Family influence on Career Choices - A case study of selected schools in Lusaka Province
Date
2011-05-09
Authors
Kaswanga, Sandie A
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Abstract
Career guidance and counselling services are vital in the lives of everyone, learners
included. These services are important especially in facilitating effective occupational
choices. Observations in schools, however, reveal that the services are unavailable,
necessitating a better understanding of the situation, and if at all there is need, to
minimize the impact of their unavailability.
Cognisance with the difficulties in the provisions of these services envisages that
family influence when practiced within family-school collaboration may offer a
plausible alternative. In a developing country with a falling economy, this is
significant as it calls for lesser financial investment and is largely available to all
learners. The purpose of the study, therefore, _was to find out whether the family
influenced career choices of learners and that such confirmation would facilitate the
basis of enhancing it.
The implementations of the family-school collaboration, however requires a thorough
understanding and this descriptive survey research intended to provide this
understanding, especially as it had to be reviewed within the local Zambian scenario.
The study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. Questionnaires were
administered to learners while short personal interviews were conducted with teacher
counsellors and results analysed using the statistical package for social sciences
(SPSS).
The study's findings confirmed reviewed literature assertions that the family
influenced career choices of learners. In Lusaka schools, it was a major factor and
thus significant. The parents' education, occupation, the family socioeconomic status,
and family functioning were some of the dimensional factors of the family influence
which were of immediate prominence in affecting career choices of learners.
The study also attempted to provide a local understanding of the influence of the
factors and suggested explanations as to why vocational services were non-existent in
schools despite government intentions to provide the services. The society's social
cultural (cooperation/communality) was partly a suggestive explanation to the nonexistent
phenomenon and also tended to explain why the family influence was
significant in the learners' career development. It also provided probable insights as to
why the current foreign derived career development theories were seemingly not
working in schools.
Major recommendations of the study include the revisition of the current policy and
practice of guidance and counselling which should include other stakeholders like the
family, both immediate and extended. There is also need to undertake a multidisciplinary
comprehensive research study to provide a better understanding of the
present policy and practice. There should also be more elaboration on the what, how
and why of the family influence, in our local context.
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Keywords
Vocational guidance , Parent participation