CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
Introduction
The Grade 10 level is the level where the Grade 10 students start to decide about their preferred tracks and career choice. In deciding the preferred career choice that will be significant for the student is to ascertain what their skills and abilities are, what fascinates them or what really suit their personality and knowledge. Choosing a preferred career choice is a big responsibility, because choosing it without thinking over it might end up unsatisfied with your decisions. Choosing a career choice is not really easy, once the student realized that they chose a wrong decision, the only important thing now is to think carefully what will they do next, and it’s harder than you think.
"A major turning point in adolescents' lives involves the career choice that they make while in high school. Frequently, it is viewed by family and community as a mere start to workplace readiness…" as stated by Ferry (2017), that choosing a career preference as early as now will be a major turning point in an adolescent’s life. This is because the career we have or will be chosen will be the career that we will pursue and choose to study.
The students decide what will be their preferred career choice based on what influences them. There are different kinds that influences the students like their financial status, for those students who have a hard time choosing their preferred career that is only available depending on their finance; peer influence, for students who just wants to be together with their peers; parents’ choice, for those students’ parents who will be the one deciding what will be their choice of career; the environment, those students who just only admires the place with good facilities, sociable people, and a comfortable and fresh place; and last, students’ personal choice, for those students who decide what is really best for them. There are still a lot of kinds that influences the students, but these are the major common influences in choosing their preferred career choice.
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The Grade 10 students’ career preference should be aligned with their personal interests and abilities. A common mistake is that they had to choose their interests based on their friends’ choices which will have a high probability that the students’ interest will deteriorate because basically their heart and passion is not of the same course or is not of the same track as their friends. So in choosing a course, the students must make sure that as early as now, a career choice must have been decided already, because they will just waste their time, money, and effort when completing their whole year.
According to Super's (1990), the school counselor plays a vital role in facilitating students' career development in K-12 settings, particularly at the high school level, because high school students are more actively engaged in planning and implementing their postsecondary career options. To better accomplish the mission of helping students achieve their educational and career goals in today's social, economic, and cultural context, school counselors need to be adequately informed about what factors that influence high school students' career choices and what approaches would best facilitate their career decision-making process.
A well adverse option should be well thought off before stepping down on Grade 10 platforms. It is vital for a student to be well equipped before choosing their career choices.
Personality traits are distinguishing qualities or characteristics that are habitual patterns of behaviors, temperament and emotion. Skills on the other hand are learned capacity to carry out specific tasks. They are competencies or the talents to do things. These proficiencies can include critical thinking, manual, negotiation, technological, etc.
Typically, skills are special abilities that are acquired through training and experience. Building blocks of a successful career development is comprised of skills, values, interests and personality traits. Also, keeping in mind that successful people tend to have a good attitude, are enthusiastic, ethical, goal focused, listener, persistent, aware, self-disciplined and confident.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The purpose of this study is to determine what factors influence Grade 10 PSD students in choosing their career. Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions:
1) What influences Grade 10 students in choosing their career?
2) How do the following affect the decisions of the Grade 10 PSD students in terms of the following:
a) Parents’ Choice
b) Peer Influence
c) Financial Status
d) Environment
e) Students’ Personal Choice
3) What are the proper guidelines in the right career preferences of the Grade 10 students?
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study provides a brief description regarding the influences on career preferences of the Grade 10 PSD students. The study is significant to the following:
A. Grade 10 PSD Students
This shall guide the grade 10 students on deciding which career they will choose or prefer on the future as they go along the way.
B. PSD Teachers
The study will help the teachers in adjusting and adapting to the new ways of teaching and implementing the guidelines to the students.
C. Parents
This study will also help influence and guide their children on deciding their own preferred career to pursue in the future.
D. Future Researchers
This study will help and benefit the future researchers as their guide and references. This study can go further regarding career preferences.
