Learning Theories

for Career Guidance

Krumboltz’s Social Learning Theory

Influential Factors

• Genetic endowment and special abilities - sex, race, physical appearance, intelligence, abilities, and talents

• Environmental conditions and events - cultural, social, political, and economic forces beyond our control

• Instrumental and associative learning experiences- individuals use observations and generalizations in career decisions

Outcomes of the Factors Influencing Career Decision Making

• Self-observation generalizations• Worldview generalizations

• Task approach skills• Actions

Reasons Why People Prefer a Particular Occupation

• They succeed at tasks that are similar to those performed in that occupation.

• They have observed someone being rewarded for activities similar to those performed by members of that occupation.

• A model/person stressed its advantages to them

The Learning Theory of Career Counseling (Mitchell & Krumboltz)

• Teacher-Counselor must be prepared to help clients cope with career concerns in four ways:

• Expand their capabilities and interests• Prepare them for changing work tasks• Empower them to take action• Play a major role in dealing with all career problems

Teacher-Career Counselors can help by:

• Correcting faulty assumptions.

• Learning new skills and interests.

• Identifying effective strategies for addressing issues emanating from interactions between work and other life roles.

• Learning skills for coping with changing work tasks.

Tiedeman’s Decision-Making Model

• Tiedeman described a process of career development in which people continually redefine their career interests and commitments through

different decision-making phases.  

•career development occurs not only with one decision but as a result of many

decisions, and that how persons make decisions influences their actions in past, present, and future decisions

• The model has different phases in which an individual goes through. Each phase is

considered a new junction for decision making. These phases are grouped into anticipatory and

implementation activities.

Anticipatory activity includes:

•Exploration•Crystallization•Choice•Specification

Implementation activity includes:

•Induction•Reformation•Integration

Theory into Practice:

• Teachers should give activities that promote:• Self-awareness (strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, etc)• Decision-making skills• Analysis of past actions

Kolb’s Experiential

Learning

• Kolb’s theory states that learning is created through the transformation of experiences.

• It is cyclical in model and one may start at any stage but there is a need to follow each other in sequence.

• The cycle has four stages. •  

Four Stages

• 1. Concrete Experience (CE) • - active involvement, relating with other people, and

learning by experience. Learners in the CE phase of learning are open-minded and adaptable, and are sensitive to the feelings of themselves and others.

• 2. Reflective Observation (RO) • - stage in which the learner watches and listens,

views issues from different points of view, and discovers meaning in the learning material.

• 3. Abstract Conceptualization (AC)• - the application of thought and logic, as opposed to

feelings, to the learning situation. Planning, developing theories, and analysis are part of this stage.

• 4. Active Experimentation (AE) • - involves testing theories, carrying out plans, and

influencing people and events through activity. Kolb believed that a complete cycle of learning involved each of these stages