SELF-ESTEEM AND CAREER DECISION-MAKING DIFFICULTIES AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS: THE MODERATING IMPACT OF AGE AND GENDER

Abstract

This study investigated the moderating impact of age and gender on the relationship between self-esteem and career decision-making difficulties among secondary school students. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a correlational research design. The population included 16,473 Senior Secondary two (SS 2) students from public secondary schools in Delta North Senatorial District. The sample size comprised 378 senior secondary school students. The students were sampled using a multistage sampling procedure. A questionnaire was used to gather data in this study. Expert judgment was used to determine the instrument's face validity, while factor analysis using the Principal Component Analysis method was used to determine the content and construct validity. Cronbach’s alpha reliability index was used to determine the internal consistency of the items in the instrument. Self-Esteem Rating Scale = 0.71, and Career Decision-Making Difficulties Rating Scale = 0.82 are the reliability coefficients found. The hypotheses were tested and answered using regression statistics of F-ratio at 0.05 level of significance, while the research questions were answered using Pearson’s coefficient of determination. The findings of the study revealed that there is no significant relationship between self-esteem and career decision-making difficulties among secondary school students; that there is no significant moderating impact of age and gender in the relationship between self-esteem and career decision-making difficulties among secondary school students. The study recommended that more studies should be carried out to explore the reason why no significant relationship was found between self-esteem and career decision-making difficulties among secondary school students in Delta North Senatorial District.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0600/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>