Career Development Interventions Implemented by Secondary School
Counsellors in Malaysia
Abdullah Mat Rashid, Ph.D., Universiti Putra Malaysia
Ab. Rahim Bakar, Ph.D., Universiti Putra Malaysia
ABSTRACT
School career counsellors played a key role in career development interventions to provide information and
guidance to students regarding personal, academic and career options. Career development intervention defined as any
activity that empowers people to cope effectively with career development tasks. However, in Malaysia less research
are aimed to examine the career development interventions that had been implemented by secondary school counsellors.
Thus, a qualitative approach was undertake (1) to find out the list of career development intervention that had been
implemented by secondary school counsellors; and (2) to investigate the difference between counsellors from different
types of school in implemented career development interventions. The finding showed that a set of 39 types of career
development interventions which included 9 subtypes was found implemented by secondary school counsellors.
Counsellors from Science school and MARA Junior Science College had implemented more career development
intervention compared to other type of school counsellors.
BACKGROUND
Employer’ expectation for employee’s skills and capabilities are altered from past (Lee, 2004). These revealed
that students faced more challenging than past in the transition from school to work or college. Although academic
qualification is the enter level for many companies but it is not the only criteria in determine one’s marketability and
employability (Arulmani, 2005; Chang 2004). Besides excellent and professional academic qualification, employers
also looking for multi-skills, flexible, multilingual, innovative, positive attitudes, broad knowledge, and commitment
employee (Lee, 2004; Chang, 2004). Graduate who have excellent and broad knowledge, good interpersonal skills and
high employability skills are more marketability. According to Aspen Institute (2002), a person who does not received
at least some post secondary education and training will face increasing limited economic opportunities. The demand of
employee with education and training beyond high school will gradually increase. As in Malaysia, skills certification is
important in developing workforce because many large international companies insist that workers possess official
skills qualification (Ministry of Human Resource, 2009). It showed that workers who have competency certificate in
their skills such as welding or machining are priority for many big companies in Malaysia. Although jobs do exist for
individuals with qualification lower than a college degree, these jobs usually offer the lowest pay and benefits (Weiten
& Lloyd, 2003).
School career counsellors play a key role to prepare students who can successfully transitions to the next level,
whether for further education or a job. Jarvis and Keeley (2003) called for school counsellors to provide career
development interventions in new paradigm where not only narrowly focuses on a career decision making, but also
assisting them in gaining necessary employability and self-management skills. In order to be effectively responding to
the changing employment needs, Feller (2003) suggested for career counsellors to help student to understand the reality
of workplace. These means not only fewer entry-level or liveable wages jobs are available to new workers who are
lacking basic skills but also for students who are inability to access and gain market-driven occupational proficiencies,
retrieve, and disperse information through technology, as well as to make sure students remain motivated and selfdirected. Furthermore, school career counsellors and teachers have to teach and assist student to understand how
economic fluctuation impact on employment options, job growth, job security and how to maintain competitive during
economic downturns (Feller, 2003). This awareness and understanding is critical as economy crisis are unpredictable.
According to Malaysian economist, Zainal Aznam Yussof, Malaysia unemployment rate could reach 6 percent (660 000
people) in 2009, as the economy slows down significantly since last year, although the rate may pick up again but will
still remain around four to five percent in 2010 (New Straits Times, 2009). It may become more competitive for today
students who will enter the workplace in future.
Feller (2003) assumed that in future the major shift in career development need to occur in helping transition
students from high school to planned postsecondary alternative. He asserted that, the career exploration should begin in
elementary school and continues through high school and beyond, the design activities should be developmentally
appropriate (Feller, 2003). This view is supported by Jarvis and Keely (2003) who claimed that masterly of career
management skills should be started from primary, secondary and postsecondary education programs and continues into
adulthood. Student who acquainted with those skills are more likely to be success in workplace as well as in their family,
learning institutions, employers, communities, and the nation. Beside technical skills and academic achievement, other
personal development in students such as moral, ethical, affective growth, continues learning attitudes are also equally
important in career preparation. Students not only need to know what they want but they have to open to any new
information and make the career choice meaningful to them. To be a effective school counsellors, they the impact of
school counselling programs and the work of the school counsellors on students but not just focus on their listed duty
and responsibility on what they should do (Feller, 2003). Counsellor should keep in mind that their overtly and
unconsciously holding assumption and perceptions will have significant impact on student’s career option and
development (Feller, 2003).
