The Need for Dynamic Models of Career Development for Transitioning Offenders

Within correctional settings, career development interventions focus on teaching employment skills to offenders to help them obtain work in the community. However, ongoing changes in labor market trends affect job insecurity and, thus, criminal recidivism. This article first reviews some of the existing career development interventions used with offender populations. The authors then suggest that a more dynamic approach to career development—with offenders embracing the paradoxical complexities of making career decisions that incorporate notions of flexibility, change, chance, curiosity, and hope—is needed to ensure successful transitions to the community.     

Development of a Post-Modern Career Interest Questionnaire for South-African School Settings

The study explored the potential value and viability of an interest narrative (questionnaire) in terms of its psychometric properties and by comparing it with a commonly administered (positivist) career interest questionnaire. Participants were 159 boys and 183 girls, mean ages were 17.87 (males) and 17.41 (girls), SD (males) = 1.63, SD (females) = 1.70. In the first phase, four provinces were selected purposively: one urban and three rural or semirural. Secondly, a stratified random sample of schools was selected, divided according to medium of instruction (Afrikaans/English) and area (urban/rural area). Data were collected and analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative approaches: trustworthiness, assessment-reassessment consistency and intercorrelations with the Rothwell Miller Interest Blank (Hall, Halstead & Taylor, 1986). The CIP yielded satisfactory results with regard to, inter alia, trustworthiness, assessment-reassessment reliability and intercorrelations with the RMIB, and provides psychologists with a useful instrument for the identification of interest profiles of Grade 11 learners in South Africa.     

Gender Identity Development and Career Decision-Making Process among High School Learners

Previous studies reveal an inconsistent picture of identity formation for both genders. This study investigated gender differences in identity formation (identity statuses) and career decision-making process among Black South African high school learners. A sample of 156 Grade 12 learners (males = 60, females = 96; mean age = 17.7) participated in the study. Participants completed the Revised Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (Bennion & Adams, 1986) and the Study Choice Task Inventory (Germeijs & Verschueren, 2006). Males and females were similar in identity formation and career decision-making process. Given that nowadays females are encouraged to consider both stereotypically female plus male paths of career development, gender appears to play less influential role in career decision making.     

Career Education for Students With Disabilities

Career education is as important for students in special education services as it was a decade ago. The majority of these students continue to experience extreme difficulties in making a successful transition from secondary programs to employment and independent living. The authors review the state of the art and then present a life-centered career education curricular approach to prepare students with the important competencies needed for successful adult adjustment. Sample programs are cited. The school counselor is viewed as an important contributor to this process, and several critical guidance functions are recommended by using a comprehensive guidance program model. A challenge to the professional is presented to complete the unfinished agenda that presently exists in services to students with disabilities.     

A Career Awareness Program for High School Dropouts

The Career Awareness Program for High School Dropouts was an experimentally funded project to determine the effect of a concentrated vocational assessment and vocational counseling program on the employability of high school dropouts. Various aspects of CAP included individual and group counseling, vocational-educational assessment and diagnosis, job attitude training, vocational guidance, and career exploration. The results of a follow-up survey showed that approximately 60% of the dropouts were still employed six months after completion of the program. In addition, the dropouts reported benefiting from the program through increased awareness of their own needs, abilities, and interests as well as through better awareness of the types of skills and behaviors desired by employers.     

Career Education for Persons With Handicaps

Handicapped youth and adults still encounter serious problems assimilating successfully into today's rapidly changing society. After tracing the major events that have increased the momentum of career education for persons with handicaps, Brolin and Gysbers advocate a life-centered curriculum approach, which focuses on 22 skills essential for successful community living and working. They recommend that counselors assume specific responsibilities in this approach and outline competencies necessary to carry out guidance and counseling activities for persons with handicaps at four phases of career education. The article includes examples of successfully operating career education programs and concludes with a challenge to the profession.     

