Agency in competency-based guidance counsellor education in two Finnish universities of applied sciences
Year: 2020
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Competency-based model of learning in vocational education was implemented throughout Finland in 2017-2018 to strengthen the relationship between education and the fast-changing world of work and to meet better the needs of the current society.In competency-based education individual study paths make it possible for the students to recognize the skills previously acquired and outline what kind of skills need to be developed.The emphasis on agency has increased in career counselling theories of postmodern society.The present interpretation of career emphasizes life design.The current concept of agency is linkable to the central goals of competencybased education which are: supporting and strengthening students' role as autonomous learners and offering them opportunities to plan personal study paths.In this qualitative study we investigated how the counsellor students (N=50) expect the competency-based guidance counsellor education to support their agency in their career development process.The students reflected their autonomy, their development in guidance counsellor's competencies and their construction of guidance counsellor's identity in competency-based education.From the material emerged that the students are diverse in terms of agency and the ability to take full responsibility of their study path.Our study reveals that different forms of agency are present in the context of competency-based guidance counsellor education.It is important that educators in competencybased education support the students' agency in their career and life-design processes.
Source: Theseus (Ammattikorkeakoulujen)
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3083334824