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Becoming a guidance counsellor in Ontario: formative influences from counsellors’ perspective

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International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Contrary to guidance counsellors elsewhere in North America who hold a master’s degree, career and guidance counselling services in secondary schools in Ontario are delivered by teachers who have completed additional undergraduate studies. Guidance counsellors are pivotal components of the school as they complete tasks that promote students’ overall development. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how teachers perceive and describe the process of becoming guidance counsellors in Ontario. The thematic analysis revealed four major themes that articulated the process of becoming a guidance counsellor in Ontario: peer guidance, contextual factors, professional experience, and theoretical knowledge.

Résumé

La formation des conseillers d’orientation en Ontario: Une étude qualitative des sources d’influence. Dans les écoles secondaires de l’Ontario, les services de carrière et d’orientation sont offerts par un enseignant qui a complété des cours de qualification additionnelle. Les conseillers d’orientation sont importants pour le milieu scolaire, car ils complètent une variété de tâches qui promeuvent les développements social, émotionnel et de carrière des élèves. L’objectif de cette recherche était d’explorer comment les enseignants perçoivent et décrivent le processus de devenir un conseiller d’orientation. L’analyse thématique des données a révélé quatre thèmes qui articulent la transition de l’enseignement vers l’orientation : l’appui des collègues, le contexte scolaire, l’expérience professionnelle et la formation.

Zusammenfassung

Ein Berufsberater in Ontario werden: Einflussfaktoren aus der Beraterperspektive. Im Gegensatz zu Berufsberatern mit einem Masterabschluss anderswo in Nordamerika, werden Berufs- und Laufbahnberatungsdienstleistungen in den Mittelschulen von Ontario durch Lehrer umgesetzt, welche eine Zusatzausbildung abgeschlossen haben. Berufsberater sind dort zentrale Komponenten der Schule, da Sie Aufgaben erledigen, welche die Gesamtentwicklung der Schüler fördern. Das Ziel dieser qualitativen Studie war es, zu untersuchen, wie die Lehrer den Prozess, ein Berufsberater in Ontario zu werden, wahrnehmen und beschreiben. Die thematische Analyse ergab vier Hauptthemen, welche den Prozess, ein Berufsberater in Ontario zu werden, gliedern: Peer-Beratung, kontextuelle Faktoren, Berufserfahrung und theoretisches Wissen.

Resumen

Convertirse en orientador professional en Ontario: influencias formativas desde el punto de vistas del orientador. A diferencia de lo que ocurre en cualquier otro lugar de Norteamérica, donde los orientadores profesionales son titulados superiores, los profesionales que se encargan de los servicios de orientación en los institutos de educación secundaria de Ontario son profesores con una titulación técnica específica complementaria. Los orientadores, al desempeñar tareas de promoión del desarrollo general de los alumnus, se constituyen en elementos clave sobre los que pivota el centro. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar cómo estos profesores de instituto perciben y describen el proceso de convertirse en orientadores profesionales en Ontario. El análisis temático reveló cuatro puntos principales que lo articulaban: orientación entre colegas, factores contextuales, experiencia professional y conocimientos teóricos.

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Correspondence to Daniel Nadon.

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Nadon, D., Samson, A., Gazzola, N. et al. Becoming a guidance counsellor in Ontario: formative influences from counsellors’ perspective. Int J Educ Vocat Guidance 16, 363–377 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-015-9317-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-015-9317-3

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