CAREER ASPIRATION AS CORRELATES OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN COMPUTER STUDIES AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ONITSHA EDUCATION ZONE, ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The study examined career aspiration as correlates of academic achievement in Computer Studies among secondary school students in Onitsha Education Zone of Anambra State was investigated. Three research questions guided the study and three null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a correlational survey research design. The population comprised 4,106 senior secondary two (SS2) students offering Computer Studies were drawn from 26 public secondary schools in the zone. Multi-stage sampling was used to draw a sample of 360 students from 12 co-educational public secondary schools. A researcher-developed instrument, the Scale for Students' Career Aspiration in Computer-related Fields (SSCACF), was used alongside the Computer Studies Achievement Test (CSAT) for data collection. The instruments were validated by three experts, and their reliability indices, established using Cronbach's Alpha (SSCACF = 0.892) and Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 (CSAT = 0.71), confirmed their suitability for the study. Data were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Findings revealed a moderate positive and significant relationship between students' career aspiration and academic achievement in Computer Studies (r = 0.588). A moderate positive and significant relationship was also found for male students (r = 0.653) and for female students (r = 0.528). Based on the findings, the study concluded that career aspiration is an important motivational factor associated with students' academic achievement in Computer Studies irrespective of gender. It was recommended, among others, that school counsellors should intensify career guidance programmes and that curriculum planners should design a Computer Studies curriculum that clearly links classroom learning to real career pathways in technology-related fields.