*1Isaac Odoi Danquah, 2Theresa Wiredu-Darkwa
1Water Resources Engineer, Goldrain Mountain Company Limited, Koforidua, Eastern Region – Ghana. 2Senior Educationist, Ghana Education Service, Nsutam, Eastern Region – Ghana.
ABSTRACT
Man’s quest for riches, self-accomplishment and self-actualization depends on consistent effort towards attainment. To obtain a fulfilling life on the planet earth boils down to once own effort and ability. No one can accomplish your aims and objectives for you but you only. Its therefore of utmost importance for senior high schools students to identify who they are and define the road map towards self-actualization and personal satisfaction in life. In this regard, one ought to choose a defined career, go through training, learning, hustles, hardship, struggles and be refined like pure gold. It is at this point that we get refined gold in terms of doctors, engineers, lawyers, professors, presidents, teachers, nurses, security professionals and so on to serve mankind and impact generations. It therefore deems fit to identify oneself, have defined goals and hunts for one’s destiny towards accomplishment and self – actualization. This is the reason for this research work in New Nsutam Senior High School. This research work deduced that one needs to identify who he/she is and work consistently on a chosen career and path in order to achieve goals and aspirations in life. Research findings established that self-actualization depends on personal discipline and personal choices in life. 13 students stated satisfactory thinking in a way, self-discipline and personal choices in life contributes to self-actualization. Very good and excellent was 40 and 41 representing 40% and 41% respectively. This tells one that students willing to reach great heights must be discipline personally and make right choices as they climb the academic ladder. Research again proved that senior high schools plays a role in terms of destiny determination and treasures hunting in life. 87 correspondents representing 87% said yes it does play a role and the reason for being in school to learn and learn hard. Research findings indicated that parents will continue to ask their children to continue educating themselves in senior high schools. But it’s the sole responsibility of these students to have well defined goals, objectives, and careers and fight the storms of life in actualizing their dreams and aspirations. It can be seen that training a child from infancy through the education system in Ghana and worldwide is also a gold mining business. Here, the child goes through all the education system (Kindergarten to Doctorate level) while being exposed to troubles and its associated hustles and problems in life. They finally becomes well refined gold (engineer, doctor, lawyer, professor, banker, judge etc) with expertise and well trained experience in their field or various field to serve nations and impact generations.
Keywords: self-identity, treasures, actualization, senior high school (SHS), dreams, students, life, discipline.
1 INTRODUCTION
Life on this planet earth is so interesting and full of opportunities requiring man’s seriousness and hard work towards accomplishing individual’s aims, aspirations and objectives. The choice for certain course of direction by man depends on personal vision and what to be achieved after ones journey on the earth. Some people are very lazy hence waiting for opportunities to be made available by others before choosing a sense of direction towards self-accomplishment. Not knowing its each individuals responsibility to carry his or her own cross. Others are go getters where they take drastic decisions in making opportunities available in order to accomplish aspirations. Life is full of questions requiring everyone to write his or her own individual life story and journey of life examinations. This implies that everyone and his or her own solution manual. What is applicable and workable for Mr A will not be applicable for Mr. B hence each one and his/her manual. To live a fulfilling life on this planet earth requires individual identity determination where one identifies who he/she is and the purpose and reason for existence. This is the most difficult task in each individual’s life as no one knows where he/she is coming from. All most of us know is I come from this town, city or nation because that is where he/she is borne. But in reality, you are from somewhere with an entry into the world (that town and city) through that man and woman. Some give birth to children whose motives, characteristics, behaviour and physical appearance are far away from the parents. Does this ring a bell? It becomes the responsibility of the parents to mould and shape the child behaviour and attitude in the direction they want if not, the child goes off board when it comes to attitude, behaviour and responsibility modification. Treasure hunting is adventurous full of activities that may result in joy or sadness and even death at the end of the day. Miners and treasure hunters enter into deep forest and access dangerous mountains and rocks in order to obtain gold, silver, bauxite, manganese and other precious minerals. In all these circumstances, there is an associated danger but they do not look at the negative part but only the minerals to be obtained at the end of the day. So is destiny treasure hunting where one is only interested in the end product. Only what one becomes or get at the end of the journey. May be, becoming a president, doctor, lawyer, engineer, scientist, artist, professor, lecturer, teacher, trader and so on. In that regard, personal identification defines that, the person identifies who he or she is, what he or she wants to become, choose the dream and live it throughout once life on earth. One needs to go through the toils and hardships in order to see the realization of the dream. The end product which is the professionalism aspect of the career becomes the dream chosen by the individual and needs to live to see its materialization. The end product is embodied with torcher, hardship, hunger, thirst, difficulties, failures and success stories along the way before the final product. The final product is seen as refined gold which has gone through hot fire and processing and full of beauty for manifestation and impact unto humanity. In all these, one should be willing to endure and not break like an elastic material when gone beyond the elastic limit. One should be able to withstand deformation as pressures from people and nature which wouldn’t want to see the success story written in once life coming from all directions. Everybody wants to be great or be seen as a beautiful refined gold showcasing intelligence and impacting lives on future generation hence the battle for that opportunity, greatness, good or position. Therefore be willing to fight the system and pressure in order to win your case against life and destiny hunters.
