TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Approval Page ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgements iv
Table of Contents vi
List of Tables ix
Abstract x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study 1
Statement of the Problem 8
Research Questions 11
Research Hypotheses 12
Purpose of the Study 13
Significance of the Study 14
Operational Definition of Terms 16
Scope of the Study 17
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED
LITERATURE
Introduction 19
Concept
of Career and Career Development 20
Factors
Influencing Career Choice 28
Factor Affecting Career Choices among the Students
in Secondary Schools 34
Role Model and Parental Factors 36
Guidance
and Counselling in Nigeria 44
School
Counsellor 48
Roles of
Counsellors in Career Development 52
Appraisal of the Reviewed Related Literatures 59
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
Introduction 61
Research Design 61
Sample and Sampling Procedure 62
Instrumentation 64
Psychometric
Property of the Instrument 65
Validity
65
Reliability
65
Procedure
for Data Collection 65
Method
of Data Analysis 67
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS
Introduction 68
Demographic Data 68
Hypotheses Testing 73
Summary of Findings 77
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION,
AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
Introduction 79
Discussion 80
Conclusion 86
Implications
of the Findings 87
Recommendations 88
Suggestions for Further Studies 90
References 92
Appendix 96
LIST OF
TABLES
Table 1: Distribution of Respondents by Age, Gender,
Religion
and Class Level 69
Table 2: Means and Rank Order of Responses to the
Items
on the influence of guidance and
counselling
services on career choice of
students 71
Table 3: Mean, Standard Deviation and t-value
of
Respondents on the influence of guidance
and
counselling on career choice on the
basis
of gender 73
Table 4: ANOVA Result on the influence of
guidance and counselling on career
choice
on the basis of Religion 74
Table 5: Mean, Standard Deviation and t-value of
Respondents on the influence of
guidance
and counselling on career choice on the
basis of class level 75
Table 8: ANOVA Result on the Influence of guidance
and counselling on career choice on the
basis of age 76
ABSTRACT
This
study investigated the influence of Guidance and Counselling ion career choice
of secondary school students in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.
This research work was to assess the extent to which influence of Guidance and
Counselling has influenced in career choice of secondary school students in
Ekiti Local Government Area, Kwara State.
The
population sample was two hundred (200) students randomly selected from each
school in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State. The researcher’s designed
influence of Guidance and Counselling in carrier choice questionnaire (IGCCQ)
was used to collect data from the respondents. Four null hypotheses were
generated to guide the study.
The finding revealed that, age,
gender, religious and class level of respondents has the influence of guidance
and counselling in career choice of secondary school students in Ekiti Local
Government, Kwara State.
It was
recommended that practicing counsellors from all levels of institutions should
design individual and group counselling programmes for students to cater for
comprehensive and effective education for all level of institutions. Through
such programmes, students will be educated to appreciate good moral and stay
away from deviance behaviours in the school and outside the school. Also
indecent dressing should be discouraged and students should work harder and be
dedicated to their studies.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the
Study
Counselling
is a helping relationship in which one person endeavours to help another solve
his/her adjustment problems (English and English, 1971, cited in Okebiah and
Okorodudu, 2004). This helping relationship originated from the very discovery
that young people need to be guided in their career decision-making process.
Okobiah and Okorodudu (2004) emphasise that counselling is a person-to-person
process in which one person (the counselee is helped by another person (the
counsellor) to help, increase in understanding and ability to solve his/her
adjustment problems. They explained further that counselling requires a wide
range of activities which should start from the infant stage of the child
designed to aid individuals in solving their problems, the problems referred to
in counselling and mostly those of decision-making and developmental problems. One
of the benefits of counselling is that it helps the individual to develop,
sustain a career and be adjusted in life (Obiunu and Ebunu, 2010).
Career,
according to Okobiah and Okorodudu (2004), refers to a variety of work and
non-work situation which usually span through the entire life of an individual.
According to them, career is generally related to a pattern of decision,
transaction and adjustments which affects one’s of decision, transaction and
adjustments which affects one’s role in work, education family, community
development and leisure. The National Career Development Association (NCDA)
(2003) stated that career is the total of work. Paid and unpaid – one does in
his/her lifetime. Thus, career embraces a sequence of positions jobs or
occupations which an individual holds during his/her life time (Obiunu and
Ebunu, 2010).
Career
counselling is a field of counselling which gives relevant information
regarding different careers. It is a process of helping and enabling people in
their career development. Career counselling helps the students to select their
careers according to their choices and interests. Career counselling is now
being increasingly stressed as an integral part of education. According to
Francis (2010), career counselling involves three steps which are: self
analysis, occupational analysis, and true reasoning or counselling to relate
personal and occupational information.
