1. CHAPTER I
The Problem and its Background
Introduction
Our country suffers from multifarious crisis such as socioeconomic crisis,
political crisis, and as well as financial crisis which is greatly affected by global
Economic crisis. Despite of all these crises, Filipinos are imaginative, creative, and
courageous to surpass these obstacles in everyday life. Even though there are some
companies affected by these crises which they are force to decrease their
employees called as “recession”, some of them have job openings that offer new career
opportunities to graduated college students. These job openings also offers a new
challenge into their life – a great responsibility lies to his hand that someday will help his
family strive to achieve wealthiest, use his acquired knowledge and skills when he
engage into a job, and elatives. He was confused in a sense that he cannot make his own
decision and not yet ready to get into college.
According to Tiedeman (2002) career development unfolds within the general
process of cognitive development as one resolves ego-relevant crises. He further
noted out that decision-making is a continuous process in which individuals will change
their courses of career action, generally by leaving a setting or environment. Such as
when a student is disoriented in his course he have been taken that will result in
decreasing eagerness on that particular field. He decides to transfer in another school or
to shift another course that really fits his own interest and. When one is unstable in
making decision, these disoriented strategy may be repeated until achieve different

2. bachelor’s degree which can be a major distraction of one’s future job. Super3 also
considered indecisiveness as a period of developmental process when interest was not
elatives. He was confused in a sense that he cannot make his own decision and not yet
ready to get into college. According to Tiedeman (2002), career development unfolds
within the general process of cognitive development as one resolves ego-relevant
crises. He further noted out that decision-making is a continuous process in which
individuals will change their courses of career action, generally by leaving a setting or
environment. Such as when a student is disoriented in his course he have been
taken that will result in decreasing eagerness on that particular field. He decides to
transfer in another school or to shift another course that really fits his own interest
and. When one is unstable in making decision, these disoriented strategy may be
repeated until achieve different bachelor’s degree which can be a major distraction
of one’s future job.
Background of the Study
According to Howard (2004) and Ill7 stressed out that whenever students are in
their high school experience, they are the center of learning. In a traditional high school,
the center of the system is the content or subject, not student learning. Howard and Ill
present a system to promote the shift from traditional content or subject –centered high
schools to student-centered high schools which is called as Collaborative Career
Pathways – a system of organizing the student learning interests and aptitudes around
career paths. It provides a structure for students to reference their learning and comment

3. each year of their high school experience. It allows students to plan and practice their
skills while creating a smooth and successful transition to a post-secondary option.
Goffredson’s Developmental Theory of Occupational Aspirations8 describes how people
become attracted to certain occupations. Self-concept in vocational development is the
key factor to career selection and people want jobs that are compatible with their
self-image. The key determinants of self-concept are one’s social class, level of
intelligence, and experiences with sex-typing. Roe’s need approach9 emphasized that
early childhood experiences play an important role in finding satisfaction in one’s chosen
field. The need structure of the individual, according to Roe, would be greatly influenced
by early childhood frustrations and satisfactions.
According to John Holland (2010), individuals are attracted to a given
career by their particular personalities and numerous variables that constitute their
backgrounds. First of all, career choice is an expression of, or an extension of personality
into the world of work followed by subsequent identification with specific occupational
stereotypes. Accordingly, one chooses a career to satisfy preferred modal personal
orientation. Modal personal orientation is a developmental process established through
heredity and the individual’s life history of reacting to environmental demands. If the
individual has developed a strong dominant orientation, satisfaction is probable in a
corresponding occupational environment. If, however the orientation is one of indecision,
the livelihood of satisfaction diminishes.

