What Do African American Ninth Graders Discuss During Individual School Counseling Sessions? A National Study

Abstract

To investigate the topics that African American ninth graders discuss during individual counseling sessions, we used the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009. Results showed that ninth-grade African American students most frequently talked with school counselors about going to college, math courses, and other courses. African American male students were more likely than female students to talk to school counselors about science courses. Socioeconomic status and school belonging had significant impact on the topics African American students raised in individual counseling sessions. We provide discussion and implications for school counselors.