Influence of Socioeconomic Status and Family Environment on Career Aspiration of Senior Secondary Students

Abstract

This quantitative, correlational study investigated the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) and family environment on the career aspirations of senior secondary school students. A sample of 300 students (grades 11 and 12) was selected from four schools in [Region/City]. Data were collected using the Socioeconomic Status Scale (SESS), the Family Environment Scale (FES), and the Career Aspiration Scale (CAS). Multiple regression analysis revealed that both SES and family environment significantly influence career aspiration. Specifically, family cohesion, intellectual-cultural orientation, and active-recreational orientation emerged as the strongest positive predictors, while family conflict was a negative predictor. Students from higher SES backgrounds reported higher career aspirations (r = 0.45, p < .01). Notably, the family environment explained additional variance beyond SES alone (ΔR² = 0.23), highlighting that how a family functions may be as important as its material resources. The study concludes that interventions aimed at raising career aspirations must address both economic barriers and the quality of family interactions.