Treasure hunting is full of mysteries and secrets as it’s both spiritual and physical. The physical aspect is looking for the mineral physically hence searching and the spiritual aspect is the spirituality behind the treasure. One needs to overcome both forces before getting access to the precious mineral. So is career and destiny hunting in life hence the need to prepare both spiritually and physically as you journey through the dream to ensure its materialization. Secondary school children education can be seen in this direction as they enter secondary schools from Junior High schools trying to see to the realization of dreams they have picked from infancy or along the way. The have chosen to become lawyers, doctors, engineers, business men or women, artist etc. and need to learn, fight, write exams and pass it and move up the academic calendar to see to its realization. You will see secondary school children carrying the trunks, bags and belongings at the beginning and end of semesters going and coming in all directions, all in the name of destiny hunting. Or trying to make meanings out of their lives in the future through education. It is treasure hunting but in an unknown manner because those who do serious searching through serious learning, mining and hard work end up passing their exams, entering universities, passing and getting undergraduate certificates to start a working career in life or entering the next stage in life. Further hardwork and performance yields masters degrees and doctorates in engineering, law, business, art, science, social sciences and so on. Where they are seen as refined gold shining and impacting lives in their various fields. This research work therefore sorts to investigate the self-individual search and treasure hunting that is going on among second cycle institution students in Ghana. It will sort to find out whether they are aware, what they intend achieving and how they want to achieve it through their three years programs in senior high school.
2 REVIEW OF RELATED WORKS
2.1 The self of man
Self in common discourse, the term self often refers to a warm sense or a warm feeling that something is “about me” or “about us.” Reflecting on oneself is both a common activity and a mental feat. It requires that there is an “I” that can consider an object that is “me.” The term self includes both the actor who thinks (“I am thinking”) and the object of thinking (“about me”). Moreover, the actor both is able to think and is aware of doing so. As the philosopher John Locke famously asserted, “I think, therefore I am.” Awareness of having thoughts matters (Leary et. al., 2012). Another way to denote these three aspects (thinking, being aware of thinking, and taking the self as an object for thinking) is to use the term reflexive capacity (Kihlstrom, Beer, & Klein, 2003; Lewis, 1990). Rather than an attempt to distinguish between the mental content (me) and the aspects of the mental capacity of thinking (I), modern use of the term self includes all these elements (Baumeister, 1998; Callero, 2003; Kihlstrom et al., 2003; Markus & Wurf, 1987; Owens et al., 2010). While theories converge on the notion that reflexive capacity is critical to having a self, theories diverge in how memory is considered in service of sustaining the self. On the one hand, the self can be considered primarily a memory structure such that the me aspect of self has existence outside of particular contexts and social structures. In contrast, the self can be considered primarily a cognitive capacity such that what constitutes the me – aspect of self is created inside of and embedded within moment-to moment situations (Leary et. al., 2012). From the latter perspective, what is stable is not recalled content but rather the motivation to use the self to make meaning; memory is used but the me-self is not stable. While in some ways helpful, the shorthand me can inadvertently limit focus of attention to one way of conceiving the self-what cultural and clinical psychologists might call an immersed individualistic sense of self (Leary et. al., 2012). While less studied, people can think of themselves in different ways. An individualistic perspective focuses on how one is separate and different from others, but people can also consider how they are similar and connected via relationships (sometimes called a collectivistic perspective) (Leary et. al., 2012). An immersed perspective focuses on the self – up close and from inside the mind’s eye, but people can also consider themselves in other ways. They can consider how they might look from a distance, how they might look from the outside, in the eyes of others. Each perspective highlights and draws attention to some aspects of “me” and makes other aspects less likely to come to mind (Leary et. al., 2012).
2.2 Identity
Erikson (1951, 1968) developed a widely used model of identity development that focused on development of identity via exploration and commitment (Leary et. al., 2012). Erikson used the term identity in ways synonymous with what others have termed self-concept. However, the term identity can also be conceptualized as a way of making sense of some aspect or part of self-concept (Abrams, 1994; 1999; Hogg, 2003; Serpe, 1987; Stryker & Burke, 2000; Tajfel & Turner, 2004). For example, one can have a religious identity that contains relevant content and goals, such as what to do, what to value, and how to behave (Leary et. al., 2012).
