ABSTRACT
This study was undertaken to investigate whether selected SHS Students in the Akropong- Akuapem Municipality are willing to choose a career in librarianship instead of other professions. The stratified sampling method was used to select 353 SHS Form Three Students’ in five selected Schools from a population of 3533 Students’. Using the survey descriptive method, structured questionnaires were randomly administered. 326 representing 93% questionnaires were retrieved and found usable. Data collected were analysed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. It was found that the Students’ had low level of awareness of librarianship as a career and lacked understanding of role Librarians play in their environment. They also did not have appreciable understanding of what their job entailed, resulting in their lack of interest in becoming Librarians. None of the 326 students’ considered librarianship as their preferred career choice. They did not desire librarianship because they perceived it to be boring, not respected by society, not popular, had low earning capacity and also that they had already decided on what they wanted to do in future. Only 14% of respondents will give becoming a Librarian a thought as second career because of the love they have for books, research and helping others. Majority wanted to become Lawyers, Doctors, Nurses and Accountants because they perceived these professions were respected by society, offered much help to people and earned more money. Again, they heard people always speak about them at Home, School, Community and in the Media. The study includes a comparison of a Librarian with 9 other professional groups based on five criteria considered to be essential determining factors when making career choice decisions. Marketing and promotion of libraries, equipping school libraries, making the school library visible, engaging in campaigns/ drives as well as granting scholarships to SHS students to pursue librarianship are recommended in order to ensure the success of the profession and also make it attractive and appealing to the youth.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the study
Choosing a career is a complex issue with a lot of implications for the student since it determines the kind of profession they plan to pursue in life. Motivation for choosing a career varies because many socio- economic factors account for a person’s choice of work (Wattles, 2009). It can also be emphasized that a person’s career can affect the individual’s future in relation to their lifestyle, status, income, and job satisfaction.
According to Kerka (1998) “career choice is influenced by multiple factors including personality, interests, self-concept, cultural identity, globalization, socialization, role model, social support and available resources” (p.5). Bandura, Barbaranelli, Capara, & Pastorelli (2001) indicated that individuals undertaking career choice are “influenced by several factors including the context in which they live, their personal aptitudes, social contacts and educational attainment” (p.200). To Hewitt (2010) cited in Kochung and Migunde (2011), a greater number of people are persuaded by their parents to choose a career they approve. According to him, others follow the careers that have opened for them as a result of their educational choices. “Some also follow their passion regardless of how much or little it will make them. While others choose the career that give high income” (p.81).
In a study conducted by Natalie (2006), children growing up through the contact they have with parents, the public and school are able to discover careers which eventually become their choice. Kazi & Akhlaq (2017) citing James (2000) enumerated several factors that influence career choice. To them the home environment is a critical influence on choosing or deciding on a career, because
that is where the child begins to develop his or her personality. As the child receives training from the parents they impart certain values in them. Furthermore they stated that another major influence of career choice is the media. The media usually focus on global issues, fashion and trends. These documentaries portray career such as Medicine, Law and Accounting as prestigious, thus attracting students to them. At times these attractions become determining factor in choosing a career. According to Ezeani (2013), career refers to “the major life domains which engage the individual in multiple roles, such as worker, family member, community participant and leisure–time participant” (p.18). However other scholars’ see a career “as the sequence of occupations, jobs and positions held during the course of life” (Ezeani, 2013, p.18).
The online Business Dictionary (2018) defines a career as “The progress and actions taken by a person throughout a lifetime, especially those related to that person’s occupation. A career is often composed of the jobs held, titles earned and work accomplished over a long period of time, rather than just referring to one position”.
The online Cambridge Dictionary (2018) also defines a career as “The job or series of jobs that you do during your working life. Especially if you continue to get better jobs and earn more money”. We all possess varied abilities, experiences, prospects and interests, therefore there’s no single career that is best for everybody. Therefore an individual must choose the career that best suits him or her putting into consideration the factors that may influence their decision.
Kelly-Plate & Volz-Patton (1991) have suggested that one way to identify a career choice is by looking at what things you enjoy doing better than others. The things you really love to do combine with your abilities and personality will give you important clues to finding the right career. Several researchers have investigated factors influencing student’s career choice in various fields of specialization. In a study conducted by Zotorvie (2016) about the “major factors that influence the
career choice among the professional level students of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana”, showed that the most imperative factors that the students focused on in choosing a career included factors such as students interests in the profession, availability of work, high salary expectations, status and teacher impact. Further studies conducted by Puja (2001) & Mvungi (2009) cited in Woasey (2015) showed that majority of students who completed secondary school in Tanzania were unaware of the career they would like to pursue because they did not receive appropriate advice and direction. This could affect them when they enter the University since majority of them lacked the knowledge necessary to choose a field that would be suitable for them.
