Career counselling in South African institutions of higher learning in the 21st century : re-discovering the potential of qualitative approaches

In South Africa, as in many other countries, concern is growing about rising unemployment. The impact is felt not only on the lives of millions of people but also on the national economy where the required six per cent economic growth rate has not been achieved. A review of the literature on the South African tertiary training system reveals that inadequate career counselling tends to reinforce the low social and economic position of poor and marginalised people in South Africa. Very few disadvantaged students ever receive adequate career counselling at school and often arrive at institutions of higher learning without a clear sense of what their prospective careers will entail. Intervention programmes to correct this situation have not achieved the state’s goals in this regard.http://www.sajhe.org.zahb2016Educational Psycholog

Assessment in mathematics : the need for a positive approach

Leerders se wiskundepunte het ’n potensieel ingrypende invloed op aspekte soos hul moontlike toelating tot universiteitstudie, beurse en indiensneming (en by verstek dus die ontwerp van hul toekoms, sukses en lewensgeluk). Om hierdie rede bestaan daar op nasionale vlak ernstige kommer oor die hoë uitvalsyfer, asook onbevredigende wiskundeprestasie op beide skool- en tersiêre vlak. Hierdie artikel bied ’n kritiese refleksie op die eensydige wyse waarop assessering in wiskunde tans plaasvind. In die eerste deel van die artikel word krities besin oor die eensydige fokus op ’n kwantitatiewe benadering in wiskundeklaskamers. Daarna verskuif die fokus na ’n beskrywing van en kritiese refleksie oor kwalitatiewe assessering in wiskunde. Die meriete van ’n gekombineerde kwantitatiewe + kwalitatiewe benadering tot leerfasilitering in wiskundeklaskamers word uitgestip. Daar word geargumenteer dat daar wegbeweeg behoort te word van ’n positivistiese na ’n positiewe benadering in wiskundeassessering en dat die eng fokus op ’n kwantitatiewe syfer of simbool as aanduider van ’n leerder se potensiaal om in wiskunde te presteer nie voldoende is nie. Daar is afgesluit met enkele aanbevelings vir die verkryging van ’n meer verantwoordbare refleksie van die stand van leerders se wiskundevaardigheid en -vermoë op ’n bepaalde tydstip.The marks that learners obtain in mathematics have a potentially significant impact on aspects such as acceptance into certain fields of study and being considered for bursaries and eventual employment (by default, therefore, their design of a future, success and happiness). For this reason, there is great concern at national level about inadequate achievement in mathematics and the high dropout figure at both school and tertiary level. This article offers a critical reflection on the current way in which assessment is conducted in mathematics. The first part of the article consists of reflection on the one-sided manner in which assessment is conducted in mathematics classrooms at present. The focus then shifts to a description of and critical reflection on qualitative assessment in mathematics. The merits of a combined quantitative + qualitative approach to learning facilitation in mathematics classrooms are delineated. Argument is made in favour of a shift away from a positivist style of assessment towards a positive approach to assessment in mathematics. It is not adequate to focus on a quantitative figure or symbol as the sole indicator of a learner’s potential to achieve in mathematics. In conclusion, some recommendations follow to facilitate a more accountable reflection of learners’ mathematical skills and capacity at a certain stage.http://www.satnt.ac.zaam2014gv201

A (guided) meta-reflection theory of career counselling : a case study

Major changes in the global economy over the past decades have resulted in increased levels of workand career-related uncertainty. Workers are continually confronted with issues of restructuring and transformation in the workplace. The theory and practice of career counselling need reshaping to enable young people to design successful lives and adapt to changing needs, changing interests and novel work experiences. Globally, career counselling theorists have taken on the challenge of revisiting and revising extant career theories to enable them to provide a time-appropriate service to their clients. This article discusses the theoretical base for a novel career counselling strategy that entails guiding clients to reflect and meta-reflect on their own career-related responses. A case study is discussed. It is hoped that the explicated strategy will provide career counsellors with a strategy to help clients choose not only appropriate careers but also use these careers to design and live successful lives.http://www.sajhe.org.zahb2016Educational Psycholog

