Evaluation of the Quality of Career Guidance Centers

Abstract

The need for reliable and objective systems for the evaluation/assessment of career guidance services and centers has emerged as a recurrent theme in the literature. While significant progress has been made in this direction, a question that may not have been adequately answered is “what are the criteria that could be used to execute effective and productive evaluations of the quality of career guidance services?” One of the reasons for this lacuna could be the immense variability that exists in the manner in which career guidance is implemented in different settings and in the targets for guidance. Based on a comprehensive definition of career guidance, in this chapter we set out to discuss this critical issue. First of all, the challenges in evaluating the quality/effectiveness of career guidance centers and services are delineated. We then explore concepts and constructs related to the quality of career guidance centers through a study conducted in Mumbai, one of the largest metropolitan cities of India. The study used a multi-agent, multi-method, evaluative research design drawing data from a sample comprising experts in the field, personnel serving in preselected career guidance centers, and clients who were recipients of career guidance services from these centers. Based on a review of the literature, specific interview schedules were constructed for the experts, career guidance personnel, and the clients. Domains and criteria that could form a conceptual framework to describe the quality of career guidance centers and services were identified. Based on the frequency and the consistency of their occurrence across the sample, in this chapter we have selected and described seven major thematic heads: philosophy and model of career guidance, personnel and qualifications, ethical code, services, record keeping, monitoring and evaluation, and access. Associated subthemes are also presented. Next we qualify the relevance of these themes across contexts by highlighting that constructs that have apparent universal appeal must be adapted to the realities of local settings. Illustrations of how such adaptations can be effected are provided. The operationalization of these concepts to develop evaluation/assessment devices is discussed. An illustration is presented for the conversion of these constructs and concepts into items for questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and checklists. The importance of making sure that objectivity is maintained when evaluations/assessments are conducted is examined. The chapter is concluded by pointing to the importance of ensuring that the evaluation of career guidance centers is a positive experience for those who are being assessed and that it is best to take a collaborative rather than a censorial approach to evaluation.