The purpose of this study was to survey and analyze the realities of vocational awareness and vocational guidance for middle school students, and to find ways for improvement. To achieve this purpose, survey questionnaires were distributed over a tota...
The purpose of this study was to survey and analyze the realities of vocational awareness and vocational guidance for middle school students, and to find ways for improvement. To achieve this purpose, survey questionnaires were distributed over a total of 400 male and female middle school students in third grade of Gumi City and Chilgok Gun in Gyeongsangbuk Do. The data were analyzed with the use of SPSS. The result is as following.
First, middle school students had insufficient opportunities to learn the right values of vocation, and still have many of the conservative vocational awareness of older generation. Compared to the past generation, students' own ideas are considered to be of more importance. Therefore, guidance has to be provided so that students can search vocations suited to their characteristics early on and choose them, by teaching them appropriate contents of vocational guidance in curriculum. Also, guidance has to be provided so that the students can have right vocational awareness, overcoming prejudices and stereotypes through the use of value education for vocations.
Second, in reality of vocational guidance for middle school students, it was found out that the elements of vocational guidance necessary for middle school students to search their vocations were not properly reflected in the scope of curriculum and guidance. Therefore, in order to help job search and choice, sufficient opportunities to find out individual characteristics by increasing the chance of hands-on activities through proper use of support by way of related institutions, special activities and discretionary activities, as well as a lot of materials, have to be provided. It is also desirable to actively support vocational counseling for students through active guidance of teachers of relevant courses, voluntary activities of parents, etc. Especially, for students in Eup and Myeon (rural) areas, more devoted activities of itinerant counseling teachers and homeroom teachers as well as administrative support are required.
Third, concerning the ways to improve vocational guidance, demand for hands-on learning was highest among the methods to find one's characteristics and enhance one's abilities, and individual guidance through counseling and creation of vocational counseling courses were in desperate need. Therefore, vocational guidance in the future has to enable a more specific search and continued development by offering opportunities for diverse hands-on activities as well as theories on vocations, and all teachers, including counseling teachers, shall have the ability to perform the role of vocation guide. Also, since vocational guidance in middle school has to be conducted comprehensively and systematically to enable choosing the appropriate high school where one can make preparation for one's future vocation, there has to be careful consideration for creating vocational guidance courses in the curriculum.