Career construction counseling : a thematic analysis of outcomes for four clients

Thematic analysis was used in this study of career construction counseling with four diverse, purposively-selected participants. After the intervention, the participants who sought and received career construction counselingwere interviewed to determine their experience of the intervention. The results showed the value of career construction counseling in bringing about change in the participants' career-life stories.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jvbhb201

A preliminary study about the value of a combined quantitative-qualitative approach to career counselling for a student in the natural sciences : a longitudinal study

Hierdie artikel beskryf die waarde van ’n gekombineerde kwantitatiewe-kwalitatiewe benadering tot beroepsvoorligting vir ’n natuurwetenskapstudent. Die deelnemer, ’n 18-jarige jong man, is geselekteer om deel te neem aan groepassessering en beroepsvoorligting op grond van sy akademiese prestasies, sy begeerte om in die natuurwetenskappe te studeer en die feit dat hy ’n benadeelde is. Die intervensie het twee fases behels: assessering en terugvoer. Data is ingesamel met behulp van die Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, die Differential Aptitude Tests en die Rothwell-Miller Interest Blank, sowel as kwalitatiewe tegnieke (’n collage, die Beroepsbelangstellingsprofiel, lewenslyn, vroeë anekdotes, sowel as die lewensverhaaltegnieke). Na afloop van die intervensie het die deelnemer verhoogde beroepsaanpasbaarheid gedemonstreer en ’n meer aktiewe rol in sy ontluikende beroeps- en lewensverhaal begin speel. Vyf jaar later het sy prestasies alle verwagtings oortref. Dit blyk dat ’n gekombineerde kwantitatiewe-kwalitatiewe benadering tot beroepsvoorligting vir natuurwetenskapstudente die potensiaal het om aan hul beroepsvoorligtingsbehoeftes te voldoen. Meer navorsing met groot groepe studente is nodig.This article describes the value of a combined quantitative-qualitative approach to career counselling for a student in the natural sciences. The participant, a 18-year old young man, was selected to participate in group assessment and career counselling based on his academic achievements, his expressed interest and desire to study in the natural sciences and on being from a disadvantaged community. The intervention comprised both an assessment and a feedback phase. Data was gathered using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Differential Aptitude Tests and the Rothwell-Miller Interest Blank, as well as qualitative techniques (including a collage, the Career Interest Profile, the life line, early anecdotes, as well as the life story techniques). After the intervention, the participant demonstrated an increased career adaptability and took a more active part in developing his career and life story. Five years later, his achievements exceeded all expectations. A combined quantitative-qualitative approach to career counselling for students in the natural sciences may have the potential to meet their career counselling needs. More research with large groups of students is needed.http://www.satnt.ac.zaam2013gv201

Latest developments in career counselling in South Africa : towards a positive approach

Fundamental changes in the workplace across all countries in recent times call for a contemporary response from career counselling theorists and practitioners as well as researchers and clients. An approach is needed that will enable career counsellors to equip clients with the necessary skills to respond to these changes – a positive career counselling approach. The article focuses briefly on global developments in the field and, more particularly, on the role of different economic waves in these developments. It then discusses the main theoretical approaches that have guided the career counselling profession over the past 120 years. It is argued that 20th-century approaches to career counselling no longer adequately serve the needs of 21st century and that a combined quantitative+qualitative approach may be the answer. Next, career construction principles and life designing are discussed – the first-ever ‘true’ career counselling theory – and an explanation of the need for a new approach in South Africa is provided. The article then goes into the contextual influences on career counselling in South Africa and the challenges facing institutions of education and training in this regard. It ends by proposing how career counsellors can exploit change to advance positive career counselling – the ultimate aim of theory and praxis in the field.http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_sapsyc.htmlam2013gv201