SCOPE AND DELIMITATION
This research study focused on the influences of the Grade 10 students in choosing their career preferences. This study involved five Grade 10 PSD Junior High school students. This study was conducted to look further more on the personal lives of the students on what influences them in deciding their choice of career. This research study is conducted only for the Grade 10 PSD students since they are in the level where the decision making for their preferred career start. SHS students will not be included in this study since they are in a level where they already decided their preferred career. Furthermore, JHS students that are below Grade 10 will not be included since they are still in a level where they can’t really decide on what will be there preferred career choice. This study utilized the semi-structured interview. Up to only 5 participants are chosen with the help of the research adviser to check if the different factors really influences the participants in choosing their preferred career.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
For better reading and understanding of the study, the following terms were operationally defined in this section:
Career Preferences – it is the career field in which the students prefer.
Influence/s – the capacity to have an effect on the decision of the students’ preferred career choice.
Peers – a person who is equal to another in qualifications, age, and social status.
Semi-structured interview – a qualitative method of inquiry that combines a pre-determined set of open questions
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDY
This chapter shows the review of related literatures and studies about the influences on the career preferences of the junior high school students. This includes the definition of career preference, different types of career support in which this helps the students to understand in order to decide their preferred career, and the different influences in choosing career preferences.
CAREER PREFERENCE
Career is also the synonym of occupation, profession or vocation as what Mckay (2017) said so. It refers to what a person does to earn for a living. It is understood to relate to a variety of characteristics of an individual's skills, knowledge and personality.
Career choice or preference is the selection of purpose/occupation in terms of career. This is mostly influenced by the peers, parents, financial background, environment, and personal choice of the student (Nugent, 2013). Career preference is necessary for the students, if they choose their own career choice, they will be satisfied with their career that they have chosen and have a good and successful future too. If the students chose the wrong choice, there will be disadvantages and dissatisfaction with their choice of career.
It takes time for the students to decide on what will be their preferred career be. There are a lot of influences that can affect the decisions of the students. The students must choose their preferred career that suits their abilities, skills, knowledge and personality.
Nancy Pascal (2014) said that the Filipino students chose popular courses more than the courses that are really needed for them. Most high school students in the Philippines took the wrong choice of course, that is why the unemployment rate is very high in the Philippines. That is why DepEd created the K-12 program in order for the students to have more knowledge and to know what are their skills and abilities in order for them to choose the right course and their preferred career choice.
Stated by Weiler (1977) the student must be motivated to orchestrate the outcome. If the student wants to work in the career choice process, the student must know and understand the realities of that process. Only when the student has developed awareness, can they begin to avoid dealing with the story within the process as a whole. It is at that point the student develops a practical plan of action to get what they want from the decisions of their career choice. Most students have built career plans on the story of what we think should be rather on the reality of what is. In order to succeed in obtaining their goals, students must know what they want. Students might also be pressured to take whatever is available, rather than wait for their real choice to become favorable again.
According to Splaver (1977) some careers demand that you have the personality to match the qualities of the occupation. For example, sales people have to be outgoing. Splaver (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. Students must take seriously the role grades play in limiting opportunities in the future. Splaver (1977) 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”. The student’s support system made up of parents, relatives, siblings, peers, teachers, and counselors may be the most environmental factor. Students needs some motivation to have the Forces acting on or within a person causing an initiation of behavior (Britannica, 2002) or what it is that moves us. In this study we will deal with the issues that help or hinder students in making career choices.
PARENTS’ CHOICE
As Pascal (2014) stated that the students just manage the advice of their parents. The students also have to manage with an expectation of financially supporting the family upon completing their education. Furthermore, it is reported that parents are involved and influential to their high achieving children’s college choices.
For the students who just follows the choice of their parents, will be also difficult for them to just continue choosing the career preferred by their parents instead of choosing their own preferred career. The students therefore will not be satisfied with the choice that their parents prefer.
According to Mcquerrey (2016) said that it could be positive or negative parental influence. In the positive side, the students grew up idealizing the professions of their parents. The parents may push their child toward a certain career path. It can also be a negative parental influence, like for example, what if the parents were uneducated or always had financial problems, it may affect the decision of the child to not choose his/her preferred career and to decide other career that can help their family instead.
