COURSE PREFERENCES OF GRADE 12 STUDENTS: BASIS FOR
CAREER PLAN
A Research Proposal
Presented to the
Faculty of the Senior High Department
Mintal Comprehensive High School
Mintal Tugbok., Davao City
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Practical Research
Grade 12 - Magkono
ALI, ALIYAH SHANE V.
ANDRADA, RECAH C.
DUCUSIN, KHRYZZA MAE M.
DUMAAN, RISSA JEAN G.
LACTAOEN, SHIELA MAE L.
LADIONA, SHANE GEN D.
MANAMPAN, JOHN LUCAS J.
MEJIAS, CHRISTIAN LOUIE O.
SALIGA, JOANNA MAE V.
SOCO, KERCHIEL ANN M.
Chapter I
Background of the Study
Introduction
K12 Curriculum is an educational system which consists of kindergarten
and 12 years of basic education. The program is composed of six years in
primary education, four years in junior high school and another two years in
senior high school. Senior high school is a two-year upper secondary education
where students may choose a career track and a strand to specialize in. There
are academic, technical-vocational and sports and arts track and each of these
corresponds to a strand. The strands under the academic track are Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Humanities and Social
Sciences (HUMSS), General Academic Strand (GAS) and Accountancy,
Business and Management (ABM) strand.
While compared to western society (where the K-12 system is modeled),
adolescents in the Philippines are unable to make their own judgments at all
times, particularly when choosing a job. They frequently seek advice from their
parents, teachers, friends, peers, and revered figures. They are unable to make
a final conclusion when they are confused. They may also consider other
essential elements such as the parents' financial situation, professional
chances, intellectual capacity, and so on. As a result, this initiative is being
pursued to look into the course preferences of grade 12 students when it comes
to making career decisions.
Our country suffers from multifarious crises such as socioeconomic crisis,
political crisis, and as well as financial crisis which is greatly affected by
global economic crisis. Despite all these crises, Filipinos are imaginative,
creative, and courageous to surpass these obstacles in everyday life. Even
though there are some companies affected by these crises which are
forced to decrease their employees called “recession”, some of them have
job openings that offer new career opportunities to graduated college
students.
According to Ginzberg and his associates, during the fantasy period play
gradually becomes work-oriented and reflects initial preferences for certain
kinds of activities. This stage is the preparation for a child’s highly
organized social life; they will be required to adjust when they enter the first
grade. Career preferences are a free opportunity to select a desired career.
It is also decision-making in a confusing situation which occurs during the
senior year of high school level. When one is confused in choosing a
career, they rely on their friends and relatives.
Mintal Comprehensive High School, an educational institution in Davao City
which offers academic and technical-vocational track in senior high school is
the place where the study will be conducted. The study will focus on the factors
which influence the decisions of ABM students of Mintal Comprehensive High
School in their course preferences in higher education.
Most students who are graduating from senior high school are still confused
in choosing their college courses as an effect of the new implemented
curriculum. Considering the huge number of graduating students, it will be
burdensome if these students will take this matter lightly knowing that the
decisions of the youth will later on reflect in the country’s social and economic
status. That is why choosing a course should be done carefully among students
of senior high especially when there are factors that influence a student’s
decisions.
The researchers, as ABM students, will be personally benefited from the
results of the study as well as the readers who are also preparing for college
for this study will serve as their guide and will help aid their confusion. This
study is conducted to determine the factors influencing the decisions of senior
high school students, particularly the ABM students in choosing their career
path with emphasis on how these factors affect their decisions.
Statement of the Problem
1. What are the demographic characteristics of respondents based on:
a. Age
b. Gender
2. What is the length of course preferences of grade 12 students in knowing:
a. Academic qualification
b. Physical environment
c. Social factor (peer pressure)
d. Economic factor
3. Is there any significant effect and differences in student preferences among
the factors and groups?
Review of Related Literature
This chapter presents the related literature from foreign sources. This
includes the ideas, finished research or conclusions and methodologies. Those
that were included in this chapter can help generate information that are
relevant and similar to the present study.
