An Analysis of Domestic Research Trends on School Counselors’ Ethics

Objectives The purposes of this study were to review research studies on school counselors' ethics, identify trends in domestic research studies on school counselor’ ethics, and explore the directions and implications for future research studies. Methods To achieve this, a total of 31 journal articles and dissertations on school counselor’ ethics published between 2003 and 2024 were collected and analyzed based on the criteria of basic information (publication period and type), research topics, research methods, and research participants. Results First, in terms of publication periods, research studies on school counselor’ ethics have been consistently published since 2003. Regarding publication types, academic journal articles were published twice as frequently as dissertations. Second, in terms of research topics, a significant number of studies focused on the unique characteristics of school counselors, ethical dilemmas and responses, and confidentiality. Additionally, research studies have been conducted on topics such as multiple relationships, consultation, informed consent, professionalism, ethical codes, internal experiences, ethical decision-making, and ethics education. Third, regarding research methods, qualitative research was the most frequently used, followed by literature reviews, quantitative research, and mixed-method research. Fourth, in all of the research studies which have participants, participants were professional school counselors, with some studies also including professional counselors and general teachers majoring in counseling. Conclusions Based on the main findings of this study, various research directions were proposed to help school counselors reduce ethical conflicts, respond effectively, and conduct ethical counseling. These recommendations were presented from multiple perspectives, including research topics, research methods, and the school level and workplace of research participants.