Amplifying Student Perspectives: Exploring the Role of Student Voice in School Counseling Practices

• In Event: Reimagining Youth Agency: Pedagogies of Voice, Power, and Possibility

Abstract

Objectives
Youth participatory action research (YPAR) empowers youth to critically examine and act on issues that directly impact their lives. In this present day, where students’ lives are being politicized, including decisions on anti-DEI legislation, book-banning, and curriculum restrictions, YPAR can be a vehicle to counteract political oppression. As youth voice is a fundamental component of YPAR, we conducted a study exploring how practicing school counselors (SCs) across the U.S. incorporated student voice into their comprehensive school counseling programs. Despite the established benefits of youth participation in educational decision-making (Cook et al., 2019; Hipolito-Delgado et al., 2021; Mirra, 2020; Smith et al., 2012; Williams et al., 2020), limited research has examined how SCs integrate student perspectives into programming, planning, advocacy, and evaluation. This study sought to address three core research questions: (1) How do SCs report utilizing youth voice in their programs? (2) To what extent is youth voice meaningfully incorporated? and (3) How frequently do SCs engage students in shaping school counseling services?

Theoretical Framework
Grounded in Paulo Freire’s problem-posing education model (Freire, 1970) and the framework of Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), this study was informed by transformational resistance theory (Cammarota, 2017). These perspectives position youth as co-creators of knowledge and agents of change, contrasting with traditional educational paradigms that treat students as passive recipients of adult-driven decisions. YPAR serves as a lens through which the potential for student collaboration in school counseling is conceptualized and evaluated.
Methods and Modes of Inquiry
This quantitative study employed a non-experimental survey research design (Creswell & Creswell, 2023). The survey instrument was developed using existing validated tools and literature from YPAR scholarship, including the Youth Voice Self-Report, and a demographic questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze SCs’ practices in engaging student voice across multiple programmatic domains (Vetter, 2017).

Data Sources and Evidence
A national sample of 377 practicing SCs within the U.S. completed the survey. The sample was obtained using convenience and snowball sampling strategies. After rigorous data cleaning procedures, the final dataset reflected participants' frequency and depth of engagement with youth voice.

Results
While nearly all participants reported some level of collaboration with students, only 7.2% indicated high levels of youth voice incorporation. Among common practices were consulting students in program planning and integrating their input into lesson topics. Fewer counselors reported involving students in advocacy or evaluation efforts. These findings reflect a predominantly consultative approach, suggesting a gap between SCs’ intentions to collaborate and meaningful integration of student voice. This echoes prior critiques of tokenism in youth participation within education more broadly (Gillett-Swan & Baroutis, 2024).

Scholarly Significance
This study contributes to the emerging literature on youth voice in school counseling by identifying both the opportunities and limitations in current practice. The results highlight the need for targeted professional development, systemic supports, and integration of YPAR into counselor education to foster authentic student-counselor partnerships. This study provides a foundation for advancing equity-driven, student-centered counseling practices that empower youth as agents of educational change.

Authors

• Chelsea Hilliard, Fairfield University

• Jordon Beasley, Augusta University

• Ian Levy, Rutgers University

• Kara Ieva, Rowan University

• Natalie Edirmanasinghe, California State University - Long Beach