AWARENESS OF CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN BUSINESS

EDUCATION AS PERCEIVED BY SECONDARY SCHOOL

STUDENTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR CAREER GUIDANCE.

BY
GIDEON, Hannatu
BED/19U/4807

AN ACADEMIC PAPER
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
BUSINESS EDUCATION PROGRAM

APRIL, 2025

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 ABSTRACT
Taking career decision is such a crucial matter that secondary school students need not be left
unguided to avoid wrong career choices. The study adopted the descriptive survey research
design in which the perception of the senior secondary school students on career opportunities
available in Business Education were sought. Data were collected using the researcher’s
developed and validated 43-item, 4-point multiple response Questionnaire which had reliability
coefficient of 0.78, using the Cronbach Alpha technique. The instrument was administered to
three hundred (300) candidates using multi-stage sampling approach from three education zones
in Anambra State. Data were analyzed using frequency counts and mean ratings. The findings
among others, revealed the three foremost career opportunities in Business Education as
perceived by the students to include Business Education teaching in secondary schools (mean =
3.67), Pharmacy (mean = 3.62 ) and Medicine/Surgery (mean = 3.60 ). Some recommendations
for the study were made.

Keywords: Awareness, Career Opportunities, Career Guidance, Chemistry, Students’

Perception,

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Introduction:
Career could be seen as a job, or profession for which one undergoes regulated education and
training over a period of time and which usually follows the person for the whole of his/her life.
Making a career decision is not a one-stroke process. It may appear quite easy for some people
however; others experience some difficulty along the line. Planning for tomorrow is primarily
the responsibility of the parents, teachers and school counsellor. Students need general
orientation into the world of work through the curriculum. The kind of career the youths pursue
can affect their lives in many ways. For example, it can determine where the individual lives and
the type of friends kept. It can reflect how much education one will have and determine the
amount of money one will earn. People desire for a career are different, many people desire high
income; others want adventures while some others want to serve people to make the world a
better place. It is on this basis that giving career guidance especially, to the youths becomes a
topical issue.
Career choice is one of the most important decisions in the life of an individual. It has far-
reaching implications on the individual’s future in terms of lifestyle, status, income, security and
job satisfaction. Although personal philosophy, achievement and self-image are important factors
in this decision, the external environment is also very influential in characterizing career and
shaping aspirations. The values an individual holds, the successes and failures he experiences,
the social class in which he has developed and his interests, strengths and capacities are only
some of the factors which could affect his selection of a career. Thus, career choice is not merely
a decision of a moment but a complex and difficult process spanning years, if not a lifetime
(Bassey, 2010).
The consequences of wrong career choice are quite enormous. As a result of wrong career
choice, many job-seekers usually find themselves in jobs where they could not satisfy their value
needs. When this occurs, they constitute nuisance to themselves, their employers and the society
as a whole. They are usually unable to contribute meaningfully to the society and ultimately
become liability to the nation. It is possible that some wrong career decisions were founded on
ignorance of available opportunities. To avoid a situation like this, it becomes necessary to create
awareness of available career prospects in different school subjects of which Business Education
is one. For instance, degrees in the basic and applied sciences could open up a variety of career
opportunities as research scientist in your specialist area including analytical scientist, chemist,
medical scientist, forensic scientist, pharmacologist, toxicologist, biologist, microbiologist,
marine biologist, biochemist, biotechnologist, geneticist, zoologist, physicist, geophysicist,
nanotechnologist, astrophysicist, medical physicist and meteorologist (Ogunlade, 2017). It may
therefore, not be out of place to give authentic guidance to the students at an appropriate time.
Similarly, documentary literature search of relevant textbooks would indicate that there are a
number of chemistry-based careers.
Career development occurs in broad sequential stages: starting from childhood till death. The
earliest stage is often a non-realistic conceptualisation of one’s potentials and the world. But with
time, the child begins to be more realistic in appraising himself with potential careers. This
second phase normally extends from about the end of primary school to secondary school. The
third stage is referred to as realistic choice making. The impact of career development upon the
youth is long-term and inestimable. Through the career development process, an individual
fashions a work identity which in a log run characterizes the personality of the individual. Thus
this study was founded on the theoretical framework of Self-concept Theory of Career
Development. By this theory which originated in the USA as well as in other parts of the world,

