Introduction
According to Hooley (2013) career refers to an occupation profession in which one must have received special training. A career is basically one’s life-work from where one earns his/her livelihood. Career also refers to the all- purpose course progression of one’s professional achievement.
A career aspiration is a goal or objectives of an individual based on their career choices. People who have career aspirations intend on improving their skills, enhancing their capabilities and advancing in the organization refers to the goals that one has set out to achieve in either their current profession, or another desired profession. They are usually future oriented and aim to provide personal satisfaction (Lazerson, 2005).
According to Brennan (2013) the term aspiration is used when talking about the various desires and ambitions held by young people about their futures, this belief can be concrete or vogue but they are individual to the person. Aspiration policy is based on the belief that how aspirations tend to lead to low achievement.
Lazerson (2005) stated that, parental academic involvement is associated with achievement and achievement is linked to career and educational aspiration so in turn, parental academic involvement is thought to affect aspiration. Parents from higher social economic status background tend to be more involved and therefore indirectly influenced aspirations and achievements, It has been suggested that adolescent from higher social economic status background model their own parents academic experience.
Hockey (2013) observed that, student who are earning good grades and are living up to their academic potential are rewarded for this remarkable achievement. They are presented with opportunities to work on special college projects or laboratory duties, are able to participate in internship opportunities with notable companies, are awarded academic scholarships and are given excellent letters of recommendations to top graduate schools for further study. Reward incentives from business are also given to high achieving college students.
Brennan (2013) claimed that, the impact of parental self-efficacy and aspirations on their children perceiving career efficacy and choice is, in turn, entirely mediated through the children perceived efficacy and academic aspirations. Children perceived academic, social and self regulatory efficacy influence the types of occupational activities for which they judge themselves to be efficacious both directly and through their impact on academic aspirations. Perceived occupational self-efficacy gives direction to the kinds of career pursuits children seriously consider for their life works and those they disfavour children’s perceived efficacy rather than their actual academic achieving is the key determinant of their perceived occupational self-efficacy and preferred choice of work life.
Conceptual framework
Watts (2012) defines career as a person’s course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life). In this definition, career is understood to relate to a range of aspects of an individual’s life, learning and work. Career is also frequently understood to relate to the working aspects of an individual’s life e.g. as in career woman. A third way in which the term “career” is used is to describe an occupation or a profession that usually involves special training or formal education, and is considered to be a person’s lifework. In this case, “a career” is seen as a sequence of related jobs usually pursued within a single industry or sectors e.g. “a career in law” or “a career in the building trade”.
Schreuder (2006) claimed that mental health is directly related to children’s learning and development. It encompasses or intersects with personal relationships, social – economic skills, behaviour, learning, academic motivation, mental illness, crisis prevention and response, school safety and substance abuse. Each of these issues affects not only the success and well-being of the individual, but also the school climate and overall outcomes for all students.
Students’ academic potentials and its relationship with career aspiration
Turok (2009) claimed that, cognitive ability or innate intelligence undoubtedly affects academic achievement, there is a moderate to strong correlation between cognitive ability and educational achievement. In any given population, intelligence is represented by a normal distribution of scores, with 95% of the entire population said to have a score with the normal range. Cognitive ability testing or intelligence tests are a measure of academic potential. If all variables, such as social, economic, status, quality of schooling and so on, are held stable, then cognitive ability is the most accurate measure and indicator of academic achievement.
Welsh (2010) opined that parental involvement in education is generally found to have a positive effect on the child’s career aspiration; it helps to improve social and cognitive development. Levels of parental involvement vary among parents, for example lone parents feel they are less involved with their children’s education. Interestingly parents from non-white ethnic background seemed to be more involved with their children progresses. The involvement in thought to reduce aggression and social problems and may therefore, directly or indirectly influence their children’s school achievement.
According to Winston (2008), students’ self esteem, self-efficacy and learned helplessness can also influence their career aspiration and these are related to theories of self-fulfilling prophecies and the development of cognitive skills. Educational learned helplessness is when a child repeatedly performs poorly in a task and then develops a belief that they will never do well at that task. They then enter a phase of learned helplessness where they will give up even trying because they believe they will always fail. Learned helplessness is related to implicit theories of intelligence. There are two types of intelligence beliefs; incremental or malleable and entity or fixed. Holding an incremental belief means that a person believes that intelligence can be developed, whereas an entity belief relates to the notion that intelligence is fixed and cannot be developed. Holding an entity belief whilst also being in a state of learned helplessness is dangerous because the person will always think that they cannot do well because no matter how hard they try thus a self-fulfilling prophecy ensues. Holding a fixed theory of intelligence is detrimental to learning outcomes and students’ beliefs are less likely to achieve their academic potentials.
Causes of poor academic performance of students
Brennan (2013) observed that, is a student has sloppy academic habits before entering college; there is a tendency for those habits to continue in college. First year students must respond quickly to course problems by seeking the advice of their professors, college tutors, counsellors, resident assistants, study groups and other classmates until they can handle their specific learning issues well.
Academic probation is another issue that may confront students who do not perform well in their courses. Too often students, who are failing do not stop and take a personal inventory of their real life goals and what actually caused their inferior performance. Perhaps this student is in a program that does not fit his or her skill-set or long-term interest (Hooley, 2013).