The social psychological and sociological identity literatures contrast personal and social identities, also termed collective identities (Brewer & Roccas, 2001; Hogg, 2003). Social identities, as defined by Tajfel (1981), involve the knowledge that one is a member of a group, one’s feelings about group membership, and knowledge of the group’s rank or status compared to other groups. Though this definition does not focus much on content of in group membership beyond knowledge, regard, and rank, other definitions have highlighted that social identities include content (Oyserman et. al., 2007; Oyserman, Kemmelmeier, Fryberg, Brosh, & Hart-Johnson, 2003). Just as there may be many self-concepts, identity theorists differ in how to conceptualize how many identities a person is likely to have. Much as James (1890/1927) described multiple selves, predicting that people have as many selves as they have interaction partners, identity and social identity theorists discuss multiple identities based in multiple situations. Identity theorists (Stryker, 1980; Stryker & Burke, 2000) focus on how cross-situational stability of identity content emerges. From this perspective, identities are distinct parts of the self-concept, the internalized meanings and expectations associated with the positions one holds in social networks and the roles one plays. In contrast, social identity theorists (Abrams, 1999; Onorato & Turner, 2002; Tajfel, 1981; Tajfel & Turner, 2004) focus on cross-situational malleability. In its strongest formulation, social identity theories predict that in each interaction, people take on a different identity (see Owens et al., 2010, for a review from a sociological perspective). In thinking about identity content and identity function, social identity researchers sometimes focus on connection to and similarities with others in group members (Brewer, 2001; Oyserman et al., 2003). Other times they focus on the distinction between the ingroup and outgroup (Brewer, 2001; Spears, Gordijn, Dijksterhuis, & Stapel, 2004; Stapel & Koomen, 2001). The groups (gender, nationality, race/ethnicity, religious heritage groups, or first-year psychology majors) on which identities are based are likely to differ in their longevity and how psychologically meaningful they feel across time and situations (Brewer, 1991; Oyserman, 2007, 2009a; Sedikides & Brewer, 2001). Social identity and identity theorists also study two other kinds of identities, role identities and personal identities. Role identities reflect membership in particular roles (e.g., student, parent, professional} that require another person to play a complementary role (Leary et. al., 2012). One cannot be a parent without children, a student without teachers, or a professional without clients or peers who recognize one’s role. Personal identities reflect traits or characteristics that may feel separate from one’s social and role identities or linked to some or all of these identities (Owens et al., 2010). Thus, personal identities refer to content quite isomorphic with what is typically referred to as self-concept in the psychological literature. An advantage in using the term identity rather than self-concept in this regard is that it reserves the term self-concept for broader perspectives, as we discussed previously-after all, being a shy person is likely to mean something different when considered as part of what makes one separate and different from others (individualistic self-concept} or as part of what makes one related and similar to others (collectivistic self-concept} (Leary et. al., 2012).
2.3 Mental concepts of self and identity
Self and identity theories converge in asserting that self and identity are mental constructs, that is, something represented in memory. This capacity develops early. When shown their faces in a mirror, many children age 18 months and nearly all children age 24 months touch their foreheads to remove a smudge unobtrusively produced by smearing some paint on their foreheads (Lewis & Brooks-Gunn, 1979). This response is interpreted to mean that children know what they look like and know a smudge should not be on their foreheads. This image-based self-recognition is not limited to the face; at this age toddlers also notice a sticker secretly placed on their legs (Nielsen, Suddendorf, & Slaughter, 2006). Thus, children seem to have stored a visual image of who they are in memory. This image is likely to be quite fine-grained. For example, people prefer the visual image of themselves they are used to seeing (mirror image) to a non mirror image (Mita et al., 1977). Other senses are also involved in mental representations of self in memory. Consider that infants begin to experience the self as physically distinct from context and as motorically acting in space (Bronson, 2000). This visceral sense of the self as a physical object having body parts and controlling action is not unique to early development (Botvinik et al., 1998; Lenggenhager et al., 2007). Traces of the self are believed to exist in one’s handwriting, signature, bodily posture, and physical stance (Leary et al., 2012). Thus, as early argued by James (1890/1927), at its core, the self is physical and material. The emerging field of social neuroscience has attempted to pinpoint where in the brain the self-resides, demonstrating different locations for self-relevant processing that is associative versus conscious and reflective (Lieberman, 2007). While specificity of activity in particular neural regions is not a necessary feature of the self, the prefrontal cortex has been associated with conscious processes, and the medial wall is hypothesized to support processes related to introspection-aspects of what the self is assumed to be and do. Thus, current research programs point to frontal lobe activity as involved in cognitive processes related to the self. Activation in the anterior cingulate cortex is associated with reflecting on whether a trait is self-relevant or not (Macrae et al., 2004) and with reflecting on one’s own performance (Bengtsson, Dolan, & Passingham, 2011). Medial prefrontal activity connected to self-representation tasks may be visual modality-specific, at least for sighted individuals (Leary et al., 2012).That is, among sighted individuals, medial prefrontal activation and enhanced functional connectivity between the medial prefrontal and visual cortices occurs during self-judgments (compared to other judgments) when trait words are shown rather than heard (Ma & Han, 2011). However, self-concept research typically focuses on semantic memory rather than localization in the brain. Children rapidly develop both language and cognitive capacities, and with these capacities come language-based autobiographical memories (Fivush & Hammond, 1990). Organizing their memories with social norms of what matters and how to make sense, children can begin to create a semantic rather than visceral sense of self-what one does, what one is supposed to do (Fivush & Hammond, 1990). Self-concept research has typically focused on children’s capacity to describe and rate themselves across multiple dimensions. For example, by second grade children can report on multiple dimensions of their self-concept (Marsh et. al., 1984). Teens are able to articulate that they act and feel differently about themselves in different roles and contexts (Harter et al., 1997; McConnell, 2011). The method used, rating scales, implies that the mental concept being studied is a set of ratings. Indeed, much self-concept research assumes that explicit self-report of the self as an attitude object is useful, implying that self-concept is stable, chronically accessible in memory, and accessed in the same way across situations. However, as discussed in the third section (Thinking is for Doing), each of these assumptions is open to question (Schwarz, 2007; Strack et. al., 2004).
