UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
The Perceived Role of Technology and
Social Media in
Career Guidance among practitioners who
are experienced Internet users – Chances
and Challenges
Raimo Vuorinen & Jaana Kettunen
The Finnish Institute for Educational Research
University of Jyväskylä, Finland
ESRC Seminar
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Introduction
 During the last years there has been increasing
attention across the globe towards more diverse
delivery modes in lifelong guidance services.
 The current wider paradigm of guidance is recognized
as a crucial dimension of lifelong learning, promoting
both social and economic goals
 The move from “education and training” to learning
changes the focus from structures and institutions to
development of individual lifelong career management
skills (Watts, Sultana, & McCarthy 2010).
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Introduction
 Increased use of Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) highlighted as an essential component for
widening access to lifelong guidance services
 The increasing use of technology by key user groups of
career services – especially young people – is placing new
demans on individual career practitioners and on the
organisations (Bimrose & Barnes, 2010; Sampson, J. P.,
Shy, J. D., Offer, M., & Dozier, V. C. )
 A consensus has emerged that both the counsellor and ICT
have an important role to play in the delivery of enhanced
career guidance services within the Internet. (Vuorinen
2006).
 Practitioner perceptions of role of technology will have an
impact on how their practice will evolve.
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Contextual changes in the use
of ICT in Finland
 In 2002, counsellors indentified use of ICT as one of
the weakest competence areas in their practice
(Kasurinen & Numminen 2003).
 Actions taken:
– Integration of ICT in the national core curricula as a
compulsory element in career education 2003
– National in-service training program for guidance practitioner
– 60 % of the career practitioners in general education
completed a 40 hour training module in the use of ICT in
guidance
 A national study focused on whether or not there are
differences in the perceptions in the use of ICT among
practitioners in 2001-2002 and in 2010.
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Summary of the similarities
in the perceptions of practitioners in the use of
ICT 2001-2002 and 2010
 Practitioners were motivated in their use of Internet in
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guidance
ICT was used in delivering career information rather
than promoting career management skills from a
lifelong guidance perspective
Lack of coherent strategies for the use of ICT
Need for peer support and on-going in-service training
Concern of equal access and ethical issues
Existing career information is fragmented in Internet
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Summary of the differences
in the perceptions of practitioners in the use of
ICT 2001-2002 and 2010
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Today students have better access to the Internet and better ICT
literacy.
Increased ICT resources and services
Internet has replaced printed materials as information source
Perceived external pressure to increase the use of Internet and social
media
Practitioners use Internet more extensively
More advanced administration software
Gap among students between low readiness and high readiness has
increased
Need for differentiated service delivery mode is observed and
acknowledged
Chanced nature of Internet due the social media and web 2.0
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Defining the social media
“Social media is a process,
where individuals and
groups build up a common
understanding and
meanings with contents,
communities and web 2.0
techology.”
Content
Social
media
Sources: Erkkola (2008)
Kangas et al. (2007)
Ahlqvist et al (2010
Community
Web 2.0
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Defining the social media
 “form of communication which makes use of
information networks and information technology and
deals with content created by users in an interactive
way and in which interpersonal relationships are
created and maintained”
Source: Finnish Terminology Center (2010)
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What is social media/ social web?
It is
 Participation (encourages contributions and
feedback from everyone who is interested)
 Openness (Most social media services are
open to feedback and participation. They
encourage voting, comments and the sharing
of information.)
 Conversation (social media is better seen as a
two-way conversation)
 Community (communities can form quickly
and communicate effectively. Communities
usually share common interests.)
 Connectedness
Source: Antony Mayfield, 2008: What is Social Media?
E-book, iCrossing (v1.4 Updated 1.8.08);
http://www.icrossing.co.uk/fileadmin/uploads/eB
ooks/What_is_social_media_Nov_2007.pdf
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Experienced Internet users and
social media
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General
“We were and we still kind of are visitors on Internet.
We read the materials and do not interactive with it too
much. But now things are chancing… we are becoming a
producers and active actors on Internet. We can create
material and be part of that interactions which is going
on there all the time”
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Social media in IAG -Summary of
the percveived chances and
challenges
 Medium/ chanel for
 24/7 – nine to five
communication
 better chance for more
accessible service/ more
outreach
 Which tool
– for whom
– for what
– Interacting, motivating,
 More media-rich materia
 Games & virtual worlds
 Peer support among
students
 Professional network (locally,
nationally, globally)
 Screening?
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Social media in IAG -Summary of
the percveived chances and
challenges
 Opportunity to create and co-  Lack of time to adapt the
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product material/information
Easy to use, not depending
on organizational beaurucrary
Realtime communication
(chat)
More transparent – voice of
users
Brings practitioners closer
Enables informal student
activity
new applications and
pedagogical model
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Barriers and restrictions
 Lack of time to adapt the new applications and
pedagogical model
 Quality assurance
 Social Media acts as an effective tool to promote
inclusion but also exclusion (bullying)
 New web-based environments need new kind of skills
– Once written will stay on Internet
 New need for time management
 Need to prioritase tasks
 Questions of privacy and security of information
 Copyright issues
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Professional
E-mail, Intranet,
extranet
Professional blogs
at organisations
webpages or et,
professional
networkprofiles,
Twitter, FB,
LinkedIn
Not public
A) Activities related to
one’s professional role,
not necessarily to one’s
employer
B) Activities related to
one’s employer and
one’s professional role
Public
Private
communication in
net, health, bank
services, sharing
media among
family, peer
support groups
Personal interest
blogs, hobbies,
music, media,
sports
Personal
Source: Aalto, T & Uusisaari, M.Y (2010) Löydy – brändää itsesi verkossa
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Discussion
 Students use the Internet more than previously
and this forces practitioners to change their
communication channels
 Gap between low and high readiness among
the students has increased and the
practitioners are seeing more clearly the need
for differentiated service delivery modes
(Sampson 2008).
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Discussion
 Despite the fact of national training
programmes the on-going evolution of Internet
necessitates the continuing in-service training of
practitioners.
 Within initial practitioner training, the use of
modern technology should be integrated in the
methodology of training and not used only as a
separate entity.
 The crucial role of ICT in creating a common
conceptual framework for guidance provision.
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Discussion
 Need to distinguish the one’s personal role in work
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and private lives
IAG in written format/mode is perceived as a new
necessary competence area
Need for additional time and support in applying ICT in
guidance
Practitioners are worried about the quality assurance
Shift from information to the development of individual
Career Management Skills
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Thank you!
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Raimo Vuorinen
Finnish Institute for Educational Research
University of Jyväskylä
raimo.vuorinen@jyu.fi
Ms. Jaana Kettunen
Finnish Institute for Educational Research
University of Jyväskylä,
jaana.h.kettunen@jyu.fi