Theoretical frames for the new tasks in career guidance and counseling

Personal and career development interventions aim to help people find answers to personal and career development issues that stem from the societal context in which they live. Societal definitions of these career issues have a double consequence. On the one hand, these issues differ from one culture to another; and, on the other, they evolve along with the contexts in which they are expressed. Implementation of rigorous career development interventions requires, first, a scientific reconstruction of these societal issues and, second, a clear definition of these interventions' goals and ends. Our current view of the societal issues relating to personal and career development interventions may be phrased thus--"How can we help individuals direct their lives, in the (human) society where they interact?" It may be turned into the following scientific question: "What are the factors and processes of life-long self-construction?" An articulation of three major propositions (sociological, cognitive and dynamic) seems to be needed to answer this question. Such a theoretical frame does not allow for a definition of personal and career development interventions ends. In the world of today, the adoption by everyone of a personal ethic of responsibility towards all life on Earth (H. Jonas) could well be a fundamental end to these interventions.

Guidance and counseling in Latin America : General considerations about the criteria of coherence, cooperation and quality

La Orientación en América Latina, como campo de formación profesional y en comparación con Europa y Estados Unidos, es una actividad de reciente aceptación en los medios académicos. La misma se ha caracterizado por una constante evolución en su afán de adaptarse a los nuevos cambios y transformaciones sociales, políticas y económicas que se suceden en el continente latinoamericano. En esta ponencia se presenta un panorama general acerca de la Orientación en América Latina. Las principales consideraciones formuladas se relacionan con cuatro dimensiones: a) la dimensión política pública, donde se presentan la situación actual y las propuestas al respecto; b) la dimensión contextual que hace referencia a la formación del orientador y los diferentes escenarios de acción; c) la dimensión organizacional que se relaciona con la provisión de este servicio, y d) la dimensión metodológica donde se desarrollan los principales aspectos relacionados con la práctica de la Orientación.

Theoretical frames for the new tasks in career guidance and counseling

Personal and career development interventions aim to help people find answers to personal and career development issues that stem from the societal context in which they live. Societal definitions of these career issues have a double consequence. On the one hand, these issues differ from one culture to another; and, on the other, they evolve along with the contexts in which they are expressed. Implementation of rigorous career development interventions requires, first, a scientific reconstruction of these societal issues and, second, a clear definition of these interventions' goals and ends. Our current view of the societal issues relating to personal and career development interventions may be phrased thus--"How can we help individuals direct their lives, in the (human) society where they interact?" It may be turned into the following scientific question: "What are the factors and processes of life-long self-construction?" An articulation of three major propositions (sociological, cognitive and dynamic) seems to be needed to answer this question. Such a theoretical frame does not allow for a definition of personal and career development interventions ends. In the world of today, the adoption by everyone of a personal ethic of responsibility towards all life on Earth (H. Jonas) could well be a fundamental end to these interventions.

Guidance and counseling in Latin America : General considerations about the criteria of coherence, cooperation and quality

La Orientación en América Latina, como campo de formación profesional y en comparación con Europa y Estados Unidos, es una actividad de reciente aceptación en los medios académicos. La misma se ha caracterizado por una constante evolución en su afán de adaptarse a los nuevos cambios y transformaciones sociales, políticas y económicas que se suceden en el continente latinoamericano. En esta ponencia se presenta un panorama general acerca de la Orientación en América Latina. Las principales consideraciones formuladas se relacionan con cuatro dimensiones: a) la dimensión política pública, donde se presentan la situación actual y las propuestas al respecto; b) la dimensión contextual que hace referencia a la formación del orientador y los diferentes escenarios de acción; c) la dimensión organizacional que se relaciona con la provisión de este servicio, y d) la dimensión metodológica donde se desarrollan los principales aspectos relacionados con la práctica de la Orientación.

Theoretical frames for the new tasks in career guidance and counseling

Personal and career development interventions aim to help people find answers to personal and career development issues that stem from the societal context in which they live. Societal definitions of these career issues have a double consequence. On the one hand, these issues differ from one culture to another; and, on the other, they evolve along with the contexts in which they are expressed. Implementation of rigorous career development interventions requires, first, a scientific reconstruction of these societal issues and, second, a clear definition of these interventions' goals and ends. Our current view of the societal issues relating to personal and career development interventions may be phrased thus--"How can we help individuals direct their lives, in the (human) society where they interact?" It may be turned into the following scientific question: "What are the factors and processes of life-long self-construction?" An articulation of three major propositions (sociological, cognitive and dynamic) seems to be needed to answer this question. Such a theoretical frame does not allow for a definition of personal and career development interventions ends. In the world of today, the adoption by everyone of a personal ethic of responsibility towards all life on Earth (H. Jonas) could well be a fundamental end to these interventions.

