The effects of creative, expressive, and reflective writing on career learning: An explorative study

• Creative, expressive, and reflective writing as a narrative career guidance approach
• The effects of a 2-day writing course on the narrative development of third year bachelor students were examined.
• The texts were analysed using the Linguistic Index and Word Count (LIWC) program and Dialogical Self Theory.
• Career writing contributes to narrative development among Dutch university students.

This study investigates whether creative, expressive, and reflective writing contributes to the formation of a work-life narrative that offers both meaning and direction among students in higher education. The content of writing done by students who participated in a two-day writing course at the start (or in preparation) of their work placements and of a control group who did not take part in the course were compared. Writing samples were analysed using the Linguistic Index Word Count program (Pennebaker, Booth, & Francis, 2007) and an instrument based on Dialogical Self Theory (Hermans & Hermans-Konopka, 2010). Results show writing promotes the development of career narratives.