THE EFFECT OF CAREER CHOICE ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Career selection is one of the main important choice in students plans. This choice of decision will have impact on them throughout their lives. The essence of who the students are, will revolve around what the students wants to do with his or her choice of career. The oxford advanced learners dictionary, 6th edition of current English defines choice as the right to choose or the possibility of choosing and also defines career as a job or profession especially one with opportunities for promotion. According to Johnson (1976) defined career as ones lifework in order words, career is ones profession which includes a number of occupation, vocations or jobs one person engage in during his or her working life. Career is the course of events that constitute a life, the sequence of occupations and other life roles which combine express ones commitment to work in his or her total pattern of self development.

Parents’ educational and occupational background may affect students choice of career because some students may contemplate on whether to continue with their parents occupation or not. What the students see in the television also may affect their career choice some careers demand that you have the personality to match the qualities of the occupation. For these reasons the necessity of a guidance counsellor on schools cannot be over emphasized. A career guidance counsellor is needed to unreliable and dangerous source in search of career information such as culture peer groups which can lead to their graduating into armed robbery and other criminal business unintentionally. This study will be carried out in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State will be useful to the guidance counsellors in assisting senior students in their career also help the ministry of education in curriculum planning to widen the students career choice opportunities through curriculum content of educational system.

According to National Policy on Education, a school is incomplete without a counsellor’s office. If you are teaching biology and the child does not understand it, there must be problems that need to be sported out. It could be psychological problems that are affecting the child’s concentration. Until you solve that problem, the child may not make any progress. Both the public and private schools need progress. Even tertiary institutions need counsellors. Everybody needs counselling.

The factors that may influence choice of career include;

i.                    Socio economic factors

ii.                 Personal or family factors

iii.               Cultural factors which include schools, peer group and age groups.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Parental influence in making right career choices when you talk about career or career information, parent can contribute, but the final decision is taken by the chooser. Upsurge in deviant behaviour among pupils the blame goes to us, the mothers of these children our mothers labored to bring the children up. Both the present generation of mothers have allowed their homes to fall. If homes are in ruins and you engage a counsellor in the school to talk to these children, the impact would not make much difference. On the other hand, children from stable homes are more disposed to gain from the school counsellor. I believe a counsellor can feel the vacuum created by the negligence of some parents to cater for their children, but the result is often exceptionally wonderful roles. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY 

            The main purpose of the study is an attempt to examine the effect the choice of career among secondary school students in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State. It will also examine what extent the factors affecting the choice of career will aid the students positive or at times negatively.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS 

1.                  Is there any need for learning career choice in senior secondary school?

2.                  Are students choice of career influenced by their peer group?

3.                  Is there reasons for reading career choice in schools, is it of benefit to the students?

4.                  Does career choice affect the academic performance of students?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY  

            The importance of this research work is to find to what extent the factors affecting choice will influence the students choice of career and the attendance performance of students on the subject’s that would lead them successfully towards this occupation as a life time endeavour.

a.                        It will enable the researcher give recommendations to the students on their choice of career.

b.                        It will enable the researcher make necessary recommendations to the parents about their children mildness to advice given to them on their choice of career.

c.                        It will enable the researcher make recommendations to school administrations.

d.                        It will enable the researcher make concrete recommendations to the government about the choice of career among secondary schools students especially now that the rate of unemployment is high.

SCOPE  OF THE STUDY  

            The research work limits itself to effect the choice of career among secondary schools students in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State.

This research will cover five randomly selected secondary schools in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State. Four of which are public and one is private. The schools randomly selected include the followings.

1.                  Iyoba Girls College

2.                  Uselu Secondary School

3.                  Uwagboe Secondary School

4.                  Technical College

5.                  Adolor College

DEFINITION OF TERMS   

CAREER - A chosen pursuit or course of business activity or enterprise, especially one's professional life or employment that offers advancement and honour.

EFFECT – To produce a change in somebody or something.

INFLUENCE- The power that somebody or something has a mark somebody or something behind a particular way of the influence a parents on choice of career of their children.

PROSPECT: The chances of being successful good job/employment/career prospect.

SCHOOL: The school is a place where children need to be educated. The process of learning in a school; the time during your life when you go to school.

EXAMINATION – A formal written spoken or practical test, especially at school or colleges to see how much you know about a subject or what you can do to take an exam (forma) to sit for an exam to pass so fat an exam.

SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS: These students general are in the average age range of 15-18 years and they are in SSS 1-SSS 3 classes.

GOVERNMENT: The group of people who govern a country or a state.