Abstract
The present study involved group work, based on the school social work view of problem-solving through cooperation between students and school officials. The aim was to use the group work to encourage career development by part-time high school students who require special consideration. Participants, 4 part-time high school students who wanted to work after graduation and who had difficulty with interpersonal relations and development, took part in all 40 rounds of group work that were offered. Interactions among the students, which were carried out through specific work experiences, had the goal of encouraging their career development. Initially, the students had passive attitudes and only a minimal relationship with each other. As they began to participate in the group work, their self-understanding deepened, as did their mutual understanding. The students expressed their concrete hopes for the group work, and began to participate actively in the work experiences. One student's difficulties that had been latent surfaced through the group work, and he began to consider the use of the disability employment system. By choosing the participants' work-experience destination according to their needs, and by cooperating with related institutions, a network was formed that was based on shared feelings among the participants, the school staff, and people in the community. The discussion deals with the importance of the interactions between the participants and the regional network for supporting the aim of social vocational independence.
