Shaping futures: A qualitative exploration of the factors influencing career aspiration among out-of-school youth
Renz A. De Mesa, Allyson Jazzle A. Jacob, Janella S. Basas & Alexander V. Kasilag
Abstract
The majority of young Filipinos are facing different obstacles in achieving their educational and career aspirations. The issue of out-of-school youth (OSY) is a growing concern in the Philippines, where access to quality education and economic opportunities remains unequal. This paper explores the factors affecting the career aspirations of out-of-school youth and their implications for future career trajectories. Using a qualitative research design, the study examines the experiences and perspectives of out-of-school youth aged 15 to 24. Data were collected through in-depth personal interviews, guided by a validated interview framework. Thematic analysis of transcriptions identified key influences, including family, peers, personal interests, and financial constraints. Family emerged as the most significant factor, followed by the impact of peers and economic challenges. These findings emphasize the interplay of social and economic dynamics in shaping career aspirations, underscoring the need for targeted support. Recommended interventions include educational assistance, voluntary teaching programs, free skills training, and organizational partnerships to facilitate career advancement. Limitations of the study include its qualitative scope and focus on a specific demographic, which may restrict generalizability. Future research should incorporate mixed methods and broader populations to deepen understanding and validate the results. The study highlights the necessity of culturally relevant and comprehensive strategies to empower out-of-school youth in pursuing meaningful and sustainable careers.
Keywords
qualitative, factors, influence, career aspirations, out-of-school youth
Author information & Contribution
Renz A. De Mesa. Corresponding author. Humanities and Social Sciences student. Sta. Catalina National High School Candelaria, Quezon, Philippines. Student. Email: renzabante143@gmail.com
Allyson Jazzle A. Jacob. Humanities and Social Sciences student. Sta. Catalina National High School-Senior High School Department Candelaria Quezon—Philippines.
Janella S. Basas. Humanities and Social Sciences student. Sta. Catalina National High School-Senior High School Department Candelaria Quezon—Philippines.
Alexander V. Kasilag. Secondary School Teacher at Sta Catalina National High School- Senior High School Department Candelaria Quezon, Division of Quezon—Philippines. Research Advisor.
"All authors equally contributed to the conception, design, preparation, data gathering and analysis, and writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript."
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Funding
This work is funded by Sta Catalina National High School—thru Academic Inquisitive Minds Society.
Declaration
AI tools were not used in writing this paper.
Notes
*This paper is a finalist in the 4th International Research Competition (IRC)-2024
Acknowledgement
The successful completion of this research would not have been possible without the cooperation and support of various groups and organizations. Their invaluable contributions are deeply appreciated and gratefully acknowledged. The researchers sincerely thank the Barangay Chairman of Barangay Malabanban Sur, Candelaria, Quezon, Philippines, for permitting the study within his jurisdiction. Special thanks are also given to the out-of-school youth who participated in the data collection process; their involvement was essential to this research. The researchers are equally grateful to the Academic Inquisitive Minds Society (AIMS), the Supreme Student Learners Government (SSLG), and the teachers of Sta. Catalina National High School for their financial support and encouragement. Lastly, the researchers express profound appreciation to God for His constant guidance, strength, and wisdom throughout this research endeavor. The Researchers extend their heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all.
References
Abe, Y. (2005). Creating municipal policy through children’s participation: A case study of Tsurugashima-City education principles. Annual Bulletin of Japan Academic Society for Educational Policy, 12, 147–156. https://doi.org/10.19017/jasep.12.0_147
Akosah-Twumasi, P., Emeto, T. I., Lindsay, D., Tsey, K., & Malau-Aduli, B. S. (2018). A systematic review of factors that influence youths’ career choices—the role of culture. Frontiers in Education, 3, Article 58. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2018.00058
Broschinski, S., Feldhaus, M., Assmann, M., & Heidenreich, M. (2022). The role of family social capital in school-to-work transitions of young adults in Germany. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 139, 103790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2022.103790
Carpenter, P., & Foster, B. (1977). The career decisions of student teachers. Educational Research and Perspectives, 4, 23–33.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
David, C. C., & Albert, J. R. G. (2015). Recent trends in out-of-school children in the Philippines (PIDS Discussion Paper Series No. 2015-51). Philippine Institute for Development Studies. https://www.pids.gov.ph/publication/discussion-papers/recent-trends-in-out-of-school-children-in-the-philippines
Deakin University Library. (n.d.). LibGuides: Qualitative study design: Sampling. https://deakin.libguides.com/qualitative-study-designs/sampling
Department of Education. (2022, May 5). DepEd reports 4-million enrollment in ALS from 2016–2021. https://www.deped.gov.ph/2022/05/05/deped-reports-4-million-enrollment-in-als-from-2016-2021/
Gairal-Casadó, R., Garcia-Yeste, C., Novo-Molinero, M. T., & Salvadó-Belarta, Z. (2019). Out of school learning scientific workshops: Stimulating institutionalized adolescents’ educational aspirations. Children and Youth Services Review, 103, 116–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.05.037
Hashimov, E. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook and The coding manual for qualitative researchers [Review of the books Qualitative data analysis, by M. B. Miles, A. M. Huberman, & J. Saldaña, and The coding manual for qualitative researchers, by J. Saldaña]. Technical Communication Quarterly, 24(1), 109–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/10572252.2015.975966
