Chapter I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

The concept of career or choice of occupation begins as early as childhood. It is

when children play as a doctor, teacher, chef and the like. Children are most likely to

answer questions when asked regarding what they want to be in the future. Even though

the process of having career options comes early, the actual start of serious planning and

deciding of career comes in the adolescent period. Adolescence is the stage where

adolescents need to have good decision-making skills because important decisions will be

taken in this period.

Adolescent period is the stage of most senior high school students. Senior high

school is a crucial stage for every student. It is the stage in high school wherein students

should have their decision when it comes to their career and to become prepared for the

transition from school to work or college. It is when the playtime is almost over, for

students should be serious about what they want to be and to do in their life. This can be

one of the measures whether a student will be successful in the future. Not all senior high

school students have their final decisions when it comes to the path they will take in

college and even if they do, it is not assured that it will be the final one.

Career planning is essential for students to know what course they will take in

college. With this, a college degree will help them to achieve their desired profession or

occupation. Career choice is considered a great challenge in any student’s life since many

factors could influence and affect it. According to Associated Equipment Distributors
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Foundation (2015), some of the possible factors that affect students’ career decisions are;

peers, family, personality and experiences, cultural values and norms, and teachers.

Person’s success, satisfaction, and happiness depend on how accurately he or she chooses

his or her career. Inappropriate career selection can affect the performance, fulfillment

and mental health of the individual for life. Once we invest time, money and effort in a

particular career path, it may not be easy to change the path. Changing the career is also

harmful to psychological health (Oke, 2012).

According to Oke (2012), students will be wise in their career choices if they have

gone through proper career counseling. Without adequate and accurate counseling and

guidance, students are at risk of being impelled to choose careers that are not suitable for

them.

Teachers play an essential part in the students’ career development as they are

also considered as the second parents of the students. According to Glaze (2016),

teachers influence students’ values, attitudes, and career choices. They work

collaboratively with parents, community members and employers to prepare them for

multiple roles that they will have throughout their lives. In addition, teachers are in a

good position to relate what they teach to the world of work and occupational choices. In

this regard, every teacher could be described as a career educator. The focus in the early

grades is on career awareness and exploration – not a career choice. In the later grades,

when teachers relate the content of the curriculum to occupations, it also helps students

see the relationship between learning and earning.

Teachers play many roles when it comes to career decision making of students.

According to Hooley (2015), there are several roles teachers can play. Teachers have
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their own career so their experiences are useful to the students. As trusted adults, students

approach them when they have concerns and dilemmas when it comes to career, and

teachers need to be able to offer some solutions. The next role focuses on teaching.

Teachers can link their subjects in the world of work. For example, a science teacher

making scientific processes could interest the students, and it could influence their choice

of career. Same with English teachers, being able to communicate well in English could

make the students fascinated so it could turn into a great factor when deciding about their

career.

The researchers are also Senior High School students and they observed that some

of the students are still hesitant about their career choice. Some do not even know what

course they will take in college considering the amount of time left to have their decision

and college entrance exams are fast approaching. So the researchers decided to undertake

this research to identify how subject teachers’ performances affect the career decision

making of the students.

Making a decision towards career is something should not be done easily. There

are a lot of things to consider so one should think deeply and smartly to come up to a

good decision. Career choice involves not a single decision but a series of decisions. It

does not come overnight for it needs to be planned for enough time. A good decision is

an achievement as it leads an individual to success (Cabrera et al., 2009). There are a lot

of factors that influence one’s career choice and these factors could help in decision

making or it could only be a burden for life. Proper analyzing, evaluating and weighing

down the considerations can take someone to a decision that will lead to success.
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Statement of the Problem

This research study aims to identify how subject teachers’ performances affect the

respondents’ career decision. Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What are the characteristics of subject teachers in terms of:

1.1. Teaching

1.2. Content of the Lesson

2. How do respondents describe their subject teachers in terms of:

2.1. Methods of Teaching

2.2. Effectiveness as a Teacher

3. How do subject teachers’ performances affect respondents’ career decisions?

Hypothesis

There are influences made from subject teachers’ performance to career decisions

of the respondents.

