A Study of Vocational Interest and Socio-economic Status of Secondary level Students

¹Amitesh Kumar Singh, ²Namrata Singh

¹Institute of Teachers Education, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University Raipur, C.G., India.

²Department of Education, Juhari Devi Girls P.G. College, Kanpur, U.P., India.

Abstract:

Education plays an important role in giving meaningful direction to human life. The three levels of Indian education system are primary education, secondary education and higher education. Primary education is the foundation of the education system on the basis of which secondary education and higher education are built. Secondary education works to connect primary education and higher education. In the course of development of Indian education system after independence, various commissions have talked about providing vocational education under secondary education, of which Mudaliar Commission is prominent. In secondary education, vocation-based courses are visible partially in the curriculum of class 9th and 10th and clearly in the curriculum of class 11th and 12th, which helps in increasing the vocational interest of the students. At the secondary level, humanities and arts, science, commerce, agriculture disciplines are based on vocational interest. Students at the secondary level select subjects according to their interest and ability. This selection is due to their interest towards that profession. Work done with interest is an indicator of the progress of the individual and his society.  Apart from this, the socio-economic status of students also plays an effective role in the selection of their subject and profession. The main objective of the present study is to do a comparative study of the vocational interest and socio-economic status of urban and rural high school level students. For the study, 60 boys and 60 girls have been selected from 120 students studying in class 11 of CBSE board schools located in urban and rural areas of Mirzapur district (U.P.) by stratified probability sampling method. For collecting data, 'Vocational Interest Record' prepared by Dr. S.P. Kulshreshtha and 'Socio-economic Status Scale' prepared by Dr. Ashok K. Kalia and Dr. Sudhir Sahu have been used. The study found a difference in the vocational interests of urban and rural secondary level students, but no difference was found in their socio-economic status.

Keywords: Secondary level students, Urban students, Rural students, Vocational interest, Socio-economic status.

Introduction

Education plays an important role in shaping the personal development and social contribution of an individual. Vocational education is a key factor that contributes to the economic progress of the individual, the country, and society. The relevance of vocational education in a developing country like India is self-evident. After independence, India adopted vocational education as a foundation for advancing its economic development. Vocational education has been increasingly emphasized through the Mudaliar Commission, Kothari Commission, National Education Policy-1968, National Education Policy-1986, Indian Knowledge Commission, and National Education Policy-2020.

In the Indian education system, vocational education is integrated with secondary education. During secondary education, students' attention and interest are drawn toward various types of vocational education through the curriculum. The overall development of an individual is closely linked to the freedom to choose academic subjects according to their interests and abilities. When students have the freedom to study subjects, they are genuinely interested in, they experience a sense of inner satisfaction that motivates them to work with dedication and achieve success. Therefore, interest is a crucial factor in the all-round development of a student.

Several studies have highlighted the relationship between student interest, vocational preferences, and academic success. Singh (2007) found significant differences in vocational preferences among rural students with higher-than-average interest. Kailash (2012) observed that low-achieving government school students showed greater interest in certain vocational fields than their private school counterparts, with administrative fields being the most preferred. However, Narayan (2012) found no significant difference in vocational interests between urban and rural students.

Academic guidance—especially regarding students’ interests and socio-economic status—is essential to help students form a clear self-concept and develop problem-solving abilities. In the current socio-economic scenario, students often face complex challenges, and without proper guidance, they may waste valuable time and opportunities. Therefore, identifying the root causes of students’ maladjustment and aligning their educational objectives with their vocational interests can significantly enhance their socio-economic prospects.

Secondary-level students, with their aspirations and energy, stand at a critical juncture where the right educational choices can shape their future occupations. Education aligned with individual interests can lead to financial independence and overall well-being. Research has also shown that vocational aptitude is influenced by several factors, including gender, class, caste, and regional disparities, with socio-economic status playing a direct role.

The present study has been conducted based on urban and rural areas and gender in the context of vocational interests and socio-economic status of secondary-level students. Through this study, an attempt has been made to determine whether there is a difference in vocational interests between urban and rural students and whether there are differences based on socio-economic status. Hence, this study aims to examine the vocational interests of secondary-level students in relation to their socio-economic status. It is expected that the study will help in awakening and nurturing vocational interests among secondary-level students through education tailored to their socio-economic backgrounds.

