El papel del profesorado en la toma de decisiones académico y profesionales del alumnado

The vocational literature has highlighted the role of relational and educational contexts in the career.The role of family, school and peers has been incorporated into the research and practice of Vocational Psychology. The teachers' role, though with less emphasis, has also been presented as a determinant in students' career. However, systematic research on this topic is scarce. The authors present a qualitative study of the influence of teachers in Portuguese high school students' academic decision-making. The perspectives of students, parents, teachers and career counselors were analyzed with a sample of 119 participants. We used a qualitative research methodology based on grounded theory procedures. Participants' answers suggest a perception of the influence of teachers in students' career decisions by four main means: the subject they teach, their cooperation in career education activities, the quality of their relationship with students, and their relationship with other educators, such as parents and school psychologists. We conclude that a contextualized strategy of career education in secondary schools should consider the nature of teachers' pedagogical and tutorial actions, as well as their participation in students' global education.