Career interests and senior track choice of junior high school students

https://doi.org/10.70228/PFREE2024013CAS

Cite this article Read this article

ABSTRACT

Junior high school students face numerous challenges each year, particularly in deciding which senior high school path to choose. This decision is significant for their future careers to achieve the goal of productivity, success, and happiness. This study determined the relationship between the career interests of junior high school (JHS) students based on Holland's RIASEC Test and their track choices for senior high school (SHS). Slovin's formula determined the target of 330 participants out of 1,897 students among the top three biggest schools in a selected district in Northern Negros Occidental. Participants were proportionally allocated among three schools using stratified random sampling: 208 from School A (N=1,195), 75 from School B (N=432), and 47 from School C (N=270). Data were collected through a survey and analyzed using a descriptive correlation design. Results show that there was a significant relationship between the realistic category of the participants' career interests and their sex and general average. A significant association was found between parental educational attainment and the participants' academic performance in the conventional category. Meanwhile, a weak but statistically significant correlation was found between the Arts and Design track and a preference for artistic careers. There was a complex association between academic paths and interest in entrepreneurial occupations, with a moderate but statistically significant link for the academic track. To address these findings, a comprehensive career program for JHS students was proposed to focus on students' varied needs and interests.

Keywords: career interests, track choice, RIASEC test, junior high school