CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Career play a very fundamental and significant role in the life of the individual not

only because they determine the pattern of income but also because they affect the individual

personality and concepts in life, career therefore is a choose pursuit, life work or success in

one's profession occupied by a person throughout his/her lifetime. In a nutshell, career is the

totality of work one does in his life time and is person centred it is of utmost importance to

every individual as he or she prepares for the future (Schelles, 2016).

Career choice is something very hard to decide, especially as his life will depend on it. Her

(2018) indicated that, career is the totality of experience through which one learns about and

prepares to engage in work as part of his way of living ' Splete (2016) Stress career is an

enjoying process that occurs over the life span and includes homes, schools and community.

Every human being needs to do one job or the other to help contribute his quote to the

development of the country. Career choice is one of the most important decisions a student or

a professional has to make. Whether that decision is to select a specialization, organisation or

a profession, it should be made after careful consideration of the internal (including physical,

emotional and intellectual demands) and external environment (which might include one’s

suitability to the type of work). This choice is crucial as it shall drive what will be the

individual’s daily schedule for the rest of their life. Furthermore, it will have a direct impact

on their other aspects of life such as life style, self-satisfaction, work-life balance and quality

of life (Splete, 2016).

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The career choice decision is also difficult not just because of the range of career options

available to an individual in the current environment, but having an adequate understanding

of a career without getting into it. Too often, only after a person has made sustainable

commitments in time, energy, and money or has cut off other opportunities by taking steps to

enter a career, does he or she find that it is not what was expected or wanted.

However, a family is an institution, the primary socializing agent of which a child is a

member since it is in the family the child is born. Obayan (2018) stated that the family is the

bed rock of any society the foundation for the academic achievement of the child. A stable

and well-developed child can be guaranteed by a stable family. The current bad economic

status of the country has exposed children to undesirable challenges that have negatively

affected their academic performance in school. The quality of an educational institution is

measured by the academic performance or success of the students. Over the years,

improvement in academic performance of students in school has become the common

concern of parents, legislators, teachers, counselors and psychologist.

According to Bell (2017), parents devote a lot of resources to their children’s education

because they believe that good academic performance will provide a stable future for them.

In addition, Wilkins (2016) opined that many educational authorities have sought to find out

reasons for the downward trend in the academic performance of secondary school students.

Omolewa (2017) affirmed that academic performance of a child could be traced to the kind of

friends he keeps and the home he comes from. Thus, it is believed that when parents monitor

homework, encourages their children participation in extra-curricular activities; are active

members of Parents Teacher Associations and help children develop plans for their future,

that children are more likely to respond and do well in school.

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Education is frequently concerned about the need to improve students’ academic performance

and achievement. Academic performance, most especially of secondary school students has

been largely associated with many factors. Most students in secondary schools in Nigeria are

confronted daily with challenges of coping with their academics under serious emotional

strains such as a long walk to school, inadequate instructional material and teaching facilities,

poor school environment and being taught by some un-motivational teachers with low work

morale. Couple with these is family factors such as uncooperative attitude of parents to their

children’s study and the socio-economic status of parents.

Family background includes parent’s educational status, marital status, occupational status,

financial status, parental discipline and family size. Parental educational status is the

educational level attained by parents of the students. This will be one of the major factors to

be investigated by the researcher because of the influence it can exert on students’ academic

performance.

The level of educational attainment of parents influences the academic performance of their

children. In a family where both the mother and father are educated, their children are always

taken good care of in their academic activities. They may go through their children exercise

books after school or may employ a private teacher to teach them after school. While others

in these categories arranges for their children to attend extra-mural classes after school hours

in order to enhance their academic performance at school (Splete, 2017). By so doing their

academic performance will be improved. In the case of illiterate family, the need to supervise

their children’s exercise book is not there, hence their children’s low academic performance

in school. There is evidence that parents education can positively rub off on student’s

academic performance because the parents are in a good position to be second teachers to

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their children. Their assistance in this regard spurs their children’s interest in learning and

thereby enhances their academic performance in school.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

This research is based on the effect of parental influences on the choice of career among

secondary school students in Niger State College of Education, Minna. The parents may

desire what they think is good or best for their ward. This may affect the child positively if

the child can cope with it but negatively when such a child has other things in mind, which

he/she wishes to do. The result of this is that the child may not concentrate on the parents

needs and so may not adjust positively towards the career. This sometimes leads to students

waywardness, secrete cult involvement, armed robbery and so on. The child may not cope

with the parents continual force against his/her will. The world is marking such drastic

demand upon the coming workers every truthful man and woman every teaches and

reflecting parents is planning way to fit the students for the life and needs of this new century.

