Educational guidance in Spanish Universities: From vocational and career advice to psychological assistance

Abstract

The present article reviews the concept of educational guidance from a historical point of view. The concept is developed from three areas of interest, professional, academic and personal. Although at the beginning the main area of interest was the person's suitability to a certain position, nowadays a wider vision from the educational guidance is maintained, taking into account problems such as, how the student fits in an academic level and the psychological assistance to the problems students have to face along their learning process. Although Spanish universities consider educational guidance as a valuable component, major attention must be paid and resources invested. It is, also, pointed out, that a regulatory framework is mandatory which organizes the educational guidance and develops it in several aspects, academic, professional and personal. It seems to be also necessary the existence of external agencies to evaluate its quality.