CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

Introduction
Every nation in the world seeks to improve its standard of living and

social standing. One of many essential decisions that students must make while

selecting their future goals is career choice. This action will have long-term

consequences for them. What the student wants to do with their lifelong career will be

at the heart of who he or she is. Students who have completed junior high school may

find it a challenge to choose their desired senior high school strand due to some

factors. Students’ motivations for choosing a strand as preparation for their tertiary

course vary; some want to learn how to make a lot of money, while others want to

help others, learn new skills and make the world a better place.

Senior High School (SHS) is comprised of the last two years of the K–12

program, which comprises Grades 11 and 12. Kindergarten and 12 years of basic

education (six years of primary school, four years of junior high school, and two years

of senior high school) are covered under the K to 12 Program. It provides a balanced

learning strategy that allows children and students to gain, know, and learn more

skills in a variety of educational disciplines while pursuing vocational and then

professional degree courses (Abelar et al., 2018) as cited on scribd.com.

The Department of Education (DepEd) of the Philippines emphasizes that

the Senior High School Program provides numerous educational benefits. One of the

goals of Senior High School was to address the issue of mismatched courses among

youth. Choosing the appropriate strand assists students in becoming a full person and,

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significantly, in establishing a profession or career. Each strand will provide sufficient

time for students to master and improve their abilities as well as to obtain sufficient

knowledge (Seterra et al., 2018) as cited on coursehero.com.

However, since the implementation of Senior High School, there are some

studies conducted about the wrong choice of tracks and strands. There are some cases

where students have a difficulty in choosing tracks and strands that lead to the wrong

choice and having a mismatch strand. There are some issues and articles in the

internet spreading out, it’s about students complain and rants in the K to 12 program.

Considering this, it was deem observed in Balongating National High School that

most students considered themselves to be in the wrong strand where their chosen

strand are not fitted and suited to their skills and interest.

According to AMA Education System as cited on their website

amaes.du.ph , choosing a track or strand is crucial for a student to become highly

proficient in the field in which his or her selected strand is associated, especially if the

student desires to work soon after graduating from SHS. As most educators say, a

mismatch between the track and the student's interests, personality, and passion can

result in a sloppy graduate who will struggle to compete in the job market or stay up

with his or her peers.

Balongating National High School offers two strands: Humanities and

Social Sciences (HUMMS), which is part of the Academic Track, and Home

Economics Strand (Cookery), which is under the Technology, Livelihood Education

track (TVL).

The HUMMS strand is for those who are interested in learning on what is

on the other side of the fence. To put it another way, you’re ready to confront the

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world and interact with a broad group of people. This is for anyone considering a

college major in journalism, communication arts, liberal arts, education, or a

comparable social science discipline. You could work as a teacher, a psychologist, a

lawyer, a writer, a social worker, or a journalist if you chose this career. This strand

focuses on improving your communication skills.

Home Economics (Cookery) is adaptable enough to meet the changing

needs of the food, restaurant, and hotel industries. In this strand, students will learn

livelihood skills that they can use in the workplace or to start their own business.

According to TESDA guidelines, Home Economics studies may lead to national

certifications. To meet client demands, the culinary and hospitality businesses are

expanding, necessitating the hire of experienced staff.

Students must choose a strand to pursue in senior high school because

their futures are inclined on it. Students make a solid decision on which strand to

pursue with the influence of their parents and peers, who also consider their

educational aspirations as factors influencing them in choosing their preferred strand

for Senior High School. Making a decision indicates that there are options to examine,

and in this situation, we want to identify as many as possible while selecting the one

that best meets our aims, ambitions, desires, values, and so on.

In the study of Dobewall et al. (2019) as cited on

bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com, they discussed that educational aspirations are

the first step in the process of the formation of one’s educational path as a factor in

deciding their preferred strand. They are defined as abstract statements and beliefs

about students’ future plans such as the level of education one wishes to achieve.

They are a strong predictor of future educational trajectories and through that their

adult socioeconomic position. Thus, educational expectations are concrete values

3
determined by perceived realities that are faced by an individual, which usually

consider personal abilities and other constraints.

