Agency, decision-making and the Irish post-primary guidance counsellor

The main aim of this research study was to explore the manner in which guidance counsellors enact their agency in their settings. Influences on professional agency in the guidance role are examined as well as identifying how guidance counsellors enact the agency they do have in their practice. Guidance counsellors are tasked with the provision of a holistic guidance service to second-level students, encompassing the areas of personal, educational and vocational guidance (IGC 2017). Neoliberal discourse has shifted the educational agenda of governments toward measures of performativity, efficiency and accountability (Lipman 2009). As a result of various educational cutbacks and reforms, the agency of the guidance counsellor is increasingly contested. This research is framed by Explanatory Sequential Design, in which data was gathered in two phases – an online questionnaire and five semi-structured interviews. Findings of this study indicate that guidance counsellors report they are struggling to engage in all aspects of the holistic guidance model equally and with all students. Findings on professional agency were framed under three themes. Firstly, the main reported influences on professional agency in the guidance role were the allocation of guidance allocation and the relationship between the guidance practitioner and management in the setting. Secondly, when it came of enactment of agency in professional practice, participants reported an increase in the demand for personal guidance across all year groups. However, in practice, vocational guidance with senior cycle students tends to be prioritised. Finally, this research found that participants demonstrated professional agency in their high levels of professional affiliation with the IGC and engagement with CPD. Professional agency was also demonstrated in high levels of engagement with educational policy development in their settings. The implications of these findings are also explored in this study.