Relationship between personality types and Career Choices of Undergraduate Students: A case of Moi University, Kenya

Abstract

The process of choosing careers in Kenya is not well stipulated because students are allowed to revise their career choices several times. There is a possibility that students are in career that are not in line with their personality types. The study investigated the relationship between personality types and career choices of undergraduate students, Moi University. The population for the study was undergraduate students admitted by the University Joint Admission Board (JAB). Multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select five schools, and a sample 399 participants. A survey research design was used because the study aimed at assessing relationships among the naturally occurring variables with the goal of identifying predictive relationships. The study was based on John Holland Personality Theory of Career Choice (Holland, 1997). The study used Questionnaires adapted from Holland's Self- Directed Search (SDS) to sort out student's personality types, and Holland's Occupational Finder checklist was used to categorize degree programmes into career choices according to Holland realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising and conventional (RIASEC) model. The reliability and validity of the instruments were established through a pilot study in two non-sampled degree programmes. The data collected were analysed descriptively by use of frequency tables and figures. Chisquare was used to test the null hypotheses at level of significance of 0.5. Results indicated that there was a relationship between personality types, family place of residence and career choice. However, there was no relationship between gender, birth order, family income levels and career choice. Family place of residence, gender, birth order, and parental income levels were control variables in this study. Research findings will enhance the understanding of personality types on career development and career counseling, in both secondary school and the University. It also agrees with Holland that personality types identified from Holland's SDS can be used for career placement. Therefore JAB can use it alongside grades and cut-off points. An understanding of the relationship can help explain why some students grasp on to a certain way of teaching and like it; whereas others do not like it. It would therefore seem logical that if cohesiveness between instructors teaching approach and student way of learning be refined through appropriate career choice, then students would be more likely to be satisfied and successful in their course of study and future employment.