This study investigated the ‘effects of career interest 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 when making a career choice earlier in the academic ladder necessitating specific intervention to enhance a stable career choice. The objective was to examine how much career interest affects students’ career choices in Technical Secondary. Methodologically, the study employed a mixed-method approach with a quasi experimental design, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative elements. The research sample comprised 20 students and 45 guidance counselors selected from the South West Region of Cameroon, with selection criteria based on document analysis for students and the Division with the most populated guidance counselors. 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 counselors. Independent Sample T-test was also used to compare how students in both the control and experimental groups at the pretest and post-test levels differ in their mean scores. The qualitative data derived from open-ended questions were analyzed using the thematic analysis approach with the aid of themes. The research revealed a remarkably strong correlation between students' career interests and their ultimate career choices. This relationship was substantiated by an overwhelming 90.8% consensus among guidance counselors and further validated by a robust contingency value of 0.825, demonstrating statistical significance with a p-value of 0.000, well below the 0.05 threshold. Based on these compelling results, the researchers proposed several actionable recommendations for guidance counselors. These include the development and implementation of individualized career interest assessments, the creation of comprehensive exposure programs featuring hands-on experiences, mentorship opportunities, and industry visits, and the establishment of ongoing motivation and monitoring systems to support students throughout their career decision-making journey. These recommendations reflect a holistic approach to career guidance that acknowledges the crucial role of sustained engagement and practical experience in shaping effective career choices.

Students’ aptitude, career choice

Abe, E. N., & Chikoko, V. (2020). Exploring the Factors that Influence the Career Decision of STEM Students at a University in South Africa. International Journal of STEM Education, 7(Dec), 60.

Ainley, M. D., Hillman, K., & Hidi, S. (2002). Gender and interest processes in response to literary texts: Situational and individual interest. Learning and Instruction. 12, 411–428.

Akbulut, A. Y., & Looney, C. A. (2007). Inspiring students to pursue computing degrees. Communications of the ACM, 50(10), 67-71.

Ardiyanti, D., & Alsa, A. (2015). Pelatihan "PLANS" untukMeningkatkanEfikasiDiridalamPengambilan Keputusan Karir. Gadjah Mada Journal of Professional Psychology, 1(1), 1-17.

Atitsogbe, K. A., Moumoula, I. A., Rochat, S., Antonietti, J. P., & Rossier, J. (2018). Vocational Interests and Career Indecision in Switzerland and Burkina Faso: CrossCultural Similarities and Differences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 107(Aug), 126-140

Azevedo, F. S. (2015). Sustaining Interest-Based Participation in Science. In Interest in Mathematics and Science Learning, edited by K. A. Renninger, M. Nieswandt, and S. Hidi, 281-96. Washington, DC: AERA.

Bardick, A. D., Bernes, K. B., Magnusson, K. C., & Witko, K. D. (2004). Junior High Students’ Occupational Aspirations. The Alberta Counsellor, 28 (2). 56-74.

Bingham, R. P. (2001). Career and vocational assessment 1997-1998: A biennial review. Journal of Career Assessment, 9, 1-24.

Campbell, D. (2002). The history and development of the Campbell interest and skill survey. Journal of Career Assessment, 10(2), 150-168.

Gallup (2019). Forging Pathways to Meaningful Work: The Role of Higher Education. Washington, D.C.

Hennessey, B. A., Amabile, T. M. (2010). Creativity. Annual Review of Psychology, 61, 569-598.

Hewitt, J. (2010). Factors influencing career choice. New York, NY: Sage.

Hidi, S., & Anderson, V. (1992). Situational interest and its impact on reading and expository writing. In K. A. Renninger, S. Hidi, & A. Krapp (Eds.), The role of interest in learning and development (pp. 215–238). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Hidi, S., & Baird, W. (1988). Strategies for increasing text-based interest and students’ recall of expository texts. Reading Research Quarterly, 23, 465-483.

Hidi, S., & Harackiewicz, J. (2000). Motivating the academically unmotivated: A critical issue for the 21st century. Review of Educational Research, 70, 151–179.

