Career Counseling and Technology

Career Counselor and Technology

Themes of human development have long been the focus of research efforts to study patterns of adaptive change in environments, particularly within the age range involving early adolescent years. Eccles, Midgley, Wigfield. Buchanan, Reuman, Flanagan and Iver (1993), in a study titled The Impact of Stage-Environment Fit on Young Adolescents’ Experiences in Schools and in Families, identify some of the unique challenges facing this population cohort. Their inquiry explores the transitory nature of the adolescent period, and determines that the greatest risks they face are those accompanying changes at both personal and environmental/social levels (pg. 90). The changes at the personal level are those related to biological and hormonal changes at puberty, changes in cognitive development, and sexual identity formation. Changes in environmental/social level are those related to “social role definitions”.

The ‘social role definition’ aspect has become a favored topic of investigation by researchers in the field of vocational behavior. One such researcher explores career development as related to self-construction during adolescence, and writes about it through the evolving ‘theory of career construction’ lens. In their article titled Career development in the context of self-construction during adolescence (2010), authors Unsinger and Smith identify the five overarching life stages outlined by D. E. Super (1963) as being growth, exploration, establishment, maintenance, and decline. These are particularly relevant to adolescents transitioning through the secondary school education gauntlet, because ultimately these stages bear strong influence on their ‘self-in-the-larger-world’ (pg. 580). Stage theory generally informs us that in order to pass from one period of development, one must master the tasks of its precedent. This being the case, these five phases unavoidably must be traversed to completion in order to satisfy the mastery goals of subsequent phases, though not necessarily in linear fashion. A more recent model proposed by Savickas (2005), the life-space career development theory, advances Super’s theory, arguing that careers do not unfold, but rather they are constructed. The theory asserts that “vocational behavior emerges as an individual actively engages in making meaning of his or her experiences, as opposed to discovering pre-existing facts” (np).

Herein lies the challenge facing the school counseling/career counseling professional: to help individuals effectively and efficiently navigate through, negotiate, and satisfy the demands of vocational developmental tasks. For even though these are not necessarily linear, they are progressive, and thus it is incumbent upon the vocational counselor to properly identify the deficiencies within the individual in terms of those areas which have not been adequately addressed in sequence, and to work with that individual in an attempt to spackle the task accomplishment gaps, so the individual may move unencumbered toward reconciliation of challenges in subsequent phases. In doing so, they accomplish what Super (1963) further identifies as the five vocation developmental tasks: (a) crystallizing, (b) specifying, (c) implementing a vocational preference, and subsequently (d) stabilizing, and (e) consolidating in a vocation (pg. 580). For the vocational counselor working with the adolescent population in secondary educational settings, the challenge to help them rise to meet these benchmarks may seem daunting, but the professional who is passionate about the work, may find the prospective rewards inherent in the challenge energizing and inspiring.

Examples modeling innovative use of vocational creativity abound and are apparent in two articles “Texting paid off” (Meinhardt, 2011) and “High tech = High touch” (Turner, 2009). These two articles describe the manner in which technology may influence results. The solutions envisioned in these two examples, one a high school principal who enlisted the services of a social media design strategist, and one a high school counselor, display the effective use of innovative technology. Both identify its potential for satisfying the five developmental tasks identified by Super (1963), pointing out in summary how cell phones and other forms of technology and social media can be an “effective tool to help students stay engaged with the school and the true mission …. education” (Super, D. E., 1963). For example, using cell phones to connect groups with text prompting motivates them to be on time for class, helps them to be ‘at the ready’ for entry into the ‘ante realm’ of vocational development, where, primed for entry through its portal, they are thus better disposed to meet developmental challenges.

Web Based Pilot Study Proposal

A possible web-based platform environment utilizing interactive activities that support theory-based practices proposed by Super and Savickas is indicated in the following suggested pilot study proposal. The proposal involves a Web based virtual campus design strategy linking educational and vocational goals. The featured cohort includes two groups. The first group is an experimental group containing select adolescents 14 years of age who have not completed ninth grade who are incarcerated in residential group home housing. The second group, a control group, features individuals of the same age and grade level, who are honors students, and who have not completed ninth grade level. The curriculum would span a period of one year, following a quarterly schedule. Students would be equipped with wireless capacitated 4G cell phones (equipped with hotspots), and personal computers. Coursework would be monitored by instructors and completed from home during the hours of 10am through 4pm each day, Monday through Friday. Students would learn from each other by collaborating and interacting through chat room discussion, completion of discussion board posting. The honors level students would be excused from participation in regular classes, however, they would check in daily with their homeroom class so as to remain socially supported within the context of normative peer environments. This is strictly the germ of an idea, which more fully extrapolated would extend far beyond the range of this discussion board posting.

References

Eccles, J. S., Midgley, C., Wigfield, A., Buchanan, C. M., Reuman, D., Flanagan, C., & Mac Iver, D. (1993). Development during adolescence: The impact of stage-environment fit on young adolescents' experiences in schools and in families. American Psychologist, 48(2), 90-101. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.48.2.90

Meinhardt, K. (2010) Texting paid off. Retrieved March 15, 2013 from http://edsome.com/2010/06/texting-paid-off/

Paisley, P. O., & Borders, L. D. (1995). School counseling: An evolving specialty. Journal of Counseling and Development : JCD, 74(2), 150. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/219008799?accountid=27965

Pope, M. (2000). A brief history of career counseling in the united states. The Career Development Quarterly, 48(3), 194-211. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/219386837?accountid=27965

Savickas, M. L. (2005). The theory and practice of career construction. In S.D. Brown, R.W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work, Hoboken, NJ, Wiley & Sons (2005), pp. 42–70

Super, D. E. (1963) Vocational development in adolescence and early adulthood: Tasks and behaviors. In D.E. Super (Ed.), Career development: Self-concept theory, College Entrance Board, New York (1963), pp. 17–32

Smith, H. B., & Robinson, G. P. (1995). Mental health counseling: Past, present, and future. Journal of Counseling & Development, 74(2), 158-162. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.capella.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=9512046698&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Tang, M. (2003). Career counseling in the future: Constructing, collaborating, advocating. The Career Development Quarterly, 52(1), 61-69. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/219388419?accountid=27965

Turner, T. (2009) High tech = high touch. Retrieved March 15, 2013 from http://www.ascaschoolcounselor.org/article_content.asp?article=1105

Usinger, J., & Smith, M. (2010). Career development in the context of self-construction during adolescence. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 76(3), 580-591. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2010.01.010