Career Choice in Home Economics

Everyone should eave an honest occupation" (Rosenstein & Steinberg, cited in O'Brien, 1996, p. 3). Every student carries the unique history of their past and this determines how they view the world. That history created, in part by the student's environment, personality, and opportunity, will determine how students make career choices. It then follows that how the student perceives their environment, personality, and opportunity also will determine the career choices students make. Factors in Career Choice The first factor in career choice, environment, may influence the career students choose.

For example, students who have lived on an island may choose a career dealing with the water, or they may choose to leave the island behind, never to have anything to do with water again. Maybe someone in the student's life has made a significant impact or impression, leading to a definite career choice. Parents' educational background may influence student views on whether or not to continue their education. Someone they saw on television may have influenced the student,or parents may have demanded that they assume a family business. These are various environmental factors that would lead a student to a chosen career.

How students have seen themselves in a role in which personality is a determining factor may influence a chosen career. Some careers demand that you have the personality to match the qualities of the occupation. For example, sales people have to be outgoing. Speller (1977) said "personality' plays an important role in the choosing of the right career. A student's personality must be a self-motivated type, as to investigate career possibilities from early on in their lives, and not the procrastinating type that waits until they are compelled to decide.

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Students must take seriously the role grades play n limiting opportunities in the future. Speller went on to say, "It is important for you to have a good understanding of yourself, your personality, if you are to make intelligent career plans" (Speller, 1977, p. 12). Opportunity is the third factor that has shaped career choices for students. Opportunity may influence how students have perceived their future in terms of the reasonable probability of a future in particular career fields. The issue of poverty has played an important determining role in the opportunities available to all.

The income level of high school families may determine hat career a student chooses during a specific time in the student's life; choices that will determine a large part of that student's future. Some students will have to budget education according to their personal income. Thou (1969) addressed those in desperate need, "Where necessary, these persons [Individuals described as living under the pope level] must be assisted through special training programs to overcome educational and social handicaps so that minimum Job standards can be met" .

Students in many cases will need the proper mentoring opportunities to succeed. These support groups will be another opportunity that if properly implemented, can help a student in the career choice process. The support system must have been in place and readily available for the student to utilize. The creation of support groups will have to be in place to sustain the student through times of financial, emotional, and educational need. In a dissertation by Thomas O'Brien (1996), the subjects were based on case studies of six different high school students 'interested' in enrolling into a program titled Workaround.

Workaround is considered an opportunity only available to some students during their high school experience. The perceptions of these students upon entering a structured cooperative work program varied from "eager" to "skeptical and suspicious" to "a resume' builder. " Students see the world in many different ways according to O'Brien. The various views were described in the interviews that took place during implementation of that Workaround program. Opportunities that students pointed out in these interviews motivated students to pursue future career choices with every one of theses students.

These motivational values will affect them for the rest of their lives. The perceptions and eventual decisions these students made were based on the siroccos of the previous opportunities during the first seventeen to eighteen years of their lives. These formative years include the history from which students draw, to make decisions concerning the rest of their lives. That is not to say there isn't a time later on in life for modifying and re-grouping; however, this will not come without cost.

In an attempt to see how students took advantage and followed through on opportunities, the researcher interviewed University Wisconsin-cutout's Assistant Director of Admissions, Barbara Touché, who indicated that students take the path of least resistance to enter the University. If a parent had exerted enough pressure on the student to enter a particular career field and the student had no current plans, then students followed their parents' suggestion. Touché thought that students should be thinking about career decisions in their senior year of high school.

It should become apparent at that time that the student will have to do something. Touché stated that the environment plays a large part in a student's career choice. Students traditionally stay at home to either obtain education or start employment. Touché mentioned that marriage also played a large part in career decisions. She stated that the economics of marriage either solidified the commitment to go on to higher education or stopped career plans short, depending on the stability of the marriage (B. J. Touché, personal communication, June 18, 2002).