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Super cited in Obisike (2019) suggested that career choice and development is essentially a
process of developing and implementing a person’s self-concept. Accordingly self-concept was
viewed as a product of complex interactions among a number of factors, including physical and
mental growth, personal experiences, and environmental characteristics and stimulation.
However, recent articulations have called for a stronger emphasis on the effects of social context
and the reciprocal influence between the person and the environment.
Super in Obisike (2019) proposed a life stage developmental framework with the following
stages: growth, exploration, establishment, maintenance (or management), and disengagement.
In each stage one has to successfully manage the vocational developmental tasks that are socially
expected of persons in the given chronological age range. For example, in the stage of
exploration (ages around 15 to 24), an adolescent has to cope with the vocational developmental
tasks of crystallisation (a cognitive process involving an understanding of one’s interests, skills,
and values, and to pursue career goals consistent with that understanding), specification (making
tentative and specific career choices), and implementation (taking steps to actualise career
choices through engaging in training and job positions).

Statement of the Problem:

One noticeable missing link which has been reeling out some undercurrent blows in the Nigerian
educational system particularly the secondary school level is the near lip-service being paid to
the vocational guidance of the students. Although the FRN (2013) recognized the provision of
guidance and counselling services as one of the essential educational support services in the
Nigerian education system however, the extent of upholding the tenets of this provision is a
matter of concern to this paper. Although there are a handful of trained teacher counsellors in
schools, the extent of performance of the statutory roles of a counsellor especially that of
vocational guidance of the students is quite skeletal in comparison to the totality of students and
secondary schools in the country. The fate of the students in the other numerous schools without
a designated and, or functional school counsellor to guide the career aspiration of the students is
also a matter of grave concern. Similarly, it is even doubtful the extent students are aware of the
existence of such opportunities to enable them make wise career choice in course of their studies.
The consequence of the above scenario is that students, even at the point of registering and
seeking for admission into universities seem unaware of the career opportunities available to
them as well as the subject combinations that they needed to offer that would lead them to a
particular career. The problem of this study therefore, was to determine the extent of awareness
of career opportunities in Business Education as perceived by senior secondary three, (SS3)
students
Research Questions:
The following research questions guided the study:

i. To what extent are students aware of the career opportunities available in chemistry?
ii. To what extent are students aware of the subject requirements for pursuing such
careers at tertiary institutions?
iii. What opportunities are provided to guide students in making wise career choice?
Methodology:
This study adopted the descriptive survey research design whereby the perception of SS3
Business Education students on their awareness of career opportunities in Business Education
were sought for. The sample for the study consisted of three hundred (300) SS3Business

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Education students. This group of students were considered appropriate for the study because
they are considered to have gone through the length and breathe of Business Education
curriculum and secondary school Business Education experiences for us to reckon with the
wealth of their perception. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select samples for the
study. Three education zones (Aguata, Awka and Onitsha) were selected randomly from the six
education zones in Anambra state in the first instance. The second stage involved selection of
schools that are non-coeducational in nature so that the experiences of both male and female
students would be taken into consideration. In the third stage, sixty candidates (comprising 30
males and 30 females) were selected randomly from each of the boys’ and girls’ schools. Thus a
total sample of ( 3 Education Zones x 2 single sex school x 60 candidates), three hundred and
sixty (360) SS3 Business Education students from three education zones of Anambra State were
sampled for the study. However, only 300 of them who fully completed their questionnaires
actually participated in the study. The researcher constructed and validated a 43-item, 4-point
multiple response questionnaire which was used to collect data for the study. To ensure that the
items in the questionnaire are valid, the initial draft was presented to two experts in Science
Education and Guidance and Counselling for scrutiny. The comments and suggestions of the
experts were considered in the final draft of the instrument. The Cronbach Alpha technique of
determining reliability was used to ascertain the reliability of the instrument. A reliability index
of 0.78 was obtained for the instrument. This value was considered adequate and hence, reliable
for the study. The researcher also consulted the 2018/2019 JAMB Guidelines for Admissions and
Programmes in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions to sieve out appropriate UTME subject
combinations for the enlisted chemistry-related careers. The researcher was assisted by willing
and reliable research assistants who made the data collection procedure very smooth across all
the schools used for the study. The research questions were analyzed using frequency counts and
mean ratings while the hypothesis was tested using t- test statistics. Items with mean value of
2.50 and above were accepted as positive perception/ awareness while, items with mean values
less than 2.50 were rejected as signifying negative perception/awareness.

