Regala, Bianca Ysabelle M.

Grade 12 HUMSS – Aquino

Throughout a career, an individual seeks to accommodate the environment with

one’s goals, while at the same time being incorporated into the environment (Kroll,

Dinklage, Lee, Morley, & Wilson as cited by Borchert 2002) Career development is the

balancing of recognizing and meeting needs of the individual while at the same time

responding to the outer forces and realities of life. Career decision factors involve two

sets of input: the self and the world of work. The individual in a career has constantly

balanced one’s aspirations and how they have fitted into the reality of the workplace.

“Man’s occupation determines the kind of person he becomes since, through his waking

hours, his cognitions about himself, his wants and goals, and his interpersonal response

traits are molded” (Kroll et al., as cited by Borchert 2002). Kroll went on to say that much

of the informal and formal knowledge provided through our society and our environment

has focused on the acquisition, retention, and utilization of information pertaining to the

world. We have observed that both the self and the world emerge as important factors in

the constructs that we have attained, in that they have become the important features in

the acquisition, retention, and translation of information about one’s self (Kroll et al., as

cited by Borchert 2002).

However it has been shown that counsellors cannot ‘do it all.’ In a chapter titled

“Career counselling realities” (Weiler, 1977, p. 50 as cited by Borchert 2000), Weiler

discussed what counsellors can and cannot do. Counsellors can draw career preferences

to the forefront, in reflecting of student preferences, clarifying career preferences,

summarizing, and encouraging student career preferences. Counsellors should not be

engaged with the evaluation for example, telling the student what they are or are not

capable of doing. Counsellors should not moralize or tell the student what they should do,

what their motives should be, or persuade the student to adopt a different point of view.

Career counsellors are ineffective if they try to dictate, judge, or decide the student’s
values. And finally, counsellors should not make predictions that go beyond the capability

of their training (Weiler as cited by Bochert 2000).

For students to provide themselves with answers to career choice questions,

decision-making has become a tool to form career choices. Kroll (Kroll et al., as cited by

Borchert 2000) cited Super’s own research, which indicates that the decision-making

process concerning one’s career is not so much a function of the information amassed to

the individual, but more the process of maturity and planning. Kroll cites Clarke, Gelatt,

and Levine in which they stressed that good decision-making relied upon adequate

information and effective strategies for making choice.

Students can help themselves in to decide myth from reality, communication, and

learning to operate autonomously, are fundamental building blocks used in effective

career planning. In order to succeed in obtaining their goals, students must know what

they want. “Too many of us have been taught to suppress what we want and instead

concentrate on meeting other people’s expectations. In doing this we end up spending

most of our time marching to other people’s drums” (Weiler as cited by Borchert 2002).

Kroll has provided models of the decision making process. John Dewey’s model

(Kroll et al., as cited by Borchert 2000) describes five noticeable steps described: the

preflective state, suggestions, intellectualization, hypothesis, and then reasoning. Along

the same lines as Dewey’s description is another from Poyla. Poyla (cited by Kroll et al.,

and Borchert 2000) described four basic areas in the decision-making process 1)

understanding the problem, 2) seeing how various items of the problem are linked in order

to formulate a plan, 3) carrying out the plan, and 4) reviewing and discussing the

completed solution. Brim, Glass, Lavin, and Goodman work from different points of view

utilizing a basic scientific method exploring how people make decisions. Their decision-

making model includes problem identification, information acquisition, solution

production, solution evaluation, strategy selection, and actual performance with

subsequent learning and revision (cited by Kroll and Borchert 2000).

 Personal values and desires have seldom been realized without the active and

conscious efforts on the part of the student. The student must be motivated to orchestrate

the outcome. If the student wants to work in the career choice process, the student must

know and understand the realities of that process. Only when the student has developed

awareness, they can begin to avoid dealing with the myths within the process as a whole.

It is at that point the student develops a practical plan of action to get what they want from

the decisions of their career choice. Most students have built career plans on the myths

of what we think should be rather on the reality of what is, so stated Weiler and as cited

by Borchert (2000).

Reference:

Borchert, M. (2002), Career Choice Factors of High School Students (Publish Research

Paper) University of Wisconsin-Stout

http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/lib/thesis/2002/2002borchertm.pdf
Regala, Bianca Ysabelle M.

Grade 12 HUMSS – Aquino

According to Shumba and Naong (2012) in their findings that the family; the ability

of the learner self to identify his/her preferred career choice; and teachers were significant

factors that influence the career choice and aspirations of students. The implications of

the findings and practical considerations are discussed in the study. A quantitative

paradigm guided this study. A survey method in the form of a structured questionnaire

was used in this study in order to identify the factors that influence career choice and

aspirations among South African students. A purposive sample of 133 first and second

year university students (77 females, 56 males; age range 15 to 30 years) participated in

the study. The Career Aspirations Questionnaire was used in this study. Career

Aspirations Questionnaire which explored the factors that influence medical students’

career choice and aspirations. Data were analyzed using percentages and tables.