Examples such as these are opportunities that can play a large determining factor in student's career choice. The researcher chose Germantown High School (GOSH) as the research study area.. GOSH is located in a suburb northwest of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There are 1,250 students attending GOSH, grades nine through twelve (Germantown, 2002). High school noirs of this school should already have started to make decisions on career choices. These choices will be based on perceptions of their environment, their opportunities, and their perceived personalities.

Environmental determinants in Germantown have included the economics of the student's neighborhood. Germantown students nave access to academic, technical, public and private colleges in the area. Other environmental determinants would include recreational facilities and articles the student has seen in local papers or on the television. The student's support system made up of parents, relatives, siblings, peers, teachers, and unsolder may be the most environmental factor. Industry provided many opportunities for the students of GOSH in the local area. In an interview with the researcher, Mr..

Kenneth Hines, president of KOHL Industries in Germantown, stated that he wished there would be a more ongoing effort to motivate, educate, and direct students in the direction of the machine trades. He felt that students were not being told on an equal basis, by career counselors, the success stories of those in the trade at present; compared to those that pursued a traditional four year college profession. Some of his employees had at one time floundered in a previous career. Eventually frustration took these students down the path of investigating the technical trades more thoroughly.

With the education they received at the technical college, along with the support of business, they then attained a much better quality of life than before (K. L. Hines, personal communications, May, 2002). Educational opportunities for high school seniors at Germantown High School include the Wisconsin State College system, many private colleges, and three technical colleges, including Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATCH), Waukesha County Technical College (WAC), and Moraine Park Technical College (EMPTY).

There is a rich diversity of Jobs available, from manufacturing, service, health, military, and the full gamut of professional positions. MATCH is the technical college that students from Germantown High School would most likely attend upon graduation. MATCH boasts a curriculum that offers 150 associate degrees, and that students could benefit from career planning, counseling, and employment development through career counseling at (Milwaukee Area Technical College, 2002). The students at Germantown High School are likely to have considered MATCH in their exploration to determine a career path.

MATCH should be considering GOSH students as potential students, getting information to the high school students ready to graduate. As we can see, there are many opportunities or paths to be explored by high school students. High school seniors will have accomplished choosing a career choice if a complete, thoughtful, educated decision was made evaluating all of the factors possible in career choice process. Statement of the problem There is no clear process that students at Germantown High School have used to aka career choices.

Students at Germantown High School should have the opportunity to explore all of the choices available in order to make a logical, educated plan when choosing a career. Purpose of the study The three major areas affecting career choice were environment, opportunity and personality. The purpose of the study was to identify the most important factor within these three factors that 2002 Germantown High School senior students used in deciding upon career choices. Identification of these factors obtained through a survey instrument will assist in the dissemination of information to Germantown

High School students utilizing factors that students have chosen.

Research questions

• The questions of the research were the following: How significant were doctors to the environment in making career choices?
• Significant were factors of opportunity in making career choices?
• How significant were factors of personality in making career choices?
• Which factor, environment, opportunity, or personality, was most significant to students at Germantown High School? Significance of the study The significance of the study was as follows:
• Some students did not begin to explore 'real' career possibilities until after radiation.

Academic colleges, technical colleges, industry, and armed forces could provide students with relevant information earlier in their schooling. They could be more aggressive, giving students information they could test and use in their daily studies and apply to their career choice.

Before graduating, some students have not considered enough alternative choices in career selection to Justify making an informed decision. Sources of influence such as parents or mentors could be brought into a circle of counseling and discussion, to help the student form a comprehensive career plan or outline. Industry could examine where, why, and when it could be beneficial for them to invest resources to train and educate students. If career planning were implemented in an efficient manner, students would at the very least be following a career plan of informed decision-making, rather than one of happenstance.

Introduction

Vocational/ technical education are among the vital tools an individual can use to be developed. It is a training for useful employment in trade, industries, agriculture, business and home making etc. The emphasis on vocation. Technical; education is to prepare one for self reliance.

American vocational association (1971) sees vocational subjects as those designed to develop skills, abilities, understanding, attitude, work habit and appreciation encompassing knowledge and information needed any workers to enter and make progress in employment on a useful and productive basis. It contributes to the production of good citizens by developing their physical, social, civic, cultural and economic competencies. The advent of formal education in Nigeria neglect vocational and technical education entirely. Despite all efforts made to recognize it, yet little or no attention was given to it.

