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A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF ILOILO

NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL - SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADE 11 STEM
STUDENTS' PREFERRED STUDY ENVIRONMENTS AT HOME OR IN CAFÉS

A RESEARCH PAPER

Presented to
PORTIA J. ESTORQUE
Faculty, Senior High School
ILOILO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements in Statistics
Quantitative Research

Parcon, Mary Nicolette J.

Patiño, Samantha Mikhaila G.
Langreo, Sylvanus Rein B
Baltazara, Charlize D.
Saragena, Donna Pearl S.
STEM 11-B

March 2020
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Table of Contents

Page

Introduction 4

Statement of the Problem 5

Methodology 5

Results 9

Interpretation and Conclusion 12

Recommendations 12

References 13
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List of Tables

Table Content Page

Data of students from the STEM strand who

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prefer to study at home

Data of students from the STEM strand who

2 7
prefer to study at cafés

General average of STEM students who prefer to

3 8
study at home at cafés

4 Computation of data 10
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Introduction

At present, the question of whether it is better to study at home, where there is little to no

interruptions and distractions such as unwanted sounds, or at cafés, where there is a fair amount

of noise enough to stimulate the brain into creative thinking, still lingers as a fair amount of

studies claim that studying in a noisy environment is beneficial to memory retention. Mehta, Zhu

& Cheema (2012) states that a moderate amount of noise when working or studying can actually

increase creativity and memory retention. On the other hand, Sauter et al. (1999) suggests that

ambient noise affects people’s health by increasing general stress levels and aggravating stress-

related conditions such as high blood pressure, coronary disease, peptic ulcers and migraine

headaches. Continued exposure does not lead to habituation; in fact, the effects worsen.

Link (2017) states that an ideal study spot should be free from noise, and that a quiet,

peaceful environment generates the most productivity when it comes to studying. Our homes are

usually the places where we do the most work, hence we tend to designate a specific study or

work spot to put ourselves in a productive mindset. However, some people prefer to work in a

public setting where there is plenty of ambient noise. Spots like cafés and study hubs have

recently grown in popularity as a viable place to study or work. “Instead of the noise and bustle

stimulating your imagination, your productivity could be because concentration is contagious,”

Oxenham (2016) states.

This study aims to determine whether or not the environment in which one studies in

affects the academic performance of students taking the STEM strand.

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Statement of the Problem

1) What is the mean grade of students studying at cafés taking the STEM strand?

2) What is the mean grade of students studying at home taking the STEM strand?

3) Is there a significant difference between the mean grades of Grade 11 STEM students

studying either at home or in cafés?

Methodology

This study made use of quota sampling. The respondents, who have fulfilled the basis,

particularly a Grade 11 STEM student of Iloilo National High School – Senior High School,

were briefed about the aim and objective of the study entitled “A Comparative Analysis of the

Academic Performance of Iloilo National High School - Senior High School Grade 11 STEM

Students' Preferred Study Environments at Home or in Cafés”. With their inclination and

consent, the respondents were asked for the essential information. A total of 50 samples from

both morning and afternoon shifts were gathered, with 25 respondents who preferred to study at

home and another 25 respondents who preferred to study in cafés, to satisfy the quota. The

respondents were asked for their names and sections in order to avoid repetitions within the

acquired data, all of which will be kept confidential. The respondents from both identifying

categories, specifically those who prefer to study at either their homes or in cafés, were requested

for their general average in the first semester.

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The gathered data will then be presented in a tabular form. Independent sample t-test will

be the statistical used to determine whether or not there is a significant difference in the mean

grade of STEM students who study at home or in cafés.

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Organization of Data

Table 1 presents the raw data collected from STEM students who prefer to study at home

or at cafés.

Table 1. Data of students from the STEM Table 2. Data of students from the STEM

strand who prefer to study at home strand who prefer to study at cafés

General Average General Average

Respondent Respondent
(1st Semester) (1st Semester)
1 95 1 95
2 93 2 93
3 92 3 92
4 93 4 93
5 92 5 92
6 92 6 92
7 93 7 93
8 92 8 92
9 90 9 90
10 92 10 92
11 84 11 84
12 90 12 90
13 85 13 85
14 91 14 91
15 91 15 91
16 90 16 90
17 90 17 90
18 94 18 94
19 90 19 90
20 90 20 90
21 92 21 92
22 91 22 91
23 91 23 91
24 93 24 93
25 88 25 88
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Presentation of Data

Table 3 presents the simplified presentation of data taken from STEM students who study

at home or in cafés.

Table 3. General average of STEM students who prefer to study at home at cafés

Home Café
95 93
93 89
92 93
93 87
92 91
92 91
93 90
92 91
90 92
92 93
84 90
90 93
85 92
91 92
91 93
90 91
90 93
94 92
90 87
90 88
92 90
91 90
91 90
93 89
88 88
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Results

1. H0: There is no significant difference between the general average of students who prefer to

study at home compared to students who prefer to study at cafés.

