ABSTRACT
This study sought to examine the
motivational factors and vocational preference of secondary school adolescents.
Four research questions and two null hypotheses were generated to guide the
study. The design of the study was a descriptive survey design. The sample
consisted of 349 Senior Secondary School (SSS) III students in the secondary
school in Onitsha Education Zone of Anambra State. The instrument used for the
study was vocational interest and motivational factor questionnaire (VIMFQ).
Means, standard deviation, chi-square test were used to analyze the data. Major
findings of the study showed that there was a significant difference between
male and female students who showed preferences to various vocational areas;
there was a significant difference between urban and rural students who showed
preferences to various vocational areas; the male and female students are
motivated by external influences to a low extent, rewards/benefits, self
expression values and people oriented motivated them in their choice of a
vocation to a great extent, the urban students are motivated by external
influence to a low extent while rural students are influenced to a great
extent; rewards/benefits, self-expression values and people oriented values
motivated both urban and rural students to a great extent. Based on these
findings, conclusions were drawn and the educational implications were
extensively discussed. Among the recommendations made were that more
professional guidance counsellors should be posted to schools to perform
functions like providing students with vocational information, helping students
to identify their interest, capabilities and abilities in relation to their
vocational choices. counsellors should guide the students in selection of
school subjects which are related to their area of aspiration than allowing
non-professionals to remain in that Post. Teachers should emphasis during their
lesson, the career implications of subjects so that students will see how
individual subjects relate to existing careers thus increasing their knowledge of occupations.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
In a
developing country like Nigeria which is at the verge of changing from a
traditionally agricultural country to an industrial one, the choice of a
vocation is a complex task. The longer years of apprenticeship to the family
trade such as weaving, carving and fishing are being replaced by years of
formal education in primary and secondary school with resultant effect that the
children may not take up their parents’ trade.
Vocation
is an activity, trade or occupation and others constituting a life style
expressed in time, energy and activity (Oladele, 2002). It simply refers to a
type work or way of life that an individual believes he or she is specially
suited for. Vocation can be said to reflect one’s calling to a particular
business or profession. It is an occupation to which an individual’s life is
committed to and has inherent liking and feeling for the work (Eze, 2010). For
the purpose of this study vocation is a profession, occupation, employment by
which one earns his living especially one for which he has a period of training
in an institution or through apprenticeship.
Occupation
was classified into different categories. Classification of occupation is very
important to every nation especially a developing nation like
Nigeria (Omeje, 2007). He added that people need to have the knowledge and
information on national manpower resources, requirements, analysis, trends in
employment and unemployment. The occupational category according to Ochiagha
(1995) include the following areas, professional occupations (medicine, law,
clergy, teaching, counselling, psychology, pharmacy, nursing, engineering),
managerial occupation (heads of state, state governors, federal ministers,
directors, managers, proprietors) business occupations (accounting, insurance,
salesmanship, banking marketing) clerical occupations (cashiers, typists, book
keepers, tax collectors, receptionists) agricultural occupations (farmers, farm
managers, agricultural extension officers, palm wine tapers and palm
harvesters) technological occupations (agriculture and food technicians,
engineering and science technicians, air plane technicians) skilled/semiskilled
occupations (photography, plumbing works, printing, hair dressing/barking,
computer operator). Apprenticeship occupations (welders, electricians, cabinet
makers, vulcanizers, fashion designers, goldsmiths) service occupations
(waiters/waitresses, cooks in hotels, security men, firemen, army, naval force,
police force, air force) unskilled labourers (farm labourers, cleaners. The
choice of a vocation therefore is one of the most important decisions one makes
in life.
The issue of vocational preference has attracted the interest of many
individuals and government. Vocational preference or choice is a developmental
process and spans almost through person’s life time (Ohiwerei and Nwosu, 2009).
The choice determines satisfaction one expects to get from his work and the
opportunities he has for promotion and advancement. Individual social status,
income, life style, choice of friends, mental and physical health is influenced
by the type of work he or she does. In other words a person’s vocational choice
or preference plays an important role in his entire life. It has been observed
by (Kemjika, 1995) that most student have insufficient information about
different jobs, courses of study and other activities. They are thus unable to judge
whether their choices are reasonable. Without detailed and adequate information
about occupations, students many jump blindly into jobs to become frustrated
and unhappy later in life and perhaps at such times when a retreat would no
longer be easy or possible (Omeje, 2007).
There
are so many sources from which individuals could get vocational information.
They could be sourced from staff or ministries, government organization at
various level of government, journals, bulletins, through radio, television and
other media source. The locations of the school in urban or rural areas have
influence on vocational preferences of individuals.
Schools in the rural areas has limited source of information. The level of
exposure of students in the urban area is higher and more in number than that
of students in the rural area, therefore, the experience they gather in their
different areas or societies will influence their vocational interest
especially after secondary education (Kemjika, 1995).
The
Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN, 2004:18) documented in her National Policy
on Education that secondary education is the education children receive after
primary school and before the tertiary stage. The broad goals of secondary
education shall be to prepare the individual for
· Useful living within the society and
· Higher education
In Nigeria and beyond, boys and
girls choose their vocation when they are in secondary school. This is mostly
in the adolescence stage of their development. The adolescence period is
characterized by both physiological and psychological changes in the body. It
begins when an individual attains sexual maturity and stops when independence
from adult authority is legally assured.
Adolescence
is a period of life during which the growing individual makes a transition from
childhood to adulthood (Izundu, 1991). The length of this period varies with
differing culture. In Nigeria, this stage could be......
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