Exploring the perceptions of learners from disadvantaged communities regarding group psychometric and narrative career assessment.

Abstract

South African career assessment and counselling has traditionally and problematically focused on the use of westernised and culturally biased psychometric instruments to assist learners with making career decisions. Psychologists and/or Psychometrists tend to provide ‘expert opinions’ on a career path for learners. Evidence suggests that in the constantly changing socio-economic and political situation of South Africa, there is a need for learners to be more actively involved in their own career decision-making. The central aim of this research was to explore the perceptions of learners from disadvantaged communities regarding traditional and post-modern career assessment techniques in the South African context which are conducted on a group level. Quantitative data was collected through a traditional group psychometric career assessment and a group post-modern narrative career assessment. Subsequent to this, learners’ were interviewed in a focus group interview. This data was transcribed and by using thematic content analysis, themes pertaining to the learners’ perceptions of the two forms of assessment were discovered. Evidence from the research suggests that learners’ from disadvantaged communities prefer the structure and standardised conditions in which traditional psychometric career assessment takes place, over the unstructured and informal nature of a post-modern narrative career assessment. The research also uncovered problems inherent to South African psychometric testing with learners’ from disadvantaged communities and the need for more culturally-appropriate career assessment. Reasons for these issues are discussed. The narrative career assessment as a potential solution to this problem was also discussed and indications are that it may provide a better and more appropriate alternative to career counselling and assessment among disadvantaged learners’.