The importance of ethics in helping professions and ethics education in counselor preparation programs have been stressed and discussed greatly. In order to foster helping professionals' ethical behaviors to ensure clients' rights and welfare, professional organizations have developed codes of ethics to serve as guidelines for helping professionals in ethical decision making; accreditation bodies for counselor education programs also have included standards of including ethics into curriculum. Studies regarding ethics-related issues and ethics education have been broadly explored and discussed within the counseling profession. Research regarding ethics education has emphasized the goals of ethics education, teaching in an ethical manner, using ethical instructional materials, and other general elements in ethics education, and was mainly focused on the perspectives of counselor educators. However, there has been a lack of studies to examine the outcome and influence ethics education has had on students' ability and practice. The purposes of the present study are to: (a) discover the current status of ethics education in master's rehabilitation counseling programs across the United States; (b) identify the general profiles of ethical orientations among a sample of master's students in rehabilitation counseling programs; (c) determine whether ethics education would impact future counselors' ethical reasoning and decision-making skills in terms of ethical orientation; and (d) explore rehabilitation counseling master's students' satisfaction towards ethics education and training received in the programs and their self-perceived confidence and competence level in making ethical decisions. The study surveyed a total of 47 master's students in rehabilitation counseling programs. The results showed that a majority of programs offered ethics education in a combination method of a separate course and infused ethics-related topics throughout the curriculum, and 48 and 60 credit hours were the commonly adopted graduation requirements. ACA Codes of Ethics and Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors by Commissions on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) were the commonly used materials in ethics education. Dual relationships on non-sexual nature, confidentiality, informed consent, duty to warn, and scope of practice were the five topics that were indicated to be important concepts to be covered in ethics education. In addition, lecture and whole class discussion were the common adopted methods in teaching ethics, while students' preparation was usually evaluated by examinations, assigned case studies, and term papers. Examination was not perceived as the most helpful evaluation method by master's students. On the other hand, practicum supervision and case studies were perceived to be more helpful in evaluating students' competence to practice ethically. The ethical reasoning level of all participants as a whole exhibited a primary emphasis on individuals' needs, while societal regulations, norms, and laws are recognized but are considered as secondary concerns in ethical decision making. The results of data analyses also showed that students who received varied formats of ethics education and in different demographic information groups did not demonstrate significant differences on the degree of their moral development and sophistication of ethical reasoning. Moreover, on a 6-point Likert scale, participants reported to have a mean of 4.48 on their satisfaction about their current ethics education and have an overall mean of 4.39 on the confidence level and an overall mean of 4.53 on self-reported competence level in approaching and handling an ethical situation.

Vocational guidance and career counseling is the primary service provided to all applicants applying for vocational rehabilitation services. Vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselors specialize in helping people with a disability acquire employment. Yet, when the person has a disability and a criminal record this adds an additional element for consideration. The object of this research is Louisiana vocational rehabilitation counselors in the Baton Rouge Regional Office (BRRO) and their vocational guidance and career counseling skills of people with a disability and a criminal record. For vocational rehabilitation counselors are required to apply theoretically-based career counseling practices in the provision of vocational guidance and career counseling. The expected outcome is the agreement of an employment goal between both the person with a disability and a criminal record and the VR counselor. The purpose of this qualitative research study is to explore the perceptions and actual experiences of vocational rehabilitation counselors in their usage of career theories when providing vocational guidance and career counseling to with people with a disability and a criminal record. Given the scarce amount of research on career counseling of people with a disability and a criminal record, anecdotal information from BRRO vocational rehabilitation counselors, and the researcher's experience working as a VR counselor, the researcher used the heuristic qualitative design to explore these perceptions and actual experiences. The nature of heuristics incorporates the researcher's work experience as a vocational rehabilitation counselor. Therefore, through review of literature and face to face interviews, the efficacy of the career theories is explored along with successes and challenges faced by Louisiana rehabilitation counselors in helping clients select an appropriate employment goal. From the individual case studies, the themes of expectations, autonomy, counselor development, and fidelity to theories emerged from the data analysis. Eventually, the core category of incongruence in theory and practice emerged from the themes. The final chapter provides a discussion of the findings through the heuristic lens of the researcher. Additionally, implications for VR counselors, educators, and supervisors, future recommendations for research, and closing summary are provided.