One
major variable that affects how people choose their occupations is personality
traits. Holland (1987) argued that the choice of an occupation share similar
personality characteristics. Career interest is a second factor that affects
the choice of a career. An interest may be concerned in terms of an activity
which an individual engages in for the interest of it without deserving for an
external reward. The reward is in the performance of the activity the person
does (Lazarus, 2011).
Personality
and interest are not the only criteria for choosing a career. An individual’s
aptitude and intellectual abilities are equally of great importance. An
aptitude is a potential for success in an area after undergoing some training
but a layman may define aptitude as a flair for something. The context in which
people live, their personal aptitudes, and educational attainment are other
things that do influence people’s career choice (Bandura, Barbnaranelli,
Cafrara and Pastorelli, 2001).
Similarly,
skill and values also affect peoples’ choices. Values are the guiding
principles that are ordered in importance and serve as standards for judging
and justifiying actions (Schwartz, 1992). In addition, Osakunle and Adegoroye
(20080 identified factors that influence adolescents’ choice of career as: sex,
location of choice maker, environment, school influence (peer and curriculum
content), and religious affiliation, child rearing and family values.
In the
opinion of Morris and Levinson 91995): Pierce, McDdermolt and Butkus (2003),
although intelligence is associated with career maturity and the development of
decision making skills, factors other than skills, abilities, and personality
play a major role in career development and satisfaction for people with mental
retardation. Factors such as interests, social opportunities, emotional
rewards, and economic benefits influence career choices (of most adolescents,
including those with cognitive limitations) (Szymanski, Hershenson, Enright and
Ettinger, 1998).
In
addition, Krumboltz, Mitchell and Jones (1976) opined that there are four
factors that affect career choice of individuals, these are: genetic enrolment
and special abilities (such as race, gender, physical appearance and
characteristics), environmental conditions and events like social, cultural and
political, economic forces; natural forces and natural resources), learning
experiences (instrumental learning experience which consists of preceding
circumnstances.sti1mulus; behavioural responses (overt and covert);
consequences, associative learning experience, and task approach skills
(personal standards of performance; work habits, emotional responses).
Fundamentally,
the goal of guidance and counselling is to make it possible for an individual
to see and explore his or her unlimited endowed options. Many scholars such as
Odeck (1999), Ipaye, (1995), Makinde (1981) opined that the major service areas
of guidance and counselling which assists students in their curriculum and
school life choices, vocational guidance and counselling which assists the
individual to choose and prepare for an occupation that is compatible with his
interests and aptitudes, and personal and social guidance and counselling which
assists the individual to behave appropriately in relation to other members of
the society.
As
part of vocational guidance and counselling programme, career development
enables guidance counselors to assist individuals to identify and learn the skills
by which they can be more effective in planning for and choosing jobs, in
making effective transitions effectively. Career development, for most people,
is a life long process of engaging the work world through choosing among
employment opportunities made available to them. It is a process of getting
ready to choose, choosing, and continuing to make choices (Brown, Brooks, and
Associates, 1996).
The
National Career Development Association (NCDA) (1993) noted, helping
individuals increase self-understanding of their abilities, interests, values,
and goals is a vital foundation of the career development process (p.2). The
NCDA suggested that career development activities help students develop
positive work habits (for example, organization, following directions,
completing assignments on time), set goals, make informed decisions, identify
interests and abilities and explore jobs (for example, job shadowing and
apprenticeships).
From
the foregoing, the factors influencing career choices include psychological,
sociological, physical, economic, educational and choice factors. It should be
noted that the roles of guidance and counselling on career choices of the
secondary school students cannot be overemphasized.
Statement
of Problem
A major turning point in adolescents’ lives involves the career choice
that they make while in senior secondary school. Frequently, it is viewed by
family and community as a mere start to workplace readiness; however, this
decision plays a major role in establishing youth in a career path that opens
as well as closes opportunities (Lazarus, 2011).
Essentially,
parental influence has been influated in the career choice of children (Roe
1987, Adigwe 1981, Okeke 1996, Gesinde 1986). Okeke for example also studied
the relationship between parental occupations and their children’s occupational
preferences. Okeke found that 60% of the children were willing to take after
their fathers’ occupations (medicine) while 23% were willing to follow their
mother’s occupations (nursing). Gesinde on other hand posits that parents
influence is much more intricate and more pervasive that is shown, students of
secondary schools are often not aware of these influences and may accept the
choice of their parents as theirs. The situation owes its origin to early
childhood when the child grabs his parent’s attitude towards different
vocations. A conflict therefore occurs when the child submits to his parent’s
choice while at the same time deeply resenting his submissions as he becomes
aware of his loss of independence and finds his area of interest (Gesinde,
1986).
Peer
groups also have influence on the occupation choice of students. In his view
Hinchilife (1973) observes that friends are important factor in the career
choice of adolescents. Durojaiye (1970) also found that 76.6% of the pupils he
studied said that their classmates would be employed in professional
occupations just like them; while 24% said that their choosen jobs would be same
as those of their friends.
