CACREP accredited master’s
degree program and four from a non-accredited master’s
degree program. Three
observer raters evaluated tapes of the first counseling
session conducted that semester by each of the doctoral
students. Results
showed that the doctoral students who graduated from CACREP
accredited master’s degree programs scored significantly
higher on the CRF-S than the students who did not graduate
from an accredited program.
Given the small sample size, the results should
be interpreted cautiously, but they do provide some indication
that graduates of CACREP accredited programs had generally
higher levels of counseling skills as judged by the CRF-S.
As McDuff noted, “the emphasis that CACREP Standards
place on the supervised experience may account for the
difference in skill levels between the two groups.”
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