Career psychology in South Africa has traditionally been constituted by the vocabularies, assessment methods, counselling practices and research objectives of the modernist-positivist paradigm. This paradigm has produced a rich but disparate and fragmented range of career theories, research perspectives and career education practices that have been limited in their consideration and integration of the broad range of contextual factors that influence the career development of South African adolescents in unique ways. This limitation has had, and still has, the potential of promoting prescriptive and disqualifying constructions of career development for South African youth. A search for alternatives to traditional modernist-positivist understandings of career has led, however, to a further fragmentation of the career field into what can broadly be termed qualitative and quantitative approaches. This twofold fragmentation, as well as the dynamic complexity of the world of work in the twenty-first century, has inspired this study’s investigation of an integrating framework that employs a wide range of career theoretical perspectives in the service of constructing experience-near accounts of the complex and fluid interrelationship between individual career makers and their specific social, environmental and societal contexts. The present study has therefore employed the Systems Theory Framework (STF) in investigating and co-constructing representations of the career development of a group of South African adolescents in a way that acknowledges their unique systems of career influence and discursive contexts. The research adopted an exploratory-descriptive design in collaborating with the participants in this investigation. In the first phase of the study a sample of 70 grade 11 male and female adolescents from middle socioeconomic status environments were invited to complete the My Systems of Career Influences (MSCI) workbook in re-presenting systemic constructions of their career development. Tesch’s model of qualitative content analysis and frequency counts has been used to re-present that process to you in this text. In the second phase of the study the researcher collaborated with one participant in a systemic narrative career counselling process. During this process an account of the participant’s career narrative was co-constructed in conversations guided by a poststructural narrative approach to career counselling and the MSCI’s structuring of the participant’s complex systems of influence. The co-constructed account was critically examined according to Parker’s approach to discourse analysis. The second phase investigated how the counselling and research processes had positioned the participant in relation to her influential systems and their privileged discourses of career development. The study is particularly pertinent to a growing need for the development of respectful, critical and non-discriminatory career assessment, career research and career counselling collaborations between professionals and career makers navigating the unique and diverse South African context.

Currently, no career theories exist that sufficiently explain the career development of South Africa’s diverse population groups. Consequently, South African researchers have been entirely dependent on international, western-informed career theories. While such theories have taken on a more ethnocentric complexion in recent times, they remain essentially decontextualised for South Africa. Furthermore, although the influence of family and the significant roles of parents have been theoretically acknowledged as critical influences in adolescent career development, there is still a considerable lack of research in South Africa on this topic. The present study therefore explored the perceptions of systemic influences on adolescent career development from the perspectives of both Black middle-class South African Grade 11 learners and their parents. The research was conceptualised within the Systems Theory Framework (STF) of career development and used its derivative instrument, the My Systems of Career Influences (MSCI, Adolescent). The present study utilised a qualitative research method, using answers derived from the MSCI (Adolescent) booklets to inform semi-structured interviews. The data analysis procedure involved the use of Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to qualitatively analyse data obtained from the semistructured interviews. Findings revealed a number of influences within the individual system (personality, values, abilities), social system (adolescents’ parents and teachers) and societal-environmental system (financial support, the opportunity to work overseas, geographical location, job availability, and the location of universities) that were acknowledged as having an influence on the career development of South African Black middle class adolescents. Each of these findings were explored and unpacked under the four xii identified Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) superordinate themes of Family Dynamics, Great Expectations, The Ghost of Apartheid and Coconuts Fall Far From the Tree. Lastly, the limitations of the present study, as well as recommendations for future research are discussed.

