Relationship between parental involvement and students’ interest in pursuing biology related careers in Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State, Nigeria
Keywords:
Biology-related careers, parental involvement, students’ interestAbstract
This study investigated the relationship between parental involvement and students’ interest in pursuing Biology related careers in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. Three research questions and three hypotheses tested at the 0.05 level of significance guided the study. A correlational survey research design was adopted. The population of the study comprised 2,339 (936 males and 1,403 females) Senior Secondary School Two (SS2) students offering Biology in 19 public secondary schools in Awka South Local Government Area. A sample of 345 students (103 males and 242 females) selected through a multistage sampling procedure participated in the study. Two instruments were used for data collection: The Parental Involvement Scale (PIS) and the Students’ Interest in Pursuing Biology related Careers Scale (SIPBCS). The instruments demonstrated acceptable internal consistency with Cronbach alpha coefficients of 0.77 and 0.85 respectively. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer research questions one and two, while multiple correlation analysis was used to answer research question three. Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed a low positive and non-significant relationship between school based and school volunteering parental involvement and students’ interest in pursuing Biology related careers. Furthermore, gender significantly moderated the relationship between parental involvement and students’ interest in Biology related careers. Based on the findings, it was recommended that parents adopt a supportive but non-intrusive approach to their children’s academic and career development.
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