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 Results:
The results of the study were presented in line with the research questions and hypothesis.
Research Question 1: To what extent are students aware of the career opportunities available
in chemistry?

Table 1: Mean Responses on Awareness of Career Opportunities in Chemistry.

(NB: STA=Strongly Aware; MA=Moderately Aware; SLA=Slightly Aware; NA=Not
Aware)
CAREER DOMAINS/ ITEMS RESPONSES
S/N TEACHING SERVICE: STA MA SLA NA N Mean Remark

1 Business Education Teaching in 201 99 300 3.67 Positive

Secondary Schools
2 Business Education teaching in COEs 180 100 20 300 3.53 Positive
3 Business Education teaching in 170 110 20 300 3.50 Positive
Polytechnics
4 Business Education teaching in 150 100 50 300 3.33 Positive
Universities
5 Business Education Lab Assistant 150 140 10 300 3.47 Positive
6 Business Education Lab Technology 150 120 30 300 3.40 Positive
HEALTH SERVICE
7 Medicine/Surgery 180 120 300 3.60 Positive
8 Pharmacy 185 115 300 3.62 Positive
9 Biochemistry 120 100 20 60 300 2.93 Positive
10 Chemistry 150 150 300 3.50 Positive
11 Nutritionists/Dieticians 30 50 150 70 300 2.13
12 Nursing 130 80 50 40 300 3.00 Positive
13 Medical Assistants 100 120 50 30 300 2.97 Positive
14 Medical Lab Technology 100 120 50 30 300 2.97 Positive
FOOD PROCESSING/AGRO-
ALLIED SERVICES
15 Food technology 40 50 100 110 300 2.07 Negative
16 Agricultural Scientist 30 50 120 100 300 2.03 Negative
17 Agronomy 60 40 100 100 300 2.20 Negative
18 Forestry 20 60 100 120 300 1.93 Negative
EXTRACTIVE SERVICE
19 Mining Engineering 30 20 130 120 300 1.87 Negative
20 Geology 20 60 120 100 300 2.00 Negative
Cluster Mean = 2.89 moderately positive
From table 1, the mean ratings ranged from 1.87 for item 19 to 3.67 for Business Education
teaching in secondary schools. All the items had mean values greater than the cut-off point of
2.50, except items 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 whose mean values were less than the cut-off point.
This means that the respondents were not aware of those items as chemistry-related career
opportunities, while the items with mean values greater than the cut-off point were perceived
positively as chemistry-related career opportunities. In general, it was evident that the three
foremost career opportunities in Business Education as perceived by the students included

