IMPACT OF FAMILY BACKGROUND ON CAREER CHOICE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Family is a place in which children learn to interpret realities (Wary and Passman, 1996) parents serve as significant interpreters to children for information about the world and children ability (Hall, Kelly, Hansen and Vulwein, 1996) family influence is an important force in preparing students for their role as workers. Young people form their attitude about work and career as a result of interaction with the family. Family background provides the basis on which a student’s career planning and decision making evolves. However, within each family, the level of involvement can very positively or negatively. Family background factor found to be associated with career choice includes parents socio-economic status (SES), their level of education and bio-genetics factor such as physical size, gender, ability and temperament, Panic and Jepson (1992), in a study on adolescent vocational development reported that had the most effect on education plans and occupational aspiration was education. Mortime et al (1992) also reported that parents with post secondary education tend to pass along its importance in their children a finding reported by other studies.

Montgomery (1992) votes that students talented in mathematics viewed their career choice as reflective on the interest that stem from early family influence and educational opportunities. De Piddeo (1990) however, points out that the lower level of parents education can retard adolescents career choice. Being born to parents with limited education and income reduces the likelihood of going to college or achieving a professionally and occupational goals and essentially predetermined the child’s likely career choice. Family income is another aspect of family background that influences the career choice of a student. Mortimer et al (1992) one reason for this may be that family with limited economic resources may tend to direct children first the older children in the family giving less hope and encouragement to the younger children in the family. It is therefore understandable that the self efficacy of students with respect to career opportunities is linked to the economic support they can expect from their parents. Another family background factor found to be associated with career choice include the parents spiritual/health parents who love Jesus and want the best for their children will urge their children to pursue a career that will bring them joy in the future. Thus proverbs 22:6 admonished parents to pay attention to their children while the children in turn should prove themselves obedient (Ephesians 6:13).

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The standard of education in Nigeria today is gradually falling thus leading to lots of arrangements amongst scholars civil servants, educational planners etc as to what is the immediate and remote causes of the failure and the factors hindering high standard of education, while we may blame governments, teachers, and children, the family which students comes from leave much to be desired. It is important to note that we cannot exonerate the family that a child came from when talking about the students choice of career in secondary school. Family background factors found to have influence the economic resources of career is based on parents socio-economic status, parents educational level, parents love for Jesus and family size and economic resources temperament.