Career Explorations for Gifted Children

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Career Explorations for Gifted Children

• Presented by
• Emily E. Bullock, Ph.D.
• September 2008

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Outline of Presentation

• General Career Development Issues
• Gottfredsons Theory
• Career Development Issues Specific Gifted
  Children
• Categorizing Interests
• Hollands Theory
• Decision-Making Skills
• Cognitive Information Processing Approach
• Resources and References

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How Career Development Occurs in Everyone

• Many theories and factors (Niles Harris-
• Bowlsbey, 2005)
• Gottfredsons theory (Gottfredson, 2005)
• Stage 1 Orientation to Size and Power
• Stage 2 Orientation to Sex Roles
• Stage 3 Orientation to Social Valuation
• Stage 4 Orientation to Internal, Unique Self

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Stage 1 Orientation to Size and PowerStage 2
Orientation to Sex Roles
Stage 2 Sex Roles (elementary school)
Stage 1 Size and Power (preschool)
Male roles Firefighter Truck driver Doctor
Female roles Nurse Teacher Secretary
Big, powerful Adult roles Worker
Parent
Little, Child
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Stage 3 Orientation to Social Valuation
Stage 3 Social valuation (middle school)
High prestige
Doctor



Teacher
Nurse
Firefighter
Secretary
Low prestige
Truck Driver
Male Neutral Female
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Stage 4 Orientation to Internal, Unique Self
Stage 4 Internal, unique self (high school and
beyond)
High
Doctor I
A Artist
Sales manager E
R Miner
Doctor
Social S
worker
Teacher
C
File clerk

Nurse
Secretary
Truck Driver
Low
Male Neutral Female
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So what can parents do?

• Intervening at
• Orientation to Size and Power
• Orientation to Sex Roles
• Orientation to Social Valuation
• Orientation to Internal, Unique Self

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Career Development Issue Unique to Gifted
Children

• Multipotentiality (Milgram Hong, 1999)
• Perfectionism
• Expectations of Others
• Decision-Making Difficulties
• Early Cognitive Maturity and Vocational Identity
• Special issue of Female Gifted Students
• http//www.gifted.uconn.edu/ G\gifted
  Students.mht

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Hollands RIASEC Theory of Careers
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What do we do once we have our Holland Codes?

• ONET
• http//online.onetcenter.org/
• Click on find occupations
• Go to drop box under ONET descriptor
• Choose Interests
• http//online.onetcenter.org/find/descriptor/brows
  e/Interests/
• Choose a RIASEC type to begin search

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Decision-Making SkillsCASVE Cycle
CommunicationIdentifying theproblem - the gap
AnalysisThinking about alternatives
Execution Taking action to narrow the gap
Synthesis Generating likely alternatives
Valuing Prioritizingalternatives
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• Presentation slides found at http//ocean.otr.usm
  .edu/w313873/research.htm
• My Email Address Emily.Bullock_at_usm.edu

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Key References

• Achter, J. A., Lubinski, D. (2005). Blending
  Promise with Passion Best practices for
• counseling intellectually talented youth. In S.
  Brown, R. Lent, Career development and
  counseling Putting theory and research to work
  (pp. 600-624). Hoboken, NJ, US John Wiley
  Sons.
• Americas Career Resource Network retrieved at
  http//www.acrnetwork.org/decision.htm
• FSU Career Center retrieved from
  http//www.career.fsu.edu/
• FSU Center for the Study of Technology in
  Counseling and Career Development retrieved from
  http//www.career.fsu.edu/techcenter/
• Gottfredson, L. S. (2005). Applying Gottfredson's
  theory of circumscription and compromise in
  career guidance and counseling. In S. Brown, R.
  Lent, Career development and counseling Putting
  theory and research to work (pp. 71-100).
  Hoboken, NJ, US John Wiley Sons.
• Milgram, R. M., Hong, E. (1999). Multipotential
  abilities and vocational interests in gifted
  adolescents Fact or fiction? International
  Journal of Psychology, 34, 81-93.
• Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent
  Development at the University of Connecticut.
  Retrieved from http//www.gifted.uconn.edu/
  G\gifted Students.mht
• Sampson, J.P., Jr., Reardon, R.C., Peterson,
  G.W., Lenz, J.G. (2004). Career counseling
  services A cognitive information processing
  approach. Belmont, CA Brooks/Cole.
• U.S. Department of Labors ONET online retrieved
  at http//online.onetcenter.org/