This article explores the multifaceted supports and constraints that influence the practices of career counselors in Qatari public schools, offering a deep dive into the systemic factors that shape their roles. The study employs Q methodology to uncover the perspectives of male career counselors, revealing three distinct viewpoints that emphasize the importance of relationships, professional goals, and work conditions. It highlights the critical role of collegial collaboration and school administration support in enhancing career counseling practices, while also addressing the challenges posed by insufficient parental involvement and lack of formal university preparation. The article provides a unique perspective on career counseling in a non-Western context, drawing on both international literature and local experiences to offer insights that are often overlooked in mainstream discourse. It underscores the need for a holistic approach to supporting career counselors, considering the interplay of intrapersonal, relational, and contextual factors. The findings offer valuable implications for policymaking, counseling preparation, and continuing professional development, contributing to the broader understanding of career counseling practices in diverse educational settings.
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Abstract
This Q study explored the systems of influence on 24 male career counselors’ practices in Qatari public schools along intrapersonal, relational, and contextual dimensions. Results revealed three perspectives, which differed on the basis of the loci of supports. Accordingly, relationships matter most for F-1, professional goals and values matter most for F-2, and work conditions matter most for F-3. There was also a high level of consensus among factors, revealing shared viewpoints on the supports and constraints to participants’ practices. These results are discussed in light of the status of career counseling and the importance of research emerging from the Global South.
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Introduction
Internationally, career counseling has been informed by various disciplines and theories, together reflecting the complex nature of career development and the diverse needs of individuals (Patton & McMahon, 2014). Recent developments have witnessed the emergence of a greater global reach and international understanding of careers (Hartung, 2019). Savickas et al.’s (2009) seminal work marked this paradigm shift in internationalizing career counseling and offered new perspectives on career theories and interventions that account for the dynamic, nonlinear, and contextualized nature of individuals’ working lives. Generally, these scholars envisioned “life trajectories” for individuals who “progressively design and build their own lives, including their work careers” (p. 241). Sustaining this international perspective, McMahon and Patton (2018) also argued for a greater emphasis on the interrelationships and interactions of multiple elements influencing individuals’ career development that are embedded within diverse systems and subsystems.
Despite this emphasis on the international, theoretical work in career counseling remains highly contextualized within the Global North, and relatively sparse is research that delves into this field from the Global South (McMahon & Patton, 2018). Similar to other areas in educational scholarship, scholars from the Global South exert a disproportionate influence on career counseling theory, research, and policy. Accordingly, career counseling practices are often developed through the lens of Western epistemologies and adopted uncritically into other contexts. The rise of critical scholarship is shifting the dynamics of this imbalance, as researchers acknowledge the importance of sociocultural, political, economic, and historical bearings on research outcomes (see Romanowski et al., 2023), particularly in relation to the career development of local professionals (Chaaban et al., 2023). Accordingly, this study follows an emerging tradition in vocational scholarship that takes a situative stance toward investigating local realities, experiences, and challenges (Chaaban et al., 2022).
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With this stance in mind, there is no denying the growing international literature in vocational psychology, which can be seen as a testament of the increasing recognition and importance of understanding individual’s career development and work-related practices (McMahon et al., 2014; Savickas, 2013). Equally important is the importance of understanding the intrapersonal, relational, and sociocultural factors that influence career behaviors and practices, such as interests, values, social supports, and cultural influences (Chaaban et al., 2023; Randick et al., 2018). Accordingly, career counselors are usually called on to offer evidence-based practices and interventions to facilitate effective career outcomes for others. Particularly in schools, career counselors offer information on career pathways, develop intervention programs, organize work-experience placements, and host career-related events (Sanders et al., 2017). Accordingly, they play a decisive role in the academic, career, and socioemotional development of students (Randick et al., 2018; Sanders et al., 2017). However, this growing literature also reveals a conspicuous lack of research on the career development of career counselors, who, similar to other professionals, encounter challenges such as work–life balance issues, career transitions, and professional growth and development (Parikh-Foxx et al., 2020). Accordingly, research that investigates the practices, needs, and career trajectories of career counselors can yield valuable insights into their distinct challenges, coping mechanisms, and necessary support systems, leading to greater impact on student outcomes and career success (Randick et al., 2018).
Through Q methodology, this study explored the supports and constraints to career counselors’ practices in Qatari public schools and the complexities uniquely inherent to their contexts. The findings offered insight into career counseling practices in a non-Western context that can better inform policymaking, counseling preparation, and continuing professional development. All the while, we aimed to offer an alternative way of thinking about career counseling theorizing and practice; one that draws on systems theory and accounts for the complexity of career counseling practices embedded within a multiplicity of systems. This study aimed to address these research questions: What are the main perspectives among male career counselors in regard to the supports and constraints to their counseling practices in Qatari public schools? What are the similarities and differences among the main perspectives of male career counselors? What are the systems of support required for successful career development among career counselors?
