The Role of School Counselors in Supporting Latino/a English Language Learner Students: Bilingual Counseling and Resources (2016)
Undergraduate: Merritt Cole
Faculty Advisor: Patrick Akos
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience
A multitude of research demonstrates that Latino/a English Language Learner's (ELL's) consistently suffer from high drop-out rates and spend less time in the classroom compared to their peers. Many interpret these statistics as evidence of some inherent problem with Latino/a ELL's. Instead, research supports that resources for these students in the school are limited, especially in counseling contexts, suggesting a clear need for better socio-emotional support in the school for Latino/a ELL's. This project demonstrates that the presence of a bilingual counselor can diminish the negative effects of institutionalized obstacles for Latino/a ELL's and aid in effectively fulfilling their personal, academic, and career needs.