Impact of availability of structures for career guidance in high schools on performance and career choices of girls in Vihiga county, Kenya

Sustainable development goal number five aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Kamunge report recommends that schools and universities provide guidance to university applicants to enable them make right choices. The purpose of the study was to explore the correlation between career guidance and career choice among girls in secondary schools in VihigaCounty. For effective career guidance to take place, there ought to be adequate structures, facilities and personell. Hence, the objective of the study was to assess the impact of availability of structures for career guidance on performance and careerchoices of girls in secondary schools in VihigaCounty, Kenya. The study embraced a mixed methods approach. It targeted 4,628 form four girls of 2012 in mixed and girls’ secondary schools in Vihiga County. 30 schools were selected by stratified sampling using the 4 constituencies as strata. Purposive sampling was used to select 30 principals, 30 career guidance teachers, 4 district quality assurance officers and one county director of education. Data was collected using questionnaires, content analysis and interview schedules. Quantitative data was analyzed using frequencies, means, standard deviations, Pearson’s product moment correlation, t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) while qualitative data was analyzed thematically. For all statistical tests, the alpha (significance) level was set at .05. The result of the analysis indicated that there was a statistically significant correlation among the students’ perception on structure for career guidance and counseling on academic performance and career choice, r = 0.513, p< 0.05, teachers’ perception on guidance and counseling structures’ effect on academic performance and subsequent career choice, t(58) = 2.035, p < .05. The study found out that schools that were better equipped and staffed for career guidance performed better and sent more students to public universities who got admission into a variety of careers than those that were not. The study concluded that career guidance is an essential component yet many schools are not adequately funded, equipped and staffed for it. It recommends that all schools be adequately funded, equipped with structures for a career guidance department separate from the guidance and counseling department. The study has practical implications for the ministry of education and school administrators to revamp career guidance and demystify careers for the girl child. The findings will help in achievement of SDG number five and consequently goals 1,2,3,4 and 8.