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IAA Journal of Education 5(1):24-39, 2019. ISSN: 2636-7270
©IAAJOURNALS
Impact of Guidance Services on the Career Choice of Secondary School
Students in Public Secondary Schools in Enugu North Local Government Area
of Enugu State, Nigeria.
Iyoke Perpetua Ngozi
Department of guidance and counseling Chukwuemeka Odumegwu University, Anambra
State, Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
The study examined the impact of guidance services on the career choice of secondary
school students in public secondary schools in Enugu North Local Government Area of
Enugu State. Seven research questions and one null hypothesis guided the study and were
tested at.05 level of significance. The study adopted a description survey research design.
The population for the study consisted of 26 guidance counsellors in the existing 12 public
secondary schools in the area. The number is small and manageable so no sampling was
done. Twenty six (26) copies of the questionnaire were distributed but 21 copies were
retrieved from the respondents representing 80.77 percent return rate. The instrument
used for data collection was a 21-item questionnaire. The instrument was validated by
three experts from Faculty of Education, Enugu State University of Science and Technology,
Enugu. Two each from guidance and counselling and one from measurement and
evaluation. Department. Data collected were analyzed using Mean with standard deviation
and t-test statistic. The study revealed among others that orientation, appraisal,
information, educational, placement, referral and follow-up services impact on the career
choice of secondary school students in public secondary schools in Enugu North Local
Government Area to a great extent. The study concluded that there is no significant
difference in the mean scores of guidance and teacher counsellors on the impact of
guidance services on the career choice of secondary school students in Enugu North Local
Government Area. The study recommended among others that the state government
through various agencies of the Ministry of Education such as Post Primary School
Management Board should endeavour to organize periodic conferences, seminars and
workshops for guidance counsellors in the State School System.
Keywords: Guidance Services, Career Choice.
INTRODUCTION
Why do people work? Why do they decide assists the individual student discover
on the fields that they choose? What their needs, interest and capabilities in
factors affect their decision? The answers order to formulate their own goals and
that people provide to these questions are make plans to realize them. This is based
very important to career choice that will on the fact that students have variety of
assist them to plan for the future. The interest and ability. This makes it difficult
above can be actualized through for them to choose a career.
education. The main goal of education is In vocational counselling, students should
to provide opportunities for students to be provided with detailed up- to-date
reach their full potentials in the area of useful information about different
educational, vocational, social and careers. The information should be
emotional development [1]. Guidance centered on careful planning for a career,
services as bedrock tends towards self- getting and retaining the career and
actualization. The height of self- adjusting effectively to it. The reason for
realization is attained if counsellors all these is to let the students consider
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IAA Journal of Education 5(1):24-39, 2019.
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the various areas in harmony with their their new environment, though they are
potentials and consequently choose the not giving orientation on the general
best career [2]. Essentially, educators ethics of the institutions. It is designed to
must seek to understand their unique help such students adjust during such
needs and challenges as well as tackle critical transition periods. [6] attributed
their problems by ensuring that necessary some case of problems behaviour such as
career information, plans, and activities truancy and malingering in school to lack
are put in place. Vocational guidance goes of orientation culture.
a long way in helping students make a Appraisal service according to [7] is that
good career choice thereby facilitating a aspect of guidance services that is
way forward of secondary school students designed to collect, analyze and use of a
in their career choice [3]. It helps in variety of objective and subjective
molding, rebuilding and rehabilitating personal, psychological, and social data
process for secondary school students. It about each pupil for the purpose of better
is a self informative relationship, and it is understanding of students as well as
both pre-emptive and restorative of assisting them to understand themselves.
maladaptive and self destructive The service can be implemented
tendencies. It helps the individual to according to [8] through the collection,
develop his or her maximum potential. By analysis and use of a variety of objective
so doing the individual student will be and subjective personal, psychological
involved in a career decision making and social data about each pupil for the
which is a process of finding the best purpose of better understanding of the
possible match of a person with a students as well as assisting them to
particular kind of work. [4] in his book understand themselves thereby avoid
looked at: school guidance as referring to been involved in disorder behaviour. The
"cluster of formalized educational problems comes when there is lack of
services designed by the school to assist appraisal (evaluation) form, student lack
students to achieve self-knowledge or of mental activities, lack of cumulative
self-understanding which is necessary for record card, lack of appraisal data of a
them to attain the fullest self- counsellor in his relationship with a
development and self-realization of their students, lack of aptitude and social
potential. The services include orientation skills.
service, counselling service, educational, In respect to educational, occupational
occupational and informational service, and Informational Services, [9] observed
placement and follow-up services and that students need information related to
career conventions. job opportunities, training opportunities,
Guidance services in Nigeria education and academic qualification required. [10]
system has not been given the attention it stated that information service is
deserves, students lack ideas on which designed to help each student avoid
course to study in the higher institution problem behaviour and to adjust to
after his/her secondary education which his/her environment, develop the ability
affect their career decision-making to set realistic goals for himself, and
because adaptation becomes difficult thus improve his/her total educational
leading to wrong choice of career. This programme.
affirms without contradiction that [11] stressed that information service
without sound guidance services, many should be a vital part of organized school
students will lose direction towards guidance service for these three reasons:
making a choice of career. it is fundamental if students are to
Orientation services are provided to help equipped with the basic knowledge
students to adjust better to school needed to think through important
environment. [5] stated, when new personal issues with which they are
students are admitted every new confronted, such as extent of education,
academic year in secondary schools, they choice of occupation, maintenance of
feel lost socially and psychologically in individuality. It is fundamental if
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IAA Journal of Education 5(1):24-39, 2019.
