Transición escuela-universidad

En este trabajo se presentan resultados parciales de una investigación en el área de Orientación Vocacional Ocupacional de la Universidad Nacional de San Luis, sobre el tema "Transición Escuela-Universidad", en el que se ofrece información, obtenida a través de una encuesta, sobre la vinculación del sector educación con los organismos, personas y programas del área de trabajo y empleo. Se hace referencia a la información que reciben los distintos participantes así como a la importancia que le otorgan a dicha vinculación. Se discute el interés de los resultados obtenidos con vistas a optimizar las intervenciones de la especialidad, a partir de la consideración de la necesidad de la articulación de acciones entre las áreas involucradas.

The increasing role of career guidance at the turn of the centuries

At the beginning this paper sketches trends of the rapid changes of nearly all life issues, especially in society, work behaviours, labour environment and demands for adjustment under new social values. As main factors which influence worldwide the economic development and the labour market are elaborated the globalization and liberalization process and the labour market aspects of feminization, ageing labour force, migration, unemployment as a global phenomenon and general changes in labour demand by occupations and skill level. A well-developed and highly qualified career guidance service is seen as one of the most effective instruments in solving these problems which are raised by the described developements. The personal and psychological effects of uncertainty and dislocation of people and the new requirements of the expected qualification standard make career guidance an important cornerstone to cope with these social aspects. Thus, the nature and structure of guidance and counselling are described under the new challenges. The international co-operation in the guidance sector has accompanied this process in delivering two important documents. The Mission Statement and the Ethical Standards of IAEVG, adopted by the General Assembly of IAEVG in 1995, show in what direction guidance services have to be developed.

Method for the evaluation of social projects

This instrument was part of the research project "Research on Evaluation of Health and Education Plans and Programs in the Province of Buenos Aires", developed by the of Chair Preventive Psychology of the Psychology course of studies at the School of Humanities and Educational Sciences, National Univer- sity of La Plata (Argentina). The basis for proposing an assessment instrument is the need for a method enabling analysis, systematization of knowledge and the assignment of values distributed into scales and organized in general charts, on social programs. Its main concern is the analysis of health and education programs and projects, restricted to certain specific areas or regions, in search for theoretic trustworthi-ness, methodological accuracy as well as pragmatic operability. This is the result of four years of researching said programs at system, service and community levels.

Research and the choice of a course of study

This paper presents some research on the choice of a course of study as related to a certain social, family and labor context. The methodology used included the definition of the theoretical basis and a series of empirical investigations which comprised different kinds of sur- veys, records, observations, participants as well as other fieldwork. The results obtained shed some light on the issue and raise new questions. This study was especially carried out to analyze the choice of the following courses of study: Law, Psychology and the different Teaching Courses.

The transition school-university

This paper presents partial results of a research in the area of Vocational Occupational Guidance at the National University of San Luis on the subject "Transition School-University". The information offered here follows a survey on the relationship between the educational area and the organizations, persons and programs of the work and employment area. Reference is made to the information the different participants get as well as the importance they assign to said relationship. The interest of the results obtained is discussed with a view to optimize interventions in the speciality by taking into account the need of articulation of actions between the areas involved.

A framework for demonstrating the value of human services

Tanto profesionales como quienes tienen a su cargo diferentes servicios están de acuerdo en que la evaluación es importante. Sin embargo, los orientadores rara vez evalúan su trabajo de manera de hallar una relación causal entre los servicios que los usuarios reciben y los cambios a los que acceden. Se ha desarrollado un marco teórico para evaluar los cambios en los conocimientos, habilidades, actitudes y creencias del usuario y examinar el impacto que dichos cambios han hecho en su vida y en la sociedad en la que se desenvuelve. El marco incluye también un sistema de seguimiento de las intervenciones realizadas y de los recursos necesarios para poder implementar exitosamente estas acciones. Ha sido empleado en diversas situaciones orientadoras, establecimientos educativos y acciones de orientación vocacional, con el objeto de proporcionar evidencia de que el servicio brindado realmente produce un impacto sobre la vida del usuario.

Perspectives on guidance and social inclusion in a global society

The world is changing rapidly. People today face numerous challenges in achieving a meaningful and fulfilling life. In many countries, there are enormous systemic barriers to address, such as: massive unemployment, HIV/AIDS, social disintegration, and inadequate infrastructure. One job for life is over. For many it never existed. Old metaphors and old models of career development no longer apply. New ways of thinking about careers are necessary, that take into account the context in which people are living, the reality of today's labour market, and the fact people's career-life journey contains many branching paths, barriers, and obstacles, but also allies and sources of assistance. Flexibility is important, as is keeping options open and making sure the journey is meaningful. Guidance professionals need to begin early, working with other professionals and those seeking assistance to develop attitudes that facilitate people taking charge of their own career-life paths. People need a vision for their life that will drive a purposeful approach to career-life planning and avoid floundering. Helping people achieve that direction can be most effectively accomplished when policy makers and practitioners work together to ensure that effective and accessible services are available for those who need them and when a large part of focus in on addressing the context in which marginalized people work and live.

