School-Based Feeding Program and its Impact to the Academic Performance of Undernourished Intermediate Pupils of Navotas Elementary School

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Education is the prime instrument for national development. It is the tool of the country to be able as the teachers to produce competitive pupils so that they can compete in this highly global competitive world. The problem begins on how we can produce 21st century learners if the child is suffering from malnutrition and other nutrient deficiency due to poverty. Pupils can suffer health problems if they are lack in nutrients, right food and others that they need to be able to grow. It can primarily affects their study habits which can lead to the poor academic performance. The researchers are motivated to conduct the study to determine the importance of SBFP with regards to the academic performance of undernourished intermediate pupils on Navotas ElementarySchool.

METHODS

This study used the experimental method of research to gather the needed data on the impact of school-based feeding program in the academic performance of undernourished intermediate pupils of Navotas Elementary School.

The respondents of this study were the 15 undernourished intermediate pupils of the Navotas Elementary School. Their academic performance during the first quarter of the school year were the basis of the researcher. While the academic performance of the pupils in the second quarter after the feeding program implementation utilized as to compare the previous performances of the pupils before and after the feeding program.

RESULTS

Three dependent variables are being compared, which are the grading periods, BMI results, average academic grade, and moving average was implemented as the type of statistical analysis.There was a difference in the mean and standard deviation in academic performance of the SBFP recipients. There was a notable increase in the mean rating of pupils from 77.47 in the Quarter 1 and 78.13 in Quarter 2 while the data decreased in deviation from 8.80 to 8.84. T-test analysis was executed to compare the two averages means whether they are different from each other. With the t-values of -2.78 and -2.47, there was a difference within the BMI and academic performance within the span of a grading period.

DISCUSSIONS

It was known that after a grading period, there was an increase in BMI and average academic grades of students. This implies that the school's feeding program has a positive effect for the undernourished intermediate pupils.