showed that students' choice of business education as a career can he ... R. P. I. UKWUIJEis an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational.
AFRICAN JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES, VOL. 2, NOS. I & 2: JULY, 2001
SOME FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR STUDENTS’ CHOICE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AS A CAREER BY W. J. UBULOM1 DR. R. P. I. UKWUIJE2& DR. K. C. UZOESHI3 ABSTRACT This study has designed to investigate ‘whether or no some variables such as psychological, physiological and sociological factors have significant influence on students’ choice of Business Education as a career. One hundred and fifty (150) undergraduates of the three (3) tertiary institutions located in Rivers State, Nigeria were involved in the study as respondents. The results showed that students’ choice of business education as a career can he significantly influenced by psychological and physiological factors but cannot be significance influenced by sociological factors. Students should engage guidance counselors to help students in their career choices. Students should be encouraged to good counseling before making the of career choices (African Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 2, Nos. I & 2: July, 2001). INTRODUCTION Choice of a career in one’s life is dependent on certain variables. In developed societies, it is based on results of certain psychological tests, which reveal the individuals potential for a particular career. However, in most third world countries (Nigeria inclusive) majority of the youths select their careers out of ignorance. These youths no doubt, are not well informed on such careers until they discover that they have made a major mistake, which cannot be easily corrected. Some of them are influenced by certain factors within their immediate environment (that is, their parents. pears. socio-economic status, family occupational stereotype etc.) on their choice of career. Making right choice of a career is not possible with the absence of career education. Career education is an educational philosophy. According to Osuala (1987), it is a commitment to the preposition that the first priority in education is to prepare people for useful and productive employment and personal fulfillment through work and work-relaxed activities. Ubulom (1990) and Wali (1996) found in their studies that parent’s occupation and socioeconomic background affect their children’s attitudes toward secretarial career. On the other hand, Morrish (1980) noted that peer group provides the norms or standards of thought and behaviour to he pursued by its members and established the attitudes, opinion and cultural ideas, which they are expected to adopt. Academic performance of some students of Business Education in some tertiary institutions raises the suspicion as to whether these students had the interest and potentials for Business Education or whether they are in the programme because they had no other option. One of the indices of career choice is that when a person makes the right choice of a career based on his talent, then he is bound to succeed. However, when a person performs unexpectedly below certain standard, one is bound to ask whether he or she has the potentials for such a career. This is because as observed by Akobo (1998) aspiration and choice of vocation is one of the numerous individual’s life resolutions, which entails deliberation, weighing and seeing of preferences and expectations and conclusively making a far reaching decision. Olutola (1986) noted that one fact about career choice is simply that a person becomes a medical doctor, a lawyer or an architect as a function of
the history of his development, his capabilities and a great variety of inherited and personal depositions. Wrong career choice most often leads to low productivity, poor academic achievement and job dissatisfaction. Several factors have been known to affect students’ career choice. These include parental influence, peer group influence, financial reward, personality characteristics, religion influence, psychological determiners such as talents, school achievement and confidence, etc. 1
W. J. Ubulom is a PhD Research Scholar in the Sub- Department of Science Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria 2 DR. R. P. I. UKWUIJEis an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, Guidance and Counseling, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria 3 DR. K. C. UZOESHI is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Educational Psychology, Guidance and Counseling, Rivers State College of Education, Port Harcourt, Nigeria W. J. UBULOM1 DR. R. P. I. UKWUIJE2& DR. K. C. UZOESHI3 - SOME FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR STUDENTS’ CHOICE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AS A CAREER
There is no doubt that when vocational choice is made based on interest and talent, it leads to greater achievement and efficiency. In Nigeria, most adolescents make career choice not because of their potentials for the career, but because of other extrinsic factors such as the income level, prestige and most often parental influence. In situations where career choices are made based on extrinsic factors, there is always failure occasioned with some psychological imbalance. The problem of this study therefore was to find out whether psychological, physiological and sociological factors are responsible for students’ choice of business education in selected tertiary institutions in Rivers State or not. In the course of this study, the following null hypotheses are therefore postulated and tested: HO1: Students’ choice of business education as a career is not significantly influenced by psychological factors. HO2: Students’ choice of business education as a career is not significantly influenced by physiological factors. HO3: Students’ choice of business education as a career is not significantly influenced by sociological factors. METHOD The target population was all undergraduates of the Department of Business Education of the three tertiary institutions in Rivers State; namely, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Rivers State College of Education, Port Harcourt and Federal College of Education (Technical), Omoku. A stratified random sampling method was adopted to select fifty (50) students (respondents) from each of the three (3) tertiary institutions. A total sample size of one hundred and fifty (150) (that is, 75 male, 75 female students were used as respondents to the research instruments. A self-designed Business Education Students’ Career Choice Inventory (BESC2I) was the instrument used to gather that. The instrument was based on the Likert type of scale. Items were constructed to elicit information from respondents on three (3) attributes, namely psychological, physiological and sociological factors. In all, there were forty-five (45) items in the questionnaire. The items were evenly distributed into the identified three (3) areas.
