International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume VI, Issue IX, September 2022|ISSN 2454-6186

A Tracer Study of Science, Technology, Engineering,

and Mathematics (STEM) Strand Graduates of Divine
Word College of Legazpi Senior High School
Department
Ricky U. Domanais Jr. and Nikko M. Quiapon
Department Senior High School, Divine Word College of Legazpi, Philippines

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to trace the Senior High I. INTRODUCTION
School graduates under the Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics (STEM) strand of Divine Word College of
Legazpi and identify which of the four exits they pursued. The
researchers chose to trace the entire population of the Science,
T he 2011 State of the state Address (SONA) of former late
President Aquino, as quoted

Technology, Engineering and Mathematics strand graduates of “… ngayon pa lang, nagtatagpo na ang kaisipan ng DOLE,
Divine Word College of Legazpi, from School Years 2017-2018, CHED, TESDA at DepEd upang tugunan ang isyu ng job
2018-2019 and 2019-2020 as the respondents of the study. The mismatch, susuriin ang mga curriculum para maituon sa mga
total respondents were four hundred seventy-one (471). The industriyang naghahanap ng empleyado, at gagabayan ang
retrieval rate of the response was 89.17%. This study made use mga estudyante sa pagpili ng mga kursong hitik sa bakanteng
of the descriptive design to gather the needed data. Descriptive trabaho.”
research aimed to describe a population, situation, or
phenomenon accurately and systematically. Using an electronic In addressing the emerging and sophisticated nature
survey questionnaire, the researchers were able to identify the and challenges of the 21st century, teaching stands out as the
percentage of the students who have taken the four “exits” of the foremost key to deal with reforms. Through its essential
Senior High School Program, in this case, most of the STEM functions of instruction, research, extension and
graduates continued in Higher Education. Additionally, the production, pedagogy makes up a significant and strategic part
researchers were able to identify the college courses that they are in development. Moreover, Executive Order No. 83, series of
currently taking. Most of the STEM graduates chose higher
2012 establishes the Philippine Qualifications Framework,
education as one of the four exits on Senior High School. In
terms of their preferred academic institution, the STEM which mandates agency responsibilities like DepEd, CHED,
graduates are enrolled in Bicol University, Divine Word College TESDA, PRC and DOLE to review learning standards in
of Legazpi, and University of Santo Tomas – Legazpi. Three basic education, technical skills development and
hundred forty-three (82%) out of four hundred eighteen (418) of better education and within the alignment of licensure
the STEM Graduates are taking up their degree courses aligned examination.
to the strand being Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (23.1%),
Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering (11.4%), Bachelor’s In the Official Gazette, an official journal of the
Degree in Architecture (9.4%), Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Republic of the Philippines, the Senior High School (SHS)
Engineering (8.2%) and Bachelor’s Degree in Information covers the last two years of the K to 12 program and includes
Technology (5.8%) were the top five (5) choices. The remaining Grades 11 and 12. In SHS, students will go through a core
seventy-five (18%) of the STEM graduates enrolled on courses curriculum and subjects under a track of their choice. Students
that were not aligned to STEM. The courses they are taking up will undergo assessments to determine their strengths and
are, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Major in interests. These will include an aptitude test, a career
Marketing Management (8.0%), Bachelor of Physical Education
(8.0%), Bachelor of Science in Economics (6.7%), Bachelor of
assessment exam, and an occupational interest inventory for
Arts in Philosophy (6.7%), and Bachelor of Science in high schools. Career advocacy activities will also be
Entrepreneurship (5.3%) and Bachelor of Arts in Journalism conducted to help guide students in choosing their
(5.3%). These were some of the reasons why they did not take the specialization or track. This ensures that by the time one
course related to STEM: their current course is interesting, it is graduates from Senior High School, he will have the standard
their dream course, their courses serve as a pre-requisite subject knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to go to college.
to their dream course and influences from parents and peer. Senior High School covers eight learning areas as part of its
Keywords: Tracer Study, STEM Graduates core curriculum, and adds specific tracks (similar to college
courses) based on four disciplines: Academic (which includes
Business, Science & Engineering, Humanities & Social
Science, and a General Academic strand), Technical-
Vocational-Livelihood (with highly specialized subjects with