2. 𝛼 = 0.05

3. Use t-test for independent samples.

4. 𝑑𝑓 = 𝑛1 + 𝑛2 − 2

𝑑𝑓 = 25 + 25 − 2

𝑑𝑓 = 48

𝑡𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 = 2.000
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5. Computation:

Table 4. Computation of data

𝑿𝟏 (Home) (𝑿𝟏 − ̅̅̅̅

𝑿𝟏 )𝟐 𝑿𝟐 (Café) (𝑿𝟐 − ̅̅̅̅
𝑿𝟐 )𝟐
95 16.3216 93 5.1984
93 4.1616 89 2.9584
92 1.0816 93 5.1984
93 4.1616 87 13.8384
92 1.0816 91 0.0784
92 1.0816 91 0.0784
93 4.1616 90 0.5184
92 1.0816 91 0.0784
90 0.9216 92 1.6384
92 1.0816 93 5.1984
84 48.4416 90 0.5184
90 0.9216 93 5.1984
85 35.5216 92 1.6384
91 0.0016 92 1.6384
91 0.0016 93 5.1984
90 0.9216 91 0.0784
90 0.9216 93 5.1984
94 9.2416 92 1.6384
90 0.9216 87 13.8384
90 0.9216 88 7.3984
92 1.0816 90 0.5184
91 0.0016 90 0.5184
91 0.0016 90 0.5184
93 4.1616 89 2.9584
88 8.7616 88 7.3984
̅̅̅̅ ∑(𝑿𝟏 − ̅̅̅̅
𝑿𝟏 )𝟐 ̅̅̅̅
𝑿𝟏 = 𝟗𝟎. 𝟗𝟔 𝑿𝟐 = 𝟗𝟎. 𝟕𝟐 ∑(𝑿𝟐 − ̅̅̅̅
𝑿𝟐 )𝟐 = 𝟖𝟗. 𝟎𝟒
= 𝟏𝟒𝟔. 𝟗𝟔
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̅̅̅1 )2
2 ∑(𝑋1 − 𝑋 ̅̅̅2 )2
2 ∑(𝑋2 − 𝑋
𝑆 = 𝑆 =
1 𝑛−1 2 𝑛−1
2 146.96 2 89.04
𝑆 = 𝑆 =
1 25 − 1 2 25 − 1
2 2
𝑆 = 6.123333333 ≈ 6.123 𝑆 = 3.710
1 2

̅̅̅
𝑋1 − ̅̅̅
𝑋2
𝑡=
2 2
𝑆 𝑆
√ 1+ 2
𝑛1 𝑛2
90.96 − 89.04
𝑡=
√6.123 + 3.710
25 25
𝑡 = 0.3936436748 ≈ 0.394

6. Since 𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝 = 0.394 < 𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑏 = 2.000, accept 𝐻0 .

7. There is no significant difference between the mean grade of STEM students who prefer to

study at home or in cafés.

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Interpretation and Conclusion

Based on the data gathered and analyzed, the mean of students who prefer to study at

home is 90.96 while the mean of students who prefer to study in cafés is 90.72. However, after

further analysis of data by the use of independent sample t-test as the statistical tool, the results

of the study indicated that there is no significant difference in the mean grade of STEM students

who prefer to study either at home or in cafés. This means that the students’ preferred

environment for studying does not affect their academic performance in any way.

In conclusion, the academic performance of Grade 11 STEM students does not depend on

their preferred environment for studying.

Recommendations

To further improve upon the study in the future, and to broaden the academic perspective,

the following recommendations should be considered:

1) Future researchers should take into consideration the study habits of the respondents.

2) The researchers propose to take into account the external factors of the study

environments (e.g. noise)

3) Broaden the scope, number and strand of the respondents for a wider range of results
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References

Link, J. (2017). 6 ways to create the ultimate study spot. Retrieved from

https://www.cornerstone.edu/blogs/lifelong-learning-matters/post/6-ways-to-create-the-

ultimate-study-spot/.

Metha, R., Zhu, R. and Cheema, A. (2012, December). Is noise always bad? Exploring the

effects of ambient noise on creative cognition. DOI: 10.1086/665048.

Oxenham, S. (2016, May 27). Do you get your best work done in coffee shops? Here's why.

Retrieved from https://www.newscientist.com/article/2090717-do-you-get-your-best-

work-done-in-coffee-shops-heres-why/.

Sauter, S., Murphy, L., Colligan, M., Swanson, N., Hurrell, J., Jr., Scharf, F., Jr., . . . Tisdale, J.

(1999). Stress... at work. The National Institute for Occupational Safety Health.

Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/99-101/.

Picture 1. Researcher with respondent

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Picture 2. Researcher with respondents

Picture 3. Researcher with respondent

Picture 4. Researchers with respondent