A necessary corollary of any progressive movement is research. In the United States business has become the chief corner-stone of our social and economic systems, and it is a recognized fact that every phase of the welfare of this nation has business implications. Since these effects are inescapable by society, and since business is so vital to the progress of our civilization, it is in the field of business education that we find one of the greatest needs for research.

The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of implementing a vocationalized secondary school curriculum in Zimbabwe. The study measured constituent support necessary for successful implementation, from students, parents, educators, employers, and legislators. This was done by determining whether the initiative would meet, educational aspirations, occupational aspirations and expectations of students and of parents for their children; perceptions of the role of education of all stakeholders; manpower needs of employers; employment expectations; and national development needs. Attitudes towards vocational education of stakeholders were also measured. Characteristics of groups supportive of the initiative were identified. Constraints likely to impede implementation were also identified. / Data were collected from stratified random samples of parents, students, and teachers from one region. Data from stratified random samples from other educators, employers, and policymakers were collected nationwide. / Data were collected from 1,939 respondents using questionnaires and interviews. The overall return rate of the questionnaires was 80.6 percent. Data were analyzed by frequency counts, cross-tabulations, analysis of variance, correlation analysis, and multiple regression techniques. / The study found that parents and students had high educational and occupational aspirations and expectations. Respondents believed education promoted socio-economic mobility. All groups showed flexibility on employment sectors that the vocationalized curriculum would promote, but students preferred employment in the formal sector. / All groups had positive attitudes towards vocational education, and were generally supportive of the initiative, except for parents with high education. There was evidence that vocationalization could meet educational and occupational aspirations and expectations of students and of parents for their children; and employers' manpower needs at the craft level. Shortages of human and material resources were noted as constraints that could adversely affect implementation in spite of the constituent support. / Eleven suggestions that would facilitate implementation of the initiative were recommended as a result of the findings of this study. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-03, Section: A, page: 0785. / Major Professor: Hollie Thomas. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

Education and training, in Australia, has experienced unprecedented levels of change in recent times. Government educational policies are now dominated by economic discourses that point to the need for all educational systems to contribute to economic development, by increasing the knowledge and skill levels of the present and future workforce. The twin discourses of new vocationalism and economic rationalism have now transformed Australian educational systems. But the effects of this transformation on the identities of teachers working in this changed environment have not been adequately examined. This study examines the impact of government policies on teachers' identities by investigating a particular group of teachers working in Technical and Further Education (TAFE) in Australia. The study has chosen teacher identity as its focus, because much of recent research has involved investigating the new knowledge and skills required of teachers working in this changed environment. However, this can be seen as making an overly instrumental means-ends connection between teachers' knowledge and skills and the professional practice of teaching. It fails to appreciate that when teachers are asked to 'do things differently' in their everyday teaching practices they are also being called on to become different teachers. That is, to have different understandings of their role in education, to have different relationships with students, to conceptualise their professional and vocational knowledge differently. In short, to change their identity. In order to investigate the impact of the policies and discourses of VET on TAFE teachers' identities the study locates itself, in part, within the interpretivist tradition of social research and uses the methods and methodologies of critical policy analysis, phenomenology and ethnography to investigate the research questions. It then uses a number of diverse theoretical perspectives to challenge and interrogate the interpretation made of the data gathered. The study undertakes a critical analysis of contemporary VET policies utilising a 'policy -as-discourse' approach to the analysis and draws on the methods of phenomenology and ethnography in order to generate situated discourses that are often overlooked in critical policy analysis. The study also uses the perspective offered by poststructuralism, which foregrounds the power of discourse in the formation of both the social world and individual identity. The conclusions reached suggest that TAFE teacher identity is an ambiguous discursive achievement constructed out of the multiple, historical organisational and individual discourses that all circulate in teachers' life worlds. These discourses now interact in complex and contradictory ways with the contemporary policies and discourses of vocational education and training resulting in teachers experiencing a degree of doubt and uncertainty concerning their identification with the new institution of TAFE.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 206-219). Also available in print.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2003.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1973. / Includes vita. Includes biliographical references (leaves 301-304). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

