Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Education has it placed in the value system among Filipino families. Most

parents often and repetitively tell their children to prioritize and perform well at

school for it will open vast opportunity in the near future. Thus, educating and

continuous learning is highly regarded by the Filipinos. It molds and influences

the students in order to develop and adjust for a better living.

Generally speaking, Filipino youths begin their education at home together

with their family at an early age. Here, they acquire knowledge through

socialization and interaction from family members by means of self-exploration

and experimentation. Time would come that the child is send to school for a

more formal education that the institution could offer. By this time, he tries to

explore greater depths of knowledge together with his classmates, teachers,

school personnel and the like.

The school is a stronghold that provides concepts and ideas of what an

individual can become and develop his potentials. It endows the student not only

knowledge but also values to produce better persons that would result into a

responsible and productive citizens.

However, contexts such as time, interpersonal, intrapersonal, super

ordinate and organic factors on the developmental period can modify ones

behavior (Wesnar, 1990). Such factor can be in the aspect of behavior,

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cognitive, personality variables, peers, family, socioeconomic status, culture,

physiological processes and the like. As a result, greater areas in the

development of an individual are essential for the educators to manage and

consider.

Particularly in the age group of teenagers, misconduct has been one of

the challenges the educational institution faces when it comes to learning. Many

school-related problems emerge at this particular developmental level (Santrock,

2001). Thus, they are more prone to commit behavioral misconduct at school

that would turn out to be worrisome to parents and the school administrator.

Such predicament motivates the researcher to conduct a study that would

aimed to determine the relationship of behavioral misconduct exhibited by the

first year high school students in relation to their academic performance.

Moreover, the researcher had come up on the correlational analysis that sought

to find whether there is a significant relationship between the variables

mentioned and on what degree of affinity it possesses.

Theoretical Framework

Several theories were been considered and reviewed in the light of

establishing the framework of the study. Among the theories included in the

discussion were Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis by Sigmund Freud and

Social Cognitive Theory as proposed by Albert Bandura and Walter Mischel.

Concepts in communication are also included in the backbone of the research.

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 Aggression and frustration have long been seen as being related to each

other in a cause and effect manner. The oldest of contemporary theories of

aggression, the frustration aggression hypothesis, consider frustration to result

fro interference with some on going activities. Proponents of this view point

believe that frustration leads to anger, an emotional state, which makes

aggressive responses to occur. Anger increases as frustration mounts and can

be viewed as a drive state which can trigger aggression in the presence of

certain cues which are called releasors. These cues are often learned through

frequent exposure to aggression producing experiences. The aggression as

elicited by an individual is called displacement as Freud used in his

psychodynamic views.

Another framework of the research was based on Social Cognitive Theory

by Albert Bandura and Walter Mischel. The theory suggests that behavior,

environment and person/cognitive factors interact in the reciprocal manner

(reciprocal determinism). Therefore, in Bandura’s view, the environment can

determine a person’s behavior, but there is much more to consider. The person

can act to change the environment. Person/cognitive factors can influence a

person’s behavior and vice versa. Bandura believes observational learning is a

key aspect of how an individual learn. Such process can motivate a person to

form ideas about the behavior of others and possibly adopt such behaviors. This

mode of learning is called vicarious learning – learning by observing others.

Bandura believed that there is a powerful effect that modeling and imitation can

have on learning.

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 The person being observed is called a model. There is evidence to

suggest that an individual can learn behaviors by observing a model perform

these behaviors. Thus, for example, a student can learn how to speak foul

language by observing several students doing it, a process called modeling. The

types of behaviors under consideration are often included under the terms

imitation and identification. However, imitation has very narrow connotation of

response mimicry and, at the other extreme, identification implies an

incorporation of entire patterns of behavior. Modeling involves something

broader than imitation but less diffuse than identification.

In addition to the theories introduce, communicating one’s feeling is also

vital in the foundation of the research. Communication has been broadly defined

as the “sharing of experiences” (Tubbs, 1991). It may be inferred, from the

definition that communication is the sharing of life, since the experience is the

stuff which life is made of. And in, like manner, it may argue that communication

is a sharing of one’s life and one’s self, it is the manifestation of one’s personality.

Generally, there are two types of communication in which an individual can

convey his feelings; Verbal and Non-Verbal communication. Verbal

Communication is the most explicit and common method for conveying objective

information – using words as messages. The latter connotes the transmission of

information by means of other language other than language in its spoken,

written or other known form (Kasschau, 1985). Some dimensions that can be

considered non-verbal are through physical appearances, movements, facial

expressions and gestures.

