CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

As the dawn of post-modernity of technology continue to advance, the

youth continues to become more unaware of the feasible problems they will

encounter in the future. Educational institutions grow more oblivious to how and

what they teach learners, withholding essential knowledge and experience that

will guide them to deciding which career they choose. As a result, students

become impetuous and naïve on knowing if the career path they will take is for

them or not.

According to Loretto (2019), having students experience the workplace of

their chosen field is an excellent way of “trying out’ a certain career. The

functionality of having immersion-like programs within the curriculum establishes

a concrete exposure to the workplace which protrudes a learner’s knowledge

towards the career workplace. Thus, enabling them to decide which career path

to choose. In the Pre-Engineering context, this will help the learners to know

what the workplace is like and also, broaden their respective skills and

intellectual capacity towards the career.

To put this in an international perspective, applying experience-based

learning in the curriculum is highly effective in educating a student towards their

respective potentials in the career they have chosen. In a study by Hergert

(2009, p.9), it stated that having an internship experience would assist learners in
establishing a connection between their academic studies and the nature of the

career they will choose. With the study’s findings, learners can also create

connections and opportunities to improve the employment and career prospects.

In conclusion to the study (Hergert, 2009, p.12), it has been inferred that these

programs should be a key element of business education in the 21st century.

Within the Philippines Context, the application of immersion-like activities

within the curriculum proves to be effective from a study conducted by Gemmar

Guimba (2018). According to its results, immersions are effective especially

when there is a high level of work immersion satisfaction within their respective

school. This simply means that the more scintillating the immersion is the more

efficacious the experience is. All the more reason why the application of on-job

career exposure to the academe improves the potential within the learners.

Theoretical Lens

Experience is the best teacher. People learn from their past experiences,

whether it’s good or bad, they reflect from it and apply it in the future in order to

become better versions of themselves. In this study, we will be taking a look at

David Kolb, a psychologist and his proposed theory regarding experience-based

learning. It is where experience is grasped and transformed in order to learn or

gain knowledge. Kolb’s experiential theory takes more of a comprehensive

approach to learning. It emphasizes how experiences, like environmental factors,

reasoning, and emotions affect the learning process of an individual (Cherry,

2019).

In relation, in order to fully inculcate the learners in their aspired fields, it is

wise to engage them in experience-based learning which is involving them on

career exposures. With this, they will have a background as to what their future

work environment will be. Exposure to the fields of work can provide an opportunity

for learners to build a connection with professionals which can help in shaping the

work interests of the learners and knowledge about the work environment.

Moreover, learners will get more time to decide and reflect on their chosen

profession and avoid unwanted career path.

Research Questions

This study is semi-structured and it seeks to obtain concrete information

through the following questions:

1. What are the related activities within the curriculum of Pre-Engineering

that is applied in the classroom that may somehow be related to on-site

career exposures?

2. What are the challenges that you found within the experience?

3. What are the insights of learners’ on having immersion-like

activities/programs within the curriculum of Ateneo de Davao SHS?

Importance of the Study

With the application of this study, the beneficiaries will be:

 Administration. Through this study, Ateneo de Davao University Senior

High School will be able to produce brilliant graduates who have assurance to their

planned career and are ready to face college and their future work environment

because of the early exposure to their desired career.

Learners. Learners will be guided in their future career choices and also

increase the prospect of these learners to pursue college and graduate.With

career exploration and exposure, it will improve the learner’s knowledge about their

career options and work reality and inspire them to work towards their goals

(America’s Promise Alliance, n.d).

Department of Education. In creating fine graduates who are well-

equipped with experience gained from on-site career exposure, the standards of

the administrations and faculties will escalate causing an increase in the quality

of education in the Philippines.

Department of Labor and Employment. As a branch of the government

that deals with the labor force and the potentials on learners’ employability

prospect, having experienced-based learning will promote and produce more skill

and knowledge acquainted employees.

Commission on Higher Education. When there is an established and

broadened formal ties and collaborations between secondary and tertiary

education levels, it will help encourage senior high schools and tertiary education

organizations adapt their curriculums and learning strategies more closely to

address the rapidly evolving demands of industries where high job demand is
expected which then creates a better cascade effect in the education system in

both secondary and post-secondary education

Scope and Delimitation

This study aims to see if on-site career exposures will be able to determine
whether STEM-Pre Engineering suits their chosen career by interviewing
their respective opinions towards having on-site career exposures in the
curriculum. And by obtaining information through learner’s perceptions, it also
aims to further obtain information on improving one’s skills, knowledge and
experience towards Engineering and Architecture strand by having
immersion-like programs within the curriculum.

This research will focus its scope on the students from the STEM pre-
engineering strand of Ateneo de Davao University. As a study revolving on the
insights of these students, the researchers will conduct a semi-structured interview
on ten (10) learners. The researchers will be focusing on how they perceive an
onsite career exposure and how they will react to it. As for the delimitations, the
researchers will be conducting a cross-sectional research meaning that it will only
span for the 2nd semester and the events after that will not be covered. The
research is also delimited to only five (5) Grade eleven (11) learners and five (5)
Grade twelve (12) learners of the Ateneo de Davao University and will not further
encompass beyond the scope of the study aforementioned.