Through family influence, everyone is exposed to values, attitudes,

feelings, and a climate for learning. This underscores why the family has profound

influence on the evaluative aspects of the child‘s development including his judgment

of which career to pursue. The educational statuses in the family also influence a

child's desires, contentment and dissatisfaction, and sense of values (Hassan, 2014) as

cited in academia.edu.

A child is raised according to the family's ideals, and as he grows, he

learns, internalizes, and concretizes the behavioral patterns he is exposed to. All of the

child's behavior patterns and training, which he picks up from his family, influence

his work view and subsequent career choice.

Friends/peer influence refers to the influence that friends or peer gives to

the students. This factor affects students’ decision in choosing a course since, as a

teenager it is important for you to feel accepted in a group. There are different effects

when a student refers all his/her decision on his/her peer or friends according to

Vallente, Albia, Gayosa, Dollaga & Nobleza (2016) as cited on academia.edu.

Career specialties in the K-12 curriculum serve as a stepping stone for

students to plan for and pursue their desired vocation or career. As a result of the

changes that our country must face in terms of educational curriculum and to assist

students in deciding on the career they want to pursue in the near future, researchers

believe it is critical to determine what speciality the students will pursue and the

factors that influenced their decision in choosing their preferred strand for Senior

High School. Students choose a certain strand for a variety of reasons, but the most

significant one is how they value it.

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Conceptual framework
The study will focus on investigating the factors influencing the students

in choosing their preferred strand for senior high school, as this is the most important

thing that needs to address in order to know the reasons why the students in

Balongating National High chose their respective strand. Why some think that they

are in the wrong strand, and help them assess in their future career. Additionally,

researchers are doing their best to give data and information to the public.

Educational
Aspirations

Factors Influencing the

Grade 11 Students in
Choosing Their
Preferred Strand for
Parental
Senior High School in
Influence
Balongating National
High School

Friends/
Peer
Influence

FIGURE 1: THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY

The conceptual framework of the study presents the factors influencing

the Grade 11 students in choosing their preferred strand for Senior High School of

Balongating National High school with the three small circles that consist of the

5
factors which are educational aspirations, parental influence, and friends/peer

influence.

Statement of the problem

The purpose of this study is to identify and explore the factors that

influence Grade 11 students at Balongating National High School in selecting their

preferred Senior High School strand for the school year 2021-2022.

1. What are the factors influencing the Grade 11 students of Balongating

National High School in choosing their preferred strand for senior high school in

terms of:

1.1. Educational Aspirations

1.2. Parental Influence

1.3. Friends/Peer Influence

2. What is the extent of comparability between the responses of Grade 11

Prosperity students and Grade 11 Industry students along with the three factors?

3. Is there a significant difference between the responses of Grade 11

Prosperity students and Grade 11 Industry students concerning with the factors

influencing them in choosing their preferred strand for Senior High School in

Balongating National High School?

Null Hypothesis
There is no significant difference between the responses of Grade 11

Prosperity students and Grade 11 Industry students along with the three factors

influencing the students in choosing their preferred strand for Senior High School in

Balongating National High School.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

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 The focus of this study is on the factors influencing the Grade 11 students

in choosing their preferred strand for Senior High School of Balongating National

High School along with the three factors which are the: educational aspirations,

parental influence, and friends/peer influence.

This research will be carried out at Balongating National High School in

Barangay Balongating, Guipos, Zamboanga del Sur. This is only for Grade 11

students in the school year 2021-2022 with identified two groups of respondents. The

first group of respondents of this study are the 15 students from Grade 11 Prosperity

while the second group of respondents are the 15 students from Grade 11 Industry.

Significance of the Study

The researchers chose this type of study with the goal of learning about

the factors that influence grade 11 students at Balongating National High School in

deciding on their senior high school strand.

School Administrator. This study provides school administrators with a

framework for reinforcing students' decisions on which strand to pursue. The school

administrators will have the opportunity to maximize their time in giving and

extending their service in terms of educating students as a result of this study. The

finding may serve as an eye opener for them in creating a positive learning

atmosphere within the school.

