Supervisors info:
Γαϊτάνης Δημήτριος, Δρ. & Επιστημονικός Συνεργάτης, Τμήμα Παιδαγωγικό Δευτεροβάθμιας Εκπαίδευσης (ΕΚΠΑ).
Αργυροπούλου Αικατερίνη, Αν. Καθηγήτρια & Διευθύντρια ΠΜΣ Συμβουλευτικής, Επαγγελματικού Προσανατολισμού & Δια Βίου Μάθησης, Τμήμα Παιδαγωγικό Δευτεροβάθμιας Εκπαίδευσης (ΕΚΠΑ).
Ασβεστάς Αναστάσιος, Δρ. & Επιστημονικός Συνεργάτης, Τμήμα Παιδαγωγικό Δευτεροβάθμιας Εκπαίδευσης (ΕΚΠΑ).
Summary:
The present thesis focuses on the design and evaluation of career education programs within the context of the Greek educational system, highlighting the importance of quality assurance in the services provided by career counselors and the structures of Career Guidance and Counseling. The ultimate goal is to support students in managing their careers throughout their lives through quality school-based career guidance and all stakeholders involved in the design, monitoring and documentation of the outcomes of career education programs. These stakeholders include policymakers at the Ministry of Education, Education Quality Supervisors, Career Guidance Coordinators, Secondary Education Directors, Educators, Local Government, Social Partners, and others.
On the one hand, the developments in education and the labor market, which contribute to the creation of an increasingly complex world, and on the other hand, the European policies that continuously highlight the importance of developing career guidance and counseling services, focusing on quality and equitable access, make it necessary to improve, strengthen, and adapt these services. In this context, career counselors are called upon to support students in expanding their knowledge, discovering aspects of their personality, and navigating their educational and career choices, providing guidance that meets the demands of a constantly changing environment.
To investigate the use of quality criteria in the design and evaluation of career education programs, a questionnaire was developed to assess the competence of counselors, service provision, user participation in career education programs, and the evaluation of outcomes. These specific areas constitute the benchmarks of career guidance and counseling, which will help highlight the necessity of providing quality career guidance services within the school. The study involved 95 teachers, 2 career counselors and 4 career guidance coordinators working in public and private schools (middle & high schools, and special education units) as well as in a Secondary Education Career Counseling Office. The results indicated that the programs are not implemented in an organized manner, there is no quality assurance system in place and the outcomes are not evaluated, making it difficult to assess their effectiveness. The research concludes with improvement proposals, such as enhancing the training of counselors and better integrating the programs into the school framework to meet the modern needs of students and labor market demands.
Keywords:
career education, benchmarks, program design and evaluation, students, career counselors, career guidance and counseling services
