Studie- och yrkesvägledares förutsättningar att genomföra uppdraget enligt styrdokumenten – en kvalitativ studie i Malmös grundskolor

Sammanfattning

This study examines guidance counsellors’ perceived conditions to carry out study and career counselling in accordance with the Swedish policy documents within compulsory schools. Previous research shows that counsellors often provide students study and career counselling in connection with a transition in grade 8 or 9. Research also shows that the responsibility is often left solely to the guidance counsellor, rather than being a shared responsibility across the school, which may lead to limited guidance. The aim of this study is to contribute to more knowledge about how guidance counsellors in Malmo experience their working conditions and how these conditions affect the counsellors’ ability to provide guidance. The study is based on a qualitative method, using semi-structured interviews with six guidance counsellors in compulsory schools in Malmo. The results show that the interviewed guidance counsellors’ ability to carry out their work in accordance with the Swedish policy documents is heavily influenced by three things and those are time, support from the school leadership, and collaboration with teachers. Those are very important factors that are affecting the guidance counsellors’ work, resulting in guidance being offered mainly in grade 8 or 9, when the students are preparing for a transition, rather than being available throughout the students' education. In conclusion, this study shows that the accessibility of guidance counselling is not solely dependent on the counsellors’ professional competence. Instead, it highlights organisational conditions and other factors that affect the counsellors’ work.