A Competency-Based Approach to Adult Counseling and Guidance

This article describes the Adult Career Education Counseling Project, a special demonstration project funded by the United States Office of Education, Division of Occupational and Adult Education. The major goal of the project is to develop a competency-based individualized instructional training system for guidance personnel wanting to work in adult education settings. The article explains the rationale, development, and process used in identification of conceptual areas that were developed into modules currently being pilot tested prior to final revision. Once the total training system has been developed, adult education and counseling and guidance programs may use these materials to design a counseling and guidance program unique to local program or institutional goals and objectives.     

Retraining Programs for Displaced Workers in the Post-Industrial Era: An exploration of government policies and programs in Canada and England

Widespread worker displacement is an increasing phenomenon in industrialized countries. Whether the result of globalization, increased technology or resource depletion, large numbers of people are being permanently displaced from work. The problem is more severe in regions where the unemployment base centres on a single industry or resource. In such areas there is often little chance of re-employment. This paper considers government-initiated programs developed in response to widespread worker displacement. It does so within the context of my doctoral dissertation research, which is nearing fieldwork completion. The paper introduces the problem of widespread worker displacement. It considers two government programs developed to address need resulting from the closure of the Northern Cod fishery on Canada's Atlantic coast and the decline of the mining industry in England. The paper then discusses post-industrialism and post-Fordism as a framework through which to view the problem.     

Designing a telematic learning environment in a social constructivist paradigm

The authors of this paper are engaged in designing and developing telematic learning environments to assist in programmes of initial teacher training. Two aspects have been supported by European Union (EU) funded programmes: the Telematics for Teacher Training (T3) and Reflect projects. Telematics is a term describing the combined use of information technology and telecommunications. The authors are not searching for a pedagogy of telematics but are seeking ways in which telematics can assist pedagogy. Their work specifically addresses the question of whether it is possible to design such environments in a social constructivist paradigm and the evaluation of their work regularly returns to the theoretical model of learning central to their training programmes. The authors will show that whereas the aspect of video-conferencing keeps faith with their view of the nature of learning, the design of the website is raising some issues that have, as yet, to be resolved     

A Factor Analysis of the Counseling-Orientation Preference Scale (COS)

As recommended by the authors of the Counseling-Orientation Preference Scale (COS), a factor analysis study was conducted to investigate the construct validity of the device. Data were collected from 686 respondents in 11 higher education institutions in the U.S. Means and standard deviations from this group and from two previously studied groups were reported. As might be expected from an instrument of 35 items divided into 7 subscales of 5 items each, the results indicated that items were not identified cleanly with the a priori placements used in the original construction. Basically, two major cluster groupings were found. Overall, some support for the construct validity of the COS was found; however, subscale interpretations must be made with caution. The utility of the COS and similar devices is in the self-study and reflection that is fostered in those who use them.     

THE COMPARISON OF GPA REGRESSION EQUATIONS FOR REGULARLY ADMITTED AND DISADVANTAGED FRESHMEN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

The regression equations of first semester grade point average (GPA) on high school percentile rank (HSPR) and verbal and quantitative score on the Cooperative School and College Ability Tests (SCAT) were significantly different for men and women regularly admitted freshmen and men and women freshmen admitted to the Special Educational Opportunities Program (SEOP) at the University of Illinois. HSPR and SCAT verbal scores were useful predictors of GPA for all groups. However, separate regression equations for the prediction of GPA were indicated, since there were significant differences in the regression coefficients of all of the independent variables among the four groups.     

A Model for Teaching Counselor Trainees How to Make Challenging Responses

This report presents a systematic model for training student counselors to make advanced influencing skills such as confrontation. The authors have developed a videotape training package that integrates cognitive structures and counselor performance through rehearsal and immediate feedback so that counselors-in-training can move comfortably into a more active helping relationship with clients.