A comparative analysis of career aspirations for agriculture students from rural and urban senior secondary schools

Abstract

Existing literature has shown a disparity between the career aspirations of students from rural and urban schools. Unfortunately, no study has been conducted to investigate the differences in the career aspirations of senior secondary school students from urban and rural schools in Eswatini. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to compare the career aspirations of senior secondary school students from rural and urban schools in Eswatini. The target populations were Form 4 students, from eight schools in Eswatini: four rural and four urban schools. A total of 280 students were sampled. A questionnaire was developed and used for data collection. It was validated by three experts in the Department of Agricultural Education and Extension, one professional in the career guidance field, and one career and guidance teacher. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings revealed that the students from both rural and urban schools had their career inspiration to become medical doctors. However, the career aspirations of the students from rural schools were higher than those from urban schools in a few areas. Thus, the study recommends that career guidance and counseling officials should assist students from urban schools in careers where they have low aspirations.

Keywords: career aspirations, comparative analysis, Form 4 students, rural school, sources of aspiration, urban school