Estrategias orientadoras ante la inequidad psicosocial

El presente artículo corresponde a una primera etapa del proyecto de investigación denominado: "Investigación evaluativa sobre estrategias de orientación vocacional ocupacional integral para contribuir a revertir la inequidad psicosocial" , que se está llevando a cabo en la actualidad. Se hará una síntesis de las primeras estrategias metodológicas, que incluyen la modalidad de investigación-acción. En esta primera etapa, se analizan los primeros resultados de: a) Los talleres de Información Orientada, y b) La escala de afrontamiento para adolescentes. Cada una de estas intervenciones, que apuntan a diferentes objetivos, van brindando insumos para un primer nivel de análisis. Dicha intervención permite conocer qué recursos les brinda la institución escuela a estos jóvenes para la elección de un proyecto educativo, laboral, personal y social. Se comprueba la importancia de: tener un espacio de información y reflexión compartida; analizar las distorsiones en la información; y profundizar los interrogantes que produce todo cambio. Asimismo, comprobar cómo pueden afrontar dichos jóvenes, pertenecientes a escuelas medias denominadas "vulnerables", diversas situaciones de la vida diaria. En este trabajo, se realiza un análisis comparativo con otra institución educativa de prestigio en la región, cuya población se encuentra en una mejor situación socioeconómica

Investigaciones y elección de carreras

El presente trabajo desarrolla el tema de la investigación en relación a la elección de carreras, vinculado con el contexto social, familiar y laboral. La metodología utilizada incluyó la definición de fundamentos teóricos y una serie de investigaciones empíricas que abarcaron diferentes tipos de encuestas, registros, observaciones participantes y otros trabajos de campo. Los resultados obtenidos aportan conocimientos sobre el tema y abren nuevos interrogantes. Este análisis se realizó especialmente en torno a la elección de las carre-ras de Derecho, Psicología y Docentes.

Vocational guidance and development of competences

The present "post modern" socio-cultural modalities and the restrictions of the economic globalization lead us to reflect about the configuration of the transformations in the Vocational Guidance, committed to the concepts of "freedom", "epistemological knowledge", "competences of the subject and new roles of the school. This first exploratory incursion if the research has the purpose of retrieving the concept of freedom from the existential philosophers Heidegger and Sartre and of introducing the subject of "competences" from the social theory of Habermas. The aim is to establish new bonds between the Vocational Guidance and the above-mentioned philosophical lineaments: the freedom of the subjects and the possibility of development of those "competences" that allow to establish social, ethical and epistemological interrelations in the sphere of the Vocational Guidance, that promote a greater solidarity facing the "era of emptiness" of the post-modernity supported by Lipovestky.

Vocational guidance: origin, evolution and current state

The socio-professional sources of the vocational guidance are reviwed, in the world and in Latin America. It stands out that psychology, as science and as a profession, possesses vigorous links to this practice that, however, tends to its epistemic and praxic emancipation in some nations. The contemporary prob- lems of the guidance are presented in their economic, politics, cultural and pro-fessional dimensions.

The computer paradigm in vocational guidance

The technological advances in last decades have transformed the external resources of Vocational Counseling, Occupational Information and assessment of clients. Most computer systems follow a behaviorist-cognitive approach. However, the use of vocational counseling software is not exclusive to one conceptual approach. Computers are introduced in education from primary school; counselors and other educators are expected to use those systems. The attitude of counselors ranges from enthusiastic acceptance to complete refusal. Many counselors fear that computers will replace them. An underlying theory holds that counseling is based on the counselor-client interaction. A computer- client interaction cannot be considered vocational counseling. Counseling has five basic aims: prevention, assistance, education and development, service of diverse groups and research. The most relevant trends in computer-based counseling are: tests and questionnaires based on computers, adaptive development, computarized information, vocational counseling systems and research. Basic aims and the potential role of computers in achieving them are discussed. Present vocational counselors can use the technology of computers to link the past of our profession to its promising future. In view of these premises we have developed two computer systems that assist the vocational counseling process: "Professional Interests Questionnaire, Computer Version", and "Computer-based System of Vocational Counseling".

A model of career training in international contexts

Este artículo describe un modelo para la capacitación de practicantes de orientación ocupacional en contextos internacionales. Este modelo utiliza un enfoque de "compromiso activo" y se fundamenta en los siguientes factores: 1. Relativos a Competencia/Habilidad; 2. Aprendizaje Experimental; 3. Desafío de Fortaleza; 4. Pensamiento Crítico; 5. Intervenciones y Procesos Dinámicos; y 6. Aprendizaje e Innovación Integradas. También se incluye un debate sobre otras cuestiones prácticas relativas a la capacitación.

Vocational and occupational counsseling: a strategy of preventive intervention directed to Young men and women from the interior of the province of Buenos Aires

This work belongs to one of the activities that are carried out in the Vocational and Occupational Guidance Center (V.O.G.C.) of the Faculty of Humanities and Educational Sciences at the L.P.N.U. In the year 1994 the Vocational/Occupational Guidance Programme for Municipalities was created, destined for work with adolescents who are attending their last year at secondary schools in the interior of the Province of Buenos Aires . The Programme aims at fostering the development of spaces for reflection related to the educational/working projects of the adolescents who are close to entering university. The proposal is based on the methodology of work groups, in the journeys preoccupations are sheared, the worries and fears experienced by the students are shared with their hosts, possibilities are used as ground for construction, dealing both with aspects of their current situation and their future possibilities. From the analysis of the group productions collected throughout these years, we have developed a student's profile that - although it resembles the one obtained from local adolescents- adds new questions and points of view, thus increasing the complexity of the balance of forces related to the question of having to make a choice.

Cross-cultural counseling: problems and prospects

This work tries to assess the contributions made to educational counseling in recent years by theoretical and applied research and practical actions in the area of cross-cultural counseling. So, it offers a synthesis of the main contributions made from the theoretical and practical viewpoints within this specific scientific field.