4. According to the study conducted by Garcez (2007) 13, it was found out that by
Increasing career development activities, which includes setting career goals, students
had a higher self-esteem. Maybe even more important, however, is that students were
more satisfied 11 Career Preferences of College Freshmen in the University of Cebu –
Lapu-Lapu and Mindoro: A Career Development Program by Jana Gloria F. Almerino,
Master’s Thesis. University of San Carlos, Cebu City. 12 Factors influencing High
School Senior Career Choices: Implications to Career Counseling by Carmelita P.
Pabiton. In Guidance Journal p .1-17, Oct. 2007. 13 about the education they were
receiving. This will, in turn, hopefully lead to students having a deeper desire and
commitment to succeed in their education. Another outcome of a higher self-esteem is
that those students chose more difficult goals than students with low self-esteems. She
noted that excellent detailed plan for teaching parents and teachers how to teach young
students to set career goals. The plan requires a total community effort through educators,
parents, and businesses. Students must be given an opportunity to identify and explore
their desired careers. They can accomplish this through the “School to Work Transition”
or “Job Shadowing Program.” Through the cooperative efforts of the entire community,
students can identify career choices, set career goals, and have higher self-esteems at an
early age. Ultimately, they will further their education and have a better chance of
succeeding in the “do or die” world in which we live.
According to Elmer (1989)14, career planning is life goal-setting. Without such
a plan, it is like making a journey to an unfamiliar destination without a map. He
proposed a Career Planning Guide that will help the students in choosing their

5. appropriate course from planning a career, steps in planning career, goal-setting and
self-understanding. Also, it reveals that guidance and counseling is intervention of
underemployment individuals and career preparedness must be initiated.14 Soriano, A.
S. and Roces. A Career Guide. Baguio Allied Printers: 420 Magsaysay Ave. Baguio City,
p.1.
The studies reviewed provide ample evidence that career development program
is in need and must have a collaborative efforts made by school administrator,
teachers, and mostly guidance counselor in crystallizing student’s career decision.
The teaching methodologies or strategies must be improved and concentrate on student’s
learning and not by subjects.
Statement of the Problem
The study aimed to determine the factors affecting career preferences of
senior high school students of San Pablo City National High School 2010-2011.
Specifically, it sought to answer the following problems:
1. What are the profile of the senior high school students in terms of:
1.1 Sex;
1.2 Age;
1.3 Parents’ Educational Attainment;
1.4 Parents’ Occupation; and
1.5 Socio – economic status?
2. What are the top three expressed career choices of the students?

6. 3. What are the perception of the respondents regarding preferences in choosing a
career in college in terms of:
3.1 Childhood Aspirations;
3.2 Family/ Relatives;
3.3 Peer influences; and
3.4 In-Demand Jobs?
4. Is there a significant relationship between the profile of the respondents and their
career preferences?
5. Is there a significant relationship between career preferences and the following
variables:
5.1 Childhood Aspirations;
5.2 Family/ Relatives;
5.3 Peer influence; and
5.4 In – Demand jobs?
Theoretical Framework
The study is anchored on the theory of Donald Super which focuses on the
development of life roles over the life span with emphasis on inter-role congruence. His
vocational concept as a part of self-concept is formed; it is the driving force that
establishes a career pattern one will follow through life. Vocational developmental tasks
are derived from vocational stages which provides framework for vocational behavior
and attitudes.

7. VOCATIONAL DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
1. Growth (birth-age 14 or 15), characterized by development of capacity,
attitudes, interests, and needs associated with self-concepts;
2. Explanatory (ages 15-24), characterized by a tentative phase in which choices
are.
3. Establishment (ages 25-44), characterized by trial and stabilization through work
experiences;
4. Maintenance (ages 45-64), characterized by a continual adjustment process to
improve working position and situation; and
5. Decline (ages 65+), characterized by preretirement considerations, reduced work
output, and eventual retirement.
The crystallization task (ages 14-18) is forming a preferred career plan and
considering how it might be implemented. Pertinent information is studied with the goal
of becoming more aware of the preferred choice and the wisdom of preference.
The specification task (ages 18-21) follows in which the individual feels the need
to specify the career plan through more specific resources and explicit awareness of
cogent variables of the preferred choice.
The implementation task (ages 21-24) is accomplished by the completion of
training and entry into the career and develops a feeling of security in career position.

