THE IMPACT OF PARENTS WORK AND EDUCATION ON STUDENTS CAREER CHOICES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

THE IMPACT OF PARENTS WORK AND EDUCATION ON STUDENTS CAREER CHOICES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

CHAPITER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 THE STUDY’S BACKGROUND

Children’s ability to comprehend reality develops in the familial environment. (1996, Passman & Wary). In interpreting information about the outside world and children’s capacities for early children, parents play a crucial role. Hall, Kelly, Hasen, and Vulwein with Vulwein (1996). Family factors play a significant role in preparing students for their future employment as workers. Young people’s interactions with their families have an impact on how they view employment and professional growth. The students’ family background affects their career planning and decision-making. However, the level of interaction within each family can either be very advantageous or very destructive. It has been established that parental socioeconomic status (SES), educational attainment, and biogenetic traits including physique, gender, aptitude, and temperament are all related to career choice. In a study of teenage vocational development, Pamic & Tepson (1992) discovered that schooling had the most impact on educational ambitions and career aspirations. According to Montgomery (1992), brilliant mathematicians see their career decisions as a reflection of their upbringing, influences, and educational opportunities. De Piddeo (1990) points out that an adolescent’s choice of career might be influenced by the educational level of their parents. Being a bom to parents with insufficient financial and educational resources reduces the likelihood that the child will attend college or realize their professional and vocational goals and, in essence, predetermines their future choice.

Another aspect of a student’s family background that influences career choice is the family’s level of money. According to Mortimer (1992), one explanation for this is that families with limited financial resources tend to guide their children, with older children giving younger children less hope and encouragement. As a result, it is recognised that children’s career prospects depend on the financial support their parents may be able to provide.

In general, Hairston (2000) contends in “the family role in professional development” that parents’ professional goals help kids choose career goals, shaping their perception of vocations and acquainting them with professional obligations and requirements. In agreement, Lee (1999) claims that while parents’ value orientation offers the learning environment that fosters children’s aspirations, their occupational orientation familiarizes youngsters with occupational activities. In Nigeria, it is generally acknowledged that some professions, like medicine, engineering, architecture, and law, fetch a higher salary than others, including teaching, carpentry, and farming. According to that illustration, some professions are respectable while others are humiliating. A number of factors, such as psychological, social, educational, economic, and parental employment status, moderate these effects.

SITUATION OF THE PROBLEM

The influence of parents on their children’s career decisions is frequently acknowledged (Lee, 1999). Additionally, it is believed that parents’ profession choices in secondary school are influenced by their high-earning and/or high-status jobs. Parents also have an impact on their children’s interests and career development through early socialization. Ayo (2009) contends that parents usually exert influence over their kids’ career decisions without taking their competence into account. Similar to this, occasionally teachers would urge pupils to choose jobs that are not best for them. In that regard, students might be persuaded to choose careers in which they lack interest or aptitude only because they are well-paid or hold positions of authority in society. The purpose of this study is to investigate the validity of the relationship between parental wealth, academic success, and gender socialization and students’ career choices.

1.3 STUDY’S OBJECTIVES

This study’s major goal is to investigate the effects of parental employment and educational attainment on secondary school students’ career decisions. The following are additional study goals:

i. To ascertain the degree to which parents’ jobs influence their children’s secondary school career decisions.

ii. To ascertain the degree to which parents’ levels of education influence their children’s secondary school career decisions.

iii. To ascertain whether academic performance is impacted by parents’ jobs on their children’s career decisions in secondary schools.

iv. To ascertain whether the influence of parents’ educational backgrounds on their children’s secondary school career decisions has an effect on academic achievement.

1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH

In this investigation, the following research queries will be addressed:

i. How much do secondary school pupils’ career decisions in relation to their parents’ jobs?

ii. How much do students’ secondary school job choices depend on their parents’ education?

iii. Does a student’s profession decision in secondary school have an impact on their academic performance?

iv. Does a student’s academic performance in secondary schools depend on the employment choices their parents make?

1.5 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER STUDIES

The following will be significantly impacted by the study’s findings:

1. The Students: Students will benefit since they will have a better awareness of the different factors that affect their choice of career. Students will also learn about careers and things to think about when choosing.

2. The Parents: It will give parents knowledge of how their jobs and personal struggles influence their kids’ professional choices. Parents will learn about their role in making career decisions as well as how to best prepare their kids for work-related tasks.

3. The Teacher: This research will help teachers identify kids’ talents and strengths and decide how to guide or dissuade them from pursuing their many career options. The study will help the instructor comprehend what a profession is, the many factors influencing her students’ career decisions, and when to support them.

4. The researcher: This study will act as a starting point for subsequent research. When this project is finished, it is hoped that the results will benefit the government, curriculum designers, and the entire society.

1.6 THE STUDY’S SCOPE

The primary focus of this study is on how parents’ careers and educational backgrounds affect secondary school adolescents’ career decisions. The specific goals of this study are to ascertain the degree to which parents’ jobs influence their children’s career decisions in secondary schools, the degree to which parents’ education influences their children’s career decisions in secondary schools, and whether the influence of parents’ jobs on their children’s career decisions in secondary schools affects academic performance.

The respondents for this study’s survey would be the teachers and students of particular secondary schools in Abuja.

Limitations of the study: 1.7

The primary goal of this study is to determine how parental employment and educational status affect secondary school children’ career decisions. The specific goals of this study are to ascertain the degree to which parents’ jobs influence students’ career decisions in secondary schools, the degree to which parents’ education influences students’ career decisions in secondary schools, whether the influence of parents’ jobs on students’ career decisions in secondary schools has an impact on academic performance, and whether the influence of parents’ education on students’ career decisions in secondary schools has an impact.

The respondents for this study’s survey will be teachers and students at particular secondary schools in Abuja, so the sample size was constrained because so few people were chosen to respond to the questionnaire. As a result, the findings cannot be applied to secondary schools in other cities.

The researcher also ran into some logistical and budgetary issues, but was able to sort them out because the study turned out to be effective.

1.8 TERM DEFINITION

Impact: A noticeable outcome or effect

A career is chosen based on a variety of variables, including parental assistance, vocational guidance, identification with role models, trial or part-time employment, training possibilities, individual interests, and aptitude testing.