PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY STUDENTS WHO ARE DROPOUTS AND WITH

FAILING GRADES OF ST. VINCENT’S HIGH SCHOOL, INC.

IN LA CASTELLANA, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL:
A BASIS FOR A PROPOSED GUIDANCE
INTERVENTION PROGRAM

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements in the Subject

BA 104/ED.52
(Methods of Research)

By:
Misan E. Valdeviezo
Kenneth Joy U. Seron
Angelica G. Torres

November 2017
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researchers acknowledged with sincere appreciation

and profound gratitude the persons that gave them the

inspiration, encouragement, support, guidance and assistance

to make this research work a reality.

Above all, to GOD ALMIGHTY, who bestowed His blessings,

strength and wisdom to the researchers for making this study

possible.

The Researchers
 DEDICATION

The researchers dedicate this study to their parents who

never failed to support, understand and encourage them

throughout the completion of this study.

To the Faculty members of St. Vincent’s High School,

Inc. who willingly shared their knowledge in order to improve

this study.

And most of all, to our Lord Jesus Christ, who made

all things possible.

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter
1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Statement of the Problem

Hypothesis of the Study

Significance of the Study

Scope and Limitation of the Study

Definition of Terms

2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURES AND STUDIES

Foreign Literatures

Foreign Studies

Local Literature

Local Studies

Theoretical Framework

Research Paradigm

3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

Research Setting

Research Subjects

Research Instrument

Validation of Instrument

Data Gathering Procedure

Statistical Treatment
 Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Entering high school can be exciting for some,

terrifying for others or maybe just another level that should

be overcome. Here in the Philippines, almost all high school

students were in their teenage years, which can be considered

as probably one of the most difficult but undeniably exciting

stage of a person’s life. There are numerous issues bombarding

teens today, one of which is the lack of direction, as to

what path one must undertake to be who he wants to be, or

simply, the stage of exploration and identity identification.

There are also different factors that could bring about these

issues, like peer influence and the mass media. These are

only some factors that could have an effect on their whole

being. Facing each day with these issues and influences may

contribute to one’s performance especially in school.

This study confers on several problems faced by most

high schools at present time. These are the students who are

at high risk to school completion failure, these are dropping

out from school, and the students with failing grades.

Dropout, the term immediately brings to mind an image,

or a myriad of images. It conjures up long list of adjectives—

many of them negative (Center for Child and Family Policy,

2008). Students dropping out of school is one dilemma of the

education sectors; dropping out means leaving the school for

practical reasons. It is an impediment that is bugging the

Department of Education not only in the Philippines but also

many countries around the globe because of its increasing

rate more and more each year. Increased rates of dropouts

means that there is a big possibility that these students may

not complete the needed years in high school which may result

to future unemployment for example that can give a big impact

on the country’s progress especially in developing countries

like the Philippines.

According to Roberta Furger (2011) for some students,

dropping out is the culmination of years of academic hurdles,

missteps, and wrong turns. For others, the decision to drop

out is a response to conflicting life pressures -- the need

to help support their family financially or the demands of

caring for siblings or their own child. Dropping out is

sometimes about students being bored and seeing no connection

between academic life and "real" life. It's about young people

feeling disconnected from their peers and from teachers and

other adults at school. And it's about schools and communities

having too few resources to meet the complex emotional and

academic needs of their most vulnerable youth. Although the

reasons for dropping out vary, the results and consequences

are surprisingly similar.

Another concern of this study is the students with

failing grades; they are the ones who were unable to meet the

recommended grades to pass a particular subject. Most

students probably experienced having failing grades, some

have not lost their hopes and continued despite of the

circumstance and there were some who gave up that resulted to

dropping out from school or even lost their appetite and

stopped going to school.

Identification of the problems encountered by the

dropouts and students with failed grades will help the

researchers formulate an intervention program that could

alleviate the augmenting rates of this school concerns.

High school completion is, of course, the most

significant requirement for entering college. Failure to

complete a basic cycle of high school not only limits future

opportunities but also represents a significant loss for the

country.

