Factors influencing career choice among form four students in secondary schools in Kenya: a case of Bungoma South District

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate factors influencing career choice among form four students in secondary school in Kenya. The study aimed at finding out how sociological, economic, educational and psychological factors influenced student's career choice. Career choices are one of the many valuable acts of choosing a profession or occupation with opportunities for advancement or promotion. Career choice being a complex activity to make demands a great input of ideas and knowledge. This is supported by the Social Learning Theory as applied in the study, which insists on use of reasoning and logic '0 arrive at a logic decision. Therefore, proper mechanisms should be put in place to help students make proper linkage between education and career choice. The study was based on the objectives which seeks to identify different factors that influence career selection among secondary school students, examine processes secondary school students' use during their career selection activity and determine proper means and procedure students need to employ in making logical career choice.

This study targeted 2591 form four students from 37 secondary school in Bungoma South District. Simple random sampling method was applied, 10% of respondents were sampled out for interview. In each sampled secondary school, seven (7) students were interviewed; this translates to 259 respondents. The data for this study was collected using questionnaires. Descriptive methods were employed in analyzing qualitative data where frequencies and percentages were used in interpreting the respondent's perception of issues raised in the questionnaires so as to answer the research questions. The study revealed that sociological, educational, economic and psychological factors are important agents for career development. The study recommended that if career planning were done in an efficient manner, students would at the very least be following a career plan of informed decision making, rather than leaving it to chance of fate.