singco, colina chapter 1

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1. Objectives of the Study (should be statement of the problem)
CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Rationale of the Study

Jesse Barber, a college student enrolled at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, initially took up Sports Communication as his course during his freshman year. As it turned out, taking up this course ended up as a bad idea and Barber had to drop out after his first year and transfer to a different college. According to him, he had no interest in what he was studying, and his grades gave a clear indication of that. Eventually, although it took him a couple of years and more than one college transfer, he was able to find a course that suited him well, one that he finally graduated in: Computer Science. This course was finally labeled by Barber as “something that I truly liked and excelled in”.

This incident, presented by Jonathan Whitbourne in his online article “The Dropout Dilemma”, illustrates one of the biggest issues involved in going to college: choosing a college course. A huge number of college freshman are confused on what course they should be taking up for college (Gardner & Jewler, 2000). In fact, many have shifted from one course to another before they finally graduated. Gardner and Jewler also present a variety of factors that can be attributed to this indecision, such as the introduction of more advanced lessons compared to high school lectures, family expectations, peer pressure, and the allure of a certain course although the student does not even possess the skills or aptitude for it. The other factors examined in the study include financial limitations, the influence of guidance counselors, and personal interest of the student himself/herself in taking up the course.

In this age where the world has become very competitive, people need to ensure that they can survive, and the easiest way of guaranteeing that is by securing their future through a good career. A good career means more chances of employment, and having a secure job means that one has a steady income. Of course, a guaranteed way to gain a career is to study in college. However, with numerous courses available, many college students fail to choose the right course for themselves. Some are propelled to take a certain course because they believe that it will bring them financial stability in the future. Some are forced to take a course because it is what their parents want. This issue on parental influence is particularly addressed because of the complications it presents: not just on the student, but on the parents themselves. In fact, college students who allow their parents to choose their course for them end up dissatisfied and unhappy at some instant in their lives, to the point that some of these students eventually go back to college and pursue their own ambitions this time (J. Deese & E. Deese, 1957). Thus, the time, money and energy spent on the previous course has merely gone to waste.

Basically, the researchers chose this topic because of the question it poses in the arena of college education. This study is also conducted on a local scale, firstly because there is a need to explore the attitude of Filipinos towards selecting the proper course for the student, taking into consideration his/her personal interest, capabilities and skills. Based on previous personal experience, the researchers have encountered college students who claim that they were forced into a course that they were not really interested in, because of a variety of reasons which will eventually be expounded in the study.

Secondly, the effects of these reasons towards the students’ academic performance should be examined, so that a correlation can be made between the two variables. The importance of choosing a college course properly can then be weighed based on the results.


Objectives of the Study

This study aims to examine the factors affecting the course preferences of first year BA Psychology students and the effects of these factors on their academic performance. It seeks to address the following main objectives:

1.) To identify the most common factors affecting the students’ course preference

2.) To examine how these factors affect their academic performance based on their first semester General Weighted Average


Two secondary objectives will also be investigated:

3.) To find out in what way the students’ grades for the first semester reflect their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with BA Psychology as their course

4.) To determine if academic performance is correlated with why some students end up shifting into another course

Significance of the Study

The researchers aim to provide answers to these objectives, and in doing so help students improve academic competence, develop employability skills and choose a college course for the right reasons.

This study will be a significant endeavor in promoting proper planning and choice of career in college students. It will be most beneficial to students entering the tertiary level of education, as it will provide them with an idea of what they should consider best before taking up a course, to ensure that they will have a good academic performance.

By understanding the students’ career considerations, parents will also learn to consult with their children on the course to be taken up, instead of imposing a course that the son/daughter has to follow regardless of their personal interest in the course.

Moreover, the study will be especially helpful to the University of the Philippines Cebu students, seeing that they are the respondents of the study. It would greatly contribute to their career aspirations and help them make more guided decisions on what to plan for their future. UP Cebu then, as a whole, can develop a learning environment that encourages students to study something which will suit each of them and bring out the best of their potential.