A review of career interventions from an educational perspective: Have investigations shed any light?

Abstract

Despite widespread acknowledgement of the importance of career development programs to assist students in their complex transition from school to work, very few specific career education interventions have been objectively evaluated. The aim of this paper is to highlight what the authors consider to be a conspicuous shortfall in the career development literature to date, that is, reports of methodologically sound career intervention studies carried out in actual high school settings. International trends in the world of work are briefly discussed in association with the repercussions these changes are producing for today's youth. The major portion of this article is devoted to a comprehensive review of career intervention studies with particular attention paid to the methodological and theoretical issues that resonate from this review process. Recommendations for future research are proposed.

Current Status and Future Agenda for the Theory, Research, and Practice of Childhood Career Development

“…Applied research. Although recent reviews of career intervention studies have focused either predominantly (Baker & Taylor, 1998) or exclusively (Prideaux, Creed, Muller, & Patton, 2000) on high school interventions, a somewhat sparse literature does exist for children. For example, in a metaanalysis of K-12 career education intervention studies, findings demonstrated modest effects.…”

“…As has been suggested elsewhere (Prideaux et al, 2000), one factor contributing to the limited research on childhood career development may be an overreliance on school counselors and practitioners who are already overextended, underfunded, and perhaps insufficiently trained in experimental research methods. A concurrent overemphasis on university-based research that is too far removed from the realities of the practice world further contributes to an otherwise disjointed body of literature.…”

Effects of summer internship and follow-up distance mentoring programs on middle and high school student perceptions and interest in health careers

“…Since minority health professionals are more likely to serve minority and underserved populations, the imbalance contributes to health care disparities [1, 2]. Career education and counseling research reviews and meta-analyses generally show positive outcomes [3, 4]. There are several career education objectives, including behavioral, motivational and attitudinal change; improved knowledge and skill; participation in post-secondary education; retention and achievement; job placement; and improved earnings [5].…”

“…Most career program research studies lack control groups and providing them can be an ethical issue if it means depriving certain students the potential benefits the programs are intended to provide [4]. It is important to know more than overall program satisfaction and preferences for particular methods and to determine program impact on career choice.…”

Validity of Childhood Career Development Scale scores in South Africa

“…Schultheiss (2008) asserted that assessment of individuals and programs must become a central component of career practice. Although many authors have called for more theoretically driven and empirically sound assessment instruments for use in both research and practice (e.g., Prideaux, Creed, Muller, & Patton, 2000;Stead & Schultheiss, 2003;Watson & McMahon, 2005), few instruments currently exist (e.g., Stead & Chetty, 2002;Stead & Schultheiss, 2003;Stead, Watson, Gallant, & Sauls, 2001). With renewed attention on childhood career development (e.g., Hartung et al, 2005;McMahon & Watson, 2008;Nazli, 2007;Skorikow & Patton, 2007;Watson & McMahon, 2005), there is a pronounced need for the refinement of existing measures.…”