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International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume VI, Issue IX, September 2022|ISSN 2454-6186
TESDA qualifications), Sports, and Arts & Design. Senior tough college coursework (American College Testing [ACT]
High School “completes” basic education by making sure that Inc., 2015).
the high school graduate is equipped for work,
Schomburg, H. (2016) defines tracer study as a
entrepreneurship, or higher education. This is a step up from
survey (in written or oral form) of graduates from education
the 10-year cycle where high school graduates still needed
institutions, which takes place sometime after graduation or
further education (and expenses) to be ready for the world.
the end of the training. Furthermore, Regional Memorandum
In the article written in Minnesota State, students’ No. 90, series of 2018 of Department of Education Region V
who graduated in the STEM strand will acquire “STEM stated that conducting a tracer study in SHS graduates is
skills” needed in a workplace. Most employers want workers highly recommended. The conduct of the tracer study is in
who can reason and solve problems using some math, science, line with the goal of the K to 12 Basic Education Program that
or technology knowledge. Key STEM skills include: is to improve the overall quality of education in Filipino
schools.
● Analytical skills to research a topic, develop a project
plan and timeline, and draw conclusions from The tracer study goals to evaluate the exits taken by
research results. the STEM Graduates. The results will enhance the Senior
● Science skills to break down a complex scientific High School department services especially in terms of the
system into smaller parts, recognize cause and effect curriculum development. The teachers will be able to come up
relationships, and defend opinions using facts. with tailored discussions and activities that would best equip
● Mathematic skills for calculations and measurements. the students to be ready in a fast-changing society.
● Attention to detail to follow a standard blueprint,
Statement of the Problem
record data accurately, or write instructions.
● Technical skills to troubleshoot the source of a This study traced the Science, Technology,
problem, repair a machine or debug an operating Engineering and Mathematics strand graduates of DWCL-
system, and computer capabilities to stay current on SHS S.Y. 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020. This study
appropriate software and equipment. sought to answer the following research questions:
In addition, many workers in STEM fields use "soft" 1. What is the percentage value of the graduates of
skills at work as much as they use math and science. These Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
soft skills include: strand pursue:
a. Entrepreneurship,
● Communication and cooperation skills to listen to
b. Employment,
customer needs or interact with project partners.
c. Mid-Level Skills, or
● Creative abilities to solve problems and develop new
d. Higher Education?
ideas.
2. What are the current schools and courses being taken
● Leadership skills to lead projects or help customers.
up by the STEM graduates?
● Organization skills to keep track of lots of different
3. What are the reasons of STEM graduates’ students
information.
for not taking up courses aligned to STEM strand?
STEM was meant to epitomize a major connection
Scope and Limitations of the Study
that occurred among science, technology, engineering, and
arithmetic (Bolds, 2017; Patton, 2013). STEM strand focuses This study gave importance on the Senior High
on advanced concepts and topics compared to other strands. School context and focused on the Science, Technology,
During this strand, students are expected to become a pilot, an Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) strand of School Years
architect, an astrophysicist, a biologist, a chemist, an engineer, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, and 2019-2020 to know what exit or
a dentist, a nutritionist, a nurse, a doctor, and plenty more, choice they made after graduating in Senior High School. The
even the marine engineers could take this track. According to researchers focused only on the STEM graduates as they were
Lagarto et. al (2018), one amongst the explanations provided the main subjects of this research. The students who pursued
by proponents of the K to 12 law is that SHS graduates can higher education were identified whether their chosen strand
work or engage in entrepreneurial activities if they value more had aligned them to their chosen collegiate course as well as
highly to do. They view K to 12 programs as a way of helping the students who pursued the other exits (Mid-level skills,
the scholars to land on better job opportunities after Entrepreneurship, Employment) of the Senior High School.
graduation or when they can’t enroll themselves in college
right away. The curriculum also aims to train the scholars to Graduates of other strands (i.e. ABM, GAS & TVL)
were excluded from this study along with the STEM students
become entrepreneurs by adding classes that tackle about
who did not graduate from Divine Word College of Legazpi –
managing businesses. The entrepreneurship component offers
SHS Department in the School Years 2017-2018, 2018-2019,
basic business management, which encourages the scholars to
come up with business ideas and make a profit in line with and 2019-2020.
their passion. Quite half (50%) of high school graduates
directed within the STEM field are not prepared for his or her

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International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume VI, Issue IX, September 2022|ISSN 2454-6186
Conceptual Framework Table 1. Population of the Study