Reference:

Shumba, A., Naong, M. (2012), Factors Influencing Students’ Career Choice and

Aspirations in South Africa (Publish Research Paper) Central University of Technology

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/887a/332400facffd4663329391d8d15a2bb8c29c.pdf
 According to Mugonzibwa, Kikwilu, Rugarabamu, Ntabaye (2000) in their findings

that image of a profession (good experiences from the work of professionals,

professionals who are attractive to respondents, and professionals who command high

respect in the community) was perceived as an important factor in career choice by the

majority of respondents (over 88 percent). Work/profession characteristics (knowledge

about work to be done, treating patients, giving medicines to patients, helping relatives,

etc.) was ranked as the second most important factor, and course characteristics

(availability of postgraduate studies, size of annual intake, pass rate, geographic location,

etc.) was ranked third. Direct gains and advice from important persons were perceived as

least important in career choice. The information obtained would be used to formulate

effective recruitment strategies and counseling students on their career expectations in

dentistry. All 352 high school students who were studying in five randomly selected high

schools completed a pre-tested questionnaire containing twenty-four items addressing

five factors.

Reference:

Mugonzibwa E.A., Kikwilu E.N., Rugarabamu P.N., Ntabaye M.K. (2000) Factors

Influencing Career Choice Among High School Students in Tanzania (Publish Research

Paper) U.S. National Library of Medicine

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10914094?report=abstract
 According to Ferry (2006) in her study that throughout all of the groups, a

consistent picture of the major influencers of young adult's career choices emerged. The

interrelated nature of the groups' perceptions highlighted the importance family and

community play in shaping young adult's career choices. Adolescent occupational choice

is influenced by many factors, including life context, personal aptitudes, and educational

attainment. Whether college-bound or work-bound, meeting the challenge of this

developmental milestone is critical in adolescents' lives. The cultural and social context

of family and community were found to be instrumental in how youth learn about careers

and influential in the choice process. Extension strategies that target parents and

community to increase their involvement in youth career selection can promote sound

career decisions. Participants of the study's 12 focus groups were individuals from an 11-

county rural area in Central Pennsylvania. Of these groups, seven were conducted with

98 high school seniors, three were with 50 graduating college seniors, and two with 24

employed young adults. The purposeful selection of the seven high school groups, which

ranged from 10 to 17 participants, was based upon the size of the school's enrollment,

type of curriculum, and the mean income level of the district's families (School Report

Cards, 2002). The three college groups' selection, which ranged from 14 to 22

participants, was based upon location within the area. Selection of the two employed

young adult groups, which included 12 participants each, was based upon type of

employment and location within the area.

Reference:

Ferry, N.M (2006 Factors Influencing Career Choices of Adolescents and Young Adults

in Rural Pennsylvania (Publish Research Paper) University Park, Pennsylvania

https://www.joe.org/joe/2006june/rb7.php#
 According to Borchert (2002) in his findings the are many factors affect career

choices of high school students. Identifying these factors would give parents, educators,

and industry an idea as to where students place most of their trust in the career selection

process. It would also allow students to examine processes they use for career selection.

The literature review has provided recommended models in career choices. The review

of the literature showed that three areas of a student’s life affect the career choices they

make: environment, opportunity, and personality. All three played varying roles in career

outcomes. Data was collected from seniors at Germantown High School, using a survey

form. The research design used the statistical information to see if dependent variables

relating to environment, opportunity, and personality were significant factors influencing

the career choices of high school students. The senior class of approximately 325

students was chosen to comprise the population. The control group consisted of subject-

based students intending to graduate within the year. Internal validity was not guaranteed,

however the subjects surveyed were unaffected by environmental qualities that may skew

results. The external validity in general terms was applicable to other seniors of similar

school populations.

Reference:

Borchert, M. (2002), Career Choice Factors Of High School Students (Publish Research

Paper) University of Wisconsin-Stout

http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/lib/thesis/2002/2002borchertm.pdf
 According to Kazi and Akhlaq (2017) in their study that making a career choice is

a defining phase in every student’s life. Students have to consider several factors before

arriving at a decision. The influence of peers on the respondents’ choice of subject

specialization was also investigated along with any impressions taken from the media. It

also examined whether students at the MS level opt for their chosen fields forcefully,

make compromises, or make decisions which are independent and without external

pressures. Data was collected through a questionnaire and in-depth interviews. The

results show the parents influence as most significant, followed by influence from peers,

gender, print media, financial reasons, interest and others. This study investigated the

influence of several factors such as parental education, profession and income on the

career decisions of 432 students from two public sector universities in Lahore city.

Reference:

Kazi, A.S., Akhlaq, A. (2017), Factors Affecting Students’ Career Choice (Publish

Research Paper) Lahore College for Women University

http://ue.edu.pk/jrre/articles/1100117.pdf