7

Chapter II

Review of Related Literature and Studies

This chapter presents the foreign and local literature and studies relevant

to this study providing input and direction. 

Life Satisfaction

Life satisfaction refers to being satisfied with one's life. It is the happiness

that exists when we talk about the past and the big picture. According to Barker

(2014), there are five ways to improve life satisfaction: 1. Friends, 2. Set

objectives, 3. Tell your life story, 4. Money isn't the answer, and 5. Continue to

grow.

According to Erdogan et al (2012), life satisfaction is an important

predictor of subjective well-being. They conducted a review of the

multidisciplinary literature on the relationship between life satisfaction and the

work domain. There is a discussion of top-down and bottom-up theories of life

satisfaction, as well as a review of the literature on work-related antecedents of

life satisfaction, proximal mediators (quality of work life, quality of nonworking life,

and feelings of self-worth), and consequences of life satisfaction. A meta-

analysis of life satisfaction was conducted with regard to career satisfaction, job

performance, turnover intentions, and organizational commitment.

Andersson (2018) states that for women, the gains in happiness and life

satisfaction associated with college are greatest for those who were least likely to
 8

attend and graduate due to family economic circumstances. Men, on the other

hand, benefit the most from college in terms of life satisfaction when they come

from affluent families. These findings are consistent with gender and institutional

views on education and life chances. College disparities in life satisfaction show

significant variation across cohorts and the life course for both sexes.

Stieg (2020) wrote that according to Jeffrey Arnett, developmental

psychologist and professor of psychology at Clark University "Education is

probably more strongly correlated with future happiness throughout adulthood

than any other variable." In this context, happiness is defined as contentment

with the way one's life is unfolding. According to research, the more educated

you are, the happier you are.

According to Brown (2014), at a time when college tuition is rapidly rising,

particularly at the nation's private colleges and universities, students and their

parents must consider whether a more expensive education leads to greater

lifetime returns. According to a 2013 Pew Research Center survey, those who

have graduated from college report similar feelings of personal satisfaction and

economic well-being regardless of the type of institution they attended. The

majority of people in each group were happy with their family life, financial

situation, and current job. There were no statistically significant differences in any

of the three measures of overall satisfaction between the two groups, though

private school graduates were slightly more likely than public school graduates to

say they were “very satisfied” with their personal financial situation (44 percent

vs. 34 percent ).
 9

In a study by Lee et al (2016), they examined how education–job match

and salary may explain recent college graduates' job satisfaction in the public,

non-profit, and for-profit sectors. According to the findings, while education–job

match increases job satisfaction in all three sectors, for-profit workers may

compensate for a loss in job satisfaction due to a poor match with increased

satisfaction from a higher salary. According to the findings, increased salary in

the public and non-profit sectors cannot compensate for the loss in job

satisfaction caused by poor education–job match as much as it does in the for-

profit sector.

In a study by Kamarulzaman et al (2012), the researchers gave

questionnaires to 89 male respondents, 55 of whom are school-leavers and 34 of

whom are graduates, and 121 female respondents, 60 of whom are school-

leavers and 61 of whom are graduates. The goal of this study is to fill gaps in the

literature and compare job satisfaction among high school graduates and college

graduates. The proposed study, in particular, aimed to broaden the existing, but

limited, research on job satisfaction among school-leavers and college

graduates. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to perform

independent t-test and descriptive statistical analysis. The results revealed no

statistically significant differences in job satisfaction between the variables.

According to Ward et al (2013) there are gender differences in the

relationship between competitiveness and life satisfaction. Because this inductive

study is exploratory and descriptive, there is no theoretical foundation for the

findings. However, a logical explanation is that, because all of the participants

 10

had graduated from a business college, competitiveness was regarded as a

positive aspect of one's personality. What is unclear is why both genders were

not affected in the same way. Unfortunately, due to the cross-sectional data

collection, it is unknown if the differences existed prior to entering a business

college or if the educational experience played a role.

