Impact of Students Access to Career Guidance and Counseling on Career Choice of Senior Secondary School Students
Chapter One
Objectives of the Study
The broad objectives of this study is to investigate into the impact of access to guidance and counseling on career choice in the area of study. The specific objectives include:
- To justify the effectiveness or other wise of counseling services in schools under review,
- To find out the roles of guidance and counseling to the students’ academic performance of then schools under review
- To identify the career choice of the students in secondary schools of the study area.
- To investigate the effects of career choice on the future of the secondary school students in the area under review.
- To explore the factors influencing the career choice of secondary school students in Sokoto metropolis
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
The terms “guidance” and “counseling” have been used either individually or synonymously by various scholars. As a result, many text interchangeably used the term guidance for counseling and counseling for guidance the general consensus among the specialists is that guidance is a family name for all the helping services within the general educational and community services.
Guidance is common language involves personal help given by someone; it is designed to assist a person to decide where he wants to go; what he wants to do, or how he can best accomplish his purpose; it assist him to solve problems that arise in his life. Stone, (1981) saw guidance as the process of helping in individual, himself and his world. Oladele (1987) also aiming and aiding recipient to grow in his independence and ability to be responsible for him.
Counseling on the other hand, has been defined by Makinde (1987) as a services designed to help an individual analyze himself by something missing capabilities achievements, interest and mode of adjustment towards what new decision he has made or taken.
Ipaye (1983) saw counseling as a method of helping the individual utilize his or her psychological resources by focusing on that individual positive strength for development and by concentrating on the individual personality behavior and emotional asset that could be mobilize.
Conceptual Framework
Concept of Career
Choosing a career is not like choosing an orange from a basket. According to Weiler (1997) “Successful career seldom happen by chance” with very few exception, people who really get what they want in a career do so because they define their objective plans and schedules for achieving their objectives, and assume personal responsibility for implementing and following these plans.
These people monitor their progress regularly, improve their plans when they are not getting the desired result and persevere in the face of frequent set back until objectives are achieved. Many scholars have given their own different meaning to choice and career and some have further stressed their importance and objectives of selecting a better career. The dictionary meaning of Career is a way of making a living profession amongst career of opportunities.
Many find it difficult to make choice in the sense that they lack guidance and counseling, making their choice without the help of any person. Several works have been done based on the determinant factors affecting career by students.
There are opinions expressed on this issue that are as varied as the factor which have been included in the first chapter. In the same view, there is no doubt however that there are many factors responsible for the progress of a child backwardness or retardation VIZ; genetic factors (that are inherent in the child himself) and environmental factor (from the environment where the child grew up).
Guidance and Counselling
Formal guidance and counselling in the world originated from Europe and the united states of America in 1900‟s and by 1911 an organized wide guidance programme in the United States of America was in place and it catered for students‟ needs. The emphasis was on vocational information , awareness of the world of work, location of employment and reduction of examination anxiety (Makinde ,1984). Bor, Landy, Gill and Bruce (2002) noted that views of guidance and counselling have changed rapidly and that understanding the functions of school guidance and counselling is important.
Kilonzo (1984) states that in Kenya the concept of guidance and counselling was introduced to our school system in late 1960‟s and formalized through the Ministry of Education in1971. Gichinga (1995) has rightly noted that the need for formal guidance and counselling in African countries is recognized at the present time more than ever before. In pursuit of formal guidance, the Government of Kenya has set up various education commissions that have come up with reports on government policy of guidance and counselling.
Government of Kenya (G.O.K) (1964) opened a door for a number of Kenyans who were sent overseas to further their education and be trained in various fields. This commission made recommendations that touched on guidance and counselling; among them was to ensure that children pursue courses of education and training best fitted to their needs and also being provided with advice on careers and opening for employment. The objective of guidance at this time was vocation-oriented. Angaha (1987) observes that the government of Kenya recognizes that guidance and counselling is an essential service that must be offered to every student in schools in Kenya and that MOE has made attempts in seeing to it that an operational and effective guidance and counselling programme is implemented policy in all learning institutions.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter, the areas of research design, sample and sampling techniques population of the study, instrumentation, validity of the instrument, and reliability of the instrument, administration of the instrument and method of data analysis were discussed.
Research Design
In conducting this research, a questionnaire has been designed to help the researchers acquire the needed information. The questionnaire has section A, B, C, and D, section ‘A’ contains students information, section ‘B’ contains subjects offered in the schools, while section ‘D’ contains career choice and aspiration of students.
