The Impact of a Career Group Counseling Mix Model on Satisfaction of Low-achieving College Students──Specialty-Oriented Career Exploration Group Counseling

The unique feature of the group counseling program in this study is the integration of group counseling, individual counseling and peer tutoring. This study aims to determine the satisfaction level of low-achieving college students, who participated in the "Specialty-oriented Career Exploration" group counseling mix model. This study is an action research that lasts one semester. The research samples are 12 low-achieving freshmen students in the Finance Department of a business university (these students, as recommended by the class mentor, achieved average performance in the last fifth tier in their first semester), who participated in all three phases of career group counseling mix model. The unique feature of the group counseling program instituted in this study is the integration of group counseling, individual counseling and peer tutoring- (1) Phase 1- Group counseling before the mid-term exams, which included the design of structured career group counseling activities that were held eight times in eight weeks; (2) Phase 2- Individual counseling performed after mid-term exams; (3) Peer tutoring added to the process. According to the statistical analysis results of the satisfaction questionnaire, the results of the questionnaire show that they are very satisfied with the appropriateness of the overall planning (M=4.8; S=0.16); and that Specialty-oriented Career Counseling mix model is very helpfulimportant for individuals thinking about future careers (M=4.6; S=0.24). The preventive measures adopted by the career counseling program received positive responses from students who participated in this career counseling group mix model, that they then became familiar with the counseling center. Group members who had serious emotional and interpersonal problems were willing to seek out counselors in the collage counseling center and continue with individual counseling. This study recommended that individual counseling or peer tutoring can be arranged after specialty-oriented career exploration group counseling, in order to meet the career counseling needs for various low-achieving college students. Lastly, this study offers specific suggestions, based on the research results, for "specialty-oriented career group counseling" in higher education to enhance the diversified contents of college career counseling.