Although there were a number of individuals who

succeeded in life despite of failing in school, and ironically

becoming an inspirational story for some, but still it is not

a fine reason for every student to discontinue studying and

cease on striving hard to complete their schooling. Let us

face the fact that in every nation, school completion is a

vital thing in order to land a job. And let us be realistic

that not all can achieve the accomplishments those few

propitious individuals had done.

With these premises, the researchers, chose this study

to identify and to have an in-depth understanding on the

common problems encountered by the high school students,

particularly, those students who dropped out of school and

the students with failing grades. Knowing the problems these

students encounter will not only help them but also, it may

prevent the possible increase of future students who may come

across these issues.

Statement of the Problem

The primary purpose of this study is to identify the

problems encountered by dropouts and students with failing

grades of St. Vincent’s High School, Inc. enrolled for the

School Year 2016-2017. Specifically, it sought to answer the

following questions:

1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in

terms of:

1.1 age;

1.2 gender;

1.3 year level; and

1.4 student status:

1.4.1 Dropped out;

1.4.2 Student with failing grade?

2. What are the problems encountered by the respondents?

2.1 personal factors;

2.2 family factors; and

2.3 school factors?

3. Is there a significant relationship between the

demographic profile and the problems encountered by

the respondents?
Hypothesis

Ho: There is no significant relationship between the

demographic profile and the problems encountered by the

students who are dropouts and students with failing grades of

St. Vincent’s High School, Inc.

Significance of the Study

This study was conducted to determine the problems the

encountered by the students who dropouts and students with

failing grades of St. Vincent’s High School, Inc. enrolled

for the SY 2016-2017, a basis for a proposed guidance

intervention program.

In this connection, the researchers believed that this

study is of great value to the following:

Respondents, this will help them find ways to continue

their study and develop a positive perspective and

interpersonal relationship.

Parents, for this will help them encourage their sons

and daughters to pursue their studies and to be supportive of

their children’s education.

Schools, for this will be added information in order to

provide programs and seminars for the students.

Guidance Counselors. The findings of this study will

serve as a benchmark to all guidance counsellors to plan and

develop a guidance program focusing on the services and

activities to cater the needs of students who are at risk of

dropping out of school and to lessen the number of students

apathetic to school environment;

Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Officials. The result

of this study will be of assistance for youth empowerment and

community involvement that will strengthen the area of youth

welfare and development;

The Government, particularly the Department of

Education. The result of this study will help the government

to support the high school dropouts and the students with

failing grades by offering scholarship programs and other

intervention programs that caters the need of the high school

students; and

The Future Researchers. The research findings of this

study could somehow expound by other researchers or tackling

other concerns of students from the private schools. This

encourages further to determine the effectiveness of the

services of the government and non-government institutions

extended to school dropouts and the students with failing

grades.
Scope and Limitation of the study

A total of One hundred twenty (120) high school students

from St. Vincent’s High School, Inc. was randomly selected to

be the respondents of the study. Thirty (30) respondents from

each Grade level.

Aside from the age, gender, year level and the emphasis

that it should be composed of its dropouts and students with

failing grades coming from different grade level, no other

criteria were set for the selection of the respondents.

Gathering of data is through interview, observations,

and survey questionnaires; the data will be taken from the

elicited answers of the respondents in the administered

survey questionnaire, which will be used to distinguish the

respondents’ demographic profile and identify the problems

encountered by the dropouts and students with failing grades

from St. Vincent’s High School, Inc.

Definition of Terms

For the purpose of clarity and better understanding of

this study, the following terms were defined in the context

of this investigation:

Cohort Survival rates. This refers to the

proportion of enrollees at the beginning grade or year

who reach the final grade or year at the end of the

required number of years of study.

Dropout. This refers to the one who leaves school

or an educational program prematurely (Merriam-Webster,

2012). In this study, this refers to any student who

leaves school for any reason before graduation or

completion of a program of studies without transferring

to another secondary school.

