Academic Performance, Educational and Occupational ... PAPERS/JSSH Vol. 12 (1) Mar... · Academic Performance, Educational and Occupational Aspirations of Technical Secondary School

Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 12(1): 31-43 (2004) ISSN: 0128-7702© Universiti Putra Malaysia Press

Academic Performance, Educational and Occupational Aspirationsof Technical Secondary School Students

AB. RAHIM BAKAR 8c SHAMSIAH MOHAMEDFakulti Pengajian Pendidikan, Universiti Putra Malaysia,

43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

Keywords: Academic achievement, educational aspiration, occupational aspiration

ABSTRAKSatu kajian telah dijalankan untuk menilai prestasi akadernik, aspirasi pendidikan dan aspirasipekerjaan pelajar daripada sekolah menengah teknik. Sebanyak dua ratus empat puluh tigapelajar terlibat dalam kajian ini. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa pelajar sekolah menengahteknik mempunyai aspirasi pendidikan yang tinggi. Majoriti daripada mereka merancang untukbelajar sehingga sekurang-kurangnya ke peringkat ijazah Bacelor. Kira-kira 76% daripadamereka merancang untuk memasuki kursus teknikal terutamanya dalam bidang kejuruteraan.Secara purata kira-kira 60% pelajar tersebut mempunyai kebolehan akademik am dan 50%mempunyai kebolehan akademik dalam mata pelajaran sains dan matematik. Tiada perkaitansignifikan diperhatikan antara pencapaian akademik dan aspirasi pendidikan serta aspirasipekerjaan. Majoriti pelajar berkeyakinan dalam mendapatkan tempat untuk menyambungpelajaran, bidang pengajian dan aspirasi pekerjaan mereka. Pelajar secara sederhananya mempunyaipengetahuan tentang bidang pengajian dan aspirasi pekerjaan mereka.

ABSTRACTA study was conducted to assess the academic performance, educational and occupationalaspirations of students from technical secondary schools. Two hundred forty-three students wereinvolved in the study. The findings of the study showed that technical secondary school studentshave high educational aspiration. The majority plan to study for at least a Bachelor degree. About76% of them plan to enroll in technical courses especially in engineering. About 60% of thestudents have an average general academic ability and about 50% have an average academicability in mathematics and sciences. No significant correlations were observed between academicachievement and educational aspirations and occupational aspiration. The majority of thestudents were confident in obtaining a place for further education, the area of studies and theoccupations they aspired for. Students were moderately knowledgeable about the field of studiesand the occupations they aspire for.

INTRODUCTIONProponents of career development believe thatthe students* educational and occupationalaspirations have been identified as the mostimportant variable influencing the students' latereducational and occupational attainment(Gottfredson 1981; Marjoribanks 1985) andvocational attainment (Blau and Duncan 1967;Burke and Hoelter 1988; Marini 1978; Otto andHaller 1979; Sewell Haller, and Strauss 1957;Anderson 1980). What is aspiration? Markus andNurius (1986) described aspiration as anindividual's ideas of their possible selves, whatthey would like to become, what they might

become, and what they do not wish to become.Trice and King (1991) believe that aspirations,even if formed at an early developmental stagehave been found to be highly stable andsignificant in the students' final occupationalchoices and occupational futures.

Super (1969) indicated that adolescents arein the crucial stage of "exploring" and"crystallizing" their occupational options. Yong(1996) considered high school students as beingin a transitional stage from adolescence toadulthood. While in the process, they face thetask of making both educational andoccupational choices after completing high

Ab. Rahim Bakar & Shamsiah Mohamed

school. Adolescents must decide whether to takea vocational track, a college preparatory track,or other options such as an apprenticeshiptraining program (U.S. Department of Labor1992). In the Malaysian context, the choice ofsubjects is made at the Form Four level. Studentsin the academic secondary schools will choosetechnical-related subjects or science-relatedsubjects or arts and humanities-related subjects.While students who choose to enroll in technicalsecondary schools will choose their area of studiessuch as mechanical or electrical or civilengineering studies, among others. Accordingto Kelly (1988), the decisions made by thestudents at the secondary school level have adirect and important influence on lateroccupational choices.