Definition of the variables used

Urban students

Students who reside in cities and study in schools in cities. A city is an area where there is abundance and diversity of population. Non-agricultural occupation, division of labor and specialization, dominance of secondary relations and formality etc. are the main characteristics of a city.

Rural students

Rural students refer to students who live in rural areas and study in secondary schools located in rural areas. Rural community is an area where characteristics like predominance of agriculture, proximity to nature, abundance of primary relationships, low population, social homogeneity, lack of mobility, general agreement in attitudes and behavior etc. are found.

Secondary level

Class 11 and 12 are called secondary level and students studying in these classes are called secondary level students. In the research, students of class 11 have been considered as secondary level students.

Vocational interest

Interest is one of the important dimensions of personality. In simple terms, the tendency to like or dislike an object, person, fact, process, occupation, to be attracted or repelled towards it, to pay attention to it or ignore it, and to get pleasant or unpleasant feelings through satisfaction or dissatisfaction from it is called vocational interest.

Socio-economic level

Social level refers to the environment in which a student lives, receives education, exchanges ideas with people, increases knowledge and develops various skills of expression i.e. social level refers to family, society and its environment.

Economic level refers to the economic status of the student's family. Economic status also affects the values ​​of students and apart from this, their lifestyle determines their economic status. A person's economic status affects his social status because in the present times, a person's status is measured in terms of his economic status.

Objectives

·       To analyze the differences in vocational interest among urban and rural areas of secondary level student.

·       To analyze the differences in socio-economic status among urban and rural areas of secondary level students.

·       To compare the vocational interest of urban boys and urban girls’ students at the secondary level.

·       To compare the socio-economic status of urban boys and urban girls’ students at the secondary level.

·       To compare the vocational interest of rural boys and rural girls’ students at the secondary level.

·       To compare the socio-economic status of rural boys and rural girls’ students at the secondary level.

Null Hypotheses

H₀1 There is no significant difference in the vocational interest of urban and rural students at the secondary level.

H₀2 There is no significant difference in the socio-economic status of urban and rural students at the secondary level.

H₀3 There is no significant difference in the vocational interest of urban boys and urban girls’ students at the secondary level.

H₀4 There is no significant difference in the socio-economic status of urban boys and urban girls’ students at the secondary level.

H₀5 There is no significant difference in the vocational interest of rural boys and rural girls’ students at the secondary level.

H₀6 There is no significant difference in the socio-economic status of rural boys and rural girls’ students at the secondary level.

Research methodology

In this research study, survey method has been used under descriptive research. Using stratified probability sampling method for the study, 120 students (60 boys and 60 girls) studying in secondary level schools (class-11, session 2023-24) of CBSC Board located in urban and rural areas of Mirzapur district (U.P.) have been selected as sample. To achieve the objectives, 'Vocational Interest Record' prepared by Dr. S. P. Kulshrestha and 'Socio-economic Level Scale' prepared by Dr. Ashok K. Kalia and Dr. Sudhir Sahu have been used. Inferential statistics (mean, standard deviation and t-test) have been used to test the hypothesis.

Hypothesis Testing, Analysis and Discussion

Compare vocational interest of urban and rural secondary level students

Table- 1

 df 118 Expected value of t-test (t) at 0.05 level of error = 1.96

Figure No.- 1

It is known from the above table-1 and figure no. -1 shows that the obtained t-test is 3.78. The obtained t-test score for df 118 is more than 1.96 at the 0.05 level of significance, which is significant. Hence the null hypothesis H₀1 is rejected.

This indicates that the difference in vocational interest between urban and rural students is statistically significant. Therefore, it can be concluded that urban secondary level students possess significantly higher vocational interests compared to their rural counterparts. This difference may be attributed to factors such as better access to career guidance, exposure to diverse professions, and availability of resources in urban areas.

Compare Socio-economic status of urban and rural secondary level students

Table- 2

df 118 Expected value of t-test (t) at 0.05 level of error = 1.96

Figure No.- 2

It is known from the above table-2 and figure no.-2 shows that the obtained t-test is 1.71. The obtained score of t-test for df 118 is less than 1.96 at .05 level of significance, which is not significant. Hence the null hypothesis H₀2 is accepted.

There is no significant difference in socio-economic status between urban and rural secondary level students. Although urban students have a slightly higher average, the difference is not large enough to be considered meaningful statistically. This suggests that socio-economic conditions are relatively comparable between the two groups at the secondary level.