Dropout Rate. Is the proportion of pupils/students

who leave school during the year as well as those who

complete the grade/year level but fail to enroll in the

next grade/year level the following school year to the

total number of pupils/students enrolled during the

previous school year (DepEd, 2006).

Family Factor. These are the problems faced by the

students with regards their family’s situation and

financial issues.
 Intervention Program. This refers to a

conceptualized program made to reduce the rate or

prevent the students from staying out of school.

Personal Factor. As used in this study, this refers

to the impediments of students affecting them such as,

self-esteem, health problems, early pregnancy and other

personal issues.

Problems. This refers to a question raised for an,

consideration or solution. (Merriam-Webster, 2012). In

the study, this refers to the troubles that a high school

student encountered during their schooling life

Private Parochial High School. This is a private

school under the rule of a parish priest as the director

in that school.

School Factor. This refers to the school-related

problems of the students that hinders them from

performing well in school.

Students with failing grades. This refers to

students who were unable to meet the grade to pass the

particular subject.
 Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURES AND STUDIES

This chapter presents the review of related literatures

and studies that could further enrich the background of the

study.

A review of various literatures and documents related

to the problem and the studies conducted by the several

researchers, which have significant bearing on the subject

under study brought out some enlightening facts and

interesting observations which enabled the researchers to

gain deeper insight into the objective of the study.

Foreign Literatures

School failure is a process where a student slips farther

and farther behind his peers and gradually disconnects from

the educational system. The end result of school failure is

dropping out before graduation. Students can begin the slide

into failing patterns at any time during their school career,

but school failure is more likely to occur at transitional

stages. Failing grades typically are symptoms of emotional,

behavioral, or learning problems. There are four major causes

of students dropping out of school: The child him/herself,

the family situation, the community they live in and the

school environment, and in order to prevent the students in

dropping out of school, the causes listed above must be

attacked (Schargel, 2012).

An article in human illness.com (2007), averred that,

people who fail in school may feel "stupid", but emotional or

mental health problems and "hidden" learning disorders, not

low intelligence, often are the root causes of their inability

to meet the standards of a school. There are several factors

that can lead to school failure; among them are depression,

anxiety, problems in the family, and learning disabilities.

Retained students are 2 to 11 times more likely to drop

out of school when compared to underachieving, but promoted,

peers. Students often improve during the year following grade

retention, particularly if additional instruction is

provided. However, these gains are normally lost in two to

three years. Moreover, non-academically, an outcome of

retention or repeating is associated with poor “social

adjustment, attitudes toward school, behavioral outcomes, and

attendance.” Retention is a “stronger predictor of

delinquency than socioeconomic status, race, or ethnicity,”

and is also a strong predictor of drug and alcohol use and

teenage pregnancy.
 Furthermore, opponents of "no social promotion" policies

do not defend social promotion so much as say that retention

is even worse. They argue that retention is not a cost-

effective response to poor performance when compared to

cheaper or more effective interventions, such as additional

tutoring and summer school. They point to a wide range of

research findings that show no advantage to, or even harm

from, retention, and the tendency for gains from retention to

wash out. The critics cited harms from retention and that

includes:

 Low self-esteem of the student and making them feel

as if they were mentally inferior and in turn cause

them to give up on their academics. It may also cause

them to be subject the subject of ridicule and

bullying by other students. Increased drop-out rates

of retained students over time.

 No evidence of long-term academic benefit for

retained students.

 Increased rates of dangerous behaviors such as

drinking, drug abuse, crime, teenage pregnancy, and

depression among retained students as compared with

similarly performing promoted students.

 The possibility of grade retention has been shown to be

a significant source of stress for students. In one study of

childhood fears performed in the 1980s, the top three fears

for US sixth graders were a parent's death, going blind, and

being retained. After two decades of increasing retention

practices, a repeat of the study in 2001 found that grade

retention was the single greatest fear, higher than loss of

a parent or going blind. This change likely reflects the

students' correct perception that they were statistically far

more likely to repeat the sixth grade than to suffer the death

of a parent or the loss of their vision (Gibson, 2007).