Inoue, K., Di Gropello, E., Taylor, Y. S., & Gresham, J. (2015). Out-of-school youth in Sub-Saharan Africa: A policy perspective. World Bank Publications. https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=GDR2BwAAQBAJ
Kobia-Acquah, E., Owusu, E., Akuffo, K. O., Koomson, N. Y., & Pascal, T. M. (2020). Career aspirations and factors influencing career choices of optometry students in Ghana. PLOS ONE, 15(5), e0233862. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233862
Laroco, E. C. (2022). Impact of socio-economic status on educational and career aspirations. Randwick International of Education and Linguistics Science (RIELS) Journal, 3(3), 432–439. https://doi.org/10.47175/rielsj.v3i3.531
Lent, R. W., & Brown, S. D. (2019). Social cognitive career theory at 25: Empirical status of the interest, choice, and performance models. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 115, 103316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.06.004
Marris, P., & Rein, M. (2018). Dilemmas of social reform. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203793282
Mihai, M., Ţiţan, E., & Manea, D. (2015). Education and poverty. Procedia Economics and Finance, 32, 855–860. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(15)01532-4
Pascual, N. T. (2017). Factors affecting high school students’ career preference: Basis for career planning program. International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research (IJSBAR), 33(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.21742/ijsbar.2017.33.1.01
Pesado, H. L. G., Pulga, R. G., Rosales, J. D. B., Visto, C. A., & Salazar, S. N. Y. (2024). Correlational study on socioeconomic status and academic performance of senior high school students in a laboratory school. Research Journal of Educational Sciences, 12(2), 15–25. https://www.isca.me/EDU_SCI/Archive/v12/i2/2.ISCA-RJEduS-2023-002.php
Philippine Statistics Authority. (2018, June 6). Nine percent of Filipinos aged 6 to 24 years are out of school (Results from the 2017 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey). https://psa.gov.ph/content/nine-percent-filipinos-aged-6-24-years-are-out-school-results-2017-annual-poverty
Quick, V., Delaney, C., Eck, K., & Byrd-Bredbenner, C. (2021). Family social capital: Links to weight-related and parenting behaviors of mothers with young children. Nutrients, 13(5), 1428. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13051428
Rodríguez-Hernández, C. F., Cascallar, E., & Kyndt, E. (2020). Socio-economic status and academic performance in higher education: A systematic review. Educational Research Review, 29, 100305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2019.100305
Rossier, J., Ginevra, M. C., Bollmann, G., & Nota, L. (2017). The importance of career adaptability, career resilience, and employability in designing a successful life. In K. Maree (Ed.), Psychology of career adaptability, employability and resilience (pp. 65–82). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66954-0_5
Rüschoff, B., Glauser, D., Becker, R., & Imdorf, C. (2021). The effects of peers’ career goal appraisals on school-to-work transition outcomes. Journal of Career Development, 49(1), 89–201. https://doi.org/10.1177/08948453211020132
U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.). The characteristics of career paths among out-of-school youth from the Center for Employment Training Replication Project sites. https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/publications/CET%20Working%20Paper%20-%20Characteristics%20of%20Career%20Paths%20Among%20Out-of-School%20Youth.pdf
U.S. Embassy in the Philippines. (2022, February 16). USAID study shows upskilling out-of-school youth will help PH economy thrive amid COVID-19 crisis. https://ph.usembassy.gov/usaid-study-shows-upskilling-out-of-school-youth-will-help-ph-economy-thrive-amid-covid-19-crisis/
University Transcription Services. (2021, December 17). Jefferson transcription system: A guide to the symbols. https://universitytranscriptions.co.uk/jefferson-transcription-system-a-guide-to-the-symbols/
USAID. (2023, June). The Philippines out of school youth ecosystem 2022. USAID – From the American People. https://opportunity.org.ph/resource/the-philippines-out-of-school-youth-ecosystem-2022/
Vocabulary.com. (n.d.). Peer. https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/peer
Xing, X., & Rojewski, J. W. (2018). Family influences on career decision-making self-efficacy of Chinese secondary vocational students. New Waves Educational Research & Development, 21(1), 48–67. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1211290.pdf
Zhou, A., Liu, J., Xu, C., & Jobe, M. C. (2024). Effect of social support on career decision-making difficulties: The chain mediating roles of psychological capital and career decision-making self-efficacy. Behavioral Sciences, 14(4), 318. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14040318
Cite this article:
De Mesa, R.A., Jacob, A.J.A. & Basas, J.S. (2025). Shaping futures: A qualitative exploration of the factors influencing career aspiration among out-of-school youth. The Research Probe, 5(1), 52-66. https://doi.org/10.53378/trp.175
License:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) International License.
Find this article in:
Most read articles in this journal
- Senior High School Strand Alignment and Its Implication to The Tertiary Programs: A Basis for Bridging Program
- Difficulties in the writing skills of Grade 11 HUMSS students
- Identifying gender stereotypes of high school LGBTQ students
- Lived experiences of senior high school focal persons in the implementation of work immersion program
- Humor as a Teaching and Learning Strategy in a Language Classroom
- Digital Marketing Strategies Used by Competing Coffee Shops in Candelaria, Quezon: Perspective of Employees
- Meme-ingful visual: Exploring the pragmatic implications of memes in political polarization through semiotic analysis
- Awareness and attitudes toward artificial intelligence–based learning among higher education students
- Coping with stigma: Factors and experiences influencing millennial individuals’ decision to remain child-free
- Shaping futures: A qualitative exploration of the factors influencing career aspiration among out-of-school youth