INTEREST AND THE PRESENT COURSE OF RANDOMLY SELECTED FIRST YEAR STUDENTS OF UPHSJ-GMA CAMPUS
S.Y. 2010-2011”
Chapter 1
Introduction Adolescence is the period where an individual has to mature mentally, emotionally, socially and physically. Adolescent period is placed at around 17 years, at about the same time they pursue collegiate courses or begin to apprentices in the world of work or the so called “the adult world”. The developmental tasks of adolescence are focused on developing independence in preparation for adulthood and in establishing a sense of identity. The adolescent establishes his personality along three dimensions: gender identity, occupational identity, and moral identity (Gines, Dizon, Obias, Uriarte, Vendivel, 1998, p. 201). An important element of the adolescent’s self concept is his occupational identity. Ginzberg as cited in Schiamberg (1982) suggested that the individual continually makes adjustments in aspirations and motivations that limit and refine his vocational choices (Gines et al. 1998, p.211). The occupational identity must be established before entering college to make the right decision and to avoid confusion that may result to poor academic performance, course shifting and eventually dropping. It is essential to make the right decision because these choices will determine the individual’s future and role in the society. A survey among guidance counselors conducted 17 years apart (Salazar-Clemena, 1992; Santamaria, 1975) have revealed that career-related problems of Filipino students remain largely unchanged. These include concerns that may be categorized as sociological (no choice, uncertain choice, or unwise choice, based chiefly on sociocultural expectations), psychological (lack of information, low self-worth); and general (problems of skill; Crites, 1969). Other concerns: lack of interest in anything, and lack of matching between interest, academic