Career choice is one of the most daunting decisions one has to make, since it has implications that affect a variety of aspects in one’s life. For adolescents, career decision–making is even more challenging because it is done at a time when adolescents are going through a period of identity formation, and when their core personalities have not yet been fully formed. It is therefore essential to provide systematic career guidance programmes that will assist adolescents in their career development in order to empower them to make realistic career choices. The school, as a place where adolescents spend most of their time, can be used as a vehicle to promote meaningful career development amongst adolescent learners. However, the contribution by adolescents themselves in determining the appropriate content and career guidance services/activities that will best address their needs is vital. Senior secondary school learners, in particular, are in a position to articulate their career planning needs and to identify the deficits in existing career guidance programmes. The situation in Botswana where career guidance forms only a quarter of the public secondary school guidance and counselling programme, which, with all its four components, is allocated only one 40 minute–period per week deserves special attention. Hence, this study set out to determine: * the career planning needs of Senior Public Secondary School Learners in Gaborone, Botswana as articulated by the learners themselves; * the extent to which the current career guidance programme in Senior Public Secondary Schools meets the needs of the learners. A mixed methods design, consisting of the use of a questionnaire to collect the quantitative data and a qualitative method in the form of focus–group interviews, was used to collect the data for the study. The findings of the study highlight several challenges which hamper the provision of a systematic career guidance programme to the learners, which include limited time, lack of trained personnel and less than optimal career service delivery practices. The lack of key career exploration activities in schools, such as the use of internet resource materials and career video/audio tapes, job–shadowing, career field–trips/excursions and, in some cases, career talks, results in learners experiencing unmet career needs. This situation affects the extent to which the curriculum in place addresses the career planning needs of the learners. No significant differences were noted in the needs of the learners according to gender. The study reveals that the Career Guidance Programme provides the relevant theoretical frame–work for providing the necessary assistance to learners to make informed career decisions. However, the actual implementation of the programme in the different schools leaves a lot to be desired, with several learning outcomes for the career guidance programme in both Form 4 and Form 5 not being achieved. The effectiveness of the annual career fair as a major method of disseminating career information to learners also came into question since most learners expressed having gained minimal benefit from it. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Career choice is one of the most daunting decisions one has to make, since it has implications that affect a variety of aspects in one’s life. For adolescents, career decision–making is even more challenging because it is done at a time when adolescents are going through a period of identity formation, and when their core personalities have not yet been fully formed. It is therefore essential to provide systematic career guidance programmes that will assist adolescents in their career development in order to empower them to make realistic career choices. The school, as a place where adolescents spend most of their time, can be used as a vehicle to promote meaningful career development amongst adolescent learners. However, the contribution by adolescents themselves in determining the appropriate content and career guidance services/activities that will best address their needs is vital. Senior secondary school learners, in particular, are in a position to articulate their career planning needs and to identify the deficits in existing career guidance programmes. The situation in Botswana where career guidance forms only a quarter of the public secondary school guidance and counselling programme, which, with all its four components, is allocated only one 40 minute–period per