RÓISĺN KELLEHER BA, MA, DCG, FELLOW IGC

1. RÓISĺN KELLEHERBA, MA, DCG, FELLOW IGC SELF-EMPLOYED GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR AISLING CAREER GUIDANCE & RECRUITMENT email: roisink@iol.ie www.RoisinKelleher.ie

2. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR EDUCATION AND VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WITH YOU MY RESEARCH FINDINGS

3. A REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTS IN GUIDANCE POLICY AND PRACTICE IN A SAMPLE OF SECOND-LEVEL SCHOOLS IN IRELAND AND A SURVEY OF STUDENTS’ REACTIONS

4. OUTLINE OF REVIEW DEFINITION OF GUIDANCE GUIDANCE PROVISION / POLICY RESEARCH PURPOSE MAIN FINDINGS ISSUES FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

5. DEFINITION OF GUIDANCE OVER ONE HUNDRED DEFINITIONS OF GUIDANCE HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN PROFESSIONAL LITERATURE HOWEVER, IN KEEPING WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF MY RESEARCH, EMPHASIS HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE FUNCTIONS REGARDING SERVICES IN SCHOOLS, WHICH ACCORDING TO THE INSTITUTE OF GUIDANCE COUNSELLORS (IGC) INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING: EDUCATIONAL, CAREER AND PERSONAL COUNSELLING

6. EDUCATIONAL / CAREER COUNSELLING, INCLUDES: COURSE INFORMATION, CAREER MANAGEMENT, PYSCHOMETRIC TESTING, JOB SEARCH SKILLS, ETC. THIS SERVICE IS DELIVERED TO STUDENTS IN A CLASSROOM OR ON A ONE-TO-ONE BASIS PERSONAL COUNSELLING GIVEN ON A ONE-TO-ONE BASIS, ALLOWS STUDENTS TO BRING UP ISSUES OF CONCERN TO THEM

7. GUIDANCE PROVISION / POLICY THE EDUCATION ACT (1998) STATES THAT SCHOOLS SHALL USE AVAILABLE RESOURCES TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE GUIDANCE TO ASSIST THEM IN THEIR EDUCATIONAL AND CAREER CHOICES

8. GUIDANCE PROVISION / POLICY EACH SCHOOL IS GRANTED, FOR GUIDANCE PURPOSES, EIGHT HOURS PER WEEK FOR SCHOOLS WITH LESS THAN 200 STUDENTS TO 22 HOURS PER WEEK FOR 500 STUDENTS OR MORE (CIRCULAR LETTER PPT 12/05 DES)

9. GUIDANCE PROVISION / POLICY GUIDANCE MATERIAL CONSISTING OF: COURSE / COLLEGE / CAREER INFORMATION LITERATURE A NATIONAL ONLINE DATABASE (www.qualifax.ie) IS IN EXISTENCE FOR SOME YEARS

10. 1000 GUIDANCE COUNSELLORS WORK IN SECOND LEVEL SCHOOLS, WITH SMALL NUMBERS IN 3RD LEVEL COLLEGES, ADULT GUIDANCE AND PRIVATE PRACTICE

11. GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR QUALIFICATIONS • AT SECOND LEVEL, COUNSELLORS ARE THIRD LEVEL GRADUATES, QUALIFIED TEACHERS’ WITH AN ADDITIONAL POST GRADUATE QUALIFICATION IN CAREER GUIDANCE

12. GUIDANCE PROVISION / POLICY SOME INITIATIVES FROM THE STATE INCLUDE: THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL CENTRE FOR GUIDANCE IN EDUCATION (NCGE) in 1995 WHOSE MAIN ROLE IS TO SUPPORT AND DEVELOP GUIDANCE AND INFORM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION REGARDING GUIDANCE POLICY

13. GUIDANCE POLICY EDUCATION ACT (1998) NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICE (NEPS) (1999) COMMISSION ON THE POINTS SYSTEM (1999) AN AUDIT OF GUIDANCE PROVISION IN POST PRIMARY SCHOOLS 1999-2000