The students who repeated did not only suffer

academically, but they also struggled in other ways.

Moreover, the students who repeated a grade tended to be less

likely to do their homework, they had more days absent from

school, they tended to be a bit lower on the academic

engagement and motivation scale, they were lower in academic

confidence and they were lower in their general self-esteem

(Collerton, 2011).

Promoting school completion encompasses more than

preventing dropout. For example, it is characterized by

school personnel emphasizing development of students’

competencies rather than dwelling on their deficits.

Successful programs are comprehensive, interfacing family,

school, and community efforts rather than offering a single,

narrow intervention in one environment; are implemented over

time rather than at a single period in time; and make an

effort to tailor interventions to fit individual students

rather than adopting a programmatic “one size fits all”

orientation. School-completion programs have a longitudinal

focus, aiming to promote a “good” outcome, not simply prevent

a “bad” outcome for students and society (Christensen and

Thurlow, 2007).

As said on an article above that school failure is likely

to occur at a transitional stage agrees with Erikson’s

Psychosocial Theory on adolescence stage wherein there is a

difficult transition between the childhood and adulthood.

Moreover, it can be noticed that there are resemblances on

the factors that lead to dropping out of school, repeating

and failing on their grades and these were; the child

him/herself, the problems in the family or the family

situation and the environment or the community they lived in.

Foreign Studies

A research carried out by Anderson, Whipple, & Jimerson

(2008), stated that retained students are more likely to

display aggressiveness, to have a history of suspension or

expulsion, to act out in the classroom, or display behaviors

associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and

Conduct Disorder. Children who are learning disabled are also

more likely to be retained – and in fact are likely to be so

diagnosed immediately following the retention. In addition to

poor academic achievement and low standardized test scores,

retained students are likely to have a history of numerous

school changes and absenteeism. Large family size, low

parental education and low family involvement are also

related to retention.

Furthermore, their research had several explanations for

the negative effects associated with grade retention,

including:

 Absence of specific remedial strategies to enhance

social or cognitive competence.

 Failure to address the risk factors associated with

retention (short-term gains following retention mask

long-term problems associated with ineffective

instruction).
  Retained children are subsequently overage of grade,

which is associated with deleterious outcomes,

particularly as retained children approach middle

school and puberty stigmatization by peers and other

negative experiences of grade retention may

exacerbate behavioral and socio-emotional adjustment

problems).

A study made by Lavy, Paserman and Schlosser (2007)

explained that the proportion of repeaters in class has a

negative and significant effect on the academic achievements

of regular middle and high school students.

Stid, O’neil and Colby (2009), cited that one third of

high school students across the U.S. fail to get a high school

diploma on schedule; for minority students, that rate falls

to 50 percent; every day 7,000 students drop out of school.

They have found the figures staggering; what’s more, they

have profound consequences for equity and economic

opportunity in the United States. When compared with college

graduates, dropouts earn $1 million less over their lifetimes

and are three times more likely to be unemployed. A dropout

is eight times more likely to be imprisoned during his or her

lifetime than someone with a high school diploma.

A study carried out in 2010 to determine the factors

that contribute to learners dropping out of the Secondary

Education program provided the following answers as

mitigating factors:

1. Alcohol abuse, lack of parental/self-motivation;

2. Difficulty to cope with part-time studies; and

3. Lack of financial support to pay for examination/

transport;

4. Long distances to the tutorial centers, implying

higher transport costs;

5. Pregnancies, lack of family planning.

However, Hupfeld (2011) stated that there is no single

risk factor that can be used to accurately predict who is at

risk of dropping out.

A research by Andrews Martin (2011), have estimated that

between five and 15 per cent of Australian students repeat a

school year. The students who repeat a school year are more

likely to skip school, lose motivation and suffer from low

self-esteem. Furthermore, repeating a grade resulted in a

decrease in academic engagement and self-confidence among

students. It lowered self-esteem and brought no advantages in

peer relationships, compared with students who did not

repeat.

