Possible Selves of School Counsellor Candidates: A Qualitative Study in Turkey

Abstract

According to the Possible Selves Theory, possible selves are the cognitive reflections of individuals' hopes and fears for the future. The hoped-for self is the possible selves that the individual dreams of; and the feared self is defined as possible selves that the individuals are afraid of. The possible selves of school counsellor candidates are very important in terms of revealing their hopes, expectations and concerns about their future professional lives. The aim of this study is to examine the possible selfconcepts of school counsellor candidates through qualitative research. The study was conducted with 62 candidates, who attended to the last grade of the undergraduate program at the department of educational sciences in a university in Istanbul. A metaphorical study was conducted to identify the candidates’ possible selves. The data obtained from the students were analysed by using the content analysis method, through which the metaphors were examined, the categorization was made and the steps of the reliability analysis were followed respectively. After analysis of the metaphors, 9 of the students were interviewed in order to deepen understanding.

Keywords

• possible selves
• metaphor analysis
• qualitative research
• school counsellor candidates