Career guidance and counseling in Lebanon : school practices and students’ needs

Abstract

Previous research on career guidance calls for making it a formal aspect of the Lebanese educational system, especially at the secondary school level where students make important educational and occupational commitments that affect their future. Moreover, research on career guidance in Lebanon is scarce, and very few studies have examined students’ career needs. The goal of the present study was to explore the career development and career planning needs of secondary school students in Lebanon. The study also aimed at examining the availability, delivery, and effectiveness of career guidance services at Lebanese schools. The principal data collection tool was the Career Needs Questionnaire (CNQ), which is based on the Comprehensive Career Needs Survey (CCNS) designed for a study in Canada that investigated the career planning perceptions and needs of students in Grades 7 to 12. The CNQ, which consisted of a student and a counselor form, was administered in 10 randomly selected public and private schools located in Beirut. Research participants included 875 students in Grades 10, 11, and 12 and 10 school personnel, including counselors. Results yielded from the CNQ show that students value career planning during secondary school and express the need for it from Grade 10, if not earlier. The majority of students reported higher education plans and voiced the need for self-understanding and receiving information about work and post-secondary studies. Even though most students indicated similar career aspirations, they still demonstrated a complex set of reasoning behind their choices reflecting the notions of developmental theories of career development, which emphasize the interplay of personal and social factors in career decisions. The study also revealed a general shortage of career guidance services at schools. However, when available, most students use them and confirm their effectiveness. The study concludes by calling for allocating specific time for career guidance at school and implementing compr