There are many issues concerning the problems of high

school students today, not only in our country, but a concern

of all nations. The rapid increase of dropouts, year

repeaters, the balik-arals and the students with failed

grades and is a matter every nation should be worried about,

because it does not only affect the supply of the country’s

need for highly educated workers but also the quality of

citizens the country may produce.

Local Literatures

Ensuring that students stay in school until they

complete their education is a major concern in basic education

(National Education and Testing Research Center, 1990).

Cohort Survival Rates (CSR) for the past 10 years has

fluctuated between 60% and 80% in both elementary and

secondary levels (Department of Education, 2008). These

statistics mean that about between 20 to 40% of Grade 1 pupils

do not reach Grade 6; of the 60 to 75% who enter secondary

school, about one-third of them do not finish high school. If

the numbers are added up, they indicate that about half of

Grade 1 pupils complete secondary level; the other half are,

for one reason or another, lost along the way.

Increasing government funding has not also completely

addressed the dropout problem. Despite the general increase

in allocation for education through the past years, the

dropout problem remains one of the challenges for educators.

Contrary to expectation, allotting more funds to public

education did not necessarily bring about substantial

reduction in dropout rates. This is because increase in budget

did not match increase in population and, consequently, in

enrollment. The per capita budget has actually decreased

through the years. The budget for basic education has

increased by 25% from 2000 (PhP80 M) to 2009 (PhP150M).

However, the real value of per capita cost has decreased from

PhP6,000 in 2000 to PhP4,000 in 2009 (Department of Education,

2009). Thus, increase in dropout rates is not surprising

despite increase in the budget because there have been more

students accommodated by the public schools than could be

adequately financed.

The dropout rates among high school students in the

country have been significantly reduced, according to the

Department of Education (DepEd), (2011). DepEd cited that 56

secondary schools across the country have reported zero

incidences of students quitting school. Sec. Armin Luistro

attributed the decrease of dropout rates to the department's

Dropout Reduction Program (DORP), which provides alternative

delivery programs to keep students in school and finish basic

education. Luistro added that, the end-goal of the department

is to retain the poorly schooled and those who are in danger

of dropping out because of difficult social and economic

situations and provide them quality education.

 Escudero urged the government to work sharply to reduce,

if not eliminate, dropout rates in public elementary and high

schools in six years. He cited a UN report in 2000, which

showed that in nearly five decades since the 1960s, dropout

rates at the public elementary level, had remained high, with

28 to 34 percent failing to complete Grade 6. Furthermore,

stating the latest data from a separate study he did not

identify, Escudero estimated that of the 100 children who

entered Grade 1, only 86 moved on to Grade 2, 76 to Grade 4,

67 to Grade 6, and only 65 finally completed the six years of

elementary education. Of the 65, only 58 enroll in high school

and 45 are able to graduate (Ubac, 2009).

Moreover, drop-out rates for both elementary and

secondary levels, according to the government education

agency, went up by above seven percent and nearly 13% in

school year 2005-2006, from 6.98% and 7.99%, respectively, in

school year 2004-2005. High cost of education coupled by

lingering poverty has been cited by pundits’ reasons for these

increases (DepEd, 2011).

A Philippines-based foundation named He Cares

Foundation, has been provided and supported balik-aral

students by rendering programs and financial support to help

the balik-arals to pursue their studies.

 Based from the reviewed articles, the researchers

noticed that the dropout rate in the Philippines in previous

years has increased and the budget allocated for education

had also increased but it doesn’t have an obvious effect on

the rate of dropouts end even repeaters. But the good thing

is, as of last year, it was reported that the dropout rate

had decreased because of the dropout reduction program

rendered by the Department of Education headed by Secretary

Armin Luistro.