According to Chen (1997) the impacts of the families and communities that are passive in assisting the students in making a career decision and implementing plans of action have upon the students’ long-term occupational outcomes. In these group, a condition of riskiness and the appearance of nonsupport prevailed, it will lead the students to postpone their career decision-making and ultimately not to aspire those to challenging that are career choices. This finding points to the importance of extending career educational efforts beyond the students to families and community.
PEER INFLUENCE
Sarvpreet Kaur (2017) stated that peer influence and the need of for social acceptance is the most significant for the students. But once this influence diverges in choosing a career choice, it will be critical for the student to understand the capacity in affecting the students’ career beliefs and decision.
In addition, peer influence can damage self-confidence and also will dissatisfy the career that the students chose just because of their peers.
According to Alika (2012), that this has been observed that students are less influenced if they have strong relationship with their parents. The ability of peers to influence the behavior of the students are strengthened once the students distinguished that their relationship with their parents is negative and inadequate in guidance and support.
Peer group influence is more influential in students especially to those who are in a relationship, in groups or “barkada”, and best friends making them lose their self-confidence and depending on others more than their selves.
Financial Status
The financial background as Supreme (2016) stated that, it might make certain education and career choices more difficult to reach. Also, those same financial status and assumptions can make other choices plausible. It depends on the students’ financial background, they might not continue pursuing their preferred career and choose another career that could help their family or they will continue choosing their preferred career if they have no problems at all with their financial status.
Financial Background is also important for students’ when choosing their preferred career. There are some careers that has high tuition fee that many people can’t afford so there are people that tends to choose a career they can afford rather than a career they want.
E. Environment
The environment also influences the students in choosing their preferred career. Students look for a good and comfortable environment to study and work. Also, students consider an environment where they can study and work contentedly, without any disturbances or any unpleasant areas.
As Borchert (2002) gives an example that “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.” it depends on the students on how they lived, choosing a definite career that suits on their environment.
"Should" and "prefer" don't go together very well. The one you prefer, you prefer for your own reasons and not because you think that you 'should'. There are many reasons why you would prefer to work in a supply chain field. You may have a passion for this line of work for example. (Borchert, 2002)
The environment does not only mean the place or the surroundings, it also considers the people that surrounds the student like teachers, peers, or family. They can really influence the students a lot since they are the ones who are close to them and supports them too.
According to J Soc (2012), in order for students to make the right career choice, the family (parents) should be encouraged not to force their children into careers. With parental guidance and support, children are able to make the right career choice. Teachers like parents work very closely with learners in schools and they know the abilities of their students in various subjects. Therefore, teachers should guide their students in their career choice and aspirations in line with their abilities in various subjects. Schools need to provide career guidance to learners during their high school studies. The career guidance programmers guide learners in making their career choices and aspirations before entering university.
F. Conceptual Framework
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework displays how the influences affect the students’ decision in choosing a preferred career. The different kinds of influences are the input of the set, while possible wrong decision and possible dissatisfaction are the output or the solution of the input. The different influences cause to the possible wrong decision and dissatisfaction of the decisions of the students.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
The researchers defined the following terms clearly and indisputably to be understandable for others to derive the topic that is proposed:
Course – is the entire program of studies required to complete a university degree.
Personality – the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual's distinctive character.
Barkada – an informal group of friends or gang.
CHAPTER III
Methodology
RESEARCH DESIGN
The purpose of this study is to understand the different influences affecting the career choice of grade 10 students of Philippine School Doha. This is a qualitative research design, in which the students state their lives and the possible influences in their own words. The researchers were focused on determining the different influences that could possibly affect their career choices.
In the wider sense, the phenomenological method aims to describe, understand and interpret the meanings of experiences of human life. (Bloor et. al., 2006). The researchers conducted five semi-structured interviews with fifteen predetermined, open-ended questions that were asked so the researchers can allow spaces for follow-up questions. The participants were able to share information and data that would be a big help to the research study.
