Bagbaguin National High School

San Diego St. Sitio Bisalao, Bagbaguin, Valenzuela City

FACTORS IN CHOOSING THE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

ACADEMIC STRAND OF GRADE 10 STUDENTS OF
BAGBAGUIN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

A Mini Research presented to:

Bagbaguin National High School of
Bagbaguin, Valenzuela City

In Partial Fulfilment

Of the Requirements

In Mathematics 10

Research by:

Corpuz, Lady Lheane A.

Ilumin, Daren Dirk M.

Intia, Danissa P.

Ortopias, Jhaymie B.

Pementera, Jandrei S.

Villados, Myka Angela B.

10 – Genesis
 I. THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Academic Strands or Academic Tracks are the set of possible course selections available to a
specific group of students or Senior High School Students (Grade 12 students in particular).
There are currently four (4) existing academic strands for Senior High School students: Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Accountancy, Business and Management
(ABM), Humanities and Social Science (HUMMS), and General Academic Strand (GAS). These
different tracks, strands, and specializations are intended for you to determine which paths fit
your strengths, passions, and skills (Mapua Malayan Colleges Mindanao, 2022).

In order for a young person's life to succeed, they must make an informed career decision.
The rest of the world will be impacted by the occupations these pupils choose (Adlawan, L.,
Cabalan, J., & Pando, J., 2022). According to the Department of Education Davao Region, th
Senior High School (SHS) is the last two years of the K to 12 Basic Education program which
also refers to Grade 11 and 12. The Philippines is one of only three countries in the world with a
10-year pre-university program, the other two being Djibouti and Angola in Africa (2022).

According to Benitez, A., et. al. (2019), deciding for a course has consequences, it may
either help you or have a negative side in your future. Choosing your strands in senior high
school may require a lot of thinking. Oftentimes, this leads to confusion, doubts, and
undecidedness that results in unemployment and underemployment if, unfortunately, they misfit
their pursued career. Hence, we were prompted to find out the students’ preferred strand, the
factors' level of influence on the senior high school strand preferences, and if there is a
significant relationship between the factors and strands, to help the students decide on their
future senior high strand in accordance to the path that suits them most (Malaguial, P.A.,
Gacoscos, G., Martinez, E., et.al., 2023). You must still consider whether the tracks you will take
in will benefit your chosen career. Therefore, this will help inform Grade 10 students what to
consider and what to do in choosing their strands, hence, they won't have any trouble in shifting
courses and this will allow them to learn more efficiently.

Background of the Study

Based on the research of Tortor (2020), choosing a strand is a crucial act to every student in
such a way that they have to consider their financial status, parents and peer suggestion, and also
their self-choice in acting on it. Having these kinds of factors before choosing their desired
strands or tracks in upcoming Senior High School may be their problem why they don't get the
strands they want. These are the reasons for stopping the selection of students for their chosen
strands in Senior High School. This is a dilemma grade 10 students, particularly those at
Bagbaguin National High School face as they approach the added two more years of high school,
known as Senior High School.

Students, being young-minded about their future, don't have any idea of what to do next
before or after they graduate. There are still a lot of high school students across the globe who
are still confused and clueless on choosing the academic strand they want to take as there are a
lot of factors to consider. Choosing your future career requires commitment, and choosing the
wrong one will make changing and adjusting difficult. This research will then determine those
factors so that the result may guide incoming Senior High School students as well as their
parents in achieving the right decisions regarding their career choice.

Statement of the Problem

There are several students who find it hard to choose their own strand because of the lack of
information. This research would examine the different factors that affect the decision of grade
10 students of Bagbaguin National High School in choosing an academic strand in senior high
school.

1.) Did the students see these reasons interrupt your decision-making in choosing your own
strand in terms of:
 a.) Financial Concerns

b.) Peer Pressure or Peer Influence

c.) Personal Interest

d.) Parents' Suggestions

2.) What factor affects the decision of the students the most?

3.) What factor affects the decision of the students the least?

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This research entitled "Factors in Choosing the Academic Strand in Senior High School"
was conducted at Bagbaguin National High School in the months of May and June S.Y. 2022-
2023. We conducted this study to determine the factors that affect one's decision in choosing a
strand in senior high school. Through the use of google forms, we formulated a questionnaire to
be filled out by the respondents of this research who were composed of 30 random grade 10
students of Bagbaguin National High School. The results of this study are applicable to all
respondents of this study and to other students who are still confused in choosing a strand in
Senior High School.