Rosenbaum and Person (2003) have listed out few misconceptions holding by school career counsellors and
educators which may pursue misguided career development practices for students. First, they claimed that many
traditional school counsellors believed that their role and responsibility is advising all students to attend higher learning
institution although the student showed poor academic achievement. School counsellors rarely discourage students’
college plan or suggest alternative for them because this idea was also supported by principal and parents. Some
counsellors, parents, and educators believed that student with college plans do not need to prepare for work and they are
more likely to put more effort in their high schools academic. In fact, Rosenbaum (2001) study showed that many
students with lower high school grade were drop out of college (Rosenbaum & Person, 2003). If those students able to
have other plan and more preparation in high school, they are more likely to experience better outcome (Rosenbaum &
Person, 2003). They argued that many educators and counsellors think that degree is necessary to get a good job and
often encourage high school students to become a doctors and lawyers. This is not realistic and untrue because there are
many other good jobs in society which may not required a degree (Rosenbaum & Person, 2003). They suggested that
school counsellors should help student make appropriate choose as they transition from school to work or college by
understand and promote the connection between student personal, academic, and career-related success (Rosenbaum &
Person, 2003).
Beside school career counsellors, school administrations also need to be aware of the real function of career
counsellors and collaborate with them. Harris-Bowlsbey (2003) said that administrators and school career counsellors
have to recognize the important of career guidance in school. He called administrators should collaborate with
counsellors as well as provide more funding and time for counsellors. For instance, career counsellor can go for more
training in effectively use instruments to assist student in career decision making. He also proposed career planning
curriculum should be creating in middle and high school. So that counsellors will have more time in helping students.
Nevertheless, school counsellors also need more training in order to manage such curriculum effectively (HarrisBowlsbey, 2003). Unfortunately, the tendency has assumed that the changing economy and workplace simply required
an educational degree and good results are still mandatory in our society. This has resulted in misperception among
teachers, parents and graduates in career attitudes that a degree equals to marketability. According to Sign (2004),
perception towards typical Malaysian graduates are mostly negative such as poor communication skill, lack capacity to
take initiative, limited creativity, questionable ability to put theory to practice, professionalism developed to only a
limited extend, and others. These negative perceptions among employers will remain the same if teacher, parents, and
graduates continue holding these misconception and lack of awareness of recent workplace’s demand. They will make
decision that poorly meet their own career objective and also nation need. This situation will neither benefit Malaysian
workers nor the development of the whole nation in the future. An urgent need for market driven education system in
assisting students to become a valuable employee to the employer, able to growth with the employee and also able to be
secure in the employment (Sign, 2004). Nevertheless, career development interventions are also needed in effectively
helping students cope with the career development tasks and challenges.
Career development like physical development, is a lifelong process that involves personal experience in
psychological, sociological, educational, physical, economic, and chance that have influences in shaping one’s career
over the lifespan (Cassie, 2005; Dykeman, Herr, Ingram, Pehrsson, Wood & Charles, 2003; Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey
2007). Career development intervention is not just about doing a test or inventory on career decision making but how to
assist students enhancing their career journal in their life and promoting students to fit into different adult diversity role
and challenging in future. These include empowering student’s career development process through career education,
career coaching, career counselling and so on. Yet, previous studies of career choice and development focused
predominantly on the identification of knowledge and skills that students need in career decision making such as career
awareness (Suradi Salim, 1998), career choice among secondary students (Ainon Mustafa & Sidek Mohd Noah, 2000),
the effectiveness of career development module in increasing secondary students achievement and motivation (Mohd.
Ali Jamaat & Sidek Mohd Noah, 2000), and the relationship of career guidance and counselling on students’ career
choice (Chua, 2002). A relatively unexamined area of investigation on concerns the actual program and activity of
career development interventions has already been implemented by secondary school counsellor in recent years.
Without this basic information, the further improvement and research on career development intervention in school will
be incomplete and insufficient. This is a particular important area of investigation for career practitioners, school
counsellors, policy makers, teachers, and students because the employment trends, career options and worker’s
requirement have changes dramatically. This study embarks to find out the list of career development intervention that
has been implemented by secondary school counsellors, and to investigate the differences between counsellors from
different type of school in implemented career development interventions.