Studies by Conroy (1997) and Empson(1992) have shown that adolescents often haveunrealistic occupational aspirations. Many believethat aspiration is an important factor for futureattainment. However, high aspiration alone doesnot guarantee high educational attainment.There are other factors that determineeducational attainment. Yong (1996) found thatthe educational plan of high school studentswere closely related to their abilities, as reflectedby their school grades and self-rating on schoolabilities and intelligence. Studies also have shownthat students' academic achievements are relatedto their educational aspirations (Powell and Peet1996). Academic achievement has also beenfound to influence the minority students'educational aspirations (Velez 1989; Yang 1981).

Research Problem

Choosing an occupation is one of the mostdifficult tasks a student has to do when he or shefinishes school. Whether students like it or not,a tentative choice has to be made while they arestill in schools. The tentative occupational choicea student makes will affect the type of subjects orcourses he or she will enroll in while in secondaryschool. Subsequendy, it will affect the type ofcourses he or she will enroll in while at tertiaryinstitutions which will eventually determine hisor her occupational option.

Malaysia is an emerging industrializedcountry. Thus, Malaysia needs many technicalpeople in the process of transformation from apredominantly agricultural country to anindustrialized country. Efforts (e.g. establishmentof technical universities, advanced technical

training institutes, polytechnics) are continuallybeing made by the government to ensure thatMalaysia has qualified technical professionals tomove the country to the industrialized status. Itis estimated that by 2005, Malaysia will need108,400 engineers, and 247,739 engineeringassistants (addition of 52,915 and 117,715respectively). It is also estimated that enrollmentin engineering courses at a first degree level willbe 57,684 and at a certificate and diploma levelwill be 107,395. The statistics show that thereis a slight oversupply (+4,669) of engineers buta short supply of engineering assistants (-9,420)by the year 2005. Based on the statisticspresented, will our schools be able to fulfill theneeds for technical personnel in the future? Itall depends on what our students plan to do inthe future. Will they pursue courses in thetechnical fields? Will they enter occupations inthe technical fields? Do they have the rightacademic qualifications to enroll in the technicalfields? It is anticipated that most of the studentswho have chosen to enroll in the technicalschools have already made up their minds withregard to the type of education and occupationof their choices. Most, if not all, will choosetechnical-related occupations. Otherwise, theywould not have chosen to enroll in the technicalschools. However, is that true for every studentwho is in the technical secondary schools? Whatare the educational aspirations of studentsenrolled in technical secondary schools? Dostudents in the technical secondary school havegood academic abilities for the choices ofeducation and occupation they are embarkingon? In view of this, a study was deemedappropriate to determine both educational andcareer aspirations as well as the academicperformances of secondary school students,specifically students from technical secondaryschools.

Objectives of the Study

The study was conducted to determine theeducational and occupational aspirations oftechnical secondary school students. Specificallythe study was conducted to determine:1. the academic performance (general

academic performance and academicperformance in mathematics and science)of Form Five technical secondary schoolstudents;

32 PertanikaJ. Soc. Sci. & Hum. Vol. 12 No. 1 2004

Academic Performance, Educational & Occupational Aspirations of Technical Secondary School Students

2. the educational aspiration (highest level ofeducation and fields of studies) of FormFive technical secondary school students;

3. the occupational aspiration of Form Fivetechnical secondary school students;

4. the relationship between academicperformance and educational aspirations;and

5. the relationship between academicperformance and occupational aspirations.

METHODOLOGYThis is a descriptive survey research using asample of 243 Form Five technical secondaryschool students. The sample was randomlyselected from 6 technical secondary schools inthe states of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka,and Johor.

