Guide to ReportsWhile the number of sites offering counseling services via the Internet/WWW has been increasing almost exponentially, evidence regarding the efficacy of this modality remains limited. This study addressed two specific research questions related to the online delivery of career counseling services: 1) Is there a significant difference in client satisfaction when vocational test interpretion is provided via the Internet/WWW as contrasted with traditional face-to-face delivery, and 2) Do video cues significantly enhance the perceived quality of the Internet/WWW interpretive session?
The overall participant sample and procedures are identified in a separate lab report, as are the two instruments used in this study. The study used 27 participants, each of whom received a test interpretation under one of the three conditions (traditional face-to-face, online text chat, and online textchat plus video). The interpretation sessions were provided by graduate students in the school counseling program, all new to the use of online delivery modalities.
Abstract of Results *
The dependent variable in this study was each participant's responses to the Session Evaluation Questionnaire (SEQ), completed at the close of the session. The SEQ provides summary scales for four dimensions: session depth (overall quality of the session), session smoothness (overall comfort with the session), positivity (overall confidence level), and session arousal (overall extent to which the session elicited an elevation in activity level).
On the SEQ positivity and SEQ arousal dimensions, the differences among the three conditions were not statistically significant. On the SEQ smoothness dimension, the difference between face-to-face and chat text plus video conditions was statistically significant in favor of the face-to-face condition. On the SEQ depth dimension, a statistically significant difference was evident when comparing face-to-face and text chat and when comparing text chat plus video to text chat alone. The difference on the SEQ depth dimension between face-to-face and text chat plus video was not statistically significant.Although additional study is clearly needed, these results provide cautious support for use of the Internet/WWW to deliver vocational test interpretation, particularly if video cues are available. It appears plausible that the lower SEQ smoothness ratings associated with the video condition could be the result of the participant's discomfort in being "seen". A study is planned in the lab during the spring 2001 semester in which the counselor's video image is on the participant's screen but the participant's image may or may not be available to the counselor.
* A manuscript reporting this study has been submitted and is currently being reviewed for publication in a refereed professional journal.Guide to Reports