Population of the Study
The population of this study is secondary school in Sokoto metropolis.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS
Introduction
In this chapter, the result of the investigations are presented. The data collected was analyzed using the frequency distribution table and simple percentage.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Introduction
This chapter presents the conclusions and recommendations of the findings for the research.
Summary
This research is derided into five chapter, chapter one contain background of the study, statement of the problem, objectives of the study, research question, significance of the study, scope and delimitation.
Chapter is review of relate literature where we look at the various works done by other scholars which are directly or indirectly related to this work.
Chapter three is research methodology which presents populations of the study, sample and sampling techniques, method of data collection, reliability of the instrument, validity of the instrument and administration of the instrument.
Chapter four contains presentation and analysis of data, summary of the major findings and discussion of findings.
Chapter five entails summary, conclusion and recommendation.
Conclusion
It has been established in this study that science and medical professions were more sought careers by the students. In this aspect, even the female students are not left out at all. There is no much differences between careers sought for, by female and male students. This development as earlier pointed out is a welcomed one especially in the area where this study had been conducted. It was also observed that most of the student choose their careers base on personal interest and ability.
Furthermore, students aspire for careers different for that of their parents which means that with the necessary from parents, school authority, society, and government students will do well in their chosen career.
The researchers have seen a good prospect for student in senior secondary schools in the area of job acquisition.
Recommendations
As a country Nigeria is blessed with children that possesses diverse ability .it is the responsibility of the country to harness these talents. One of the ways of harnessing these talents is through qualitative education because no nation can rise above the quality and strength of it is educational system, great economy demands great education systems. It is in the realization of these needs that the following suggestion and recommendations are made.
- Students shall be properly guided in making the right careers choice by the authorities concerned. Qualified teachers should be employed to teach the students in other for them to make their dreams a reality .
- More female students should be encouraged to aspire for careers in medical profession especially in the northern Nigeria. this is very important because the female gender will be more disposed and comfortable to confide her problems in a female doctor or nurse
- Selection of students to read\study science subject shall be based on merit and not gender.
- The government, school authority and the other stakeholders should provide funds to adequately equipped the existing laboratories.
- The confidence reposed on schools by parents can be reinforced by the improvement of guidance and counseling activities through:
- Effective and functional guidance and counseling unit in the school
- Improved Incentives to career masters in terms of guidance, personal welfare, imposed physical working condition, constant supply of information materials, related to career in order to broaden the search for career opportunities and to allow the guidance masters to guide the student honestly.
- Sponsoring for in-service training and workshop should made to guidance and counseling masters to broaden their knowledge of new career opportunities in the society.
- school management should organized various guidance and counseling activities in the schools, resource persons shall be made to give lectures in various profession especially to final year students.
- Parents should cooperate with the school and guidance teachers who are acquainted with the children’s’ performance and capabilities to assist them to select appropriate career without gender bias.
- School shall supervise these students and ensure that relevant subjects are taught in schools without gender inequality.
- The perception of existing domination of science and the related careers by males should be discarded from the mind of the female students, this is very important to female student indigene of sokoto metropolis and the state at large as it will make them more ready for the competition.
References
- Achebe, C.C. (1982), Assessing the Vocational Maturity of Students east in Central states of Nigeria: Enugu hilltop press ltd. Pp.45.
- Bamgbaiye (2000) NCE Lecture Note on Guidance and Counseling, S.S.C.O.E Sokoto
- Carew (1985) Guidance Services in Adult Education. University press, Lagos PP 71
- Dobson (1974) The Role of Follow-up in Guidance Services, a Paper presented at B.UK
- Dobson, J.S. Ewens, W.P. & SCALS J.M (1974). Career Guidance a System Approach. Kendal press Lagos p. 587. 588
- Ezekwesil, O.(2006) Obasanjo Reforms to Education Sector. N.E.R.D.C. Lagos.
- Fafunwa, A.B.(1974). History of Education In Nigeria, London George Allen and Unwin ltd pp.68
- Federal Republic of Nigeria (1997) National Policy on Education, National Education Research Development Council (N.E.R.D.C.) Lagos
- Harr, E.L. and Grammar, S.H.(1972)Vocational Guidance and Career Development in the Schools Towards, a system Approach. Boston