14. GUIDANCE POLICY GUIDANCE ENCHANCEMENT INITIATIVE (2001) OECD REVIEW (2002) ASSESSMENT ON THE DELIVERY OF THE GUIDANCE SERVICE IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

15. PLANNING THE SCHOOL GUIDANCE PROGRAMME (2004) GUIDANCE RESOLUTION RATIFIED BY EUROPEAN COUNCIL OF MINISTERS (MAY 2004)

16. OECD REVIEW (2004): CAREER GUIDANCE AND PUBLIC POLICY: BRIDGING THE GAP, AN OBSERVATION ON THE REVIEW BY WATTS (2004) SAYS THAT: “CAREER GUIDANCE SERVICES HAVE OFTEN IN THE PAST BEEN VIEWED AS MARGINAL SERVICES IN TERMS OF PUBLIC POLICY.”

17. HE GOES ON TO ARGUE THAT SUCH SERVICES NEED TO BE BROUGHT INTO THE MAINSTREAM OF POLICY FORMATION

18. RESEARCH PURPOSE TO REVIEW DEVELOPMENTS OF GUIDANCE POLICY AND PRACTICE AND SURVEY STUDENTS’ REACTION THE RESEARCH WAS DEEMED NECESSARY BECAUSE THE VIEWS OF STUDENTS HAD NOT BEEN SOUGHT PREVIOUSLY

19. RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS 1,400 FINAL YEAR SECOND-LEVEL STUDENTS WERE REQUESTED TO PARTICIPATE 1,130 STUDENTS (604 MALES AND 526 FEMALES) RESPONDED SPSS WAS USED FOR THE QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS

20. MAIN RESEARCH FINDINGS THE STUDY CONFIRMED CRITICAL FACTORS THAT NEED ATTENTION TO IMPROVE THE SERVICE IT WOULD BE DESIRABLE TO HAVE STRUCTURED GUIDANCE PROGRAMMES AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS FROM THE TIME THEY ENTER SECOND LEVEL EDUCATION

21. SUCH PROGRAMMES WOULD HELP TO BUILD A MEANINGFUL AND SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH STUDENTS FROM THE TIME OF ESTABLISHING FIRST CONTACT WITH THEM

22. GUIDANCE INTRODUCED AT A LATE STAGE, SUCH AS SENIOR CYCLE, CAN BE DESCRIBED AS ‘CRISIS COUNSELLING’ AND IS OF ‘LITTLE VALUE’ ACCORDING TO SUPER (1990) IN BROWN & BROOKS (1996) THE 1 : 500 RATIO GIVES VERY INADEQUATE TIME TO HAVE CONTACT WITH STUDENTS

23. RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN BY BARDICK (2004) AND NUMMINEN ET AL (2002) SHOW THAT AN INADEQUATE COUNSELLOR / STUDENT RATIO CAN CREATE DIFFICULTIES FOR THE DELIVERY OF AN EFFECTIVE GUIDANCE SERVICE

24. THE STUDY CONFIRMS WEAKNESSES IN THE SERVICE OF WHICH MOST PRACTITIONERS WOULD BE AWARE THIS SITUATION IS CONFIRMED WITH RESEARCH PUBLISHED BY THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE (ESRI), AUTUMN 2011, CARRIED OUT FOR THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT (NCCA), WHERE FOUR OUT OF FIVE STUDENTS WOULD HAVE PREFERRED MORE INFORMATION BEFORE MAKING COLLEGE AND CAREER CHOICES

25. I BELIEVE THAT FURTHER RESOURCES FOR GUIDANCE SHOULD BE PROVIDED, INCLUDING THE RETURN OF THE RATIO OF 1 GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR TO 250 STUDENTS

26. STUDENTS’ REACTIONS REGARDING CAREER DECISION-MAKING, STUDENTS REPLIES IN THE RESEARCH STUDY INCLUDED: ‘I AM NOT CLEAR ABOUT THE CAREER THAT I WANT’ ‘NOT SUFFICIENT INFORMATION FROM GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR’ ‘I AM NOT SURE OF WHAT I AM CAPABLE OF’

27. ‘NOT ENOUGH HELP HAS BEEN GIVEN TO MAKE A CAREER DECISION’ STUDENTS IN THE CURRENT ESRI STUDY SAIDTHEY FELT ‘OVERWHELMED WHEN MAKING DECISIONS THAT WOULD AFFECT THE REST OF THEIR LIVES’

29. WATTS (2004) IN A REVIEW FOR THE ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO- OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD) FOR THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, SAID: “BOTH THE CAREER EDUCATION CURRICULUM AND ITS EXPERIENTIAL COMPONENTS NEEDED TO BE STRENGTHENED.”

