CHAPTER 1

The Problem and Its Background

Introduction

Filipinos are known to be competitive in the international

community. However, the ten years of basic education has always been

seen as a disadvantage to Filipino students who are competing in an

increasingly global job market. It is evident that the unemployment rate in

the Philippines is increasing. It was perceived that one of the reasons for

the continuous increase of the unemployment rate is the insufficient

number of academic years that leads to the incompetency of the

graduates. The K 12 longer educational cycle seeks to give every Filipino

student the opportunity to receive quality education that is globally

competitive based on a pedagogically sound curriculum that is at par with

international standards.

During 2012-2013 academic years, the education system of the

Philippines was enhanced from the ten years of basic education to the

K-12 curriculum. It offers four strands: Accountancy, Business and

Management (ABM); Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS); Science,

Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); and General

Academic.
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The enhanced K 12 curriculum is designed to provide a holistic

education for all. It will give students ample time to master basic academic

skills as well as to participate in co-curricular and extracurricular activities.

Co-curricular activities are more focused upon cognitive aspects

thereby helping in intellectual development. For the overall development of

a child, curriculum is not only the single criterion. The holistic growth as

well as development of the various facets of personality of children are the

reasons why classroom teaching should be supplemented with

co-curricular activities. These are not new to the modern curricular

education syllabi.

Extracurricular activities are activities that students do outside of

class. The word “extra” means “outside” and “curricular” refers to all of the

work you do in the classroom. Extracurricular does not mean that it falls

outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school.

K12 curriculum in the Philippines has just been recently put into

practice. The country’s knowledge about senior high school students is

still narrow, this why this research is being conducted. It is significant to

know if there is a difference between the student’s preferred activities that

will help the university decide as to what co-curricular and extra-curricular

activities it must provide.

Setting of the Study

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The study will take place in Centro Escolar University, Manila

(figure 1). Centro Escolar University is a private, non-sectarian higher

education institution with an enrollment of more than 20,000 students in its

four campuses: Manila, Makati, Malolos, and Las Piñas. Established in

1907, Centro Escolar de Señoritas, from a small school in Azcarraga has

grown to become one of the top universities in the country today. It is

located at 9 Mendiola St., San Miguel, Manila City.

Figure 1 Centro Escolar University, Manila map

Theoretical framework

Alexander Astin's 1985 theory of student involvement (as shown in

figure 2) explains how desirable outcome for institutions of higher

education are viewed in relation to how students change and develop in

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result to being involved co-curricularly. The core concepts of the theory

are composed of three elements. The first, a student's "inputs" such as

their demographics, their background, and any previous experiences. The

second is the student's "environment", which accounts for all of the

experiences a student would have during college. Lastly, there are

"outcomes" which cover a student's characteristics, knowledge, attitudes,

beliefs, and values that exist after a student has graduated college.

This theory increases the researchers’ idea on how this research

will progress. It considers the environment that influences the inputs on

whether it will result to a positive or negative outcome.

Figure 2 Astin’s I-E-O Model

Conceptual framework

The researchers considered 3 elements on their conceptual

framework: inputs (co-curricular and extracurricular activities and SHS

students) are the materials that student’s need to undergo a process of

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classification which will occur in the environment (ABM, HUMMS, and

STEM) and it will come up with an outcome (difference between

co-curricular and extracurricular activities preferred by SHS students). The

conceptual framework is illustrated in figure 3.

Figure 3 Researchers’ conceptual framework

Statement of the problem

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The study aimed to know the difference between co-curricular and

extracurricular activities preferred by senior high school students of Centro

Escolar University, Manila.

1. What are the characteristics of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 Age

1.2 Gender

1.3 Year Level

1.4 Strand?

2. What are the preferred co-curricular/extracurricular activities by

senior high school students?

3. Is there a significant difference among the preferences of the

SHS strands?

4. How can the results of the study be used to improve the

activities of Centro Escolar University?

Objectives of the study

The objectives of the study are as follows:

1. To know the characteristics of the respondents in terms of their

age, gender and year level.

2. To know the preferred co-curricular and extracurricular activities of

senior high school students of CEU Manila.

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3. To know the difference between co-curricular and extracurricular

activities preferred by senior high school students of Centro Escolar

University, Manila.

Hypotheses

H​0​: There is no significance difference among the preferred co-curricular

and extracurricular activities of the SHS students based on the different

strands.

H​1​: There is a significant difference among the preferred co-curricular and

extracurricular activities of the SHS students based on different strands.

Assumptions

The researchers assumed that the respondents will answer the

surveys truthfully and will cooperate eagerly. The researchers will be able

to accumulate all possible data to acquire their objectives at the end of the

research.

Scope and delimitation

The main focus of this study is to determine the preferred

co-curricular and extracurricular activities of the Senior High School

students during the academic year 2017-2018 depending on their chosen

strands and determine whether or not there exists a significant difference

among their preferences. This study is limited only within the campus of
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Centro Escolar University, Manila. The respondents of this study are

randomly selected Senior High School students of the said university. It

will not include the reasons of those preferred activities. The delimitation

of this study is the time-constraint, conflict of schedules and financial

constraints.

Significance of the study

This study will be of great help to the university for it will provide

information about the preferred co-curricular and extracurricular activities

of the SHS students in accordance with different strands. Through this, the

institution can provide co-curricular and extracurricular activities that are fit

to the needs of SHS students which are engaging.

This study will be beneficial to the students for it will give them

activities that are based on what they prefer, by that, the enrichment of

their skills will be easier and more effective.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined according to the context in which

they will be used in the study for a clearer understanding of what they

mean.

Co-curricular activities. It refers to those course of works and

activities which supports and puts an add-on effect on to the education

integral part to raise the skills towards the core field which the students

are involved.
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Community based. It is used to describe an activity that is

organized and takes place locally.

Extracurricular activities. It refers to the activities that fall outside

the realm of the normal curriculum of school or university education,

performed by students.

Extrovert. It means that a person is outgoing and overtly

expressive.

Greek Life. It refers to the social organizations at colleges and

universities in America; fraternities and sororities.

Hone. It means to ​refine or perfect (something) over a period of

time.

Interpersonal. It refers to something involving or occurring among

several people.

Introvert.​ It describes a person who tends to turn inward mentally.

Mock parliament. It is a simulation of the parliamentary

proceedings of a legislature or other deliberative assembly.

Money management. It is the process of managing money which

includes expense tracking, investment, budgeting, banking and taxes.

Resilient. ​ It refers to the ability to withstand or recover quickly

from difficult conditions.

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Senior High School. It refers to 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.

Social capital. It is an economic idea that refers to the

connections between individuals and entities that can be economically

valuable.

Social welfare. It is an organized public or private social services

for the assistance of disadvantaged groups.