Life-design-based counselling for secondary school learners with career indecision: Intervention research

In the study reported on here, we examined the effect of a life-design-based intervention on learners from a semi-urban South African school challenged by structural inequalities and inadequate support structures. Convenience and purposive sampling were used to select 12 participants based on their fit with the study’s purpose. A qualitative research design was chosen and intervention research used to address the research questions. Life-design intervention strategies and techniques used to generate data included questionnaires, structured and semi-structured interviews, collages, and lifelines. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings reveal that the life-design-based intervention enhanced most of the participants’ career decision-making capacity and their career adaptability in respect of the 4 dimensions of career adaptability, namely concern, control, curiosity, and confidence. Additionally, comparison of themes and sub-themes before and after the intervention indicated that most learners’ career decision-making challenges had been resolved. Longitudinal (qualitative and quantitative) research with large(r) groups of diverse participants is essential to examine the longer-term value of the intervention in diverse contexts.