For many Latino immigrant children the transition from adolescence to adulthood and more specifically from high school to college or the workforce can be a daunting experience. Scholars have identified contextual factors such as family, culture, and access to academic and financial resources contribute significantly to the academic and career decision making of Latino immigrant youths (Chaves et al., 2004). Vocational psychology research literature has been criticized for the exclusion of diverse populations, particularly inner city youth (Medvide & Blustein, 2010) from career development theories. Using consensual qualitative research (CQR), the current study broadens the understanding of the career development of Latino immigrant youth by gathering 15 participant narratives from current NYC high school students. These interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using CQR methods (Hill, Knox, Thompson, Williams, Hess, & Ladany, 2005). The results of the study illustrate how culture, family support, access to financial and academic resources, and perceived barriers impact the career decision-making of Latino immigrant youth. More specifically, results indicate Latino immigrant youth highly value family relationships and teacher support in their career decision-making, and feel these supports are essential for their career success. Additionally, participants’ internalization of their social status and access to financial and academic resources critically influence their career decisions. Recommendations for research and clinical practice were presented with an emphasis on expanding multicultural competency and culturally responsive counseling interventions provided to students and families in order to reinforce students’ academic, social, and cultural strengths.

A Orientação Profissional e de Carreira tem sido objeto de estudo desde o início do século passado, constituindo um domínio do conhecimento teórico e prático de relevante interesse por parte de pesquisadores e profissionais do campo da Psicologia Vocacional em diferentes cenários e contextos. No entanto, no que se refere ao contexto moçambicano, poucos estudos mostraram interesse em promover serviçossistematizados que visemajudar os adolescentes a refletir sobre a complexidade do processo da escolha e sua natureza multideterminada. Constatada esta lacuna, este estudo objetivou delinear, implementar e avaliar uma intervenção em Orientação Profissional e de Carreira para adolescentes, alunos do ensino secundário público moçambicano. Para concretizar os objetivos almejados foi delineado um estudo do tipo pesquisa-ação. Apoiando-se numa abordagem prevalentemente qualitativa, primeiro buscou-se indagar as condições pessoais, familiares e contextuais que influenciam no processo da escolha e em seguida avaliar a intervenção a partir da ótica dos participantes. A intervenção iniciou com um grupo de adolescentes (N=30), estudantes do ensino secundário (1º e 2º ciclos) público moçambicano, na cidade de Nampula, matriculados entre a 8ª e 12ª classe, com idades compreendidas entre 14-18 anos, de ambos sexos. Entre eles desistiram de participar da intervenção sete (7), sendo que a amostra final foi de 23 participantes, e participaram da avaliação pós-intervenção 18 estudantes. A coleta de dados decorreu ao longo de doze sessões e última avaliação seis meses após a intervenção. A coleta de dados baseou-se emtécnicas de cunho qualitativo (narrativas), a saber: \"Carta aos pais\", Redação sobre a escolha profissional e de carreira, \"Carta ao Presidente da República\", \"Carta ao Orientador Hipotético\" e uma atividade baseada em um Roteiro de questões abertas que foram respondidas em quatro momentos diferentes ao longo da intervenção. A análise e discussão dos dados se apoiou na abordagem qualitativa e se subsidiou da análise temática de conteúdo, proposta por Minayo e nos aportes da perspectiva desenvolvimentista e construtivista de teorias de carreira. Os resultados corroboraram na complexidade dos fatores que multideterminam a escolha profissional e de carreira, sendo que família, particularmente marcada com o exercício de autoridade vinculada ao modelo cultural, no qual é reservado aos pais uma posição particular de \"decisão\", exerce ainda uma contínua e incontornável influência nas aspirações e escolhas profissionais dos adolescentes. O diálogo, o apoio moral, e instrumental atuam como mediadores desta influência.A avaliação da intervenção, de um lado, contribuiu para preencher a lacuna da insipiência de intervenções sistematizadas que se propõem a avaliar serviços ou programas no âmbito da intervenção em orientação profissional e de carreira, incluindo a perspectiva dos usurários. Sobre a avaliação levada adiante neste estudo há que destacar primeiro que os relatos dos participantes concluintes convergem na apreciação positiva tanto dos procedimentos quanto dos resultados do processo. Os participantes que avaliaram o processoconfirmaram a hipótese da urgência, necessidade e pertinência de serviços nesta área, tendo sugerido a continuidade, expansão e manutenção do serviço, em particular para o contexto escolar moçambicano. As opiniões emitidas pelos \"avaliadores\" (estudantes) da intervenção convergem na ideia de que futuras intervenções devem focalizar a abordagem