week deserves special attention. Hence, this study set out to determine: * the career planning needs of Senior Public Secondary School Learners in Gaborone, Botswana as articulated by the learners themselves; * the extent to which the current career guidance programme in Senior Public Secondary Schools meets the needs of the learners. A mixed methods design, consisting of the use of a questionnaire to collect the quantitative data and a qualitative method in the form of focus–group interviews, was used to collect the data for the study. The findings of the study highlight several challenges which hamper the provision of a systematic career guidance programme to the learners, which include limited time, lack of trained personnel and less than optimal career service delivery practices. The lack of key career exploration activities in schools, such as the use of internet resource materials and career video/audio tapes, job–shadowing, career field–trips/excursions and, in some cases, career talks, results in learners experiencing unmet career needs. This situation affects the extent to which the curriculum in place addresses the career planning needs of the learners. No significant differences were noted in the needs of the learners according to gender. The study reveals that the Career Guidance Programme provides the relevant theoretical frame–work for providing the necessary assistance to learners to make informed career decisions. However, the actual implementation of the programme in the different schools leaves a lot to be desired, with several learning outcomes for the career guidance programme in both Form 4 and Form 5 not being achieved. The effectiveness of the annual career fair as a major method of disseminating career information to learners also came into question since most learners expressed having gained minimal benefit from it. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Abstract in English, Afrikaans and Setswana / The study was prompted by the decline in accounting enrolments and the ongoing criticism due to learners’ poor performance in the Accounting subject in South Africa. Given the increasing need for accounting graduates and, more importantly, qualified accounting professionals, this study investigated the preconceived perceptions participating high school learners in selected schools in the Mafikeng area had about the accounting profession at the time of this study. The study drew on a rich body of existing literature and adopted the social cognitive career theory of Lent, Brown and Hackett (1994) to explore the factors influencing career interests of learners in accounting as a career path. A quantitative research approach with a survey questionnaire, framed within a positivist paradigm, was used to elicit opinions from learners. The findings revealed that work satisfaction, earnings potential, self-efficacy, personal interest, offering Accounting as a subject and having an accountant in the family are among the factors that significantly influenced participating learners’ career interests in accounting. / Die studie is aangespoor deur die afname in rekeningkunde-inskrywings en die deurlopende kritiek van leerders se swak prestasie in rekeningkunde in Suid-Afrika. Gegewe die toenemende behoefte vir rekeningkundegegradueerdes en, meer belangrik, gekwalifiseerde rekeningkundepraktisyns, ondersoek hierdie studie die huidige vooropgestelde persepsies wat hoërskoolleerders in Suid-Afrika van die rekeningkundige beroep het. Die studie benut die omvattende bestaande literatuur en aanvaar die sosiaal kognitiewe loopbaanteorie van Lent, Brown en Hackett (1994) om die faktore te ondersoek wat die belangstelling van leerders in rekeningkunde as 'n loopbaanrigting beïnvloed. 'n Kwantitatiewe navorsingsbenadering met 'n opnamevraelys, binne 'n positivistiese paradigma, is gebruik om menings van leerders te ontlok. Die bevindings het gewys dat werksbevrediging, verdienstepotensiaal, selfwerksaamheid, persoonlike belang, die aanbied van rekeningkunde as 'n vak en 'n rekeningkundige in die gesin van die faktore is wat leerders se loopbaanbelangstelling in rekeningkunde beduidend beïnvloed / Thutopatlisiso e tlhotlheleditswe ke kwelotlase ya ikwadiso ya dithuto tsa Palotlotlo le go kgalwa go go tswelelang pele ga tiragatso e e bokoa ya barutwana mo Palotlotlong mo Aforikaborwa. Ka ntlha ya tlhokego e e oketsegang ya dialogane tsa Palotlotlo le, sa botlhokwa tota, baporofešenale ba ba nang le borutegi jwa palotlotlo, thutopatlisiso