Assessment in Career Counseling

Recommended Prerequisites

Not applicable

Teaching Methods

The expository and active methods, including individual research and group work, teaching methodologies will be privileged in this unit. Given the nature of the themes the various standardised materials and informal testing, applying career counselling, will be extensively used. Using the co-operative method of study the student is invited to apply, quote and interpret the results from different assessment procedures (interviews, tests, inventories, self-answering exercises).

Learning Outcomes

This unit covers the major principles and practices of one of the key components of career counselling.
Theory skill acquisition : 1) contributes to a thorough understanding and a critical view of the problems linked to psychological assessment in the career development context, 2) elicits reflection on the what and the why of career assessment, 3) develops student knowledge about the theoretical foundations on which the main career strategies and evaluation are based.

Practical skill acquisition: 1) plan and implement an integrated career assessment programme, 2) select and use typical psychological assessment procedures used in career assessment, 3) apply, quote and interpret instruments, 4) organize, transmit and insert collected information into the counselling process.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

Part 1: Introduction to Career Evaluation:
1. The role of career intervention  evaluation  - historical perspective
2. Examples of the career evaluation process 
3. Evaluation integration of the career counselling process

Part 2: Areas of Career Assessment
4. The admission interview / screening: structured interviews to obtain customer information 
5. Standardised procedures (tests and inventories)
6. Informal procedures and qualitative evaluation 

Part 3: Career evaluation on computer and on the Internet
7. Computerized Assessment: Examples, potentials and limits
8. Evaluation on the Internet: Implementing Online Assessment in psychological testing, assessment and career exploration.

Head Lecturer(s)

José Manuel Tomás Silva

Assessment Methods

Assessment
a) a task of synthesis (which includes the group work project and its oral presentation) - like portfolio assessment, b) a final exam : 100.0%

Bibliography

Athanasou, J. A. & Esbroeck, R. Van (2008) (eds.) International Handbook of Career Guidance. Springer Science + Business Media B.V.

Brown, D. (2012). Career Information, Career Counseling, and Career Development. Boston: Pearson.

Gysbers, N. C., Heppner, M. J. & Johnston, J. A. (2009). Career counseling: Contexts, processes, and techniques. Alexandria, VA: ACA.

Leitão, L. M. (2004). Avaliação psicológica em orientação escolar e profissional. Quarteto: Coimbra.

Spokane, A. R. (1991). Career intervention. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Zunker, E. (2005). Using assessment results for career development. Wadsworth

Taveira, M. C. & Silva, J. T. (2011). Psicologia vocacional: Perspetivas para a intervenção. Coimbra: IUC.

Watkins, C. E. & Campbell (2000). Testing and assessment in counseling practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Whiston, S. C. (2009). Principles and applications of assessment in counseling. Belmont, CA:Brooks/Cole.