Teachers. In this study, teachers are given insight on the factors that

influence the students in choosing their preferred strand for senior high school thus it

will offer them on how to collaborate with their students in terms of making a better

career plan.

Students. This study helps the students to determine the considerations in

selecting a strand and develop their decision-making skills. They are the ones greatly

7
benefited as the direct subject through the findings, conclusion and recommendations

of this study that will give them information.

Parents/Guardian. The research will help the parents that serve as a main

influence in their children’s career development and career decision- making. It will

help them in guiding their children and let them understand the kind of support

needed by their children.

Future researchers. The study serve as a reference point to other

researchers who plan to conduct and investigate the studies about the factors

influencing the grade 11 students of Balongating National High School in terms of

choosing their preferred strand for senior high school. This would greatly help them to

gain information and data.

Definition of Terms
Important terms used in this study have been conceptually and

operationally defined to help readers comprehend it better.

Balongating National High School. This refers to the setting of the study

or where the study being conducted.

Educational Aspirations. This refers to the wants, ambition, and

expectation among the Grade 11 students that affect in choosing their preferred strand

for senior high school.

Factors. This refers to the circumstance, fact, or influence that contributes

to a result or outcome.

Friends Influence. It refers to the influence that friends or peer gives to

the students.

Grade 11 students. This refers to the chosen respondents of the study.

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 K-12 Program. It covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education

(six years in elementary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of

Senior High School to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills,

develop lifelong learners to prepare students for tertiary education.

Parental Influence. This is the effect of the parents to their students in

choosing their preferred strand for senior high school.

Parents. This refers to a caregiver of the offspring in their own species.

Senior High School Strand. This refers to the disciplines within a learning

area each with its own associated goals for learning in senior high school.

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 CHAPTER II

A REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents the literature relevant to the concept of the present

study. It also analyses some studies and materials from the Internet to provide

sufficient background and information essential for the accomplishment of this study.

It sought to collect claims of previous studies related to Factors Influencing the Grade

11 Students in Choosing Their Preferred Strand for Senior High School.

Factors Influencing Student’s Choice for a Senior High School Track and Strand
In the article of Vallente, Albia, Gayosa, Dollaga & Nobleza (2016) as

cited in academia.edu, they revealed that a course can have a lot to say about the

employment prospects of job seekers and it is important that incoming students take

some time to evaluate options. A path can make great impact for your future which

plays a great role on what you will become, that is why, as a graduating high school

student, it is important to consider various options that will affect your choices on

what course to take in college.

Many individuals especially the students agreed that in deciding on

whatever, specifically on the course is not easy and there are many factors that the

student will face like educational aspirations, friends/peer influence, parental

influence or family background and others like academic experience and advice from

others. It also has been noted that career choice can have a lasting impact on one’s

satisfactions not only with the job one does but also on one’s entire life.

Academic Experience

The academic experience is a work experience obtained in an academic

environment of the respondent. Educational experience refers to the problem on the

academic knowledge of the defendants, and the general average of the grades.

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 Educational Aspirations

Educational aspiration refers to the wants, ambition, and expectation

among the students. Educational aspiration denotes the determination of a student

with the skills, capacity and abilities. Parents, in particular, have been seen as the

most significant others in shaping aspirations because they provide the opportunities,

encouragement, and support for their children (Garg et al., 2002) as cited by Vallente,

Albia, Gayosa, Dollaga & Nobleza (2016) in academia.edu. For students who have

aspirations and expectations for their future, they have perseverance in pursuing their

studies.

Advice of others

The advice of others refers to the people around the students. These are

the advice of every people around among students. There can be a good advice that

student can get, and there can be a bad one also. Advice of others is one of the factors

that the students might choose whether they will base their decision from the advice

of other which includes the guidance counsellor, parents and some seek advice from

the students. This factor can either mark and may change the perspective of a learner.

Friends/ peer influence

Friends/peer influence refers to the influence that friends or peer gives to

the students. This influences students’ decision to enrol in a course since it is crucial

for an adolescent to feel accepted in a group. When a student defers all of his or her

decisions to peers, the result vary. Sometimes, friends or peers can affect your

decision like for example if most of your friends will decide to choose a course which

is related to business. Since, you want to belong to a group, you tend to end up taking

a degree where your friends or peers wants.

