Wariloh Bansawan

Joefellson Lamoste

Carlo Gelilang

Lindsay Joy Jammang

Factors Affecting Senior High School Strand Preferences of Grade 10 Students in

Colegio de Kidapawan.

Introduction

Senior High School (SHS) covers the last two years of the K to 12 program and

includes Grades 11 and 12. Senior high school was introduced through the K to 12

reforms. When the government of the Philippines implemented RA 10533 in June 2016

DepEd will launch senior high school (SHS) nationwide. The Senior High School (SHS)

program is a critical stage in the education system of the Philippines. This educational

level provides students with various tracks that will prepare them for their future careers,

whether it is in academics, technical-vocational, or entrepreneurship.

In SHS, students will go through a core curriculum and subjects under a track of

their choice, students may choose a specialization based on aptitude, interests, and

school capacity. The choice of career track will define the content of the subjects a

student will take in Grades 11 and 12. SHS subjects fall under either the Core

Curriculum or specific Tracks. Each student in Senior High School can choose among

three tracks: Academic; Technical-Vocational-Livelihood; and Sports and Arts. The

Academic track includes three strands: Accountancy, Business, and Management

(ABM); Humanities, and Social Sciences (HUMSS); and Science, Technology,

Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

In choosing the right strand, the critical decision that every tenth-grade student

has to make is choosing the right SHS course. Their future academic and professional

careers are determined by the choices they make, and this is their decision. That's

something you can't take lightly. The preference of students for tracks can be influenced

by several factors, including their interests, competencies, family background, social

economic status, peer pressure, and the availability of resources and possibilities.

Based on Dela Cruz, et al. (2020), academic performance, peer influence, parental

guidance, and career aspirations were significant predictors of students' track

preference. Furthermore, Lorenz et al., (2020) found that students' interests, career

goals, and perceived benefits of the track were the primary factors influencing their track

preference.

Choosing a strand in Senior High School significantly shapes the student's

education and future career. Numerous factors influence students' choices regarding

their Senior High School strand, and understanding their influences is considered.

Therefore, this study aims to identify the Factors Affecting Senior High School Strand

Preferences of Grade 10 Students in Colegio de Kidapawan.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine if factors affecting the Senior High School track

preferences of Grade 10 students in Colegio de Kidapawan in choosing their future

Specifically, the research seeks to answer the following questions:

 1. What is the socio-demographic profile of Grade 10 Students in Colegio de

Kidapawan? In terms of:

1-1. Gender?

1-2. Age?

2. What are the SHS Strand Preferences of Grade 10 Students?

3. What are the factors affecting Grade 10 Students in choosing their Strand in

Senior High School? In terms of:

3.1 Parental Influence ;

3.2 Interest ;

3.3 Aptitude?

4. Is there a significant difference between the factors affecting a student's choice of

SHS strand when analyzed according to gender?

Significance of the study

This study focused on explaining the factors affecting the choice of incoming

senior high school students in choosing a strand. As such, researchers will prove what

factors may affect Grade-10 students in choosing their strand. The findings of this study

will serve as reference material and a guide for future researchers who will conduct the

same study Therefore, the significance of this study is to give information to the

following persons or groups of individuals.

The result of this study will be able to identify the different factors affecting their choice

and awareness in choosing their strand. This will help the students to be aware of
choosing the right strand for their upcoming senior high school. Thus, enhancing

students' minds in choosing their strand to make it more interesting and meaningful.

Scope and Delimitation

This research focuses on investigating the factors that influence the Senior High

School (SHS) strand preferences of Grade 10 students specifically within the setting of

Colegio de Kidapawan in the Philippines. The study aims to understand the socio-

demographic profiles of Grade 10 students in terms of gender and age, their SHS

strand preferences, and the factors impacting their choices, including parental influence,

interest, and aptitude. Additionally, the study explores whether there is a significant

difference in the factors affecting strand choices when analyzed based on gender. While

this research provides valuable insights into the decision-making process of Grade 10

students within Colegio de Kidapawan, it is important to acknowledge certain limitations.