Definition of Terms

Engineering- the branch of science and technology concerned with the design,

building, and use of engines, machines, and structures.

Impetuous- characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation.

STEM- is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific

disciplines, science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an

interdisciplinary and applied approach.

Postmodernity- A period or movement representing a departure from modernism

and characterized by the self-conscious use of earlier styles and conventions, a

mixing of different artistic styles and media, and a general distrust of theories.

Psychologist- an expert or specialist in psychology.

Organization of the Study

1st paragraph: Restate once again the overall objective of the study

2nd to 6th paragraphs: a short overview of each chapter. It does not

necessarily have to be in 5 sentences, but should present a clear picture as to

what the content of each chapter is.

 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

I. FIELD EXPOSURE

It is difficult to choose the right career path, especially if there is a

strong commitment to education. Career enrichment initiatives are

developing across the United States to help handle these painstaking

decisions. Such services come in different ways—from single career days

to intense summer days—but the goal is still the same: helping people

make better choices about their future (Chegg, n.d).The University of

Illinois Springfield are conducting career immersion programs where

learners connect with workers and their work setting. Learners take part in

unique and interactive networking activities to enable them to expand their

knowledge of the industry and apply what they learn in the classroom

(Career Development Center, n.d). This is exactly related to work

immersions and on-site field exposure being conducted in the Philippines.

Both share the same objective and that is to enrich the learners with

experiences on workforces and work settings.

On-site field exposure in senior high school involves the learners

become exposed and become familiar with the work environment of their

area of specialization. The Department of Education (DepEd) planned to

augment the K-12 experience, with the main objective of making students

well equipped for their endeavors. In the K-12 Basic Education

Curriculum, work immersion or field exposure became a prerequisite to

graduation. A senior high school student must be exposed to job

immersion in an area that is directly related to the post-secondary goal of

the learner. Through field exposures, learners can gain applicable and

realistic technical expertise, directed by industry experts and employees;

boost their technical expertise and competencies; enrich their social and

human relations skills; develop good working habits, behavior, love for

jobs and gratitude. These prepare them to meet job or higher education

needs and challenges after graduation. No matter what the strand, an

individual must complete an 80- hour work shift in a company or field

 according to their desired career. Students should be able to use the skills

they have learned by the end of the work experience of the program to

adapt them to real-life situations in the actual workplace (Mangaluz, J.,

2018).

According to a quantitative research by Enoc, Jeromil & Abao,

Ethel (2018) about The Effectiveness Of Immersion Activities In Improving

Students' English Speaking and Writing Skills that immersion programs

are successful in enhancing the abilities of students in English speaking

and writing. Education in the classroom alone is not enough to build these

skills; it must be combined with the external environment that provides

learners with contextualized and real-life experiences in second language

learning. With their research proven to be successful, it is expected that

this study will generate the same results. Involving the learners in their

aspired workplace and environment will cause a significant change in their

academic performance and also improve their abilities in different aspects

and will be helpful in reaching their goals.

II. IMMERSIONS

- Benefits

- Summer Immersions in the Philippines

- Education

III. INTERNSHIP

- Education
 - Process

- Accessibility

IV. K-12 CURRICULUM

- Proposal of Immersions

- Related Programs

- Actions

V. RELATED STUDIES

- Immersions

- Internship

- Effectivity
 REFERENCES

America’s Promise Alliance. (n.d.). Why Career Exploration Matters.

Retrieved from

https://www.americaspromise.org/why-career-exploration-matters

Bright, M. (2017, May 5). The Importance of Early and Consistent Exposure to

STEM Fields. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-importance-of-

early-and-consistent-exposure-to_b_5908e6b1e4b03b105b44bcdf

Career Development Center (n.d). Career Immersion Program. Retrieved from

University of Illinois Springfield website: https://www.uis.edu/career/wp-

 content/uploads/sites/114/2018/02/Career-Immersion-One-Sheet-for-

Employers.pdf

Chegg (n.d). Is Career Immersion Right For You? 6 Ways to Find Out. Retrieved

from: https://www.chegg.com/advice/career-center/is-career-immersion-right-for-

you-6-ways-to-find-out/

Cherry, K. (2019, September 24). The Experiential Learning Theory of David

Kolb. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/experiential-learning-

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Enoc, J., & Abao, E. (2018). THE EFFECTIVENESS OF IMMERSION

ACTIVITIES IN IMPROVING STUDENTS' ENGLISH SPEAKING AND WRITING

SKILLS.

Guimba, G. A. (2018). Work-related self-efficacy and work immersion satisfaction

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https://www.grin.com/document/456670

Hergert, M. (2009, November). Student Perceptions Of The Value Of Internships

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https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1052655.pdf
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https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-is-an-internship-1986729

Mangaluz, J. (2018, April 2). K-12 and the Work Immersion Program. Retrieved

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