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EFFECTS OF VOCATIONAL COUNSELING ON CAREER CHOICE OF PERSONS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES IN MANGU COCIN AND LEPROSY AND REHABILITATION CENTER, MANGU

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

            One of the primary goals of functional education system is to equip its products with the necessary skills and values for productive living. In pursuance of the goal, the Federal Government of Nigeria determines to make Nigerian education relevant to the life of the individual, consequently, schools are set at the various levels of education to translate the government vision into reality (FRN, 2013). At the primary and post primary levels, the schools are expected to provide the tripartite functions of administration, instruction and guidance and counseling service (Canel, 2007). Vocational Counseling, according to Anwana (2005), are designed to enable an individual to gain self-understanding of himself as well as his self-direction. The services are offered by a counselor who is professionally competent in relevant psychologically skills and knowledge to assist the client. Over the years, counseling services have been adopted at the primary and post primary levels in Nigeria, and they have been found to play a good complementary role to other school programmes It is assumed that with the increasing complexities in the society, the growth of industrial and technological development, most students with disability find it difficult to adjust themselves to the school challenges, the society expectations, selecting and entering into sustainable occupations as well as adjusting to satisfactory family roles (Ilgar, 2004). He observed that within the school, children with disability have counseling needs ranging from educational, personal-social and vocational which if not properly handled, may lead to their maladjustment or frustrations in their later lives. Ilgar (2004) further proposed that it is common to state that students with disability choose subjects of study which have little relationship with their vocational goals, with the result that many people get a traumatic shock when they find that they have not prepared themselves for the career which they wanted to enter.

            Vocational counseling help the students with disability adapt to school and also make educational decisions and choices by informing them about educational facilities (Ilgar, 2004). They help the students choose the most appropriate elective course (Canel, 2007). An organized programme of vocational counseling assists students in taking decisions wisely and realistically. According to Nuloye, (2010) the term vocational counseling can be referred to as the process of assisting people to choose a vocation for attainment of efficiency and success. It is also the giving of information, experience and advance in regards to choosing an occupation, preparing for it and entering into it and progressing in it. Vocational guidance is often said to begin in high school although some high schools also have vocational training programs. In the view of Supper (2012), it is a process of helping a person to develop and accept an integrated picture of himself and his role in the world of work, to test this concept into reality with satisfaction to himself and benefits to the society. Danga (2016), also consented to this simply by indicating that vocational counseling in school is concerned with assisting students to make realistic and appropriate vocational decision. Super (2012) further defined vocational counseling as the process of helping the individual to ascertain, accept and understand and apply the relevant facts about the world which are ascertained through exploratory activities Vocational guidance assumes that some factors influence the student choice of career.

            Vocational counseling offer persons with disability the opportunity to research different career possibilities as well as learn which vocational areas they have aptitude or talent in. For instance, many vocational guidance classes give tests to the students with disability that test their ability with numbers, words, mechanical concepts and many more subjects. Tests designed to measure an individual’s personality traits, intelligence quotient (IQ) as well as his or her main values and interests are administered and analyzed by career counselors. Once career counselors and the students have looked over the test results, career options can be chosen that fit best with each individual (Napier, 2002). Vocational counseling does not stop there as many other considerations must be made when deciding on a career direction. The type and number of years of education must be considered. Salary and working conditions are other important considerations in career selection. The likely demand for the occupation in the next decade or more is a crucial element when choosing a vocation since this affects the likelihood of finding jobs in a certain career field. Vocational guidance is not just for high school students with disability. Rather it is for anyone either starting a career or changing careers. Some persons with disability may have several different careers in their life, while others may stay in the same field during all their working years. Vocational counseling in school will also help parents have a better perspective about children with disability in relation to career and employment forces in locality. One of the objectives of vocational counseling is to assist students develop and execute career plans which may help them in achieving their career goal. Majority of the students with disability on leaving secondary schools may not have had the opportunity of vocational counseling and this may affect their choice of career. The study is geared towards investigating the impact of Vocational counseling on the career choice of persons with disabilities in Mangu Cocin and Leprosy Rehabilitation Center, Mangu.