No meaningful development was made in the area of vocational education until 1981, when the National policy on Education was published. Due to total neglect, vocational education suffered a major decline in quality, number, policy and directive in Nigeria due to the total neglect. It was after the oil boom era asses that it dawned on the nation that there was acute scarcity of skilled manpower. Usual (1999) emphasized that the term either technical or vocational education has no single universally accepted definition but what is common is the various definitions is its goals and objectives that remain the same.

Technical education has been defined as that phase of education which seeks to help the people, students and the populace acquire specific mechanical or manipulative skills required in industrial arts or applied science. The aims of vocational and technical education The national policy on education (2004), stated the goals and objectives of vocational and technical education as tolls:

1. to provide trained manpower in applied science, technology and commerce particular at sub-professional grades.
2. to provide technical knowledge and vocational skill necessary for agriculture, industries, commercial and economic velveteen.
3. to give training and impact the necessary skills leading to the production for craft-man, technicians and other skilled personnel who will be enterprising and self-reliant.
4. enable our young men and women to have intelligent understanding of the increasing complexity of technology.
5. to give an introduction to professional studies in engineering and other technologies.

Hole (1986) reported that occupational areas within which vocational and technical educational education subjects fall largely into are: Agriculture, Home economics, Business and mechanics, capacity, countering, Arts etc. However, Agriculture and carpentry remain improper choices because they do not attract much interest amongst the students. Anchovy (2000) emphasized that Home economics is a unique and dynamic field of study. Its central theme is the improvement of lives of individuals, field of study that draws knowledge from many disciplines including science and humanities in order to fulfill its objectives.

Being a vocational subject that focuses on the welfare of individuals, families and societies, Home economics contributes meaningfully to the solutions of the problems of the society such as unemployment, poverty, malnutrition (Allocation 2000). Usual (1992) also stressed that Home economics as a vocational subject is required to equip the learner with the knowledge of skill and attitude necessary for threw effective management of the home, it requires skills, wisdom, dedication, care, intelligence, unusual patience and very strong power of observation and imagination.

Therefore, a student that has these qualities should study vocational/ technical subjects especially Home economics rather the reverse is the case. Federal Government wants vocational/technical education to occupy a prominent position in our secondary schools, Nigerian schools pay little or no attention to sectional/technical subjects. Teachers and students seem not to understand what it is all about and consequently, develop some contempt and aversion for the subjects. As such of vocational/technical subjects remain unhealthy. Many of the occupations and trades are regarded as ignoble and unbecoming.

An average Nigerian parents does not want his son to earn a living as a full time farmer, a watch-repairer, a plumber, a house painter, for many Nigerian, these Jobs are for the poor and underprivileged. Padding (1994) stressed that typically the higher the occupational status of the students parents, the positive their attitude towards science. This is to say that higher occupational parents would want their child to be doctors, engineering etc. Without considering if the child would actually read science subject to achieve that.

The influence of parents in the development of students interest in vocational/technical subjects cannot be over emphasized this is because parent seem to have much influence on children's choice of educational career. The socio- economic status of parent of a child determines the type of career one choose to do, some parents have biased and rigid thoughts regarding the occupational choices of a hill/children. Parents forgot that every type of work, once it is beneficial to the individual and society, is worthy and noble. (Know 1 ).

The result to this is a quasi calculated attempt to frustrate the good intention of the federal and state government about vocation/technical education. The quality sign of potential success in students vocational pursuits require the identification of the students interest, aptitudes, abilities, values and Judgments, if these will be discovered, it requires a guidance counselor who will give the appropriate occupational information to the dent with proper exposition to various opportunities available in the would of work. It is not surprising that students are not interested in vocational/technical subjects.

