Evaluation of a semi-structured assessment interview derived from a systems model of career

Abstract

Current literature indicates that vocational assessment in the field of career counseling and guidance has been dominated by quantitative and empirical methods. Recent criticism of the field from the post-modernist perspective has stimulated the development of theories that account for a wider range of influences present in an individual's phenomenal world with respect to career. This study investigated the practical efficacy of a semi-structured interview, derived from the Systems Theory Framework (STF), which was developed for application in the career counselling service at a university. Another interview derived from 'standard' practice methods was also developed for comparison purposes. Clients of a careers counselling service received either form of interview in an experiment that utilised a pre-test post-test design. Three measures of outcome (self-exploration, environment exploration, and attributional style) were used to assess the two interview methods. Results indicated that the interview based upon the STF has some tentative merit as a potential alternative method for career assessment.