Compare vocational interest of secondary level urban students

Table -3

df 58 Expected value of t-test (t) at 0.05 level of error = 2.00

Figure No. – 3

From the above table-3 and figure no.-3, it is known that the obtained t-test is 4.22. The obtained score of t-test for df 58 is more than 2.00 at .05 level of significance which is significant. Hence the null hypothesis H₀3 is rejected.

There is a significant difference in vocational interest between urban secondary level boys and girls. Urban girl students have significantly higher vocational interest than urban boy students. This may be due to increased awareness, motivation, or career planning among urban girls in recent years.

Compare socio-economic status of urban secondary level students

Table- 4

df 58 Expected value of t-test (t) at 0.05 level of error = 2.00

Figure No. – 4

From the above table-4 and figure no. -4, it is known that the obtained t-test is 0.08. The obtained score of t-test for df 58 is less than 2.00 at .05 level of significance which is not significant. Hence the null hypothesis H₀4 is accepted.

There is no significant difference in the socio-economic status of urban secondary level boys and girls. Both groups have nearly the same average status, suggesting that gender does not influence socio-economic background in the urban student population studied.

Compare vocational interest of secondary level rural students

Table - 5

df 58 Expected value of t-test (t) at 0.05 level of error = 2.00

Figure No. – 5

From the above table-5 and figure no.-5, it is known that the obtained t-test is 1.10. The obtained score of t-test for df 58 is less than 2.00 at .05 level of significance which is not significant. Hence the null hypothesis H₀5 is accepted.

There is no significant difference in vocational interest between rural secondary level boys and girls. Although rural boys scored slightly higher on average, the difference is not large enough to be considered meaningful in statistical terms. This suggests that gender does not significantly affect vocational interest among rural students.

Compare socio-economic status of secondary level rural students

Table- 6

df 58 Expected value of t-test (t) at 0.05 level of error = 2.00

Figure No. – 6

From the above table-6 and figure no.-6, it is known that the t-test result obtained is 0.49. The obtained score of t-test for df 58 is less than 2.00 at .05 level of significance which is not significant. Hence the null hypothesis H₀6 is accepted.

There is no significant difference in the socio-economic status of rural secondary level boys and girls. Although the average score for girls is slightly higher, the difference is not meaningful from a statistical perspective. Thus, gender does not appear to influence socio-economic status among rural students in this sample.

Conclusion

Based on the results obtained from the research study, it is proved that there is a difference in the vocational interest of students from urban and rural background. A significant difference in the vocational interest of urban students on the basis of gender, whereas no difference was found in socio-economic status. Therefore, some special measures need to be taken to enhance the vocational interest of rural students and urban students. However, the lack of difference in socio-economic status shows that the individual interests of a person play an important role in career selection.

Every individual has his own unique characteristics, and due to this diversity, it is important that every individual is provided opportunities according to his aptitude, ability, skill, interest, need and socio-economic status. In short, plans should be made and implemented keeping in mind the interests and socio-economic status of the students, so that every student can achieve his/her desired career and contribute to nation building by achieving success in it.

References

Kalia, A.K. and Sahu, S. (2012). Manual for Socio-economic Status Scale (Urban & Rural). National Psychological Corporation, Agra, U.P, India.

Kothari Commission (1964-66). Education and National Development. Ministry of Education, Government of India, New Delhi.

Kumari, Kailash. (2012). A study of moral values ​​and vocational interest of low achieving students of higher secondary level (Ph.D., Education), Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University, Jaunpur U.P. India. Retrieved from http://www.shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in

Kulshreshtha, S. P. (2011). Manual of Vocational Interest Record. National Psychological Corporation, Agra. U.P, India.

Narayan, Tribhuvan. (2012).  A comparative study of interest and attitude towards vocational education of students studying in higher secondary schools of urban and rural areas (Ph.D., Education), Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University, Jaunpur U.P. India. Retrieved from http://www.shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in

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National Policy on Education (1986). Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, New Delhi.

National Education Policy (2020). Ministry of Education, Government of India, New Delhi.

National Knowledge Commission (2009). Report to the Nation 2006–2009. Government of India, New Delhi.

Secondary Education Commission (1952–53). Report of the Secondary Education Commission. Ministry of Education, Government of India, New Delhi.

Singh, Abhishek. (2007). A study of memory capacity and vocational interest of secondary level students of Jaunpur district (Ph.D. Education), Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University, Jaunpur U.P. India. Retrieved from http://www.shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in