A STUDY OF THE DETERMINANTS OF VOCATIONAL CHOICE AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN OSUN STATE.

Vocational Choice

ABSTRACT

This study was designed to investigate if parents and peer groups of school students have any influence in the choice of a career among secondary school students. The relationship between the two primary factors (parental and peer group influence) and career choice was determined using Pearson product moment correlation coefficient. One research question and one hypothesis were formulated to guide the study.Vocational Choice

Three research instruments were used. They are: the students occupational clusters preference scale (OCPS), peer pressure assessment scale (PPAS) and the parental influence assessment inventory (PIA). The population of the study comprises students in senior secondary school two (SS2). Result showed that there was no significant relationship between parental and peer group influence on career choice in humanities among secondary school students. It is recommended that counselors should work directly with parents and peers, especially as regards career development with a view to enhancing the positive aspects; this may eventually improve the career development prospects of our future workers.Vocational Choice

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the study

Giving young people the tools and knowledge to realistically plan for their future has generally been held to be a primary goal of education globally. Unfortunately, a general view  of the dismal studies done on students’ decisions on careers in secondary levels of education in Nigeria portrays some major knowledge gaps. However, career development process is perceived as life-long; though choices made during secondary school are critical in laying the foundation for future vocations. Department for Education and Skills (2005) in its Education and Skills White Paper, in the United Kingdom, outlined the need for young people to make their own career choices by encouraging the provision of quality and impartial advice to young people. The same paper noted that young people needed skills to make sound career decisions. Parallel to this work in thought is also the work by National Institute for Careers Education and Counseling-NICEC (2004), which identified a need for careers’ specialists to work with senior management in various professions for a number of reasons: namely, to set policy and resource priorities for careers education and guidance, to support those involved in its delivery, to constantly review the provision of careers education and to develop and evaluate careers work. Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD, 2003), a commission of

European countries, on the other hand has published career booklets that guides the careers education for its member countries. More importantly, OECD (2003) has a framework on harnessing information communication technology (ICT) in developing self service approaches to career-guidance with links to diagnostic instruments, user-support centres' accessible via telephone, emails and fax or post office mails to mention a few. This international work provoked the researcher to interrogate careers education in Nigeria. A number of career issues surfaced with the European countries (OECD 2003). These included:- a) policy and resources priorities for careers education and guidance, b) support for those involved in career guidance especially at schools, c) consistent review of career provisions and, d) evaluation of careers education. These values were in no doubt, a good basis of a well informed career decision processes for students in schools. It was in the interest of the researcher to find out the preparedness of Nigerian schools in light of the above issues with OECD countries.

Locally, Nigeria education system as at the time of this study required that students choose some examinable subjects before joining Form III class, two years before sitting for the national examinations (Nigeria National Examination Council, KNEC, 2002). These subjects in turn, form a basis for students’ growth and development in vocational skills. Further on, admissions in tertiary institutions have generally been pegged on among other criteria, the performances of these subjects in their final examinations- Nigeria Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). Subject selection, admittedly, has been noted to be a complex process, especially when viewed from a student adolescent’s stage, where majority of them were identified. This biological stage has been noted to be characterized by periods of instability, conflict, anxiety and tension- manifesting through idealism, experimentation, risk taking, emotional instability and inner turmoil; all of which affect rational decision-making (Mann, Harmoni& Power 1989). Trying to choose a subject from the various options presented in school syllabus was considered, in the researcher’s view, as to students, especially when surrounded by competing time demands from a generally loaded school curriculum (Mwangi 2002).

Readiness of teachers in the careers’ education has its equal share of issues of concern in the local schools. Mwangi (2002) work on Education and Career Aspirations in Secondary Schools, observed that teachers had heavy teaching workloads and many students to attend to, leaving little or no time to offer substantial careers’ education. He noted that 65% of the students appeared not to have had specific orientation to careers, though, about half of them- career indecisiveness notwithstanding, dreamt of joining public universities. Another study by Osoro, Amundson&Borgen (2000) on Careers Decision-Making of High School Students in Nigeria, indicated that 85% of teachers were insufficiently prepared for career counselling work for students at secondary schools. This trickled down to a conclusion that most students at the university admissions point (commonly taunted as freshers by old peers), may have had no thorough careers education and consequently may have lacked specific career choices. The study at hand attempted to find out the genesis of this disconnect, in line with careers’ education resources at secondary schools.

Shifting focus from careers’ education in schools to employment patterns after school, Gati, Krausz&Osipow(1996) in their work on Difficulties in Career Decision Making, observed that shifts in employment structures, high levels of unemployment and changes in the composition of the labor force demanded that students make appropriate career choices. Dynamics in the labour markets on the other hand, were noted to be contributing to the puzzle of subject selection in the minds of students. In addition, fear of unemployment, especially with students at the brink of joining universities or tertiary institutions, seemed to compel the students to flock in the most marketable programs- at the expense of their own best-placed occupations. The study was therefore an attempt to examine and document the internal and external factors that influenced career decision-making processes in secondary schools in Nigeria, in light of this aforementioned scenario.

• Statement of the Problem

Students’ levels of decisiveness in career choices have generally been an issue of concern to many education stakeholders. An observation made by Maingi (2007), in a recently completed work on Certainty in Career Choices among Nigeriatta University Students, revealed that 63% of students who joined public Universities in Nigeria, through Joint Admissions Board (JAB), were hardly admitted to pursue degree programmes of their choices. These were fairly high figures, despite the fact that Career Guidance and Counselling have been on-going for over two decades in Nigeria secondary schools. Secondly, Mwangi’s (2002) work on Education and Career Aspirations in Secondary Schools, noted that 65% of students in secondary schools appeared not to have had specific orientation to careers, though, about 50%- career indecisiveness notwithstanding, dreamt of joining universities. Going a little further on this problem, Osoro, Amundson&Borgen (2000) work on Careers Decision- Making of High School Students, observed that 85% of career guidance teachers admitted to be insufficiently prepared for career counselling work. These observations suggested that either the career guidance in schools was malfunctioning or the Nigerian education system as a whole did not hold relevant elements that could enable students acquire pertinent careers education. From the above, it was evident that the nature of this discrepancy, needed to be comprehensively established for effective interventions to be put in place. Again, this was against the background that Counselling and Guidance Division has been in existence at Ministry of Education (MoE) in Nigeria to guide the counselling services at schools for over adecade.

• Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study was to investigate decisiveness in career choices        among secondary school students in Yenegoa in Local government area,Nigeria.

• Objectives of the Study

The study was specifically designed to:-

1. Determine the factors that influence career decisions among secondary school students in Yenegoa.
2. Establish and document students’ certainty levels in career choices in Yenegoa secondary schools.
3. To assess the preparedness of Yenegoa secondary schools in careers education.
4. To find out the views of the teachers and students on issues of careers’ education in secondary schools in Yenegoa.

• Research Questions

The proposed study sought to answer the following questions:-

1. What are the factors influencing decisions on career choices among students in Yenegoa secondary schools?
2. What is the state of students’ level of certainty in career choices?
3. What are the available career decision resources in Yenegoa schools?
4. How is the career guidance conducted in Yenegoa secondary schools?
5. What are the views of students and teachers on careers education in Yenegoa West secondary schools?

A STUDY OF THE DETERMINANTS OF VOCATIONAL CHOICE AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN OSUN STATE.

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