RESEARCH LOCALE
The research study is conducted in Philippine School Doha, Qatar that gathered data and information that will be aiding the researchers.
Figure 1. Location of Philippine School Doha
POPULATION AND SAMPLE
The research study used purposive sampling. The population composed of five students, all of which is from the Grade 10 level of the junior high school department, school year 2017–2018. The participants for the research was background checked and chosen according to the different data or information needed.
Table 1
Presentation of the Demographic Profile of the Grade 10 PSD Students of School Year 2017 2018
Participant Gender Grade Level Age Classification of Preferred Strand
A Male Grade 10 15 STEM
B Female Grade 10 15 STEM/HUMMS
C Female Grade 10 16 STEM
D Female Grade 10 16 STEM
E Male Grade 10 15 STEM
The table shows the demographic of each and every chosen participant for the research which comprise their gender, their grade level, their age, and lastly their classification of preferred strand. The participants’ names we’re remained anonymous to respect their confidentiality and their response. The participants we’re all chosen from the Grade 10 level due to them being SHS after grade 10 level completion. The researchers will also make use of this information and data gathered to its full extent.
RESEARCH INSTRUMENT
The researchers have put together a semi-structured interview to collect data from the respondents contained questions regarding on how does different influences affect the grade 10 students’ choice of career. The researchers used a microphone in order to keep the respondents answer accurate as possible. There were two parts of the instruments:
• Part I- Background of the respondents
• Part II- Influences that affect the student’s choice:
A. Parents’ Choice
B. Peer Influence
C. Financial Status
D. Environment
E. Students’ Personal Choice
PHASES OF RESEARCH
Table 3 shows the phases of research, that the researchers have gone through throughout the study. It represents the specific steps and procedures done by the researchers and the time frame included along with it. In each phase there are different possible factors that is needed to be considered in conducting the research study. Each factor includes the availability to be interviewed and the preparedness and readiness of the researchers on the course of the research study.
Phases Activities
Time Frame
1 Conceptualization of the study and selection of the participants
It includes library works, internet articles, and etc. It also includes the formula on picking the participants 1st to 4th week of August
2 Gathering of Data
The researchers gathered data through online article, magazines. The interview and participants of the interview
1st to 4th week of September
3 Processing of data and analysis
The transcription of data gathered from the participants from Emic to Etic and the analysis and interpretation of data 1st – 4th week of October
Phase 1. Conceptualization of the study and selection of the participants
The researchers have considered many plausible topics that can be finished with the time allotted. We first considered researching the thoughts and opinions of upcoming SHS students, the grade 10 students for the senior high school. It is a very short topic so we reconsidered different more topics but relating to grade 10 students, until we considered researching about careers since it is more relatable for the students and can help them in the upcoming years while they’re in Philippine School Doha.
In the selection of the participants, the researchers made use of purposive sampling. The sampling method was subjective based on different things or criteria. The researchers made use of the following criteria: (1) enrolled in Philippine School Doha, (2) an upcoming SHS students, in Grade 10, (3) is already decided on their future careers.
Prior to the research, the researchers scanned through different books and article relating to the topic, it could give the researchers knowledge and insight to be able to outline the study and make use of the gathered data and information as a reference for future.
The first participant was chosen because of his role in the C.A.T, his athleticism, and his above average grades at the same time, and aspiring a career in engineering. The second was chosen because he/she family-oriented and who was aspiring for a career in law. The third, we chose someone who would go. The fourth was chosen because he/she is inclined with technology and who has a family background in computers. The fifth participant was chosen because of his aspiring career in aviation and sky navigation.
Phase II. Gathering of data
In the gathering of data, the researchers reviewed previous research relating to our topic and different books and articles in the library as a guide and or reference through the whole study. The researchers also looked for different articles, websites, books, journals, and other references in order for the researcher to form an analysis on the different influences on the career preference of grade 10 students.
In the interview proper, the researchers presented a little of consent for the participants for them to sign, acknowledging the research study that they will take part in.