Significance of the Study

This study will be undertaken to find out the subject teachers’ influence to the

career decisions of the Grade 12 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

(STEM) students sections B and D of Central Luzon Doctors’ Hospital- Educational

Institution and the effects of their performance to the students. Benefiting the study are

the different sectors as follows:

To the School Administrators. This study will help them to encourage both

teachers and students to spread the words regarding career decisions and to help the

government to make programs and talks regarding career decisions at school.

To the Teachers. They would be guided in helping students in pursuing the

appropriate career considering factors that are found relevant.

To the Parents. They will be more aware of the need to know the career

preferences of their children and would have a clear understanding of the difficulty of

choosing of career. Furthermore, they would perform their role as parents and counselors

at the same time.

To the Students. This will help to increase the level of awareness of every student

regarding their career decision. It aims to give the students a deeper understanding on

how their career decision may have a huge impact in their lives and to give importance to

the role of the youth in the future.

To the Future Researchers. This study will serve as an encouragement and

inspiration to provide insights on how the teachers influence the career decisions of the

students. This will help the researcher to extend help to the students to become more

aware of their career decisions by providing more information.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study will focus on the influence of subject teachers’ performance on the

career decision of the respondents. The respondents of this study will be the Grade 12

STEM students sections B and D of CLDH-EI. The performance of the subject teachers

will be identified such as the personality, content of the lesson, methods of teaching, and

effectiveness of the teacher coming from the personal experiences and views of the
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respondents. The results of this study will be applicable only to the respondents of this

study and should not be used as a measure of the general perspective or experience of the

students in CLDH-EI.

This study will be delimited to the 4 students from the STEM class sections B and

D due to the limitation of time given to the researchers to finish the study. The

respondents are 4 females and their ages are ranging from 16 to 18 years old. The

respondents are studying in Central Luzon Doctors’ Hospital - Educational Institution

located at Romulo Highway, San Pablo, Tarlac City for the S.Y. June 2018 - October

2018.

Definition of Terms

For clarity, the terms used in the study were defined as follows:

Adolescence. Typically describes the years between ages 13 and 19 and can be

considered the transitional stage from childhood to adulthood (Psychology today, n.d.).

Adolescence refers to the period of the senior high school students in this study.

Career Choice. The selection of a particular path or vocation in terms of career

(Psychology Dictionary, 2013). In this study, career choice refers to the problem that

most students face.

Effectiveness in Teaching. The impact on students’ performance and

achievements of various classroom process factors like teaching methods, teacher

expectations, classroom organisation, and use of classroom resources (Ko, n.d.). In this

study, the meaning effectiveness in teaching varies depending on the respondent’s point-

of-view.
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Influence. The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or

behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself (Oxford Dictionaries, n.d.). In this

study,

Career Counseling. Consultation with a trained professional on specific goal-

setting in order to change or improve the direction of one's career (Psychology

Dictionary, 2013). In this study, career counseling is used as a great help to the students

in making career decisions.

Career Planning. The vocational guidance plan used to assist a person in

selecting an occupation (Psychology Dictionary, 2013). In this study, career planning is

said to be an important thing to do for students to achieve their desired profession in the

future.

Methods of Teaching. Refers to the general principles, pedagogy and

management strategies used for classroom instruction (Teach, n.d.). In this study, the

researchers want to find out the descripton of the repondents about the subject teachers’

methods of teaching. Example of method of teaching is the use of modern technology

tools like smartphones, projectors and the like to facilitate learning.

Senior High School. Two years of specialized upper secondary education;

students may choose a specialization based on aptitude, interests, and school capacity.

The choice of career track will define the content of the subjects a student will take in

Grades 11 and 12 (DMMC Institute of Health Sciences, 2015). In this study, senior high

school is the educational stage of the respondents.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). It is an

educational program developed to prepare primary and secondary students for college
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and graduate study in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

(What is, 2013). In this study, STEM refers to the chosen strand of the respondents.

Subject Teachers. Teachers for specific subject areas (Study, n.d.). In this study,

the researchers are looking for the influences made by subject teachers based on their

performance to the decision making of the respondents towards their career.

Teaching. It is the process of attending to people’s needs, experiences and

feelings, and intervening so that they learn particular things, and go beyond the given

(Infed, 2018). In this study, the researchers are seeking for the characteristics of the

subject teachers inside the classroom or in discussion time.