1.2       STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

            School counselors face the difficult task of working with a large number of persons with disability. Therefore, many students with disability complete high school and are ignorant to college choice and career processes and decisions. These students tend to enroll in colleges or universities, hoping that time will allow them to make a decision and solidify their future. As a result, these students waste time, money, and effort, unsure of what to expect from life thus, the need for vocational counseling for career choice among persons with disabilities in schools. Inability of career choice decision among persons with disability, incompetent of vocational counseling in learning centers and negative influence of vocational counseling constitutes the problem of this study. Also, persons with disability encounter challenges in identifying their vocational career interests as a result of insufficient and poor vocational counselling. This study therefore intends to fill this gap by investigating on the impact of vocational counseling on the career choice of persons with disabilities in Mangu Cocin and Leprosy Rehabilitation Center, Mangu.

1.3       PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

            The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of vocational counseling on the career choice of persons with disabilities in Mangu Cocin and Leprosy Rehabilitation Center, Mangu. The study is guided by the following main objectives:

1. To determine the extent to which vocational counseling has been able to influence career choice of persons with disability in Mangu Cocin and Leprosy Rehabilitation Center, Mangu.
2. To determine the factors influencing career choice of persons with disability in Mangu Cocin and Leprosy Rehabilitation Center, Mangu.
3. To determine the factors that affects the effective implementation of vocational counselling in Mangu Cocin and Leprosy Rehabilitation Center, Mangu.

1.4       RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. To what extent has vocational counseling been able to influence career decision making of persons with disability in Mangu Cocin and Leprosy Rehabilitation Center, Mangu?
2. What factors influence the career decision making of persons with disability in Mangu Cocin and Leprosy Rehabilitation Center, Mangu?
3. What factors affects the effective implementation of vocational counselling in Mangu Cocin and Leprosy Rehabilitation Center, Mangu?

1.5       HYPOTHESIS

Ho: There is no significant difference between Vocational counseling and the career choice of persons with disability

1.6       SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

            This study examines the impact of Vocational Counselling on the career choice of persons with disabilities in Mangu Cocin and Leprosy and Rehabilitation Center, Mangu. The findings of this study is expected to help the curriculum developers to design education programs that would be used in teaching specific aptitude and skills required by persons with disabilities to be able to implement their vocational aspiration.

            The study will be of great benefit to persons with disabilities in acquiring skills and attitudes necessary to develop educational goals which are suited to their needs, interest and abilities.

            The study will provide to the teachers in special education necessary supports, guide and counseling pertaining to students’ choice of career.

            It will help parents so they could look inward at the children’s aptitude, interest and aspiration and not force the youths on a particular vocation.

            The study will provide relevant information to scholars, governments, researchers and the general public who intend to broaden the search on the effect of vocational counseling on career choice.

1.7       SCOPE OF THE STUDY

            The study was carried out in Mangu Cocin and Leprosy and Rehabilitation Center, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. This study centers on the impact of Vocational Counselling on the career choice of persons with disabilities.

1.8       OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

Vocational counseling: Vocational counseling is concerned with assisting persons with disability to make realistic and appropriate vocational decision.

Persons with Disability: Persons with disability are individuals who have been diagnosed as having issues such as mental problems, hearing impairments, visual impairments emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments.

Career: A career is an individual’s journey through learning, work and other aspects of life.

Career choice: Career choice is one decision on the kind of job or vocation he wishes to advance during working life, so that he may get greater responsibility and earn more money.

Counseling: Counseling is a help and advice about how to do something or about how to deal with problems connected with your work, education or personal relationship

Guidance counselors: This a school counselor who works in primary schools and/or secondary schools to provide academic, career, college access/affordability/admission and social emotional competence to persons with disability.