FACTORS AFFECTING THE STRAND PREFERENCE OF GRADE 10

STUDENTS AT BARUCBOC NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

S.Y. 2018-2019

Author: Contact Details:

BESA, ANGELINE F. 09351363841

ESCAÑO, HAZER MABETH P. 09266437229

PANIS, SHENNA MAE B. 09655270750

RUIZ, ANGELICA B. 09269252664

 CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Choosing and deciding on something have consequences. The results of what

you have chosen can either help you or it will hinder you in the future. It is also the

same with the strand that you will have to decide. In choosing a strand, there are lot of

factors that the student must consider. According to Boyer (1987), “in taking a strand,

one of the life’s major decision is being made. A lot of time, money, and effort will be

involved. The shape and excellence of the student’s life may rest on the result.” In

choosing a junior, senior academic track, a student should take a risk. F. Yates,

Veinotte, & Patalano (2003) define a decision as “…a commitment to a course of

action that is intended to produce a satisfying state of affairs.” A student will choose a

strand which he/she will be studying throughout his/her senior high school, and

decision-making should take part and should not take for granted. The decision of

which strand to take is one of the farthest decisions for a student.

Making decision implies that there are choices to be considered, and in such

case we want only to identify as many of these alternatives as possible but to choose

the one that best fits with our goals, objectives, desires, values and so on. Harris

(1980) Decision making is the best way to get one’s satisfaction, and considered as

the best-required thing to do to have a successful and a very satisfying life. One

decent decision that a person will do can make a huge impact in his or her life.

Decision-making happens in people, and some are for their future. This strand

choosing requires mature and severe discussion since their choice will decide, what

their future will be. Selecting an upcoming strand consists of different factors that will

influence their decisions.

 As observed, the students that usually took the strand that they don’t like to

affect their grades. For example, as a researcher, we even encounter having a hard

time on deciding what strand to take and ended up having the strand that our parents

wants us to take. At first, it was good for taking the strand but as the time goes by it

will become dull finding out that it does not meet your interest. Hence, the grades will

then become little and ended up thinking of shifting from another strand.

Consequently, the grades of a student will affect the performance of a child if

deciding what strand to take will take for granted. This study aims to help the students

be aware that there are lots of factors that should considered before deciding what

strand to take. The grade is to make the students realize that before they end up

taking a certain strand, it should be well planned to avoid regrets in the end.

Students’ career success can attain if proper guidance is in choosing the right

strand in Senior High School , suited to pupils’ personality, ability, and intellect.

Helping student chooses the career that suits them can be done by integrating career

plan with the curriculum so that students can make good decisions in what course to

take in college.

A career choice is important because it determines your success in the next

stages of your life (PAMS, n.d). Many factors affect career choices of high school

students. Identifying these factors would give parents, educators, and industry an idea

as to where students place most of their trust in career selection process (Super, 1990).

Each student in Senior High School can choose among three tracks: Academic;

Technical-Vocational-Livelihood; and Sports and Arts. The Academic track includes

three strands: Accountancy, Business Management (ABM); Humanities and Social

Sciences (HUMSS); and Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM).

 The purpose of the study was to identify factors that influence students’

choices. For this persistence, the existing study employed a case study to understand

senior high school students’ choices, by selecting the students in the Barucboc

National High School.

Conceptual Framework

The reviewed materials suggest that there are varied factors that affect the

decisions of senior high school students in choosing their field of specialization.

These factors ranged from future opportunities, personality, family, and

peer/classmate. In this study, the choice of specialization is dependent on the said

factors.

Figure 1: Paradigm of the study

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

Profile of the -Survey The BNHS-Senior

Respondents Questionnaire High School
administrators
A. Age -Statistical will know what
B. Sex Analysis strand is demand
by the students.

Statement of the Problem

This study is to determine the different factors affecting the strand preference

of Grade 10 students in choosing a strand in Senior High School at Barucboc

National High School in Barucboc, Quezon, Isabela in the school year 2018-2019.
 Specifically, it answered the following question:

1. What are the profile of the respondents in terms of age and sex? What are the

strand preference of grade 10 students at Barucboc National High School?