Study context
Career counseling is an emerging field in Qatar. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) has shown heightened interest in the field evident from press releases, vocational activities and forums, and collaborations with local universities and career centers. Partnering with Qatar Career Development Center (QCDC), the MOEHE recently announced scaling career counseling services to students beginning in middle school and providing professional development opportunities to career counselors working in public schools1. The role of parents (or lack thereof) has also been highlighted in recent press releases2, calling for greater parental involvement in career counseling activities in collaboration with school counselors. Further, in reference to Qatar National Vision 2030, the International Labor Organization (ILO) argued for the need to link education outputs with the demands of the labor market, and advocated for career counseling for its potential to link human development with economic development, thus contributing to the transformation of the Qatari economy from one dependent on oil and gas revenues to a diversified knowledge-based economy3.
Despite these efforts, career counseling in Qatari public schools remains an administrative position, and career counselors are recruited among non-academic staff. Accordingly, they do not enjoy the same financial benefits and job security as teachers and school leaders. Due to the shortage in Qatari nationals who opt for careers in education (Chaaban et al., 2022), the MOEHE must rely on an expatriate workforce who arrive to the country on short-term residence permits from neighboring Arab countries. While concerted efforts have been made to increase the number of Qatari nationals in teaching and leadership positions (Chaaban et al., 2023), career counseling has not received the same level of attention in relation to preparation, recruitment and retention of professionals in this emerging field. To date, there are no published policy documents regulating the profession in Qatar’ schools, including qualification requirements, licensing procedures, and professional standards.
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In the Qatari education system, the division of labor along gender lines is institutionalized. Beginning in fifth grade, male schools are run by an all-male workforce, including administrators, teachers, and counselors. We speculated the need for a study that would capture the nuances of career counseling practices in male schools. The recruitment of male career counselors from Qatari public schools allowed us to explore a different angle to the career development of school students; that is, through the perspectives of the professionals who support them.
Conceptual framework
Although not typically examined from complex, nonlinear perspectives such as systems theory (McMahon & Patton, 2018), the existing literature on the practices of career counselors across the globe demonstrates that to perform their counseling roles in diverse school contexts, career counselors must navigate a wide range of influences from the multiple systems within which they are embedded (Hearne & Neary, 2020; Randick et al., 2018; Sanders et al., 2017). Taking a systems theory approach to understanding career counselors’ perspectives allows for deeper insights into the processes, relationships, resources, cultures, and external systems which interact to influence their practices (Chaaban et al., 2023). Cognizant of the dominance of extant literature originating from the Global North, we searched for studies that documented the complexities inherent in career counseling practices from different localities. Presented next are three levels of interrelatedness and systemicity considered influential on career counseling practices internationally.
From an individualistic perspective, career counselors are considered complex systems, each with intrapersonal values about their own careers and manifested through their subjective perspectives of motivations, interests, self-efficacy beliefs, commitments, and professional agency. Considering career counselors as complex systems necessitates acknowledging their past and changing experiences, conceptions, agency, and identities (Davis & Sumara, 2006). Within this intrapersonal dimension, their education and prior experiences, as well as their professional learning, shape who they are and what they aspire to become as professionals (Parikh-Foxx et al., 2020). A lack of preparation has been associated to school counselors’ perceived level of mastery as described by Bandura (2006), and their feelings of being efficacious in delivering vocational guidance to students (Parikh-Foxx et al., 2020). Furthermore, efficacy beliefs have also been theorized as “the foundation of human agency,” and “unless people believe they can produce desired results and forestall detrimental ones by their actions, they have little incentive to persevere in the face of difficulties” (Bandura, 2006, p. 170).
Another system-level dimension encompasses relationships, where multiple stakeholders potentially mediate career counselors’ ability to enact vocational activities unrestricted. Increasingly acknowledged in extant literature is the notion that career counseling is “a social activity that requires collegiality, support and trust from a range of stakeholders in schools” (Hearne & Neary, 2020, p. 10). For one, career counselors work directly with students, providing them with a wealth of career information and offering different types of interventions and responsive services. Over the years, their professional roles have become increasingly nuanced, complex, and multifaceted to meet students’ needs (Goodman-Scott et al., 2018; Randick et al., 2018). Yet, students have agency to respond to career counselors in ways that make it difficult for them to offer individualized support or meet certain expectations (Holland, 2015).
Perhaps equally important is the career counselor–school principal relationship, which is central to the successful provision of vocational guidance in secondary schools (Parikh-Foxx et al., 2020; Yuen et al., 2019). As Salina et al. (2013) demonstrate in their study of career counselors, school leaders’ establishment of trust can provide support for career counselors to enact practices, even when confronted with external mandates and challenging conditions. Conversely, school leaders can also serve as a constraining factor, and may actively discourage certain counseling practices. Colleagues and teachers also serve as a mediating factor (Draaisma et al., 2017; Yuen et al., 2019). In some cases, teachers may not be aware of career counselors’ roles and job responsibilities, or how they should work together with career counselors to make a difference in students’ lives (Randick et al., 2018). Similarly, depending on their socioeconomic status and educational background, parents can support career counselors’ institutional agent role, and serve to further the career development of school students (Holland, 2015; Yuen et al., 2019).