Course Preferences
Academic qualification. Choosing a right career for a student is very
difficult due to some facts about having fear and dilemma on what they
really want to become. According to Josefina 0. Santamaria’s book of
Managing Work and Career (2003), a typical student who is about to
graduate from college, technical or vocational school is likely to be asking
questions such as “Will I be able to get a job?”, “How can I compete?”,
“What will be my edge?”, “Will any company get me?” the more they ask
questions to themselves, the more anxious they would feel. Having those
fears engraved in their minds often lead them to apply for jobs that aren’t
actually suited to who they really are as a person, having disastrous results
and negative consequences in their lives leading them to move further
away from their actual goals and dreams in life.
There has been a lot of discussion about whether or not passion is
the sole way for choosing an individual’s career path. But there are other
significant factors that can influence the career path, not just passion.
Several
recent
studies
show
that
understanding
the
academic
qualifications in an individual's own traits and characteristics, rather than
passion, are a key to career fulfillment and success. An article posted by
Adecco UK (Adecco UK, 2015), a part of a Swiss multinational human
resource consulting company of the same name, states that it is worth
finding out what type of worker an individual is with the increasing of
employers utilizing academic qualification and psychometric testing
procedures to analyze the employee’s attributes beyond qualifications it's
qualification . It is also stated in the article that “choosing a job to which an
individual is inherently suited –rather than just able to convince the
interviewer that he/she is interested in the position – will make him/her a
happier, more productive employee.” There are many methods for
assessing academic qualification type, and the most common is the
RIASEC model of the psychologist John L. Holland (Holland, 1973), which
is developed from his theory which postulates that people project self- and
world-of-work views onto occupational titles and make a career.
Physical environment. Education for years has been considered as
playing functional roles in preparing individual learners to be socially useful
and contribute meaningfully to national development. The process of
learning is an active agent of change such that students are empowered
to generate knowledge, form attitudes and develop requisite skills for life
( Bada, 2015).
According to Asiyai (2011), an appropriate learning environment is
essential to safety and active learning and development. She maintained
that such a situation is supportive and productive for functional training of
head, heart and hand. All students and youth deserve a safe, respectful,
caring and positive learning environment. Besides, Mgbodile (1997)
contend that the school environment must be such that allows each student
to increase his/her feelings of satisfaction, sense of belonging,
identification and achievement in present and future situations, hi the light
of the above, Davis-Langston (2012) noted that the environment of a
school has the greatest of all influence that affects learning and academic
performance of students.
For many years, education has been viewed as serving a practical
purpose in preparing individuals to be socially useful and to contribute
meaningfully to national progress. Learning is an active agent of change in
which students are able to generate knowledge, shape, attitudes, and
develop necessary life skills (Bada,2015). The nature of the school, the
attitude of the teachers, and the qualities of the students are all elements
that influence the educational process’ success (Ukeje, Akabogu, &
Ndu,1992). Students’ achievement is also influenced by the classroom
environment, school, surroundings. The nature of the classroom
environment has a significant impact on students’ ability to attain a variety
of educational goals. The physical, emotional, and aesthetic elements of
the classroom setting tend to improve students’ attitudes towards learning
(Goodlard,1984).
An adequate learning environment, according to Asiyai (2011), is
critical for safety, active learning, and development. She believed that such
an environment is conductive to functional head, heart, and hand training.
Every student and adolescent deserve a learning environment that is safe,
courteous, caring, and encouraging. Furthermore, according to Mgbodile
(1997), the school environment must allow each student to increase his or
her feelings of satisfaction, sense of belonging, identification, and
achievement in current and future situations. In light of the foregoing,
Davis-langston (2012) stated that the school environment has the greatest
influence on students’ learning and academic performance.
Social Factor. When it comes for students to choose their desired career
path it is no doubt that social factors would play a role and that one factor
is
Peer pressure is defined as the influence exerted by a peer group
or an individual encouraging other individuals to change their attitudes,
values, decisions or behaviors in order to conform into a group norm
(Treynor, W. (2009). The Study shows that the influence of peers among
students can boost their anxiety especially pertaining to their education
(Kadir, Atmowasdoyo & Salija, 2018.)