Usual (1992) opined that, at the heart of our society and economic problem is a national attitude that implies that vocational/technical subjects are designed for somebody else's children and is meant primarily for the children of the poor. This same attitude is shared by students. Thus, it makes the students lack interest in the study of vocational subjects particularly Home economics. The skill that teachers exhibit in teaching influences the student enrolment in sectional/technical subjects. Monika, (1981) postulated that the method of approach is very vital in any teaching/learning situation.

The way the teacher presents the subject matter to the learner may make a student like or dislike a subject. Unknowing (1989) pointed out the need for blending theoretical and practical work in teaching of subjects as to stimulate students interest more especially on vocation technical subjects . The greatest single SINS 2240-0524 Journal of Educational and Social Research Volvo. 1 (2) September 2011 51 factor in teaching learning id the teacher. No technique, no method, no device, no gadget can guarantee success, but only an effective qualified teacher can adequately execute these. (Okapi, 1987).

Thus the greatest motivating device yet discovered is the highly motivated teacher of students are to be involved actively in teaching and learning process in a way of projects, field trips, directed field activities etc, note learning and subject centered orientation should be changed to a more practical and child centered out-look. The increase in qualities and quantities of outputs should be primarily due to improvement in the quality of the teacher. It is therefore the trust of this study to explore the influential factors that affects the students on the study of vocational subjects in Nigerian secondary schools.

Problem Statement Vocational/Technical education subjects ought to attract many students because of its laudable importance but reverse has been the case. The reasons for this probably is due to people's perception that it does not require specialized kind of training. The students have the feeling that even if one is at home at the requite skills needs to learn have to cook, farm, etc can be acquired without formal training. People are anorak of the importance of the vocational subjects which could help males and female students receive formation and be able to work solution to problems.

Also, it enables the students to acquire skills, abilities essential for independent life met up with personal and family needs more especially in this economic difficulties. Purpose of the Study The study was meant to investigate the influential factors that affects the attitude of the students towards the study of vocational subjects in secondary schools. Specially to:

1. determine the influence of student's interest towards the study of vocational/ chemical subjects.
2. Determine the influence quality of the vocational/technical teachers and instruction.
3. Determine the intelligence parental and socio-economic status influence on students choice of vocational/technical subjects.
4. Determine the influence of gender in the students choice and enrolment in vocational/technical education.
5. Determine if the students are effectively counseled on the choice of vocational subjects.

Research questions

The following research questions guided the study

1.  what are the level of students interest in the study of vocational/technical education/sub]sects.
2. What are the influence of teacher qualification on the attitude of vocational/technical subjects.
3. What are parents socio-economic status influence on the attitude of students on the study of vocational/technical education/sub]sects.
4. What are the influence of gender/sex on the students choice of vocational/ technical education/sub]sects.
5. What are the influence of guidance counselor on the students attitude towards the study of vocational/technical education/sub]sects.

A CASE OF UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY USIA-AFRICA) submitted by Joyce. Atone on wed, 2013-02-13 17:00 The purpose of this study was to establish factors influencing career choices among female students in tertiary institutions in Kenya. The study was guided by the following research objectives: to establish academic factors that influence career choices of female students in USIA, to determine socio-cultural factors that influence career choices among female students, to establish economic factors that influence career choices among female students and to establish the influence of individual characters on career choices among female students in USIA.

Cross-sectional research design was used for the study. The population for the study was students at USIA. There are a total of 2743 female students in the institution out of which 623 were final year students. The study targeted final year female students in the institution. A total of 100 students were sampled for the study out of which 90 responded giving a response rate of 90%. Both Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to sample the respondents for the study. Questionnaires were used as instruments for data collection. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPAS) was used to analyze the quantitative data.

Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used to describe the data. The analyzed data was presented in form of tables. The study found that academic factors influences career choices among students as indicated by 90% of the respondents. On the influence of socio-cultural factors on career choice, the study found that 87% of the respondents indicated that socio-cultural factors influences career choices among students in USIA. The study also found that 91% of the respondents indicated that economic factors influences career choices among students.

The study finally mound that 84% of the respondents indicated that the individual characteristics influence career choices among female students in SUSIE. The study concluded that academic factors, socio-cultural factors, economic factors and students' characteristics interlines career choices among tamale students in SUSIE The study recommended that career guidance and counseling in Universities should be heightened to enable students to make sound career choices instead of leaving them at the mercies of other factors which may not be appropriate.