Beyond collegial and professional relationships, there are numerous connected multiplicities of contextual and nonhuman elements that can exert a strong influence on counseling practices. Goodman-Scott et al. (2018) document two major structural barriers that have impinged on career counselors’ roles, namely performing numerous tasks despite disproportionate student-to-counselor ratios and the scale of noncounseling activities that diminish the time available for direct student services. Accordingly, school counselors have reported their inability to reach all students with equitable services, as well as their experiences of stress and emotional disengagement (Goodman-Scott, 2018). Other contextual elements, such as policies and workplace culture, can reinforce or interfere with career counselors’ efforts to develop and implement vocational activities. These include inflexible policy mandates, working in unsupportive systems, and receiving little or no professional supervision and development opportunities (Hearne & Neary, 2020; Parikh-Foxx et al., 2020; Randick et al., 2018).
As this literature review shows, counseling practices are not linear activities that career counselors can control, nor are they completely restrained by relational and contextual factors. Career counselors are a multiplicity of their beliefs, previous preparation and education, and background experiences, and these influence their counseling practices in contexts characterized by change and complexity. There may also be other systems, including the wider environmental and societal systems, that simultaneously influence and mediate career counselors’ practices (McMahon & Patton, 2018). Adopting these assumptions from systems theory provided useful insight on career counselors’ perspectives and agentic practices, as well as in instances when their agency is restrained and distributed with other human and nonhuman actors.
Methodology
According to McMahon and Patton (2018), adopting systems theory “encourages the telling of contextually-grounded stories that reveal complexity,” which depict a holistic illustration of the interrelationships and interactions of diverse elements influencing an individual’s career development. We contended that Q methodology would be a suiting research methodology with its emphases on narrative-style depictions of study findings (Watts & Stenner, 2012), and its holistic representation of participants’ viewpoints on the topic under investigation (Brown, 2004). This narrative style is reflected in the presentation of the findings as a complete illustration of participants’ viewpoints, that is, by stringing statements pertaining to similar ideas together in a coherent manner, while also revealing the differences among the emerging viewpoints and their points of intersection. Q is particularly useful in grouping participants on the basis of their shared views, belief, attitudes, and opinions (McKeown & Thomas, 2013), and clustering them according to the similarities and differences of their perspectives (Watts & Stenner, 2012).
Q methodology is a research approach that uses qualiquantological analyses; i.e., quantitative and qualitative methods, to disclose subjective viewpoints among participants (Watts & Stenner, 2012). The quantitative element of Q entails factor-analytic techniques, while the qualitative element emerges from representing the results using narrative techniques. Traditionally, studies that document subjective viewpoints are commonly explored through qualitative methods, which may not necessity support generalizations, or R methods using correlations from surveys, which tend to reduce complex phenomenon into statistical associations. Q methodology addresses these limitations by allowing individuals to express their values, beliefs, and preferences, and transforming them into storied viewpoints that represent their opinions holistically using narrative techniques. In fact, the originator of Q, William Stephenson, developed Q in 1935 motivated by his dissatisfaction with traditional quantitative R methods, because he believed they did not adequately capture the complexity and subjectivity of human perspectives (McKeown & Thomas, 2013). Q is thus distinguished from the prevailing R methods through a simple derivation or inversion of the by-variable factor analysis into a by-person factor analysis.
Materials
The first step in Q is the construction of a concourse, which is a preliminary set of all conceivable statements about the topic under investigation. The concourse paves the way for the final development of the data collection instrument, known as the Q-sample. The concourse is developed from two main sources; constituting conversational and informational qualities (Watts & Stenner, 2012). For the informational component of the concourse, an extensive literature review on career counselors’ career development was conducted, and a noticeable lack of research was readily discernable. This review of the literature took an international scope into consideration with a number of studies examined from across the globe. A number of statements documented in the literature were written as they pertained to potential supports/constraints to career counselors’ practice. However, on the basis of the premise that local challenges require local ways of knowing, the conversational component of the concourse constituted the main source of the Q-items. Therefore, we undertook several deliberations with local career counselors, teachers, and teacher educators. This conversational component entailed two open-ended questions requesting information about the supports/constraints to career counselors’ practices, thus generating statements on the basis of local experiences. The Q-sample development generated 46 Q-items, which were then categorized, culled, and reduced to 35 Q-items constituting the Q-sample in this study. Throughout this process, we looked for redundant statements and ensured that each statement could be differentiated, thus avoiding overlap. We were also cognizant of a well-rounded representation of the three dimensions from the conceptual framework, despite variations in the number of items registered for each dimension. During the categorization of the Q-items, further classifications were derived within each dimension of the conceptual framework on the basis of systems theory, including nine subcategories, as presented in Table 1.
Table 1
Q-items matrix
Intrapersonal dimension
Relational dimension
Contextual dimension
Statements pertaining to identity; education; prior experience; professional learning
Statements pertaining to relationships with colleagues; with school leadership; with students; with parents
Statements pertaining to policies; conditions; development opportunities
Q-items 1–14 (N = 14)
Q-items 15–26 (N = 11)
Q-items 27–35 (N = 8)
The Q-items were translated into Arabic, which is the native language of all the participants. To further facilitate understanding, the statements were piloted with two career counselors who provided constructive feedback on the clarity and coverage of the items (Watts & Stenner, 2012). At this point, we made minor changes to the wording of several items, yet no further statements were added. The final list of the 35-item Q-sample used in this study is provided in Appendix 1.