The main objective of this study was to trace the S.Y. 2017- S.Y. 2018- S.Y. 2019-
Section TOTAL
2018 2019 2020
Senior High School graduates under the Science, Technology,
Buerschen 35 44 38 117
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) strand of Divine Word
College of Legazpi and identify which of the four exits did Estioko 35 45 39 119
they pursued. Figure 1 shows the process of obtaining this Floresca 35 43 35 113
objective by first tracing/locating the STEM graduates’ Mueller 37 47 38 122
whereabouts in terms of entrepreneurship, higher education,
142 179 150 471
mid-level skills, or employment.
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework The total respondents were four hundred seventy-one
(471). The retrieval rate of the response is 89.17%.
Table 2. Retrieval Rate of the Response

Section S.Y. 2017-2018 S.Y. 2018-2019 S.Y. 2019-2020

Buerschen 35 100 37 84.09 37 97.37
Estioko 31 88.57 35 82.22 38 97.44
Floresca 25 71.43 43 100 31 88.57
Mueller 34 91.89 38 80.85 35 92.10

Research Instrument
This research utilized a survey questionnaire. This
instrument helped to identify the percentage of students who
have taken either of the four “exits” of the Senior High School
Program. Moreover, this instrument was able to classify the
College courses that the STEM. graduates are taking up
II. METHOD presently.
Research Design The survey questionnaire used in this tracer study
was based on the given open-source questionnaire by the
This study made use of the descriptive design to
DepEd Region X. The researchers made some modifications
gather the needed data. Descriptive research aimed to describe
to complement the respondents of the study.
a population, situation, or phenomenon accurately and
systematically. It can Data-gathering Process

answer what, where, when and how questions,but The researchers conducted a survey to all the
not why questions (McCombes, 2022). The researchers used a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics strand
complete enumeration where all members of the population graduates of Divine Word College of Legazpi Senior High
are measured (DATA COLLECTION STRATEGY, n.d.). School from School Years 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and 2019-
2020. The researchers created an online survey form using
Sources of Data Google Form as their platform. A link was forwarded to the
graduates of Science, Technology, Engineering and
This study used two (2) types of data sources:
Mathematics strand of 2018, 2019 and 2020. The respondents
primary and secondary. The primary source of data came from
the survey answers of the Science, Technology, Engineering were asked to indicate some personal information but were
and Mathematics strand graduates of Divine Word College of also assured of confidentiality. The survey lasted for two
Legazpi S.Y. 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. The months (January – February 2021) during the process.
secondary source of data were the records of the registrar’s III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
office. This section shows the results and discussion of the
Population and Sample of the Study data collected from the 421 respondents who graduated from
the DWCL SHS of 2018, 2019 and 2020 presented using
The researchers chose to trace the entire population tables and figures to represent and to discuss the following:
of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics The percentage of the STEM graduate who took up
strand graduates of Divine Word College of Legazpi, from Entrepreneurship, Higher Education, Mid-Level Skills, or
School Years 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 as the Employment; the school they were currently enrolled at, the
respondents of the study. courses being taken up by the STEM graduates; and the
reasons of STEM. graduates’ students for not taking up
courses aligned to STEM. strand.