8. The stabilization (ages 24-35) is reached when the individual is firmly established
in a career and develops a feeling of security in career position.
Finally, the consolidation task (35+) follows with advancement and seniority in a
career. Super also identified six dimensions that he thought were relevant and appropriate
for adolescents:
1. Orientation to Vocational Choice (an attitudinal dimension determining whether
the individual is concerned with the eventual vocational choice to be made);
2. Information and planning;
3. Consistency of Vocational Preferences (individuals’ consistency of preferences);
4. Crystallization of Traits (individual progress toward forming a self-concept);
5. Vocational Independence (independence of work experience); and
6. Wisdom of Vocational Preferences (dimension concerned with individuals ability
to make realistic preferences consistent with personal tasks.)
This theory is found to be appropriate because of its stressfulness in terms of
developing a career plan that will guide the individual in choosing a career in college.
Also, Super’s six-dimension is appropriate for adolescent is truly applicable because
senior high school students are fall under this category. Another theory adopted for the
research is David Tiedeman’s5 self-development approach to career. He believes that
evolving ego-identity is of central importance in the career development process. He

9. referred to the evolving self-in-situation from the earliest awareness of self to point at
which individual becomes capable of evaluating experiences, anticipating, and imagining
future goals, and storing experiences in memory for future reference with his context of
Erik Erikson’s eight psychosocial crises. Self-in-situation, self-in-world and the
orientation of work evolve as one resolves the psychosocial crises of life. He
therefore conceptualized a paradigm for problem-solving as the mechanism of career
decision making. His paradigm covers four aspects of anticipation or preoccupation
(exploration, crystallization, choice, and clarification) and three aspects of
implementation of adjustment (induction, reformation, and integration).
Tiedemann (2004) stressed out why individual change their courses of action
because of external factors because of external forces (such as the call of the armed
forces, an economic crisis, the work setting itself) or by broad psychological drives (such
as unmet needs, changing aspirations, role diffusion). According to the prescribed
sequence, a new decision unfolds and must be made, beginning with exploration and
eventually reaching integration. If integration is not reached once again, the individual
may adapt to a career environment or may simply withdraw and begin a new search for
eventual integration.
The rationale between these two theories is one follows a vocational self-concept
which is a driving force that establishes a career pattern one will follow through life but
there are some factors could might altered this pattern. These factors, such as external
forces (called of armed services, economic crisis, and work setting itself) and

10. psychological drives (unmet needs, changing aspirations, role diffusion) altered the career
patterns of individual.
Super (2004) said that indecisiveness is a period in developmental process when
interests have not been fully crystallized. Individuals lead to discriminate 2 or more
choices of two or more occupational objectives when uncertainty about future
occurs. Tiedemann noted that as individuals become more aware of the developing
character of the career process itself, they are more willing to make changes and to alter
or redefine a decision.
Conceptual Framework
Future-tension can be surpassing if individual has a preparation to overcome it.
Career preparedness will help the student become more effective and successful in life
with his chosen job. Childhood aspiration has a major role on individual’s striving force.
As they grow older, the more they want, the more they will strive to get it. But external
factors (environment and society) and internal factors (self-crisis and family)
changes their aspirations in life. Such as when a child wants to be a nurse to cure a
patient in his illness but because of her interest like drawing and painting changes his
aspirations. His interest got more concentrated so she will take a course which is suitable
for it. Some graduated high-school students gradually stop in pursuing their college
career. Financial sustainability plays a major role in alterations of career life. They need
to work in order to sustain their studies, as wells as to help their family about expenses
and earlier exposure to a company. Career preferences, then can be conceptualized as a

11. process of decision-making. It also involves a series of prime factors such as the socio-
demographic profile
(sex, age, parents educational attainment, parents occupation, socio – economic
status).
Likewise, it will identify the top three expressed career choices, preferences for
the career choice such as childhood aspirations, family, peer /friends, interest and
specialization, in-demand jobs, and their anticipated problems encountered and how these
problems affect the students in making their career preferences; and sibling position.
Independent Variables Dependent Variable
I. Profile of the Respondents
Sex
Age
Parents’ Educational Attainment
Parents’ Occupation
Socio – economic status CAREER PREFERENCES
II. Preferences – related variables
Childhood aspirations
Family and Relatives
Peer influence
In – Demand jobs
Figure 1. Research Paradigm of the study
Scope and Limitation of the Study
The 60 respondents were taken from San Pablo City National High School
(SPCNHS). The high school was selected on the length of their operation and other