METHODOLOGY
The research design used for this study was a qualitative approach. The data was collected through semistructured interview with counsellors. Based on Dykeman et al. (2003) study, a set of career development interventions
check list was developed to use in the data collection. The checklist allowed the researcher to mark and analysed the list
of career development interventions that conducted in each participated school counsellors. The items in the checklist
would be added if any new discovery in the interview session. Using a probability sampling procedure, a cluster
sampling is conducted to choose the target schools.
INSTRUMENTATION
The instruments that used for the purpose of data collection were a set of guiding interview questions, a form for
interviewee’s detail, a career development interventions checklist, and observation field notes. A set of interview
questions was designed by the researcher for the use of this study. There are approximately 10 questions that would be
used as a guideline for the researcher during interview. A checklist consisting of 30 items on career development
interventions was adapted from a taxonomy developed by Dykeman, et al. (2003) and the Manual to implement
counselling and guidance service in secondary school (Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia, 2004). A checklist was
design to determine the career development interventions implementation by each participant. During the interview, a
voice recorder was used by participant approval to record the interview session. Photos, documents, and reports
provided by participants would be used for validation purposes.
RESULTS
A total of 104 secondary school counsellors were selected as participants for the first stage of this study.
Approximately 60 % (62) of participants got involved in this study. The participants included 39 counsellors from
national daily school, 4 counsellors of Science school, 9 counsellors from Technical and Vocational school, 4
counsellors from Religious schools, 3 counsellors Private school and 3 from Mara Junior Science College (MRSM).
The descriptive analysis was used to find out the list of career development interventions that had been conducted by
school counsellors as well as the frequency and percentage. Through the interview and feedback from participants, a
final list of 32 interventions was set up. However, the data would be based on 39 interventions which included five
subtypes of career competition and four subtypes of career-related assignment/project. The frequency and percentage of
the 39 career development interventions implemented by participants could be found in Table 1.
Table 1: The List of Career Development Interventions Implemented by School Counsellors
Career Development Intervention
n
Percentage (%)
Students club activities
61
98.4
Guidance lesson on personal/social development
60
96.8
Career Library/Career resource centre
60
96.8
Career day/fair
60
96.8
Explore to career related information
59
95.2
Career individual counselling/ guidance
58
93.5
Career forum/workshop
58
93.5
Guidance lesson on career development
58
93.5
Career group counselling/ guidance
57
91.9
Career interest Assessment
56
90.3
Career field trip
55
88.7
Guidance lesson on academic planning
53
85.5
Personality assessment
44
71.0
Information interviewing
40
64.5
Community members teach in classroom
28
45.2
Career value assessment
24
38.7
Referral to external training program
21
33.9
Career skills infused into curriculum
17
27.4
Career information infused into curriculum
15
24.2
Career Competitions
a. Career Scrap Book
12
19.4
b. Career poster
18
29
c. “Skesta Kerjaya”
12
19.4
d. Work Based Learning Project (EAK)
15
24.2
e. “Media Maklumat Kerjaya”
8
12.9
Computer assisted career guidance
10
16.1
Service learning/ Volunteer program
8
12.9
Mock Interview
7
11.3
Portfolio/individual Career Plan
6
9.7
Career peer advising/ tutoring
5
8.1
Career related video
3
4.8
Mentorship program
3
4.8
College Admission testing
2
3.2
Career Focus Parent/Student Conference
2
3.2
Job Shadowing
2
3.2
Career map
1
1.6
Career related Assignment/Project
a. Career Scrap Book
2
3.2
b. Career poster
1
1.6
c. Work Based Learning Project (EAK)
1
1.6
d. “Media Maklumat Kerjaya”
1
1.6
The findings revealed that 14 interventions were implemented by more than 50% of participants. These included
students club activities (98.4%), guidance lesson on personal/social development (96.8%), career library/resource
centre (96.8%), career day/fair (96.8%), explore to career related information (95.2%), career individual
counselling/guidance (93.5%), career forum/workshop (93.5%), guidance lesson on career development (93.5%), career
group counselling/guidance (91.9%), career interest assessment (90.3%), career field trip(88.7%), guidance lesson on
academic planning (85.5%), personality assessment(71%) and information interviewing(64.5%).