Local Studies

Studies on dropping out have attributed the phenomenon

mainly to poverty. One extensive critical review of about 50

studies on public school education described dropouts as

coming from low-income families whose parents had little or

no education, and who were unemployed or had jobs that gave

them little or irregular income. The study also identified

reasons for dropping out such as poor health due to

malnutrition, distance between home and school, lack of

interest, and teacher factor. It concluded that the education

system then was ―socially selective since most dropouts were

from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

These facts reflect a worrisome reality about the

holding power of public schools, which is further elucidated

by data on dropouts. The statistics on the national average

dropout rate for each school level has remained higher than

expected (1 to 2%), sometimes as much as 2 digits. Moreover,

even if dropouts re-enter school at some point many repeaters

eventually drop out at a later time. Re-admission seems to

have little positive effect on achievement (Nava, 2009).

Moreover, Nava noted that students in various gender

groups, school levels, and locations are at-risk of dropping

out for various reasons. Some of these factors are common to

all dropouts, while others are more keenly associated with

specific groups.

Secondary or high school female repeaters in the

Philippines (% of female enrolled) was 1.53 as of 2009. Its

highest value over the past 11 years was 1.62 in 2006, while

its lowest value was 0.85 in 2005. On the other hand, the

male repeaters were 4.36 as of 2009. Its highest value over

the past 11 years was 4.87 in 2006, while its lowest value

was 2.73 in 25 (UNESCO, 2009).

The Repeaters in the secondary schools, in the

Philippines (% of total enrollment) was 2.92 in 2009,

according to a World Bank report, published in 2010.

An analysis of the Dropout Reduction Plan of the

Department of Education (2007) has found out that:

 Low family income, unemployed parents, and parents

engaging in seasonal jobs are factors which adversely

affect the students.

 Parents tend to neglect their parental responsibilities

towards their children’s education because they are

preoccupied with other activities to augment their

family income. Some are OFWs, some have poor educational

background while others are irresponsible parents who

are indulging in vices like alcoholism and gambling.

 Broken family and family conflicts affected the

students’ school performance.

 Health problems such as malnutrition and illness caused

students to drop from school.

 Peer pressure/barkadahan, playing amusement games

during classes and even indulging in different vices are

identified causes of absenteeism and tardiness among

students.

 Poor academic performance of students is brought about

by being slow learners, having low self-esteem, having

poor study habit, being not ready academically for

secondary school, and non-compliance of subject

requirements.

 A good number of schools have insufficient instructional

equipment and learning facilities.

  Many teachers still resort to the traditional methods

of teaching, inappropriate teaching styles and

utilization of traditional assessment of learning

outcomes.

 Some schools provide inadequate guidance program.

Furthermore, some schools do not have full-time guidance

counselors.

 The students have no access to regular transportation

because of the distance and difficult geographic

allocation of the school. Students get tired hiking

daily causing them to be late or absent in school.

 The presence of amusement and recreation centers such

as internet café, video games, billiard halls, video

houses, etc. operating in the locality of the school

during class hours entice students not to attend

classes.

From the reviewed materials, the researchers noticed a

worrisome increase in the dropout and repeaters rate in the

country. Also, not enough funding from the government

contributes to these problems. But the government agencies,

particularly the Department of Education is doing the best

they can to prevent further increase of the students who

repeat and dropped out from school. On the other hand, the

balik-arals or the students that are back from schooling after

long vacationing were able to continue their studies with the

help of programs created for them.

Theoretical Framework

According to Erik Erikson’s Psycho-Social Development of

Personality, particularly the conflict stage of “industry

versus inferiority” that lasts from 6 to 11 years. In our

culture, school life begins here. This stage is the beginning

of life outside the family; a stage of systematic instruction,

a movement from play to a sense of work. This stage describes

that a child needs to do well and develop a sense of work

completion and satisfaction in a job well done. Otherwise,

the child develops a sense of inferiority and inequality.

Another is the adolescence stage termed, “identity versus

identity confusion” that occurs between 12 to 20 years, it

emphasizes the difficult transition between childhood and

adulthood that can be strongly affected by social limitations

and possibilities. The adolescent is likely to suffer from

confused roles. Doubts about one’s sexual attractiveness and

sexual identity are common to this stage. The inability to

develop a sense of identification with an individual or

cultural role model who gives direction to one’s life can

lead to a period of floundering and insecurity. Another

reaction is over identification with youth-culture heroes or

clique leaders leading to a loss of identity. Because of these

crucial stages where most high school students in the country

are where at, many problems arises that can affect their

functioning in their daily lives.