2. What are the factors influencing the strand choices of grade 10 students at

Barucboc National High school?

3. Is there a significant difference between the students’ profile and the factors

affecting the strand preference of Grade 10 students?

Significance of the Study

Learning is the aspect of development that connotes modification of behavior,

skills and knowledge that results from practice and experience which sought for

quality education.

The generalization of this present study would be a great contribution to the

vast knowledge in a relation to student’s achievements. Vital results of this

investigation could be highly significant and beneficial specifically to the following:

Researchers – as a future instructors of K-12 curriculum, this study will

greatly help and inspire them to be more innovative and carry out the programs of

Department of Education (DepEd) that will be beneficial to both learners and

teachers.

Students – as the prospective Senior High School learners in the future, the

findings of this study would benefit and inspire them to formulate and act upon on

their plans in the future.

Teachers – as the ones who have a huge part in the teaching-learning process,

this study would help them to reassert and focus on their fields and subsequently cater
a better learning experience for students, especially to the teachers who would be

teaching in Senior High School

Curriculum Planners – this study would give insights to them in designing

and implementing a feasible Senior High School curriculum that would teach the

skills and knowledge that the students needs.

Barucboc National High School – this is where the results of the study shall

serve as a reference in the materialization of K-12 Senior High School Curriculum.

Community – the community shall also benefit in the study in the sense that

they are vital to the development of the school (DBTC) and as such, they would

eagerly give support in the future development of this school.

External Stakeholders – the alumni, parents, local leaders and organizations

would be motivated to support the students’ rights for education.

Government Education – agencies, especially the Department of Education,

are benefited for they will gain wisdom in providing quality service to the students

especially the secondary students through the realization of K-12 program and would

be motivated to continuously shape and improve the quality of education in the

country.

Future Researchers – this study would serve as reference that would help in

conducting their own research studies.

Scope and Delimitations

The study is conducted at Barucboc National High School. This study was

focused on the factors that influence the Grade 10 students in choosing their strand.
 This study was conducted to 83 Grade 10 students of Barucboc National High

School for the school year 2018-2019. It employed numerical survey design where it

identified the factors affecting the strand preference of Grade 10 students.

In gathering data, it made use of a survey questionnaire. The research included all

the Grade 10 students of Barucboc National High School which is 83.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are operationally defined to enhance the understanding of

the readers of this study.

1. Career Pathways- optional courses that offers the student for specialization

in a academic, technical-vocational, sports and arts, and entrepreneurship.

2. Interests – These are qualities or things that attract one’s attention and make

him/her want to learn more about something or to be involved/engaged in

something.

3. Junior High School- is the second part of secondary education under the k-

12 program, wherein the students would take up the subjects under their

career pathway specialization.

4. K -12 – is the newly implemented educational system in the Philippines

wherein it covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education to provide

sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners

and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle- level skills

development, employment and entrepreneurship.

 5. Opportunities – These are the favorable juncture of circumstances. In this

study, opportunities would refer to the circumstances favorable employment

or pursuing a career, e.g. location, trends, high pay.

6. Personality – It refers to the desired careers that the children want to be

upon becoming adults.

7. Senior High School Track Preference- it is the choice of the student for

senior high school specialization. The choices are as follows: Academic,

Technical- Vocational, Sports and lastly arts and Design. The Academic

track has three strands: (1) Humanities and Social Sciences, (2)

Accountancy, Business and Management, (3) Science, Technology

Engineering Mathematic. On the other hand, the specialization under

Technical- Vocational fall either into four: (1) Agriculture and Fisheries, (2)

Home Economics, (3) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

On the other hand, the specializations under the Technical-Vocational fall

either into four: (1) Agriculture and Fisheries, (2) home Economics, (3)

Industrial Arts, and (4) Information and Communication Technology.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This part presents relevant foreign and local literature that has significant

bearing with the present study. These significant information and discussions greatly

helped the researcher to gain deeper understanding of this study that focuses on the

factors affecting the strand preference of grade 10 students at Barucboc National High

School.
Foreign Literature

The senior SHS curriculum is an entry point to college/university life or

business and industry, the later seen as the lesser of the two regarding prestige

(Bidwell, 2014, Peano et.al., 2008). In the Philippines for example, more students

would prefer going into the academic track than any other track. In a study conducted,

about half chooses academic tracks while tech-voc courses are selected only by about

3% of their prospective students (Lagajino et.al, 2015).