The findings of this study are limited to this specific institution and may not be

generalized to other schools or regions. Moreover, this research does not account for

potential changes in influencing factors over time, external influences beyond the scope

of the study, or factors not explicitly identified in the research questions. In summary,

this study seeks to identify factors influencing SHS strand preferences among Grade 10

students at Colegio de Kidapawan, but its findings are specific to this context and may

not be applicable beyond it.

Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature

In choosing a course, there are a lot of factors that students must consider.

According to Boyer (1987), “In taking a course, one of life’s major decisions is being

made. A lot of time, money, and effort will be involved. The shape of excellence of the

student’s life may rest on the result.”

In choosing a senior academic track and strand, a student should be a risk-taker.

F. Yates, Veinotle, and Patalono (2003) define a decision as “a commitment to a course

of action that is intended to produce a satisfying state of affairs.”

Making a decision implies that there are choices to be considered, and in such cases,

we want only to identify as many alternatives as possible but to choose the best fits with

their choices. Harris in 1980, “Decision making is the best way to get satisfying life. One

decent decision that a person will make can make a huge impact on his or her life.

In choosing a course, there are a lot of factors that students must consider.

According to Boyer(1987), “In taking a course, one of life’s major decisions is being

made. A lot of time, money, and effort will be involved. The shape of excellence of the

student’s life may rest on the result.”

In choosing a senior academic track and strand, a student should be a risk-taker.

F. Yates, Veinotle and Patalono (2003) define a decision as “a commitment to a course

of action that is intended to produce a satisfying state of affairs.”

Making a decision implies that there are choices to be considered, and in such cases,

we want only to identify as many alternatives as possible but to choose the best fits with

their choices. Harris in 1980, “Decision-making is the best way to get a satisfying life.

One decent decision that a person will make can make a huge impact on his or her life.

The study of Fizer (2013) revealed that family and friends are considered to be

an influential part of students’ choice of major. Parents with an agricultural background

most often have an impact on where students go to college. Family role models have

more of an influence on what students major in. There are many people in a student’s

life who can influence their career decisions. Most of the time, parents and friends play

a large role, but coaches and teachers can also have a huge impact 10 on a student’s

life.

The study of Japitan et al. (2015) aims to determine the factors that affect the

senior high school track preferences of the Grade 9 students of Don Bosco Technology

Center for the Academic Year 2014-2015. This study utilizes the descriptive method of

research to determine the factors. It would see if dependent variables relating to

personality, family/relatives, interests, and job opportunities were significant factors

influencing the track preferences of the respondents. The descriptive research used

quantitative methods to assess the feedback from the respondents. The study revealed

that grade 9 students of Don Bosco Technology Center are of ages 15-16 whose

parents are college graduates, the majority of them having white-collar jobs while a

considerable number have blue-collar jobs and or staying at home as housewives. The

majority of the students belong to families with high socioeconomic status. The majority
of the students would pursue a career in Engineering and influenced by personality,

interest, and job opportunities in choosing their track preference.

Chapter 3

Methodology

Research Design

The study used the descriptive survey research design, and Colegio de

Kidapawan under Grade 10 students. According to Cooper and Schindler (2003), a

descriptive study is concerned with finding out the what, where, and how of a

phenomenon. A descriptive study is a study designed to depict the participants

accurately.

Locale of the Study

This study aims to determine the factors affecting senior high school strand

preferences of grade 10 students at Colegio de Kidapawan. It’s located at Kidapawan

City, Quezon Blvd., North Cotabato. Therefore, this study is a case study with this type

of research is quantitative research.

Respondents of the Study

The respondents in this study are Colegio de Kidapawan Grade10 students. A

total of 30 students will respond to our survey. The respondents are Grade10 students

since they are the ones who are being affected by the factors mentioned.

Research Instrument
 The research instrument used by the investigator was a questionnaire. In order to

demonstrate the reinforcement of the study, this stragety has been used by the

researcher. Based on the topic of the study, the researcher created the questionnaire

and provided a description. The researcher used a survey rating scale and

questionnaire to obtain the opinion of the respondents.

The first section of the survey questionnaire deals with claims concerning what

strand the respondent chooses. The second section of the survey questionnaire is

concerned with remarks concerning what basis the respondent chose for that specific

strand.