The study's findings have implications for social work education and

research. To run an effective program that has a positive impact on graduate

students, social work programs must provide graduate students with knowledge

that will help them progress and succeed academically. Approaches that

enhance learning experience (e.g., group work, peer mentoring) may be

integrated into social work programs and instructional repertoires with the goal of

providing a supportive environment for meaningful learning experience and

completion of graduate education. Similarly, social work programs and instructors

may share information about the effects of peer and family support on learning

experiences with incoming students during orientation to help them prepare for

and cope with the challenges of graduate education. This information could help

them realize they are not alone in their academic endeavors, improve their

academic performance, and keep them from dropping out of a graduate program

(Fakunmoju et al., 2016).

According to the study by Gokalp et al (2019) university students' life

satisfaction levels differ depending on their income level and location. Results

and recommendations were made in accordance with the findings. Life

satisfaction is an important component of an individual's overall well-being.

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University students are one of the segments of society where life satisfaction is

important, reflecting the perceptions and evaluations of the individual's life.

According to Business Mirror Editorial (2014), the Philippines' overall

satisfaction score is slightly lower than that of all of our neighbors. Our highest

satisfaction score was 80 percent in "Religious life," while our lowest was 54

percent in "Standard of living." The most troubling aspect of this is Filipinos'

perception of progress over the last five years. Only 41% of our people believe

our situation is better now than it was five years ago, compared to 56% of Thais

and 59% of Vietnamese. More depressing, 31% of our people believe things are

worse now than they were five years ago, compared to 19% of Malaysians and

27% of Indonesians.

Malasig (2019) wrote that 44 % of the nationally represented respondents

are "very happy," while 49 % are "fairly happy." Meanwhile, only 8% of those

polled said they are "unhappy" with their lives. The polling firm discovered a 5-

point increase in Filipinos' happiness and general life satisfaction when

compared to the December 2018 survey.

Only 49% of graduates who took courses requiring a professional license

are employed in jobs that match their degree. Contact center representatives,

various clerks in retail and sales, and other service workers and laborers are the

most common "not matched" occupations. Only one-third of graduates consider

social and political issues to be "extremely important." Their contribution to the

common good is limited to voting, following the law, and paying taxes. They

rarely participate in political and social actions, and they are also
 12

underrepresented in associations. In the meantime, despite being concerned

about their earnings and rating their financial situation as poor, overall life

satisfaction is high. In relating college experience to post-college life, this study

discovers that a positive college experience (in all of its dimensions) is generally

associated with better employability, a stronger sense of citizenship, a lower

proclivity for political action, and higher life satisfaction (Tutor, 2021).

This study was conceived in the context of the rising prevalence of mental

health problems among college students in the Philippines. As an important

social institution, the school must be able to foster better mental wellbeing and

quality of life among its students by creating a social environment. The purpose

of this study was to investigate the relationship between student involvement,

mental health, and quality of life among college students at a Philippine

university. A quantitative cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational design

was used in this study. A survey was given to 249 students at a private

university. According to the findings, involvement in school organizations is

related to depression levels, general positive affect, and life satisfaction. Social

interactions with entities at school were also linked to a higher quality of life.

Among student respondents, all subscales of mental health were related to

quality of life (Cleofas, 2020).

According to Datu et al (2017) workplace flow was linked to better

psychological outcomes in the workplace. Previous research, however, has

focused on work-related flow as an outcome rather than a catalyst of positive

psychological functioning. Furthermore, the differential impact of work-related

 13

flow domains on key outcomes remained unknown. To fill this empirical void, the

current study looked at work-related flow dimensions as differential predictors of

anxiety, life satisfaction, and work longevity in 133 Filipino guidance counselors.

Work enjoyment was found to be a strong predictor of anxiety, life satisfaction,

and work longevity even after controlling for the influence of relevant

demographic variables in hierarchical regression analyses. Work longevity was

predicted by absorption. Intrinsic work motivation, on the other hand, did not

predict any outcome. The current study's unique theoretical contributions to the

preceding work-related flow theory, as well as concrete practical implications to

emphasize the psychological benefits of work-flow, particularly in the field of

counseling, dominated the discussion.

The study used a two-phased scheme that included both quantitative and

qualitative methods. In order to identify the factors that attract Filipino

professional SIEs in Thailand, a quantitative approach was used. The qualitative

approach was used to identify the challenges that influence their career

satisfaction patterns. The study was guided by the Career Capital concept and

aimed to broaden its scope by extracting and expanding on the first major career

competency – job satisfaction. The study discovered that the demographic

details and work-related information of Filipino professional SIEs have varying

degrees of influence on their career satisfaction. The respondents devised

mutually beneficial practical methods for ensuring their career satisfaction in

Thailand (Claver, 2020).