Some schools in the US offer also designed tracks such as STEM curriculum.

The program is considered new as many are not yet well informed about it (Haynie,

2014). Kevin Bals, the principal of High Technology High School says that "if you

don't love math and science, it's probably not the place for you". He has seen cases

where students enrolled because of parents' wishes who did not last long. The

curriculum is for those who have the passion for it not necessarily who are gifted

(ibid).

There are different factors that affect students’ choice of course in college.

One of this is family related factors. Study revealed that immigrants and non-

immigrants rely heavily on their family’s decision-making. (International Journal of

Sciences: Basic and Applied Research (2014) Volume 16, No 1, pp 1-14) Students

cope by following their parents’ advice. They also have to cope with an expectation of

financially supporting the family upon completing their education. Studies from other

Asian countries also show parents’ impact in decision making of students when it

comes to students’ course preference. Another study highlighted that parental

involvement have positive impact on Hmong / Mong adolescents’ education and

career choice. Furthermore, it is reported that parents are deeply involved and

influential to their high-achieving children’s college choices. The report also found
open houses, dialogue with college friends, alumni, and admitted-student programs

are extremely influential to students. The report claimed these sources are not well

known, but very powerful to student’s decision making for their college. The study

also found 26% of sampled students paid a specialist or advisor during the college

decision process [10]. The studies presented are important to the present study since

the studies explain the importance of taking parents’ advice and permission in

choosing a college course.

Local Literature

The choice of career of the students is being influenced by some factors from

the social environment, mainly the parents as immediate family who plays an active

role in choosing the right education for their children (Pafili & Mylonakis, 2013). As

a sign of respect for the parents and culture of the Filipinos, parents or the elderly are

being consulted first by their children because primarily they will be the one to

provide the financial support to enter in college (Laguador, 2013).

The K-12 program offers a decongested 12-year program that gives students

sufficient time to master skills and absorb basic competencies (K-12 Philippines,

2013).

Factors that influence the choice of specialization of students:

Future Opportunities/ Ideal Job

Opportunity may influence how students have perceived their future in terms

of the reasonable probability of a future in particular career fields.

Personality
 “Personality” plays an important role in the choosing of the right career

(Splaver, 2000)

Family

Parental support and encouragement are important factors that have been

found to influence career choice (Taylor et al, 2004).

Peer/Classmate

External influences that help to shape an individual’s career choice are also

influenced by significant others through social support from peers. People around

contribute a lot in one’s decision-making (Pummel, Harwood and Lavallee,2008).

Foreign Studies

There are several factors that may affect the decision of students and parents,

where it can be a good source of insight for private higher education institutions to

offer quality services that will suit to the needs, expectations and demands of the

community. Academic institutions sought to observe the requirements of the

customers, prospective students and other clients like industry partners when

preparing an educational program (Hrnciar & Madzík, 2013). Degree programs and

other student services are being developed to promote the image of the university

(Nadelson, Semmelroth, Martinez, Featherstone, Fuhriman, & Sell, 2013).

Local Studies

Senior High School is two years of specialized upper secondary education;

students may choose a specialization based on aptitude, interests, and school capacity.

The choice of career track will define the content of the subjects a student will take in

Grades 11 and 12. SHS subjects fall under either the Core Curriculum or specific
Tracks (Official Gazette, 2013). Senior High School (SHS) covers the last two years

of the K to 12 program and includes Grades 11 and 12. In SHS, students will go

through a core curriculum and subjects under a track of their choice

(http://k12philippines.com/, n.d). The K to 12 Program covers Kindergarten and 12

years of basic education (six years of primary education, four years of Junior High

School, and two years of Senior High School [SHS]) to provide sufficient time for

mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for

tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneur

ship. Each student in Senior High School can choose among three tracks: Academic;

Technical-Vocational-Livelihood; and Sports and Arts. The Academic track includes

three strands: Accountancy, Business Management (ABM); Humanities and Social

Sciences (HUMSS); and Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics

(STEM). Students undergo immersion, which may Include earn-while-you-learn

opportunities, to provide them relevant exposure and actual experience in their chosen

track (Official Gazette, 2013).