Participants
In Q methodology, the selection of participants should be done strategically, as they take on the status of variables (McKeown & Thomas, 2013). Therefore, the conditions of a larger sample size and random selection do not apply to Q, rather, the goal is to deliberately select participants who can provide pertinent viewpoints on the topic under investigation (Watts & Stenner, 2012). On the basis of the particularities of the study context, we made concerted efforts to recruit male career counselors from Qatari public schools. Approval to conduct this study was obtained from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE); the public body that regulates all public schools in Qatar. A list of all career counselors, known as academic counselors in the Qatari context, was obtained by the MOEHE. After receiving ethical approval from Qatar University’s IRB committee, all male public schools (N = 47) were sent an email invitation explaining the study and requesting the participation of career counselors. A total of 24 school counselors agreed to participate in online Q-sorting activities. Details of participants’ demographic data collected during the post-sorting activity are presented in the results section (see Table 4).
Procedures
An online platform (Q Sort Ware) was set for the online Q-sorting activities. A research assistant shared the link to the software with the participant through a MS Teams meeting, and participants responded to the following condition of instruction: These are some of the practices/beliefs that support career counselors to perform their roles and responsibilities. Which of these are supportive to your roles and responsibilities as a career counselor, which are irrelevant, and which would you regard as hindrances? The software requires participants to classify the Q-items into three categories pertaining to condition of instruction. Then they rank-ordered the items by constantly comparing their agreement to each item on values ranging from −5 (strongly disagree) on the left to +5 (strongly agree) on the right, and 0 (neutral) denoting irrelevant responses. As shown in Fig. 1, responses were recorded on an answer sheet containing a quasi-normal and symmetrical grid representing the forced distribution of the Q-sample. This process yielded a single and holistic configuration for each participant, called a Q-sort.
In a post-sorting activity, participants were asked demographic information, including age, nationality, years of experience, and qualifications. They were then requested to explain their choices of the items placed at the extreme ends of the grid (−5; +5). The research assistant typed their responses to the demographic data and their elaborations in table format. These data sources supported the interpretation of the factor analysis described next.
Data analysis
The Q-sorts obtained from the 24 participants were imported into PQ-Method freeware for Q analysis. In line with common analytic methods in Q, we used centroid factor analysis to find associations among the different Q-sorts (Brown, 2004); that is, Q-sorts representing the subjective and holistic opinion of participants are factor analyzed for intercorrelations, rather than the constructs or statements. Following factor analysis, we used varimax rotation to rotate the factors to simple structure. We also adopted an investigatory perspective in condensing the data and accounting for the maximal amount of opinion variance (Watts & Stenner, 2012). We accepted a three-factor solution, explaining 42% of the opinion variance as presented in Table 2. In calculating the significance of each Q-sort (p < 0.01), Brown’s (1980) equation was used, which is represented as follows: 2.58 × (1 ÷ √ the no. of items in the Q-set). As documented in Table 2, 22 of the 24 participants loaded significantly (± 0.48 at the p < 0.01 level) on a distinct factor, while two Q-sorts were null cases. For the correlation between the three emerging factors, see Table 3.
Table 2
Summary of quantitative results
Factor
F-1
F-2
F-3
Null
Number of loadings
11
6
5
2
% Explained variance
18%
14%
10%
–
Table 3
Correlation between the factors
F-1
F-2
F-3
F-1
1.000
0.4756
0.4005
F-2
0.4756
1.000
0.3272
F-3
0.4005
0.3272
1.000
A single idealized Q-sort, termed factor array, was obtained for each of the three factors. This factor array represents all the Q-sorts that loaded significantly on the same factor (e.g., 11 Q-sorts for F1), and is obtained through a procedure of weighted averaging. In interpreting the arrays of each factor, we considered the items allocated the highest and lowest values, as well as the items that ranked higher or lower for one factor in comparison to other factors. This process minimized the chance of neglecting the items ranked at 0 (neutral) as insignificant, and merging them into the narrative as deemed necessary. An abductive and iterative process was implemented in the interpretation of the factor array, such that within-factor analysis supported by demographic data and post-sorting responses were used to explain the results. Also important are the cross-factor comparisons (or contrasts), such that distinguishing and consensus statements were examined, as well as highest-ranking and lowest-ranking statements. Figures 2, 3, 4 show the z-scores for the items on each factor array (see also Appendix 1), yet in writing these results, a narrative style was used following techniques specific to Q (Watts & Stenner, 2012).
The Q factor analysis resulted in three opinion groupings, which represented collective perspectives on factors influencing male career counselors’ practices in Qatari public schools, as shared by 24 career counselors. The factors were named (F-1) relationships matter most, (F-2) professional goals and values matter most, and (F-3) work conditions matter most, in an attempt to represent the overall sentience among participants. In reporting the results, the quantitative values are merged with the qualitative elaborations in the form of complete narratives. Further, the item number and its ranking in the respective factor array is provided in parenthesis, such that (19; −4) refers to item 19 with the assigned value of −4. Table 4 presents the demographic data collected during the post-sorting activity.