Perspectives for Assessing Career Development

This article illustrates how the perspectives of field orientation, time frame, and goal setting influence the assessment of career development.     

高中生生涯学习经验问卷的编制及信效度检验

在文献分析基础上,以Holland（1997）职业理论和社会认知生涯理论为理论依据,结合国内高中生生涯活动的实际情况,编制了高中生生涯学习经验问卷。验证性因素分析结果表明,该问卷属于多维度因素结构,包含Holland六种生涯领域学习经验分问卷,每种分问卷包括成就表现、口头劝服、替代学习和积极情绪唤起等四个学习经验。信效度检验结果表明,该问卷多维构念合理,拟合良好,具备良好的内部一致性信度和构念效度。以中国个人球形职业兴趣量表简版中的生涯自我效能分量表为关联效标,发现在每种生涯领域下的生涯学习经验与生涯自我效能感都显著正相关,支持了量表的实证效度。该问卷可以作为我国高中生生涯学习经验的测量工具。     

Career Education for Adults With Mental Disabilities

This article provides an overview of assessment and counseling tools and strategies that may be used by employment counselors when working with adults who have mild and moderate mental disabilities.     

Ten Years of Career Development: A Nationwide Study of High School Students

The authors summarize trends for several indicators of student career development collected in 1973 (when career education and career planning programs began to receive renewed emphasis) and again in 1983. The indicators, obtained for nationally representative samples of junior and senior high school students (N = 18,129 in 1973 and 15,432 in 1983), included career-related concerns, career planning involvement, and reactions to career planning services. Among the major trends was a 32% increase in the proportion of 11th graders who reported receiving “some” or “a lot” of career planning help from their schools. Moreover, the proportion of students involved in typical career exploration activities increased significantly over the 10 years of the study. In general, the 10-year trends indicate that schools are having a greater impact on student career development than they were in 1973.     

中学教师职业压力及自我心理调控策略研究

教育大计,教师为本。只有心理健康的教师,才能培养出心理健康的学生。社会发展与教育改革一方面给中学教师带来了新的发展和机遇,另一方面也带来了更大的挑战和压力,一些教师由此产生了种种心理困扰和心理障碍。据英国的调查表明：有1／5～1／3的教师感受到巨大的职业压力;美国的调查研究显示：78％的教师感受到职业压力,有37％的教师有严重精神紧张和焦虑情况。另据杭州市教育研究所的一份调查显示：有76％的教师感到职业压力太大,并且有13％的教师存在各种心理卫生问题,其中小学为9％,初中高达15．6％,高中则为13．4％。正是由于社会文化、教师职业的特殊性,教师是一个容易产生心理问题的职业。因此,提高中学教师的心理素质,增进他们的心理健康就显得尤为必要和重要。     

汉族、回族高中生生涯规划与发展的跨文化研究

该研究对汉族和回族高中生的生涯发展特点进行了跨文化研究,研究得出以下结论：(1)总体来说,高中生对升学的价值评价特别高,80％以上都把继续深造作为毕业后的第一打算,高中生的生涯自我效能也比较高。(2)总的来说,高中生生涯信念、生涯自我效能、生涯规划都不存在性别差异。(3)高中生生涯信念不存在民族差异,生涯自我效能、生涯规划存在显著的民族差异。     

An Effective Career Development Program for Parents

This article is a comparative review of career development programs in Switzerland and the United States, with emphasis on the degree of parental involvement. Investigators visited schools and interviewed parents in both countries. This article offers ideas for improving the effectiveness of career development programs in the United States. Among the useful ideas from Switzerland are greater use of community resources such as departments of employment services, specific career training in schools, and school-based job placement programs.     

A University-Sponsored Career Development Center for Nonstudents

As colleges and universities grow increasingly more responsive to the communities in which they reside, programs are required that address the needs of the nonstudent. Georgia State University's program for nonstudents is reviewed after 5 years of operation, and recommendations are made for adapting it to other settings.