Significance of the study

The study focused on explaining the factors affecting the choice of incoming Senior High
School student in choosing a strand.

Moreover, the result of the study will be beneficial to the following:

The students who are the target of this study will be guided on what factors mostly affect them
and have a great impact on their decision to choose what strand they want.

The parents who will understand the factors that influence their children's strand selection and
why they struggle.
The teachers who can help and support the grade 10 students by choosing their desired strands
in senior high school. They will have an idea of how they can assist their students and the reason
behind all the difficulties.

The Future Researcher this study will benefit them in future when they will conduct the same
or any study that is related to the topic.

The Researcher Themselves will benefit from learning what factors can affect their decision
when choosing a strand.

Definition of Terms

Dilemma -a usually undesirable or unpleasant choice. (Merriam-Webster, 2023)

Factors - one of the things that affects an event, decision, or situation. (Collins Dictionary, 2023)

Peer - one belonging to the same societal group especially based on age, grade, or status
(Merriam-Webster, 2023)

Senior High School - a school usually including grades 10 to 12 (Merriam-Webster, 2023)

Strand - is an area of study under an academic track that senior high school students must take
to prepare for their chosen degree in college. (CIIT, 2023)

ABM - the Accounting Business and Management. ABM is the strand for students who
wish to go into college with the following courses: Human Resource, Tourism, Hotel and
Restaurant Management, Accounting, Business Studies, Marketing, Real Estate, Export
Management, Entrepreneurship, and other related courses in this path. This is definitely a
suggested strand for those who have their eyes set on creating a business in the future or
working in the business sector. (Cueva, 2022)

GAS - the General Academic Strand or GAS. If you have some uncertainty or confusion
in your mind on what specific path you would want to take, then GAS is the strand
 offered in this track. The courses offered here are encompassing; meaning in all fields.
The things that one can learn in this can help your uncertain mind explore your possible
college options. To simply put, this strand is for all college courses. (Cueva, 2022)

HUMMS - the Humanities and Social Sciences or HUMSS. HUMSS is the strand for
students who wish to go into college with the following courses: Political Science or
International Studies, English or Filipino Literature, Mass Communication, Education,
Performing Arts, and other related courses. (Cueva, 2022)

STEM - the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math track, also known as STEM.
STEM is a strand for students who wish to go into college with the following courses:
Biology, Physics, Mathematics, Engineering, Computer Studies, Information
Technology, and so on and forth on the related courses. This strand is a very hands-on
type of experience that would be good for students who have firmly decided on their
future college courses and profession. (Cueva, 2022)

Track - The verb track shows that you're following the path of something. The noun track can
refer to a path of a more literal kind. (Vocabulary, 2023)
 II. METHODOLOGY

Respondents and Setting of the Study

The respondents of the study were taken from Grade 10 students at Bagbaguin National
High School. This research was conducted at Bagbaguin National High School in the months of
May and June S.Y. 2022-2023.

Sample and Sampling Techniques

The researchers ramdomly selected 30 grade 10 students of Bagbaguin National High

School. The researchers chose Bagbaguin National High School as their sample so they could
easily conduct the study and survey.

Instruments Used

The researcher used a survey questionnaire via Google Form to Bagbaguin National High
School students. The questionnaire consists of a series of questions divided into different factors
for selecting the strand. In the questionnaire, we used a Likert scale method to determine how
many students agreed or disagreed with each statement.

Data Collection Process

The researchers request permission to perform the study in the form of a letter. The question,
which was distributed via Google Forms to all sections of Bagbaguin National High School’s
Grade 10 level, was validated by their Grade 10 teacher, Ms. Mary Antoinette Bien.

Statistical Treatment

Percentage was used in calculating the respondents by getting the frequency of answer
divided by the total number of respondents and multiplying it to 100%.

Formula:
 N
P= (100 %)
F

Where:

 P = Percentage
 F = Frequency of answer
 N = Number of participants / respondents
 III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter presents, analyzes, and interprets the data gathered in the research study. The
various results were given in the graphs and tables that followed, along with corresponding
discussions.