Table 4
P-set and factor loadings
Factors
F-1
F-2
F-3
Age
35.1
39.6
47.8
Nationality
Egyptian ×5
Jordanian ×4
Sudanese ×1
Algerian ×1
Egyptian ×3
Yemeni ×1
Omani ×1
Sudanese ×1
Qatari ×1
Egyptian ×1 Jordanian ×1
Syrian ×2
Experience
5.4
7
7
Qualifications
Masters ×5
BA ×6
Masters ×1
BA ×5
Masters ×1
BA ×4
Factor 1: relationships matter most
A total of 11 participants loaded significantly on F-1 accounting for the highest amount of explained variance in this study (18%). These participants focused on the relational dimension as their most valued practices and tasks (+5; 2), and perhaps the reason behind their plans to remain as career counselors in coming years (+2; 5). They placed a particular focus on students; helping them create plans to achieve academic and career goals (+5; 20) and evaluating their abilities and interests through aptitude assessments and individual interviews (+4; 18). They continued to offer their services to students, despite the perspective that students were not necessarily considered eager to collaborate in planning for their future university and career aspirations (−2; 22). However, they believed that they had made a relative impact on certain students who were successful in reaching their career aspirations (+ 2; 21). In relation to their colleagues and teachers, F-1 participants, in comparison with F-2 and F-3, were most active in supporting teachers in integrating career guidance and counseling in their lessons (+3; 13), and conducting training activities for colleague about specific topics related to college and career readiness to some extent (+1; 12). Similar to F-3, they also collaborated with a network of career counselors in Qatar (+3; 14), which further consolidated their positive opinions toward relationships, in comparison with F-2. This distinction may also be seen in their attitudes toward parents/guardians. Despite insufficient support from parents or guardians (−4; 26), they made it a priority to involve them in students’ academic progress and career choices (+4; 23), and maintain regular communication with them (+3; 25). In comparison with F-2 and F-3, F-1 participants were more likely to conduct information sessions for parents/guardians about specific topics related to college and career readiness (+1; 24).
Despite the importance of relationships with multiple stakeholders, F-2 did not favor their relationships with school administration. As opposed to F-2 and F-3, F-1 participants did not necessarily consider school administration to play a supportive role for their career counseling roles (−2; 16), nor did school administration consistently encourage them to to follow up on students after graduation from school (−2; 17). Nonetheless, these participants, similar to F-2 and F-3, may have worked with school administration to develop career counseling interventions (+1; 15), despite their perception of insufficient fiscal resources to implement various counseling activities (−4; 30). These barriers, being unique to F-1 participants, may have resulted in their feelings of impartiality toward their career counseling roles; therefore, perhaps denying their satisfaction with their career counseling roles (0; 1). Quite clearly, they were also dissatisfied with work conditions, similar to F-2 and F-3; such that they did not receive a suitable salary and financial benefits upon joining the profession (−5; 32), nor were there promotion opportunities for career counselors, such as to transfer from an administrative position and take an academic position in the school, as desired (−5; 33).
Factor 2: professional goals and values matter most
For the six participants who loaded significantly on F-2, their professional goals and values were most important for practicing their roles. F-2 participants, more than F-1 and F-3, had wanted to be career counselors (+2; 4), and did not hesitate to express their plans on remaining in the profession in coming years (+4; 5). Supporting this decision may be the perception of having professional goals that were compatible with their current role as a career counselor (+4; 3) or the notion that their role as a career counselor gave them professional satisfaction (+5; 1). Similar to F-1, F-2 participants placed high value on the tasks and responsibilities bestowed upon them in their counseling role (+5; 2) and believed they were able to manage their workload (+3; 31). The only relationships that F-2 participants valued were those with school administration, whom they believed supported their career counseling role (+3; 16) and encouraged them to follow up on students after they graduated from school (+2; 17).
Without formal university preparation for their career counseling role (−5; 6), F-2 participants were least proactive in their relationships with students, colleagues and teachers, and parents/guardians, in comparison with F-1 and F-3. Accordingly, they were least likely to help students create a plan to achieve academic and career goals (−3; 20) or to evaluate students’ abilities and interests through aptitude assessments and individual interviews (− 2; 18). Perhaps insufficient fiscal resources to implement various counseling activities (−5; 30) was a further hindrance in this respect. They were also least likely to conduct training activities for colleagues about specific topics related to college and career readiness (−2; 12), support teachers in integrating career guidance and counseling in their lessons (0; 13), or collaborate with a network of career counselors in Qatar (0; 14). Even with parents, they were less likely to involve parents/guardians in students’ academic progress and career choices (−1; 23) or conduct information sessions for parents/guardians about specific topics related to college and career readiness (−1; 24). They tried to maintain regular communication with parents/guardians (+2; 25), yet may not have received sufficient support from them (−3; 26). Accordingly, F-2 participants were the most likely to believe that they had not made an impact on certain students who could be successful in reaching their career aspirations (−2; 21).
