AWARENESS LEVEL AND PREFERENCE OF BUSINESS RELATED SUBJECT IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL IN OGUN STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

The research examined the awareness level and preference of business related subject in senior secondary schools  in Ogun state Nigeria The major objectives of the study were to find out the students’ awareness level regarding business related subjects and their attitude, as well as motivation towards for those subjects in the future education. The study was quantitative in nature and a sample of 133 students was selected from both public and private secondary schools in Ogun state. By applying the survey method, the structured questionnaire was used for data collection and the collected data were analyzed by SPSS.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Title page

Approval page

Dedication

Acknowledgment

Abstract

Table of content

CHAPETR ONE

1.0   INTRODUCTION 

1.1        Background of the study

1.2        Statement of problem

1.3        Objective of the study

1.4        Research Hypotheses

1.5        Significance of the study

1.6        Scope and limitation of the study

1.7       Definition of terms

1.8       Organization of the study

CHAPETR TWO

2.0   LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPETR THREE

3.0        Research methodology

3.1    sources of data collection

3.3        Population of the study

3.4        Sampling and sampling distribution

3.5        Validation of research instrument

3.6        Method of data analysis

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

4.1 Introductions

4.2 Data analysis

CHAPTER FIVE

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Summary

5.3 Conclusion

5.4 Recommendation

Appendix

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the study

In order to check the student’s attitude toward business related studies and to create awareness about social sciences in Ogun, this type of effort has been made since 1980s. In 1988 Ogun state ministry of education had organized the conference to create social awareness about the business related studies and also publish some papers under the title “The state of social sciences in Ogun”. In 2002 a study published under the statement ‘The dismal state of social sciences in the state” (Zaidi, 2002). History, philosophy and politics were oldest subjects in the social sciences that were used as to understand the societies. However, some new social science subjects like sociology, psychology and economics were introduced during the industrial revolution. The British were introduced the new educational system of schools, colleges and universities in the 19th century in subcontinent that was at that time British colony. The Punjab University was one of the first five universities established in the Indo-Pak in the last quarter of the 19th century. A new discipline that was developed in Europe were introduced into that colony like anthropology, ethnography, linguistics and some traditional disciplines such as economics, political science, history and philosophy were taught at undergraduate levels in colleges. In recent times, the problem of global economic recession and its negative impacts on the well-being of citizens of nations, Nigeria inclusive has been drawing the attention of researchers scholars and policy makers. In Nigeria, this situation has posed a lot of challenges such as increased youths unemployment, violence attacks, stealing and kidnapping activities by youths to list but some (Amazue & Okoli, 2004). According to Dike (2009) about 80% of Nigerian youths are unemployed while about 10% of the employed are underemployed. Amazue and Okoli (2004) remarked that youths’ unemployment tends to account for their involvement in social crimes and over dependence on government for employment. Implicitly, it could adduced that curbing these problems calls for proper guidance and counseling of school students and retooling of Nigeria educational policy to incorporate entrepreneurship education. No doubt, Obunadike (2013) remarked that when youths are properly guided and counselled, as well as equipped with entrepreneurial skills their over dependency on government for employment will reduce and they would become more of employers of labour than seekers of jobs. Guidance and counselling are two separate terms though the former precedes the later. Guidance is a range of organized activities designed in schools to students learn and make appropriate choices in schools (Ezeji, 2011). Similarly, Owuamanam (2003) defines guidance as involving activities which are designed to help students acquire information, plan and implement programmes and enhance their decision making process in educational or vocational and personal social matters. Contextually, guidance is a helping service given to individuals to enable them achieve their potentials and be useful to themselves and the world in general. Guidance is preventive in nature in the sense that it aimed at preventing students from groping in darkness with regards to educational and occupational challenges. When an individual is properly guided and counselled, the individual would be able to evade or overcome unnecessary problems when faced with such in life (Igwe, 2013). The imperative of careers in human life cannot be over emphasized. At a certain stage in human development, the need to have a career becomes so apparent that individuals cannot but begin to plan, explore, choose and begin to seek ways of how to develop on a chosen profession or explore other opportunities that come one’s way in order to have a fulfilling career and live a life full of joy and satisfaction. A career is totality of time and effort devoted to the pursuance of work in order to live a meaningful life. It includes all the periods spent planning, acquiring education and training qualifying one for an occupation, the period of entrance into, the effort made to ensure progression including acquisition of further training, change of job and development all through a working life. Career is so important that it tends to define human personality and determine the quality of life that individuals live. However, life is dynamic and the reality of globalization stares us in the face. Gone are the days when we talk of careers and the thought of notable professions such as medicine, law, engineering, military, policing, business and piloting quickly comes to mind. These professions have enjoyed great popularity as a result of the great potentials they had, to transform individuals’ lives and change their social status and economic fortunes within a relatively short period of time. Hence, when school pupils are asked to name their future ambitions, majority tend to say medicine, engineering and the likes. Apart from the expansions that have happen to these professions leading to the development of equally lucrative and vibrant professions as offshoots of the popular professions, several new, high profile and lucrative professions offering promises of fulfilling careers to the young ones have evolved across the globe. Surprisingly however, majority of our school pupils still indicate the traditional professions (medicine, law, engineering and so on) as their future ambitions. This suggests that they may not be aware of the new professions springing up across the world and which offer equally great career opportunities to the young ones. Hence, this study explores the level of awareness level of contemporary high profile careers by Senior Secondary School students in Ogun State, Nigeria

• STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The high rate of unemployment, poverty and crime among secondary school leavers tend to have been attributed to lack of possession of career skills required in the world of work. Most of these students do not possess entrepreneurial skills that will enable them establish and manage small business enterprises so as to become self-employed and self-reliant on graduation. This observed deficiency in secondary school graduates have necessitated the positing of secondary schools Guidance Counselors who are professionally trained to render guidance services among which is career information and other activities which are aimed at enabling them broaden their career knowledge, skills and attitude towards entrepreneurship education. It is in view of the above that the researcher decide to investigate the awareness level and preference of business related subject in senior secondary schools in Ogun state

• OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to investigate the awareness level and preference of business related subjects in senior secondary schools in Ogun state Nigeria, but to aid the successful completion of the study the researcher intend to achieve the following specific objective;

1. To ascertain the role of guidance and counseling on student choice of business related subjects
2. To ascertain if there is any relationship between business related studies and entrepreneurial education

• To examine the role of business related study on the entrepreneurial skills of secondary school student in Ogun state

1. To examine the factors that are responsible for student preference for business related studies in Ogun state
   • RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

The following research hypotheses were formulated by the researcher to aid the completion of the study;

H₀: guidance and counseling does not play any role on student choice of business related subjects

H₁: guidance and counseling does play a significant role on student choice of business related subjects

H₀: there is no significant relationship between business related studies and entrepreneurial education among secondary school student in Ogun

H₂: there is a significant relationship between business related studies and entrepreneurial education among secondary school student in Ogun

• SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is believed that this study has theoretical and practical significance. The theoretical significance involves Decision making theory and Holland’s theory of vocational behavior. Holland theory of vocational behavior posits that vocational choice is an expression of the individual’s personality and that members of a vocation have similar personality and similar histories of personal development. However, this study would be anchored on Holland theory of vocational behavior which posits that if personality characteristics of an individual go with a vocation in an environment, such individual would exceedingly do well and be satisfied. By this, it becomes necessary for students to understand their personality, to make right choice of career. Decision making theory on the other hand is the bed rock of choice making. It emphasizes decision making as central to career development. The theory focuses on the way the individual should put to use whatever information or knowledge he or she has that could enhance the implementation of some career decision in matters regarding self, work and the opportunities that are open to the individual in general. By this, the information and knowledge students acquire from Guidance counsellors’ career awareness creation can enhance the acceptability of entrepreneurship education by secondary school students. Practically, the result of the finding would be of benefit to the following persons, students, guidance counsellors, parents, society and researchers. The study would benefit the students mostly through career awareness creation; the students would be equipped with necessary skills, knowledge, ability, interest, and motivation to become self employed and impact positively in the sustainable development of themselves in particular and the country in general. It is hoped that this significance would be achieved through seminar, conference and career day. Another beneficiary is the guidance counsellors, as they would be seriously involved in creating the needed career information that would enable secondary school graduates escape from the endemic of unemployment, poverty and social vices. Through the assessment of entrepreneurship education by guidance counsellors, they also evaluate themselves to know the area of deficiency and work on it. The researcher hopes to achieve these through academic publications and conferences.

• SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The scope of the study covers awareness level and preference of business related subject in senior secondary schools in Ogun state Nigeria, but in the cause of the study; there were some factors that limited the scope of the study;

1. a) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study
2. b) TIME: The time frame allocated to the study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.
3. c) Finance: Limited Access to the required finance was a major constrain to the scope of the study.

1.7 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

Awareness

Awareness is a relative concept. Awareness may be focused on an internal state, such as a visceral feeling, or on external events by way of sensory perception. Insects do not have consciousness in the usual sense because they lack the brain capacity for thought and understanding

Business study

Business Studies is an academic subject taught in schools and at university level in many countries. Its study combines elements of accountancy, finance, marketing, organizational studies and economics

Preference

A preference is a technical term in psychology, economics and philosophy usually used in relation to choosing between alternatives; someone has a preference for A over B if they would choose A rather than B.

1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows

Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), historical background, statement of problem, objectives of the study, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding.  Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study

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