An additional theory is from Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy

of needs, which points out the basic human needs. He believed

that exposure to environmental conditions that permit or

prohibit gratification of the basic needs prompts movement up

or down the hierarchy of needs. Maslow suggests that, without

the fulfilment of these needs, an individual may feel

discouraged, weak and inferior. In line with this study, if

a student feels discouraged and inferior, his motivation may

be affected and thus, there will certainly have inhibitions

especially with his performance in school.

Moreover, Carl Rogers’ Self-theory that points out that

the ultimate goal of each one is to be a fully functioning

person. It is a process in which the individual constantly

pursues his or her actualizing tendency, and at the same time

behaves in a manner that is true to the self. Rogers also

described the characteristics of a fully functioning person

these are: openness to experiences, existential living, self-

trust, sense of freedom and creativity.

With these theories, the researchers will conduct a

study on the problems encountered by dropouts, repeaters,

balik-aral and students with failed grades in public high

school as a basis for a proposed guidance intervention

program.

Research Paradigm

HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS and

STUDENTS WITH FAILED GRADES

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY THE STUDENTS

Personal Family School Factor

Factor Factor

Proposed Guidance
Intervention Program

Figure 1

Figure 1 shows the process of the study exploring the

problems encountered by the students who are drop-outs and

students with failing grades of St. Vincent’s High School,

Inc. in La Castellana, Negros Occidental.

 Chapter 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter contains a comprehensive description of the

research design, research setting, the research subjects,

research instruments, instrument validation, data gathering

procedure and statistical treatment.

Research Design

In this study, the descriptive-survey method was

employed to identify the role and significance of the problems

encountered by the dropouts and students with failing grades

in St. Vincent’s High School, Inc. in La Castellana, Negros

Occidental. To define the descriptive type of research,

Creswell (1994) stated that the descriptive method of

research is to gather information about the present existing

condition. The aim of descriptive research is to verify

formulated hypotheses that refer to the present situation in

order to elucidate it. The descriptive approach is quick and

practical in terms of the financial aspect. Moreover, this

method allows a flexible approach, thus, when important new

issues and questions arise during the duration of the study,

further investigation may be conducted.

 A survey is a structured way of learning about a larger

group of people by obtaining information from a

representative sample of that particular group of people.

Some of the advantages of a survey are that it describes the

characteristics of a large population and there is no other

method of observation, which can provide this general

capability. It allows many questions to be asked about a given

topic by giving considerable flexibility to the analysis. A

survey is also a single most widely used research design in

educational research; therefore, it was used in this

educational research as well (Kavetuna, 2009).

Purposive sampling method was done for the sample

selection. A purposive sample refers to the selection of

units based on personal judgment rather than randomization.

This judgmental sampling is in some way “representative” of

the population of interest without sampling at random.

Purposive sampling can be very useful for situations where it

is needed to reach a targeted sample quickly and where

sampling for proportionality is not the primary concern.

In relation with the study, the researchers identified

the problems encountered by the dropouts and students with

failing grades in St. Vincent’s High School, Inc. It seeks to

provide information and examine the relationship among

variables.
Research Setting

The study was conducted in St. Vincent’s High School,

Inc in La Castellana, Negros Occidental.

St. Vincent’s High School, Inc is a parochial school run

by the church is recognized by the DepEd. It was founded in

1953 and located at Rizal St., Brgy. Robles, La Castellana,

Negros Occidental just beside the La Castellana Catholic

Church. It is the only private-catholic school in the

Municipality. The mission of the school is not only to instill

knowledge to students about the world but also to strengthen

the faith of the students to God. St. Vincent’s High School

has a population of more than 600 students from elementary

until senior high school. It has almost 30 Faculty and staff.