Using integrative career construction counselling to promote autobiographicity and transform tension into intention and action

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to South African POPI Act requirements.This article reports on the use of integrative career counselling to promote autobiographical reasoning in a purposively sampled gifted 16-year-old female learner with moratorium career identity status. I implemented an explanatory, mixed-methods (QUALITATIVE-quantitative; uppercase denoting the bigger weighting given to the qualitative aspect) research design and used qualitative and quantitative career construction counselling techniques and methods and quantitative career construction counselling techniques and methods and strategies to construct data. The Maree Career Matrix (MCM) was used to gather the participant’s career interests (“scores”) quantitatively, and the Career Interest Profile (CIP) was used to elicit her micro-narratives (“stories”) qualitatively. An adapted version of thematic data analysis was used to analyse the data. The intervention promoted the participant’s (self-)reflection and reflexivity, transformed her tension into intention, led to an increase in her career options, and helped her revitalise her sense of meaning, purpose, and positivity. While the findings are encouraging, future (longitudinal) research is needed to establish the long-term influence of the intervention espoused here.https://www.mdpi.com/journal/educationam2023Educational Psycholog

Dealing with the challenge of rising unemployment : can this be done and how?

It feels somewhat strange to think that the end of my five-year term as editor of the SAJP is in sight. These years have been a challenging but interesting and rewarding period in my career. I shall always be indebted to the core editorial staff for their help and support: the consulting editor, Anthony Pillay, the consulting editor: statistics, Tyrone Pretorius, the books editor, Kopano Ratele, the copy editors, Willy Nel and Linda Theron, the publishing editor, Erna Kinsey, and the editorial secretary, Moipone Williams. Anthony's appointment, as incoming editor, is to be welcomed. I believe he is ideally equipped to take the journal to new heights, especially as the SAJP will be going online from 1 January 2013.http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_sapsyc.htmlgv201

Innovating and contextualising career counselling for young people during the Covid-19 pandemic

This article reports on how the changing career counselling needs of young people during the Covid-19 pandemic can be met. It is argued that innovative and contextualised career counselling that is in line with the basic principles of ‘best practice’ and draws on a life design–based framework offers a viable conceptual framework for this kind of endeavour. Such counselling can promote young people’s adaptability; enhance their employability; and bolster their narratability, narrativity and autobiographicity. A brief theoretical overview explains innovation and contextualisation in career counselling and clarifies key aspects of counselling for self- and career construction. The style of e-career counselling advocated here can help young people make meaning of their career-lives and (re-)kindle their sense of hope and purpose. Moreover, it can help them devise practicable strategies to actuate their sense of purpose and hope and also help them experience a sense of being part of something much bigger than themselves. In addition, it can promote young people’s entrepreneurship and self-entrepreneurship and bolster their employability. Longitudinal research, including qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods studies on the topic, is needed to examine the value of the e-career counselling approach. Such research could involve different assessment instruments and counselling strategies and include questionnaires to facilitate pre- and post-assessment of the effectiveness of the approach.http://journals.sagepub.com/home/saphj2022Educational Psycholog

Counselling for career construction for an artistic child with career undecidedness : implications for early child development

This article describes the influence of counselling for career construction on an artistic young girl with career undecidedness. Purposeful sampling was used to select a 14-year-old participant from young children who had sought counselling for career construction in a private practice context. An explanatory, instrumental, single case, intervention study design was implemented and a mixed-methods paradigm adopted as the research framework. Counselling for career construction strategies were employed to gather and analyse the data. The results emphasized the importance of promoting career development in the early years of a person’s life. Future research should investigate the viability of the approach demonstrated in the current study in diverse group contexts and as well as the longer-term value of the approach and investigate ways in which career development can be promoted as a facet of early child development.https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rady20hj2022Educational Psycholog