FACTORS INFLUENCING THE CHOICE OF PROGRAMME OF STUDY IN PHYSICAL SCIENCES

Abstract

The issue of making the right choice of course to study is a problem to intending students as a wrong course might lead to frustrations in the future. Some Students choose the courses for which they are intellectually suited or are familiar with. Many factors have been highlighted by different scholars are possible courses of the choice of student’s field of study but the literature is still very few. In light of the above, there is need to study the factors that actually influences the choice of the course of study by science students. The study use questionnaire to obtain the required data. The target population was stratified by department in order to determine the sample units for this study. This stratification enabled the collection of samples with adequate degrees of representation from the different parts of the population by taking them as strata. Factors which influence undergraduate choice of field of study were identified from the pilot survey and used to structure a questionnaire. The data were collected and analyzed using proportions and Z-test. The results showed that the  factors are considered as factors that mostly influences the choice of programme  of study in order of magnitude are : Bright Future in chosen career, Well Secure Jobs guarantee, Prospect for well-paid job and career, Job availability (Man Power need of the country), Personal interest in the field of study, Performances in Secondary school science subjects, Interest if subjects relevant to the field of study, Parental Influence, Secondary school career development teacher and adviser, Reputation of the field of Study and Peer influence

 

KEYWORDS:  Choice, Career, Stratification, Sampling, Study