2.4 Resultant forces resulting in self and identity
A common theme among self and identity theorists is that the self-matters for behavior. Yet demonstrating that how one thinks about oneself produces action rather than simply being associated with it has proven difficult. A clear way to demonstrate that the self does influence behavior is to manipulate whether and how people think about themselves, and to show that this influences their subsequent behavior. To make the self-salient, participants are asked to sit in front of a mirror (Carver & Scheier, 1978) or to do something else to bring the self to mind, such as signing their name (Leary et al., 2012) describing what makes them similar or different from others (Markel, 2009; Trafimow et al., 1991), or circling first-person singular pronouns (Gardner et. al., 1999; Sui & Han, 2007). Each of these paradigms shifts responses, but the specific nature of the consequences of making the self-salient for action depends on the interplay between which aspects of the self are brought to mind in the context and the task at hand (Oyserman, 2007). To examine these processes more closely, researchers often manipulate the salience of a particular aspect of the self. For example, in one study, participants were provided with rigged feedback to induce them to believe that they were generally competent or incompetent. This influenced their self-esteem, and their self-esteem influenced their subsequent prejudicial responses to others (Harmon-Jones et al., 1997). In another study, researchers reminded participants of their identity as psychology students, then, using an elaborate cover story, led them to believe that psychology students are neater (or less neat) than a comparison group (economics students). Students acted in ways that fit how their psychology student identity had been presented to them, coloring more neatly after reading stories about neatness ostensibly written by psychology students and more messily if these stories were attributed to economics students (Spears et al., 2004).
2.5 Stability of Self
Separate from people’s perceptions, it seems reasonable to ask whether the self is a stable mental construct. Most comprehensive social science theories of the self-articulate both stability and fluidity as aspects of the self. Thus, identity and social identity theories describe the self as including both a stable set of evaluative standards and a fluid, ever-changing description in the moment (Turner, 1956). In some formulations, both stability and changeability have been viewed as part of maintaining a stable and positive sense of self-esteem (Tesser, 1988; Tesser & Campbell, 1983) or a stable sense of self more generally (Swann, 1983; Leary et. al., 2012). Since maintaining a self-image requires doing “face work” to convince others of one’s self-presentation (Goffman, 1959), proponents of some sociological perspectives have argued for stability of the self over time as a result of stability of social interactions (Serpe, 1987; Stryker, 1980). There is some support for this interpretation. For example, Serpe (1987) found that college students did not vary in how they rated six college role identities (e.g., coursework, dating) over three data points in their first semester of college, presumably because the context (college) remained the same. One way to ask this question is whether a healthy or effective self is essentially stable and invariant across time and situations. Some psychologists have argued that this is the case, noting that the self protects itself from change (Greenwald, 1980; Markus & Kunda, 1986), changing only when the conditions of life require it (Gecas, 1982; Kihlstrom & Cantor, 1984; Rosenberg, 1979; Swann 1983, 1985). If this is the case, then there should be individual differences in self-stability, and these differences should be consequential. Indeed, Kernis and colleagues (Kernis, Cornell, Sun, Berry, & Harlow, 1993; Kernis, Paradise, Whitaker, Wheatman, & Goldman, 2000) present evidence that people differ in how stable their self-esteem is and that stability is associated with well-being. Feeling that the self is not stable is in fact one of the diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (Lieb et. al., 2004). To examine resistance to change, researchers can manipulate feedback experimentally or follow people over time or compare responses of people across age groups to make inferences about time. Experimental methods typically involve two steps. Researchers first obtain self-ratings, then provide unexpected feedback. The goal is to see whether people refuse to accept feedback that does not fit their self-image. Non experimental methods also involve more than one step. Either the researcher tracks the same participants over time or samples participants at different ages or points in their life course to make inferences about stability (Leary et al., 2012).
