Indicators Influencing Students’ Preferences in the PreBaccalaureate Maritime Specialization Strand: Implications for Career Guidance Program

This research analyzes the indicators influencing student preferences for the Pre-Baccalaureate Maritime Specialization strand at St. Therese-MTC Colleges-High School Department, employing a descriptive-correlational research design. Sixty-five (65) senior high school students were purposively selected and surveyed using a validated researcher constructed questionnaire. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, Cramer’s V, and the Chi-square test to assess associations with grade level. Results revealed that personal indicators strongly influenced students’ strand choice, whereas family, financial, and peer indicators showed a high level of influence. Among the indicators examined, only the family-related factors showed a statistically significant association with grade level. Based on the interpretation of Cramer’s V, this indicates a very strong association, suggesting that family influence intensifies as students advance to Grade 12. However, financial indicators show a strong but not statistically significant association, suggesting potential influence worth further investigation. These findings emphasize the critical role of personal and family factors in strand selection and underscore the need for career guidance programs that foster personal interest development and actively engage families, considering grade-level variations in their influence.