Socio-demographic Factors Influencing Career Decision-making among Undergraduate Psychology Students in South Africa

The study explored the socio-demographic factors that anchor career choice among psychology students at the University of Venda in South Africa. Ex post facto research design was employed. A questionnaire was used to collect data. The chi-square and t-test were used to test differences in the data profiles. Response frequencies and corresponding percentages were calculated. Results showed that the participants attended rural-situated public schools. Most had either both parents with post secondary education or both parents with below secondary education. The majority of the participants made delayed career decisions. The participants were mainly influenced by parents, teachers and friends to choose psychology as a career. The most common method of funding was the bursary. The majority of students chose psychology after completing their secondary education. The present study needs to be replicated with a larger sample drawn from diverse academic disciplines and institutions of higher learning for generalisability of the findings. *Address for correspondence: Professor Regis Chireshe College of Education, Department of Further Teacher Education Preller Street, Muckleneuk Ridge, City of Tshwane, P.O Box 392, UNISA 0003, South Africa E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] INTRODUCTION Today, young people face a complex and rapidly changing society. It has been reported that regardless of great effort put forth by families, government agencies and non-government agencies, many young people encounter difficulties in the transition from the world of school to that of work (Atchoarena 2005; Nykanen et al. 2010). Investigating and better understanding the myriad factors that contribute to career choice is a topic of recurring interest in higher education. Some studies suggest that the factors that anchor career preferences include parental support (Wims 1994) and gender, socio-economic status (Mathombela 1997). To guide young people in their career decisionmaking, socio-demographic factors play a central role in this lifelong process. The factors include family, school, career guidance program, media and peers.