3 STUDY AREA AND METHOD
3.1 Study area
This research work is embarked in Nsutam community in the Eastern Region of Ghana which has a population of about 7000 (2021 population census). The Nsutam community has a lot of primary, Junior High Schools and one Secondary School within the community. The focus of this research work is within the secondary school in the community. Depicted in Fig. 1 is the map of the study area. There is no tertiary institution within the community so that students can further their education after completing senior high school. About 98% of children are involved in education ranging from primary to senior high school. Only a few who do not pass their basic education do not continue to senior high but resort to other ventures such as learning a trade, farming or doing business. Nsutam used to be a farming community together with petty trading but upon the discovery of gold in the community, it is now a gold mining community with several mining companies. Indigenous within the community are also involved in activities such as coconut business, farming and other businesses which is making the community lively and enriching the lives of indigenous and migrants. Some of the inhabitants who are unable to make it to senior high schools finds themselves in the illegal gold mining business within the community to enrich themselves.
Fig 1: Map of the Fanteakwa South depicting the study area
3.2 Methodology
The research methodology involved questionnaire sampling and answering to sort for respondent’s views and opinions. It also involves critical observations of student’s behavior and attitudes towards personal self-identification, destiny treasure hunting or searching for the self and the self-actualization level student’s wants to attain at the end of their chosen career path. Results obtained from questionnaire answering, field and student observations is incorporated into Excel, CorelDraw and SPSS for analysis. Below is a diagram portraying the method adopted for this research work at Nsutam SHS in Ghana.
Fig 2: Schematic diagram of methodology adopted.
4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
4.1 Self-Actualization dependent Factor
The story line for success and failure is very beautiful and so laborious to the extent that it’s never exhausted. Everybody wants to be successful in life and this does not come very easily. One has to fight, toil and break bounds in other to see success in life. There is therefore a cost factor associated with success which every individual has to pay before experiencing greatness or success. There is short cut to success which others are exploring and using but when the fundamentals and foundations are very weak, you will be exposed when asked to defend the success. Self – actualization is the process of becoming everything you are capable of becoming. It is also the realization or fulfillment of one’s talents and potentials, especially considered as a drive or need present in everyone. There is a dependent factor upon which self – actualization depends on in order to materialize. The factors are self-identity, desire and drive. For one to realize his or her dreams, reach the full potential, there is the need to identify the self in you. You need to know who you are and why your existences on planet earth. Doing this gives one a reason to live for on the earth. Identifying oneself gives you a reason to live and a willingness to die for something you deeply desire to get. Desire therefore comes in as the second dependent factor. The desire becomes a burning sensation within you to the extent that, something to be achieved in 40 years, you want to get it in one year. The desire becomes so tense that one want to break all bounds or barriers to hit that target. Desire can be disastrous if not managed and well controlled. Everything deals with time and so is that potential you want to reach. It might take several years to reach that target of becoming a doctor, business man, pilot or engineer hence the need to control the desire in order to reach that height successfully and amicably. There is therefore the need for a channel or flight to take you to that point and that is drive. Drive puts you under pressure and a hunt by the dream to go steadily until you reach that height. Drive keeps you motivated, always learning and preparing, nurturing of the talent, focused, anticipating for the success story in order to have a constant acceleration throughout the journey to reach the potential. These three dependent factors needs to work together in order to see self-actualization in one’s life.
|
|
|
Table 1 :Self_Actualization_Dependent_Factor
|
|
N
|
Valid
|
96
|
|
Missing
|
4
|
|
Mean
|
3.25
|
|
Median
|
3.00
|
|
Mode
|
4
|
|
Std. Deviation
|
.768
|
|
Skewness
|
-.748
|
|
Std. Error of Skewness
|
.246
|
|
Kurtosis
|
.005
|
|
Std. Error of Kurtosis
|
.488
|
|
Range
|
3
|
|
Maximum
|
4
|
|
Percentiles
|
25
|
3.00
|
|
50
|
3.00
|
|
75
|
4.00
|
From Table 1, it can be clearly seen that after sampling 96 correspondents, the mean, median and mode are 3.25, 3.00 and 4. The standard deviation and Skewness are 0.768 and -0.748. The range is 3 and the Kurtosis is 0.05.
Depicted in Table 2 is the self-actualization dependent factor determination from 96 correspondence from the study area. 96 students in senior high school two and three was sampled to find out their views and opinions as to whether self-actualization depends on self-discipline and personal choices in life. 2 correspondents stated poor as it does not depends on self-discipline and personal choices in life. 13 students stated satisfactory thinking in a way, self-discipline and personal choices in life contributes to self-actualization. Very good and excellent was 40 and 41 representing 40% and 41% respectively as depicted in Fig. 3. They believe to make it in life and reach the highest points and destination highly depends on once self-discipline and personal choices in life. One needs to make a decision and take up his or her own cross in life and fight destiny destroyers in other to reach his/her destination.