A questionnaire was used to obtain the datawhich consisted of two parts. Part One of thequestionnaire contained questions solicitingdemographic information from students(example: location of residence, parentaleducation). Part Two contained questions relatedto their academic achievement, educational andoccupational aspirations. The students' academicachievements were assessed using the results ofthe final semester examination at Form Four,and also of the selected subjects (Mathematicsand Science). Students were requested to providethe grades of each of the subjects taken in allthe examinations. The grades provided rangedbetween 1A and 9G. Each of the grades wasassigned a value ranging form 0 and 8 (1A = 8,2A=7, 3B=6, 4B=5, 5C=4, 6C=3, 7P-2, 8P=1,9G=0). The school counselors were requested toverify the students' grades. The students'educational aspirations were assessed by askingthem the highest level of education they plan toattain if they have the choice and the field ofstudies they plan to pursue at the tertiary level.The students' occupational aspirations weredetermined by asking "what type of occupationwould you want to enter once you completeyour education". Students were also asked abouttheir confidence in achieving the level ofeducation, the field of studies, and theoccupations they aspired for. The field of studiesand the type of occupations students aspired forwere categorized into either technical or non-technical fields.

Data were summarized using means,frequencies, standard deviations, chi-square, andcorrelation coefficients.

FINDINGSDemographic Characteristics of the Respondents

The respondents comprised 54.6% male and45.5% female students. About 30% of therespondents were from housing estates, 28.2%were from small towns, 27.4% were from bigtowns, and 14.7% were from rural areas. Theycome from families whose parents were educatedat various level of education. About 40% of thefathers were educated at the Form Five levelsand another 40% were educated to a college oruniversity level. About 44% of the others wereeducated till Form Five level and about 27% ofthe mothers were educated to a college oruniversity level.

Academic Performance of Form Five TechnicalSecondary School Students

The students' academic performance was basedon the grades of subjects they made available tothe researcher. Their grades were assigned valuesranging form 0 to 8 (9G=0, 8P=1, 7P=2, 6C=3,5C=4, 4B=5, 3B=6, 2A=7, 1A=8). The students'academic performance scores (based oncumulative scores of the grades) ranged between5.0 and 60 with a mean of 29.56 (SD. = 6.9).Their academic performance was categorizedinto low performers (score of 5.00 - 22.30),average performers (score of 22.4 - 44.6), andhigh performers (score of 44.7 - 60.0). About60% of the respondents can be categorized asaverage performers, 12.7% of the students canbe classified as high performance, and 27.5% ofthe students can be classified as low performers.

The students' academic performance inMathematics and Science was also analyzed(Table 1). The study shows that students aredoing quite well in Modern Mathematics with amean score of 4.56 (S. D. = 2.43) that is anaverage of 4B. However, their academicperformance in Additional Mathematics was notgood (Mean = 2.48, S. D. = 2.56). Translatedinto a letter grade, it means the students obtainedgrades between 6C and 7D. As shown in thetable, about 36% of the students failed AdditionalMathematics. Their performance in Physics wasalso not good (Mean=2.95, SD. =2.25). Studentsobtained about 6C grade in this subject. Thestudents' performance in Chemistry was betterthan their performance in Physics and AdditionalMathematics (Mean=3.40, SD. = 2.29). Thestudents obtained grades between 6C and 5C inthis subject. The students' performance in the

PertanikaJ. Soc. Sci. 8c Hum. Vol. 12 No. 1 2004 33


selected subjects were categorized into 5categories (failed, below average, average, aboveaverage, and excellent). The study shows that14.2% of the students failed Chemistry, 20.4%failed Physics, 36.4% failed AdditionalMathematics, and 7.6% failed ModernMathematics. The percentage of students whoobtained grades between 7P and 8P (belowaverage grades) were 14.4% for ModernMathematics, 19.7% for Additional Mathematics,22.4% for Physics, and 21.4% for Chemistry.The percentages of students who obtainedaverage scores in Mathematics were 22.4%,Additional Mathematics (19.2%), Physics(32.1%), and Chemistry (31.5%). About 30% ofthe students obtained above average grades inMathematics, Additional Mathematics (15.2%),Physics (16.8%), and Chemistry (19.3). Thepercentages of students who obtained excellentgrades in Mathematics were 25.7%, AdditionalMathematics (9.6%), Physics (8.1%), andChemistry (12.7%).