Family Background
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 Family background refers to the kind of family and kind of surroundings

of the student. Parents' education is a powerful predictor of their children's

educational attainment (Haveman, 1993) as cited by Vallente, Albia, Gayosa, Dollaga

& Nobleza (2016) in academia.edu,. Parents’ information may affect a student’s

decision in choosing course since studying in college requires that you are financially

prepared. On this study, parents’ information may contribute to the unlimited effect of

students’ decision on what course that he/she should take. In this area, socio-

economic factor will gross place.

The literature cited is significant since it discusses the different factors

influencing the students in choosing their preferred strand for senior high school

specifically the educational aspirations and friends/peer influence which will be used

and to be studied in this current investigation.

A Study of Educational Aspirations of Secondary School Students in relation to their

Achievement Scores
According to Chawla (2018) as cited on ijmra.us, educational aspiration

reflects educational goals an individual sets for himself/herself. It is important as it

encourages and energizes the individuals to achieve them. Education is an important

variable in forming student aspirations in that it serves to help students become more

knowledgeable about the world, more sensitive and understanding of their

relationship to it, and more eager to contribute to the community. Aspirations begin to

be shaped early in child’s life, but are modified by experience and the environment.

Aspirations tend to decline as children mature in response to their growing

understanding of the world and constraints imposed by previous choices and

achievements. Aspiration means a strong desire to achieve something high or great.

Aspirations, however, usually can not the achievement of something high or great.

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These also address both present and future perspectives. According to Sirin, Diemer,

Jackson and Howell (2004) as cited by Chawla (2018) in ijmra.us, “Aspirations have

been defined as the educational and vocational dreams that students have for the

future.”

Academic achievement

Academic achievement has been considered as an important factor in the

educational life of the students. It encourages the students to work hard and learn

more. Academic achievement of the pupils continues to be primary concern in

education and main area of educational research. High academic achievement in

school builds self-esteem and self-confidence which leads to better adjustment with

the group. There are various factors accounting for various in academic achievement.

Academic stress and self-concept are one of these factors. Academic stress makes a

significant contribution to the prediction of subsequent school performance and acts

as a negative predictor of academic hazards, problems both physical and mental stress

diseases. Stress makes a significant contribution to the prediction of subsequent

school performance and acts as a negative predictor of academic performance of

school children.

Educational Aspirations

All individuals have some aspirations. At all stages of life people try for

self-enhancement. The aspirations during student period influence their behavior. The

term educational aspiration or vocational choice is based on knowledge of traits. The

aspirations level of an individual is an important motivating factor. It is a frame of

reference involving self-esteem or alternatively experiences that is the feeling of

failure or success.

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 The literature mentioned is highly important since it is connected to the

current research and it defines educational aspirations as a factor influencing the

preference of students in selecting a strand.

Parental Guidance for Career Choice of Secondary School Students

In the research article of Hassan (2018) as cited on academia.edu., parents

have strong impact on their children‘s life especially regarding career choice. Parents

are primary source of Guidance, they conscientiously send their children off to school

every day and expect them to do well they can add an important extra ingredient that

will boost their children's success. Parent participation is the ingredient that makes the

difference. Parents' active involvement with their child's education at home and in

school brings great rewards and have a significant impact on their children's child's

lives.

Parents affect their children‘s career choices directly and indirectly.

Many researches have shown different aspects of parental influence.

With parents stating that their assistance with the child’s career

development is an important parental task. (Young & Friesen, 1992), Roe

(1956,1957), Switzer (1962), and Onyejiaku (1987) ) as cited by Hassan (2018) on

academia.edu, explained that among others have postulated some positive relationship

between children‘s early rearing experiences and their occupational choice, since

children spend most of their years at home and they naturally regard the family as

their reference group with parents as significant figures.

As the family is the social group with which the child has direct contact, it

determines not only the individual‘s personality but also his vocational interests, at

least to some appreciable extent. Parental dynamics and interactions (e.g. attachment,

enmeshment, etc.) have long been assumed to play a significant role on their

14
children’s career development.‖ (Bratcher, 1982; Roe, 1957; Zingaro, 1983) as cited

by Hassan (2018) on academia.edu.

