Development and validation of the parental perceptions of school Counseling Scale (PPSC)

Abstract

Parents are important stakeholders in school counseling, but research is impeded by the lack of a scale to measure their perceptions. We developed the Parental Perceptions of School Counseling (PPSC) Scale in Chinese and English. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis and found four factors: (1) negative beliefs about school counseling, (2) willingness to meet school counselors, (3) positive beliefs in the benefits of school counseling, and (4) trusting attitude toward counseling. We then conducted a confirmatory factor analysis and construct validation tests. Results supported the scale's four-factor structure. High degrees of reliability and validity were found. The scale's construct validity was tested by examining its relationship with theoretically related constructs, with the negative beliefs about school counseling dimension emerging as the most critical factor. Our study contributes to the literature by developing a psychometrically robust instrument that could help researchers better understand parental perceptions of school counseling.