 14

A non-probability, non-random sample of 409 public accounting

professionals in Metro Manila was surveyed. The following are the key findings of

this study based on correlation analysis and regression-based mediation

analysis: (1) burnout fully mediated the negative relationship between commuting

stress and job satisfaction, but no evidence of mediation on productivity or

support for AWA adoption was found; (2) burnout is negatively related to job

satisfaction and productivity; and (3) burnout and job satisfaction are significantly

higher among Big 4 professionals, while job burnout is significantly lower. The

findings suggest that commuting stress has an effect on work-life balance and

important job outcomes via job burnout. The findings of this study highlight issues

in human resource management and have significant implications for the

development and implementation of policies to improve work-life balance

(Manuel, 2020).

Based on the foreign and local literature and studies, the current study is

not a form of duplication of any research in this paper.

The present study initially sought to investigate educational influence’

satisfaction with life.

The present study is similar to the above cited studies because primarily,

the study conducted by Lee et al (2014) emphasized that an increased salary in

the public and non-profit sectors cannot compensate for the loss in job

satisfaction caused by poor education–job match as much as it does in the for-

profit sector.
 15

Life satisfaction of a person depends on how happy he is with his job. This

is also proven by Datu et al (2017) he said that work enjoyment was found to be

a strong predictor of life satisfaction. Ward et al (2013) also added that

competition has a connection with the life satisfaction of a person because

competitiveness was regarded as a positive aspect of one’s personality.

These essential similarities where found in the present study where

college graduates have a satisfaction with their lives after graduation.

Educational Influence

According to GPE Secretariat (2015) education equips learners of all ages

with the skills and values needed to be responsible global citizens, such as

respect for human rights, gender equality and environmental sustainability.

Investing in and strengthening a country’s education sector is key to the

development of any country and its people. Without investment in quality

education, progress on all other development indicators will stagnate.

Raghupathi et al (2020) wrote that adults with higher educational

attainment have better health and lifespans compared to their lees-educated

peers. They highlight that tertiary education, particularly, is critical in influencing

infant mortality, life expectancy, child vaccination, and enrollment rates.

Israel (2018) states that education affects society in many important ways.

The Borgen Project is trying to improve education in improvised areas because

of the many benefits that education offers to the people in live in impoverished

nations.
 16

In a study by Prasad et al (2020), education is an aspect that plays a huge

role in the modern, industrialized world. People need a good education to be able

to survive in this competitive world. Modern society is based on people who have

high living standards and knowledge which allows them to implement better

solutions to their problems.

Countries need to ensure through legislation and jobs programs that all of

their citizens have access to the education and training that can lift up workers,

companies, and the entire economy (Radcliffe, 2020).

According to Grant (2017) education – as a critical component of a

country’s human capital – increases the efficiency of each individual worker and

help economies to move up the value chain beyond manual tasks or simple

production processes. Human capital has long been considered the most

distinctive feature of the economic system and further work has proven the

impact of education on productivity growth empirically.

Patrinos (2016) wrote that education is truly one of the most powerful

instruments for reducing poverty and inequality and it sets the foundation for

sustained economic growth.

Naar (2021) states that education impacts the economy tremendously. By

learning more and gaining more skills, you’re improving your career prospects.

Theoretically, when you do well, you also increase your salary. Education also

provides people with the knowledge needed to use the advanced technology that

makes labor faster and more efficient. Additionally, reports have shown that a
 17

well-educated workforce is often more productive, in part because they feel

confident in their abilities.

According to Chettinad- Sarvalokaa Education (2020), because of the

culture-based education there are many people that are now aware of how

different cultural backgrounds of the students affect their learning and hence the

urgent need for culture-based learning is now felt more than ever.

Education has innumerable benefits! It stands as a fence between us and

those wrong paths that teach us after bad experiences. Education should

consequently be free so that every person gets benefitted and contribute to

building a better world (98th Percentile, 2021).