Guidance and counseling in Latin America : General considerations about the criteria of coherence, cooperation and quality

La Orientación en América Latina, como campo de formación profesional y en comparación con Europa y Estados Unidos, es una actividad de reciente aceptación en los medios académicos. La misma se ha caracterizado por una constante evolución en su afán de adaptarse a los nuevos cambios y transformaciones sociales, políticas y económicas que se suceden en el continente latinoamericano. En esta ponencia se presenta un panorama general acerca de la Orientación en América Latina. Las principales consideraciones formuladas se relacionan con cuatro dimensiones: a) la dimensión política pública, donde se presentan la situación actual y las propuestas al respecto; b) la dimensión contextual que hace referencia a la formación del orientador y los diferentes escenarios de acción; c) la dimensión organizacional que se relaciona con la provisión de este servicio, y d) la dimensión metodológica donde se desarrollan los principales aspectos relacionados con la práctica de la Orientación.

The effect of group counseling on the self-esteem, attendance, and counselor utilization of immigrant Hispanic secondary limited English proficient students

As the population of the United States becomes more diverse and the immigrant Hispanic, limited English proficient (LEP) school age population continues to grow, understanding and addressing the needs of these students becomes a pressing question. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of group counseling, by a bilingual counselor, on the self-esteem, attendance and counselor utilization of Hispanic LEP high school students. The design for this study was a quasi-experimental design. The experimental and control groups consisted of one class from each of the four levels of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), I-IV. The counseling intervention, the independent variable, was delivered by a bilingual counselor once a week, for fifteen weeks.^ A total of 112 immigrant Hispanic LEP students selected from the total ESOL student population participated in the study. The experimental and control groups were administered the Culture Free Self Esteem Inventory (CFSEI) Form AD as a pretest and posttest. The Background Information Questionnaire (BIQ) was utilized to gather information on counselor utilization and demographic data. Attendance data were obtained from the students' computer records. At the conclusion of the study the differences between the experimental and control groups on the three dependent variables were compared.^ Statistical analyses of the data were done using SPSS statistical software. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was utilized to determine if there were significant differences in the self-esteem scores, attendance and counselor utilization. Correlational analyses was utilized to determine if there was a relationship between English language proficiency and self-esteem and between acculturation level and self-esteem.^ The study results indicate that there were no significant differences in the self-esteem scores and attendance of the subjects in the experimental group at the completion of the group counseling treatment. Counselor utilization was statistically significant for the targeted population. A relationship was found between English language proficiency level and self-esteem scores for students in ESOL levels II, III and IV. No significant correlation was found between acculturation and self-esteem.^ Research on the dropout rates of LEP coupled with the results of this study show that students at the intermediate and advanced levels of ESOL (III and IV) exhibit more positive self-esteem and achieve higher graduation rates that levels I and II. LEP students at levels I and II, once they became familiar with the role and function of school counselors through group counseling, utilized their services. ^

Middle school mediocrity : quality and inequality in secondary education

Centrala teman i min avhandling är parallellskolesystem, linjedelning och segregering i högstadier och gymnasier. Det finns stora skillnader mellan länder gällande den årskurs då eleverna sorteras in i olika nivåer genom skilda klasser eller skolor. I Tyskland och Nederländerna till exempel delas eleverna upp före högstadiet medan Sverige och Finland har enhetsskolor på högstadienivå. Jag argumenterar att parallellskolesystem har en positiv effekt på elevernas testresultat i årskurserna före linjedelningen. Eleverna har incitament att jobba hårdare för att komma på i den akademiska linjen. Jag undersöker incitamentseffekter empiriskt, och hittar mönster konsistenta med incitamentseffekter både i brittisk och i internationell data. Det andra bidraget i avhandlingen är metodologiskt. Nationalekonomer brukar behandla testresultat från t.ex. IQ-tester eller internationella PISA-undersökningar som om absoluta nivån på poängantalen har betydelse i sig. I verkligheten antyder de endast en rangordning. Jag visar att normalfördelade testresultat i många fall ligger tillräckligt nära dess pengavärde på arbetsmarknaden för att ändå kunna tolkas som absoluta.