Peer pressure is commonly associated with episodes of adolescent
risk taking (such as delinquency, drug abuse, sexual behaviors), because
these behavior commonly occur in the company of peers. They can
encourage each other not fitting in, not being good enough, and not being
a part of the “group” overwhelms and takes over the mindset of a regular
students (Jones, 2010) According to a study conducted by a group of
statistics in the University of Ibadan, approximately 20% - 30% of
adolescent teenagers report symptoms of stress and anxiety because of
peer pressure. This is especially coming from parents who have a parental
authoritative state.
Peer pressure is often seen during the adolescence stage of a
teenager because they often seek comfort among their peers and intend
to do what their peers do without knowing if it is good or bad for them.
Adolescence is a period of an individual that is transitory when a child
reaches the point in changing its childhood to adulthood (Adeniyi &
Kolawole, 2015); a study was conducted at The University of Mauritius
research suggesting that predominant students from secondary education
would likely to form a unique social bubble where they influence each other
depending in their subtle similarities. This suggests that teenagers are
more self-conscious and willing to conserve their dignity. If we would apply
the same logic to the main gist of the problem, hypothetically a student
might be forced to choose a different career choice just for them to get
along with their peers.
Decisions and Peer pressure Correlation
In the early study by (Gardner & Steinberg, 2005), to examine age
differences in the effect of peer context on risky decision making. Early
adolescents [mean age = 14], late adolescents [mean age = 19], and adults
[mean age = 37], were tested on a computerized video game task “Chicken
game,”. It challenges the driver to maneuver a vehicle using a controller as
far as possible on the driving course; avoiding a crash into a wall that could
unexpectedly materialize, without warning, at any point of course.
Variables were manipulated by randomly assigning each group of three
different participants to play the game in two attempt options: individually
(playing alone in the room) or accompanied with a same-aged peers in the
room. When tested in a double subject, early adolescents scored twice as
high on an index of being at risk with their peers alone; whereas, late
adolescents were 50% riskier in all of the group, and adults showed no
difference in risky decisions related to social contexts.
Economic Factor. In choosing our careers, our socio-economic status must
be considered because it helps us identify the appropriate jobs and degree that
we should get. There would be a lot of expenses in our studies and if we choose
a career that requires a lot of money or expenses, it would be difficult for us to
finish our studies. Moreover, socioeconomic status has an impact on career by
being operationalized as a composite measure of income, level of education,
and occupational prestige. It was discovered that family SES influenced the
quality and quantity of education acquired, which influenced career beginnings
and, eventually, occupational accomplishment. Research suggests that
personality might determine the career path you choose, and it may predict
whether you are unhappy with your job. Several studies have shown that people
who hold jobs with characteristics and tasks related to their personality are
more productive, happier, and make more money (Flynn,2021).
In a study conducted by Hinds & Shultz (2018), using exploratory factor
analysis, personal and institutional factors are identified to be the factors
influencing a student's decision. Personal factors here refer to family and
financial concerns, advice from friends, rumors about course and nonacademic obligations while institutional factors include placement test results,
academic plans, course load and confidence in preparation. Also,
socioeconomic status is a factor that influences the predisposition, search, and
choice stages of the college choice process as stated by Cabrera & Nasa
(2000). This means that the above-mentioned factors have an impact on the
decision-making of students. Students may not notice that these factors affect
their choices but it does not matter how big or small their impact is. Deciding
for a career path is a serious matter especially to senior high school students.
Choosing a course will help a student set his/her professional goals. It is a
beginning step for the achievement of his/her goals.
Educational decisions have significant economic consequences, both for
individual career paths and for the economy as a whole (Sianesi and Reenen
2003; Moretti 2004) According to a study conducted by University of Tennessee
students, students are most influenced by family when deciding on a major;
22% cite family as the most important element determining their major decision.
However, among the most important variables influencing their choice, 21% of
students chose "a vocation that is personally gratifying" and 20% chose "FFA/4H experience." (Fizer, 2013)
When considering international ILL, economic factors to consider include
the current international economic climate, the national economic climate, and
the growing disparities between the economic situations of developed and
developing countries.
The current global financial situation has had a significant impact on
libraries and interlibrary loan. Budgets for library acquisitions have been
slashed, putting a greater emphasis on resource sharing than ever before.
Downsizing library staff in response to these cuts has also had an impact on
overall operations and a library's ability to provide timely domestic and foreign
inter-bleeding.
