Concepts and Coefficients Based on John L. Holland’s Theory of Vocational Choice—Examining the R Package holland

John L. Holland’s theory of vocational choice is one of the most prominent career theories and is used by both researchers and practitioners around the world. The theory states that people should seek work environments that fit their vocational interests in order to be satisfied and successful. Its application in research and practice requires the determination of coefficients, which quantify its core concepts such as person-environment fit. The recently released R package holland aims at providing a holistic collection of the references, descriptions and calculations of the most important coefficients. The current paper presents the package and examines it in terms of its application for research and practice. For this purpose, the functions of the package are applied and discussed. Furthermore, recommendations are made in the case of multiple coefficients for the same theoretical concept and features that future releases should include are discussed. The R package holland is a promising computational environment providing multiple coefficients for Holland’s most important theoretical concepts.

Subjective versus Objective Assessment of Short Term Occupational Stress: Bias and Analysis of Self-Assessment of High Stress Levels

Aims: Experiments undertaken with two professions (engineers and anesthesiologists) have shown the possible overestimation of perceived stress by subjects when self-assessing stress through questionnaires for high levels of acute stress. Previous analyses having demonstrated that the overestimation was effective, the present study aimed at analyzing a possible effect due to professional traits. Study Design: Data were compared with models of professional personality: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator approach, Holland’s theory of careers and vocational choice and the Five-Factor model of personality. Place and Duration of Study: Data from previous studies were used: A sample of engineers working at the nuclear power plant of Chinon in France (published in 2014) and a sample of anesthesiologists working at the University Hospital of Angers, France (published in 2015). Methodology: Anesthesiologists (N=11, 50% male, 25 to 35 years old) experienced a stress episode in an operating theater simulator. Engineers (N=8, 38% male, 25 to 35 years old) underwent a stress-test in their office. Heart rate was measured for each subject. Comparison was examined between the stress perceived by the subjects through the Post-traumatic Disorder Inventory and the expected levels of stress estimated using the heart rate data. Characterization of the difference was undertaken using models of professional personality. Results: While a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator approach did not provide any relevant information, an approach based on Holland’s theory of careers and vocational choice and on the Five-Factor model of personality showed that overestimation of stress was linked with occupational preoccupations specific to the professions. Limitations, perspectives and scientific implications are discussed. Conclusion: As a major recommendation for researchers, during experiments inducing high levels of acute stress, it is worth to consider the possibility to compare self-assessment of stress with physiological measurements in order to detect a possible overestimation of perceived stress.

Influence of Group Counselling Programmes in Facilitating the Vocational Choice of Secondary School Students in Jalingo Education Zone, Taraba State, Nigeria

The study investigated the influence of group counselling programmes on the vocational choice of secondary school students in Jalingo Education Zone, Taraba state, Nigeria. The design of the study was descriptive survey. The population consist of 3,485 Students from 41 secondary schools in Jalingo education zone. The sample size of the study was 480 respondents from 12 public secondary schools in Jalingo education zone. The researcher’s self-developed questionnaire formed the instruments for data collection, validated by three experts from the department of educational foundations in Taraba State University. A Cronbach Alpha reliability of co-efficient method was employed to ensure the reliability of the instrument at 0.768. Three research questions and three null hypotheses were used to guide the study. Descriptive statistic of mean score was used to answer the research questions. Chi square (Χ2) inferential statistics was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. A checklist of 53 different vocations and 21-items questionnaire in four Likert point scale with demographic variables of the respondents was used for data collection. The study recommends that government should give group counselling priority, train more professional counsellors; counsellors and principals should give students adequate attention and should create more awareness and provide accurate information to students on group counselling to facilitate their vocational choice irrespective of their age and gender.

Utilizing Mind-Mapping to Foster Career Exploration of High School Students

This study aims to determine the effect of mind-mapping to enhance high school’s student career exploration in guidance group setting. This study use a single subject design with multiple baseline across subject models. The subjects of this study are eight (8) high school students in 10th grade. The data collection instruments in this study are the recording frequency of career exploration (sub components narrowing choices, specifies a vocational choice, and deciding an action implementation), career exploration skill instruments, and treatment instruments in the form of career guidance group guidebooks. The results shows that mind-mapping can be implemented to enhance the students career exploration skill, that is the all subjects’ first sub component exploration skills (narrowing choices) in group data shows average baseline 13.27 increased to 30.86; the second sub component (specifies a vocational choice) shows average baseline 9.67 increased to 22.18; and the third sub component (deciding an action implementation) shows average baseline 13.42 increased to 20.26. The results affirm that the use of mind-mapping is effective to enhance the exploration skills of high school students.

Development of youth professional interests in accordance with labour market requirements

This article analyses the European Commission, OECD and Eurostat data, and the Latvian labour market data on youth unemployment rates during 2008–2014. It also examines the results of the empirical study on the Latvian youth’s development of creativity in the formation of intents about profession and its conformity with demands of the present labour market. For determination of the professional interest, methods of analysis and synthesis, time series analysis and mathematical statistics were applied. For the interpretation of models and facts, survey method, expert interview method, focus group discussion analysis, SWOT and PEST methods were applied. A questionnaire was used to examine the professional intents of youth from Latvian secondary schools, and a focus group discussion with parents and teachers of students was organised to determine concepts about the issues of vocational choice in the context of supply and demand in the labour market. Keywords: Vocational choice, career, employment, labour market.

LEARNING DISABILITIES: AN IMPEDIMENT TO VOCATIONAL CHOICE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NIGERIA:IMPLICATIONS FOR COUNSELLING

This paper presents Learning disabilities (LD) as an impediment to vocational choice and development of secondary school students in Nigeria. Learning Disabilities is a lifelong developmental problem that affects the learner's ability to learn effectively and make a choice of the vocation of interest. The main thrust in the theories of learning disabilities is that LD is caused as a result of a subtle disturbance in the brain functions and structures. This problem is inherent in the individual thus inhibits learning abilities, social and psychological functioning of the learning disabled student. While the psychoanalytic view on vocational choice is positive for the normal student, it is however not the same for the learning disabled. Although factors as social, economic, psychological assets determine the vocational choice, the problem of choice of vocation is however complicated for the learning disabled. This is because the presence of emotional conflicts interferes with the ability of the learning disabled to make a choice. The major implication of these problems is that since the learning disabled students encounter emotional problems, occupation or the work environment should be adapted or altered so as to meet certain needs of the students. The recommendation offered suggests the establishment of model counselling and research centres in schools.