Even though adolescents actively begin demonstrating their independence

from their parents in their high school years, these young adults are still very much

dependent on their parents for their career growth.(Peterson, Stivers, &Peters, 1986)

as cited by Hassan (2018) on academia.edu.

In fact, parents tend to create the strongest impression on their

adolescent’s vocational choice more than any other group including counselors,

teachers, friends, or even people working in the identified occupation of desire.‖

(Bardick, Bernes, Magnusson, & Witko, 2004; Kotrlik & Harrison, 1989) as cited by

Hassan (2018) on academia.edu

Hans Sebald (1989) as cited by Hassan (2018) on academia.edu.,

uncovered in his longitudinal study on career choices making among adolescents, that

they look to their parents as well as their peers in equal measure but separated which

group they would talk to by the nature of the issue. For mundane issues such as what

clothes to wear, what social events to attend and who to date, the peers were the

dominant advisors. However, when the adolescent required information on topics

such as career planning they looked to their parents an overwhelming majority of the

time.

Joseph Zingaro (1983) as cited by Hassan (2018) on academia.edu,

another early voice advocating the benefits of family therapy as a tool for counselors

in treating career indecision with clients, described how often the problem was not a

young person’s attempt to decide between one career choice and another, but it was

the actual decision making that was the issue. For the indecisive person, any decision

15
implies movement away from familiar surroundings (including his or her parents), not

movement towards a new goal. He goes on to discuss how a client, who is

undifferentiated to separate their emotions or the influence of others upon their own

decision making), may have a difficult time making career choices as he or she cannot

separate his or her parent’s expectations versus his or her own goals and expectations.

Additional family systems dynamics, that may reduce a student’s ability

to make effective career-related decisions, family patterns of interaction that include:

over-involvement of parents in their children’s educational or career plans; over-

concern by the parents; and cross- generational coalitions where one parent (or even

one grandparent) unites with a child to take sides against the other parent. This creates

an unbalanced system where one parent authority over the child is now negated

because of the coalition between the child and other parental figure,(Haley, 1976;

Larson,1995; Nichols & Schwartz, 1995) as cited by Hassan (2018) on academia.edu.

For instance, if the father is pushing his son into a career as a doctor but

the son and mother disagree with that path (regardless of the appropriateness of this

career), the father will have a very difficult time influencing his son’s career choice,

while the mother undercuts his parental authority by siding with the child.

In discussing these dynamics Lopez and Andrews (1987) as cited by

Hassan (2018) on academia.edu, discussed that indecisive students who would

consistently talk to their parents about their career anxieties. It appears that most are

looking for answers, while almost simultaneously telling the career counselor about

how over-involved their parents are in their vocational development. The ending

result is frustration for the parents and students who continue to repeat this ineffectual

cycle of career decision making.

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 Another research highlighted that, as children begin to transition into

adulthood through the formation of their own identity, the more comprehensive view

of parental influence regarding the child’s career development is preferred, from a

counseling standpoint, as it takes into account the entire context of the adolescent’s

decision-making. (Chen, 1997; Grotevant & Cooper, 1988; Middleton & Loughead,

1993) as cited by Hassan (2018) on academia.edu.

Additionally, even though parents have been typically thought of as

positive influences on their children’s career decision-making, it is also possible that

parents are negatively affecting their children’s vocational development as well, that’s

why parental guidance is important.

Parent’s financial concerns and expectations also play a part in their direct

or indirect influence on their children’s career choice by adding their own biases and

attitudes into particular occupational fields Additionally, parents must also be aware

of their indirect communication they are sending to their children (Rainey & Borders,

1997; Young, Valach, Paseluikho, Dover, Matthes, Paproski, & Sankey, 1997) as

cited by Hassan (2018) on academia.edu..

Furthermore, ―the young adult’s understanding of his or her parent’s

expectations will influence their own career decisions, depending on whether the

adolescent feels the need to go along with their parent’s views or to rebel against them

(Mau, Hitchcock, & Calvert, 1998; Penick & Jepsen, 1992) as cited by Hassan (2018)

on academia.edu. Jobs are sometimes rooted in family tradition and expectations.