The purpose of this study was to investigate, under experimental conditions, the effect of a laboratory experience on self-acceptance and internal-external control with academically deficient college students as compared with Regular students.The ninety subjects in this study were all undergraduate students at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana. The study was conducted during the spring of 1978.Two sections of the Career and Life Planning course, Counseling Psychology 110, were designated as control groups; and, two other sections were designated as experimental groups. One section of the control group sections contained Academic Opportunity Program students; and, one section contained regular students. The same was true for the experimental group. The experimental groups participated with a vital peer in six one hour laboratory sessions over a six week period. Each week's laboratory session consisted of an experiential exercise and a group discussion. The feedback by the subjects and vital peers utilized guidelines delineated by Brammer.The data collected for each subject was the total score obtained on the Personal Orientation Self-Acceptance Scale and Rotter's Internal-External Scale. Each subject was administered a pre-test and post-test of each instrument.The effects of the treatment were analyzed through the use of a 2 X 2 multivariate analysis of covariance. The pre-test scores were used as a covariate.An F-test was used to test the parallelism of regression hyperplanes. This test-examined the homogeneity of the mean factors; and the results indicated the groups were parallel. The implications for this test indicated that the results could be interpreted directly.Two null hypotheses were stated. The first null hypothesis stated that there would be no significant difference between the A.O.P. subjects and the Regular subjects on the P.O.I. (Sa) Scale. This hypothesis was not rejected at the .05 level. The second hypothesis stated that there would be no significant difference between the A.O.P. subjects and the Regular subjects on the I-E Scale. This hypothesis was not rejected at the .05 level. A significant multivariate F (F=4.43, P.<.05) did occur when comparing all of-the A.O.P. subjects scores and all of the Regular subjects' scores. The univariate F which had an effect on the multivariate F was the P.O.I. (Sa) Scale (F=7.42, P.<.01).It was concluded from this study that:this treatment, with this population, in this time frame and measured by the P.O.I. (Sa) Scale, did not produce significance between the Experimental and Control groups.2. this treatment, with this population, in this time frame and measured by the I-E Scale, did not produce significance between the Experimental and Control groups.3. A.O.P. and Regular subject groups in this study experienced an increased overall mean on the Post P.O.I. (Sa) Scale.4, based on the correlation matrix which was constructed, the P.O.I. (Sa) Scale and the I-E Scale were found to measure separate factors.The results of this study and subjective observations indicated several areas which may be worthy of further exploration.1. This study needs to be replicated where the time periods could be extended to an hour and one-half to provide more time for the individual laboratory experiences.It is recommended that two groups of subjects be used which are not enrolled in the Career and Life Planning class.3. Although the measurement instruments used in this study are frequently used in research, it might be advisable to replicate this study using a different measurement which may be more sensative.4. Since the purpose of this study was to establish a need for further research, this research might be geared towards creating an instrument that does evaluate the effects of a V.P. feedback process.5. A 12 hour marathon group may provide additional and different information than the six week laboratory experience.6. Board games similar to the Ungame and Lifestyle may be added to the laboratory experiences. The subjective responses indicated subject popularity which may influence self-acceptance and/or internal-external control.

The purpose of this study was to construct an instrument which would enable administrators and teachers to evaluate selected parts of vocational education programs in post-primary schools in Israel. The study also involved ascertaining the extent to which administrators perceived the proposed instrument as differentiating between effective and ineffective vocational education programs.The evaluation instrument was constructed by using several checklists employed at the time of the study by accrediting agencies in the United States for evaluating vocational education. In order to ascertain how administrators in Israel perceived the proposed instrument, a questionnaire based on the proposed instrument was prepared and administered.The total population was defined as administrators in post-primary vocational schools in Israel employed during the school year 1981-82.From among the administrators who responded, a sample of sixty administrators was randomly selected. This sample included twenty supervisors, twenty principals and twenty heads of vocational departments.Major findings of the study were as follows:1. Seventeen out of the twenty-three statements in parts I to V of the questionnaire were identified by more than 70 percent of the respondents as differentiating between effective and ineffective vocational education programs.Review of the data led to the following conclusions:1. At least those items that have been identified as differentiating by over seventy percent of the respondents may be included in an evaluation instrument for use in Israel.2. The statements that were identified as differentiating by no fewer than eighty percent of the respondents seem to show the most important indicators of effective vocational education programs.3. Humanities are not perceived by many administrators in vocational education as an integral part of a comprehensive vocational education program.Depending on the ranking of the statements and on comments and suggestions by respondents a modified instrument has been prepared.