Confounding these outcomes were extrinsic factors related to ministerial policies and mandates. Similar to F-1 and F-3, F-2 participants did not believe that ministerial directives encouraged the implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program for high school students (−1; 28), nor did they believe that school counselors receive clear guidelines for their career counseling role (0; 29). These results should also be seen in light of other unfavorable work conditions, such as those pertaining to low salaries and fiscal benefits (−4; 32) few opportunities for promotion (−4; 33), and lack of opportunity to participate in professional development activities that may advance their career (−2; 35).
Factor 3: work conditions matter most
Five participants loaded significantly on F-3, accounting for the least amount of explained variance in this study (10%); nonetheless, with a strong message emphasizing the importance of work conditions for career practices and continuity in this role. F-3 participants’ viewpoints begin with valuing the tasks and responsibilities bestowed upon them (+3; 2), and their feelings of professional satisfaction (+5; 1), perhaps originating from their perception of making an impact on certain students who were successful in reaching their career aspirations (+4; 21). They seemed to depend on their previous experiences (e.g., teaching, parenting) to help them develop their practices as a career counselor (+5; 7). Despite these supportive factors, F-3 participants were the least likely among F-1 and F-2 participants to remain in the profession in coming years (−5; 5).
Upon careful examination of their perspectives, work conditions appeared to be crippling their ability to practice their most essential roles as career counselors. For one, they were least likely to work with students to develop their organizational and time management abilities (−4; 19) or to help students create a plan to achieve academic and career goals (−2; 20). Their relationships with other stakeholders were also indifferent. Similar to F-2, they did not consider supporting teachers in integrating career guidance and counseling in their lessons (0; 13) as being relevant to their practices, nor did they necessarily conduct training activities for colleagues about specific topics related to college and career readiness (−1; 12). With parents/guardians, a lack of support was evident in their responses (−4; 26), similar to F-1 and F-2. Moreover, F-3 participants were least likely to conduct information sessions for parents/guardians about specific topics related to college and career readiness (−2; 24) or maintain regular communication with them (−2; 25). School administrators, however, were seen in positive light, as they may have supported their career counseling role (+1; 16) and encouraged them to follow up on students after they graduate from school (+4; 17).
In sum, F-3 participants’ professional goals were not necessarily compatible with their current role as a career counselor (−3; 3), and they had not evidently chosen to be career counselors from the onset (−2; 4). These conditions were combined with insufficient fiscal resources to implement various counseling activities (0; 30), ambiguous guidelines for practicing their career counseling role (−3; 29), and insufficient encouragement to implement a comprehensive school counseling program (−1; 28). Similar to F-1 and F-2, they also were discontent with low salaries and financial benefits (−5; 32) and few promotion opportunities for career counselors (−3; 33).
Consensus statements
Participants across the three factors unanimously agreed that collegial collaboration was a supportive factor for their career counseling practices. All participants approved of organizing activities where colleagues regularly shared relevant information and experiences (+2; +1; +3), as well as collaborating with colleagues to identify students who face challenges in academic performance and other areas (+2; +1; +3). Furthermore, all participants unanimously agreed that they worked with school administrators to develop career counseling interventions (+1; +2; +2). Despite F-1’s reservations about the degree of school administration’s support (16; −2 and 17; −2), F-2 and F-3 participants considered such collaboration as important for supporting their practices. Noteworthy among the relational challenges uniting the three factors was Q-item 26, which denoted receiving sufficient support from parents/guardians. All participants agreed that such relational support was lacking (−4; −3; −4).
All participants also agreed on Q-item 6, which negated receiving a well-rounded program at university that prepared them for their counseling role (−3; −5; −1). Two Q-items, 34 and 35, also received consensus across the three factors, as participants were neutral about receiving adequate professional development since they took on their counseling role (0; 0; 0), and were negative about receiving opportunities to participate in professional development activities that advanced their career (−1; −2; −1). Finally, Q-items 32 (−5; −4; −5), and 33 (−5; −4; −3) were the most highly ranked challenges, indicating participants’ dissatisfaction with the fiscal provisions that matter most to their career continuity and livelihoods.
Discussion and implications
This study aimed to identify male career counselors’ perspectives on the factors that influenced their practices in Qatari public schools. Through Q methodology, we proposed a conceptual framework for the factors influencing their practices along intrapersonal, collegial, and contextual dimensions. In addition to consulting international literature, we used a bottom-up approach to identify those practices most relevant to career counselors in this sociocultural context. We identified three distinct viewpoints, which revealed the way participants diverted their focus on their careers; that is, away from the common challenges they collectively faced. Their viewpoints were represented in the following: (1) relationships matter most, (2) professional goals and values matter most, and (3) work conditions matter most.
For F-1 participants, different relationships; including those with students, colleagues, teachers, and parents, mediated their ability to enact counseling practices. This finding is important as collaborative approaches involving different stakeholders can enhance support for career counselors. For instance, teachers can integrate career exploration activities into their curriculum while collaborating with career counselors, while parents can become aware of the role of career counselors and actively engage with them in supporting their children’s academic and future goals (Holland, 2015; Randick et al., 2018). From another perspective, the role of the school principal, though dismissed as a constraint in F-1 participants’ viewpoint, was a supporting factor for F-2 and F-3 participants. Extant literature further advocates the notion of whole school career counseling practices, which require strong support from school leadership (Hearne & Neary, 2020; Parikh-Foxx et al., 2020; Yuen et al., 2019).