Interest
is also a significant factor in students’ vocational choice. Owie (2003)
advanced the position that the most important reason why a person chooses a
particular career is that the person has intrinsic interest in the field, while
this may be highly influenced by prior academic achievement.
Moreover,
Gesinde’s (1978) study showed that gender plays an important role in
determining the career preferences of students. Other research findings which support
gender differences in career preferences and choices include the works of Yuh
(1980) who in her study of some correlates of vocational orientations of some
Nigerian Secondary students discovered that significantly, more male students
preferred realistic, investigative and enterprising careers than females.
Thus,
the problem of the study is that some secondary school students are not able to
make appropriate career ch1oices due to a number of factors that affect their
career development process. This study investigated the influence of guidance
and counselling on career choices among the secondary school student in Ekiti
Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Research
questions
The
following research questions are generated for the study which the researcher
intends to answer:
(1)
What is the
influence of guidance and counselling on career choice of secondary school
students?
(2)
Is there any
significant difference in the expression of secondary school students on the
influence of guidance and counselling on career choices on the basis of sex?
(3)
Is there any
significant difference in the expression of secondary school students on the
influence of guidance and counselling on career choices on the basis of class
level?
(4)
Is there any
significant difference in the expression of secondary school students on the
influence of guidance and counselling on career choices on the basis of age?
(5)
Is there any
significant difference in the expression of secondary school students on the
influence of guidance and counselling on career choices on the basis of
religion?
Research
Hypotheses
From the questions stated above, the following null hypotheses have been
formulated:
(1)
There is no
significant difference in the expression of secondary school students on the
influence of guidance and counselling on career choices on the basis of sex.
(2)
There is no
significant difference in the expression of secondary school students on the
influence of guidance and counselling on career choices on the basis of class
level.
(3)
There is no
significant difference in the expression of secondary school students on the
influence of guidance and counselling on career choices on the basis of age.
(4)
There is no
significant difference in the expression of secondary school students on the
influence of guidance and counselling on career choices on the basis of
religion.
Purpose
of the Study
The purpose of the study is to investigate the view of secondary school
students on the influence of guidance and counselling on career choices. In the
course of this research work, variables such as age, religion, sex and class
levels are considered whether they have direct significant impacts on the
influence of guidance and counselling on career choices as expressed by the
respondents.
Significance
of the Study
This study is highly imperative to the secondary school students because
it will enable them to know various career choices in our contemporary world.
In other words, it will enlighten and sensitize them on various career options
and determinants of careers choices in our society. Therefore, the problem of
wrong and ill-informed career choices will be addressed, because the students
will be more informed and sensitized by this empirical study.
Moreover,
this study will be highly useful to the school administrators in the area of
planning and curricular development in schools. It will enlighten them on the
relevance and importance of guidance and counselling on career choices among
the students in secondary schools. Therefore, emphasis will be placed on guidance
and counselling as an important mechanism for career guidance and development.
Subsequently,
this study is fundamental because it will enlighten the parents on various
career options for their children or wards ad various determinants of career
choices. This will enable them to properly guide their children and wards
towards making an informed career option or choice because teachers or school
counsellor cannot do it alone; it is a collective responsibility.
Lastly,
this study is highly imperative to the Ministry of Education in their
formulation of career guidance programs for the secondary school students, such
programs may include sponsoring workshops, classes, focus groups and special
presentations that focus on job skills and personal development. Also, job
shadowing arrangement, work placement and community based learning programs.
Operational
Definition of Terms
For
the purpose of clarity, the following terms are operationally defined as used
in this study:
Career
Choices and Options: Career
options are series of jobs that are available for people to choose such as
medicine, law, engineering, pharmacist, teacher. This can also mean career
option. Therefore, career choices can be referred to as the picking of a job
out of various career options available.
Career
Guidance: Career guidance means those
programs aimed to help students make more informed and better educational and
career choices.
Career:
Career is the series of jobs that
a person in a particular area of work, usually involving more responsibility as
time passes. In other words, the period of time that someone spends in his/her
life working or doing a particular thing.
Counselling:
Counselling can be defined,
according to how it is used in the study, as the professional advice about a
problem such as on career choices.
Guidance:
Guidance, according to the study,
means help or advice that is given to somebody, especially by somebody older or
with more experience.
School
Counsellor: A school
counsellor is a counsellor who works in elementary, middle and secondary
schools to provide academic career, college access and personal/social competencies
to students.
Scope
of the Study
This
research work is designed to find the influence of guidance and counselling on
career choices in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State as express by
secondary school students. All the secondary school students of the area are
the target population but 100 respondents are selected to participate in the
study. In the course of the research work, considered whether they have direct
significant impacts on the influence of guidance and counselling on career
choices as expressed by the respondents. Questionnaire technique will be used
to collect the information/data from the respondents.
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