Figure 1. Sex Profile of the Respondents

Figure 1 presents the sex profile of the respondents. It shows that 70% of the respondents
were females and 30% were males. The data presented above shows that the majority of
respondents were female, with a small number of males.

Figure 2. Grade Section of the Respondents

 Figure 2 presents the sections of the respondents. It shows that 23.3% (7) of the respondents
were from section Genesis, 16.7% (5) were from Leviticus, 13.3% (4) were from Judges, 10%
(3) were sections Exodus, Jeremiah, and Ruth, 6.7% (2) were Proverbs, and 3.3% (1) were
sections Numbers, Psalms, and Joshua. This shows that the majority of respondents were from
Genesis.

Figure 3. Difficulties of the Respondents in choosing their Strand

Figure 3 presents the difficulties of the students in choosing their strand. It shows that
73.3% of the respondents were having difficulties in choosing their strand, while 26.7% were not
having any difficulties. The data above shows that the majority of the respondents were having
difficulties choosing their strand.

Figure 4. Choosing Academic Strand Hardness Scale

 Given the question regarding how hard it was for them to choose their strand, from a scale of
1-5, with 1 being the easiest and 5 being the hardest, Figure 4 shows that 40% (12) of the
respondents were neutral, 20% (6) of the respondents found it easy, while 20% (6) of them found
it hard, 10% (3) of the respondents found it the easiest, while another 10% (3) of them found it
the hardest. The data presented above shows that the majority of the respondents were neutral
between finding it easy or hard in choosing their academic strand.

Figure 5. Respondents Preferred Academic Strand for Senior High School

Figure 5 presents the preferred academic strand of the respondents. It shows that 60% of
them chose Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), 20% of the
respondents chose Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM), 16.7% chose Humanities
and Social Science (HUMMS), and 3.3% of the respondents preferred the General Academic
Strand (GAS) strand. The data above shows that most of the respondents preferred the STEM
strand for Senior High School, while GAS was the least preferred strand among all of the
respondents.

Figure 6. Family Factors in Choosing their Academic Strand

 Figure 6 represents the family factors that affect the respondents in choosing their academic
strands. It shows that most of them strongly disagree that their chosen strand was chosen by their
parents, with 53% (16). Meanwhile, most of them both disagreed and strongly disagreed that
they chose a strand because their cousin took the same strand, with 26% (8). 33% (10) of them,
which is the most number of respondents, answered ‘neither’ that the strand is what their parents
can afford. Next, most of the respondents with 40% (12), strongly disagreed that their chosen
strand was in line with their family business. Lastly, most of the respondents both strongly
agreed and answered ‘neither’ that their parents find their chosen strand profitable and practical,
with 26% (8).

Figure 7. Peer or Classmate factors in Choosing their Academic Strand

Figure 7 represents the peer or classmate factors that affect the respondents in choosing their
academic strand. In the first statement, most of the respondents agreed that they chose the strand
together with their friends, with 26% (8). Next, most of them strongly disagreed with 36% (11),
who said that their best friend convinced them to choose their chosen strand. In the third
statement, most of them also strongly disagreed that all of their friends chose a strand and they
joined, with 46% (14). Lastly, most of the respondents disagreed, with 33% (10) saying that their
friends’ choice of school affected their decision.

Figure 8. Self Interest

Figure 8 shows self-interest as a factor in choosing the respondents’ strand. The graph shows
in the first statement that most of the respondents strongly agreed that their chosen strand was
their own choice, with 66% (20). The next statement, with 30% (9), shows that most of the
respondents agreed they chose their strand as they are good at verbal communication.
Meanwhile, most of the respondents agreed that they chose their strand because they have good
managerial skills, with 30% (11). Most of them responded ‘neither’ that they chose their strand
because they are inclined in business, with 46% (14). In the next statement, most of the
respondents strongly agreed with their strand that it is their dream job in the future and that they
want to deepen their knowledge and skills about it, with 50% (15). Given the next statement,
most of them agreed that working in a company was a factor in choosing their strand, with 46%
(14). While, most of them responded 'neither' that them being good in numbers was a factor in
choosing their strand, with 26% (8). Next statement, most of the respondents strongly agreed that
they preferred their chosen strand, as this was their childhood dream work, with 33% (10).
Lastly, most of the respondents answered 'neither' that their favorite subject was a factor or is
connected to their chosen strand, with 30% (9).
 IV. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter presents the conclusions and recommendations for the solution of the problems
discovered in this study are also offered.

