An Examination of the Definitions and Concepts of Career Education

AN EXAMINATION OF THE DEFINITIONS AND CONCEPTS

OF CAREER EDUCATION

Prepared for the National Advisory Council for Career Education

Dr. Lorraine Sundal Hansen
Professor

Department of Psychoeducational Studies
College of Education

University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Assisted by Ms. Charlene Follett7

The

A considerable portion of each agenda of the National Advisory Council
for Career Education is devoted to assessing the various means by which
the identifiable knowledge gaps in career education can be closed.
result has been the commissioning of two series of papers on a wide
variety of topics. Several of the papers from the first series were
published in 1976, e.g., those dealing with the emerging history and the
efficacy of career education.

A second series of papers were commissioned in 1976, again, on a broad
number of career education concerns. The document in your hands is one
of those submitted to the Council in either late 1976 and early 1977.
At the April 6, 1977 meeting of the Council, a substantial amount of time
was spent discussing these papers. A motion was passed unaminously to
reflect the position to which the Council strongly adheres, namely, that
it is healthy to have different points of view on career education and
that the promotion of these differing views is a very positive step in
the life of career education. We sincerely believe that the dissemination
of these papers is, indeed, a very salutary action in the furtherance of
the career education debate.

This does not and should not imply that the National Advisory Council for
Career Education accepts and endorses all the concepts, ideas, suggestions
and recommendations in the papers we are now disseminating. We disagree
with opinions expressed in several of these papers. This document, rather,
reflects the realization that the Council has identified certain goals
and issues and that we wish to make available for reading, and, to be sure,
thought-provoking discussion, this set of commissioned papers which
directly explore these goals and issues.

Our intent, as we have indicated, has been to close some of the existing knowledge and philosophical gaps in the field. We trust this document will contribute toward that end.

George F. Meyer, Jr.
Chairperson

May 20, 1977

Table of Contents

PART I: OVERVIEW OF MAJOR DEFINITIONS AND CONCEPTS OF CAREER EDUCATION