This study aims to explore the educational participation experiences of individuals who obtained the Course-Based Vocational Counselor, Senior Qualification, focusing on the program operated by K University, in order to assess the educational effectiv...
This study aims to explore the educational participation experiences of individuals who obtained the Course-Based Vocational Counselor, Senior Qualification, focusing on the program operated by K University, in order to assess the educational effectiveness of the course and identify directions for its improvement. In Korea, the vocational counselor qualification system has been repositioned as a key national mechanism for strengthening the professional competence of employment service providers, particularly since the introduction of National Competency Standards (NCS)-driven Course-Based Qualifications; however, empirical evidence regarding the Course-Based Vocational Counselor, Senior track remains limited. Given that the Course-Based Vocational Counselor, Senior Qualification is still in an early implementation stage and prior quantitative research is scarce, this study adopts a qualitative approach to capture the complex, context-bound experiences of program participants beyond what structured surveys can reveal.
Participants were purposively sampled from graduates who completed the Course-Based Vocational Counselor, Senior program at K University from 2021 to 2024 and successfully obtained the qualification. The final sample consisted of 43 participants. Data were collected through open-ended online questionnaires that invited participants to describe in detail their experiences and perceptions regarding the curriculum, instructional methods, instructors, peer learners, and learning environment. The collected qualitative data were analyzed using the Consensual Qualitative Research-Modified (CQR-M) methodology proposed by Hill, which combines multiple independent coders, iterative consensus processes, and external auditing to enhance analytic rigor and trustworthiness. Through the CQR-M procedure, 5 domains, 28 categories, and their associated core ideas were identified: educational content, instructional methods, instructors, peer learners, and learning environment.
Findings indicate that the NCS-based curriculum was generally perceived as helpful for integrating counseling theory and practice and internalizing a professional counseling philosophy; nevertheless, participants reported issues such as excessive course load, overlapping content across subjects, and quality issues in some learning modules. With respect to instructional methods, project- and discussion-centered classes and the linkage of theory and practice were experienced as enhancing engagement and learner autonomy, whereas rigid time-based assessment systems and a heavy emphasis on memorization were sources of stress. Participants viewed instructors’ extensive field experience and case-based teaching as highly motivating and crucial for developing as reflective practitioners, yet also pointed to substantial variation in teaching competence, which led to unequal learning opportunities. Peer interaction was found to foster cooperative learning and emotional support, but interpersonal conflicts occasionally undermined the group climate. The learning environment was perceived as an integrated system where facilitating factors (e.g., physical support, facilities) and constraining factors (e.g., situational constraints) coexisted.
Based on these results, the study proposes several improvement strategies. Program-level recommendations include rationalizing course offerings by operating clustered courses, strengthening the field relevance and quality assurance (QA) of NCS modules, and expanding integrated theory–practice designs. At the institutional and policy levels, the study suggests reinforcing standardization of Course-Based Qualifications and establishing structured post-certification supervision and continuing education. This research holds scholarly significance as one of the few qualitative studies to systematically examine the Course-Based Vocational Counselor, Senior program using CQR-M, providing empirical insights for redesigning NCS-based training and refining policies to better support high-skilled employment service professionals.