Every individual or being is trying hard to find who he/she is in life. For instance, visit the New Nsutam Senior high school on a Saturday and observe what students are doing. You will observe that each student is involved in one activity or the other. Some will be washing their things, some at the dining hall having a meal, some on the school compound working, some on the football field playing football, some at the volley ball court, some in the classroom studying. Why for all these various activities. It’s simply because everyone is trying to make his or her dream a reality. As they do this, they are channeling the strengths and ability into the dream they believe in it’s towards realization.
|
Table 2: Self_Actualization_Dependent_Factor
|
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
Valid Percent
|
Cumulative Percent
|
|
Valid
|
Poor
|
2
|
2.0
|
2.1
|
2.1
|
|
Satisfactory
|
13
|
13.0
|
13.5
|
15.6
|
|
Very Good
|
40
|
40.0
|
41.7
|
57.3
|
|
Excellent
|
41
|
41.0
|
42.7
|
100.0
|
|
Total
|
96
|
96.0
|
100.0
|
|
|
Missing
|
System
|
4
|
4.0
|
|
|
|
Total
|
100
|
100.0
|
|
|
Fig. 3: Self-Actualization dependent factor in life
4.2 The need for a career path
Every career needs a path and that path lead to the end of the career. One can attest to the fact that people move from work to work, institution to institution, department to department all in the name of career. Career is just like education from one level to another level in order to attain a certificate at the end of the education period. The end product of career path is self – actualization and realization of dreams. In order to reach one’s full potential and achieve great dreams, there is a path to be taken. And this path is a career path. Schools in Ghana celebrate career day where children are given opportunity to dress and act like the men and women in their dream jobs and careers and realizing their full potentials. During such occasions, children dress like doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, engineers, farmers, lecturers, businessmen and women etc. They are given roles and platforms to exhibit what their role models within their career paths are doing. This gives them an idea of what they can become in the future. All they need is following the path of their chosen careers to reach that career destination. If that career is education bound, all they need to do is do all the hard core learning and attain all the certificates and end within the career. The end is always beautiful and joyous but comes at a cost as there is financial forces (burden) and forces of nature against great dreams one needs to fight and overcome. The career becomes established when the soul has been able to break all barriers and overcome all forces associated with that career path.
Showing in Table 3 and Fig. 4 is the choice of program and career path table and chart. Students were asked whether their choice of program is in the direction of the chosen career path in life? 92 students representing 92% stated yes which gave a clear indication that such students knows what they want in life. And that, they are following their dreams in life. All they need is nurturing and tendering by teachers to help them build and develop their mind set to grow in that direction. Such students’ needs to be taken through the course structure and program to build the basis of learning and obtain a strong foundation to build on when they reach tertiary institutions. 4 respondents representing 4% stated no which means these students don’t know why they are in that class. Some parents force their children to offer some programs which they don’t want and it’s likely they fall in such category. Such kids needs education on the program, its advantages and importance and the need to offer the program. There is a counselling unit in the schools which does some of these things in the school but needs vigorous work as some students are very stubborn and don’t heed to advice. The free senior high school program is not given students much opportunity to change programs and courses as it used to be. So, some students are placed into programs based on grades obtained in Junior High School and not on ability and choices in life. Such a thing needs to be looked at seriously at the senior high school level.
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Table 3: Choice_of_Program_And_Career_Path
|
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
Valid Percent
|
Cumulative Percent
|
|
Valid
|
Yes
|
92
|
92.0
|
95.8
|
95.8
|
|
No
|
4
|
4.0
|
4.2
|
100.0
|
|
Total
|
96
|
96.0
|
100.0
|
|
|
Missing
|
System
|
4
|
4.0
|
|
|
|
Total
|
100
|
100.0
|
|
|
Fig. 4: Choice of program and career path
4.3 Roles of Senior High Schools in destiny determination
Schooling has shaped human lives into great destinies who are leading and molding the world for now and future generations. Great leaders of the world are people who believed and saw the essence of education in shaping the dreams of individuals and countries. Ghana as a country is no exception and has the education system comprising of primary, junior high schools, secondary schools and tertiary institutions to educate its citizens for the development of the country and beyond. There is therefore a three year secondary school education for every citizens or child who enters after completing Junior High School. The secondary school system in Ghana has several programs into which students are admitted to persue each year. The programs includes science, business, general arts, visual arts, home economics, technical etc. Students are admitted into these programs based on one’s Junior High School results, interests and ability to persue the program. These is where shaping of students and individuals into career paths begins. Students are given the opportunity to choose a course which will channel them into the career they have chosen or the dream they wants to achieve in life. Success for the continuation of the career path chosen depends on results and certificates obtained after the end of the three year program. Research findings and investigations have proven that, some discontinue the career path after release of results and choses new career path. Others who are able to do well in the final exams continue the career path by entering the universities and other tertiary institutions. Findings shows that results from Secondary School education in Ghana is a determining factor in the lives and careers of most teenagers in Ghana.