6
 Business Education teaching in secondary schools (mean = 3.67), Pharmacy (mean = 3.62) and
Medicine/Surgery (mean = 3.60 ). The cluster mean value of 2.89 could be interpreted to mean
that the respondents were moderately positive on their perception of the extent of awareness of
chemistry-related career opportunities.
Research Question 2: To what extent are students aware of JAMB subject combinations for
Core chemistry-related courses?
Table 2: Mean Responses on the Extent of Awareness of JAMB Subject combinations.
CAREER DOMAINS/ITEMS Subject Combinations RESPONSES
S/N TEACHING SERVICE: Subject combinations for STA MA SLA NA mean Remark
chemistry-related course
21 Business Education English, Maths/ physics, 190 100 10 3.60
Education chemistry, biology
22 Science Lab technology English, Maths / physics, 180 80 25 15 3.41
chemistry, biology
HEALTH SERVICE
23 Medicine & English, physics, chemistry, 200 100 3.67
Surgery/Veterinary biology
Medicine
24 Pharmacy/Radiography English, physics, chemistry, 220 80 3.73
biology
25 Biochemistry English, physics, chemistry, 120 98 43 39 3.00
biology
26 Chemistry English, Business Education 101 99 60 40 2.87
and two of Maths, physics and
biology
27 Food Science English, Maths/physics, 79 40 101 100 2.46
Business Education and
Agricultural science
28 Nursing English, physics, chemistry, 102 100 78 20 2.95
biology
29 Medical Laboratory English, physics, chemistry, 73 50 97 80 1.66
science biology
FOOD
PROCESSING/AGRO-
ALLIED SERVICES
30 Food science and English, Business Education 70 70 85 75 2.45
technology Maths/ physics and Agric
science
31 Agricultural/ Computer English, Maths, physics and 80 13 120 87 2.29
/Electrical/Electronic/Civil chemistry.
/Petroleum/ Chemical
Engineering
32 Agronomy/Agricultural English, chemistry, 46 40 154 60 2.24
Extension biology/Agric and physics/
Maths
33 Forestry English, chemistry, biology or 50 55 100 95 2.20
Agric and Maths/physics.
EXTRACTIVE SERVICE
34 Mining Engineering English, Maths, physics, 22 50 98 130 1.88
chemistry, Geography
35 Geology English, and any three of Maths, 30 17 100 153 1.75
physics, chemistry, biology,
Geography

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 Cluster Mean = 2.29 slightly aware
From table 2, the mean ratings ranged from 1.75 for item 35 to 3.73 for item 24, ie
Pharmacy/radiography. All the items had mean values greater than the cut-off point of 2.50,
except items 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35 whose mean values were less than the cut-off
point. This means that the respondents were not aware of the JAMB subject-combinations of
those chemistry-related careers, while the items with mean values greater than the cut-off point
the respondents were aware of the JAMB subject-combination of those chemistry-related careers.
In general, it was evident that the three foremost Business Education –related careers whose
JAMB subject- combinations the respondents are very much aware of included
Pharmacy/Radiography (mean = 3.73), Medicine/Surgery (mean = 3.67) and Business Education
education (mean = 3.60 ). The cluster mean value of 2.29 could be interpreted to mean that the
respondents were slightly aware of JAMB subject-combinations for the chemistry-related
careers. In addition to the basic SSCE ordinary level requirement of 5 credits including English
language and mathematics at not more than two sittings, the prospective candidate is expected to
apply for UTME and sit for appropriate subject combinations to be eligible for consideration in
the applied course.
Research Question 3: What opportunities are provided to guide students in making wise career
choice?
Table 3: Mean Responses on Opportunities provided Students to make Career Choice.
( NB: SA = Strongly Agree, AG = Agree, DA = Disagree, SD = Strongly Disagree)

Opportunities provided to enable students Responses

make wise Career choice
S/N SA AG DA SD Mean Remark
36 Career Information in Business Education 130 120 30 20 3.20 Accept
Curriculum
37 Career information in Business Education 120 140 25 15 3.22 Accept
textbooks
38 Excursion /Field trips to chemistry-based 150 130 10 10 3.40 Accept
industries/establishments
39 Organization of Career Week in schools 180 80 10 30 3.67 Accept
40 Invitation of Guest speakers/Mentors during 100 120 40 40 2.93 Accept
Science Week
41 Membership of Science/*JETS Club 100 90 60 50 2.80 Accept
42 Vocational Guidance by School Counsellors 20 60 100 120 1.93 Reject
43 Career Clinic by school Counsellor 15 55 80 150 1.78 Reject
*JETS = Junior Engineers, Technicians and Scientists
Table 3 shows the mean responses of the Business Education students as to the opportunities
provided to them in school to make wise career decisions. The mean values ranged from 1.78 for
item 43, that is organizing career clinic by the school counsellor to 3.67 for item 39, which is
Organizing Career week in schools. All the items except items 42 and 43 had mean values less
than the cut-off point of 2.50 hence, the two items were rejected. This implies that the two items
were not perceived by the respondents as being contributory to their making of wise career
decisions.
Discussion:
Research question 1 sought to determine the extent the respondents are aware of the career
opportunities available in chemistry. Result presented in table one indicated that the three
foremost career opportunities in Business Education as perceived by the students included
Business Education teaching in secondary schools (mean = 3.67), Pharmacy (mean = 3.62) and