Filipinos are known to be competitive in the international community.

However, our current education system hinders us from become-ing even more

competitive. Starting in the 2012-2013 school year, the education system of the

Philippines was enhanced from the ten years of basic education to a 12-year program

through an initiative called the K-12 Education Plan sponsored by the Department of

Education (HubPages Inc. 2016). The K-12 program offers a decongested 12-year

program that gives students sufficient time to master skills and absorb basic

competencies. The K-12 program accelerates mutual recognition of Filipino graduates

and professionals in other countries (K-12 Philippines, 2015)

 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter contains the research design and methodology used in the

conduct of the study. It incorporates the sampling technique, sources of data, the

research subjects, population of the study, the instrument utilized to gather data, as

well as the statistical tools employed in processing data. This chapter is showing how

the researcher came to the necessary data for this study, and how these data analyzed,

interpreted and presented in the easiest way possible.

Research Design

The researchers used numerical method of research design to find out what are

the factors affecting the strand preference of Grade 10 students at Barucboc National

High School.

Respondents of the Study

The respondents of this study were the Grade 10 students of Barucboc

National High School composing of 83 students who are enrolled for the school year

2018-2019.

Data Gathering Instruments

In order to gather the data, the researchers designed a questionnaire adapted by

many researchers. It is comprised of 4 parts: 1) the profile of respondents in terms of

age and sex 2) strand preference of Grade 10 students 3) factors influencing the strand

choices of Grade 10 students 4) significant difference between the students’ profile

and the factors affecting the strand preference. The researchers of this research used a
survey questionnaire in the form of checklist and Likert Scale. Factors affecting the

strand preference is in the form of four-point Likert scale ranging from “strongly

agree” to “strongly disagree” with numerical values of 1,2,3,4 respectively. These

statements were validated by the researcher’s adviser.

Data Gathering Procedure

In collecting the data, the researchers developed first the instrument to be

used. After which, they seek permission from the School Head. The respondents were

selected and screened through purposive sampling. Consent from the participants was

obtained and assured that their answers will be treated with confidentiality.

During the process of data collection, the respondents were instructed clearly.

When there were no clarifications, the researchers proceeded to the distribution of the

survey questionnaires to the students. These survey questionnaires were adapted from

many researchers. These, however, gone through pool of experts which were the

statistician teacher for checking, editing and validation.

After the retrieval of such questionnaires, computation, interpretation and

analysis of the data were conducted to come up with the final results for conclusion

and further recommendations.

Statistical Tool

Statistical tools that the researchers will use in order to compute the data to be

gathered are weighted mean, frequency and percentage.

Points Mean Ranges Descriptive Category

4 3.5-4 Strongly Agree

 3 2.5-3.4 Agree

2 1.5-2.4 Disagree

1 1-1.4 Strongly Disagree

CHAPTER IV

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In this chapter, the statistical results of the study are divided into 3 parts and

each have corresponding table for every topic/matter at focus. The first part consists

of the socioeconomic profile of the grade 10 students of Barucboc National High

School. The second part is their strand preference. The third part consists of the

factors influencing the student’s strand preferences and the extent of which said

factors influence the strand preference. There would also be a discussion regarding

the data that included:

PROFILE OF THE STUDENTS

AGE

Table 2: Frequency and Percentage Distribution by Age

AGE FREQUENCY PERCENT

14 3 3.61%

15 59 71.09%

16 18 21.69%

17 3 3.61%

TOTAL 83 100%
 Table2: Clearly shows that majority of the respondents are 15 years old with a

frequency of 59 and a percentage of 71.09. This implies that the common age of the

Grade 10 students is 15 years of age.

GENDER

Table 3: Frequency and Percentage Distribution by Gender

GENDER FREQUENCY PERCENT

FEMALE 39 46.99%

MALE 44 53.01%

TOTAL 83 100%

Table 3: clearly shows that the majority of the respondents is male with a

frequency of 44 and a percentage of 53.01. This implies that the common gender of

the respondents is male.