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International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume VI, Issue IX, September 2022|ISSN 2454-6186
Four Exits of the Senior High School Graduates Figure 3 shows the top five (5) university/college
Figure 2. The Percentage of the STEM. graduates who took up
that the STEM graduates chose to get their degree are Bicol
Entrepreneurship, Higher Education, Mid-Level Skills, or Employment University (53.6%), Divine Word College of Legazpi
(16.3%), and University of Santo Tomas – Legazpi (15.3%),
Ago Medical and Educational Center and Mariner’s
Polytechnic Colleges Foundation (3.1%), and Tanchuling
College (1.2%).
This entails that when it comes to the instructional
delivery, the Senior High School department provides the
student with aligned and tailored subjects that can be on par
with the curriculum of Bicol University and other esteemed
schools.
Figure 2 shows that four hundred eighteen (418)
Table 3. Percentage of STEM Graduates with relevant degree in College
STEM Graduates of Divine Word College of Legazpi Senior
High School department chose Higher Education to get a Aligned Not Aligned
degree. Two (2) of the Graduates pushed through with Batch Percenta Percentag
Frequency Frequency
Entrepreneurship; One student supported their family ge e
business, which is a Café and the other, started an Online S.Y. 2017-
114 84.44 21 15.56
2018
Business. One (1) student enrolled in Automotive Servicing S.Y. 2018-
NC II for Mid-level Skills. 113 79.02 30 20.98
2019
S.Y. 2019-
No STEM graduate applied for a job after Senior 2020
116 82.86 24 17.14
High School. Based on an article written by Janvic Mateo Total 343 82.06 75 17.94
(2018), a journalist of Philippine Star, A survey was
conducted by JobStreet as part of its 2018 Fresh Graduate Table 3 shows that 82.06% of the STEM Graduates
Report showed only 24% of employers using website are are taking up their degree courses relevant to the strand. Batch
ready to hire the first batch of the graduates of the K-12 2018 graduates has a higher percentage of graduates that
program. Furthermore, it was also revealed that 35% of pursue relevant course in college. There were 17.94% of the
employers on JobStreet are not ready to hire K-12 Graduates, STEM Graduates are taking up their degree courses not
while 41% are still undecided. The article explains that there relevant to the strand.
are still few employers that will hire Senior High graduates. In Figure 4. Percentage of the Aligned Courses being taken by the STEM
this case, there is a lack of availability of jobs that accepts Graduates
non-college graduate.
Additionally, on the article published Attorney Dodo
Dulay (2019) on the website The Manila Times, he said that it
is a conventional wisdom among the Filipino families that
their children should acquire a college degree to land a good
and stable job. Meaning, the Filipino parents think that if their
children go to college, the success rate of their employment
will increase.
Current Schools and Courses Taken up by the STEM
Graduates
Figure 3. Current Schools that the STEM Graduates are enrolled

Figure 4 shows that 23.1% of the STEM graduates

are taking up Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, 11.4% are taking
up Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, 9.4% in
Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture, 8.2% are those who are
taking up Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering and
5.8% are interested to take Bachelor’s Degree in Information
Technology.

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International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume VI, Issue IX, September 2022|ISSN 2454-6186
Reasons of STEM graduates for not taking up courses aligned enrolled on courses that are not aligned to STEM. The top
to the strand courses are Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Figure 5. Percentage of the other courses being taken by the STEM Graduates
Major in Marketing Management, Bachelor of Physical
Education, Bachelor of Science in Economics, Bachelor of
Arts in Philosophy, and Bachelor of Science in
Entrepreneurship and Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. These
are some of the reasons why they did not take the course
related to STEM: their current course is interesting, it is their
dream course, their courses serve as a pre-requisite subject to
their dream course and influences from parents and peer.
The researchers asked the respondents for some
recommendations. These were the suggestions for the
improvement of the Senior High School curriculum. First, the
students were looking for opportunities to have laboratory
activities or experiments for them to apply the theories and
lessons being taught to them. Second, they were suggesting
having a specialization on STEM strand: Specialization that
focuses on different fields of science and medicine and
Figure 5 shows the courses that were not aligned to
specialization that focuses on algorithm, engineering, and
STEM related courses. 8.0% of the students taking up
technology. Third, the activities/performance tasks given by
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Major in
the teachers should be authentic and contextualize based on
Marketing Management and Bachelor of Physical Education,
the needs of the students. Fourth, to include Robotic subject as
6.7% of the students were taking up Bachelor of Science in
part of the curriculum of the STEM. Lastly, the graduates are
Economics and Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, and 5.3% are
asking to have a work immersion aligned to the program for
students taking up Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship
them to grasp real experience in their chosen field.
and Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
Based on the recommendations from the respondents
The reasons of the respondents for not taking the
and the conclusions, the researchers recommend the
courses related to STEM were: 65 graduates found that their
following: 1. The curriculum guide of the STEM should
current course was interesting, 13 graduates enrolled in their
inculcate laboratory activities especially for science and health
dream course, 11 students took their course because it is a pre-
subjects; 2. The activities that are being done must be
requisite course to their dream course, 9 students selected
intensified in terms of the specialization that they are offering
their course because of parent’s influence, 3 students chose
to the student; 3. Extensive career programs/seminars
their course because of peer influence and other reason
discussing STEM related courses to increase the alignment of
includes: late realization, it’s an easy course, the availability
courses being taken by the STEM Graduates.
of the course as an athlete, and still undecided.
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