Factors Considered in Choosing Track in Preparation for Senior High School of Grade 10 Students" in the District of Pagsanjan Division of Laguna

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Senior High School (SHS) is the last two years of the K to 12 program thatincludes Grades 11 and 12. Before the passage of RA 10533, the K to 12 law, the Philippines was the last country in Asia and one of only three countries in the world with a 10-year basic education. In response to the global standard which is 12-year basiceducation, K to 12 program was passed into law which led to the implementation of 12 years of basic education. Senior High School is free in public schools and implements a voucher program to those students who choose to enroll in a private institution. This means that the educational expenses for the additional two years of schooling need not to be completely shouldered by parents. After graduating from SHS, learners are expected to be equipped with skills that will prepare them for the future whether in employment, in entrepreneurship, or in pursuing college education. SHS students do have choices from among the different disciplines. Grade 10 students pick a track of his/her choice after completing grade10. There are four (4) tracks in the SHS namely: 1. Academic; 2. Sports; 3. Arts and Design and; 4. Technical-Vocational. Under each track are called strands. Academic Strand consists of: 1. General Academic Strands (GAS); 2. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); 3. Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMMS); 4. Accountancy and Business Management (ABM) Sports strand consists of three strands namely: 1. Athlete development; 2. Coaching and officiating; 3. Fitness training. Arts and Design consists of: 1. Theater; 2. Music; 3. Dance; 4. Creative writing; 5. Visual Arts and; 6. The Media Arts Technical-Vocational Strand consists of: 1. Agriculture and Fishery Arts (AFA); 2. Home Economics (HE); 3. Information and Communication Technology (ICT); 4. Industrial Arts (IA).The Department of Education (Department of Education) through Department of Education Order No. 41 s2015 issued guidelines on the Senior High School (SHS) Career Guidance Program (CGP) and Early Registration which aims to guide Grade 10 students/SHS entrants in making informed decisions regarding their choice of SHS track. This consists of modules which will be answered by Grade 10 completing students in order to promote awareness in the importance of choosing the right career track that matches their interests and skills.However,the researcher feels that there are still other factors involve that Grade 10 completers consider in choosing career track to enroll in SHS. This action research aims to determine those other factors so that the results of this study may guide Grade 10 completers and their parents in arriving the right decisions regarding their career choice.

METHODS

The researcher resorted to Stratified Random Sampling in selecting the respondents for this study. The researcher targeted the 20% grade 10 enrolment from each school in the District of Pagsanjan during the school year 2018-2019. A total of 142 grade 10 students were the respondents to this study. To answer the research questions, the researcher formulated a research instrument called structured questionnaires. Respondents were given a set of items about the different factors in choosing a Senior High School track. Then, respondents ranked each item ordinally with rank number 1 as their first priority and the highest number as their last priority. The researcher used the descriptive statistics in analyzing gathered data specifically the frequency of scores and the weighted ranking of scores. After treating statistically, the gathered data, the researcher arrived at the following conclusions.

RESULTS

Here is the rank list of the factors considered by Grade 10 students in choosing Senior High School Track:Available Senior High School Track that the school offers that Ilike;Parents recommendation andadvise;Competence of teachers (refers to the expertise, caring and nurturing attitude of the schoolpersonnel);Scholarships, grants, financial aid that the schooloffers;Physicalfacilitiesoftheschool(referstocoveredcourt, library,computerroom,attractiveandbeautifulschoolbuildings,playground);Cost in attending to school (refers to the transportation fare, tuition, fee, fund raising activities and thelike)