Other 25 types of career development intervention were implemented less than 50% by participants. Amazingly,
less than 5% of secondary school counsellors implemented the 10 types of interventions which were career related
video (4.8%), mentorship program (4.8%), college admission testing (3.2%), career focus parent/student conference
(3.2%), job shadowing (3.2%), student’s assignment on career scrap book (3.2%), and only one counsellor conducted
career map and student’s assignment on career poster, work-based learning and “Media Maklumat Kerjaya”.
This finding also indicated that although there are 39 types included subtypes of career development intervention
implemented by secondary schools counsellors, none of the counsellor conducted all 39 types. As showed in Table 2,
there are only 12 out of 62 counsellors conducted more than 20 types of interventions in their schools which are 5 from
daily schools, 3 from science schools, 2 from religious schools and 2 from MRSM. Majority of school counsellors (50
out of 62) implemented less than 19 types of interventions for their students. Most of them are from daily schools,
technical and vocational schools and private school.
Table 2: Summary of Total of Career Development Implemented by School Counsellors
Total of CDI
Technical &
Implemented
Daily
Science
Vocational
Religious
Private
MRSM
Less than 50%
34
1
9
2
3
1
More than 50%
5
3
0
2
0
2
Total of school
39
4
9
4
3
3
Total
50
12
62
Inferential statistic was used to find out the differences between counsellors from different type of schools in
implemented career development interventions. The test of homogeneity of variance was done and the results showed
that p= 0.21 which meant that the sample is not normally distributed. Therefore, the non-parametric test (KruskalWallis) was used in analysing the result. The result indicated that χ² (5)= 21.848, p=.001, there is a significant
difference in implemented career development interventions among daily school, science school, technical and
vocational school, religious school, private school and MRSM school counsellors. This finding revealed that Science
school and MRSM counsellors conducted more types of career development interventions for their students comparing
with other types of school counsellors as shown in Figure 1.
70
58.33
58.12
60
50
50
40.23
35.33
40
25.64
30
20
10
0
Daily
Science
Technical &
Vocational
Religious
Private
M RSM
T yp e o f Scho o l
Figure 1: The Summary of Mean Percentage According to Different Type of School Counsellors in Implemented
Career Development Interventions
DISCUSSION
The purpose of this study was to investigate what kind of career development interventions had already been
implemented by 62 school counsellors from six types of schools. The results revealed that there were 39 types of career
development interventions, which included nine subtypes, had been conducted by secondary school counsellors. Results
showed that none of the counsellors conducted all 39 types of intervention, and majority of the counsellors implemented
less than 50% of career development intervention in their schools (50 out of 62). Secondly, the study was also aimed to
investigate the difference between counsellors from different types of school in implementing career development
interventions. The Kruskal-Wallis’s results showed that counsellors from Science School and MRSM had implemented
more career development interventions than other types of school counsellors.
Based on the finding, the type of career development activities implemented by secondary sc40.23hool
counsellors were tended to be fragment and superficial as in Hong Kong Secondary school (Leung, 2002). From the
finding, most of the school counsellors relied on large scale program (Leung, 2002) which involved a large number of
students included student club activities (e.g. school counselling club or “Pemimpin Rakan Sebaya”), career or
academic talk (inviting speaker to talk on a specific course offered in university or to talk on specific career, and
inviting different subject teachers to deliver talks on various subjects offered in upper secondary for PMR students.) and
visits (visiting to career fair, local colleges or universities as well as specific industrial or organization).
Individually tailored career interventions such as individual career counselling and guidance, and group career
counselling and guidance also had been implemented by most of the counsellors. But they claimed that these were only
conducted as and when students were required to implement one, and it was not done voluntarily. Generally, it was
uncommon for counsellors to request students to do individual career counselling and/or career group counselling. In
addition, only a small number of school counsellors had implemented intensive personal and career exploration
program for individual student such as individual career map (3.2 %) which was a written plan to study and to work out
the process to achieve their chosen careers; career related assignment/project (1.6%) in which different form of students
were requested to complete the assignment/project during school holiday, for instance, career poster, career scrap book
and work-based learning project; portfolio preparation (9.7%) where the students had to prepare one set of individual
portfolio included their certificates, reference letter and resume. A mentorship program also had been implemented
(4.8 %), an experienced teacher or senior student had became the mentor to students in regarding to their academic,
personal and career related problems that they may experience during their school time. On top of that, few counsellors
had put effort into required work skills for their students, only 7 out of 62 counsellors had implemented mock interview
sessions for their students. Majority of school counsellors had been focused only on given information about interview
and resume writing tips. Only two counsellors implemented job shadowing, for instance a day with doctor. Although a
number of counsellors had implemented work-based learning project (Ekplorasi Alam Kerjaya) by conducting interview
session with professional in a specific work field, but generally, it was done by selecting a group of students to join the
competition organized by ministry of educations. It further revealed that school counsellors did not put much effort in
“work-based interventions” (Dykeman et al., 2003) which is important for students to gain indeed experience,
exploration, and learning in real working environment before they come to career decision making stage.
