The Effect of a Computer-Assisted Career Guidance System on the Career Development of South African Students

Abstract

In this study the authors focused on the effect of a newly developed computer-assisted career guidance (CACG) system in South Africa on the career maturity, career certainty, career indecision and problemsolving appraisal of South African students. A Solomon four-group design was used and 84 final year highschool students were randomly assigned to two experimental and two control groups. The Attitude Scale of the Career Maturity Inventory, the Career Decision Scale and the Problem Solving Inventory were used as outcome measures. A two-way ANOVA indicated that exposure to the program had no effect on the outcome measures used. In a follow-up study 49 students in a lower grade level (Std 9) were randomly assigned to either a control or experimental group and the same outcome measures were used. An analysis of covariance indicated that exposure to the program had an effect on attitudinal career maturity and career indecision, but no effect on the career certainty and problem-solving appraisal of subjects. The results of the two studies suggest that CACG interventions need to take into account the career development stage and career readiness of students.In hierdie studie fokus die outeurs op die effek van 'n nuutontwikkelde rekenaar-ondersteunde beroepsvoorligtingstelsel in Suid-Afrika op die beroepsrypheid, beroepsekerheid, beroepsbesluiteloosheid en persepsie van probleemoplossingsvermoe van Suid-Afrikaanse studente. 'n Solomon-viergroep ontwerp is gebruik en 84 finale jaar hoerskool studente is op 'n ewekansige basis aan twee eksperimentele en twee kontrolegroepe toegewys. Die houdingskaal van die 'Career Maturity Inventory', die 'Career Decision Scale' en die 'Problem Solving Inventory' is gebruik as uitslagmetings. 'n Tweerigting-ANOVA het getoon dat blootstelling aan die program geen effek op die uitslagmetings gehad het nie. In 'n opvolgstudie is 49 studente wat in 'n laer standerd was (st. 9) ewekansig aan of 'n kontrole of eksperimentele groep toegewys en dieselfde uitslagmetings gebruik. 'n Kovariansie-ontleding het getoon dat blootstelling aan die gerekenariseerde program we1 'n uitwerking op beroepsrypheidhoudings en beroepsbesluiteloosheid het, terwyl dit geen uitwerking op beroepsekerheid en persepsie van probleemoplossingsvermoe van proefpersone het nie. Die resultate van die twee studies suggereer dat gerekenariseerde beroepsvoorligtingintervensies die beroepsontwikkelingsfaseen beroepskeusegereedheidvan studente in ag behoort te neem.

Problem-Solving Appraisal and Human Adjustment

“…Grant (1999) found that telephone interventions improved the problem-solving appraisal of family caregivers of stroke survivors but only during the intervention period. Another study (Pretorius, Heyns, & Broekmann, 1991) did not find that a short intervention (DISCOVER) resulted in significant PSI changes, probably because of the brief nature of the intervention. Other studies indicate that traditional individual psychotherapy (Heppner, Cooper, et al, 2001), career counseling (M. J.…”

Fear of COVID-19 and PTSD: The Protective Function of Problem-Solving Appraisals in Mental Health

“…In the original study that reported on the development of the PSI, Heppner and Petersen [47] reported a reliability estimate of 0.90, and correlations with students' rating of their problem-solving skills and their level of satisfaction with their problem-solving skills served as evidence for validity. The PSI has been used in a range of studies in South Africa [48,49], and reliability estimates typically ranged between 0.83 and 0.94.…”

Recommendations for using computer‐assisted career guidance systems (CACGS) in career counseling practice

“…Th e use of CACGS has been associated with positive outcomes such as increased career decidedness (Eveland, Conyne, & Blakney, 1998;Fukuyama, Probert, Neimeyer, Nevill, & Metzler, 1988), career decision-making self-effi cacy (Fukuyama et al, 1988;Maples & Luzzo, 2005), career planning progress (Garis & Harris-Bowlsbey, 1984), vocational identity (Hornyak, 2007;Mau, 1999), career maturity (Luzzo & Pierce, 1996;Pretorius, Heyns, & Broekmann, 1991), postsecondary major satisfaction (D' Achiardi-Ressler, 2008), and career satisfaction (Gati, Gadassi, & Shemesh, 2006). However, practitioners generally receive little guidance regarding exactly how to go about using CACGS in ways that eff ectively target these outcomes.…”