Factors Influencing Student’s Choice of Career in Senior Secondary Schools

Factors Influencing Student’s Choice of Career in Senior Secondary Schools

Chapter One

 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The research work limits itself to factors influencing the choice of career among secondary schools student in Abeokuta South Local Government, Area of Ogun State.

This research will cover five randomly selected secondary schools in Abeokuta South Local Government. Three of which are public and two private. The schools randomly selected include the following:

1. Asero High School, Asero Abeokuta.
2. Egba Comprehensive High School, Asero Abeokuta.
3. Saje High School, Saje Abeokuta.
4. Ideal Comprehensive High School, Saje Abeokuta.
5. Faith Heritage Group of School Obantoko Abeokuta.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Significance of this research work is to find to what extent the factors influencing choice will influence the student’s choice of career and the attendance performance of students on the subjects that would lead them successfully towards this occupation as a life time Endeavour.

This study will be carried out in Abeokuta South Local Government, Area of Ogun State and this will be useful to the guidance counselor in assisting students in their career also help the ministry of education in curriculum planning to widen the student career choice opportunities through curriculum content of educational system.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

Influence of role models on career choice

Role models have been defined as people whose lives and activities influence another person in some way (Basoc & Howe, 1980).According to Gibson and Cordova (1999), the early  role models for individuals are normally their parents and then later it is usually someone who comes from a wider arena’, meaning one who sometimes is not known personally by the individuals.

Gibson and Cordova further observed that once children grow up and know other people  and other environments then they will find people from multi and different backgrounds and professions whom they identify as their role models.

According to Bandura (2000), role models affect career choice directly and  indirectly through their influence on self efficacy. Individuals tend to seek role models who are similar to them in some easily identifiable way, such as gender or race (Karunanayake  &  Nauta, 2004).Identification with role models is  critical in the career decision-making. By identifying  with an outstanding role model, individuals can become inspired to pursue similar achievements process (Gibson, 2004).

In a study by Perrone (2001) on role model influence on the career decisiveness of college students, it was found that role model supportiveness, and quality of relationship contributed to  the career choice of students. The same study indicated that majority of the students  selected  same gender role models. Gibson (2004) noted that persons tended to identify with multiple role models, except in cases where there was limited availability. Fried and MacCleave (2009) while studying on the Influence of Role Models and Mentorship on female Graduate Students’ Choice  of Science as a Career found out that role models and mentors influenced students in distinct  ways. Significant gender area-of-study and undergraduate country differences were found.

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

 ETHICAL CONSIDERATION

The study was approved by the Project Committee of the Department.  Informed consent was obtained from all study participants before they were enrolled in the study. Permission was sought from the relevant authorities to carry out the study. Date to visit the place of study for questionnaire distribution was put in place in advance.

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA ANALYSIS, RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES

Table 4.1: Demographic profile of the respondents

Source: Field Survey, 2021

On demographic information all the respondent are female. On the age of the respondent 43.5% were within the age bracket of 22-28, 27% of the respondent were with the age bracket of 30-37 years, 16.5% of the respondent were with the age bracket of 37-43years. 13% of the respondent were with 44years and above.

CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

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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