The study sought to investigate factors that influence the choice of career pathways among high school students in Midlands Province of Zimbabwe. The investigation serves as a springboard to establishing a career guidance model that would assist career guidance teachers in high schools in their endeavours to help students make career choice from a well-informed perspective. A survey design which was mainly quantitative in nature was used in this empirical study. A self-designed questionnaire was used in collecting data from the participants. One thousand and ten high school students and 20 career guidance teachers participated in the study. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 19 calculated the percentages that were used to analyse the data. The study revealed that family members, both nucleus and extended, had an influence on students’ choice of careers. The influence of mothers and fathers was rated highly as compared to other family members. The study also revealed that schools had an impact on high school students’ choice of careers. Career guidance, especially school career days, was cited as having a positive impact on students’ choice of careers. The geographical location of schools was cited as quite influential in the choices of careers by students. The study also revealed that peers had an influence on students’ choices of careers through peer advice and encouragement. However, the influence of gender on career choice was lowly rated. In other words, gender did not influence the students’ choice of careers. Several recommendations were made. The study recommended the training of parents, peers and teachers to enhance students’ choice of careers. It was also recommended that only trained career guidance teachers be allowed to teach career guidance. Lastly, the study also recommended a career guidance model to assist in helping students choose suitable careers. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The contemporary world of work is undergoing far-reaching changes as a result of global economic developments and technological progress. This has necessitated an appraisal of the school curriculum in order to identify the life skills necessary for vocational success. As the concept of a lifetime career has become obsolete, the accent has shifted to a life chance approach in education. This approach emphasises the wide repertoire of life skills required by learners for successful participation in a range of career possibilities and in the sphere of their personal lives, the two being perceived as inseparable. A literature survey investigated the development of professional careers in historical perspective, the contribution of developmental theorists regarding trends in contemporary career progression, various dimensions of success and what motivates successful men and women in their public and private domains. Furthermore, the adjustments required by dual career couples were examined. Various dimensions of life skills for lifespan competence were investigated, with particular reference to South African society. The life orientation approach currently advocated by the new curriculum in South Africa was briefly described. A qualitative study of the life histories of twelve professionals, forty five years and over was conducted in natural settings in order to explore the life skills responsible for career and personal success. Semi-structured interviews elicited descriptive data from participants, selected by judgement sampling. Data was analysed, discussed and synthesised. The major findings emanated: Success in public and private domains was only possible if a balance between them was maintained. Family background, values and educational experiences created a facilitating environment which contributed to early character development. Certain enabling attributes were essential to achieve both career success and self-fulfilment, even among the less privileged participants. Personal obstacles were confronted and managed. Self-discipline, time management and the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle was vital. The interpenetration of public and private domains was emphasised. A sound work ethic and healthy interpersonal relationships with family, colleagues and the community were crucial. Middle and late adulthood emerged as periods of continuing, dynamic self-development. Based on these findings, recommendations for relevant life skills education were proposed. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Comparative Education)

Vocational interest is a dynamic, subjective, positive attraction towards a job, occupa tion or occupational field, based on the individual's perception of the structure of occupations and situations already experienced or expected to produce pleasurable feelings. Interest test tields are usually statistically derived from characteristics of individuals. This study develops and validates an interest test based on the perceived occupationaI structure. After examining various classification models and occupational classification systems, including work by Holland, Gati and Roe, a new network access model was pro­posed, based on many-to-many correspondence in set theory. Categories are arranged on levels. Choice of a category on one level precludes access to another category on the sanK level, but does not restrict access to categories on other levels. It was hypothesised that occupational structure is perceived to consist of the three levels of lields, environments and duties. Each category is a horizontal sirus group and includes all vertical status levels. Career choice is based on preferences at each level. 1200 jobs have been classified by allocation to one category on each level, and each is described by a field, environment and duty. The field-environment-duty (FED) system was operationalised in a ten minute interest test asking testees to choose from each level the three categories that interest them for a job. Extensive use was made of x to the power of 2 and empty sets to the power of two statistics in analysing nominal measurement scores. The FED test was applied to 1280 school-leavers in Gauteng, South Africa. Research supports Gati's division of occupations into "soft" (people-oriented occupations preferred by females), and "hard" (not-people-oriented occupations preferred by males), and introduces a third "neutral" division which is preferred equally by both males and females. Construct and concurrent validity was shown with the I 9Fll, VIQ, SDS and l6PF. In a four to five year longitudinal study the FED was found to predict future studies (80%) and occupation (86%). Research with working adults found that the FED test predicts concurrent job satisfaction, job tenure and self-assessed performance. Inter-rater reliability in assigning jobs to categories is around 80%. Test-retest reliability was significant to the 0,0001 level using the x to the power of 2 goodness of fit test. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D.Com. (Industrial Psychology)