Conclusions

 In choosing the academic strand for the upcoming senior high school, the students did
encounter the factors that we provided. The majority of the respondents claimed they are
having difficulties choosing the academic strand in senior high school. Meanwhile, some
of the respondents said otherwise.
 Based on the results of our survey questionnaire, the factor that affects the decision of the
students the most in choosing their academic strand is "Personal Interest" with 75% of the
respondents strongly agreeing that it was their own choice.
 We also concluded that the factor that affects the decision of the students the least in
choosing their academic strand is "Parents' Suggestions" with 53% of the respondents
strongly disagreeing that their strand is chosen by their parents.

Recommendation

Given the results from the study, the researchers would like to recommend the following:

 Students should do research and take advice from knowledgeable individuals to help
them determine what is best for them.
  Students should consider their interests, skills, talent, and abilities when choosing their
strand.
 Students should ask themselves what their goal in life is.
 Parents should support their childrens’ passion and interests.

REFERENCES

Adlawan, L., Cabalan, J., Pando, J. (2022). Factors Influencing the Preferences of Grade 10
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Albia, I., Dollaga, K. V., Gayosa, J., Nobleza, M., Vallente, C. B. (2016). Factors Influencing
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https://www.academia.edu/24592420/Factors_Influencing_Students_Choice_for_a_Senior_High
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Benitez, A., Cabeltis, A., Castelo, J., Cayubit, E., Centura, M. J., et. al. (2019). Factors affecting
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Cueva, D. (2022). Senior High School Guide: Choosing the Right Track and Strand. Retrieved
From https://topnotcher.ph/k-12-tracks-and-strands/
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definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary (collinsdictionary.com)

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 Factors in Choosing the Senior High School Academic Strand of Grade 10 Students of
Bagbaguin National High School Survey
Dear respondents,
Our group is conducting a survey for our research study Factors in Choosing the Senior High
School Academic Strand of Grade 10 Students of Bagbaguin National High School.
With this, we would like to ask you to answer the questionnaire truthfully and your
participation will be highly appreciated. We assure that the given information will be treated
with utmost confidentiality. Thank You!
Sincerely, Researchers from Bagbaguin National High School.

Name (Optional): __________________________

Sex:

○Female ○Male

Section*
Choose: ○ Genesis ○ Exodus ○ Leviticus ○ Numbers ○ Jeremiah ○ Joshua ○ Judges ○ Ruth
○ Psalms ○ Proverbs

Questionnaires:

1.) Do you have any difficulties in choosing your strand for Senior High School?
○Yes
○No
2.) From a scale of 1-5, 1 being the easiest and 5 being the hardest. How hard is it for you to
choose a strand?
○1 ○2 ○3 ○4 ○5

3.) What is your preferred strand for Senior High School?

○ Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

○ Accountancy Business and Management (ABM)

○ Humanities and Social Science (HUMMS)

○ General Academic Strand (GAS)

Select on the statement below if you agree or disagree.

5- Strongly Agree 4- Agree 3- Neither 2- Disagree 1- Strongly Disagree

Family Factors 5 4 3 2 1
This strand is chosen by my
parent.
My cousin takes the same strand.
It is the strand that my parent can
afford.
It is in line with our family
business.
My parents find this course
profitable and practical.
Peer/ Classmate Factors 5 4 3 2 1
My friends and I choose this
strand.
My best friend convinced me to
choose his/her chosen strand.
All my friends choose this strand
and I join.
My friend’s choice of school
affects my decisions.
My friends' preference of course
affects my decision in choosing.
Self Interest 5 4 3 2 1
It is my own choice.
I am good in verbal
communication.
I have good managerial skills.
I am inclined in business.
This is my dream job in the future
I want to deep my knowledge and
skills.
I want to work in a company.
I am good in number.
I preferred this strand as my
childhood dream work.
This strand is connected to my
favorite subject.
DOCUMENTATION