Libraries and their interlibrary loan departments may face insufficient
funding or a lack of institutional financial support on a national scale. An
irregular influx of funds, for example, had a significant impact in Russia, where
reduced funds distributed in small amounts and at irregular times of the year
made managing acquisitions extremely difficult (Kingma and Mouravieva,
2000)
An economy with high quality human capital resources is more shockresistant, flexible, and adaptive. This is particularly important in the era of
globalization
with
dynamically
changing
economic
conditions.
The
consequences of human capital accumulation go well beyond economic
dimension. There is evidence of the link between the level of educational
attainment and health status (Winkleby et al. 1992; Lleras-Muney 2005)
Theoretical And Conceptual Framework
The study is based on two of the most popular career development and
decision-making theories, Ginzberg’s Theory of Occupational Choice and
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
A theory by Eli Ginzberg believes that career development from early
childhood to early adulthood is a long-term process. This process includes three
stages, (1) Fantasy (2) Tentative (3) Realistic. The first stage or the fantasy
stage takes place during childhood where children imitate professions such as
nurses, doctors, policemen, educators, etc. that are based on non-logical
decisions but their imagination. The next stage which is composed of four substages (interest, capacity, value, transition) takes place during adolescence.
Here, children learn the things they like or dislike and how their abilities can be
related with their interests. Children start to learn how work may preserve and
fulfill their values and they start to own up to their responsibilities and exercise
their freedom to choose. Finally, the last stage is where children become
engrossed in their career path and grow in the field they’ve chosen.
Another theory that supports the study is Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy
of Needs or the Self-Actualization Theory. This means that the way people
choose their career can be associated with the fulfillment of their needs. It
explains how physiological, social, belonging, esteem and self-actualization
factors contribute to one’s choice of career and the acquisition of these
elements affects one’s decision-making.
According to John Holland, people prefer jobs where they can be around
others who are like them. This means that people are more likely to choose a
career or a job where they can enhance their skills through working in a similar
environment. In his theory, he identified 6 personality traits known as the
RIASEC. These personality traits are realistic, investigative, artistic, social,
enterprising, and conventional.
Conceptual Framework
Independent Variable
Dependent
Course Preferences
Variable
Academic
Qualification
Physical
Environment
Social
Factor
Economic
Factor
Grade 12
Student’s
Course
Preferences
Career Plan
Figure 4: Conceptual Framework
Choosing a career path is a major component of human development.
In this study, independent variables are chosen to manipulate and control the
dependent variable. In the input-output-process model, the input represents the
independent variables which are the student’s demographic profile and factors
categorized as academic qualification, physical environment, social and
economic factors. These independent variables will be introduced into the
system’s process. The process consists of operation or procedures which will
transform the input into the desired output. The output represents the
course/career preference of students.
Scope and Delimitation
The research work limits itself to factors affecting the course preferences of
Senior High School Students at Mintal Comprehensive High School.
This study will include students from the 3 strands of academic track in
Senior High School which are:
1. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
2. Accountancy, Business and Management
3. Humanities and Social Sciences
Definition of Terms
The following terms are conceptually or operationally defined to enhance the
understanding of the readers of this paper.
1. Crisis - an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs whose outcome will
make a decisive difference for better or worse. In this study, the crisis is
mentioned into four: socio-economic, political, financial, as well as global
economic.
2. Career - a field for or pursuit of consecutive progressive achievement
especially in public, professional, or business life. In this study, career is the
application of education whereby it is the totality of acquired knowledge.
3. Disoriented Strategy - displacement from normal position or relationship.In
this study, this term refers to the mechanism of students when he or she is
unstable in choosing a career which can be repeated.
4. Sibling Position - the position of respondent in his family, whether he or she
was a first child, second child, third child, etc.
5. Childhood Aspirations - the child’s infantile wishes of what he wants when
grew up.
6. Specialization - to concentrate one’s efforts in a special activity or field.
7. ‘In Demand’ jobs - refers to the majority of present occupations which many
companies need.
8. Anticipated Problems - the expected problems of a student's career choice.
For example, financial sustainability, poor health, self- conflicts, etc.
9. Vocational Self-Concept - a driving force that establishes a career pattern
one will follow through life.