Many jobs that young people want, do not compare to the job they actually get.

In that arena parents tend to try and influence their children to get a better

job and have a better life than they have. Thus a student, who has no value in

17
education, in order to raise themselves above their parent‘s level, will likely be

viewed as ungrateful by their parents (Super, 1957) as cited by Hassan (2018) on

academia.edu. .

Parental working attitude have great impact on children career decisions.

Paul (1962) as cited by Hassan (2018) on academia.edu., classified parental work

attitudes into four broad categories as expounded below:

1. The silent attitude: here parents do not discuss work openly due to a

lack of interest in the vocational life of the children. Parents here seldom discuss their

own work and much less that of others. They do not make vocational plans for their

wards thus leaving their children‘s occupational aspirations to chance.

2. The resentful attitude: parents with this kind of attitude only make

incidental remarks about work. They leave their children‘s occupational choice to fate

and schooling and never attempt to consciously discuss vocation with their children.

3. The participating attitude: parents with this kind of attitude are keen on

their jobs and discuss them freely and with obvious enthusiasm with their children

thus exposing their children to these occupations.

4. The candid attitude: this describes parents that openly and candidly

discuss all aspects of work, the advantages and the disadvantages thereof, with their

children. Children from these categories of home will have differing attitudes towards

work assuming that other influential variables are kept constant. Again, children from

the third and fourth categories would mature vocationally earlier than children from

the first and second categories.

According to Hassan (2018) as cited on academia.edu. ,parents play a

huge role in the choices children make when they start looking for a career. They

18
influence the level of education or training that their children achieve; the knowledge

they have about work and different occupations; the beliefs and attitudes they have to

working; and the motivation they have to succeed.

Most of this is learned unconsciously, children and teenagers absorb the

attitudes and expectations of them as they grow up. Some of the key influencers are:

 The expectations parents have for their children’s education and

career;

 The examples they set for their children

 The values they show to their family, friends and to society;

 The opportunities they offer their children to learn and develop;

and

 The kind of parent-child relationship they develop.

To nourish a healthy and rewarding career for your child, the following

factors are worth considering:

 Encourage your children to get the most education possible.

 Strengthen their self-understanding.

 Develop their knowledge about work.

 Teach them decision making skills.

 Value gender equity and cultural diversity.

 Become aware of career resources.

 Help them become skill-oriented.

This literature gives deeply define elaboration on what is the role of

parents in shaping their children’s aspirations, career decisions and how it influence

19
the students’ choice for senior high school strand and career selection that is specified

in this study.

Peer and Friends and Career Decision Making

Base on the article of Naz et.al (2014) as cited on idosi, org., friends and

peer group are important for individual socialization as well as bahavioral

modification while such group include same-age group that is not necessarily friends

while its formation is dependent on multiple factors including situation, an accident,

or association. The development of child is initially the outcome of family, however,

peer overtakes the socialization process with the selection and adoption of lifestyle,

appearance, social activities and academic etc. similarly, peer and friends are pivotal

and dramatic in shaping individual’s perceptions, attitudes and ideas to understand the

outside world as well as decisions in future lives while accounted such relations as

major supporting pillar in times of distress and comforts.

Research and scholarships on the issue of friends and peer influence

suggest that peer and friends look beyond the confines of home to explore and find

avenues that make their direction and self-expressions more evident. Similarly,

friends and peers are helpful in examining and scrutinizing feelings, beliefs and ideas

in an acceptable manner. Besides, at the level of decision making among youth,

studies report that most of the decisions are dependent on ability, education, teacher

advice, level of counselling with peers and even cultural and familial background of

friends. Recently, potential friends and peers are potential sources of positive relations

towards education, job search and even joining a social or political organization.

20
Relationally, negative influences are overt in the form of delinquency, drug use,

alcohol consumption, smoking, sexuality and school dropout.

Peer influence is more observable in friendship and mutual relations and

among same-sex and boys significantly influence. Besides, the influence of peer and

friends are considerable in substance use among teenagers. While talking about the

peer and friend’s role in working and their decision, career performance and raising

productivity is evident among high productive workers. The more social ties among

workers increase productivity and workers friendship have productive records as

compared to other groups. Furthermore, informational and influences of friends on

teens is positively linked with teens’ enjoyments and shopping behaviour.

Summarizing the contents, peer and friends play a significant role in changing the

behaviour of individuals, personality development and decision making regarding

career, adaptation as well as positive and negative behaviour in future life.

The literature illustrates how friends and peer influence the students’ choice of

strand and career as a factor based on recent studies, which is the focus of this

investigation.

Senior high school career planning: what students want

In the study of Witko, Bernes, Magnusson and Bardick (2005) as cited in

ojs.unisa.edu.au, they explained that career planning may be defined as the process

through which students come to make career-related decisions. High school career

planning in Southern Alberta, Canada generally involves formal career planning such

as taking a mandatory ‘Career and life management’ (CALM) course in Grade 11 and

seeking information regarding post-secondary education and financial assistance from

a school guidance counsellor. The career planning process may also involve informal

means such as considering a number of different occupations based on interests and

21
skills and discussing one’s career plans with a variety of individuals (eg. parents,

friends, teachers, people working in the field, etc).

Super (1990) as cited by Witko, Bernes, Magnusson and Bardick (2005)

on ojs.unisa.edu.au, suggests that career planning becomes significant during late

adolescence and early adulthood. During this time, senior high school students enter a

time in their lives when seeking career information and becoming aware of their

vocational interests is a major developmental task (Erickson , 1966) as cited by

Witko, Bernes, Magnusson and Bardick (2005) on ojs.unisa.edu.au

. Hiebert et al (1998) as cited by Witko, Bernes, Magnusson and Bardick

(2005) on ojs.unisa.edu.au, conducted a study that examined junior high school

students’ reports of their guidance counselling needs and found that three of the

students’ top five needs pertained to career concerns. Readiness to engage in career

exploration appears to vary from student to student. Some factors that may account

for this variability include self-esteem, ego strength, and decision-making style

(Blustein 1989) as cited by Witko, Bernes, Magnusson and Bardick (2005) on

ojs.unisa.edu.au. Individuals who are more cognitively oriented and systematic in

making decisions may be more likely to engage in career exploration

Research also suggests that adolescents are capable of making responsible

and effective career-related decisions and that this ability improves over time. Lewis

(1981) as cited by Witko, Bernes, Magnusson and Bardick (2005) on ojs.unisa.edu.au,

found a positive relationship between adolescents’ age and decision-making

capabilities, such as an increased awareness of the risks and implications involved in

making a decision, a tendency to seek more advice from adults or peers, and an

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increased awareness of the implications of receiving advice from someone with

vested interests.

A study by Bregman and Killen (1999) as cited by Witko, Bernes,

Magnusson and Bardick (2005) on ojs.unisa.edu.au, reported that adolescents and

young adults support responsible vocational decisions that nurture personal growth

and that they disapprove of self-indulgent choices concerned with short-range goals’

Information used by adolescents in making decisions about their future

career includes attitudes and beliefs acquired during childhood, including specific

information provided by a number of sources, including parents, siblings, other family

members, family friends, peers, guidance counsellors, teachers, school and public

library resources, the mass media and government career centres (Julien, 1999) as

cited by Witko, Bernes, Magnusson and Bardick (2005) on ojs.unisa.edu.au.

Adolescents appear to approach certain individuals such as friends, teachers and

family members more frequently because of their availability rather than because the

adolescents believe that these individuals will be of most help in their career

exploration (Taviera et al 1998) as cited by Witko, Bernes, Magnusson and Bardick

(2005) on ojs.unisa.edu.au.

The literature discusses the wants and interest of Senior High School

students in terms of selecting a career which were significantly and positively related

to the study. This deems to be highly useful in understanding the research to be

conducted

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 CHAPTER III

RESEARCH DESIGN AND PROCEDURE

Presented in this chapter are the research method, research instrument and

its validation, the gathering procedure, sampling design, and the statistical treatment

of data.

Research Method
The method that will be employed in this research is descriptive since it is

a fact-finding method that requires adequate interpretation. This approach is regarded

as appropriate because it will determine the respondents' perceptions on the extent of

the factors influencing students' choice of senior high school strand in Balongating

National High School.

This statement is supported by Aquino (1995:7) who stated that

descriptive research is fact-finding with adequate interpretation. This method is

something more and beyond just data-gathering. The true meaning of the data

collected should be reported from the point of view of the objectives and the basic

assumption of the project underway.

Research Instrument

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 The questionnaire-checklist will be the research instrument utilized by the

researchers to collect data. It will collect the respondents’ responses to the factors that

influenced their decision to pursue their preferred strand in senior high school. For the

formation of the pre-determined statements, the researchers will seek help from their

subject teacher during the production of this instrument. Furthermore, the researchers

will diligently read a variety of sources, such as books and internet research, in order

to gain a concrete background in the preparation of predefined statements based on

the variables supplied. This study instrument will consist of only three variables, each

with five items. A total of 15 items will be prepared and will be responded by the

Grade 11 student in sections: Prosperity and Industry as the respondents of the study

in Balongating National High School.

Gathering of data
The researchers will obtain consent from the panellists and the adviser to

deliver the questionnaire-checklist of the selected respondents in order to collect data

from the two groups of respondents. The Grade 11 advisers would be given copies of

the approval for their information and support of the researchers. The questionnaire-

checklists are sent to, and both groups of respondents will complete them thoroughly.

Then, the researchers will check all the things and items during the retrieval and finish

after discovering that everything is in order.

Sampling design
Purposive sampling will be utilized by the researchers in the selection of

the two groups of respondents. This featured 15 Grade 11 Prosperity students and 15

Grade 11 Industry students who are currently enrolled at Balongating National High

school. In support to this chosen sampling, Calmorin L. and Calmorin M. (2006:101),

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explained that in purposive sampling an individual is chosen as part of the sample

because of the good evidence that he is a representative of the total population.

Statistical treatment
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 will be used

to evaluate all of the data acquired from the respondents. Both descriptive and

inferential analysis will be utilized in the analysis. The mean and standard deviation

of the respondents' responses will be analysed using descriptive analysis by the

researchers. On the other hand, inferential analysis will be used to determine whether

there is a significant difference between the responses of the two group of respondents

which are the Grade 11 Prosperity students and Grade 11 Industry students.

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Abelar, J.A. et al.(2018) Factors affecting the preference of grade 11 students in academic
strand at Bestlink College of the Philippines during the academic year 2018-2019.
https://www.scribd.com/document/441305432, p. 1

Chawla, M. (2018) A study of educational aspirations of secondary school students in

relation to their achievement scores.
https://www.ijmra.us/project%20doc/2018/OJRSS_APRIL2018/IJMRA-13760.pdf,
pp. 12-14

Dobewall, H. et al. (2019). Health and educational aspirations in adolescence: A longitudinal

study in Finland. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-
019-7824-8, pp. 3-4,

Hassan, M. (2014) Parental guidance for career choice of secondary school students in the
opinion of educational counselor. https://www.academia.edu/resource/work/5694400,
pp. 4, 14-19

Naz, A. et al. (2014) Peer and Friends and Career Decision Making: A Critical Analysis.
Middle-East. https://www.idosi.org/mejsr/mejsr22(8)14/13.pdf, pp. 20-21

Seterra, E.J. et al. (2018) The effect of strand mismatches to the performance of senior high
school students of Our Lady of Fatima University.
https://wwww.coursehero.com/file/86293667/RES1-ABM-11-12-STRAND-
MISMATCHdocx/, pp.1-2

Vallente, C., Albia, I., Gayosa, J., Dollaga, K., Nobleza, M. (2016) Factors Influencing
Student’s Choice for a Senior High School Academic Track.
https://www.academia.edu/resource/work/24592420, pp. 4, 10-12

Witko, K., Bernes K., Magnusson K. & Bardick, A. (2005) Senior high school planning: what
students want. https://ojs.unisa.edu.au/index.php/EDEQ/article/view/500/369 , pp. 21-
23

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