Contribution from Lucy Marris 2003

Why bother with theory?

It seems appropriate to revisit why it is that an understanding of career and guidance theory is so fundamental to any research into professional career guidance practice.  There are a number of reasons, not least:

• Theory influences practice. The theoretical approaches that careers advisers encounter during training are a major influence on how they work.
• Theory provides a structure for interactions with clients to ensure they are purposeful and move towards identifiable outcomes.
• Theory creates the shared understanding and terminology that is a necessary pre-requisite for discussion and debate of practice, research and research in / on practice.
• ‘Old’ theories inform current practice, where they are found to be wanting ‘new’ theories can pave the way for progression and innovation.

Whatever the debate on the relative merits of particular theories:

theory has helped to mould the way in which careers advisers have worked

Gothard et al 2001:35

Research suggests that careers advisers are heavily influenced by the theoretical models to which they have been exposed in training, the 1994 survey by NICEC, found guidance theory to be particularly influential on interviewing style among practitioners. Certainly, access to theoretical insights is often dependent on initial training (Kidd et al 1993, Kidd, 1996:203), as this represents the most obvious gateway to professional knowledge.

The particular theory a practitioner subscribes to, whether consciously or unconsciously is therefore likely to dictate the manner of work, and it might be expected this will influence how any guidance intervention is approached, whether that is a traditional face to face guidance interview or information provision by email. An awareness of the differences in such ideologies will allow practitioners to make informed choices about which approach is most acceptable to them. Without this knowledge of theory, careers advisers may find themselves working in ways contrary to their own values. The compliant professional is after all no more politically neutral than the social activist (Irving & Marris, 2002:146). It was ever the case that:

'Careers education and guidance is a profoundly political process' (Watts, 1996:351)

'model … provides a firm structure designed to achieve the desired outcome… without this firm base, the interview will resemble a cosy chat'

Theory can help to ensure interactions are purposeful. Neglect of theory, can lead to client and practitioner frustration and a clouding of intent. Further, the inability to articulate intended outcomes of careers education and guidance hampers evaluation and makes it hard to argue the case in support of maintaining a profession of guidance practitioners. Theory can assist practitioners and policy makers alike in assessing quality of provision. Without the creation and maintenance of shared notions and values of the purpose and practice of guidance, evaluation is likely to be a flawed if not actually misleading process, (McNair, 1993:57).

Whilst theory is not the only influence on practice, it does allow discussion of what is going on in careers education and guidance interactions. Equally, through an examination of what happens in practice it is possible to see what theories (intended or otherwise) might be evident. If the manner of working represents a progressive new departure, then recording this might be the beginning of developing a shared framework of reference from which other practitioners could learn. If it suggests actual outcomes are contrary to the intentions of the interaction, then theory can help open this to scrutiny, challenge and therefore potential change. It has been noted that:

'academic research and theory will almost always come too late to be practical, so counsellors must engage in their own research and theorising' (Collin, 1998:90)

'If careers counsellors are to become both effective practitioners and reflective professionals, using theory to identify particular techniques and synthesising theory to develop a personal counselling style are of equal importance.' (Kidd, 1996:207)

If practitioners are to be reflective professionals, as opposed to functionaries who operate solely as effective practitioners, (Kidd et al, 1994:392) then it could be argued theory needs to take centre stage. If current theories are found wanting in some respects, that could be the impetus for the generation of new theoretical perspectives, rather than evidence of the irrelevance of theory altogether. Without a ‘good shot in the arm’ for theory, (Arthur et al 1989:7), there is an ever present danger of stagnation. After all, if a theory is articulated it can be discussed and debated, it may not (and perhaps should not) attempt to establish consensus, but might at least facilitate communication, comprehension and research (Norcross & Grencavage 1989).

