Factors Influencing Student’s Choice of Career in Senior Secondary Schools
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The main purpose of this study is to examine the factors influencing the choice of career among secondary school students in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State. It will also examine to what extent the factors influencing the choice of career will aid the students positively or at negatively.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Career choice has become a complex science with the advent of information technology, the emergency of post industrial revolution and job competition. And as such, education is universally recognised to be the answer to socio-economic problems of the world. Nation and individuals look up to education to provide a clue or possibly, a cure for poverty, ignorance, jobless, hunger, bad governance, poor communication system and inadequate shelter among other things. Every nation of the world aspires towards quality of life and social status. Most student who are in secondary schools do not have adequate information about occupational opportunities to help them make appropriate career choice. This has led to so many swing of career path after graduation from the university. Hence, this has highlighted career selection as one of many important choice students make in determining future plans; these decision will impart them throughout their lives. Hence it is important to figure out the factors or determinant of career choice among secondary school student; so as to see if it can help to guide student to make the right and rational career choice. Thus, with the advent of information technology, the emergence of post industrial revolutions and job competition, the choice of career has become a complex science (Okafor, 2012). These have given rise n interest to scholars on the factors influencing career choice not just among student alone, but among adults. The essence of who the student is, will revolve around what the students want to do with their lifelong work. No matter ones age, the choice of career or desire is an important question for everybody. A lot of students in secondary schools believe that their future is a glorious adventure in which they are bound to succeed (salami & salami, 2013). Many of them have the idea that they would be able to work in the public or private establishments as soon as they complete their secondary education. Student in secondary schools like many other young adult are always worried about what they will do with their lives, the kind of adult are always worried about what they will do with their lives, the kind of adult they will become. They are concerned about early entry into the occupational world and finding productive and rewarding place in and out rapidly, fast changing societies where employment is unlikely to be available on a scale sufficient to absorb more than a small fraction of the young people when they do arrive at the labour market. How the young people of today meet the problem for tomorrow ill depend upon the amount of success they make in planning for that tomorrow.
Today one has not only to make due career planning but also exhaustive career research before making a career choice so as to adjust with the evolving socio-economic conditions. (Wattles, 2009). According to Kerka (2000), career choice is influenced by multiple factors which include personality, interest, self concept, cultural identity, globalization, socialization, role model, social support and available resource such as information and finances. Hewitt (2010), suggested that most people are influenced by career that their parent favour, others follow the career that their educational choice have opened for them, some choice to follow their passion regardless of how much or little it will make them; while others choose the career that gives high income.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
According to Udoyen (2019), a study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitute of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS, RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered. A total of two hundred (200) questionnaires were administered to respondents and all two hundred (200) were returned and validated. This was because retrieved the questionnaires on the spot. For this study a total of 200 was validated for the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Conclusions
This study has successfully supported the fact that family factors do have an influence on career choice. According to this study, the family factors that had a great influence were parental advice and uncle’s and auntie’s advice on career choice. Parent’s career and sibling’s careers had the least influence among these factors. Sponsored students are identified from needy families where the extended members of the family play a significant role in the lives of these students. This explains why uncles and aunties to the sponsored students still have a role to play.
Peers influence each other in their choice of career. This study reveals that among the factors of peer influence that have a great influence included mentorship of the respondents by their friends and friend’s advice. Friend’s approval of career choice and same career as peer had the least influence according to this study. Sponsored students tend to mingle and share experiences owing to the fact that they share similar backgrounds. This offers the explanation why they mentor and advice one another. This is also evident in universities where peers share experiences and influence one another.
Role models have a significant influence on career choice among undergraduate students. The factor that had the major influence on the respondents was role model’s career followed closely by mentor’s advice. Compassion Child development worker’s advice and high school teacher’s advice had the least influence. Students identify people whose lives and activities influence them positively. The role models include teachers and other professionals in their field of interest. From the results on career choice, 29% of the respondents selected teaching as their preferred career followed closely by finance with 22%. This reveals that students admire their teachers and would like to take up their career. Teacher’s advice and that of Compassion child development workers had the least influence. This reveals that students may receive advice from teachers and other role models about other alternative careers but choose to go by their role model’s career.
From the results of this study, gender has been seen to have an influence on career choice. The respondents expressed the fact that male dominated occupations are viewed as superior to female dominated ones and that society expects women to prioritize caring for their family as opposed to advancing their career. A good number of respondents also admitted that men are inclined by nature to be more skillful than women. The factors that had the least consideration included the cultural background of the respondents influencing their career choice and women generally not performing well technical professions. The study was keen to identify from the respondents if there are careers considered masculine or feminine. Majority (79.9%) stated that it was not so while 20.1% stated that it was so. Majority who stated that there are careers considered feminine and masculine were of the male gender (68.4%) while the female gender was 31.6%. despite the fact that majority of the female respondents felt that there are no careers considered feminine or masculine, the tabulation of gender and career choice revealed that female respondents were a minority in science, technology, none in engineering and mathematics.
According to the findings of the study, all the independent variables investigated had influence on career choice of the sponsored undergraduate students of Compassion International. The study however indicated that role models had the greatest influence with an average mean score of 3.1. Peer and gender factors had an equal influence on the choice of career with an average mean score of 2.3. The results also indicated that family factors have the least influence on career choice with an average mean score of 1.86.
Recommendations of the Study
- The government of Nigeria has put in resources to enhance academic advancement of the children in Nigeria. The government has further trained counselors in primary schools who take up the role of career guidance. The results of this study have shown that teacher’s advice has the least influence on career choice. This study therefore recommends that the ministry of education should change its strategy from information and education only to information, education and exposure. Interaction of children with people pursuing diverse careers will influence them positively.
- Nongovernmental organizations that fund youth programs spend a good amount of their resources in academic advancement of the sponsored students. Results of this study have shown that 21.1 % of the respondents would change their course of study given the chance. 78.9% stated they would retain their current career line. The evidence of dissatisfaction in careers being pursued by students as brought out by the findings of the study calls for a more comprehensive approach to career guidance by all stakeholders which include parents, teachers and role models. This level of dissatisfaction need not be ignored. There is need to factor in gifts, talents and passion profiling of children from an early age.
- Compassion International spends a reasonable amount of resources on cognitive development of the sponsored students. The results of this study shows have shown that 29% of the students selected teaching as their most preferred career with only 3.5% selecting medicine related careers and 4.6% in engineering. From the results of the study, none of the female respondents studies engineering. This study recommends a more comprehensive approach to career guidance and an exposure to technical careers among the sponsored students. This should however start in the early years of the sponsorship programs.
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