Career knowledge, self-awareness and career decision making among advanced level secondary school students in Kawempe Division, Kampala District

Abstract

The study examined the relationship of career knowledge, self-awareness and career decision making among advanced level secondary school students in Kawempe Division, Kampala District. It was guided by four objectives; to establish the relationship of career knowledge with self - awareness, the relationship between career knowledge and career decision making, the correlation of self - awareness with career decision making and to examine the moderating effect of self - awareness on the relationship between career knowledge and career decision making. A quantitative research approach and correlation survey design were employed in this study. Purposive sampling, simple random sampling and systematic random sampling techniques were used. 223 (126 females; 97 males) advanced level students responded to the self - administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 23. The hypotheses were tested using the Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis. Results revealed a significant positive relationship between career knowledge and self - awareness, a significant positive relationship between career knowledge and career decision making and a positive correlation of students’ self - awareness with their career decision making. However, Self - awareness did not significantly moderate the relationship between career knowledge and career decision making. The study concluded that career knowledge obtained from career exposure, family members helped students to know their personal strengths, personal interests, personal skills and personal values. Career knowledge enables students make career decisions in which they have interests, that are in line with their skills and for which they have the ability to deal with the challenges there - in. Students also relied more on their interests, skills when they were choosing the subject combinations to pursue, despite other surrounding influences. Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Sports should equip curriculum developers to design online tools to provide career guidance regularly and consistently. School administrators should time table career guidance programs so they are implemented as regularly as subject content is taught. Finally, parents should allow their children to be exposed to all helpful material the world offers so they can make informed decisions.