Career education in france: New objectives and new methods

The objective of French vocational counselling services has changed in recent years from that of matching young people with the occupation to which they are best suited, to that of teaching individuals how to construct career goals. This paper presents a historical overview of career education techniques in France. In particular, it outlines the ADVP (Activation of Personal and Vocational Development) method, the first to have a major impact. Among the other techniques discussed are the PPPP (Psychopedagogy of Personal and Career Planning) and the DAPP (Discovery of Employment Activities and Personal Plans): the former closely resembles the ADVP but is founded on the work of Wallon; the second - based on cognitive dissonance theory - aims at encouraging students to reflect upon and involve themselves in the process of increasing their chances of acquiring the necessary qualifications for the professional activities to which they aspire. The principles underlying these three methods are examined, as is the research conducted to assess their effectiveness.