de Educação para a Carreira a ser desenvolvida ao longo da vida escolar. Outro resultado significado do estudo aponta para uma temática muito debatida na área, trata-se da importância da formação dos orientadores profissionais, com foco nas competências teórico-práticase relacionais. O foco na abordagem qualitativa ajudou a explicitar a natureza subjetiva da carreira, a interrelação entre os fatores pessoais e contextuais, reforçando a importância de ajudar as novas gerações a desenvolver atitudes mais ativas no processo de construção das suas identidades pessoais e ocupacionais de modo a se adaptar mais adequadamente às atuais e contínuas mudanças que ocorrem em diferentes âmbitos da vida humana, em particular no mundo do trabalho. As considerações conclusivas apontam asimplicações para a prática e algumas linhas que podem servir de ponto de partida para refletir sobre possibilidades de intervenção com particular atenção ao domínio da realidade moçambicana. Limitações do estudo são assumidas com vista a aprimorar futuras intervenções. / The vocational guidance and career has been studied since the beginning of last century, constituting a domain of theoretical and practical knowledge of relevant interest by researchers and Vocational Psychology field professionals in different settings and contexts. However, with regard to the Mozambican context, few studies have shown an interest in promoting systematic services aimed at helping teens to reflect on the complexity of the process of choice and its multifactorial nature. Found this gap, this study aimed to design, implement and evaluate an intervention in Career Guidance for mozambican public secondary school students. To achieve the desired goals was outlined a kind of action research study. Relying on a prevalently qualitative approach, first sought to investigate the personal, family and contextual influencing the process of choice, and then evaluate the intervention from the perspective of the participants. The intervention began with a group of 30 adolescents (N = 30), high school students (1st and 2nd cycles) mozambican public in the city of Nampula, enrolled between the 8th and 12th grade, aged 14-18 years, of both sexes. Among them gave up to participate in the intervention seven (7), and the final sample consisted of 23 participants, and participated in the post-intervention assessment 18 students. Data collection took place over twelve sessions and final evaluation six months after the intervention. Data collection was based on qualitative approach techniques (narratives), namely: \"Letter to Parents\" Writing about the career choice and career, \"Letter to the President\", \"Letter to the Hypothetical Guinding\" and an activity based on a open questions roadmap which were answered at four different times during the intervention. Analysis and discussion of the data was based on a qualitative approach and subsidized the thematic content analysis proposed by Minayo and contributions from the developmental perspective and constructivist theories of career. The results confirm the complexity of the factors that multidetermin career choice and career, and that family, particularly marked with the exercise of authority linked to the cultural model, in which it is reserved for parents a particular position of \"decision\", still exerts a continuous and inescapable influence on the aspirations and career choices of adolescents. The dialogue, moral support, and instrumental act as mediators of this influence. The evaluation of the intervention on the one hand, contributed to fill the gap of the foolishness of systematic interventions that purport to assess services or programs of intervention in vocational guidance and career, including the prospect of usurers. On the evaluation carried on in this study must be first noted that the reports of the graduating participants converge on the positive assessment of both the procedures and the outcomes of the process. Participants reviewed the confirmed case of urgency, necessity and relevance of services in this area and suggested the continuity, expansion and maintenance of the service, in particular for the mozambican school context. Opinions expressed by \"evaluators\" (students) intervention converge on the idea that future interventions should focus on Career Education being developed throughout school life. Another significance of the study results point to a much debated topic in the area, it is the importance of training professionals guiding, focusing on theoretical and practical and relational skills.The focus on qualitative approach helped explain the subjective nature of the career, the interrelationship between personal and contextual factors, reinforcing the importance of helping new generations to develop more active attitude sin the construction of their personal and occupational identities in order to adapt better to the current and continuous changes that occur in different areas of human life, particularly in the workplace.The conclusive considerations point the implications for practice and some lines that can serve as a starting point to reflect on possibilities of intervention with particular attention to the area of the Mozambican reality. Study limitations are taken in order to improve future interventions.

