Perceived parental influence and psychosocial support on career choice of students in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana

Abstract

The study examined how parental psychosocial support enhance and promote career choice of students in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Descriptive survey design was used for the study. In all, 379 students were sampled using multistage sampling procedure. Questionnaire was used in the data gathering and analyses carried out descriptively and inferentially. The results revealed that the financial status and occupations of parents as well as motivation from parents influenced choice of career of students. The study also revealed that the respondents did not feel they could do better in a different programme other than what they were doing and they also felt that the influence of their parents on their career choices did not make them emotionally dissatisfied. There was also no significant gender difference and age difference in the emotional satisfaction of students with parental influence in their career choice. Finally, a significant difference was realized in students‟ emotional satisfaction with parental influence on their career choice on the basis of their levels of study. On the basis of the findings, it was recommended that University authorities should collaborate with Ghana Education Service to plan workshops and outreaches for parents whose children have completed senior high school and are about to make career decisions. This will enlighten the parents on how they can positively influence the career choices of their children.