Relationship Between Personality Types and Career Choice Among Undergraduate Students of Maseno University, Kenya

Abstract

Training institutions in most parts of the world place high premium on those who excel in examinations based on scholastic intelligence. In Kenya, students are admitted into available undergraduate degree programmes in public universities based on their performance in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). Yet, the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) degree programmes offered in the School of Education at Maseno University have a strong bearing on personality types and not all the students admitted can fit in them. Academic qualification remains a challenge to a majority of students (79.4%) in choosing a career; hence a significant number (94%) of students end up settling for what is available rather than their choice. Apparently, limited attention has been given to exploring the relationship between students’ unique personality-occupational interests hence the current low (7%) college career satisfaction level. The purpose of the study therefore, was to establish the types of personality and their relationship with career choice among first-year B.Ed students of Maseno University, Kenya. The objectives of the study was to establish Holland personality types across gender; to determine the level of relationship between personality types and career choice in the B.Ed programmmes of Maseno University The study was guided by the Holland Code Theory (1997). Correlation and descriptive survey designs were adopted for the study. The target population consisted of the 490 first-year B.Ed students admitted in the Academic year 2011/2012 in the School of Education. The study sample consisted of 220 first-years B.Ed students drawn using proportionate stratified sampling. Data was collected by use of Questionnaire and document analysis guides. The questionnaire was piloted using 10% (n = 49) of the study population Pearson Product Moment correlation was used to determine reliability at alpha level 0.05. The questionnaire had an acceptable reliability index of 0.84. Quantitative data was coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mode, frequency counts and percentages. Gender difference in personality types was examined using percentages and mean gender differences across personality types. Further, the degree of relationship between personality types and career choice was established using cross tabulation with chi-square test and Likelihood Ratio test. Qualitative data was transcribed into text form of emerging themes and reported. Gender was found to be strongly correlated to personality types (X = 34.962, df= 5, p= .000) with more males classified as realistic and investigative and more females as social type. The results of the of the chi square test likelihood ratio test show very high (p<.000) level of relationship between personality types and career choice. The study concludes that students at Maseno University can be classified into the six Holland personality types which correlate significantly with gender. The study further concludes that there is also a significant relationship (p<.000) between personality types and career choice. The study recommended that the need to investigate factors at the university environment which influences the development of personality types among female and male students. Significantly, the study provides a useful guide to students, education policymakers and university staff for career choice, training and retention efforts and placement.