Some of the statements were positive and others were negative. For scoring, items which were positively framed have scores ranging from 5 to 1 while negatively framed ones have reversed scores from I to 5. The five-point scale is Strongly Agree (SA). Agree (A) Undecided (U). Disagree (D) and Strongly Disagree (SD). In measuring students’ career choice in Business Education, scores obtained from the questionnaire ranging from 0-2.50 represent wrong and 2.51-5.00 represent right choice of career in business education. The total scores were determined by adding the index of the Business Education Students’ Career Choice. An expert group in the field validated the research instrument. The reliability of the research instrument was ascertained with the use of test-retest procedure with reliability co-efficient of 0.76, thus showing its adequacy. RESULTS The data of this study were analyzed by statistically testing the stated three hypotheses at the 5% level of significance, using t-test. Hypothesis I: Students’ choice of Business Education as a career is not significantly influenced by psychological factors.
AFRICAN JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES, VOL. 2, NOS. I & 2: JULY, 2001 W. J. UBULOM1 DR. R. P. I. UKWUIJE2& DR. K. C. UZOESHI3 - SOME FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR STUDENTS’ CHOICE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AS A CAREER
With N = 150, df = 148 and P < 0.05, the calculated t-test was 2.2854 and the critical value of ttest was ±1.980. The calculated t-test is statistically significant at p = 0.05 since it is greater than the critical value of t-test. The hypothesis (HO1) is thus, not accepted and the conclusion is that students choice of Business Education as a career is significantly influenced by psychological factors. Hypothesis 2: Students’ choice of Business education as a career is not significantly influenced by physiological factors.
With N = 150. df= 148 and P < 05, the calculated t-test was 2.1481 and the critical value of t-test was ±1.980. The calculated 1-test is statistically significant at p = 0.05 since it is greater than the critical value t-test. The hypothesis (HO2) is thus, not accepted and the conclusion is that student choice of Business Education as a career is significantly influenced by physiological factors Hypothesis 3: Students’ choice of Business Education as a career is not significantly influenced by sociological factors.
With N = 150. df= 148 and P >0.05, the calculated t-test was 1.9184 and the critical value of 1test was ±1.980. The calculated t-test is not statistically significant at P = 0.5 since it is less than the critical value of t-test. The hypothesis (HO3) is thus, accepted and the conclusion is that students’ choice of Business Education as a career is not significantly influenced by sociological factors. DISCUSSION This results of this study show that the mean scores of male and female respondents are continued on Tables 1, 2 and 3 fall within 2.51 - 5,00 range, representing that they have made the right choice of choosing Business Education as their career. This implies that the greater percentage of those who studied and are studying Business Education have made the right choice of life career. AFRICAN JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES, VOL. 2, NOS. I & 2: JULY, 2001 W. J. UBULOM1 DR. R. P. I. UKWUIJE2& DR. K. C. UZOESHI3 - SOME FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR STUDENTS’ CHOICE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AS A CAREER
The researchers discovered that students’ choice of Business Education as a career is significant being influenced by psychological factors. The result of this study was consistent with the finding of Onyejiaku (1987) who found that about fifty percent of the students the studied stated that they were influenced by personal interest or liking or attraction to occupation. Also, the present finding is in agreement with Megweffin (1958) as cited by Wali (1996) that discovered that there is indication that youths first express interest in those occupations which have natural attraction to them.