|
Table 4: Role_of_School_in_Destiny_Determination
|
|
|
Frequency
|
Percent
|
Valid Percent
|
Cumulative Percent
|
|
Valid
|
Yes
|
87
|
87.0
|
90.6
|
90.6
|
|
No
|
9
|
9.0
|
9.4
|
100.0
|
|
Total
|
96
|
96.0
|
100.0
|
|
|
Missing
|
System
|
4
|
4.0
|
|
|
|
Total
|
100
|
100.0
|
|
|
The questionnaire sampled views and opinions on whether school plays a role in terms of destiny determination and treasures in life hunting. 87 respondents representing 87% said yes it does play a role and the reason for being in school. They are in school to seek for book knowledge to shape and mould their life in the direction of academicians and technocrats. To build on the basis obtained from Junior High school to make it to the tertiary and major in a field for a brighter future. 9 respondents stated no, in that school does not play a role in determining once destiny in life. Such students believe in learning a trade or doing business in life and making it to the top in life. Such students don’t take learning serious in school and most at times forms part of the bad nuts in senior high schools in life.
Fig. 5: Role of School in destiny determination
4.4 Self-examination and assessment
Treasure hunting and wealth creation is the ultimate target of every individual. Everyone wants to be rich but depends on one’s readiness and preparedness to achieve success. Everybody and the way he/she perceive success and greatness in life. Therefore each person and how near or far one can see and reach. In order to achieve success and greatness in life, one needs to examine self carefully and deeply. One need to know who he/she is, want he wants to achieve in life and how to reach that target. I may be knowledgeable and intelligent but no drive to get me to the target. Self-examination therefore becomes very important in order to know weaknesses and strengths in one’s life. Each person and the way he/she perceive things hence different views and opinions of people about you. You and you only know yourself more than anyone else. It is very important to examine yourself and accept the outcome of who you are and your abilities. Know that even though the sky is the limit, there is an elastic limit beyond which you will break down. Good examination of oneself lets you know what you can do and what you can’t. This establishes areas you need to focus and sharpen in order to reach targets and goals. Never accept the limit people justifies to be reachable by you. Although you have limit, you are limitless as you can go beyond the elastic limit but just be careful it does not results in distortion or breaks down. If you accept people’s examination or perception about you, it is impossible not to go far in life. Accept good perception from people and work on bad comments in order to achieve goals and reach targets. In examining oneself, never look at only the good sides. Weigh both the positives and negatives sides of self in one life and write them down logically. If possible you can give it to someone to look and comment as to whether the views and opinions can be seen in your life. Take the positives and improve on them while working on the negative sides of self in order to get a better self of you. Self-assessment and examination should not be overlooked on but worked on as it’s the only way to work on shortfalls and improve on positive sides of the self. Never be too harsh on yourself when there are negative sides as man is not hundred percent in attitude and actions. There is always a shortfall somewhere which require work and improvement to achieve better results. Some live life like a stone falling from a height under gravity. No analysis, no cross examination or assessment to see whether there is improvement or failings. People’s attitudes, actions and motives changes when there is assessment and corrections. This is required of each self and individual for success stories in the future. Never live on planet earth to regret but to tell a success story to now and future generations hence the need for behavioral assessment and corrections to reach targets and goals. Students in second cycle institutions needs to assess their attitudes, behaviour and actions towards their education in order to improve the positive self and work on the negative self. In secondary schools, some students tune their actions and behaviors to the frequency of others hence behaving like others when their lives are there to be lived by themselves. Research findings from the study area indicated that current education system in the second cycle institutions in Ghana have lost its value as students don’t even see the essence of learning during examinations period. This is a clear indication of unidentified self as students have not made time to know who they are, what they want in life and the essence of education hence the need to learn. There is the need for work to be done both in Ghana and in other countries who wants advancement and technological growth in education to help students identify the self, pick a dream, nature it and fight all forces against dreams towards fulfillment. In life, some are inclined in intelligence while others are not hence leaders and followers. Such leaders with defined dreams and career paths needs to carry others along and nurture them in the directions they want to go. But such leaders needs to be careful too as they tutor and nurture others along because some of these followers are dream stealers and destroyers.