Educational Aspirations of Form Five SecondaryTechnical School Students

As shown in Table 2 technical secondary schoolstudents have high educational aspirations. Alittle more than one-half (53.1%) of them planto pursue studies up to the level of a Master'sDegree and 38.5% would further their educationto a Bachelor's degree level. The majority of thestudents (73%) feel confident in obtaining aplace for further education. Technical secondaryschool students have chosen a variety of studies.As shown in Table 3, the majority of students(76.3%) in the technical secondary schoolsplanned to further their education in technicalareas and about 22% of them aspired for areasof studies that may not be suitable with theirenrollment in technical schools (Psychology, Law,Sports Science, Communication, and Medicine).About 63% of all the respondents wanted tostudy Engineering, 4.8% wanted to studyArchitecture, 1.8% wanted to study Design, 6.9%wanted to go into skill training, 9.5% chose

TABLE 1The students' performance in mathematics and science

Level of performance Subjects

Grades

9G

8P7P

6C5C

4B3B

2A1A

Total

MissingMean

SD.

ModernMathematics

f

18

2212

2132

3734

3427

237

25

K

7.67.69.35.114.48.913.522.415.614.329.914.311.425.7

100.0

9.54.562.43

AdditionalMathematics

f

71

2316

2216

1614

109

196

66

%

36.436.411.68.119.711.18.119.28.17.115.25.14.59.6

100.0

24.42.482.56

Physics

f

40

2321

3231

2013

133

196

66

%

20.420.411.710.722.416.315.832.110.26.616.86.61.58.1

100.0

25.22.952.25

Chemistry

f

28

2022

3430

2711

178

197

65

%

14.214.210.211.221.417.315.232.513.75.619.38.64.112.7

100.(

24.83.402.29

Failed

Below average

Average

Above average

Excellent

Notes: 9G=0, 8P=1, 7P=2, 6C=3, 50=4, 4B=5, 3B=6, 2A=7, 1A=8



TABLE 2The students' educational aspirations and their general academic abilities

Academic Educational Aspirationability

SPM Only Polytech Cert

Low (1-22.3) 1(1.5%) 7 (10.6%)Average 1 (0.8%) 3 (2.1%)(22.4-44.6)High(44.7-68)

Total 2(.8%) 10 (4.1%)

Kendall-tau C = .147, p <.01

A Diploma Bachelor Degree

7(10.6%) 22 (33.3%)2 (1.3%) 60 (41.1)

11 (35.5%)

9 (3.7%) 93 (38.5%)

TABLE 3The area of studies students plan to choose

Areas of studies aspired to by students

Science-related fieldsMedicineSports scienceScience related studies

Technical-related fieldsEngineering

ArchitectureDesignComputer related studies

Non-science and technical-related areasEducationPsychologyLawAccountingEconomicsCommunication

Skill trainingTotal

Master Degree

29 (43.9%)80 (54.7)

20 (64.5%)

129 (53.1%)

Frequency

231

145

11411

314

2211

16231

Total

66146

31

243

Percent

.91.3.4

62.8

4.81.84.8

1.3.41.89.5.4A

6.9100.0

Missing = 31 (11.8%)

Accounting, and 4.8% chose Architecture andComputer-related studies (respectively). Otherareas of studies can be viewed in Table 3.

We should praise our students for havingsuch confidence in obtaining the desired levelof education. Blau and Duncan (1967), Sewelland Hauser (1975), and Sewell and Shah (1968)suggested that the extent to which an adolescent

believes that he or she should attain a higherlevel of education will directly affect the drive,motivation, and effort that they put toward theachievement of that goal. However, havingconfidence alone is not enough. Students mustprove that they have the academic ability tofulfill their aspirations.



