Students’ motivation and preference for home economics subjects in senior high schools in Ashanti region, Ghana

Abstract

The study was students’ motivation and preference for home economics subjects in Senior High Schools in Ashanti Region, Ghana. The target population was the second and third year Senior High School students in three selected schools in the Ashanti Region, their teachers were sampled for the study. In all, 3 teachers, and 86 students, were engaged in the study. The researcher used both questionnaire and interviews as the main instruments for data collection. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistical analysis, which involved the use of frequency and percentages in analysing the data collected. Findings from the study indicated that the female students outnumbered the male counterparts in the pursuit of Home Economics Education in the schools selected: 6 students were males (representing 6.16%) and 80 were females (representing 94.84%). The study also indicates that the majority of students perusing Home Economics were helped by their parents and teachers in selecting the Home Economics program. Student’s preference for the various Home Economics programme options ranges from 16 students (representing 18.6%) for Clothing and Textiles, 18 students (representing 20.9%) for Management in Living and 5 students (representing 5.8%) for General Knowledge in Arts. Factors influencing students’ choice of Food and Nutrition over other Home Economics Options include Job opportunities available to the food and Nutritionist compared to other career opportunities in the Home Economist Options. The fact that the students’ choice of programme options was not influenced by family, gender, religious factors, Career Guidance and Counselling activities can be developed and carried out by the Guidance and Counselling Coordinators with little or without paying attention to the various sex and age groups as there were no statistically significant sex and age differences among factors with regard to their influence on students ‘programme choice.