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 Several theories have been presented in order to ascertain the framework

of the study. According to aggression-frustration hypothesis, aggression is

produced when there is blocking towards a certain goal or it is been thwarted. As

a result, aggressive behavior is produced or “displaced” as the individual

continuously exposed to the same experiences. Moreover, vicarious learning

through observation denotes that certain behaviors can be learned through

imitation in a process called modeling. Finally, an individual expresses his

thoughts and feelings through verbal or non-verbal means.

Conceptual Framework

Based on the theories carefully reviewed and defined in the previous

sections, the researcher has organized and used the concepts presented as the

basis for the ideas of the study.

High school students are prone and can manifest several misconducts

inside the campus through displaced aggression or by observational learning

process. However, it does not eliminate several factors that might explain the

behavior of a student inside the school. Family, significant others, environment,

physiological processes and the like can also attribute to the attitude and

behavior of students.

Misconduct inside the school takes many form, either verbally or non-

verbal. And such pattern of behaviors exhibited by students can affect

themselves, other students, teachers, school properties and most probably on

their academic standing.

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 Student Profile Classroom Misconduct

Age
Sex
Economic Status

Academic Performance

Figure 1

Research Paradigm

Statement of the Problem

The main purpose of the study is to determine the relationship between

classroom misconduct and academic performance of freshman high school

students of Mapulang Lupa National High School.

More specifically, this research sought to determine the following:

1. What is the modal profile of the respondents in terms of the following

variables:

1.1 age,

1.2 gender,

1.3 economic status;

2. What is the Grade Point Average (GPA) of the respondents during the first

grading period (School Year 2007-2008)?

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3. What is the form of classroom misconduct as measured by the survey

questionnaire with respect to:

3.1 Verbal

3.2 Non-verbal

4. Is there a significant relationship between classroom misconduct and

academic performance?

Hypothesis

Based on the foregoing problems, the null hypothesis of the study is:

There is no significant relationship between classroom misconduct and academic

performance.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

The research is delimited to the following: the research environment is

settled to the freshman high school students of Mapulang Lupa National High

School located at Mapulang Lupa, Valenzuela City. Secondly, this study

excluded home environment as a vital factor for the misconduct of the students.

Thirdly, the respondents comprise of four hundred (400) first year students

currently enrolled for the school year 2007-2008. Out of this figure, only two

hundred (200) are chosen to participate in the study as determined through

statistical means. Moreover, purposive random sampling is the method that was

employed in this research. The researcher also adopted the standard grading

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system and the curriculum offered by the institution that would be the basis of the

academic performance of the participants. Grades are based on teacher’s

evaluation at the end of the first quarter period of the school year (2007-2008)

and the grading system used by is based on the Memorandum given by the

Department of Education (DepEd) for the Public Schools. Lastly, an indigenous

survey questionnaire was used in the study - The Problem Attitude Checklist for

High School Students (PACHSS) to measure the misconduct exhibited by the

respondents.

Significance of the Study

For School Administrators

This study will serve the administration a basis for enhancing better school

management in order to improve the academic performance of the students. The

findings of the study will also give data to the guidance and counseling office in

order for the school psychologist to be acquainted with the problems experienced

by the students and for them to provide contingency programs and pinpoint

student that needs help and counseling.

For Teachers

This research intends to be beneficial to teachers in terms of behavior and

instructional management. Handling behavior and disciplining the students

would come in handy when a better understanding on the part of the students is

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established and it would follow a necessity for a better teaching methodology that

would fit right for the students.

For Family

This research will give insights to the family about their children’s behavior

at school. Such data is useful in terms of the effectiveness and the extent of

parental discipline at home in which carried by the student at school. Parents

having a key role in the development of the student’s behavior have much to

contribute in the adjustment of the child.

For Students

This study seeks to enhance the class standing of freshmen students

when the relationship between classroom misconduct and academic

performance have been determined and established. Such awareness will aid

students to adjust to their faulty learning styles and motivates them to perform

well at school.

For Researchers

For the researcher as well as for those who are aspiring to be educators

or want to be in the school system, this study will provide guidance and

assistance in the future. This can help in a way of adding more information about

the subject matter to those researches that are being conducted.