Relationship between the Students' AcademicPerformances and Their Educational AspirationsAn analysis was done to determine therelationship between the students' academicperformances and their educational aspirations.The students' academic performance was dividedinto three categories. The categories were: lowperformance, average performance, and highperformance. The study shows that there is asignificant correlation between the students'academic performance and their educationalaspirations (Kendall-tau C = .147, p <. 01). Allhigh performing students plan to study eitherfor a Bachelor's or a Master's degree. However,the study also revealed that some students didnot have a realistic choice of the highest level ofeducation they want to obtain. For example,there were 66 students who could be categorizedas low performers (scores below 22.3) butinterestingly, 77.2% of them wanted to study foreither a Bachelor's or a Master's Degree.

The areas of studies chosen by studentswere categorized into two: technical and non-technical fields. A chi-square analysis wasperformed to determine the relationship betweenthe students' choices of the area of studies andtheir academic abilities in Mathematics andScience. The result shows that there is noassociation between the students' choices of thearea of studies and their abilities in mathematicsand science ([Chi square ([)F =2) = 1.72, p >.O5]).As shown in Table 4 almost 60% of the studentswith low ability in Mathematics and Scienceplanned to pursue courses in technical areas,mainly Engineering and Architecture. About 71%of students with average ability in Mathematicsand Science plan to pursue their studies in

technical fields. About 33% of students withhigh ability in mathematics and science do notplan to further their education in technical areas.What it means is that students have made thechoices without paying any attention to theiracademic ability in the subjects required for asuccessful performance in the selected courses.For example, as shown in Table 5, of those whowanted to study Engineering, 63.1% obtainedpoor grades in Additional Mathematics, 53.2%obtained poor grades in Physics, and 46.8%obtained poor grades in Chemistry.

Occupational Aspirations of Form Five TechnicalSecondary School Students

Technical secondary school students have chosena variety of occupations. Among the occupationschosen were Engineering (42.2%), Architecture(8.1%), Business or Entrepreneurship (8.1%),and Accounting (8.1%). Other occupationschosen by students can be obtained from Table6. The students' occupational choices weredivided into two categories, namely technicaland non-technical occupations. Based on thesetwo categories it shows that about 50% of thestudents in technical schools plan to entertechnically related occupations such asEngineering and Architecture. These twoprofessions require job applicants to have collegedegrees or professional qualifications. Otheroccupations requiring college degrees orprofessional qualifications aspired by studentsare law profession, managerial relatedoccupation, teachers and lecturers, economist,accountants, computer related occupations, andbusiness.

TABLE 4Selected area of studies by the students' academic abilities in mathematics and science

Mathematics andscience ability

Low abilityAverage abilityHigh ability

X2(2)=1-V2, p > . 0 5 ; n =

Phi = .091, p=.422206

Areas

Non-technical

F

143715

%

41.229.432.6

of studies

F

208931

Technical

%

58.870.667.4

36 PertanikaJ. Soc. Sci. 8c Hum. Vol. 12 No. 1 2004

Academic Performance, Educational 8c Occupational Aspirations of Technical Secondary School Students

TABLE 5Course grades in selected subjects for students aspiring to the engineering program

Level ofperformance

FailedBelow Average

Average

Above average

Excellent

Grades

9G8P7P6C5C4B3B2A1A

TotalMean

SD

Chemistry

F

4013131818176115

141

%

28.49.29.212.812.812.14.37.83.5

100.02.862.48

F

491511201812772

141

Physics

%

34.810.67.814.212.88.55.05.01.4

100.02.382.31

Add itionalMathematics

F

651410111011686

141

%

46.19.97.17.87.17.84.35.74.3

100.02.142.58

Mathematics

F

19127131516182219

141

%

13.58.55.09.210.611.312.815.613.5

100.04.392.70

Notes: 9G=0, 8P=1, 7P=2, 6C=3, 5C=4, 4B-5, 3B=6, 2A=7, 1A=8

TABLE 6Occupational aspirations of students from technical schools

Type of occupations Frequency Percent

DoctorEngineerArchitectBusinessman/entrepreneurLawyerComputer related occupationManagerial related occupationAccountantTechnician/mechanicsSchool teachersLecturerEconomistDesignerSecurity related occupationOthers