STRAND

Table 4: Frequency and Percentage Distribution by Strand

STRAND FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

STEM 20 24.10

HUMSS 29 34.94

ABM 8 9.64

PBM 3 3.61

ARTS 1 1.20

HE 12 14.46

ICT 10 12.05
 TOTAL 83 100

Table 4: Clearly shows the strand preference of the respondents is HUMSS.

Majority of the students prefer the Humanities and Social Sciences comprises 34.94%

of the population, followed by Science-Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at

24.10%, and Home Economics at 14.46%.

Therefore, it can be inferred that most of the grade 10 students prefer to take

journalism, communication arts, liberal arts, education, and other social science-

related courses in college.

According to Krisha (2017), the HUMSS strand is frequently viewed as the

easiest academic strand since the specialized subjects seems to be easy.

Table 5: Frequency and Percentage Distribution by Factors

Factors Weighted mean Rank Description

1.Financial Status 2.99 3 Agree

2.Place of the future work 3.10 3 Agree

3. Choice of School 3.00 3 Agree

4.Childhood Dream Work 2.81 3 Agree

5.Personal Choice 3.25 3 Agree

6.Parent Choice 2.89 3 Agree

7.Talent and Skills 2.94 3 Agree

8.Peer Influence 2.29 3 Agree

9.Family Business 2.30 3 Agree

10.Academic Achievements 2.83 3 Agree

11. Teachers 2.53 3 Agree

12. No Choice 1.94 2 Agree

It can be seen on the table that the majority of the students agree that the main

factor affects in choosing a strand is personal choice with the mean of 3.25, followed

by place of their future work with mean of 3.10. Meanwhile, least of the respondents

left with no choice in strand preference.

It can be inferred from the table that most of the grade 10 students have

freedom in choosing a strand they like. They are not being influenced by their parents

and friends instead they follow their own choice.

According to Whitney Rines (2016), making our own decisions makes us

responsible for what comes out of that decision whether it was a positive move or not.

Personal choice helps us to become more independent and responsible on our actions.

We should be having control over every sphere of our life. If we don’t make a choice

then our life will end up in not a good way.

 CHAPTER V

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter discusses the summary, conclusion, and recommendation of the study.

Summary
This study was conducted to know the factors affecting the strand preference

of grade 10 students of Barucboc National High School of the Academic Year 2018-

2019.

Specifically, it aims to seek answers to the following questions:

1. What are the profile of the respondents in terms of age and sex? What are the

strand preference of grade 10 students at Barucboc National High School?

2. What are the factors influencing the strand choices of grade 10 students at

Barucboc National High school?

3. Is there a significant difference between the students’ profile and the factors

affecting the strand preference of Grade 10 students?

Conclusion

Based on the findings, the following conclusions were drawn.

1. The Grade 10 students of Barucboc National High School S.Y. 2018-2019 are

of ages 14-17 and composed of 44 males and 39 females.

2. Humanities and Social Sciences was the most preferred strand by the grade 10

students while Arts and Design was the least.

3. Personal choice is the main factor of grade 10 students that affects their strand

preference while some were just left no choice.

Recommendations

1. The researchers recommend to the SHS administration that they should

separate HUMSS strand from the other strands because it is the most preferred

strand of the grade 10 students.

2. Students should base on their talent, skill and ability in choosing senior

academic track.

3. The guidance office should identify students who have the problem in

choosing the course and offer to counsel.

4. Parents should support the passion and interest of their children.

REFERENCES

Anderson, P. (2013). Factors influencing student choice in higher education.

Perspectives, 3(4), 128-131.

Krisha Mae Lago (2017). Reasons why HUMSS is the best strand, 10-15.

Irish Yvonne Mae O. Ambong (2017). Review of related literature, 88-135

Whitney Rines (2016). Importance of making our own choices, 114-116

Philippine Daily Inquirer (2013). SHS tracks offer career paths to students, 34-75

Charlyn Barnachea (2017). Review of related literature, 122-163

Don Bosco Technology Center Inc. (2014). Factors Affecting Senior High School
Track Preference, 55-63