The result of the study reveals that students’ significantly are being influenced by physiological factors. The finding corroborates with that of Achebe (1972), who discovered that family and job prestige influence students’ choice of vocation, and that girls tend to choose more middle level jobs than boys. Also, the result is in line with the view of studies have given ample evidence to show that vocational interests of boys and girls are generally characteristics of either sex. In a recent study, Ubulom (1999) found out that students’ choice of career is significantly being influenced by their sex. The result of the study indicates that students’ choice of Business Education, as a career is not significantly being influenced by sociological factors. The finding is similar to the result of Ubulom (1999) who discovered that students’ choice of career is not significantly being influenced by their parents’ economic in consistent with the observation of Dole (1964) as cited by Ubulom (1990) that such sociological characteristics as social class, father’s occupation parental education, family income, natural, ethical and religious background and place of residence are closely associated with both vocational and. educational choice. The finding is also inconsistent with that of Ubulom (1990) who discovered that parents’ economic background and social status affect their choice of career. Furthermore, the result does not support the assertion of Gesinde (1986) that parents’ occupations affect their children in the choice of career, and the finding of Osuji (1974), who discovered that those whose fathers were of higher status jobs choose mainly jobs that carried similar status. IMPLICATIONS The educational implication of the findings of this study is that students should take into consideration psychological and physiological factors while choosing business education as a career. This is because these factors influence students’ choice of business education as a career. Another implication of the finding of this study is that since sociological factors do not influence students’ choice of Business Education as a career. It means that factors such as the family, the school, church, the peer groups and labour market conditions may no longer have strong influence on students’ choice of career. Another educational implication of the findings of this study is that students should be guided by their teachers and guidance counselors in the course of making their career choices. This will enable them make the right career choices according to their talents and ability. CONCLUSION It is glaring that psychological and physiological factors have influence on students’ choice of Business Education as or career. This indicates that in making career choice, students should examine psychological and physiological factors critically in order to take decision on the careers choice that match with their talents and ability. This is because poor choice of career could lead to many negative events such as school dropout, poor academic performance and low self-concept in academic work. One interesting finding of this study is that sociological factors had no influence on students’ choice of career. It is advocated that secondary schools should employ qualified guidance counselors who would help students in their career choices in order to match with their talents and ability. Students on their part should be encouraged to go for counseling before making their career choices. Students of Business Education should bear in mind that no particular career is meant for a type of gender
AFRICAN JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES, VOL. 2, NOS. I & 2: JULY, 2001 W. J. UBULOM1 DR. R. P. I. UKWUIJE2& DR. K. C. UZOESHI3 - SOME FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR STUDENTS’ CHOICE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AS A CAREER
REFERENCES Achebe. E. C. (1 972). Vocational aspiration of secondary school students of the East Central Slate. Nigeria. Unpublished Master’s Thesis, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Akobo. 1. S. (1995). Factors that influence occupational Choice among secondary School Students in Port Harcourt Local Government Area.Unpublished B.Ed. Thesis.University of Ibadan. Gesinde, S. A.(1986).Vocational theories as applied to the Nigerian cultural background. In Ipaye.Tunde (ed.), Educational and vocational guidance: Concept and approaches. Ibadan: University of Ife Press Ltd. Morrish, I. (1980).The Sociology of Education.An Introduction. London: George Allen and Uwin. Olutola.A. (1986).Career choice. In Ipaye Tunde (ed.) Educational and vocational guidance: Concepts and approaches. Ibadan: University of Ife Press Ltd. Onyejiaku. F. O. (1987). Careers guidance and counseling services in schools, Calabar: Wusen Press Ltd. Osuala, E. C. (1987). Foundations of vocational education: A behavioural objective approach. Calabar Centaur Press Limited. Osuji. O. N. (1974). Urban, rural and socio-economic influence on patterns of vocational choice among post primary pupils and its manpower implications.Lagos Nigeria: Economic Development Institute Publication. Ubulom, W. J. (1999). Some factors influencing students’ choice of career. Port Harcourt Journal of Psychology and Counseling. 5, 55 - 62. Ubulom, W. J. (1990). Analysis of students towards secretarial career.a survey of quality ranking of courses in Rivers State University of Science and Technology. Nkpolu. Port Harcourt.Unpublished B.Sc. Thesis.Rivers State University of Science and Technology. Port Harcourt. Wali G. C. (1996). Analysis of students’ attitude to and academic achievement in secretarial studies in Rivers State Polytechnic.Unpublished HND Thesis, Rivers Polytechnic. Bori.