For F-2, having compatible values and goals with those of their profession was an important factor, perhaps influencing their plans to remain in the profession and leading to job satisfaction, despite experiencing the relational dimension as a hindrance to their career counseling practices. F-3, by contrast, focused on work conditions as a perquisite for job satisfaction and remaining in the profession. Their values and goals were incompatible with those of their profession and they had not wanted to join career counseling from the onset. Taking these three viewpoints together provided empirical evidence for the complexity of career counseling practices embedded within a multiplicity of systems (Randick et al., 2018; Sanders et al., 2017). To better support such practices within the sociocultural school context requires attention to the multiplicity of factors and their entanglements.
Despite the three distinct viewpoints and the preferences of participants for different loci of factors most likely to influence their career counseling practices, interestingly though, the results of this study revealed a relatively large number of consensus statements, mainly alluding to the common supports and challenges facing career counselors. This has not been our experience in previous Q studies (Chaaban et al., 2023), which have shown the diversity of participants’ perspectives with minimal consensus among emerging viewpoints. We interpret this result in light of the homogeneity of the study sample, which included middle-aged male participants, mostly arriving to Qatar from neighboring Arab countries, and allocating a job outside their university preparation. Career counseling may have been the only job opportunity they could secure, and the need for a working visa to remain in Qatar may impinge on job mobility and security. We group these consensus statements into common themes, and denote them as the main supports to and challenges of career counselors in Qatar. We further discuss the implications of these results in relation to these challenges.
Beginning on a positive note, consensus statements showed that collegial collaboration was a supportive factor for their career counseling practices. Such relational supports are further emphasized in extant literature (Randick et al., 2018; Yuen et al., 2019) and are considered at the core of career counselors’ practices. When collaborations are self-driven and action-oriented, they lead to visible outcomes for students, and make it more likely for career counselors and others to see the impact of their work (Randick et al., 2018). Furthermore, all participants unanimously agreed on the importance of school administration support and collaboration. Career counselor–school principal collaborations have received particular attention in extant literature (Draaisma et al., 2017; Hearne & Neary, 2020; Parikh-Foxx et al., 2020). These studies unanimously agree that the success of career counseling in schools is based on shared understandings and common practices embedded in the school ethos, values and expectations (Hearne & Neary, 2020). A strong career learning environment requires support from school administration to direct efforts of the whole school community toward common visions, collective learning endeavors, and school-wide vocational initiatives (see Draaisma et al., 2017).
Similarly, a common relational challenge uniting the three factors denoted receiving insufficient support from parents/guardians. Notably, research has emphasized the role of parents/guardians as an important source of career information and encouragement for their school-age dependents to pursue certain careers (Al-Bahrani et al., 2020; Khattab et al., 2022), while other research is available on the inability of certain parents/guardians to support their career aspirations (Holland, 2015). Career counselors may do well by maintaining regular communication with parents/guardians, involving them in students’ academic progress and career choices, and conducting information sessions about specific topics related to college and career readiness, similar to F-1. These vocational activities also require further information sessions or workshops specifically for parents/guardians to educate them about the importance of career development and their role in supporting their school-age dependents’ career explorations, as well as equip them with the necessary resources, tools, and strategies that complement career counselors’ practices in the school setting (Yuen et al., 2019). Building on shifting cultural scripts, parents/guardians in this context may be encouraged to further their involvement in their dependent’s career choices and further studies after high school (Khattab et al., 2022), perhaps similar to parents/guardians reported in other countries (Yuen et al., 2019).
Across the emerging factors, and specifically in a context where career counselors are not required to have formal career counseling preparation, participants unanimously agreed that formal university preparation was lacking. These participants had various degrees in business, sociology, literature, and human resources, rather than in a relevant field of study, such as counseling more generally. Adding to this lack of initial preparation, continuing professional development opportunities were also limited. Indisputably, career counseling, as a well-theorized and widely-practiced discipline in the Global North, requires both rigorous initial preparation and continuing professional development (Hearne & Neary, 2020; Parikh-Foxx et al., 2020). Such formal education can secure professionals who have a foundation in career development theories, counseling techniques, and ethical considerations (Hearne & Neary, 2020). It may further equip counselors with the knowledge to understand the complexities of career decision-making for themselves and for the students they serve. Currently lacking are local university preparation programs that offer degrees in career counseling. As an emerging field in the Global South, career counseling should receive more attention from local universities, where programs can be aligned with current and future needs of local schools and the job market. Furthermore, continuing professional development opportunities for school career counselors are also needed. Collaborative efforts among ministries of education and other community stakeholders are needed to bridge existing disparities and attain a comparable level of progress. Looking inwards to the local supports and challenges of career counselors is a good start, yet further research that engages in the development of theoretical frameworks and conceptual models is needed to better inform contextualized practices on the basis of local ways of knowing and doing (Yuen et al., 2019).
