Insights and Outlooks: career learning in the final years of compulsory school

Abstract

This article reports from a Danish research and development project on career learning in compulsory school. The aim of the project was to broaden the perspective on education and the world of work among pupils in the final years of compulsory school through career learning activities based on experiencebased learning and reflection. To that end, teachers and guidance practitioners worked together with VET-schools, upper secondary schools and local companies in order for the pupils to both experience and sense different educational and occupational opportunities and systematically reflect on these experiences in connection with the subjects of the school and the pupils' own self-insight. This article follows the pupils' and teachers' response to the type of career learning activities they took part in. A main finding is that the participating pupils experienced a change in their attitude towards VET-programmes and trade to a more positive view. Moreover, that this change seems to be based in the career learning approach on which the teachers and career guidance professionals founded the project activities, focusing on preparation, adaption and reflection. Additionally, that the career learning approach supported curiosity and openness in the pupils' process of choosing upper secondary education.

Come Together

“…However, the expertise in careers and career guidance among teachers is, broadly speaking, extremely limited. It is not an integrated part of teachers' education, nor has it been the focus of professional development for teachers for many years (Poulsen et al, 2016). This is not a unique feature in the Danish school system, as similar developments are taking place in Norway (NOU 2016(NOU :7, 2016Haug, 2017), and in Sweden (Lovén, 2015;Lovén, Chapter 7, this volume;Sveriges Riksdag, 2018).…”

“…Moreover, the fact that learning approaches in career education and guidance have been prevalent in the last few years in both career guidance practice and research in many Nordic countries merely stresses the notion that Nordic career guidance is based in a pedagogical paradigm (Skovhus, 2018;Haug, 2017;Poulsen et al, 2016;Lovén, 2015).…”

“…The goal was to have teachers and career guidance professionals in compulsory school work together with VET schools, upper secondary schools, local business and other players in order to get the students to both experience and sense different educational and vocational opportunities. Moreover, it was to encourage them to systematically reflect upon these experiences in connection with the subjects in school and the students' insights about themselves (Poulsen et al, 2016).…”

“…These data have been compiled into two cases by one of the researchers in the project, who is also one of the authors of this article. For more insight into the research process, see Poulsen et al (2016).…”

“…In order to show how this tradition works with co-generative learning and thus inspire more collaborative research in career guidance internationally, we analyse two action research cases from Denmark to explore how professional learning is facilitated. These cases have adopted a Swedish-developed action research method, namely the research circle (Poulsen, Thomsen, Buhl, & Hagmayer, 2016). We explore this using the lens of (primarily) Norwegian theory on organisational and professional learning.…”