Chapter II
Methodology
Research Design
The study was conducted as a quantitative descriptive survey research in
which data are collected from the students who are enrolled as grade 12 senior
high school at Mintal Comprehensive High School for academic year 20212022. In this study, the respondents will know the factors that could influence
their career/course choice and how these factors would significantly affect their
decision-making. Also, the study would help educational institutions guide the
students in choosing their career path.
Descriptive design was used to investigate the direction and magnitude of
relationships among variables in a particular population, as defined by
Cristobal, A. P and Cristobal, M. C. (2017). The design was used to relate
different factors to course preferences of students. A survey study approach is
also used to describe the demographic profile of students and their
characteristics.
Research Locale
The study was conducted at Mintal Comprehensive High School, a premier,
non-sectarian academic institution located at Mintal, Tugbok., Davao City. The
said institution launched its Senior High School program a few years ago.
Location Map
Figure 5: Map Showing the Location and Outline of the study Area
The research will be conducted at San Francisco St, Tugbok, Davao City,
8000 Davao del Sur
Research Respondents
The researchers chose the grade 12 students from senior high school as
respondents of the study. Senior High School is composed of three academic
strands; Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM), Humanities and
Social Sciences (HUMSS) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics (STEM). The grade 12 students had a total population of 462 148 for ABM, 250 for HUMSS and 64 for STEM. It was large; thus, the sampling
method was applied to come up with an acceptable number of samples. The
researchers used the Slovin’s formula
with a desired margin of error of
5%. After arriving at a final sample size for each strand, the researchers used
convenience sampling to choose their respondents guided by the following
criteria:
● Grade 12 students of Mintal Comprehensive High School
● Enrolled during the first semester of academic year 2020-2021
● Enrolled as a grade 12 student in the Senior High School program
Research Instrument
A 5-point Likert-type of questionnaire was used for the study. Likert’s scale
to be used is opted to measure someone’s attitudes and behaviors. In this
study, it ranges from strongly agree to strongly disagree to allow the researcher
to uncover degrees of opinion from the participants.
Likert (1932) developed the principle of measuring attitudes by asking
people to respond to a series of statements about a topic, in terms of the extent
to which they agree with them, and so tapping into the cognitive and affective
components of attitudes, (Saul McLeod 2008). The researchers will use
numbers starting from, odd (5) number as strongly agree with midpoint (3) as
neutral, together with (1) as strongly disagree, continuous and logical, and
interrogative.
Data Gathering Procedures
The researchers made a letter of request for the graduating students’ approval
/consent to conduct the research study. After getting all the possible approvals within
the locale of the study, the researchers then distributed a survey questionnaire via online
google forms to all qualified Grade-12 students that had been verified due to COVID19 pandemic.
The survey commenced when all the respondents received their own copy. The
participants answered the questions while the researchers provided guidance if ever a
respondent needs clarification whilst answering the survey. This is to ensure that the
participants will not experience any difficulties in understanding the given set of
questions and gain awareness of how important their answers are to the study.
As all the correspondent participants finished the survey, the researchers gathered
and tallied the data accordingly. Once the data is organized, the researchers would seek
assistance from a certified statistician to aid in discovering the practical tools and
methods to be used, including the data interpreting. Finally, with the result of the data
in hand, the researchers would come up with proper findings, conclusions and
recommendations for this study.
Statistical Treatment of Data
Upon getting the data from the survey, the researchers identified the
relationship of the variables being studied. Ordinal scale of measurement, a
scale on which data is shown simply in order of magnitude since there is no
standard of measurements of difference is being used. Also, to rank the
variables, the researchers used the Spearman's rank Correlation, a nonparametric measure of rank correlation.
Ethical Consideration
The researchers will conclude any type of communication in relation to
the research study and this should be done with the utmost level of honesty
and transparency. Furthermore, the adequate level of confidentiality of the
research data should be ensured. Any deception or exaggeration towards the
aims and the objectives of the research study must be avoided at all times.
The respondents should participate on the basis of informed consent
whilst providing sufficient information and assurance about taking part to allow
individuals to understand the implications of participation and to reach the level
of full awareness. Considered and freely given the decision whether or not to
participate and without the exercise of any form of pressure.