Students’ Perceptions toward Health Science Career Choice: A Case from Cambodia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47941/jep.1576Keywords:
Cambodia, Students’ Perception, Health Science Career Choice, Factors Influencing, UndergraduateAbstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the students’ perception of choosing a health science major as a career choice for their higher education degree, to understand why and what motivates them, and to contextualize how these views would have an impact on their studies.
Methodology: This study was a mixed-methods study consisting of quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were collected using an anonymous Google-form questionnaire, and FGD was used to collect qualitative data. Quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically.
Findings: The findings categorized the students' choice of a health science major based on their personal life experiences, role modules, family support, engagement, high school performance, and career viewpoints. Thus, results indicated that students’ enrollment in a health science major as a career choice was due to their interests in future career perspectives, academic performance, and life experience, with the support and encouragement of their families.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: In conclusion, several factors motivate students to consider a health science major for future improvement and to maintain the quality of healthcare experts in Cambodia. Those factors, including life experience, role modules, career interest, academic performance, family direction, and accessibility of health science information, significantly impact students' decisions to pursue a HE degree. This study's findings are essential information that will help prepare students for health science majors and inform parents, health science universities, and governance to plan for providing support and inspiration to students since high school for this major of study.
Downloads
References
Al-Faris, E., Kalantan, K., Al-Rowais, N., Al-Nour, M. A. B., Al-Umran, K., Kabraah, M. T., Badwi, I., & Jarallah, J. S. (1997). Career choices among Saudi medical students. Academic Medicine, 72(1), 65-67. https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Abstract/1997/01000/Career_choices_among_ Saudi_medical_students.19.aspx
Al-Omar, B. A. (2004). Knowledge, attitudes and intention of high school students towards the nursing profession in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Medical Journal, 25(2), 150-155. https://europepmc.org/article/med/14968208
Atitsogbe, K. A., Moumoula, I. A., Rochat, S., Antonietti, J. P., & Rossier, J. (2018). Vocational interests and career indecision in Switzerland and Burkina Faso: Cross-cultural similarities and differences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 107, 126-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2018.04.002
Calkins, L. N., & Welki, A. (2006). Factors that influence choice of major: Why some students never consider economics. International Journal of Social Economics, 33(8), 547-564. https://doi.org/10.1108/03068290610678707
Chea, P., Teak, M., & Nok, S. (2022). Are students financially incentivised to enroll in Cambodian higher education? In P. Eam, P. Leng, S. Khieng, & S. Song (Eds.), Cambodian post-secondary education and training in the global knowledge societies (pp. 274-293). Cambodia Development Resource Institute. https://cdri.org.kh/storage/pdf/Cambodian%20PSET%20in%20the%20Global%20Know ledge%20Societies_1648631240.pdf
Chet, C. (2009). Higher education in Cambodia. In Y. Hirosato, & Y. Kitamura (Eds.), The political economy of educational reforms and capacity development in Southeast Asia: Cases of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (pp. 153-165). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9377-7_10
Crossley, M. L., & Mubarik, A. (2002). A comparative investigation of dental and medical student's motivation towards career choice. British Dental Journal, 193(8), 471-473. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4801599
Dahles, H. (2017). The politics of higher education in Cambodia. International Institute for Asian Studies. https://www.iias.asia/sites/iias/files/nwl_article/2019-05/IIAS _NL 78_36.pdf
Downey, J. P., Mcgaughey, R., & Roach, D. (2011). Attitudes and influences toward choosing a business major: The case of information systems. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 10, 231-251. https://www.jite.org/documents/Vol10/JITEv10p231-251Downey984.pdf
Gameraddin, M., Al-Sultan, K., Salih, S., Gareeballah, A., Hasaneen, M., Alomaim, W., & Omer, A. (2022). Factors influencing undergraduate students’ preference of health sciences specialties. Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 13, 1351–1358. https://doi.org/10.2147/AMEP.S377344
Gietzelt, D. (1997). Social profile of first‐year dentistry students at the University of Sydney. Australian Dental Journal, 42(4), 259-266. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1834-7819.1997.tb00131.x
Goldblatt, H., Karnieli-Miller, O., & Neumann, M. (2011). Sharing qualitative research findings with participants: Study experiences of methodological and ethical dilemmas. Patient Education and Counseling, 82(3), 389-395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2010.12.016
Harackiewicz, J. M., Smith, J. L., & Priniski, S. J. (2016). Interest matters: The importance of promoting interest in education. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(2), 220-227. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732216655542
JICA. (2016). Data collection survey on human resource development for industrialization in the education sector in the Kingdom of Cambodia (Report No. HM-JR-16-042). https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/12092227.pdf
Kao, S., & Shimizu, K. (2020). Factors affecting Cambodian upper secondary school students’ choice of science track. International Journal of Sociology of Education, 9(3), 262-292. http://doi.org/10.17583/rise.2020.4823
Mehmood, S. I., Kumar, A., Al-Binali, A., & Borleffs, J. C. (2012). Specialty preferences: trends and perceptions among Saudi undergraduate medical students. Medical Teacher, 34(sup1), S51-S60. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2012.656753
MoEYS. (2021). Education congress: The education, youth and sport performance in the academic year 2019-2020 and golds for the academic year 2020-2021. http://www.moeys.gov.kh/index.php/en/education-congress2020/4216.html#.YYNgb55ByUk
Nemri, I. A., Agabawi, A. K., Akel, M. S., Noorelahi, A. M., Eldeek, B. S., Alghamdi, S. S., Alghamdi, N. A., & Ayuob, N. N. (2017). Factors affecting the specialty choice of medical students at king Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2(4), 570–574. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20151049
Nyamwange, J. (2016). Influence of student's interest on career choice among first year university students in public and private universities in Kisii county, Kenya. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(4), 96-102. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1092415.pdf
Sorn, V., & Suon, M. (2022). Motivating Cambodian high school students to pursue higher education in science and health science majors: Issues and suggestions. Cambodian Journal of Educational Research, 2(1), 157–166.
Spearman, J. J. A., Rahim, M. M. A., Ghanayem, S. W., & Ljepava, N. (2016, May 30-31). Factors influencing student enrollment and choice of university [Paper presentation]. 35th International Business Research Conference, American University in the Emirates, Dubai.
Un, L., Chuon, R., & Ngin, C. (2013). The roles of TVET and higher education in economic development in Cambodia. Cambodia Development Resource Institute. https://cdri.org.kh/storage/pdf/Special%20Report%2013e_The%20Role%20of%20TVET%20and%20Higher%20Education%20in%20Economic_1620205539.pdf
Wenham, C., Wouters, O., Jones, C., Juma, P. A., Mijumbi-Deve, R. M., Sobngwi-Tambekou, J. L., & Parkhurst, J. (2021). Measuring health science research and development in Africa: mapping the available data. Health Research Policy and Systems, 19(1), 142-155. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-021-00778-y
WHO. (2015). The Kingdom of Cambodia health system review. WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/208213
World Bank. (2012). Putting higher education to work: Skills and research growth in East Asia. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-0-8213-8490-9
Wüst, K., & Leko Šimić, M. (2017). Students’ career preferences: intercultural study of Croatian and German students. Economics & Sociology, 10(3), 136-152. https://doi:10.14254/2071-789X.2017/10-3/10
Zhang, W. (2007). Why IS: Understanding undergraduate students' intentions to choose an Information Systems major. Journal of Information Systems Education, 18(4), 447-458. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/166738/
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Virak Sorn
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
