Journal of Research Vol. XXI No. 2 (2012) pp. 20-29
Published by the Isabela State University
Cabagan, Isabela
ISSN-0116-7413
PERFORMANCE OF ISU GRADUATES IN THE LICENSURE
EXAMINATION FOR AGRICULTURISTS
Samuel R. Simon1 and Janet B. Quilang2
1
Associate Professor III and 2Professor VI Provincial Technical Institute of Agriculture,
Isabela State University, Cabagan, Isabela
ABSTRACT
As basis for recommendation for the
improvement of the University’s
agriculture programs and the
graduates’ performance in the
Licensure
Examination
for
Agriculturists (LEA), this study
determined the performance of the
Isabela State University (ISU)
graduates in the LEA given by the
Professional Regulation Commission
(PRC). This study primarily used the
descriptive method of research and
the respondents were the LEA
examinees from 2003-2011 from the
seven
(7)
Echague,
Cabagan,
Cauayan, San Mateo, Roxas, San
Mariano and Jones Campuses.
Results of this study reveal that
the average ISU passing percentage in
the LEA from 2003 to 2011 is 22.84%
which is below the average national
passing percentage of 31.42% for the
same period. The average LEA rating
obtained by the University is 65.76%
which is also below the passing score
of 75.00%.
The average overall
academic
performance
of
the
examinees is 84.58% which is
significantly higher than their average
LEA rating. Correlation analysis
shows that there is high and negative
relationship between the examinees’
LEA rating and their academic
performance. This study further found
that the highest average rating
obtained by the examinees in the LEA
was in the area of Crop Protection
followed by Animal Science, Crop
Science, Agricultural Extension and
Communication, Soil Science and
the least is in the area of Agricultural
Economics and Marketing. Test of
significance at 5% level however,
reveals that there is no significant
difference between the ratings
obtained by the examinees in the six
(6) areas of the LEA.
_______________________________
Keywords:
licensure examination for
agriculturists, LEA performance, LEA
passing percentage, academic performance,
ISU passing percentage
INTRODUCTION
The extent of knowledge
acquired by a person from a higher
learning
institution
cannot
be
measured only by the course he
finished or even the honors he
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Simon, S.R. & J. B. Quilang / Journal of Research (Vol. XXI No.2 -2012) 20-29
received, but also by his performance
on a given examination, especially in
a licensure examination. Performance
in a given examination is believed to
be greatly affected by their academic
achievement.
A person who has
excelled academically has greater
chance
of
passing
a
given
examination.
percentage
are
generally
low
compared to the national passing
percentage.
Since the licensure
examination measures the knowledge
and competencies a graduate obtained
from
the
course,
academic
achievement plays a very important
role in their performance in the
examination.
Passing
the
licensure
examination for a graduate of a
regulated profession is a requirement
for registration. A graduate can not
legalize the practice of his profession
unless he passed the licensure
examination. Agriculture graduates
for instance are required to pass the
Licensure
Examination
for
Agriculturists (LEA) before they will
be granted with a certificate of
registration by the Board of
Agriculture and legally practice their
profession.
This study determines the weak
and strong points of the ISU
Agriculture graduates in the licensure
examination. Results will be used for
the enrichment of the technical
subjects and improvement of the
curriculum to give more emphasis to
the subjects identified as common
weak points of the examinees.
The performance of their
graduates
in
the
licensure
examinations is one of the measures of
the quality of education a higher
learning institutions offers. Although
the performance of an examinee
depends more on his intellectual
ability it cannot be denied also that in
this aspect the effectiveness and
performance of a teacher is measured
(Aman, 1998).
Objectives of the Study
As basis for improving the
University’s agriculture programs and
the graduate’s performance in the
LEA, this study sought to determine
the performance of ISU graduates in
the Licensure Examination for
Agriculturists (LEA) given by the
Professional Regulation Commission
from 2003 to 2011.
Specifically, this study sought to
answer the following questions:
In the past six (6) years, the ISU 1. What is the yearly and overall average
had produced a number of passers in
performance of the ISU graduates in
the licensure examinations for
the LEA in the past nine years?
agriculturists but yearly passing
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Simon, S.R. & J. B. Quilang / Journal of Research (Vol. XXI No.2 -2012) 20-29
2. What are the graduates’ academic
rating in the six (6) subject areas of
the LEA namely: Crop Science,
Animal Science, Crop Protection,
Soil Science, Agricultural Extension
and Communication, and Agricultural
Economics and Marketing?