eno e batlisisa megopolo e e gona ya ga jaana ya barutwana ba dikolo tse dikgolwane mo Aforikaborwa malebana le porofešene ya bobalatlotlo. Thutopatlisiso e dirisa letlotlo le le gona la dikwalo mme e dirisa tiori ya tselana ya tiro ya tlhaloganyo ya loago ya ga Lent, Brown le Hackett (1994) go sekaseka dintlha tse di susumetsang kgatlhego ya tselana ya tiro ya barutwana mo palotlotlong jaaka tselana ya tiro. Go dirisitswe mokgwa wa patlisiso o o lebelelang dipalopalo ka dipotsolotso tsa tshekatsheko, mme e agilwe mo mokgweng wa kelotlhoko go bona megopolo ya barutwana. Diphitlhelelo di bontsha gore go kgotsofalela tiro, kgonagalo ya letseno, go ikemela, dikgatlhego tsa sebele, go rebolelwa Palotlotlo jaaka serutwa le go nna le mmalatlotlo mo lelapeng ke dingwe tsa dintlha tse di nang le tshusumetso e kgolo mo dikgatlhegong tsa barutwana tsa tselana ya tiro mo palotlotlong. / Financial Accounting / M. Phil. (Accounting Sciences)

Summaries in English, Afrikaans and Setswana / The study was prompted by the decline in accounting enrolments and the ongoing criticism due to learners’ poor performance in the Accounting subject in South Africa. Given the increasing need for accounting graduates and, more importantly, qualified accounting professionals, this study investigated the preconceived perceptions participating high school learners in selected schools in the Mafikeng area had about the accounting profession at the time of this study. The study drew on a rich body of existing literature and adopted the social cognitive career theory of Lent, Brown and Hackett (1994) to explore the factors influencing career interests of learners in accounting as a career path. A quantitative research approach with a survey questionnaire, framed within a positivist paradigm, was used to elicit opinions from learners. The findings revealed that work satisfaction, earnings potential, self-efficacy, personal interest, offering Accounting as a subject and having an accountant in the family are among the factors that significantly influenced participating learners’ career interests in accounting / Die studie is aangespoor deur die afname in rekeningkunde-inskrywings en die deurlopende kritiek van leerders se swak prestasie in rekeningkunde in Suid-Afrika. Gegewe die toenemende behoefte vir rekeningkundegegradueerdes en, meer belangrik, gekwalifiseerde rekeningkundepraktisyns, ondersoek hierdie studie die huidige vooropgestelde persepsies wat hoërskoolleerders in Suid-Afrika van die rekeningkundige beroep het. Die studie benut die omvattende bestaande literatuur en aanvaar die sosiaal kognitiewe loopbaanteorie van Lent, Brown en Hackett (1994) om die faktore te ondersoek wat die belangstelling van leerders in rekeningkunde as 'n loopbaanrigting beïnvloed. 'n Kwantitatiewe navorsingsbenadering met 'n opnamevraelys, binne 'n positivistiese paradigma, is gebruik om menings van leerders te ontlok. Die bevindings het gewys dat werksbevrediging, verdienstepotensiaal, selfwerksaamheid, persoonlike belang, die aanbied van rekeningkunde as 'n vak en 'n rekeningkundige in die gesin van die faktore is wat leerders se loopbaanbelangstelling in rekeningkunde beduidend beïnvloed. / Thutopatlisiso e tlhotlheleditswe ke kwelotlase ya ikwadiso ya dithuto tsa Palotlotlo le go kgalwa go go tswelelang pele ga tiragatso e e bokoa ya barutwana mo Palotlotlong mo Aforikaborwa. Ka ntlha ya tlhokego e e oketsegang ya dialogane tsa Palotlotlo le, sa botlhokwa tota, baporofešenale ba ba nang le borutegi jwa palotlotlo, thutopatlisiso eno e batlisisa megopolo e e gona ya ga jaana ya barutwana ba dikolo tse dikgolwane mo Aforikaborwa malebana le porofešene ya bobalatlotlo. Thutopatlisiso e dirisa letlotlo le le gona la dikwalo mme e dirisa tiori ya tselana ya tiro ya tlhaloganyo ya loago ya ga Lent, Brown le Hackett (1994) go sekaseka dintlha tse di susumetsang kgatlhego ya tselana ya tiro ya barutwana mo palotlotlong jaaka tselana ya tiro. Go dirisitswe mokgwa wa patlisiso o o lebelelang dipalopalo ka dipotsolotso tsa tshekatsheko, mme e agilwe mo mokgweng wa kelotlhoko go bona megopolo ya barutwana. Diphitlhelelo di bontsha gore go kgotsofalela tiro, kgonagalo ya letseno, go ikemela, dikgatlhego tsa sebele, go rebolelwa Palotlotlo jaaka serutwa le go nna le mmalatlotlo mo lelapeng ke dingwe tsa dintlha tse di nang le tshusumetso e kgolo mo dikgatlhegong tsa barutwana tsa tselana ya tiro mo palotlotlong. / Centre for Accounting Studies / M. Phil. (Accounting Sciences)