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Taking a test is telling stories: a narrative approach to interest inventories

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Abstract

Interest inventories are essential tools in the field of career counseling, and their usability can be enhanced based on narrative-based assessments and interventions from constructivist approaches. This paper aims to present a systematized procedure to facilitate narrative interventions based on the results of interest inventories. A conceptual relation between narrative career counseling and therapeutic assessment is proposed, as well as an explanation of the psychological processes involved in the response to self-report tests. Two cases are presented to illustrate the application of this procedure. The limitations of this study and directions for future research are also discussed.

Résumé

Faire un test, c’est raconter des histoires: une approche narrative des inventaires d’intérêts. Les inventaires d’intérêt sont des outils essentiels dans le champs du conseil de carrière, et leur utilisabilité peut être améliorée en se basant sur le principe d’évaluation et d’interventions d’approches constructivistes basées sur la narrative. Cet article a pour but de présenter une procédure systématisée pour faciliter les intervnetions narratives basées sur les résultats des inventaires d’intérêt. Une approche conceptuelle entre le conseil de carrière narratif et l’Evaluation Thérapeutique est présentée, ainsi qu’une explication des processus psychologiques impliqués dans le processus de réponse de test auto-reportés. Deux cas sont présentés pour illustrer l’application de la procédure. Les limitations et directions futures de cette recherche seront discutées.

Zusammenfasung

Einen Test durchzuführen bedeutet, Geschichten zu erzählen: Ein narrativer Zugang zu Interesseninventaren. Interesseninventare sind wichtige Instrumente der Berufs- und Laufbahnberatung, und ihre Nützlichkeit kann auf der Grundlage narrativer Zugänge und Interventionen und vor dem Hintergrund konstruktivistischer Ansätze weiter verbessert werden. Diese Publikation stellt eine strukturierte Methode vor, um narrative Interventionen auf der Grundlage der Ergebnisse von Interesseninventaren zu ermöglichen. Es wird ein konzeptioneller Ansatz zwischen narrativer Berufs- und Laufbahnberatung und therapeutischem Assessment vorgestellt sowie eine Darstellung der psychologischen Prozesse, die bei der Durchführung von Selbstbeurteilungsfragebogen ablaufen. Zwei Fälle werden vorgestellt, um die Anwendung des Verfahrens zu veranschaulichen. Die Grenzen und künftigen Ausrichtungen dieser Forschung werden diskutiert.

Resumen

Tomar un test es contar historias: un enfoque narrativo para inventarios de intereses. Los inventarios de intereses son herramientas esenciales en el campo de la orientación profesional, y su usabilidad puede mejorarse en base al principio de las evaluaciones narrativas e intervenciones desde enfoques constructivistas. Este artículo tiene como objetivo presentar un procedimiento sistematizado para facilitar las intervenciones narrativas basadas en los resultados de los inventarios de intereses. Se describe un enfoque conceptual entre el asesoramiento profesional narrativo y la evaluación terapéutica, así como una explicación de los procesos psicológicos involucrados en la respuesta a las pruebas de autoinforme. Se presentan dos casos para ilustrar la aplicación del procedimiento. Se discutirán las limitaciones y las direcciones futuras de esta investigación.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks Profs. Ana Paula Porto Noronha and Anna Elisa Villemor-Amaral, and the Research and Practice Group on Career Counseling (GEPPOC-USF) for their reflections and revisions of the first draft of this paper.

Funding

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brasil (CAPES, finance code 001). National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).

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  1. Universidade São Francisco, Graduate Program in Psychology, Rua Waldemar César da Silveira, 105, Swift, Campinas, SP, 13045-510, Brazil

    Rodolfo A. M. Ambiel

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Ambiel, R.A.M. Taking a test is telling stories: a narrative approach to interest inventories. Int J Educ Vocat Guidance 21, 33–46 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-020-09426-3

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