The authors present an overview of the discussion and presentations that took place concerning techniques and assessment in educational and vocational guidance at the recent symposium International Perspectives on Career Development. Two topics were examined. The 1st focused on the theoretical foundations of and psychometric issues in career assessment. The 2nd focused on the practice of career assessment and the use of career measures, particularly in cultural contexts for which the measures were not originally developed.Participants in the 2004 symposium, International Perspectives on Career Development, that was sponsored by the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance and the National Career Development Association explored issues and outcomes that differentiate career development practices in different nations. One of the designated discussion groups focused on issues of techniques and assessment in educational and vocational guidance. In this article, we report on the general discussion and specific presentations of participants from eight countries: Canada, China, Croatia, Portugal, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.The discussion and presentations on techniques and assessment in career psychology addressed a wide range of issues that can be grouped into two main areas: the development of career measurement and the practice of career assessment. The first area explored both the theoretical foundations of career assessment and the psychometric issues in test development. The discussion on the practice of career evaluation and assessment focused on the issues of qualitative and quantitative career assessment and the use of career tests in cultural contexts for which they were not originally developed. These two areas of discussion and presentation are described below. They are followed by a summary of the group's conclusions concerning career assessment.
The Development of Career AssessmentThe broader level of group discussion and individual presentation initially focused on the nature of career assessment and the definition of culture. Defining the terminology seemed a logical step in setting parameters
Qualitative findings suggest the intervention had an overall positive impact, but the actions of a subgroup of rebellious drinkers might have obscured the effect. Social norms interventions could provoke some episodes of excessive drinking in students who find these messages objectionable. More research is needed to evaluate delayed BAC feedback.
Vocopher: The Career Collaboratory is an Internet-based website (http://www.vocopher.com) that contains free career instruments and educational materials intended for practitioners, researchers, and teachers of career development. The instruments include inventories and tests designed to measure the processes that shape career development and work adjustment. Measures of content, such as interests and values, are not included. The Internet site also includes a multimedia library that contains video and audio presentations from conferences on vocational psychology and career counseling. The library also contains memorials to and presentations by important figures in the history of counseling psychology.
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