Professional development among educators pursuing a B.Ed. program in special education in Tanzania : a study of motives and perceived outcomes

Implementation of different policies and plans aiming at providing education for all is a challenge in Tanzania. The need for educators and professionals with relevant knowledge and qualifications in special education is substantial. Teacher education does not equip educators with sufficient knowledge and skills in special education and professional development programs in special education are few in number. Up to 2005 no degree programs in special education at university level were available in Tanzania. The B.Ed. Special Education program offered by the Open University of Tanzania in collaboration with Åbo Akademi University in Finland was one of the efforts aimed at addressing the big national need for teachers and other professionals with degree qualifications in special education. This pilot program offered unique possibilities to study professional development in Tanzania. The research group in this study consisted of the group of students who participated in the degree program 2005-2007. The study is guided by three theoretical perspectives: individual, social and societal. The individual perspective emphasizes psychological factors as motives, motivation, achievement, self-directed behavior and personal growth. Within social perspective, professional development is viewed as situated within the social and cultural context. The third perspective, the societal, focuses on change, reforms, innovations and transformation of school systems and societies. Accordingly, professional development is viewed as an individual, social and societal phenomenon. The overall aim of the study is to explore the participants’ motives for participating in a B.Ed. Special Education program and the perceived outcomes of the program in terms of professional development. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, a case study approach was adopted. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were administered in three waves between January 2007 and February 2009 to the 35 educators participating in the B.Ed. Special Education program. The findings of the study reveal that the participants expressed motives which were related to job performance, knowledge, skills, academic degree and career. Also altruistic motives were expressed by the participants in terms of helping and supporting students with special needs and their communities. The perceived outcomes of the program were in line with the expressed motives. However, the results indicate that the participants also learned new skills, as interaction skills and guidance and counseling skills. Increased self-confidence was also mentioned as an outcome. The participants also got deepened understanding of disability issues. In addition, they learned strategies for creating awareness of persons with disability in the communities. Thus the findings of the study indicate positive outcomes of the program in terms of professional development. The conclusion of the study is that individual, social and societal factors interact when it comes to explaining why Tanzanian educators in special education choose to pursue a degree program in special education. The individual motives, as increased knowledge and better prospects of career development interact with the social and societal motives to help and support vulnerable student groups. The study contributes to increased understanding of the complexity of professional development and of the realities educators meet when educational reforms are implemented in a developing country.

Design and evaluation of the parent education component of a comprehensive violence prevention project in middle schools

Low parental monitoring is related to youth risk behaviors such as delinquency and aggression. The purpose of this dissertation was to describe the development and evaluation of a parent education intervention to increase parental monitoring in Hispanic parents of middle school children.^ The first study described the process of intervention mapping as used to develop Padres Trabajando por la Paz, a newsletter intervention for parents. Using theory, empirical literature, and information from the target population, performance objectives and determinants for monitoring were defined. Learning objectives were specified and a staged social-cognitive approach was used to develop methods and strategies delivered through newsletters.^ The second study examined the outcomes of a randomized trial of the newsletter intervention. Outcome measures consisted of a general measure of monitoring, parent and child reports of monitoring behaviors targeted by the intervention, and psychosocial determinants of monitoring (self-efficacy, norms, outcome expectancies, knowledge, and beliefs). Seventy-seven parents completed the randomized trial, half of which received four newsletters over an eight-week period. Results revealed a significant interaction effect for baseline and treatment for parent's reports of norms for monitoring (p =.009). Parents in the experimental condition who scored low at baseline reported increased norms for monitoring at follow-up. A significant interaction effect for child reports of parental monitoring behaviors (p =.04) reflected an small increase across baseline levels in the experimental condition and decreases for the control condition at higher baseline scores. Both groups of parents reported increased levels of monitoring at follow-up. No other outcome measures varied significantly by condition.^ The third study examined the relationship between the psychosocial determinants of parental monitoring and parental monitoring behaviors in the study population. Weak evidence for a relationship between outcome expectancies and parental monitoring behaviors suggests further research in the area utilizing stronger empirical models such as longitudinal design and structural equation modeling.^ The low-cost, minimal newsletter intervention showed promise for changing norms among Hispanic parents for parental monitoring. In light of the importance of parental monitoring as a protective factor for youth health risk behaviors, more research needs to be done to develop and evaluate interventions to increase parental monitoring. ^

An introduction and outline of secondary education.

Mode of access: Internet.

