M.A. / Career counselling is an activity that influences a wide range of people, from primary school age, to adults in their fifties and sixties. Current writers on the subject, for example Hansen (1997), and Gysbers (1998) are increasingly bringing out the view that career development is a life span issue, and that it affects other life roles. This view should also be seen in conjunction with post-modern approaches to careers and work. These approaches emphasise the rapid technological changes of the 1990's, and the increasing unpredictability and uncertainty in careers. These factors create new and demanding roles for career counsellors, who will have to increase their range of skills. The above factors illustrate the importance of career counselling, and the purpose of this study is to attempt to fill a perceived gap in the literature, and provide more information on the status and standing of career counselling in South Africa as practised by registered psychologists. Questionnaires were issued by mail to a sample of registered psychologists, and their responses form the data for this study. Aspects to be investigated include the training of career counsellors, how long they have been in practice, what tests they use, which counselling methods they follow, and what their opinions are concerning the practice of career counselling in South Africa. A theoretical overview of career counselling models is presented, and an examination of recent trends in career counselling is set forth. A quantitative analysis will provide a more detailed breakdown of the responses of the members of the sample, while a qualitative analysis will list the main themes detailed by the respondents. Projections are undertaken to illustrate possible scenarios concerning the amount of time available for psychologists to provide career counselling for students. The recommendations arising from the study may be summarised as follows. Ensure that career guidance programs be installed in as many schools as possible. Increase the amount of training that career counsellors receive, and examine the possibility of specialisation in career counselling. Attempt to increase the role that businesses play in the career counselling process at schools. Ensure that the needs of minority and disadvantaged groups are met. Implement further research to examine which other groups besides registered psychologists are performing career counselling.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:10086 |
| Date | 11 September 2012 |
| Creators | Tanchum, Hilton |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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