Journal of Education and Human Development

Predictors of Career Intentions among Undergraduate Students in Tanzania
Jaqueline Amani, Kitila A. Mkumbo

Abstract
There are few studies on career choice intentions in the sub-Saharan African region. Framed within the principles of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), this study attempted to address this gap in knowledge by examining the determinants of career intentions among undergraduate students in Tanzania. Data were collected from a survey involving a random sample of 1043 students (636 males and 407 females) drawn from four universities in Tanzania. Congruent with previous research, the results from multiple regression analysis revealed that attitude was the strongest predictor of career intentions (ß =.47, p <.05), followed by subjective norms (ß =.38, p =<.05), career knowledge (ß =.26, p <.05) and career self-efficacy (ß =.21, p =<.05). On the basis of the results of the study, we conclude that positive perceptions about a career lead to stronger behavioural intentions and persistence in performance than negative ones. Overall, the findings of this study provide a basis for understanding the influences of university students’ intentions to join the prospective careers in the Tanzanian context. The findings also provide some useful insights to universities on how they should restructure their programme to meet the needs and aspirations of their future students.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jehd.v5n3a12