The researcher recommended that another study be carried out in other universities to determine he challenges facing students in choosing their career. Mom section Living Well Family & Relationships Education & Activities Parenting More oho Featured: Tax Time Life's Moments Spring Clean

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A career choice is a decision that affects the rest of your life. Natalie M. Ferry, coordinator of special program initiatives at Penn State University, reports that career hoicks are pivotal points in adolescents' lives. So no matter if they are headed for work or for college, there are factors that affect their career decisions. Other People Are Reading Supply Chain Management Schools Factors Influencing Career Choices 1. Role Models o Role models influence adolescents.

If students have a good teacher who makes an impression or a family member who is a pharmacist or a carpenter she looks up to, she may decide on the same career. Another way role models affect the lives of adolescents is by discussing career decisions with them and making suggestions for consideration. Peers Sometimes adolescents choose a career Just because "everyone else is doing it. " So if a teenager particularly if he is a leader decides to Join the Army, he might find that all his buddies are going to boot camp with him.

Friends may decide they want to go to the same college and study art. O Grades o Dropping out of high school without a diploma has a direct bearing on the work and career options open to adolescents. So, too, do the final grades at the end of high school. Students with high averages have the option of going to college, while those with very low grades have to do remedial study or find entry-level Jobs that are open o them. Economics o Money plays a key role in career decisions, particularly for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

So even though a high school student has the intelligence to be a Harvard lawyer, unless she gets a full scholarship, she may have to resign herself to a career of working in a daycare center. Location o In a study of science students in Western Australia, Deirdre J. Young reported that students from rural and urban schools had different educational cultures. Even though students considering careers may all be American, they look at the choices ND possibilities differently if they live in New York than they do if they come from Deadwood.

Time Orientation o According to Ferry, adolescents who choose to go to college have more off future orientation than those who choose unskilled labor or vocational careers. Students who enroll in a four-year program know they won't be in the workforce until they graduate, but they will have more career choices than those without a postsecondary education. Related Searches References Journal of Extension: Factors Influencing Career Choices of Adolescents and Young Adults in Rural Pennsylvania; Natalie M. Ferry Factors Influencing Care oho. Mom Bottom of Form Your Cart Log in Recent Publications Catalogue FAQ Links Factors Influencing Career Choice Among Secondary School Students: Implications for Career Guidance By Bridget Genomes Owes. Published by The Social Sciences Collection Format Price Article. Pant $USIA. O Article: Electronic $US. O The study was carried out to determine the doctors intelligence career choice among secondary school students. It was a survey of 100 secondary school students randomly selected from four secondary schools in Region 4 in Guyana, South America. Questionnaire was used to collect data.

Percentage and mean were the statistical tools used to analyze the data for the study. The result of the study showed that the choice of career was gender biased and the factors that influenced the students' choice of career were: interest, life ambition, challenging nature of the career, prestige attached to profession, intellectual ability, high salary potential and prospects of Job opportunity. The result drew implications on the need for every secondary school in Guyana to have qualified school counselors to employ their expertise to determine the aptitude and interest of students in their career choice.

This therefore emphasized the need for the University of Guyana to include Guidance and Counseling in its Teacher Education Programmer in order to produce qualified school counselors. Keywords: Career Choice, Career Guidance, School Counselors, Guidance and Counseling International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Volume 5, Issue 2, up. 451-460. Article: Print (Spiral Bound). Article: Electronic (PDF File; 611. KEBAB). Dry. Bridget Genomes Owes Lecturer, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, School of Education and

Humanities, University of Guyana, Georgetown, Guyana I am lecturing in the school of Education and Humanities, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Guyana, South America. I am currently the Head of the department. I am engaged in both academic and administrative duties. I am responsible for the staff and students of the department. I am always working towards developing team spirit among them. This has been quite fruitful. I enjoy working with them. As a lecturer, I am involved in teaching, supervision and research. ' teach at the under graduate and post graduate levels.

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