3. What is the graduates’
academic performance?
overall
4. Is there a significant relationship
between the overall academic
performance of the graduates and their
performance
in
the
licensure
examination?
5. Is there a significant relationship
between the academic performance of
the graduates in the six (6) component
areas of the LEA and their respective
scores in the LEA?
courses/subjects grouped into six (6)
component areas, namely:
Crop
Science,
Animal Science,
Crop
Protection, Soil Science, Agricultural
Extension and Communication, and
Agricultural
Economics
and
Marketing. The overall passing mark
is a grade average of 75% with no
grade lower than 65% in any of the
subject areas.
The conceptual framework of
the study is shown in Figure 1. Some
factors are hypothesized to have
influenced the performance in the
LEA of ISU graduates. The factor
included in this study was the
academic performance of the students
in the six (6) subject areas.
Conceptual Framework
The Licensure Examination for
Agriculturists (LEA) was first
conducted in 2003 as the standard
evaluation measure administered by
the
Professional
Regulation
Commission (PRC) to determine who
among the graduates of agriculture
programs are academically and
technically fit for admission in the
agriculture profession. The LEA is a
multiple choice type of examination
given in 3 days that covers the
content
of
the
agriculture
Figure 1. Conceptual framework of
the study
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Simon, S.R. & J. B. Quilang / Journal of Research (Vol. XXI No.2 -2012) 20-29
Moreover, on the average, the
university passing rate for the past
nine (9) years (2003-2011) is 22.84%
which is still below the national
average passing rate of 31.42% for the
same period.
45
40
2. LEA Performance. Individual rating
scores of all ISU examinees in the
LEA. This data were requested from
the PRC in Manila.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
ISU Yearly Average LEA Passing
Rate
As shown in Figure 2, the yearly
passing rate of ISU is always below
the national passing rate except in the
25
20
15
10
5
ISU
Average…
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2003
0
2011
1. Academic Performance. Average of
the final grades of the examinees in
the six (6) subject areas of the LEA.
This data were taken from the official
transcript of records of examinees.
30
2010
To answer the objectives of this
study, the following data were
gathered:
35
2004
The study primarily used the
descriptive method of research. The
respondents of the study consisted of a
total of 150 LEA examinees from ISU
particularly Echague, San Mateo,
Cauayan, Roxas, San Mariano, Jones
and Cabagan Campuses from 20032008. The respondents were selected
following the stratified random
sampling with fifty percent or 75 of
the total respondents were passers and
the other fifty percent or 75 were nonpassers.
year 2008 where the university
passing rate (34.33%) exceeded the
national passing rate (30.37%).
Percent Passing Rate
METHODOLOGY
Figure 2. Yearly ISU LEA passing
rate and the national LEA passing
rate
LEA
Passing
Campus
Percentage
by
Figure 3 shows the yearly LEA
passing percentage by campus. As
shown in the figure, in 2003 Cauayan
campus obtained a 100% passing rate
with a lone examinee followed by
Roxas campus with 33.33% passing
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Simon, S.R. & J. B. Quilang / Journal of Research (Vol. XXI No.2 -2012) 20-29
percentage then by San Mariano
campus with 20.00%.
Cabagan
campus
obtained
14.58%while
Echague campus (8.12%) gained the
lowest passing percentage.
In 2004,
Cabagan campus
obtained the highest passing rate of
50.00% followed by Echague campus
(16.67%) while Cauayan, Roxas, San
Mariano and Jones campuses had no
passing examinees.
In 2005,
Roxas campus
registered the highest passing rate
(66.67%)
followed by Cabagan
campus (30%) then by San Mariano
campus (20%) and Echague campus
(14.08%) while Cauayan campus did
not have any passing examinee. In
2006, Roxas campus recorded the
highest passing rate (50%) followed
by Cabagan campus (47.06%), then by
Echague campus (20.31%) while both
Cauayan and San Mariano campus
there was no passing examinee.
