Career information processing strategies of secondary school students in Osun State (Nigeria)

This study examined the strategies commonly adopted by Osun state secondary school students in processing career information. It specifically examined the sources of career information available to the students, the uses to which the students put the information collected and how their career decision making skills can be improved, leading to more appropriate career choices. Two hundred students selected by proportionate stratified random sampling from four secondary schools which were randomly selected from the three senatorial district of Osun state participated in the study. Data were collected using a self-constructed questionnaire titled “Questionnaire for exploring career information processing (QEIP)”. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, chi-square analysis, Kruskal wallis H test and Analysis of Variance. The results indicated that the largest percentage of the students chose accounting/banking, closely followed by medicine, engineering, law and nursing. The most prevalent means by which the students gather career information is through role models, information they obtain from school and parents. Socio-demographic variables of age and sex did not affect students’ patronage of these sources. The study also shows that only information collected from parents and their school counsellor bore any positive relationship with their choice of career. The study recommends career guidance collaboration between school counsellors and parents. It also recommends that more frequent career development programmes like career days and/or talks, job shadowing, role modeling and the like should be included in secondary school curriculum