Influence of Guidance Services on Career Decision Making among Senior Secondary School Students in Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the influence of guidance services on career decision-making among senior secondary school students in Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State. The two objectives and two hypotheses were formulated to guide this study and specifically investigated the influence of counselling services, information services on students’ career decision-making. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised all senior secondary school students in public secondary schools in Paikoro Local Government Area, from which a sample size of 384 students was selected using a stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire based on a four-point Likert scale. The instrument was validated by experts in guidance and counselling, while its reliability was established using appropriate statistical methods. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi-square) at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that students generally perceived counselling and information services as helpful in supporting their career decision-making. However, the inferential analysis showed that counselling service components has a statistically significant influence on career decision-making among the students. This suggests that although counselling-related services are appreciated by students, their current implementation is sufficient to produce a measurable influence on career decision-making. The study concluded that counselling services in secondary schools within Paikoro Local Government Area require strengthening to effectively support students’ career development. Based on the findings, the study recommended the provision of professionally trained counsellors, improvement of career information delivery among secondary schools in Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State, Nigeria.

Keywords: Counselling Service, Information Service, and Career Decision-Making.