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Weekly UpdatesThis special issue of The Career Development Quarterly (J. Trusty, R. Van Esbroeck, & P. A. Gore, 2009) presents summaries of the content and outcomes from the joint international symposium of the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance, Society for Vocational Psychology, and National Career Development Association held in Padua, Italy, in September 2007. This symposium was themed and tided Vocational Psychology and Career Guidance Practice: An International Partnership. Included in this issue are (a) a summary of the keynote address by A. E. M. van Vianen (coauthored with I. E. De Pater & P. T. Y. Preenen, 2009), (b) summaries of 7 of the 8 discussion groups, and (c) conclusions presented by D. E. P. Schultheiss and R. Van Esbroeck (2009b). Each discussion group was composed of at least I chair, at least I recorder, and several professionals from around the world who presented material related to the topic assigned to the group.
This is the second publication of an issue of The Career Development Quarterly (CDQ) connected to an International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance (1AEVG) and National Career Development Association (NCDA) collaborative symposium. The first was in 2005, when the International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance (IJEVG) and CDQ concurrently published special issues dedicated to the first collaborative symposium titled International Perspectives on Career Development held in June 2004 in San Francisco (Savickas, Van Esbroeck, & Herr, 2005; Van Esbroeck, Herr, & Savickas, 2005).
In 2007, the Society for Vocational Psychology (SVP) teamed with IAEVG and NCDA to present the joint symposium Vocational Psychology and Career Guidance Practice: An International Partnership in Padua, Italy. As in 2005 for the San Francisco symposium, CDQ, and IJEVG are jointly publishing special issues connected to the Padua symposium (Trusty, Van Esbroeck, & Gore, 2009; Van Esbroeck, Trusty, & Gore, 2009).
The 2007 Padua symposium focused on how the often-perceived gap between guidance research and practice can be bridged. Planners of the Padua symposium saw an exchange of ideas among practitioners and researchers as an important first step in addressing this issue. The three associations engaged in this symposium were the ideal partners, with IAEVG bringing an international flavor to the discussions. The participants were a diverse group of scholars and practitioners who came from all continents and represented over 30 countries. They discussed theoretical ideas related to career development models and theories, the need for new paradigms, and ways of evaluating the efficacy of interventions. But the practical aspects related to the use of assessment instruments and intervention programs in an international setting also received considerable attention. Moreover, the topics of training counselors and guidance workers and the need for interdisciplinarity could not be ignored. All of these broad issues were dealt with in one keynote presentation and in eight discussion groups.
Keynote Address
The first article appearing in the current special issue of CDQ is a summary of the symposium's keynote address. The presentation was delivered by Annelies van Vianen, and for this article, van Vianen is joined by coauthors De Pater and Preenen (van Vianen, De Pater, & Preenen, 2009).
In their article, van Vianen et at. (2009) highlight the many challenges that young people face in the career decision-making process. The authors discuss the dynamics of indecision and die accountability and mutability of decisions. Additionally, van Vianen et al. discuss issues related to using rational (analytic, conscious) and nonrational (intuitive, affective) processes in decision making. They examine the degree of fit of nonrational, nonlinear conceptualizations with current career theories, and they make suggestions for incorporating nonlinear processes into some well-known decision-making models and approaches. In conclusion, van Vianen et al. underscore the importance of career adaptability in current economies and job markets. The authors provide many practical suggestions for helping clients and students engage in active learning experiences so they can adapt to a challenging world and effectively manage career decision-making processes.
Discussion Group Summaries
Summaries from seven of the eight discussion groups are presented in this special issue. For all groups, the group chair and recorder(s) are either lead or collaborating authors for the articles. There is no summary available for Group 6, "Procedures, Suggestions, and Instruments for Intervention"; however, content from this group is included in the Schultheiss and Van Esbroeck (2009b) concluding article. We present a brief synopsis for each of the seven articles, highlighting leading questions and points of discussion.
