Publication: Parent versus peer influence on career choice among students in Secondary schools in Nyeri district, Nyeri county
Total Views 1
total viewsTotal Downloads 8
total downloadsDate
2015-04
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Mount Kenya University
Cite this Item
Abstract
Secondary schools are important institutions where learners’ talents as well as intellectual
abilities are nurtured. However, parents who have maternal and paternal relationship affect
their children’s choice of career at this level. Peers also have an environmental effect on the
school students’ decision. This has prompted the researcher to find out parental versus peer
influence on career choice among students in secondary schools in Nyeri District, Nyeri
County. It is apparent that the influences of parents and peers help the students to make
decisions in choosing their careers. Parents are more influential in students’ career choice as
compared to their peers. As students interact with their peers, their advice gives less impact
and important as compared to parents. The researcher will use qualitative approach method
during the study and for data collection; the researcher will use survey strategy. The researcher
will have three sets of questionnaires during the research. One set of the questionnaires is for
the teachers and the other one for students. The third set will be for the parents in the region. It
is hoped that the findings from this research will help teachers, schools and other related bodies
to develop a better plan that can guide and expose secondary school students to understand the
need of choosing a career they have an upper hand in. As a consequence, it may help the
Kenyan government to fulfill its desire to achieve the targeted of professionals by the year
2030. This data collected has shown that peers have a great influence on career choice. Parents
from well up families tend to choose more lucrative careers for their children as compared with
those from poor backgrounds. More educated parents also tend to choose careers for their
children emphasizing on the future prospects of that particular career. Employed parents want
their children to take up their careers especially if those careers are well paying.