8
Medicine/Surgery (mean = 3.60 ). The career opportunities which they perceived as least aware
included Mining Engineering (mean = 1.87), Forestry (mean = 1.93) and Geology (mean = 2.00).
The cluster mean value of 2.89 could be interpreted to mean that the respondents were
moderately positive on their perception of the extent of awareness of chemistry-related career
opportunities.
From this table still, it would be seen that all the items in the career domains of Food
Processing/Agro-allied Services and Extractive Services were not perceived as chemistry-related
careers, while the reverse was the case for all the careers in the Teaching and Health Services. A
possible explanation could be that whereas the teaching and Health services had more direct
impact on the students, the food processing/agro-allied services and extractive services may
appear distanced and not impacting greatly on the daily lives of the respondents. This may also
be an indirect reference to the paucity of food processing/agro-allied and extractive industries in
their environment and by implication a call on government and industrialists to spread the
localization of industries in the society.
Research question 2 sought to determine the extent students are aware of the JAMB subject-
combinations for pursuing chemistry-related careers at tertiary institutions. Result as presented in
table 2 indicated that the three foremost chemistry-related careers whose JAMB subject-
combinations the respondents are very much aware of included Pharmacy/Radiography (mean =
3.73), Medicine/Surgery (mean = 3.67) and Business Education Education (mean = 3.60 ). On
the other hand, the respondents are not aware of the JAMB subject combination of some
chemistry-related careers including Medical Laboratory science ( mean = 1.66), Geology (mean
= 1.75) and Mining Engineering (mean = 1.88). The cluster mean value of 2.29 could be
interpreted to mean that the respondents were slightly aware of JAMB subject-combinations for
the chemistry-related careers.
Items which recorded a mean value of 2.50 and above implies that the respondents were aware
of the career as chemistry-related. Nevertheless, the respondents may be constrained by other
challenges in making out a career in this discipline: such as competitive nature of such courses
by a good number of students, varying cut-off points across educational institutions and other
subjective considerations during the admission process. Items which recorded a mean value less
than 2.50, implies that the respondents were not aware of the career opportunity as being
chemistry-related. This implies that the candidate may not even consider it as a possible option in
the first instance.
Research question 3 sought to determine the opportunities provided to guide students in
making wise career choice . Result as presented in table 3 indicated that the three most
outstanding opportunities provided included Organization of career week in schools (mean =
3.67); Excursion /Field trips to chemistry-based industries/establishments(mean = 3.40) and
Career information in Business Education textbooks (mean = 3.22 ). On the other hand, only
two items were perceived as not contributory to making of wise career choice. They included
Vocational Guidance by School Counsellors (mean=1.93) and Organizing Career Clinic by school
Counsellor (1.78)
That these two items were perceived as not being contributory to the respondents’ making of
career decisions may be as a result of a number of factors. In the first instance, the students may
not be interested in entering the Counsellor-Counselee relationship or ready to disclose their
vocational aspiration and, or challenges to the appropriate personnel in order to get the desired
attention. This view was corroborated by Suutari (2018) who reported a positive relationship
between interests and career choice; it has also been investigated that individuals with better