In 2009, Cabagan campus got
the highest passing rate (28.57%)
followed by San Mariano campus
(25%). Echague campus got 23.81%.
Roxas campus got 16.67% and
Cauayan campus got 12.50% while
examinees from Jones campus were
not able to pass the exam.
In 2010,
Jones campus
obtained a 100% passing rate with
three examinees followed by Cabagan
campus (40%) then by Cauayan
campus (25%) then by Echague
campus (15.15%) and by Roxas
campus (6.67%).
Two examinees
from San Mariano campus were not
able to hurdle the examination. In
2011, again the campus obtained the
highest passing rate (57.14%)
followed by Cabagan campus
(33.33%),Echague campus (30.22%)
and Cauayan campus (20%). Roxas
and San Mariano campuses obtained a
zero passing rate.
In 2007,
Cabagan campus
recorded the highest passing rate
(41.18%) followed by Echague
campus (26.56%) while Cauayan,
Roxas and San Mariano campuses got
a zero passing rate.
In 2008, San Mariano campus
recorded the highest passing rate of
50% with two (2) examinees followed
by Cabagan campus (31.58%), then by
Echague campus (25%). Roxas, San
Mariano and Jones campuses got a
zero passing rate.
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Simon, S.R. & J. B. Quilang / Journal of Research (Vol. XXI No.2 -2012) 20-29
Average Passing Rate by Campus
and Average National Passing Rate
Figure 4 shows the comparison
of the average passing rate by campus
and the average national passing rate
from 2003-2011. As shown in the
figure,
only Cabagan campus
(35.14%)
obtained a passing
percentage that surpasses the average
national passing rate (31.42%) while
the other campuses’ passing rate falls
below the average national passing
rate with the San Mariano campus
obtaining the lowest with only 15.56%
passing rate.
40
obtained by the examinees of Cabagan
campus followed by Echague campus.
The lowest average LEA rating
is in Soil Science and was obtained by
San Mariano campus as well as in
Agricultural
Economics
and
Marketing which was obtained by
Jones campus.
Test of significance at 5% level
shows that there is a significant
difference in the ratings obtained by
the examinees from the different
campuses.
Figure 4. Average LEA passing rate by campus
& average LEA national passing rate from
2003 - 2011
Figure 5. ISU average LEA rating by
subject area
35
80.00
30
70.00
25
60.00
20
50.00
Crop
Science
Soil Science
40.00
15
30.00
10
20.00
5
10.00
Echague
Cabagan
Cauayan
Jones
San Mariano
Roxas
0
Campus
Avarage Passing Rate
Crop
Protection
Animal
Science
Ag. Eco. &
Mktg.
Ag. Ext'n. &
Comm.
Average LEA Rating by Subject
Area
Figure 5 reveals the average
LEA rating obtained by ISU
examinees by subject area.
As
revealed in the figure, the highest
average ratings were generally
Average Academic Grade and LEA
Ratings by Subject Area
The average academic grade and
corresponding LEA rating per subject
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Simon, S.R. & J. B. Quilang / Journal of Research (Vol. XXI No.2 -2012) 20-29
is shown in Figure 6. As displayed
in the figure, the average academic
grades of the examinees per subject
area are consistently higher than their
corresponding ratings in the LEA.
Furthermore,
Test
of
significance at 5% level reveals that
there is a significant difference
between the average academic grades
and LEA ratings per subject area of
the examinees.
by Cabagan campus with 82.35%.
However,
in terms of the average
LEA rating, the highest rating was
obtained by Cabagan campus and the
lowest was obtained by the examinees
from San Mariano campus. Further
analysis of the data reveals that there
is an inverse relationship between the
academic grades and LEA rating of
the examinees.
This means that
obtaining a high academic grade is not
a guarantee of obtaining a high rating
also in the LEA.
Moreover, it could also be
deduced that the standard of Cabagan
campus in terms of giving academic
grade is higher compared to the other
campuses because although Cabagan
campus has the lowest average
academic grade,
it obtained the
highest LEA rating compared to the
other campuses. Test of significance at
5% level reveals that there is no
significant difference in the academic
grades of examinees by campus.