This research was undertaken to determine factors causing career indecision of schoolleavers in Kwandebele. Literature study indicates that factors such as interest, sex, dependency, vocational immaturity, the economy and politics have a direct influence on career indecision. Literature study further indicates that parties involved in career decision-making also contribute to career indecision. 424 Kwandebele school leavers answered questionnaires. The schoolleavers were requested to indicate the importance and contributions of five categories, namely personal aspects, family, school, guidance teacher and society to his career choice making process. Most of the personal aspects were regarded as important and also the other four categories showed a significant difference between school leavers who have made a choice and those that have not made a choice. This research could not cover the implication of career education at all levels of the child, recommendations for future research have been made. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The first part renders the theoretical introduction to the problems of career guidance and the next possible educational choice. There are clarified the important terms of the work, selected parts of career progression, characteristics of development stage of pubescent with respect to the next possible educational choice at the end of the primary school. Then we get acquainted with the basic principles of methodical approach and characteristics of systemic dialog. The empiric part brings particular casuistry which illustrates searching of harmony between personality of a pupil, background for exercise of a profession, chanciness, ignorance and deficient of maturity of pupils (their parents too) for the next career progression. We try to show the importance and benefit of the systemic approach and dialog just with guidance in casuistry and discussions. It tries to show a suitable systemic approach as a theoretical and philosophical framework of career counselor in the context of the consulting situation with children and their parents. This work shows that this approach helps that the counselor does not only submit a verdict but creates a place for thinking about possibilities. Asking questions challenge the client to searching answers and active thinking about future. It becomes better...

The first part renders the theoretical introduction to the problems of career guidance and the next possible educational choice. There are clarified the important terms of the work, selected parts of career progression, characteristics of development stage of pubescent with respect to the next possible educational choice at the end of the primary school. Then we get acquainted with the basic principles of methodical approach and characteristics of systemic dialog. The empiric part brings particular casuistry which illustrates searching of harmony between personality of a pupil, background for exercise of a profession, chanciness, ignorance and deficient of maturity of pupils (their parents too) for the next career progression. We try to show the importance and benefit of the systemic approach and dialog just with guidance in casuistry and discussions. It tries to show a suitable systemic approach as a theoretical and philosophical framework of career counselor in the context of the consulting situation with children and their parents. This work shows that this approach helps that the counselor does not only submit a verdict but creates a place for thinking about possibilities. Asking questions challenge the client to searching answers and active thinking about future. It becomes better...

Med avstamp i debatten kring gymnasieskolors marknadsföring och information gentemot elever, tog denna studie sin form. Studie- och yrkesvägledning är en profession som har att förhålla sig till hur information i gymnasieskolors broschyrer kan relateras till stödinsatser för elever som står inför ett gymnasieval. Syftet var att utifrån ett diskursteoretiskt perspektiv belysa hur gymnasieskolors information i broschyrer 2011 kan relateras till elevers valhandlingar och marknadsföring av gymnasieutbildning. Genom tillämpning av en textanalytisk modell med fokus på en ideationell samt interpersonell struktur analyserades 52 broschyrer från gymnasieskolor som erbjuder Ekonomiprogrammet 2011 inom Stockholms Läns samverkansavtal. Resultat visade att vissa skolor inte följer statliga rekommendationer för hur Ekonomiprogrammet bör beskrivas gentemot elever samt att det definieras relativt olika i broschyrerna. De slutsatser som drogs var att gymnasieskolor appellerar till olika utbildningsaspirationer samt att eleverna betraktas som konsumenter, vilket kommer till uttryck genom olika immateriella erbjudanden från skolorna. / This study takes its point of departure in the ongoing debate on how upper secondary schools use marketing and information to attract future students. Career guidance is a profession that includes considerations about how information in schools’ brochures can relate to guidance support regarding educational choice. The aim of the study is, from a discourse-theoretical perspective, to illuminate how information in upper secondary school brochures of 2011 relates to educational choice, and also how upper secondary schools market themselves. By applying a text analysis model that focused on ideational and interpersonal structure, 52 brochures from schools in ‘Stockholms Län’ about the programme ‘Economics’ were analysed. Results show that not all upper secondary schools follow the national guidelines for how ‘Economics’ should be described in the brochures and that the descriptions of the programme varies. Conclusions of this study were that brochures of upper secondary schools appeal to different educational aspirations, and that students are seen as consumers to whom different intangibles are offered.