4.5 Educational system comparable to gold mines
A gold mine is a rich, plentiful source of wealth or some other desirable thing. The gold mining operation stage represents the productive life of a gold mine during which ore is extracted and processed into gold. Processing gold involves transformation of rock and ore into a metallic alloy of substantial purity – known as dore which typically contains between 60 % – 90% purity in gold. Gold is mined by four different methods; placer mining, hard rock mining, byproduct mining and by processing gold ore. Each of these categories has its own unique methods of extracting the gold from the surrounding materials. In some methods, after the initial gold mining stage, the ore is sent to the refinery. It goes through various stages to turn if from a dore bar into gold bars. It’s then sold to different industries once it reaches the highest level of purity (24-carat). This is the highest carat level for gold meaning it is 100% pure gold. The education system in every country is the same and in a way just like a gold mine as discussed above. It is a mine full of wealth and potentials embedded in books and learning waiting for exploration, discovery, mining, processing and refinement into gold products. This is where an individual is trained from kindergarten (childhood) to a higher education level such as first degree, second degree or third degree level and even higher (adulthood). The final gold products are seen as well-established professionals and individuals who have been through torture, agony, hardwork, pains, troubles, anguish, suffering and torment both physically and spiritually during the training throughout the education system. This is just like gold processing passing through fire to generate the final gold product. The final gold product in terms of the refined product is seen as established professionals like good lawyers, teachers, engineers, doctors, presidents, bankers, artists, footballers, agriculturists, business men and women, software engineers and so on. Such people creates works, generate products, become world leaders, become wealthy men and generates wealth that is used to build country, nation and the world. They become movers and shakers of the world when it comes to world controllers, impacts generations and leave trademarks as history makers in life. They become foundation starters and builders for future generations to build on. This is what real gold bars also does where it is mined, refined and sold for billions of pounds sterling’s to generate wealth, build countries and make the world a better place for now and future generations. In both gold mining process, one expert the real gold process or human gold generation and production process to go through fire for refinement and purity attainment. The fire passing process in the case of human gold production is where there is torture, agony, hardwork, pains, troubles, anguish, suffering, poverty, lack of money to boost the objective and torment both physically and spiritually. One therefore ought to fight these as issues in life both physically and spiritually with hardwork and learning through the education system. And upon the attainment of certain level in the education ladder, is seen as a refined professional just like real gold to serve mankind, impact the world and make it better for now and future generations. It is hence justifiable to say that real gold production with high percentage purity is both in terms of real gold production and human gold production. This well-defined obtained gold serve the world, impact generations and finally create a future upon which generations can build upon.
5 Conclusion
The gift of life or a child to parents is a gift from the creator which requires care, protection and guidance in order for that child to reach his/her full potential in life. The child requires education from primary, through junior high, senior high and tertiary to specialize in a field and practice it as a professional career. This solely depends on good life choice, self-assessment and career path on the part of the child and little guidance and support both physically and spiritually to realize that dreams. This has been the trend in the Ghana education system and similar in other countries education system. Students therefore find themselves in Senior High schools doing all kinds of programs after chosen careers paths. Students therefore choses programs such as Science, Arts, Technical, Business and Home Economics and goes through a three your program to obtain certificates. It then boils down to students to be self-discipline, be motivated and encouraged to learn hard in order to pass and advance to the next level on the academic ladder. Research findings established that self-actualization depends on personal discipline and personal choices in life. 13 students stated satisfactory thinking in a way, self-discipline and personal choices in life contributes to self-actualization. Very good and excellent was 40 and 41 representing 40% and 41% respectively. This tells one that students willing to reach great heights must be discipline personally and make right choices as they climb the academic ladder. Research again establishes that senior high schools plays a role in terms of destiny determination and treasures hunting in life. 87 correspondents representing 87% said yes it does play a role and the reason for being in school to learn and learn hard. It is established that parents will continue to ask their children to continue educating themselves in senior high schools but it’s the sole responsibility of these students to have well defined goals and objectives and fight the storms of life in actualizing their dreams and aspirations. Research findings indicates that any student can have a dream in life but requires serious work in accomplishing that dream. The storms of life will fight that dream and it’s the sole responsibility of the student or each individual to fight and defend that chosen dream. Students therefore need to be serious and discipline and know that it’s not only end of semester or terms exams that they will be writing. They will write destiny fighters examinations and its required of them to pass such examinations also to advance. Any precious life like an egg needs great care, protection and nurturing to take it’s to its final destination. Once it accidentally falls, that ends everything or that life. It can be concluded that, destiny treasure hunting by senior high school student can be likened to searching for gold. By the time a refined pure gold is obtained, serious work including hardwork, troubles, pains, agony, sweat and lost of money has been involved to obtain the treasure. So is destiny hunting and search for one’s identity and well-being towards self – actualization and professional attainment in life. This can only be achieved through education system just as can be seen in senior high schools in Ghana. It is therefore imperative to say that educating oneself from kindergartene to higher education level is just like gold mining where refined gold professionals like lawyers, judges, bankers, engineers, teachers, footballers etc are obtained to serve country, mankind and generations.
Acknowledgement
We are very grateful to the almighty God for the wisdom and guidance towards this research work. Thanks to the students of New Nsutam Senior High Technical School for playing their part in getting this research work done in their school. Thanks to anyone who made this research work a success. God bless you all.
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