Group Intervention and Career Guidance Plan

Running head: GROUP INTERVENTION AND CAREER GUIDANCE PLAN
GROUP INTERVENTION AND CAREER GUIDANCE PLAN
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GROUP INTERVENTION AND CAREER GUIDANCE PLAN1
Introduction
From birth to adulthood, children undergo and experience a range of physiological,
psychological, cognitive, social and emotional changes, which in turn, influence their
development across the years. As a child grows, his or her perceptions concerning the world and
surrounding environment change inevitably, which in turn must be addressed and acknowledged,
not just by parents but also by teachers, pediatricians and early childhood educators alike (Garcia
et al., 2019).
Current educational frameworks necessitate educational institutions to develop child
centered teaching strategies compliant to the needs and developmental stages of the concerned
children. One of the key ways of adhering to the same, is via development of career competency
based learning activities, which will not only help educators to recognize the learning
expectations and needs of students but also allows the targeted children group to identify and
recognize their own personal preferences, interest and opinions with regards to learning,
education and future professional practice (Akkermans & Tims, 2017). The following paper will
thus briefly expound upon the key cultural competencies observed in K-3 grade children (ages 8
to 12 years) and an associated career guidance plan and activities, using relevant templates.
Discussion
Target Population
Population demographics
The target population selected for development of the career guidance activity, will
include children studying in K-3 or 3rd grade students, who belong to the age group of 8 to 12
years of age. The career guidance activity will be conducted either in a local school or

GROUP INTERVENTION AND CAREER GUIDANCE PLAN2
community center in collaboration with the teachers, parents and administration of the early
childhood center or school educating this target population.
Developmental Stage
The key developmental theory which will be used to evaluate the developmental stage of
the K-3 grade children is Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, which provides
key insights in terms of how individuals develop socially, emotional and psychological from
infancy to old age. As per this theory, students studying in k-3 Grade, aged 8 to 12 years of age,
can be placed in the psychosocial developmental stage of Industry vs. Inferiority (Dunkel &
Harbke, 2017).
During this stage, children demonstrate a new found independence in terms of decision-
making as well as thinking and wish to be appreciate or heard. When such children and their
associated cognitive and communicative skills are not appreciated or encouraged by elders, they
are likely to lose confidence, self-esteem and optimism and are likely to encounter feelings of
disempowerment, isolation, hopelessness and anxiety in the future (Kropf & Greene, 2017). If
however, appreciated, such children demonstrate high levels of confidence and empowerment. A
key way of ensuring the same, is by including children in leadership or group work based
activities. Despite their cognitive enhancement, such children still demonstrate crude levels of
abstract thinking, which is why, parental collaboration and participation are still necessary
(Knight, 2017).
Career Competency
According to the theory of psychosocial development as well as the research by Park,
Rojewski and Lee (2018), children in this stage need to be recognized as individuals with unique
skills, abilities and identities and thus be provided with opportunities to demonstrate the same in