Theory is therefore crucial not only because prior theories continue to exert an influence on current practice, but also because developing new theories might inform future practice and ensure careers education and guidance is able to evolve and incorporate goals and techniques that are appropriate to the new technological age. Many voices have raised the issue of addressing the limitations of theory (Collin & Watts, 1996; Arthur et al, 1989). As expressed by Maranda & Comeau, (2000:49) ‘The time has come’. Guidance workers need to develop their analytical skills in ways that allow them to develop new ‘dynamic types of intervention’, (2000:48) the role of theory is fundamental to such a revolution in practice and hence should form the basis of any research in practice!!

References:

ALI & GRAHAM 1996

ALI, L., & GRAHAM, B., (1996) The Counselling Approach to Careers Guidance London: Routledge

Arthur et al 1989

ARTHUR, M. B., HALL, D. T., and LAWRENCE, B. S.,(1989) Generating new directions in career theory: the case for a transdisciplinary approach in ARTHUR, M. B., HALL, D. T., and LAWRENCE, B. S., (Eds) (1989) Handbook of Career Theory, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

COLLIN & WATTS 1996

COLLIN A.,& WATTS, A.G., (1996) The death and transfiguration of career – and of career guidance? In British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, Vol. 24, No. 3, 1996, pp 385 – 398

COLLIN 1998

COLLIN, A., (1998) Re-thinking the relationship between theory and practice – Practitioners as map-readers, map-makers – or jazz players in EDWARDS, R., HARRISON, R., & TAIT, A., (Eds) (1998) Telling Tales: Perspectives on Guidance and Counselling in Learning, London: Routledge/Open University Press

GOTHARD et al 2001

GOTHARD, B., MIGNOT, P., OFFER, M., & RUFF, M., (2001) Careers Guidance in Context, London: Sage

Irving & Marris 2002

IRVING, B., & MARRIS, L., (2002) Towards an inclusive framework in ICG (INSTITUTE OF CAREER GUIDANCE) (2002) Career Guidance: Constructing the Future, Social Inclusion, Stourbridge: ICG

KIDD et al 1996

KIDD, J.M., & KILLEEN, J.,with JARVIS, J., & OFFER, M., (1996) Competing schools or stylistic variations in careers guidance interviewing in British Journal of Guidance and Counselling Vol. 25, No. 1, 1996 pp47-66

KIDD et al 1994

KIDD, J.M., & KILLEEN, J., with JARVIS, J., & OFFER, M., (1994) Is Guidance an applied science?: the role of theory in the career guidance interview in British Journal of Guidance and Counselling Vol. 22, No. 3, 1994 pp 385-403

KIDD et al 1993

KIDD, J.M., KILLEEN, J., JARVIS, J., & OFFER, M., (1993) Working Models of Careers Guidance: The Interview, Birkbeck College/ NICEC LEWIN, K., (1951) Field Theory in Social Science, Chicago: University of Chicago Press

MARANDA & COMEAU 2000

MARANDA, M-F., & COMEAU, Y., (2000) Some contributions of sociology to the understanding of career in COLLIN, A., & YOUNG, R.A., (Eds.) (2000) The Future of Career Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

McNAIR 1993

McNAIR, S., (1993) Conclusions and Recommendations in WATTS, A.G., STERN, E., & DEEN, N., (Eds) (1993) Careers Guidance Towards the 21st Century Cambridge: CRAC

NICEC 1994

NICEC, (1994) The Careers Guidance Interview, theory and practice, NICEC Briefing, Cambridge: CRAC

NORCROSS & GRENCAVAGE 1989

NORCROSS, J.C., & GRENCAVAGE, L.M. (1989) Eclecticism and Integration in Counselling and Psychotherapy: Major Themes and Obstacles in British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, Vol. 17, No. 3 Sept. 1989, pp227 - 247

WATTS 1996

WATTS, A.G., (1996) Socio-Political Ideologies in guidance in WATTS, A.G., LAW, B, KILLEEN, J., KIDD, J., HAWTHORN, J., (1996) Rethinking Careers Education and Guidance: London, Routledge