9
academic performance are able to make better judgments about themselves and to easily disclose
their career challenges. Again, school curricular and co-curricular programmes abound which are
meant to expose the secondary school students to career prospects in different field of endeavour.
On the other hand, the schools concerned may not have a functional Counsellor or that the
counsellor is ill-equipped in the performance of the expected roles. These observations call for
enlightenment on the part of the students, provision of qualified counselling personnel in schools
and enhancing their capacity through seminars and other retraining programmes. There is also
the need for counsellors and Business Education teachers to collaborate in the discharge of their
duties to the students
Implications for Career Guidance:
The findings of this study has far-reaching implications on the career guidance of the students. In
the first place, one cannot give what he/she has not. Again, a blind man cannot lead another
person successfully. There is no gainsaying the fact that, schools should have at least a well-
trained and functional Counsellor. The counsellor would then liaise with teachers in other subject
areas to attend to the specific career needs of the students. Important school career fora such as
career week and career clinic may not be effectively conducted if left only at the hands of the
school counsellor. Therefore, there is need for a team approach in conducting the school
counselling affairs.
A situation whereby final year secondary school Business Education students are unaware of
chemistry-based careers points to a need for aggressive public enlightenment on career-related
issues in schools. Since it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks, it would
sound unreasonable to expect one to make a choice out of a null set. Therefore, the prospective
school-leavers should be well informed of available career options in their fields of endeavour to
enable them make a wise career choice out of the possible options.
The findings of this study also have implication for delocalization of industries in the society. It
is not out of place in our society to see that industries are centred on the urban areas while none
exist in the rural areas. The implication of this development is that students, especially those in
rural settings are unaware of some industrial-based career in their subject domain. Thus,
decentralization of industries would make for even development of the society and better career
awareness in the society. This in a long run would minimize rural-urban drift with attendant
social vices in the urban cities.
Conclusion and Recommendations:
This study sought to determine the perception of secondary school students on the awareness of
career opportunities available to them in chemistry. Specifically, the study determined the
students’ level of awareness in terms of :

i. career opportunities available in chemistry

ii. entry requirements for pursuing such careers at tertiary institutions
iii. opportunities provided for students to make wise career choice
Three research questions guided the study. The study adopted the descriptive survey research
design in which the perception of the final year senior secondary school students on career
opportunities available in Business Education were sought. Data were collected using a 43-item,
4-point multiple response Questionnaire which was developed and validated by the researcher .
The instrument had a reliability coefficient of 0.78, using the Cronbach Alpha technique. This
value was adjudged reliable and adequate for the study. The instrument was administered to
three hundred (300) candidates using multi-stage sampling approach from three education zones

10
in Anambra State. Data were analyzed using frequency counts and mean ratings. The findings
revealed among others that the three foremost career opportunities in Business Education as
perceived by the students to include Business Education teaching in secondary schools (mean =
3.67), Pharmacy (mean = 3.62 ) and Medicine/Surgery (mean = 3.60 ). Concerning the extent the
respondents are aware of UTME subject-combinations, Pharmacy/radiography (mean = 3.73),
Medicine (mean = 3.67 ) and Business Education Education (mean = 3.60) ranked highest. On
the opportunities provided to enable students make wise Career choice the following were
identified: Organization of career week in schools (mean = 3.67); Excursion /Field trips to
chemistry-based industries/establishments(mean = 3.40) and Career information in Business
Education textbooks (mean = 3.22 ). In view of the findings of the study, the following
recommendations were made:

i. General enlightenment of the students on the importance of career counselling in

schools.
ii. provision of qualified counselling personnel in schools and
iii. Capacity building of school counsellors through seminars and other retraining
programmes.
iv. Need for counsellors and Business Education teachers to collaborate in the discharge
of their duties to the students

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 References:
Bassey, U. (2010). Factors that influence students to become teachers. Educational Research
and Evaluation. 3. (4), 305-316.
Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN, 2013). National Policy on Education. Lagos: Federal
Government Press.
Joint Admission and Matriculating Board (2018). Guidelines for Admissions and Programmes in
Nigeria Tertiary Institutions 2018/2019 session
Obisike, L. (2019). Considerations for, and Challenges of Making Career Choice as Perceived by
Secondary School Science Students in Lagos Metropolis. Unpublished M.Ed Thesis. National
Open University of Nigeria.
Ogunlade, J. O. (2017). Family environment and educational attainment of some school children
in Western Nigeria. West African Journal of Education, 17 (3), 429-432.
Suutari, V. (2018). Global managers: Career orientation, Career tracks, lifestyle implications
and career commitment. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 18 (3), 187-207.

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