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2011), some new college students with solid academic potentials fall prey to complex new obstacles like handling independence away from home and managing new kinds of schedules. According to the U.S. Department of Education, nearly 70 percent of college students drop-out at their first year. That alarming rate also means leaving college with the debt of a year’s tuition and few marketable skills to show for the dollars spent. Coursework success measured by good grades must be the focus.
Oh-Holland (2013) observed that school overcrowding can extremely affect academic performance. Teachers spend more time teaching the entire class rather than being able to give individual attention to his or her students. Individual attention can make a world of difference when it involves a child’s learning. Consequently, in New Jersey, they have established the no child left behind act. This sets a guideline of certain requirements that a teacher must meet when dealing with a slower paced students. This is extremely helpful to the slower paced student; although it takes away attention from the average to faster paced students could really use to advance even further.
Choosing a career for students and its negative influence on the students
Brennan (2013) opined that when it comes to choosing a career, many students are completely clueless as to what they should pursue. While there are many who do deliberate on who to choose a career and what course to pursue but more often than not, the end up being affected by the opinion of peers and family members, and therefore, are never able to make rational decision regarding their course and career.
Some students blindly go for courses/colleges that supposedly offer best pay packages. Some pursue those courses which appear to be the most glamorous career. Some belong to families who are into one or the other kind of professional careers and therefore, invariably, it becomes a family career. For example; doctors, lawyers, engineers, chartered accountants, etc. similarly, many students join their family businesses and end up leaving their education. Some students simply pursue those courses/careers which their friends have taken up, some fellow the footsteps of their siblings/relatives/role models (Watts, 2012).
Turok (2009) claimed that many students, who are lured into a specific career, realized midway that they are stuck in the wrong course. It happens with many students, if somehow they are able to drag themselves through the course, they end up being stuck with miserable and unhappy jobs. The paradox here is that instead of looking for an active solution to this problem, many students and people continue studying and working in the same course and career, despite being exceedingly unhappy. They feel helpless and they feel there is no way out of their mess. And hence, they continue to drag on with their miserable unsatisfied life. Lack of awareness about the wrong and right career often leads them to blame their own selves for being incompetent and for not being able to deal with their studies and work. Their self esteem and self confidence takes the highest hit.
Measures to improve students’ academic potentials
Hooley (2013) claimed that, read, read, read with each child at least 20 minutes daily. Make fund and engage. Use reading as a basis for conversation with your child. Keep books in eyesight in baskets, on shelves and coffee table. Placing books within reach for kids and kids seeing parents read books of their own stimulates reading activity. Parents who do not read well in English can be effective by reading in their native language or showing a book when making up stories. An Organisation for Economic Co-operation study published in November 2011, shows that kids whose parents read with them regularly at a young age performed as mush as a year ahead of their peers academically by age 15. If money is too tight to buy books, take them out to the library.
Watts (2012) opined that, limiting how much our kids watch television or any other screen, a study from the Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine show that over one hour daily of television negatively impacts future academic performance and impairs a child’s ability to pay attention.
Put mobile services away for most of your time with kids. Taking or tapping on your phone can limit important parent/child conversation and can send a message that you do not value time with your children.
Winston (2008) observed that, talk, talk, talk with your child everywhere you go together. Prolong rather than abbreviated conversations. The average conversation length between parent and child correlates closely to the child’s future Intelligent quotient (I.Q.) and reading levels. Longer conversations help the parent and child do what researchers called the language dance, where parents ask open-ended questions, provide their own perspective and use exchanges about basics as springboards into imaginative conversation.
Turok (2009) pointed out that, devote space and daily time in your home for kids. Imaginable and pretend play with your kids, art up on walls. For children, play with their family and themselves is fun. Play helps kids learn to interact with others and practice what they learn. Building blocks of character, positive relationships, language and academics are learned through play.
References
Brennan, S. (2013). How College Should Prepare for the Current Economy. Retrieved from www.education.pitt.edu/EducationalResources.com on14th March, 2014
Hooley, T. (2013). The Blueprint Framework for Career Management Skills. Benin City. Oak Tree Press.
Lazerson, M. (2005). Vocationalism in Higher Education. Lagos: Truiph Educational Resource.
Oh-Holland, J. (2013). Causes of Poor Academic Performance of High School Students. Retrieved on 14th March, 2014 from www.google.com.ng/x?gl=NG&hl=en-NG&u=http://wikianswers.com/Q/
Schreuder, A. (2006). Careers: An Organisationa Perspective. Retrieved on 14th March, 2014 from www.google.com.ng/gwt/x?gl=NG&hl=en-NG&u=http://ideas.time.com
Turok, I. (2009). Shaping Educational Attitudes and aspiration. Akwa-Ibom:Rowntree Press.
U.S. Department of Education (2011). The conditions of Education. Retrieved on 14th March 2014 from www.everydaylife.globalpost.com
Walsh, M. (2010). Poor People, Poor Places. Ibadan: Mountaintop Publishers.
Watts, A. (2012). Schools, Careers and Community. Port Harcourt. Pearson Press.
Winston, J. (2008). Educational Aspiration in Inner City Schools. Washington: Juta Press.