The results also showed that career program implemented by school counsellors were focused narrowly on
information dissemination and on large scale program for instance knowledge about education and career opportunity
(career resource centre, guidance lesson on academic planning, career competition, career forum, career fair and others)
and less focused on students’ personal exploration and skills development. Secondary schools counsellors put extensive
efforts which were directed to help and assist student to know about education and career opportunity as well as how to
apply it (Leung, 2002). But there was comparatively less effort directed towards helping students in intensively selfexploration, preparation in career decision making process as well as the necessary skills development which prepared
themselves to deal with problem they may encounter in future work or college life.
Although majority school counsellors had provided personality assessment, career value assessment and career
interest assessment in their services such as the Holland’s Self-directed Search (SDS) which almost used by every
school counsellor. However, the using of instrument in career guidance and counselling may not enough if counsellors
only help students to understand their personal characteristics and fit them with the environment characteristics but
ignore other variables that may contribute in their career such as income, the prospects of the job in the future,
interpersonal issues, family issue and others. Lenz, Reardon and Reed (2003) claimed that the six RIASEC types in
SDS have ignoring other variables that contributed to job dissatisfaction such as working environment, relationship with
manager and colleagues, job security, high demand of corporate setting, income, and others. They also criticized that
matching personal characteristics to occupational is no longer possible or useful in today’s work world as job title and
occupational listed in SDS are no longer relevant with today economy. Moreover, the suitability of the instrument for
student also needs to be revised by counsellors, for instance the SDS may be more useful for working adults instead of
students who may find it hard to understand the real working environment and make interpretation of items (Lenz,
Reardon, & Reed, 2003). Working adults have real life working experience to do interpretation of the items in SDS.
Counsellors should not only rely on instrument such as SDS in helping students’ self-exploration and making their
career decision. Other variables that been ignored by SDS may also contribute in students career development process
as well. Similarly, Krumbolzt and Worthington (1999) also asserted that, rather than preparing students for a narrowly
decision on existing characteristic, career development interventions should be designing in help expand their capability,
develop new interest, change belief and value. Individual with high flexibility and able to occupy with different type of
jobs can face with challenges in unpredictable and chaotic working environment. Besides that, Pope et al (2003) also
stressed the important of Malaysia counsellors’ awareness in the suitability of instruments and inventories adopted from
Western culture in implementing them in Eastern culture. Harris-Bowlsbey (2007) also called counsellors to receive
more training in using instruments effectively to assist students in their career decision process.
According to Daggett (2003), the career development intervention not only focuses on students but also for
teachers and parents. It was particularly important in Malaysian culture as Pope et al (2002) and Lee (2001) stressed
that in high collectivism culture as practised in Malaysia, which emphasised more on group opinions rather than
personal interest, thus parental opinions play a very important role in career development process for students.
Unfortunately, only few school counsellors (3.2%) implemented career program related to parents for instance career
parents/students conference where counsellors invite parents to get involve in students’ transition process either from
school to work or college. Michele (1986) also asserted that when career counsellors understand the nature and extent of
the family’s influence on employment and education, then they able to develop effective strategies for helping parents
to help their children making appropriate and satisfying career and education decision. In addition, counsellors also
have to address the importance of religious or philosophical value in helping students for career decision making as it is
an important social culture value hold by a variety of races in Malaysian culture (Pope, et al, 2002).