Table 6. Academic grade and
LEA rating
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Average Academic Grade
Average Overall Academic Grade
and LEA Ratings by Campus
Figure 7 shows the examinees’
average overall academic grade as
compared with the average LEA
rating. As shown in the figure, the
highest average academic grade was
recorded by Jones Campus with
86.56% while the lowest was recorded
In terms of LEA rating,
however, analysis shows that there is a
significant difference between the
ratings obtained by the examinees by
campus.
Furthermore, correlations
analysis reveals that there is a high but
negative relationship between the
overall academic performance and
LEA rating of the examinees.
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100.00
90.00
80.00
70.00
60.00
50.00
40.00
30.00
20.00
10.00
-
Figure 7. ISU average academic grade
and LEA rating by campus
4. The average overall academic
performance of the examinees is
84.58% which is
significantly
higher than their average LEA
rating of 65.76%.
5. There is a moderate but negative
relationship between the overall
academic performance of the
examinees and their average LEA
rating.
6. There is a moderate but negative
relationship between the academic
performance of the examinees and
their respective LEA ratings per
subject area.
Average LEA Score
CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the findings of the
study, the following conclusions are
drawn:
1. The
average
ISU
passing
percentage in the LEA from 2003
to 2011 is 22.84% which is below
the average national passing
percentage of 31.42% for the same
period.
7. The academic performance of the
graduates is significantly different
with their respective scores in the
six (6) subject areas of the LEA.
8. There is a significant difference in
the ratings in the six (6) subject
areas obtained by the examinees
by campus.
9.
2. The average LEA rating obtained
by the University is 65.76% which
is also below the passing score of
75.00%.
3. Cabagan campus has the highest
average passing percentage in the
LEA and average LEA rating
compared to the other campuses.
27 | P a g e
The highest average rating
obtained by the examinees in the
LEA was in the area of Crop
Protection followed by Animal
Science,
Crop
Science,
Agricultural
Extension and
Communication, Soil Science
and the least is in the area of
Agricultural
Economics
and
Marketing .
Simon, S.R. & J. B. Quilang / Journal of Research (Vol. XXI No.2 -2012) 20-29
In the light of the findings and
conclusions
formulated,
the
researcher recommends the following:
1. Since the average LEA rating of
the examinees in all subject areas is
below the passing mark, it is
recommended that the teachinglearning process in all these subject
areas should be enriched and
enhanced in order for the graduates
to be equipped with the knowledge
and competencies necessary for
them not only to pass but to obtain
high ratings in the LEA.
This could be done by adding
more essential topics in these
subjects and providing more avenues
or activities for them to acquire the
desired
knowledge
and
competencies as Agriculturists;
2. Since the lowest LEA rating was
obtained in the areas of Soil Science
and Agricultural Economics and
Marketing, there is a need to enrich
and improve the content of these
subjects as well as to enhance the
teaching-learning process in order
for the students to acquire the
necessary knowledge and skills and
improve their performance in these
subjects;
3.
In order to improve the
performance of the graduates in the
LEA, the offering of additional
units in
Soil
Science and
Agricultural
Economics
and
Marketing should be considered
since the Agriculture programs of
the University has very limited units
on these subjects especially Soil
Science subject where only 3 units is
offered in most of the campuses;
4.
For the enhancement of the
preparation of the graduates in the
LEA, review classes should be
conducted as well as to invite
resource speakers/reviewers from
outside of the University in order for
them to learn new or additional
knowledge on the different subject
areas of the LEA;
5. A regular review and updating of
the agriculture and agri-based
curriculum based on the latest CMO
45 is necessary as well as
amendments
thereof
on
the
approaches/methodologies
on
Outcomes Based Education (OBE);
6. The offering of Audit Courses in the
agriculture program is recommended
to be maintained in order to prepare
the graduates for the licensure
examination while the University
has still control over them. This is
because after graduation,
the
graduates can no longer be forced by
the University to enroll in review
classes to enhance their performance
in the examination that would
redound to a better University
performance.
An enhanced
implementation of the Audit Course
may consider increasing the number
of units or contact hours and a
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quantitative grade in order to pass
the course.
7.
A follow up study should be
conducted in order to determine the
other correlates or factors that may
affect the graduates’ performance in
the licensure examination.
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