12. commonalities such as geographical location, enrolment size, and availability of the
students of SPCNHS which is located at Lakeside Park Subdivision, San Pablo City. This
study focused on their career preferences of senior high school students of
SPCNHS. It looked into their socio-demographic profile in terms of sex, age, parents,
educational attainment, parents occupation, size of income,; top three career choice;
preference of students in choosing a career in terms of childhood aspirations, family,
friends, “in-demand” jobs, and Anticipated problems encountered in making their
career choices.
The researcher considered senior high school students as the respondents since
some of them are still undecided of course they want to pursue and suffers from
difficulties in deciding their course. It is also considered because of their last term in high
school excluded lower years since they are not yet capable of making a career
decision and still pursuing their target specialization.
Significance of the Study
Therefore, this study is deemed significant to the following stakeholder for the
following reasons:
To the Students – The respondents are the center of the research because ultimately they
develop the awareness of themselves, strength, and weaknesses for their career
development by continually summarizing and reflecting upon what they are learning
from home, school, and community. In totality, students are in charge of their own
choice.

13. To the Parents – In this study, parents will realize how important they are as a
source of encouragement in which children are free to explore different areas of career
preferences. This study will look forward in giving their children an assurance to
acquire quality education that would enable them to obtain better job, better income, and
brighter future.
To the Teacher – This study will give information to the teachers of SPCNHS as to the
Preferences of students such that they can focus on the skills needed by the students if
ever the latter would pursue the career they have chosen.
To the Researcher – The process and outcome of this study will produce a great
satisfaction, competence, and professionalism to the field. Although the topic of the study
is focused on career which belongs to the field known as Industrial Psychology, the
purpose is to have a diversity and idea about the field rather than understanding the
abnormalities of human behavior.
Hypotheses
- There is no significant relationship between the Profile of the Respondents and their
Career Preferences.
- There is no significant relationship between Career Preferences and the Preferences –
related variables.

14. Definition of Terms
The following terms are operationally defined to enhance the understanding of the
readers of this paper.
1. Crisis – an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs whose outcome will make a
decisive difference for better or worse. In this study, crisis is mentioned into four: socio-
economic, political, financial, as well as global economic.
2. Recession – a period of reduced economic activity or withdrawal. In this study,
recession refers to a decrease of employees in a company affected by economic crisis.
3. Career – a field for or pursuit of consecutive progressive achievement especially in
public, professional, or business life. In this study, career is the application of education
whereby it is the totality of acquired knowledge.
4. Ego-Relevant Crisis – is derived from Erik Erikson’s eight psychosocial crises such as
1) Trust, 2) Autonomy, 3) Initiative, 4) Industry, 5) Identity, 6) Intimacy, 7) Generatively,
and 8) Ego-Integrity.
5. Disoriented Strategy – displace from normal position or relationship. In the study, this
term refers to mechanism of students when he or she is unstable in choosing a career
which can be repeated.
6. Socio-Demographic Profile – refers to sex, age, parent’s educational attainment,
Parent’s occupation, size of income, and sibling position.
8. Preference – other term for recommend; the power or opportunity of choosing. In the
study, the term career preference refers to the basis of student in choosing the course he
wants whether it comes from his childhood aspirations, relatives, friends, interest
and specialization.

15. 9. Childhood Aspirations – the child’s infantile wishes of what he wants when grew up.
10. Interest – to induce or persuade; to participate or engage.
11. Specialization – to concentrate one’s efforts in a special activity of field.
13. “In-Demand” Jobs – refers to the majority of present occupation which many
companies are in need for a particular job.
15. Anticipated Problems – the expected problems of student’s career choice. For
example, financial sustainability, poor health, self-conflicts, etc.
16. Self-Concept – the mental image one has of oneself.
17. Vocational Self-Concept – a driving force that establishes a career pattern one will
follow-through life.
18. Vocational Ego-Involvement – a term which describes Tiedemann’s self-
development approach to career.