Mentoring Sources in Future Planning for Urban High School Students in Vietnam and Turkey: A Cross-cultural Qualitative Study

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Part 2, Possibility Development in comparative and international perspective: Possibility mentoring as an application of Possibility Development theory

Proposal

While in the past, students were defined as learners with a responsibility of acquiring
knowledge content, they are now considered as citizens in a larger society. In fact, youths now
hold the power to lead, transform and invent social movements. Despite the underlying
differences in cultural norms, future educational interventions across the globe should
accommodate for a wider scope of youth development, so that students become more purposeful
in their career exploration process. Our project aims to link research and practice of projecting
optimal possibilities for students in their transition from school to career.
The first part of our project is using empirical research to understand the local context,
that is, what students in Vietnam and Turkey actually experience and what support they need
when planning for future careers. We explored students’ individual pathways in future planning
and career exploring by qualitatively examining the sources of mentoring available to students in
“possibility planning. ” The term possibility planning comes from a theoretical framework of
possibility development, defined by Nakkula and Toshalis (2008) as the “cycle of skill building
and imagination.” The skills that students are introduced to and reinforced in expands the
possibilities of their future. This is the foundation of our research inquiring the experience and
skill development of students in future planning. The empirical perspective gained through the
study can potentially throw light on the existing support structures in students’ career
development available both within and outside of the school system.

Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 31 high school
students of Vietnamese and Turkish nationality. Thematic findings from the study indicate that
overall, students in both countries have taken initiative in the career decision making process
through self-exploration, making extensive use of online platforms for information and
inspiration. Additionally, we also found some differences between the two contexts with respect
to systems of support available to students and cultural perspectives related to career
development.
Students’ voice collected from these interviews has pushed us towards more concrete
conversations and actions around reinventing career support programs. Building on students’
recommendations and evaluating the meaning of the current mentoring sources, we are hoping to
design personalized mentoring spaces for youths across the globe while capitalizing on online
platforms, alumni network as an alternative source. In addition, reimagining partnership with
schools and parents is another crucial task that we need to take on in order to strengthen the
possibility development for all youths.

Authors

• My (Mikayla) H Do, University of Pennsylvania

• Ashwini Maslekar, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania

• Deniz Inanici, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania