Exploring the Grassroots: Predictors for Choosing the In- House Medical Technology Program

____________________________________________________________
EXPLORING THE GRASSROOTS: PREDICTORS FOR CHOOSING THE
IN- HOUSE MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM AMONG THE
STUDENTS OF STEM STRAND AT EMILIO AGUINALDO COLLEGE –
CAVITE
INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

(use the following components of Background of the Study as guide)

1 ISSUE - Begin the background by defining the problem that your research will address.
Tell the reader why the problem is worth your attention and is also worth theirs. After defining
the research problem, provide a review of the existing research on the subject (Elsevier, 2024).
2 EVIDENCE -You must also use evidence to persuade your readers to accept your claims.
You might use quotations, for example, in a related literature ; you might also use quantitative
data.
3 RESEARCH GAP - Present the limited information from the pre-existing study that you want
to investigate in your study.
4 OBJECTIVE - Present the goal of your study. For example:

The purpose of this _______________ (narrative, phenomenological, grounded theory,

ethnographic, case) study is (was? will be?) to _______________ (understand? describe?
develop? discover?) the _______________ (central phenomenon of the study) for
_______________ (the participants) at _____________ (the site).

Statement of the Problem/Objective of the Study

This study aims to establish and present a solution to the research gap, which is analyzing the modalities
that might be the reason for additional enrollees of Medical Technology.

Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions:

1.
2.

Significance of the Study

This section deals with the beneficiaries of the study.

Senior High School Students. This helps the graduating students to choose their course in
college most especially the STEM students.

Senior High School Teachers. The study wants to enlighten teachers about the factors the
students have to think of in pursuing Medical Technology in college.

School of Medical Technology. This research enlarges the horizon of the department to have
enrollees to train as future medical technologist.

1
 Exploring the Grassroots: Predictors for Choosing the In- House Medical Technology Program

Emilio Aguinaldo College Community. The study advocates choosing the said school to the
graduating batch of Senior High School and to expound the growing number of students in the
institution.

Future Researchers

Definition of Terms
This area shows the conceptual and operational meanings from the manuscript.

Conceptual (from dictionary)

● Classroom Environment - the physical space in which learning takes place and includes factors
such as temperature, lighting, noise levels, and comfort (ScienceDirect, n.d)
● Concentration - to bring or direct toward a common center or objective (Merriam-Webster, n.d).
● Influence - the power to change or affect someone or something (Merriam-Webster, n.d).
● Participation - to possess some of the attributes of a person, thing, or quality (Merriam-Webster,
n.d).

Operational (How the term is applied or used in the context of your study)
● Classroom Environment - physical learning space, including noise, seating arrangements, and
temperature
● Concentration - the ability of the Grade 12 HUMSS students to focus and be attentive to a
specific task while minimizing distractions.
● Influence - the ability of classroom environment to affect the class concentration of Grade 12
HUMSS students
● Participation - the active involvement or engagement of Grade 12 HUMSS students in class

Scope and Limitation

This part entails the boundaries of the research.

The research concerns itself with the modalities concerning to the preferences of the Senior High School
Students in taking Medical Technology as their course in college. The participants of this study are the
Grade 12 Students under Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Strand who are taking their
science related subjects namely General Chemistry, General Biology and General Physics. As for the
locale of the study, the research and its process would be conducted on the School grounds of Emilio
Aguinaldo College – Cavite. The data gathering tool, which is interview, will prove vital and efficient in the
collection of data. The duration of the study is from September 2018 to August 2019.

Review/Survey of Related Literature

This portion deals with the supporting literature and studies of the said research topic.

Academic Commitment of Senior High School

Different studies introduce that the prior academic commitment has an impact on the college outcome
when it comes to enrolment. Engberg and Wolniak (2013) debated that among the strongest predictors of
entering a STEM discipline was academic preparation, as measured by course-taking patterns,
performance, and access to a coherent math and science curriculum. This statement of Engberg and
Wolniak continues to make difference from the preference of the selected students from STEM strand.
Academic preparation takes the alignment of ideas to gathering self –confidence of the aspiring medical
technology students.

Furthermore, several studies have revealed the important role of mathematics and science in generating
academic competency and enhancing success in college by taking the medical technology.
Students’ academic orientation (i.e., their interests, identity, orientation toward, and plans for life after high
school) is often shaped through school and non-school experiences. While noting that integrated STEM
learning experiences can support interest and identity development, the Committee on Integrated STEM
Education (2014, p. 3) argues that, to date, the research is limited by a lack of longitudinal analyses that
account for the different phases of interest development.

2
 Exploring the Grassroots: Predictors for Choosing the In- House Medical Technology Program

Decision Empowering by the Institution

Senior High School for the students of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Strand takes
a key role in both Science and Mathematics application. It is an achievement for the students to surpass
the requirements set by the standards. Villanueva & Hand, 2011) stated that the decision depends from
the institution’s way of processing things for the students. STEM course- taking patterns for students with
LDs is limited, the little work that has been conducted is consistently grim. Whether attributable to having
an LD, to the “LD” label itself (Shifrer, Callahan, & Muller, 2013).

From the journal of L. Allen Phelps, several studies have documented how post-secondary outcomes,
including STEM major choice, vary by social and demographic groups. Looking only at four- year college
attendees, Chen and Weko (2009) report that students choosing STEM college majors were pre-
dominantly: male, Asian/Pacific Islander, foreign-born, members of families with annual incomes in the
top quartile, younger, and not living independently. Roughly 13–22% of students entering four-year
colleges after high school were choosing a STEM major from 1995 to 2004. Unfortunately, similar profiles
of two-year college STEM entrants are not avail- able, which points to the importance of this investigation.
Examining a national sample of college freshmen, Moakler and Kim (2014) found female students
throughout high school were less likely to develop outcome expectations toward a STEM major choice or
career field. Other research has consistently shown that being a woman is a strong negative predictor for
several STEM-related practices and factors; e.g., accessible college career options (Betz & Hackett,
1981), gatekeeping math courses (Chavez, 2001), year-long college course on career-linking strategies
(Fouad, 1995), and STEM teaching and advising. Completing engineering and engineering technology
(E&ET) courses in high school has the potential to advance these two goals. Two major national
initiatives have advanced the inclusion of E&ET instruction in high schools. Twenty- six states have
collaborated to develop the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which were released in 2013.
These standards elevate the importance of engineering design and make it comparable to learning the
core ideas in the physical, life, and earth and space sciences (National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine, 2017; Next Generation Science Standards, 2016). Equally important, in 2014
the National Assessment of Educational Progress introduced the Technology and Engineering Literacy
assessment, designed to measure the extent to which 4th, 8th, and 12th grade students were able to
apply technology and engineering skills to real-life situations (National Assessment Governing Board,
2014). Collectively, these initiatives assert that E&ET content and skills are potentially scalable and
measurable across high schools within states. Research reviews indicate that high school course-taking
has an impact on students’ decisions to enroll in college (Adelman, 2006; Hein, Smerdon, & Samboldt,
2013). Over the past decade several studies have examined the influence of high school math and
science course completion on the choice of STEM college majors—an outcome deemed critical for
achieving several national STEM work force development priorities (PCAST, 2012; U.S. Chamber of
Commerce, 2017). Several studies have documented the key influence of math and science courses
(Engberg & Wolniak, 2013; Gaertner, Kim, DesJardins, & McClarty, 2014; Trusty, 2002; Tyson, Lee,
Borman, & Hanson, 2007; Wang, 2013) on choosing STEM majors, particularly in four-year colleges.
More recently, applied STEM courses have shown a positive link to later advanced math and science
course completion (Gottfried, 2015), which may also contribute, albeit indirectly, to students choosing a
STEM college major pathway.

Furthermore, from the journal of the role and influence of engineering instruction have increased
significantly in the past five years (Carr, Bennett, & Strobel, 2012; Community for Advancing Discovery
Research in Education, 2017). While the research base on high school engineering programs is growing
(Committee on Integrated STEM Education, 2014; Committee on K–12 Engineering Education, 2009;
Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education, 2017), the influence of E&ET course-taking
on post-high school outcomes (e.g., college attendance, selection of STEM majors, credential completion,
earnings, etc.) is under-examined in the research literature.

Theoretical Framework
Holland's Theory of Career Choice

3
 Exploring the Grassroots: Predictors for Choosing the In- House Medical Technology Program

People search for environments where they can use their skills and abilities and express their values and
attitudes. For example, Investigative types search for Investigative environments; Artistic types look for
Artistic environments, and so forth. (Holland N.D.)

This theory brings explicit meaning to searching the environment which is a comfortable place for the
people to expound their horizon in their chosen fields. Knowing the students are so much aware of the
courses they may attend to in college while they are in the process of Senior High School, participant may
considerations of taking bio-medical courses.

Course Selection Theory

A proposed adaptation of modern college choice models that can be used to 12 explain how college
students determine which courses to select. Student Choice Construct An empirically tested construct or
theorization that students make sequences of choices in situated contexts and these choices are
influenced by diverse backgrounds, family backgrounds, and environmental variables and that policy
effects should be studied across these diverse contexts. The advantage of using the student choice
construct is it allows for the study of diverse college students on their own terms while incorporating the
students’ own unique circumstances and experiences. The creation of this theoretical framework that
includes sociological and cultural theories allows researchers to emphasize the important role played by
social and cultural variables and how they influence students’ choices (Horvat, 2001; McDonough, 1997;
Paulsen, 1990; Paulsen & St. John, 1997, 2002; Perna, 2006; Perna & Titus, 2005; Salisbur et al. 2009;
Salisbury et al., 2010).