The Influence of Students’ Aptitude on Students’ Career Choice in Technical Secondary Schools in the South West Region of Cameroon

The research examined the relationship between students’ aptitude on students’ career choice in Technical Secondary Schools in the South West Region of Cameroon. This study was predicated on the understanding that technical secondary school students face numerous challenges during making a career choice earlier in the academic ladder necessitating specific intervention to enhance a stable career choice. The researchers hypothesized that diagnosing and appropriately directing students’ aptitude could serve as a fundamental framework for developing clarity and certainty among technical secondary schools students. Methodologically, the study employed a mixed-methods approach with a concurrent nested design, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative elements. The research sample comprised of 20 students and 45 guidance counsellors selected from the South West Region of Cameroon with selection criteria based on document analysis for students and the division with most populated guidance counsellors. Data collection was facilitated through questionnaires, and the analysis incorporated both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The Likelihood ratio test was used in testing the hypotheses from data collected from the guidance counsellors. Independent Sample T-test was also used to compare how students in both the control and experimental group at pre-test and post-test level differ in their mean score. The qualitative data derived from open ended questions were analysed using the thematic analysis approach with the aid of themes. Descriptive findings revealed compelling evidence that students’ aptitude have a very strong and significant effect on students’ career choice. A substantial majority of the guidance counsellors 90.8% with a high mean value of 3.45 on a scale of 1-4 were of the opinion that students’ aptitude influence students’ career choice as indicated by a high contingency value of 0.783 on a scale 0 to 1, p-value 0.000< 0.05. This suggest that career choice is stable when aptitude is diagnosed and appropriately directed. Based on these findings, the researchers proposed several recommendations emphasizing the critical role of students’ aptitude. Career educators were advised to engage in producing an individualized aptitude enhancement plan for better management of students with inconsistent career choices, encourage students develop greater aptitude in careers within their trade