A Orientação Profissional e de Carreira tem sido objeto de estudo desde o início do século passado, constituindo um domínio do conhecimento teórico e prático de relevante interesse por parte de pesquisadores e profissionais do campo da Psicologia Vocacional em diferentes cenários e contextos. No entanto, no que se refere ao contexto moçambicano, poucos estudos mostraram interesse em promover serviçossistematizados que visemajudar os adolescentes a refletir sobre a complexidade do processo da escolha e sua natureza multideterminada. Constatada esta lacuna, este estudo objetivou delinear, implementar e avaliar uma intervenção em Orientação Profissional e de Carreira para adolescentes, alunos do ensino secundário público moçambicano. Para concretizar os objetivos almejados foi delineado um estudo do tipo pesquisa-ação. Apoiando-se numa abordagem prevalentemente qualitativa, primeiro buscou-se indagar as condições pessoais, familiares e contextuais que influenciam no processo da escolha e em seguida avaliar a intervenção a partir da ótica dos participantes. A intervenção iniciou com um grupo de adolescentes (N=30), estudantes do ensino secundário (1º e 2º ciclos) público moçambicano, na cidade de Nampula, matriculados entre a 8ª e 12ª classe, com idades compreendidas entre 14-18 anos, de ambos sexos. Entre eles desistiram de participar da intervenção sete (7), sendo que a amostra final foi de 23 participantes, e participaram da avaliação pós-intervenção 18 estudantes. A coleta de dados decorreu ao longo de doze sessões e última avaliação seis meses após a intervenção. A coleta de dados baseou-se emtécnicas de cunho qualitativo (narrativas), a saber: \"Carta aos pais\", Redação sobre a escolha profissional e de carreira, \"Carta ao Presidente da República\", \"Carta ao Orientador Hipotético\" e uma atividade baseada em um Roteiro de questões abertas que foram respondidas em quatro momentos diferentes ao longo da intervenção. A análise e discussão dos dados se apoiou na abordagem qualitativa e se subsidiou da análise temática de conteúdo, proposta por Minayo e nos aportes da perspectiva desenvolvimentista e construtivista de teorias de carreira. Os resultados corroboraram na complexidade dos fatores que multideterminam a escolha profissional e de carreira, sendo que família, particularmente marcada com o exercício de autoridade vinculada ao modelo cultural, no qual é reservado aos pais uma posição particular de \"decisão\", exerce ainda uma contínua e incontornável influência nas aspirações e escolhas profissionais dos adolescentes. O diálogo, o apoio moral, e instrumental atuam como mediadores desta influência.A avaliação da intervenção, de um lado, contribuiu para preencher a lacuna da insipiência de intervenções sistematizadas que se propõem a avaliar serviços ou programas no âmbito da intervenção em orientação profissional e de carreira, incluindo a perspectiva dos usurários. Sobre a avaliação levada adiante neste estudo há que destacar primeiro que os relatos dos participantes concluintes convergem na apreciação positiva tanto dos procedimentos quanto dos resultados do processo. Os participantes que avaliaram o processoconfirmaram a hipótese da urgência, necessidade e pertinência de serviços nesta área, tendo sugerido a continuidade, expansão e manutenção do serviço, em particular para o contexto escolar moçambicano. As opiniões emitidas pelos \"avaliadores\" (estudantes) da intervenção convergem na ideia de que futuras intervenções devem focalizar a abordagem de Educação para a Carreira a ser desenvolvida ao longo da vida escolar. Outro resultado significado do estudo aponta para uma temática muito debatida na área, trata-se da importância da formação dos orientadores profissionais, com foco nas competências teórico-práticase relacionais. O foco na abordagem qualitativa ajudou a explicitar a natureza subjetiva da carreira, a interrelação entre os fatores pessoais e contextuais, reforçando a importância de ajudar as novas gerações a desenvolver atitudes mais ativas no processo de construção das suas identidades pessoais e ocupacionais de modo a se adaptar mais adequadamente às atuais e contínuas mudanças que ocorrem em diferentes âmbitos da vida humana, em particular no mundo do trabalho. As considerações conclusivas apontam asimplicações para a prática e algumas linhas que podem servir de ponto de partida para refletir sobre possibilidades