A comparative analysis of school satisfaction and dropout risk of middle school students attending programs for students with emotional handicaps, severe emotional disturbance and general education students attending center schools and satellite schools

This study evaluated school satisfaction as an indicator of dropout risk of students with Emotional Handicaps (EH) and students with Severe Emotional Disturbance (SED). The students attended two different kinds of middle schools in a largely urban school district in South Florida. One hundred eight students in grade 8 (ages 13-16) participated in this study. Participants were administered the National Dropout Prevention Assessment (NDPA). Forty participants with EH and SED attended a special center school. Thirty-one participants with EH and SED attended satellite programs in a regular middle school. Thirty-seven general education participants attended the same regular middle school. Overall school satisfaction scores were generated, as well as three primary factors (school, environment and personal) and 16 subscales (school atmosphere, future income, difficulty level of classwork, teacher relationships, peer relationships, intrinsic interest in classwork, school hours, classwork stress, general attitude towards school, family influence, perceived opportunity for career, future goals, travel distance, leisure time, self-appraisal of performance, and self-esteem).^ Comparison of students with EH and SED revealed that both groups of students were rated at "low risk" of becoming dropouts on the Environmental factor and the Difficulty of Schoolwork subscale. Students with EH were rated at "caution risk" risk on the Travel Distance subscale. Students with SED were rated at "high risk" on this subscale.^ There were no significant differences in school satisfaction and dropout risk between different program delivery models. There were also no significant differences for category of students (EH, SED) by school type (center school, satellite program). All students were rated at "low risk" of dropping out of school.^ There were significant differences between general education students and students with EH and SED attending satellite programs. Students with EH and SED were rated at "caution risk" for dropping out on the Travel Distance and the Leisure Time subscales. Discussion of results, implications for practice and recommendations for further research are included. ^

Effectiveness of peer counseling on high school students who failed two or more classes in a nine week quarter

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of peer counseling on high school students who have previously failed two or more classes in a nine week quarter.^ This study was constructed by comparing students who previously failed and were subsequently given peer counseling with a matched group of students who failed and did not receive peer counseling.^ To test the proposed research question, 324 students from a large urban school system were randomly chosen from a computer generated list of students who failed courses, matched on variables of number of classes failed, grade level and gender. One student from each matched pair was randomly placed in either the experimental or control group. 162 students from Group 1 (experimental) were assigned a peer counselor with their pair assigned to Group 2 (control). Group 1 received peer counseling at least 4 times during the third nine week academic quarter (Quarter 3) while Group 2 did not.^ The Grade Point Averages (GPA) for all students were collected both at the end of Quarter 2 and Quarter 3, at which time peer counseling was terminated. GPA's were also collected nine weeks after counseling was terminated.^ Results were determined by multiple regression, analysis of covariance and t-test. A level of significance was set at.05. There was significant increase in the GPA's of those counseled students immediately after peer counseling and also nine weeks after counseling was terminated, while the group not receiving peer counseling showed no increase. It was noted that there were significantly more school drop-outs from the non-counseled group than the counseled group. The number of classes failed, high school attended, grade level and gender were not found to be significant.^ The conclusion from this study was that peer counseling does impact significantly on the GPA's of students experiencing academic failure. Recommendations from this study were to implement and expand peer counseling programs with more failing students, continue counseling for longer than one quarter, include students in drop-out programs and students from different socio-economic and racial backgrounds, and conduct subsequent evaluation. ^

A qualitative study of an interagency relationship: Education interventions for foster children

The Interagency Agreement between the Broward County School System and District 10 Department of Children and Families (DCF) was implemented to improve the organization's relationship and in turn improve education interventions for foster children. The purpose of this study was to examine and describe key decision-makers' perspectives of this interagency relationship after implementing mutual policy. ^ The research questions which drove this study were: (a) from the perspectives of the participants, what was the relationship between the decision-makers of the Department of Children and Families and the Broward County School System, after the implementation of a unification plan that was influenced by the court system? and, (b) how was the relationship between the school system and DCF reflected in the Interagency Agreement? ^ Data were obtained through a case study that included interviews, document analysis and field observations. Participants were key decision-makers in their respective institutional settings and were chosen using criterion sampling. The researcher analyzed and interpreted data from the District 10 DCF commissioned assessment of foster care, the State of Florida Management Plans (education section), the Interagency Agreement, and participant interviews. ^ This study focused on the following five contextual areas regarding the Interagency Agreement: interagency cooperation, interagency coordination, interagency collaboration, traditional organizational linkages, and organizational climate. The results of this study suggest that the organizations' improved relationship improved the educational system for foster children. ^ This researcher recommends that the Interagency Agreement shares the leadership structure with an active parent organization of 15 foster parents who would be divided into three subcommittees. These subcommittees would perform specific tasks such as involving other foster parents, and writing mini proposals to address the social and tutoring needs of foster children. A Wraparound process including community organizations (clubs, businessmen and concerned community groups, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Clubs) is also recommended in order to engage foster children in activities to build their social skills, friendships and self-esteem. This researcher also recommends that the Broward County School System consider a role that would provide for the development of curriculum for inservice for teachers. This would empower teachers and allow them to better address the academic and social needs of the foster children. ^