Holland, J. L. (1997). Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments (3rd ed.). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.

Hooley, T. (2012). How the internet changed career: framing the relationship between career development and online expertise. Journal of the General Institute for Career Education and Counselling (NICEC) 29, 45-67.

Jackson, D. N. (2000). Jackson vocational interest survey manual (2nd ed.). Port Huron: Research Psychologists Press.

Jolda, C. H. (2005). Interest Inventory Applications and Technical Guide. Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc.

Jones, K. S., Newman, D. A., Su, R., & Rounds, J. (2020). Black-White differences in vocational interests: Meta-analysis and boundary conditions. Journal of Business and Psychology, 36(4), 589–607.

Kaplan, F., & Oudeyer, P. (2007). In search of the neural circuits of intrinsic motivation. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 1, 225-236.

Kazi A. A., Nimra, S., & Nawaz, A. (2017). Factors Influencing Students’ Career Choices: Empirical Evidence from Business Students. Journal of Southeast Asian Research, (Mar), 1-15.

Krapp, A. (2003). Interest and human development. An educational-psychological perspective.Development and education 54-87, BJEP Monograph Series II, 2.The British Psychological Society.

Lent, R. W., Hackett, G., & Brown, S. D. (1999). A social cognitive view of school-to-work transition. Career Development Quarterly, 44, 297-311.

Low, K. S. D., Yoon, M., Roberts, B. W., Rounds, J. (2005). The stability of vocational interests from early adolescence to middle adulthood: A quantitative review of longitudinal studies. Psychological Bulletin, 131(5), 713-737.

Nyamwange, J. (2016). Influence of student’s interest on career choice among first year university students in public and private universities in Kisii County, Kenya. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(4), 96-102.

Oswald, F. L., Hough, L. M., & Zuo, C. (2019). Personnel selection and vocational interests. In C. Nye & J. Rounds (Eds.), Vocational interests in the workplace: Rethinking behavior at work. Routledge. 1-20.

Otuei, C. O. (2017). Career decision-making difficulties of senior high school students in Koforidua Municipality. (Masters’ Thesis): University of Cape Coast.

Renninger, K. A. (2000). Individual interest and its implications for understanding intrinsic motivation. In C. Sansone & J. M. Harackiewicz (Eds.), Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: The search for optimum motivation and performance (pp. 373–404). New York: Academic Press.

Renninger, K. A., & Quinlan, K. M. (2022). Rethinking Employability: How Students Build on Interest in a Subject to Plan a Career. Higher Education, 84(4), 863–883.

Rounds, J., Su, R., Lewis, P., & Rivkin, D. (2010). O*NET interest profiler short form psychometric characteristics: Summary.

Sardiman, A. M. (2004). Interaksi dan motivasi belajar mengajar [Interaction and motivation of teaching and learning]. Rajawali Pers.

Schermer, J. A. (2012). The Jackson career explorer: Two further validity studies. Journal of Career Assessment, 20(4), 507-519.

Schultz, L. H., Connolly, J. J., Garrison, S. M., Leveille, M. M., & Jackson, J. J. (2017). Vocational Interests Across 20 Years of Adulthood: Stability, Change, and the Role of Work Experiences. Journal of Research in Personality. 71

Sears, S. J., & Gordon, V. N. (2008). Building your career: A guide to your future (4th ed.). New York, NY: Springer.

Su, R. (2018). The Three Faces of Interests: An Integrative Review of Interest Research in Vocational, Organizational and Educational Psychology. Journal of Vocational Behavior 116(Part B), 103-240.

Super, D. E. (1955). The dimensions and measurement of vocational maturity. Teachers College Record, 57, 151–163.

Vasilescu, C. C., Moraru, A., & Sava, N. I. (2014). The relationship between career interests and academic major: a comparative analysis. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 187 (2015) 559-564

Wilson, P. M., Mack, D. E., Grattan, K. P. (2008). Understanding motivation for exercise: A self-determination theory perspective. Canadian Psychology, 49, 250-256.