de intervenção com particular atenção ao domínio da realidade moçambicana. Limitações do estudo são assumidas com vista a aprimorar futuras intervenções. / The vocational guidance and career has been studied since the beginning of last century, constituting a domain of theoretical and practical knowledge of relevant interest by researchers and Vocational Psychology field professionals in different settings and contexts. However, with regard to the Mozambican context, few studies have shown an interest in promoting systematic services aimed at helping teens to reflect on the complexity of the process of choice and its multifactorial nature. Found this gap, this study aimed to design, implement and evaluate an intervention in Career Guidance for mozambican public secondary school students. To achieve the desired goals was outlined a kind of action research study. Relying on a prevalently qualitative approach, first sought to investigate the personal, family and contextual influencing the process of choice, and then evaluate the intervention from the perspective of the participants. The intervention began with a group of 30 adolescents (N = 30), high school students (1st and 2nd cycles) mozambican public in the city of Nampula, enrolled between the 8th and 12th grade, aged 14-18 years, of both sexes. Among them gave up to participate in the intervention seven (7), and the final sample consisted of 23 participants, and participated in the post-intervention assessment 18 students. Data collection took place over twelve sessions and final evaluation six months after the intervention. Data collection was based on qualitative approach techniques (narratives), namely: \"Letter to Parents\" Writing about the career choice and career, \"Letter to the President\", \"Letter to the Hypothetical Guinding\" and an activity based on a open questions roadmap which were answered at four different times during the intervention. Analysis and discussion of the data was based on a qualitative approach and subsidized the thematic content analysis proposed by Minayo and contributions from the developmental perspective and constructivist theories of career. The results confirm the complexity of the factors that multidetermin career choice and career, and that family, particularly marked with the exercise of authority linked to the cultural model, in which it is reserved for parents a particular position of \"decision\", still exerts a continuous and inescapable influence on the aspirations and career choices of adolescents. The dialogue, moral support, and instrumental act as mediators of this influence. The evaluation of the intervention on the one hand, contributed to fill the gap of the foolishness of systematic interventions that purport to assess services or programs of intervention in vocational guidance and career, including the prospect of usurers. On the evaluation carried on in this study must be first noted that the reports of the graduating participants converge on the positive assessment of both the procedures and the outcomes of the process. Participants reviewed the confirmed case of urgency, necessity and relevance of services in this area and suggested the continuity, expansion and maintenance of the service, in particular for the mozambican school context. Opinions expressed by \"evaluators\" (students) intervention converge on the idea that future interventions should focus on Career Education being developed throughout school life. Another significance of the study results point to a much debated topic in the area, it is the importance of training professionals guiding, focusing on theoretical and practical and relational skills.The focus on qualitative approach helped explain the subjective nature of the career, the interrelationship between personal and contextual factors, reinforcing the importance of helping new generations to develop more active attitude sin the construction of their personal and occupational identities in order to adapt better to the current and continuous changes that occur in different areas of human life, particularly in the workplace.The conclusive considerations point the implications for practice and some lines that can serve as a starting point to reflect on possibilities of intervention with particular attention to the area of the Mozambican reality. Study limitations are taken in order to improve future interventions.