Guiding role of primary school teachers and vocational self-efficacy

Abstract

The results of a research project conducted at the Institute for Educational Research of the University of Costa Rica are presented, with the aim of describing the position of primary school teachers from a group of educational institutions in Costa Rica, regarding their guiding role in promoting vocational self-efficacy in girls and boys. The methodology used was quantitative, of descriptive scope, for which a questionnaire was designed and validated that responds to three variables: position on Guidance, opinion on vocational self-efficacy in childhood and predisposition for the guidance role. The participating population corresponds to teachers of the last three years of primary education, who work in public schools with the largest number of students in one of the administrative regions of the Ministry of Public Education of the country. The information was collected in November 2023 through a survey applied virtually to the entire population. As part of the strategy applied to recognize the position of the teachers participating in the study, regarding their role as guiding teachers in promoting the vocational self-efficacy of students, the first step was to inquire about the knowledge they have about some aspects of vocational guidance and about the value, importance or relevance of these in the training of their students. Secondly, direct consultation was carried out on their responsibility as educational agents promoting this training, and finally, consultation was carried out on the initial and ongoing training received on this subject. The analysis of the data collected shows positions that are not entirely consistent with their teaching and guidance tasks, since in some aspects a positive assessment of the importance of vocational guidance in the training of students can be identified, but in other aspects a good disposition to assume it is not reflected.