30. CAREER DECISION MAKING WATTS ET AL (1996) ARGUE THAT CAREER DECISIONS ARE ESTABLISHED BY PROCESSES LINKED TO THE WIDER DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDIVIDUAL OVER CONSIDERABLE TIME THEY ALSO SAY THAT THERE IS NO SINGLE OCCASION (SUCH AS A CAREERS INTERVIEW) WHERE CAREER DECISIONS CAN BE SATISFACTORILY MADE

31. IN 1993 WATTS ET AL POINT OUT THAT PARENTS OFTEN HAVE MORE INFLUENCE IN THE CHOICES THEIR CHILDREN MAKE THAN FORMAL GUIDANCE SERVICES RESEARCH FROM BARDICK (2004) ARGUES THAT BY SEEKING HELP FROM PARENTS AND FRIENDS,

32. STUDENTS MAY NOT RECEIVE THE INFORMATION THEY REQUIRE, YET SUCH YOUNG PEOPLE DO NOT APPEAR TO TURN TO GUIDANCE COUNSELLORS WHO ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE THE ANSWERS TO THEIR CAREER-RELATED QUESTIONS

33. GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR APPROACHABILITY THE APPROACHABLITY OF THE GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR WAS ALSO EXAMINED IN THIS RESEARCH THE FINDINGS SHOW THAT 35.4% OF STUDENTS WOULD APPROACH A COUNSELLOR IF THEY HAD A PROBLEM. HOWEVER, 64.5% WOULD NOT

34. THE QUESTION NEEDS TO BE ASKED, WHY SHOULD SUCH A LARGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS FEEL THEY COULD NOT APPROACH A GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR? WHILE NO DATA EXISTS TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION, A NUMBER OF POSSIBILITIES MAY BE HYPOTHESISED:

35. POSSIBLE REASONS FOR LOW LEVEL OF COUNSELLOR APPROACHABILITY THE NON-AVAILABILITY FOR ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS UNEASINESS WITH GUIDANCE COUNSELLORS’ DUAL ROLE – SOME STUDENTS FIND IT DIFFICULT TO DISTINGUISH THE ROLE OF TEACHER FROM THAT OF COUNSELLOR

36. AS HOWIESON & SEMPLE (1998) FINDINGS SHOW: SOME SCOTTISH STUDENTS FIND IT HARD TO RELATE TO A TEACHER PERFORMING A DUAL ROLE. TYPICAL PUPIL COMMENTS WERE: ‘ONE MINUTE HE IS GIVING YOU A ROW FOR NOT DOING YOUR MATHS HOMEWORK AND THE NEXT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO TELL HIM ALL YOUR PROBLEMS.’

37. SOME LIGHT IS CAST ON HOW TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF APPROACHABILITY BY MCLAUGHLIN (1999) WHO ARGUES THAT: “STUDENTS NEED TO BE LISTENED TO IN ORDER TO AFFILIATE WITH AND FEEL VALUED BY TEACHERS.”

38. ALTHOUGH TWO THIRDS OF STUDENTS WOULD NOT APPROACH A COUNSELLOR WITH A PERSONAL PROBLEM, NEVERTHELESS 35% WOULD DO SO THIS APPRECIABLE PERCENTAGE COULD BE INCREASED IF BARRIERS TO LACK OF APPROACHABILITY WERE KNOWN

39. IN MY VIEW, THE SUCCESS OF GUIDANCE DEPENDS TO A LARGE EXTENT ON THE RELATING AND COMMUNICATING SKILLS OF THE COUNSELLOR AND ALSO THE RECIPENT OF THE SERVICE HAVING SUFFICIENT MOTIVATION AND INTEREST TO BENEFIT FROM IT

40. AS BORCH (IN BARTHOLMEUS ET AL) STATE: “IT IS DIFFICULT TO GUARANTEE THE EFFECTS OF GUIDANCE ON THE CLIENT, SINCE THE EFFECTS DEPEND NOT ONLY ON THE EFFORTS OF THE COUNSELLOR, BUT ALSO ON THE MOTIVATION AND EFFORTS OF THE CLIENT.”