This statement which is still relevant today was written by Mejer Bloomfield in his book

‘finding ones place in life in (2007) since the early 2000 career development or vocational

guidance at it was then known has increasingly gained more and more attention and respect

in essence career counselling is a specialty within the profession of counselling one that

fosters vocationally development and work adjustment of individual abilities interest and

goals with the work roles structured by the community and occupation organised by

companies and assist a developing and deciding individual to make suitable and viable choice

why examine the factors affecting career choice on senior secondary school students, in the

past and even now for many. It was assumed that on individual going through late adolescent

would be developing their independence and slowly eliminating his or her family’s

constraints as he or she formed his or her own identity into the larger word in effect the

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person would make career decision based on his or her own interest research and

occupational goals with limited influence from others. The research problem is to ascertain

parents educational qualification on career choice among secondary school students in Niger

State College of Education, Minna.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The Overall aim of this study was to examine the influence of family background on

students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Niger state College of

education, Nigeria.  Specifically, the study sought to:

i. Examine the impact of parent’s educational qualification on students’ academic

performance in Niger State College of Education Minna, Nigeria.

ii. Determine the influence of parent’s educational level on students’ academic

performance in Niger State College of Education, Minna, Nigeria.

iii. Ascertain the impact of parent’s occupation on students’ academic performance in

Niger State College of Education, Minna, Nigeria.

iv. Find out the impact of parent’s financial income on students’ academic performance

in Niger State College of Education, Minna, Nigeria.

1.4 Research Questions

For the purpose of this work, seven research questions were raised and answered.

1 What is the impact of parents’ educational qualifications on student’s career choice

among secondary school students in Niger State College of Education, Minna?

2 Is there any impact of parent’s educational status on students’ academic performance?

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3 Is there any influence of parent’s educational level on students’ academic

performance?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

i. There will be no significant relationship between parent’s educational qualification

and career choice of secondary school students in Niger State College of Education,

Minna.

ii. There will be no significant difference between parents occupational status and career

preference of secondary school students in Niger State College of Education, Minna.

iii. There will be no significant relationship between sex of senior secondary school

students in Niger State College of Education, Minna.

1.6 Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The content scope of this study will cover investigation regarding how parents’ educational

attainment and occupational status correlates students career preference. The study will be

delimited to selected Senior Secondary School II in Niger State College of Education, Minna.

1.7 Significance of the Study

This study would be of significance to parents, students, educators, guidance counselors,

curriculum planners and government. The parents will benefit from this work because the

findings of this study would make them aware of the influence of family background and

how it affects or improves students’ performance. This knowledge will motivate Parents to

provide warm, social climate for their children at home; form accurate belief and expectation

regarding their children’s performance so that they can excel in post schooling endeavor. The

students will benefit from this study because the findings would motivate them towards

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learning and studying; preparing them to cope with challenges that could hinder academic

performance. This finding would benefit the educators because theories with different topics

such as intrinsic motivation, self-concept, attribution, goal orientation, self-efficiency and

expectation have been established to help them perform better, improve their productivity and

understand student’s domains of educational learning.

The guidance counselors through the findings of this study would be aware of the type of

counseling service to render to students and parents for better efficiency and performance.

The findings of the study would help curriculum planners to plan school curriculum that will

cater for all categories of students that will enhance their academic performance in school;

ensure adequate learning facilities, incentive, qualify manpower to educate the students for

better tomorrow. The findings of the study would motivate the government to create the

needed environment in public secondary schools that will accommodate students’ from

different family background.

1.8 Operational Definition of Terms

Career: An occupation or profession, especially one requiring special training, followed as

one’s life work.

Career Choice: Career choice is the career field which one prefers or it is a job an individual

shows more interest in.

Educational Qualifications: Educational qualifications refers to the official confirmation,

usually in the form of a certificate, diploma or degree, certifying the successful completion of

an education program or a stage of a program.