| 1. |
- Bergmo-Prvulovic, Ingela
(author)
-
Social representations of career : anchored in the past, conflicting with the future
- 2013
-
In: Papers on Social Representations. - 1021-5573 .- 1819-3978. ; 22:1, s. 14.1-14.27
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Various issues surrounding career are part of people's everyday lives, so people have a kind of common sense knowledge of career. Although the meaning of ‘career’ is often taken for granted, mixed messages and the lack of a conceptual definition blur our understanding of career, especially in times of societal and contextual change. Social representation theory (SRT) responds well to the theoretical and methodological needs of this study, which explores social representations of career among a group of people in a context of changing working life conditions. Free association was the method used for collecting the empirical data for this study. The content of social representations is inductively and thematically explored to then disclose within which scientifically shaped thoughts on career the empirical findings are reflected and seems to be anchored, and how these representations relate to thoughts currently dominating on the structural level in today’s changing society. The exploration resulted in two stable and two more dynamic social representations concerning career: career as individual project and self-realization; career as social/hierarchical climbing; career as a game of exchange; and career as an uncertain outcome. The respondents’ common sense knowledge of career appears to be reflected and anchored in past working life conditions and in scientific perspectives that no longer correspond to those now dominating at the structural level. This indicates a discrepancy between that which is socially represented among people and that which is communicated within the new conditions of working life.
|
|
| 2. |
- Bergmo-Prvulovic, Ingela, 1970-
(author)
-
Social Representations of Career Guidance Practice
- 2013
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In recent years, career guidance has been recognized as an important part in implementing lifelong learning strategies, as a means to achieve economic and political goals in European countries. Career guidance in turn, is not an unambiguous concept, with clear job titles, but rather perceived differently by different actors and countries and also changing over time. At the same time, the key-object of practice, i.e. individuals’ various career development issues, seems to be under tremendous changing processes, because of influences from structural changes within organisation systems and changes in working life, as consequences of globalisation. New employment principles have been communicated, which most certainly influence career possibilities for adults. Lifelong employments and stable conditions have been replaced by lifelong learning and unstable conditions, which influence the predictability of future career paths for individuals. Career guidance practice needs to embrace broader career related issues, than the former dominating issues of educational and vocational choice, as “a once in life-time choice”. Nowadays, adults need to readjust their career paths continuously, which in turn, create new challenges and also affect the career guidance practice itself. Career guidance practice can be regarded as a bridging practice between individual and society, with a certain role and mission. Recent studies indicate a discrepancy between what is communicated on a structural level concerning individuals’ careers, and individuals’ expectations on career development issues. This put focus on the role and mission of the guidance practitioner, who have to deal with such discrepancies. The way career guidance practitioners understand their role and mission, most certainly influence their way of supporting individuals. With social representation theory as both theoretical and methodological approach, this study explores what kind of thoughts and ideas, what social and professional representations adult career guidance practitioners have about their role and mission. These representations are assumed to be socially shaped into common-sense knowledge in everyday practice within professional contexts. Because of social changes influencing both the object for and the career guidance practice, tensions might arise causing re-negotiations of professionalization among career guidance practitioners.
|
|