Finally, all participants unanimously agreed on unacceptable work conditions, specifically related to low salaries and financial benefits, and few promotion opportunities. An apparent imbalance exists in exploring career counselors’ recruitment and retention in comparison with literature commenting on ways to retain teachers in schools. If lessons can be transferred from the teachers’ literature from this context (Chaaban et al., 2022, 2023), then the MOEHE must play a role in regulating the profession, first by acknowledging career counselors akin to teachers and school leaders; that is, as academics who work closely with students and complement the work of other professionals in the school. Drawing on systems theory, the MOEHE may consider the implications presented in this study holistically, such that improving work conditions alone will not lead to the recruitment and retention of career counselors, but an amalgam of other supportive factors, as discussed in this section.
Conclusions
The exploration of divergent yet similar viewpoints of male career counselors in Qatari public schools provided useful insights into the factors both supporting and constraining their practices. By prioritizing the voices, narratives, and experiences of career counselors in this context, valuable knowledge is added from the Global South to the career counseling discourse and practice. As we acknowledge the importance of career counseling for students to successfully progress through work and life, we similarly advocate for career counselors’ career development and remain cognizant of the need to develop career counseling as a well-established field in this context, similar to endeavors happening in many parts of the world (Draaisma et al., 2017; Hearne & Neary, 2020; Yuen et al., 2019). We also remain cognizant of cultural conflicts and mismatches that may occur when Western models are adopted without critical adjustment and compatibility with the host culture. Therefore, particular attention needs to be given to evaluating local policies and practices, and examining ways that the field may evolve organically through further research that involves local community stakeholders and draws on alternative epistemologies and frameworks.
Declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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1. My role as a career counselor gives me professional satisfaction.
0
+ 5
+ 5
2. I value the tasks and responsibilities bestowed upon me in my counseling role.
+ 5
+ 5
+ 3
3. My professional goals are compatible with my current role as a career counselor.
− 3
+ 4
− 3
4. I have always wanted to be a career counselor.
− 2
+ 2
− 2
5. I plan on remaining as a career counselor in coming years.
+ 2
+ 4
− 5
6. I received a well-rounded program at university that prepared me for my counseling role.
− 3
− 5
− 1
7. My previous experiences (e.g., teaching, parenting) have helped me develop my practices as a career counselor.
0
+ 3
+ 5
8. I engage with counseling literature to learn about practices and challenges in this field.
− 1
+ 1
+ 2
9. I have developed my counseling practices through reflecting on my current and past experiences.
− 1
0
+ 2
10. I organize activities where colleagues regularly share relevant information and experiences.
+ 2
+ 1
+ 2
11. I collaborate with colleagues to identify students who face challenges in academic performance and other areas.
+ 2
+ 1
+ 3
12. I conduct training activities for colleagues about specific topics related to college and career readiness.
+ 1
− 2
− 1
13. I support teachers in integrating career guidance and counseling in their lessons.
+ 3
0
0
14. I collaborate with a network of career counselors in Qatar.
+ 3
0
+ 3
15. I work with school administration to develop career counseling interventions.
+ 1
+ 2
+ 2
16. School administration supports my career counseling role.
− 2
+ 3
+ 1
17. School administration encourages me to follow up on students after they graduate from school.
− 2
+ 2
+ 4
18. I evaluate students’ abilities and interests through aptitude assessments and individual interviews.
+ 4
− 2
+ 1
19. I work with students to develop their organizational and time management abilities.
− 1
− 1
− 4
20. I help students create a plan to achieve academic and career goals.
+ 5
− 3
− 2
21. I have made an impact on certain students who were successful in reaching their career aspirations.
+ 2
− 2
+ 4
22. Students are eager to collaborate with me in planning for their future university and career aspirations.
− 2
− 1
0
23. I involve parents/guardians in students’ academic progress and career choices.
+ 4
− 1
+ 1
24. I conduct information sessions for parents/guardians about specific topics related to college and career readiness.
+ 1
− 1
− 2
25. I maintain regular communication with parents/guardians.
+ 3
+ 2
− 2
26. I receive sufficient support from parents/guardians.
− 4
− 3
− 4
27. I have autonomy for decision making in my school.
− 3
− 3
0
28. Ministerial directives encourage the implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program for K–12 students, and specifically high school students.
+ 1
+ 1
− 1
29. Ministerial policies provide clear guidelines for my career counseling role (specification of tasks and responsibilities, provision of materials and resources, etc.)
0
0
− 3
30. There are sufficient fiscal resources to implement various counseling activities (hold college fairs, invite representatives, etc.).
− 4
− 5
0
31. I am able to manage my workload, involving the tasks and responsibilities bestowed upon me.
0
+ 3
+ 1
32. Upon joining the profession, school counselors receive a suitable salary and financial benefits.
− 5
− 4
− 5
33. There are promotion opportunities for career counselors, such as to transfer from my administrative position and take an academic position in the school
− 5
− 4
− 3
34. I have received adequate professional development since I took on my counseling role.
0
0
0
35. I have the opportunity to participate in professional development activities that advance my career.
− 1
− 2
− 1
N.B. The consensus items across the emerging factors are reflected in bold.
