Table of ContentsLiterature ReviewQuantitative Analysis of School Dropout RateConclusionLiterature ReviewCounseling research helps shape our society, from how we raise our children to how we treat our criminals and military enemies. School counselors often offer counseling programs in three core areas: academic, personal or social, and career. The counseling services and programs offered enable students to seek a solution to their emotional, social or behavioral problems, develop a clear direction and sense of direction. Effective counseling programs are not only important to the school environment, but are also a vital component in improving student academic outcomes (American Counseling Association, n.d.). Just like all other education professionals, school counselors are essential to demonstrating effective evidence-based practice. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Some of the achievements that have been received by the school counselor and students of counseling programs include: positive influence on academic performance of learners, reduction of test anxiety among learners, reduction in dropout rate , reduction of classroom disruptions. For example, a counseling study conducted in a Missouri high school shows that schools that ran model guidance programs resulted in their students achieving higher grades, their instructional program was effective in preparing students to their future and their environment was conducive to learning (American Counseling Association). , nd). This article reviews counseling research and program evaluation conducted in schools to determine the effectiveness of counseling programs in schools. In a nutshell, quantitative research refers to the generation of numerical data or information that can be digitally transformed into numbers. For example, to determine the influence of counseling program on school dropout rate. Qualitative research, on the other hand, refers to the generation of non-numerical data. For example, to determine the influence of the counseling program on the level of discipline of students. The main goal of qualitative research is to offer a complete and comprehensive explanation of the effects of counseling in schools (Explorable.com, 2009), while the main goal of quantitative research is to focus more on counting and feature classification and statistical model building. and illustrations to elucidate the observations made. Sampling is one of the data collection methods that can be applied in this counseling research. Sampling refers to a subset of the population, selected using “probabilistic” or “non-probabilistic” methods (Ladner.S, 2008). Both qualitative and quantitative research methods can apply sampling in their studies; nevertheless, the method of application is different in both cases. Research that is qualitative in nature often uses non-probability sampling methods in which the researcher aims for detailed, idiographic understanding as opposed to a more general nomothetic understanding (Blackstone.A, nd). Non-probability sampling can be defined as methods where the chances of a person being selected forbecoming a member of a sample are still uncertain (Blackstone.A, nd). Some of the types of non-probability sampling methods include: purposive sampling, snowball sampling, quota sampling, and convenience sampling. On the other hand, quantitative researchers use probability sampling in their studies. In probability sampling, the chances of a person being selected to be in the sample are known (Saylordorg.github, nd). There are several probability sampling techniques; random sampling, systematic sampling, stratified sampling and cluster sampling. The researcher's goal is to make generalizations about groups that are important to their study samples. In this case, generalization refers to the idea that the results of a study will tell us something about a larger group than the sample from which the results were obtained (Saylordorg.github, n.d.). Therefore, quantitative sampling is more concerned with numbers while qualitative sampling is more concerned with an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon being studied. Deductive and inductive reasoning are distinct approaches that can be applied when conducting scientific research. In deductive reasoning, quantitative researchers test a theory by gathering and evaluating empirical evidence to see whether it is true or not. For example, launching a school counseling program leads to improved student performance. On the other hand, in inductive reasoning, qualitative researchers begin by collecting and analyzing data and then construct a theory to explain the research findings (Crossman. A, 2017). For example, improved student performance results from initiating a school counseling program. According to Dr. Deborah Gabriel, 2013, the deductive approach often begins with a hypothesis while the inductive approach uses research findings to narrow the scope of the study. Based on the literature review, an example of a qualitative effect is the influence of school counseling programs on academic achievement. performance, level of discipline of students and test anxiety among learners, i.e. non-numerical data. On the other hand, an example of quantitative effect of school counseling programs is the reduction of school dropout rate, i.e. numerical data. Researchers can apply qualitative research methods in this counseling research. This is because in qualitative research, literature review is used to provide evidence for the purposes of a study with the aim of identifying the underlying problem to be addressed by the research subject. To effectively examine the effectiveness of school counseling program on student performance requires a detailed understanding of the phenomenon and sufficient learning of the sample population coupled with qualitative research designs. Data was collected through observations, note taking, interviews and tabulations. . Qualitative data typically involved non-numerical information such as: better academic performance, improvements in test anxiety, improved student discipline levels, and reduced classroom disruptions. On the other hand, quantitative data involved numerical information such as: the number of students who improved their academic performance, reduced the dropout rate and the percentage results of students in their exams. The tables below show examples of data collected as part of the..