However, counsellors in secondary school suffer from a host of limitations in implementing career development
interventions. Counsellors in school are not only responsible for career related program but they also have to conduct
other various program for their students such as psychosocial, personal, discipline case, drug abuse, Aids awareness,
family, academic and administration works (Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia, 2004). Thus, they cannot focus only on
career program; they have to consider other measures to implement their program in short period, low cost and involved
as many students as possible. This is not surprising that career fair, carnival, and talks are always become a main focus
of school counsellors. Due to the packed school curriculum, most secondary school counsellors do not have the
opportunity to integrating career related materials into a formal curriculum. Few counsellors claimed that, they only
able to provide career guidance during “relief classes”. It mean that counsellors only able to go to the class for
replacement during curriculum time when the teaching teachers are not available. As suggested by Harris-Bowlsbey
(2007) that career planning curriculum should be creating in middle and high school, therefore counsellors will have
more time in helping students. The results revealed that counsellors from Science school and MRSM implemented more
career related programs for students than other type of school counsellors. This differed may due these two types of
school are boarding schools where counsellors may spend more time with students and thus able to implement more
career interventions. Some daily school and private school counsellors claimed that they are not able to conduct career
development intervention because lack of time with students and there are too many students. One of the private school
counsellor also explained that she had more time to provide guidance for students in career decision making process as
counselling was one of the formal curriculum for students. This revealed that time factor is important for counsellors in
guiding students. From the themes generated from interview, it showed that school counsellors are more likely to
implement career-related activities if there is a formal structural curriculum in counselling and they are allocated with
more time to implement it.
Besides that, the school counsellors also claimed that collaboration among teachers, other counsellors and
administrators is one of the factors that driving them in conducting career development interventions program in school.
For instance, one of the science school counsellor said that “Our ex-students are very collaborative. They come back
and conduct a series of programs to their juniors such as sharing experience on their career field, learning technique;
and they also become mentor for their juniors.” Similarly, one of the daily school counsellors claimed that “Yesterday,
all of us (16 GBKSM from Kulaijaya) went to SMK Bandar Putra. We conducted a whole-day program which also
included career-related activities for SPM students. The collaboration between counsellors, such as exchange
knowledge and supports each other, is very important”. It revealed that, counsellors who received more collaboration
and support from others are more likely to provide more career related program for the students and felt more
encouragement in implementation of career related activities.
In addition to the above mentioned, counsellor may also find difficulties in conducting program if teachers and
school administrators do not understand the real function of career development interventions. Lack of understanding
may affect teachers and principle in giving the kind of supports and collaboration that counsellors needed in
implementing the career-related activities (Leung, 2002). As from the finding, it showed that school principals’ thought
play an important part to affect counsellors in implementing career-related intervention. The recognition of the
importance of career development intervention by school principals had driven the MRSM counsellors in implementing
more individual tailored activities. As two of the MRSM counsellors asserted that “Career development is the main job
of counsellors, our school principal emphasized very much on this, all students have to complete their portfolio, resume,
to go through mock interview and to write an essay about their career pathway before they leave the school.” The
different understanding and recognition of the importance of career development intervention in schools by school
counsellors, teachers and school administrators will bring great positive impact on counsellors to implement career
related activities.
In addition, misperception of school counsellors where counsellors should advise all students to plan to get into
college (Rosenbaum & Person, 2003) also brings certain impact on counsellors’ implementation career development
interventions. Normally, students from Science and MRSM schools have been selected according to their academic
performance. Only students who have achieved middle or high academic performance be able to enrol and maintain in
those schools. One of the participants from daily school argued that the different between daily school and other good
academic schools is that “majority students in his school have discipline problems such as school absenteeism. Thus his
main focus is on how to increase the motivation in students to come to school as well as solving discipline problems
instead of conducting career related program which does not create interest in those students”. However, this
understanding is contrast to Legum and Hoare (2004) finding where they implemented nine week career intervention
program on at risk students and they found that there was positive effect on at risk student’s career maturity level, selfesteem and academic achievement. Similarly in 2006, Kenny, Blustein and Haase also found that higher level of career
planfulness and expectation at the beginning of high school years were associated with school engagement for 9th grade
students. In Malaysia, Sidek’s Integrated Career Development Module (ICDM) also found it was effective in increasing
the academic achievement among the secondary school students (Mohd. Ali Jamaat & Sidek Mohd Noah, 2000). They
asserted that every student should be exploring to self-motivation techniques and career development intervention in
order to achieve their career goals (Mohd. Ali Jamaat & Sidek Mohd Noah, 2000). It showed that, students’ school
engagement and academic achievement can be enhancing through career development interventions.
