Consider your future practice as a counselor, keeping in mind a population and/or setting for your work. The Final Course Project is a synthesis of literature and it is aimed to help you determine the

Final Course Project

Consider your future practice as a counselor, keeping in mind a population and/or setting for your work. The Final Project in this course is a literature review synthesis aimed at determining the evidence in your topic of choice, which might be a counseling theory, technique, or intervention or counseling with a particular population, such as group work with adolescents, spirituality/wellness interventions, solution-focused approach in a school or community setting, and so forth. It should be an area in counseling of which you are interested.

The project begins with your efforts exploring published articles of research (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods) related to your selected topic presented in counseling-related journals over the last 10 years. In addition to examining specific research in your topic of choice, you will also include articles that have focused on program evaluation efforts so that you understand how these articles can be of value.

Writing a quality literature review involves a thorough knowledge of research methods and exemplary writing skills. A well-written literature review conveys a story and synthesis of the research that has been conducted to date on a certain topic. Contained in the story is a critical analysis of the research efforts (e.g., design, procedure, sample, data analysis, and interpretation) with the goal to evaluate the manner in which research can inform practice. By conducting a literature review, it is possible to determine if gaps exist that require further research. Through a review of your learning resources throughout this course, you will develop a thorough understanding of the literature review process and the components of a quality literature review, as well as an understanding of research and program evaluation methodology.

Steps to accomplish this assignment:

1. Select a topic, theory, technique, or intervention strategy that can be applied in your counseling specialty that you would like to explore in the professional literature; this topic might begin as a broad topic and might change as you progress through the course.

2. Visit the Lamar University Library to determine if there is sufficient professional literature available related to your topic of interest. Be sure to use current literature.

3. Select 10 research-based articles for review in your topic area. Of these 10 articles, 8 articles should be empirical research. The other 2 sources can be methodological or conceptual resources related to your topic area. Optimally, it is good to have articles that represent all of the research traditions (quantitative, qualitative, mixed); yet, if you cannot locate articles within a research approach/tradition, it is important to discuss the search process and any hunches relating to this gap.

4. Use any resources that are credible to help create a position on the topic.

5. Use major headings and APA sixth edition writing for creating the report. Some suggested headings are presented below.

Similar to the articles you reviewed throughout the course, your literature review is a result of a unique effort to create a synthesis of literature important to both your topic and to methodology to advance the counseling profession. Therefore, this process is a creative approach and as such, your ability to design an effective presentation of salient literature is part of this assignment.

The Final Course Project will be evaluated according to all indicators in the Final Project Rubric located in Blackboard (see below). Information on scholarly writing may be found in the APA Manual sixth edition and at the OWL Writing Center https://owl.english.purdue.edu/

Your final writing presentation (approximately 8 to14 pages not including the cover page and reference page) should include all of the following sections and can include any additional sections you deem important:

Background of Topic Area (approximately 2 pages)

Describe the topic and define important terms and areas important to the field of counseling.

Discuss the importance using this research to advance the counseling profession. Include a description of the type of research (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods) that you discovered in your search from Assignment 1 and thereafter).

Explain your philosophical position and rationale for the review.

Include a problem statement or any guiding questions for your search.

Results (approximately 4 pages)

Group the articles collected by identifying any major themes that stand out to address your problem statement. It is important to note the type of research methods used in each article selected (e.g., qualitative, quantitative, single-case designs, action research, and outcome-based research).

Include the limitations of any information you select from the sources and cultural considerations.

Explain your understanding of the findings of these articles based on the context, sample, and methodology used.

Discussion (approximately 3 pages)

Provide a summary of the state of research as it relates to your topic of interest.

Discuss the ways you can use the research articles selected to inform evidence-based practice

Implications (approximately 3 pages)

Discuss the cultural implications and limitations and/or any legal/ethical considerations regarding the research examined—especially pertaining to any specific population you foresee as part of your future counseling work.

Identify any trends in your review. Is there any type of methodology that was difficult to locate? What future research might you recommend in your topic area and what methodology might help you address your inquiry?

Discuss your learning experience in this course and your preparedness for using research in your practice as a professional counselor.

References

Appendix (if needed)

The Final Project is due on Day 7 of Module 5 and should be submitted to SafeAssign, Blackboard, and TK20 to receive a grade in the course. See the scoring rubric in Blackboard Final Course Project for point distributions.

Latework is subject to a 10% deduction per day and is subject to instructor approval. This policy includes submissions to TK20.