AFFILIATION AND ISOLATION IN THE PROFESSIONAL LIVES OF SCHOOL-PSYCHOLOGISTS

The profession of school psychology has been described as involving it s members in the three primary roles of assessment, intervention, and consultation. This study was conducted using ethnographic research tec hniques for extending these descriptions by exploring the social-psych ological context within which school psychologists fulfilled their rol es. Participating school psychologists (N = 8) kept extensive narrativ e journals for 5 consecutive work days. Content analysis of these jour nals indicated that participants were involved most frequently as expe rts and in affiliative interactions. In affiliative interactions, part icipants took either expert or collaborative roles. However, the vast majority of affiliative events involved collaboration and consultation . Fewer participant roles involved professional isolation. The relatio nal nature of participants' work experiences was considered for its im plications for professional preparation and practice.