Career Aspiration of Students: The Influence of Peers, Teachers and Parents

Aim: The study examined the influence of Peers, Teachers and Parents in the career aspiration of students in public Senior High Schools. Three research questions and three hypotheses framed the study.

Study Design: Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. One Hundred and Ninety Six (196) students, 30 teachers, and 50 parents were selected to respond to self designed questionnaires using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The findings indicated that: Teachers do not significantly influence the career aspirations of students, Parental influence is a major determinant in the career aspirations of students, Peers influence the career aspirations of male and female students differently, the influence of peers on career aspirations of students does not vary on the basis of age and programme of study.

Conclusion: Peers and parents determine to a large extent the decisions that students make concerning the careers they may want to pursue, as such, it is recommended that: School heads should collaborate with counselling unit in schools to organise career workshops for students to help minimise the influence of stakeholders on students’ career aspirations.