These also indicated that, career development interventions are important regardless of students with good
academic performance or students at-risk. If school counsellors are continued to hold the thinking that career
development intervention only for good academic performance students to plan for getting into college only, this will
not benefit the at-risk students. Counsellor will also lose the opportunity to assist them in their career development
process. Rosenbaum and Person (2003) also asserted that the school counsellors should not hold the misconception
where only students with college qualification will get better career, instead counsellors should help those low academic
students to explore more alternatives, and to do preparation before they are making appropriate and realistic career
choice for their future. Some of the Technical School counsellors also hold the similar thought that students from
technical school had been chosen their course, so they could not do more than that. However, according to Jarvis and
Keeley (2003), career development intervention is not only helping students to make informed career choice but also
help them to gain the necessary employability and self management skills.
Based on the finding from this study, it revealed to us that the types of career development activities implemented
by secondary school counsellors tended to be fragmented and superficial. Secondary school counsellors put extensive
effort which was directed to help and assist student to acquire knowledge about education and career opportunities as
well as how to apply it. But there was comparatively less effort which directed toward helping students in selfexploration, preparation for career decision making process as well as the development of necessary skills in order to
prepare themselves for multiple roles within the broad industrial sectors. Moreover, there was less effort in getting
involvement from parents, teachers and other stakeholders in student’s career development process. In fact, family
members’ influence (Lee, 2001) and teachers’ support are found to have significant impacted on student’s career
planning and expectations.
The finding also indicated that, different type of school counsellors have different ways to implementing career
development interventions in their schools. There are less communication and standardization among school
counsellors in implementing career development interventions. In fact the difference of understanding between
counsellors’ and administrators’ has affected how they recognized the importance of career-related activities to the
students. Time constraint and collaboration may also affect school counsellors in implementing their career
development interventions. Based on the finding of this research as well as other previous studies, the following
recommendations are made for school counsellors, educators and school administrators.
1. To ensure every student has opportunity and chance to involve in career development intervention such as selfexploration and career exploration as early as possible. Students in school are greatly in need of early assistance in
dealing with career development task and exposed oneself to career related information. The career development
interventions should be starting as early as in elementary schools and make sure that every student have the chance to
get involve with any career development interventions. According to United Stated National Occupational
Informational Coordinating Committee (NOICC), school counsellor in elementary schools can assist and guide
students in exploring their own interest, skills needed for interact with others, awareness of growth and changes,
awareness of the benefits of education achievement, understanding how to make decision and etc (Niles & HarrisBowlsbey, 2002).
2. To ensure educators, school administrators, and counsellors aware of the importance of career counselling and career
development interventions. Their understanding will bring supports to and drive the school counsellors in
implementing career-related program. Thus counsellors, administrators and educators’ understanding and recognition
of the importance of career development intervention are imperative. Therefore, counselling program should be
reorganized to educate school counsellors to recognize and familiar with the functions of career development
interventions for students’ future career development. Nevertheless, educators and other stakeholders should be given
this kind of awareness as well.
3. To standardize a proper career guidance or module for counsellors. The school career development intervention
ogram is fragmented and superficial, and it is much different among different school types. It is recommended that to
perform a comprehensive system review, as well as standardization and supervision in career development
intervention implemented by school counsellors. This helps to make sure that, every counsellor receives proper
guidance and supervision. Thus standardized and comprehensive career development program could be implemented
by different school type counsellors.
4. To evaluate the career development intervention program in school counselling. According to Niles and HarrisBowlsbey (2007), the evaluations of program are in need because (1) to make sure the programs are achieving the
target objective; (2) to improve the counselling services and program in the future; (3) to provide information to
school administrators and other stake holders about the effectiveness and usefulness of the program and services.
5. Parents involvement in career development intervention program, for instance through Teacher Parent Association, to
include the Asian value in career decision making for students. According to Daggett (2003), the career development
intervention not only focuses on students but also for teachers and parents. In Malaysia, parent’s opinion play
important role in career development process for students. This will ensure parent to be able to develop effective
strategies for helping their children making appropriate and satisfying career and education decision.
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