Research suggests that university students need more support in regards to their ability to employ their skills, strengths, and academic knowledge in the future. In the changing world of work, students should learn about their strengths and how to use them not only during their studies but also when planning their future careers. This presentation reports findings from a project between the University of Lapland and the Lapland University of Applied Sciences located in Rovaniemi, Finland.
(1) How can strength-based guidance be developed in higher education?
(2) Which elements of the pilot models appeared the most effective?
The project consisted of eight pilot models that were designed based on practice-oriented needs and by leaning on theoretical information about strength-based interventions.
The project represents educational design research and involved the following phases: (1) familiarizing oneself with the psychology of human strengths and strength-based approaches; (2) identifying the needs in one’s own student/client groups; (3) designing one’s own strength-based guidance application; (4) testing the pilot and giving and receiving feedback from other pilots; (5) revising the pilot; (6) implementing the pilot in practice; and (7) reporting the findings by using the joint report format. Student/client feedback as well as piloting diaries (self-evaluation) were conducted throughout the pilots.
We will present (1) the main findings from the pilots and (2) a guidance model that is holistic, strength-based, and future-oriented.
The scientific contribution lies in the documentation of strength-based practices and methods that were tested during the research process in various settings. This study will provide an opportunity to create a new research-based model for university student guidance that will help orienting students toward future employment and general wellbeing.