Group 1: Vocational Psychology and New Challenges
Chair: Jean Guichard, France
Metz and Guichard (2009) summarize nine presentations from a geographically and professionally diverse group. They identify four major topics: (a) theory and practice in a changing work milieu, (b) the role of culture, (c) translating social justice rhetoric into practice, and (d) directions for research. The complexities that arise between positivist and constructivist perspectives are explored in this article.
Group 2: Problems and Needs for Interdisciplinary Interactions in Vocational Guidance
Chair: Donna Palladino Schultheiss, United States
Group 2 included 10 presentations representing eight countries. Schultheiss and Pennington (2009a) address the changing needs of workers around the world by focusing on interdisciplinary research and practice. Their article addresses conceptual and practical issues regarding collaboration. Several examples of interdisciplinary efforts are presented.
Group 3: Models for the Analysis of Individual and Group Needs
Chair: Wendy Patton, Australia
Patton and Mcllveen (2009) synthesize 13 presentations on this topic. In "Context and Models for the Analysis of Individual and Group Needs," the authors stress the salience of individual and group contexts to career theory, research, and practice. The authors discuss contextual influences ranging from most proximal (local) to most distal (international). Discussion in this group focused on diversity and inclusivity in theory, research, and practice.
Group 4: Vocational Guidance Requests Within the International Scene
Chair: Jane Goodman, United States
Goodman and Gillis (2009) describe five presentations from five continents. They address two major topics: (a) the influences of society and culture on career decisions and (b) the desire to expand access to vocational guidance services. Much of the focus in this group was on how services can be improved and expanded. The authors present strategies for serving a much larger portion of populations around the world.
Group 5: Procedures, Suggestions, and Instruments for Assessment
Chair: Paul Gore, United States
Diemer and Gore (2009) report on eight presentations in their group. Their article is tided "Culture and Assessment: Nomothetic and Ideographic Considerations." The content is organized around two main themes reflected in the title. Diemer and Gore explore divergent philosophical perspectives in career assessment, providing groundwork for understanding cultural validity and cultural specificity concepts in career assessment.
Group 7: Procedures to Verify the Efficacy of Vocational Guidance Programs
Chair: Jean Pierre Dauwalder, Switzerland
In their article "Verifying the Efficacy of Vocational Guidance Programs: Procedures, Problems, and Potential Directions," Perry, Dauwalder, and Bonnett (2009) synthesize 12 presentations from a geographically and philosophically diverse group. Three major tensions became evident in this group: (a) quantitative versus qualitative approaches, (b) public policy versus local needs, and (c) cost effectiveness versus comprehensiveness of programs. Perry et al. present directions for future research and evaluation.
Group 8: Training of Researchers and Practitioners
Chair: Spencer Niles, United States
Niles, Engels, and Lenz (2009) summarize eight presentations on the training topic in "Training Career Practitioners." Three main needs emerged from this discussion group: (a) greater attention devoted to public policy, (b) standardization of researcher and practitioner competencies, and (c) creating innovative training programs. The authors discuss the necessity of adapting training to a changing world.
Symposium Conclusion
At the end of the IAEVG-SVP-NCDA symposium, Schultheiss and Van Esbroeck synthesized and presented themes from the keynote address and the eight discussion groups. In this CDQ special issue, these same authors provide a concluding article "Vocational Psychology and Career Guidance Practice: An International Partnership" (Schultheiss & Van Esbroeck, 2009b).
Schultheiss and Van Esbroeck (2009b) found four themes underlying the symposium: (a) cultural and contextual influences on career theory and practice, (b) research processes within various contexts, (c) collaborations and partnerships, and (d) public policy and social responsibilities. Their article is organized around these themes. The authors relate the content of the 2007 Padua symposium to that of the previous 2004 San Francisco symposium. They identify several priorities and needs for the field and present challenges and opportunities from a world perspective.
References
Diemer, M. A., & Gore, P. A., Jr. (2009). Culture and assessment: Nomothetic and idiographic considerations. The Career Development Quarterly, 57, 342-347.
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