Librarians are professionals who are dedicated to serve all sort of people by helping them access timely and accurate information, thereby contributing immensely to the development of society. Librarians deal with human knowledge. They organize and make these knowledge accessible. The work they do is noble, complex, rich, stimulating, rewarding and a fantastic career choice. It is obvious that for the work of a librarian to be attractive to young people it must be appealing and rewarding. This requires that the librarian must demonstrate certain qualities to make their status justified in the present dispensation. Some of these qualities include management and leadership skills, competency, research and contribution towards the profession and information communication and technology skills.
While some careers like Medicine, Law and Accounting enjoy wide popularity, librarianship as a career is still having difficulty to be known. A study conducted in Nigeria by Egunjobi, Taofiq, & OlufelaI (2013) revealed that “the choice of a career path in Library and Information Science” (LIS) of today’s youth may not have stemmed from a natural interest in the profession since they do not perceive it as a “Professional discipline” rather most undergraduates find themselves in the profession by accident. According to them “most undergraduates will rather choose professional
disciplines like Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, Accounting, Engineering etc. and then have a rethink of change of course when they do not meet up to the required demands for admission” (p. 297).
In a similar studies conducted by Alemna (1991) Bello (1996) and Adanu & Amekuedee (2010) it came to the fore that the scene is not different in developing countries like Ghana and other African countries. Many people did not decide to become librarians from the onset of their career. Those who chose the profession did so as a result of influence, experience or as the only alternative left. Again they stated that others’ choice of librarianship were mainly as a result of external factors, with the opportunity of using it as a stepping stone to further their education. Still, others chose librarianship after failing an option. Furthermore, in situations where a few have decided to take up the profession, they did that with remorse. It is also evident from the literature that factors that were adduced to students’ choice for taking up librarianship have on some instances been influenced by contact with a librarian or working in a library while choosing it as a career.
One way to ensure the success, sustainability and survival of a profession depends largely on the number of graduates entering the profession (Hallam & Partridge, 2005). Again, strong academic background breeds good careers, so the academic quality of students enrolled to pursue librarianship must be good. There is therefore the need to increase admission in Library and Information Studies programmes by inspiring SHS leavers in Ghana to consider librarianship as a career.
Statement of the problem
“It seems from the literature that young people do not decide to pursue a career in librarianship from the onset, suggesting that librarianship simply does not appeal to them. In the view of many youth, Librarians maybe lack the glamour, respect and prestige that other disciplines seem to enjoy,
or perhaps people with more experience in the profession have had more opportunities to develop a deeper appreciation of the nature of library work” (Newbutt & Sen, 2009, p.47). This implies that many people already in the profession as well as those taking courses in librarianship would have preferred to do other programmes (Adanu & Amekuedee, 2010). It is also evident that most students were pursuing librarianship because they were denied other options.
Agunmanu (1989) cited in Olawanle & Abayomi (2010) confirmed the fact when it was revealed in his studies on “factors that influenced students in Imo State University Library School” that, 80% of the respondents entered the library school because they were unable to get admission into other departments such as law or engineering and that 20% of the students picked the profession due to the influence of librarians in their family.
Another concern is that it looks as if there isn’t much understanding and appreciation amongst the general public about who a Librarian is, his/her role, duties, responsibilities, qualification and status. It appears most people do not realize that Librarians are the unacknowledged heroes behind the success stories of Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers and Accountants etc. (Olawanle & Abayomi, 2010). The perception that young people have of what librarianship is may also come from the common stereotypes of Librarians as old women, stamping, packing and shelving books has affected the image of the profession. This has led to a lack of awareness of the profession and a lack of appreciation of the librarian to their community or environment.
The studies of Timiyu, Akussah, & Tackie (1999) shows that the perception and motivation of the Diploma students entering the Library and Archives programmes at the University of Ghana changed positively after one year into their course of study. This happened because they realized the opportunities that could be available to them at the end of their studies. This shows that
student’s perception of librarianship could change if they acquire appreciable knowledge about the profession.
This research therefore is intended to investigate the seemingly negative perception towards librarianship as a career choice, the low level of research conducted in this area, and the initiative to encourage young people with fresh ideas, creativity, drive, passion and enthusiasm to become Librarians.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is to investigate whether the selected Senior High School students in the Akropong- Akuapem Municipality are willing to choose a career in librarianship instead of other professions.
Objectives of the Study
The objectives of the study are:
- To ascertain the SHS students’ knowledge and use of the school library
- To ascertain whether the SHS Students are aware of a career in Librarianship
- To ascertain the perception of the SHS Students about Librarians and Librarianship and whether they understand and appreciate the work they do.
- To find out whether the SHS Students are interested in choosing Librarianship as a career
- To determine the preferred career of the SHS students after they have left school
- To determine the factors that influence the SHS students decision in choosing a career
