Profiling of Philippine Merchant Marine Academy Academic Achievers and Their Origins

Abstract

Every academic institution aims to understand what contributes to the academic achievement and failures of their students to serve as basis for improvement in all aspects. This study identified the origins of the PMMA academic achievers and determined their relationship to their academic achievement. Data was gathered through a documentary analysis of existing school records. Interviews were also conducted among instructors who served at least 10 years. Findings revealed that majority of the PMMA academic achievers are from Luzon and mostly coming from the National Capital Region (NCR), usually graduated from public or state-owned High Schools, and already had college background before joining. When grouped according to their academic program, both BSMT and BSMarE achievers mostly came from NCR and already had college background. In terms of the type of school attended, most BSMT achievers were educated in private high schools while BSMarE achievers were educated in public or state-owned high schools. Moreover, no relationship was established between the academic achievement and their province, type of secondary school last attended or prior academic experience. The faculty-interviewees negated that those who came from Metro Manila have more intellectual advantage. They further claimed that those who came from remote provinces and who are less financially fortunate were perceived to be more dedicated and excelled better in class. It is recommended to conduct a follow-up study which will include other variables such as economic status to determine which factors have a substantial impact on the academic achievement of the PMMA cadets.