2941818111361812911938

.942.28.18.14.95.82.68.15.44.0.4A

4.01.33.6

Total 223 100.0

Missing =26

Is There a Relationship Between AcademicPerformance and Occupational Aspiration!One of the objectives of the study was todetermine the relationship between the students'academic performances in Mathematics andScience and the students* occupationalaspirations. The students' performances in

Mathematics and Science were categorized intothree groups (low ability, average ability andhigh ability). About 15% of the students had lowability in Mathematics and Science, 63.1% ofthem had an average ability in Mathematics andScience, and about 22% had a high ability inMathematics and Science. A chi square analysis

PertanikaJ. Soc. Sci. & Hum. Vol. 12 No. 1 2004 37


was conducted to determine if occupationalchoice is related to academic ability inmathematics and science. The result of a chi-square analysis shows that the students'occupational choices are not related to theirability in Mathematics and Science (Chi square

= 1.92, p>.05). As shown in Table 7 evenstudents with low ability in Mathematics andScience choose technical occupations (64.5%).Also shown in the table, a large percentage(27.3%) of the students with a high ability inMathematics and Science do not choose technicaloccupations. A larger percentage of the studentswho choose technical occupations are with anaverage ability in Mathematics and Science(65.3%). The results may suggest that some ofthe students may not really know what is requiredof them in order to pursue occupations intechnical fields.

SUMMARY AND DISCUSSIONS

Economic development will continue toinfluence and impact the lives of many people

in many parts of the world. With theadvancement of new technologies, businessesand industries demand workers who are highlyskilled and educated. Therefore, students willhave to prepare themselves to meet the demandsof the world of work so they can realize theiraspirations. Upon the examination of theacademic performance (general academic ability,Mathematics and Science), one may concludethat not all students will be able to realize boththeir educational and occupational aspirations.Without appropriate planning and preparation,many students may never fulfill their aspirations.The present study shows that more than 50% ofthe students have a moderate amount ofknowledge about the occupations of theirchoices. Almost 60% of them have a moderateknowledge about the field of studies of theirchoices. Without a good amount of knowledgeabout the chosen field (education andoccupations) students will not be makingappropriate educational and occupationaldecisions. Therefore students should (either by

TABLE 7Students' academic performance and occupational aspirations

Academic performance

Low ability (1-22.3)Average ability (22.4-44.6)High ability (44.7-68)

Total

Occupational

Non-technical

18 (8.5%)29 (13.7%)12 (5.7%)

59 (27.8%)

aspirations

Technical

35 (16.5%)102 (48.1%)

16 (7.5%)

153 (72.2)

Total

53 (25.0%)131 (61.8%)28 (13.2%)

212 (100.0%)

Chi-square (DF. -2) =6.25, p <. 5Cramer V =0.172, p = .044

TABLE 8Students' performance in mathematics and science and occupational aspirations

Science and mathematics ability

Low ability (< 4.51)Average ability (4.52-19.89)High ability (> 19.9)

Total

Occupational

Non-technical

11 (5.4%)30 (14.8%)12 (5.9%)

53 (26.1%)

aspirations

Technical

20 (9.9%)98 (48.3%)32 (15.3%)

150 (73.9%)

Total

31 (15.3%)128 (63.0%)44 (21.7%)

203 (100.0%)

Mean * 12.25, SD. = 7.64, Chi square (DF. =2) - 1.92, p > .05Max. score =32, min score =1.0



themselves or with help from teachers orcounselors) obtain the needed information toenable them to make good educational andoccupational choices. Providing factualoccupational information and educational andvocational planning seems especially importantfor students (Wei-Cheng Mau 1995). Thus, Mau(1995) asserted that students must receiveappropriate educational training and careerguidance if they are to compete in thecompetitive workplace. In fact as George (1990)suggested, students must begin to receiveinformation on educational and career planningas early as grade 8 (equivalent to Form 2 inMalaysia). Grant and Sleeter (1988) believedthat as early as the age of 13, students mustmake a decision by selecting the subjects theywill study.

