Loci of Causality and Orientation in Occupational and Educational Choices

A student self-determination profile of occupational andeducational choices was examined through the concepts of Locus of Causality and Locus ofOrientation. Research questions associated with respondents’ certainty of occupation andorientation to vocational education were answered. The tested hypotheses were asfollows: (a) Independence, initiative, self-guidance, choice of discussion forums, andgender are related to certainty of future occupation choice and choice of vocationaleducation; (b) certainty of occupation relates to choosing vocational education; (c)negatively biased media lessens interest in vocational education; and (d) vocationaleducation choices are related to gender. A survey of ninth-grade students in Finnishcomprehensive school was conducted after implementation of a work-orientation programdefined in the national comprehensive school curriculum. At the local school systemlevel, 649 subjects of the mean ages of 16.0 years participated in an Internet survey intwo school districts in southwestern Finland in 2008. The variables were inserted inLinear Multiple Regression Analysis in IBM SPSS. The means of vocational school choiceand certainty of occupation, and vocational school choice and negative media image werecompared in SPSS means. An independent-samples t test for vocational school choice andsex was conducted. Statistically significant regression models of loci of orientationand locus of causality were found. The more the respondents were certain of theiroccupation choice, the more they expressed their secondary education orientation to bevocational school. When students discussed their choices less at home, their orientationto vocational education weakened. A negative media image was not associated withvocational school choice in this data. The measured means for girls’ and boys’orientations to vocational school did not show statistically significantdifferences