School- based career guidance and counselling, occupational information knowledge, and career-self-concept among secondary school students in Ankole Sub Region, Southwestern Uganda

Abstract

Career self-concept develops through academic excellence, psychosocial growth, and career choices among the goals of career guidance and counselling services provided in secondary schools. However, due to low funding, poor career transition, and limited knowledge about careers, it is urgent to examine career guidance and counselling services alongside occupational information knowledge provided in schools if they meet students’ career self-concept development. Randomised controlled trial design was used among 260 students using proportionate stratified sampling technique. Results revealed a strong relationship between career guidance and counselling, and student’s career self-concept (r= .182*, p ≤ .05). However, the relationship between occupational information knowledge and career self-concept was stronger (r= .234** p ≤ .05). Occupational information knowledge was found to be the biggest predictor of career self-concept (β=.005, p≤.05), compared to career guidance and counselling (β=.036, p≤.05); while the overall influence of career guidance and counselling and occupation information knowledge on career self-concept was 7% [Ad R2=.068, F (6.871), p≤.001]. It is concluded that improved career guidance and counselling services, and occupational information knowledge sensitisation in secondary schools can promote students career self-concept. Therefore, more studies are encouraged about how to build capacity of schools to use relevant career guidance and counselling models that can be positioned in existing career self-concept development theories to promote students’ career self-concept during exploratory stage towards achieving SDG 4 and 8.