Technical secondary school students havehigh educational aspiration, which is very good.The study shows that more than 90% of themwill pursue their studies for a Bachelor's or aMaster's degree. Walberg (1989) postulated thatyoung people's aspirations guide what they learnin school, how they prepare for adult life, andwhat they eventually do. With the rapidtechnological advances, Valadez (1998) suggestedthat some form of postsecondary education isalmost a necessity for students entering today'sjob market

The study shows that about 63% of technicalsecondary school students will pursue studies intechnical areas mainly engineering. The students'choices of the areas of studies were independentof their academic ability in Mathematics andScience. This finding differs from those of Farreland Pollard (1987), Mau (1995), Shepard (1992).Their findings suggested that academic abilityinfluences students' aspirations. In this study itwas found that almost 60% of the students withlow ability in Mathematics and Science plannedto pursue courses in technical areas, mainlyEngineering and Architecture. About 71% ofstudents with an average ability in Mathematicsand Science plan to study Engineering andArchitecture. About 33% of students with highability in Mathematics and Science did not planto further their education in technical areas.The result of this study indicated that the studentshad made the choices without paying anyattention to their academic ability in the subjectsrequired for a successful performance in theselected areas of study. For example, about 44%

of the students obtained a grade of at least 6C inAdditional Mathematics (mean=2.14) and 46%obtained a grade of at least 6C in Physics(mean=2.38). These two subjects are normallyrequired for a successful enrollment andperformance in engineering courses. This showsthat some of the students do not possess theacademic ability to pursue courses in theirselected fields. They are actually working ontheir aspirations with limited knowledge andwith limited access to information.

In Malaysia, about 356,000 new employeesin technical areas (mainly engineers and assistantengineers) will be needed by 2005. By 2005 weexpect to have 57,684 engineering students at adegree level, 42,879 at a diploma level, and 64,516 at a certificate level (a total of 165,079potential professional and sub-professional).However, the result of this study shows that onlyabout 45% of the students in technical secondaryschool are assumed to have the requiredacademic ability for enrollment in technical fieldsespecially engineering. It means that only about45% of students (grades between 6C and 1A)from technical secondary schools will be eligibleto study engineering at all levels (degree,diploma, and certificate) although about 65% ofthem plan to enroll in technical-related courses.If this situation persists, Malaysia will face ashortage of engineers and assistant engineers inthe future. With the academic ability (generaland mathematical and science) students may beunlikely to meet their educational andoccupational goals and consequently the countrymay not be able to have a pool of qualifiedengineers and assistant engineers. Their poorperformance in both Mathematics and Sciencewas partially related to their performance inMathematics and Science at the PMR level. Ananalysis shows that 51.8% of the students at thetechnical secondary schools obtained an A and31.2% obtained a B and about 42% of thestudents obtained an A and about 39% obtaineda B in Science and Mathematics respectively inthe PMR examinations. There are some 17%who obtained poor grades in Mathematics andabout 19% who obtained a poor grade in Science.Something has to be done to help studentsacquire the academic ability needed to pursuecourses in engineering. The issue of obtaininggood academic performance especially inMathematics and Science-related subjects shouldbe made known to students in order for them to



make realistic educational and occupationalchoices. Otherwise, we may not be able toproduce eligible students for engineering coursesat the tertiary level.

It is good for students to have higheducational aspirations for education andoccupations in technical fields. However, thechoice or the aspiration must of course be basedon accurate and adequate information abouteducational and occupational opportunities aswell as about themselves. Educational andoccupational choices are best made by integratingwhat one knows about one's self and aboutdifferent occupations and/or majors (Billupsand Peterson 1994) and according to Wahl andBlackhurst (2000) there should be somecongruence between interest, abilities,achievement, and the educational preparationrequired for specific occupations. Preparingstudents to make informed occupational choicesis a developmental process requiring counselorsto have up-to date information and knowledgeabout education and occupational opportunitiesavailable now and in the future. Wahl andBlackhurst (2000) believed that educational andoccupational aspirations are of concern to schoolcounselors at all levels. The knowledge ofstudents' aspirations play an important role inthe education-planning process regardless of thephilosophical underpinnings that drive theprogram development process (Conroy 1999).