41. THIS RESEARCH HAS ALSO POSITIVE COMMENTS FROM STUDENTS, WHEN THEY SAY THAT GUIDANCE COUNSELLORS ARE: ‘ALWAYS THERE WHEN YOU NEED HELP’ ‘IT’S A GREAT REASSURANCE TO KNOW THERE’S SOMEBODY THAT YOU CAN TURN TO’

42. ROLE AND ADVANTAGE OF GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR WHEN STUDENTS WERE ASKED TO GIVE THEIR VIEWS ON THE ROLE OF THE COUNSELLOR, THE REPLIES RANGED FROM: ‘SOMEONE ALWAYS BEING THERE TO HELP’ TO ‘THERE ARE NO ADVANTAGES’ THESE REPLIES INDICATE A MIXED RESPONSE WITH SOME POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE COMMENTS

43. WHEN STUDENTS WERE ASKED WOULD THEY LIKE TO BE A GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR? THE MAJORITY OF THE REPLIES WERE IN THE NEGATIVE AND WERE ACCOMPANIED BY RESPONSES SUCH AS: ‘TOO MUCH STRESS AND RESPONSIBILITY’

44. ‘THANKLESS JOB’ ‘NOT TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY STUDENTS’ HOWEVER, FOR ALMOST ONE QUARTER OF THE RESPONDENTS 24.1%, GUIDANCE COUNSELLING HAD AN ATTRACTION

45. ISSUES FOR FURTHER RESEARCH WHY IS IT THAT STUDENTS DO NOT IN GENERAL FIND SCHOOL STAFF (INCLUDING GUIDANCE COUNSELLORS) TO BE APPROACHABLE? WHO HAS MOST INFLUENCE ON STUDENTS, REGARDING THEIR CHOICE OF CAREER?

46. WHAT EFFECT, IF ANY, DOES THE INVOLVEMENT OF SUBJECT TEACHING HAVE ON THE QUALITY OF THE GUIDANCE SERVICE PROVIDED? WHAT ARE THE MAIN FACTORS, THAT NEED TO BE CONSIDERED TO OBTAIN SATISFACTORY BENEFIT FROM GUIDANCE INTERVENTION?

47. TO WHAT EXTENT HAVE THE FINDINGS OF THE OECD (2004) REVIEW OF: CAREER GUIDANCE AND PUBLIC POLICY: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN GUIDANCE POLICY AND PRACTICE, BEEN ACTED UPON? WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATUS OF CAREER GUIDANCE IN TERMS OF PUBLIC POLICY?

48. SUMMARY OF MAIN ISSUES THIS PRESENTATION HAS DEALT WITH THE PURPOSE OF UNDERTAKING THE RESEARCH THE MAIN FINDINGS INCLUDING STUDENTS’ REACTIONS TO THE GUIDANCE SERVICE THEY RECEIVED WERE OUTLINED THE GAP BETWEEN GUIDANCE POLICY AND PRACTICE WAS HIGHLIGHTED SUGGESTIONS WERE MADE FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

49. IN CONCLUSION, I WOULD LIKE TO END MY RESEARCH FINDINGS WITH VERSES STATED BY PETER PLANT, IN DUBLIN AT THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR EDUCATIONAL AND VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE CONFERENCE (JULY, 1996). SUCH ‘VOICES’ ARE THOSE OF PERSONS WHO HAD NOT THE BENEFIT OF GUIDANCE INTERVENTION WHEN CHOOSING A CAREER.

50. CHOICE OF CAREER My Dad is a baker, his taste is the best, in muffins and cakes, and I am his aid a really bunny maid, I’ve got what it takes. My career is in baking, it’s not my intent I’d rather be seen in a big circus tent