The purpose of this study is to survey elementary school parents' view of their children's career development and the condition of parent education on children's career development in order to suggest an improvement plan for parent education on career...
The purpose of this study is to survey elementary school parents' view of their children's career development and the condition of parent education on children's career development in order to suggest an improvement plan for parent education on career development.
This study analyzes (1) the state of elementary school parent's view of their children's career development, examines (2) parent education on children's career development, and suggests (3) a plan to improve parent education on children's career development based on the analyzed data.
The object of this study was 258 parents in elementary schools in Chuncheon, and a questionnaire was used as a research method.
The analysis was conducted through SPSSWIN V2.0 frequency analysis and cross-tabulation were applied to age, number of children, whether the child is the eldest or not, and whether the parents participate in parent education. In turn, these variables were analyzed through t-test and χ2 test.
The result and conclusion of this study is as follows.
First, the overall level of the parent's awareness on children's career development was high, and the group that has been educated on career development exhibited even higher level of consciousness. It is followed that parents are highly concerned with educating their children on career development and parent education on children's career development has a positive effect on their awareness.
On the other hand, parents do not have detailed information about occupations needed to educate their children on career development though they have much conversation about and understand their children in terms of career development. Thus much information about career development and occupation should constantly be provided for them through parent education
Second, most of the respondents indicated that students in 'upper grades at elementary school and the third grade at middle school at latest' are suitable for career development education. Given that career development education is provided for the first-grade students at elementary school, the level of parents' awareness of career development education at elementary school is low, and thus it is needed to improve their awareness through parent education.
Third, parents acquired the information on career mostly through the 'mass media', and only few of them responded that they got information through 'school teachers'.
This reflects the present condition of the information age in which people collect information through mass or information media. In addition, it implies that schools are negligent in providing career development information or guidance. Thus it is required to provide the information about career development through school letters or parent education classes. Also a study on the development and operation of parent education on children's career development through the broadcasting media and press is required.
Fourth, though most of the respondents did not know that school offers parent education on children's career development, they were willing to attend educational sessions if provided (88.1%). This shows that parent education on children's career development is not adequately publicized. In addition, the parents preferred 'children's school' as a site of parent education and 'consultation with a teacher' or 'expert's lecture' as a method of education. Thus schools should not only actively advertise but also administer parent education to offer more opportunities for parent education.
Finally, it is shown that parent education on children's career development helps parents' to understand their children better and have more conversation with them. However, they were not confident on educating their children's career development, and it shows that the latter will remain a difficult problem. Thus schools, press and local communities should cooperate with one another to reflect parents' demand and offer steady parent education.