The problem with which this study is concerned is to determine if the System of Interactive Guidance and Information (SIGI), which is a computer-based career guidance system that is employed with non-handicapped individuals, can be adapted to serve the needs of physically handicapped individuals. One hundred forty eight career and guidance professionals responded to a survey instrument, which was designed by the investigator, indicating their perceptions of the limiting effects of twelve specified handicapping conditions on the SIGI-programmed occupations. These respondents also listed their specific occupations, average time spent in career counseling with each handicapped individual, resources used in career counseling, incidence of use of SIGI, and opinions of needed changes to SIGI to make it a viable instrument in counseling the handicapped.

The contemporary world of work is undergoing far-reaching changes as a result of global economic developments and technological progress. This has necessitated an appraisal of the school curriculum in order to identify the life skills necessary for vocational success. As the concept of a lifetime career has become obsolete, the accent has shifted to a life chance approach in education. This approach emphasises the wide repertoire of life skills required by learners for successful participation in a range of career possibilities and in the sphere of their personal lives, the two being perceived as inseparable. A literature survey investigated the development of professional careers in historical perspective, the contribution of developmental theorists regarding trends in contemporary career progression, various dimensions of success and what motivates successful men and women in their public and private domains. Furthermore, the adjustments required by dual career couples were examined. Various dimensions of life skills for lifespan competence were investigated, with particular reference to South African society. The life orientation approach currently advocated by the new curriculum in South Africa was briefly described. A qualitative study of the life histories of twelve professionals, forty five years and over was conducted in natural settings in order to explore the life skills responsible for career and personal success. Semi-structured interviews elicited descriptive data from participants, selected by judgement sampling. Data was analysed, discussed and synthesised. The major findings emanated: Success in public and private domains was only possible if a balance between them was maintained. Family background, values and educational experiences created a facilitating environment which contributed to early character development. Certain enabling attributes were essential to achieve both career success and self-fulfilment, even among the less privileged participants. Personal obstacles were confronted and managed. Self-discipline, time management and the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle was vital. The interpenetration of public and private domains was emphasised. A sound work ethic and healthy interpersonal relationships with family, colleagues and the community were crucial. Middle and late adulthood emerged as periods of continuing, dynamic self-development. Based on these findings, recommendations for relevant life skills education were proposed. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Comparative Education)

Vocational interest is a dynamic, subjective, positive attraction towards a job, occupa tion or occupational field, based on the individual's perception of the structure of occupations and situations already experienced or expected to produce pleasurable feelings. Interest test tields are usually statistically derived from characteristics of individuals. This study develops and validates an interest test based on the perceived occupationaI structure. After examining various classification models and occupational classification systems, including work by Holland, Gati and Roe, a new network access model was pro­posed, based on many-to-many correspondence in set theory. Categories are arranged on levels. Choice of a category on one level precludes access to another category on the sanK level, but does not restrict access to categories on other levels. It was hypothesised that occupational structure is perceived to consist of the three levels of lields, environments and duties. Each category is a horizontal sirus group and includes all vertical status levels. Career choice is based on preferences at each level. 1200 jobs have been classified by allocation to one category on each level, and each is described by a field, environment and duty. The field-environment-duty (FED) system was operationalised in a ten minute interest test asking testees to choose from each level the three categories that interest them for a job. Extensive use was made of x to the power of 2 and empty sets to the power of two statistics in analysing nominal measurement scores. The FED test was applied to 1280 school-leavers in Gauteng, South Africa. Research supports Gati's division of occupations into "soft" (people-oriented occupations preferred by females), and "hard" (not-people-oriented occupations preferred by males), and introduces a third "neutral" division which is preferred equally by both males and females. Construct and concurrent validity was shown with the I 9Fll, VIQ, SDS and l6PF. In a four to five year longitudinal study the FED was found to predict future studies (80%) and occupation (86%). Research with working adults found that the FED test predicts concurrent job satisfaction, job tenure and self-assessed performance. Inter-rater reliability in assigning jobs to categories is around 80%. Test-retest reliability was significant to the 0,0001 level using the x to the power of 2 goodness of fit test. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D.Com. (Industrial Psychology)