Learning consultation: An ethnographic analysis

An ethnographic study of the experiences of people learning to consult reve aled three primary themes. Content analysis and subsequent structural corro boration of three data sets (consultation logs, individual papers articulat ing consultation guidelines, and the instructor's written responses to sequ ential submissions of consultation logs) indicated participants' (a) applic ation of procedures, (b) awareness of professional perspectives, and (c) em phasis on attending to relationships. Participants were 8 graduate students in school psychology randomly selected from 32 volunteers over 4 years. Th is study is reported as a contribution to the empirical knowledge base of c onsultation and as a demonstration of how ethnographic research methods may be applied for extending scientific understandings in school psychology. ( C) 1999 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier S cience Ltd.