Socially just career guidance practices in basic education: contrasting approaches

In 2021, Finland extended compulsory education to age 18 to ensure completion of secondary education, aiming to improve students’ employment prospects and societal integration. The reform emphasised career guidance to support educational transitions and promote equality and social justice. This study examines how guidance counsellors in basic education approach social justice in their practices. Data were analysed thematically using Hodkinson and Sparkes’ concept of horizon for action, highlighting how students’ choices are shaped by their socially structured positions and resources, and Nancy Fraser’s theory of social justice as parity of participation, framing justice as enabling equitable conditions for meaningful societal engagement. Interviews with 35 counsellors reveal two contrasting approaches: one frames educational choice as an individual matter, overlooking structural inequalities and guidance’s role in reproducing them; the other works within sociocultural contexts, aiming to broaden students’ horizons and challenge normative assumptions. These approaches differ in how responsibility for addressing inequality is distributed – either placed on students or shared by counsellors. The findings indicate tensions between, on the one hand how counsellors promote social justice, and on the other hand how they support educational transitions. The findings point to differing perspectives on social mobility and values underpinning contemporary educational aspirations.