Research Subjects

In order to determine the problems encountered by the

dropout students and students with failing grades, a total of

120 respondents were asked to participate. To achieve

pertinent information, certain inclusion criteria were

imposed. The participants qualified for sample selection must

be high school dropouts and students with failing grades.

This qualification ensured that the participants understand

the nature of survey questionnaire and its use for the study,

making the survey items easy for them to accomplish. The

respondents were selected from Grade 8 until Grade 11. Thirty

(30) from each Grade level for a total of 120 respondents

that took part in the study.

Instruments Used

A survey questionnaire was used as the main data -

gathering instrument for this study. The questionnaire is

divided into two main sections: the demographic profile and

the survey-questionnaire. The profile contains demographic

characteristics of the respondents such as age, gender, year

level and the student’s status. The survey proper explores

the problems encountered by the respondents. In this survey

questionnaire, two choices were provided for every statement:

Yes or No. The choices represent the agreement each respondent

has on the given question.

Three factors was used to determine the problems

encountered by the dropout students and students with failing

grades of St. Vincent’s High School, Inc. in La Castellana,

Negros Occ., these are: Family factor which includes the

family situation and the financial issues of the respondents;

School factor, which pertains to the respondent’s concerns

about the teachers, classmates, subjects and the school

facilities ; and the Personal factor, that pertains to the

respondent’s health-related issues and other personal

concerns.

Validation of the Instrument

To test the validity of the questionnaire that was used

for the study, the researchers had a try-out of the

questionnaire to thirty respondents. These respondents as

well as their answers were not part of the actual study

process and were only used for testing purposes. After the

questions were answered, the researchers asked the

respondents for any suggestions or any necessary corrections

to ensure further improvement and validity of the instrument.

For the reliability of the survey questionnaire, the internal

consistency was used. If the reliability value is high, 0.71

to 0.90 to very high, 0.91 to 0.99, this means that the

research instrument is reliable. The survey questionnaire got

a reliability value of 0.79 meaning, the research instrument

was reliable. After the research instrument has proven both

valid and reliable, it was then administered to the

respondents of the study.

Data Gathering Procedure

After the validation of the instrument, the researchers

secured a written permit to the principal of St. Vincent’s

High School, Inc. Records from the registrar office and

guidance office are useful enough for the needed data on the

list of student who are dropouts and students with failing

grades.

After given permission, the researchers explained the

purpose of the study to the selected respondents and then

they made sure each participant corresponds to their

predefined criteria.

The researchers collected the data by means of survey

questionnaire that comprises their age, gender, and year

level and student status. The problems encountered by the

respondents will be identified through the second part of the

survey questionnaire that was given to them.

After, the respondents have taken the tests; the papers

were checked, tallied, interpreted and analyzed.

Statistical Treatment

The following were the statistical treatment used in the

study.

1. Percentage (P) - This method was used to calculate the

percentage of the demographic profile of the

respondents.

Formula: P = f x 100%
n

Where: P - Is the percentage (%)

f - The number of respondents

n - Total number of respondents

2. Mean - was used to describe a set of data as to what

point the item values or scores tend to cluster or

concentrate.

Formula:
X = ∑x
n

Where: ∑x – sum of the item values

n - number of items

3. Standard Deviation – used to determine, with a great deal

of accuracy, the position of data in frequency

distribution relative to the mean.

 𝟐
Formula: 𝒔 = √∑𝒇𝒅
𝒏

Where s- standard deviation

∑𝑓𝑑2 - sum of the product of frequency and

squared deviation

n − number of items

4. Correlation Pearson r - It was used in order to find out

if there is a relationship between the variables.

Formula:

N∑XY - ∑X∑Y
r =
√[𝑁∑x 2 - (∑X)²][N∑Y² - (∑Y

where r = Pearson’s r

5. Spearman's rank - it was used to know the degree of

relationship between the variables.

6𝐷 2
Formula: 𝜌 = 1 − [𝑛(𝑛2 −1)]

6. Point-biserial correlation coefficient (rpb) - A

correlation coefficient used when one variable is

dichotomous.