CONCLUSION

Based on the study the following conclusionswere drawn:1. Technical secondary school students have

high educational aspirations with more than90% planning to pursue their education upto at least a Bachelor's degree. About 76%of them plan to enroll in technical coursesespecially engineering. This is good for thecountry to fulfill the needs for moretechnical people to achieve the objective ofbecoming an industrialized nation.

2. About 60% of the students have an averagegeneral academic ability and about 50%have an average academic ability inMathematics and Science. Since theiracademic ability was about average, it makestheir educational aspirations (highest levelof education and field of studies) as well asoccupational aspirations unrealistic. It showsthat students may not know the requirements

for further studies in the areas they haveselected.

3. Low significant correlations were observedbetween academic achievement andeducational aspirations and occupationalaspiration. The majority of the studentswanted to study for either a Bachelor's or aMaster's degree and choose technical-relatedoccupations. It implies that students maynot know the academic requirements neededfor the highest level of education and typeof occupations they aspired for.

4. The majority of the students were confidentof obtaining a place for further education,the area of studies and the occupation theyaspired for.

5. Students were moderately knowledgeableabout the field of studies and theoccupations they aspired for. It means thatthey have no exposure to the world of work.If they have litde information about coursesavailable at the tertiary institutions as well asthe information of the world of work, thenstudents have been making unrealisticeducational and occupation choices.

6. There are some significant correlationsbetween achievement in Mathematics andScience at the PMR level and achievementin mathematics and science at the FormFour level. If we continue taking in studentsinto technical schools without concentratingon the mathematical and science ability, wemay be doing injustice to the studentsthemselves. Administrators of technicalschools should realize that technical streamsare almost similar to science streams inacademic schools except, students intechnical schools need not do biology. Thus,those who are admitted for enrolment intechnical schools should have a strong abilityin both Mathematics and Science.

SUGGESTIONS1. Schools should provide more time for career

advice and career exposure to students andit should begin as early as possible at leastprior to enrollment in technical schools.According to Picklesimer (1998), exploringvarious career options is imperative to helpadolescents formulate a plan of action fortheir future, no matter what route they takeafter high school graduation.

40 PertanikaJ. Soc. Sci. & Hum. VoL 12 No. 1 2004


2. Helps students make their aspiration becomea reality. Students need to be told about theprofessional or academic requirementneeded for a particular occupation. Theyneed to be advised on the academicqualifications needed to obtain a place intheir desired field of studies.

3. Encourage the students to have realisticeducational and occupational aspirations. Itis unwise for a student to choose Engineeringas his or her occupational option when heor she does not do well in engineeringrelated subjects (such as Mathematics andPhysics). If students still choose Engineering,then some kind of help needs to be given tothem to master the basic subjects neededfor Engineering courses.

4. Encourage students to do self-analysis priorto committing themselves to a specificoccupational choice or even beforeattempting to enroll in technical schools.Students must identify their strengths andweaknesses. They should capitalize on theirstrengths and work on improving theirweaknesses. The process of self-analysisshould be done on a regular basis.

5. Schools should provide the students withmore information about possibleoccupations related to their fields of studiesin technical schools so that they have manymore options to choose from for furthereducation as well as occupational choices.Job awareness and exploration is animportant feature of preparing students forfuture educational and occupationalopportunities. Picklesimer et al. (1998)indicated that exploring various occupationaloptions is imperative to help adolescentsformulate a plan of action for their future,no matter what route they take after highschool graduation. In fact, O'Brien (1996)reported that students participating in thecareer exploration programs had increasedtheir confidence in performing tasks relatedto investigating, selecting, and implementinga career choice.

6. Proper academic screening should be doneprior to selecting students into technicalsecondary schools. If possible, admit onlystudents with good grades in Mathematicsand Science especially for those who plan todo Engineering.

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(Received: 24 November 2001)


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