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students are to become or be self- services in general. [3] on her own part
regulatory. It is fundamental if students stated that follow-up of students
are to explore and become aware of the activities is necessary since the result
contingencies of stability and change that may bring about service adjustment or
mark their development. improvement if out-right failure or
The placement services are very essential unsatisfactory success has been detected.
at end of secondary school education, Subsequently, since school counsellors
where students need to take decision on who are appointed to take the
the next step after secondary school. responsibilities in sensitizing students on
These services assist students in selecting the needs for effective career choice
subject combinations required for through guidance services are not
particular courses and choosing of the prompt. One may say that it is possible
right careers. [12] stated that placement that since the inception of guidance
service is designed to aid an individual to services most of the school counsellors
select and utilized opportunities within have a vague understanding of what really
the school and in the labour market. [13] it entails or encompasses; and the
stated that it designed enhance the students also do not fully utilize the
development of students by helping services and do not understand its role.
select and utilize opportunities within the To assist secondary school students
school and outside, in the labour market. understand and develop interest in
Through this service, they held, the appropriate jobs or further education or
student is given all the necessary training; to assess the students talents
assistance that would enable him gain and capabilities and to encourage them to
admission into a school, or the world of pursue careers or further education best
work or subject stream. [14] was of the suited to them and to help students solve
view that the movement of student from their personal problems which may affect
one level of academic pursuit to other is a their general progress in school becomes
kind of placement (JSS-SSS). very problematic because impossible
Referral service according to [15] is a since students do not see their school
guidance service in which clients with counsellors as friend who would assist
problems beyond the competence of the them in their choice of career. This,
teacher, parents, counsellor are directed according to [3], ―is an impossible and
to a more competent professional unrealistic burden on untrained
personnel for solution with the consent of personnel‖.
the counsellor. [6], stated that this service These services are needed to impact on
affords the school counsellor an student’s career to ensure effective
opportunity to refer the cases which he guidance services on student’s career
cannot handle to specialists like clinical choice. This shows that question of the
psychologist, medical practitioners and success of the guidance services all
others. The client can make depend on its impact on student’s career
himself/herself available for counselling, choice in secondary schools in Enugu
this is referred to as self-referral. North Local Government Area.
Follow-up services are needed to trace a Statement of the Problem
student after school and to the world of Guidance services are an essential
work. School counsellors develop a ingredient required for standardization
systematic plan for maintaining contacts and achievement of the objectives of
with former students. [7] noted that the Nigerian education. It however seems that
data obtained from follow-up is kept in little or no attention is given to these
the school and it is used in evaluating the services in some public secondary
effectiveness of the entire guidance schools in either urban or rural areas. The
programme. Through follow-up, the neglect of such guidance services as
counsellor should be in better position to orientation, appraisal, placement,
determine the outcome of counselling and information, follow-up services of new
at the same time evaluate the guidance intakes, excursion to historical places and
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IAA Journal of Education 5(1):24-39, 2019.
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others may have result to our students Specifically the study intends to achieve
performing poorly, making wrong career the following:
decisions and not able to ascend from 1. To examine the impact of orientation
secondary to higher education. services on the career choice of
Worst still, inadequate training of secondary school students in public
guidance services personnel, lack of secondary schools in Enugu North
resources, lukewarm support to guidance Local Government Area
services and negative attitude to guidance 2. To examine the impact of appraisal
services also affect this service. The services on the career choice of
aforementioned submission is what secondary school students in public
necessitated this study in attempting to secondary schools in Enugu North
proffer answer to these questions – what Local Government Area
are the administrative challenges facing 3. To examine the impact of information
school counsellors in implementing services on the career choice of
guidance services in public secondary in secondary school students in public
Enugu Education zone of Enugu State? secondary schools in Enugu North
Over 3 decades after the inception of the Local Government Area
9-3-4 system, the guidance services in our 4. To examine the impact of educational
post-primary institutions seem not to be services on the career choice of
clearly crystallized since only few secondary school students in public
services are being implemented, this secondary schools in Enugu North
means that most of the services are Local Government Area
neglected entirely or haphazardly 5. To examine the impact of placement
implanted. This is likely to hamper the services on the career choice of
educational objectives of the Federal secondary school students in public
Republic of Nigeria. In a situation like secondary schools in Enugu North
this, it is necessary to examine the Local Government Area
administrative challenges facing school 6. To examine the impact of referral
counsellors in implementing Guidance services on the career choice of
services in Public Secondary School in secondary school students in public
Enugu Education Zone of Enugu State. secondary schools in Enugu North
Worst still, with all the new innovations in Local Government Area
the education industry worldwide, no in- 7. To examine the impact of follow-up
service training have been approved for services on the career choice of
school guidance to help them update their secondary school students in public
knowledge in the art of counselling. This secondary schools in Enugu North
is likely to negatively influence the way Local Government Area
and manner they render the guidance Research Hypothesis
services in their schools hence the need The following research hypothesis will
for this services in the context of guide the study and will tested at .05
Secondary School Students in Enugu level of significance.
North Local Government Area of Enugu H01: There is no significant difference in
State. This gap in knowledge and learning, the mean scores of guidance and
which is the crux of this study, is what teacher counsellors on the impact
the researcher intends to fill by of guidance services on the career
embarking on this seminar paper. choice of secondary school
Purpose of the Study students in Enugu North Local
The main purpose of this study is to Government Area.
examine the impact of guidance services Research Questions
on the career choice of secondary school Seven research questions are formulated
students in public secondary schools in to guide the study. These questions are:
Enugu North Local Government Area of 1. To what extent do orientation services
Enugu State. impact on the career choice of
secondary school students in public
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IAA Journal of Education 5(1):24-39, 2019.
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