Influence of Career Information on Choice of Degree Programme among Regular and Self-Sponsored Students in Public Universities, Kenya

Abstract

Choosing a degree programme to study in the university is a critical career task that is a major turning point in a student's life which not only is a start to workplace readiness, but also establishes the student in a career path that opens as well as closes life opportunities. Failure to achieve this task may cause dissatisfaction within the individual and difficulty in handling later career tasks. This career task is influenced by various factors. This study aimed at determining the influence of career information on choice of degree programme among students in public universities in Kenya. The study used the ex post facto design that adopted the causal comparative research technique and data was collected from 500 randomly selected students using questionnaires. Percentages, means and standard deviations were used to describe the quantitative data and independent samples t-test was used to analyze the data and to test hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that career information had a high influence on the choice of degree programme of students in public universities. Further analysis of the results indicated that no statistically significant differences existed between the mean scores of influences of career information between regular and self-sponsored students. The study concluded that provision of career information was a significant factor in influencing the choice of degree programme of all the students in public universities. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education (MoE) ensures that in all secondary schools in Kenya, the career guidance department is functional with adequate career information resources and activities, to facilitate career development among students. The study also recommended the training and equipping of career guidance counsellors in schools to enhance their competence in assisting the students in making career decisions.

Keywords: Degree programme, career information, career task, public university, regular and self-sponsored students.