THE EFFECTS OF 7:15AM CLASS TO THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF

STUDENTS IN BALIUAG UNIVERSITY

A Research Proposal Presented to the Senior High School Department

Baliuag University

Baliwag, Bulacan

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

Practical Research I of the

Senior High School

Jessica Merianne E. Angcanan

John Carlo R. Castillo

Alex Anjhelo C. Hernandez

Shiela Marie C. Quitlong

Kyla Mae C. Salas

Rinalyn M. Santos

ABM-1

March, 2019
 CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

The new schedule implemented by the Baliuag University administration made a huge

impact to some Baliuag University Senior High School (BUSHS) students, most specifically on

the 11th grade. The students experienced a hard time adjusting and adapting to the new schedule

implemented by the faculty members before starting the second semester of the Academic Year

2018-2019. Furthermore, different perspectives such as rants gone on different social media sites

because aside from earlier school start time, it also concluded to have a longer time spent inside

the university. Otherwise, some students does not literally gone through it affecting different

aspects of their academic life. However, it is an essential to seek for the various effects of the

said new schedule implementation mainly on the Grade 11 students' sleeping patterns, behaviour,

time management and academic performance. The situation above could be a great factor that

would affect the students' learning capacity inside the school.

Baliuag University is one of the best academic institutions in Central Luzon that provides

the best academic experience. As a matter of fact, it is Level III accredited by Commission on

Higher Education (CHED) together with Department of Education (DepEd) which means that

Baliuag University exceeded the partial standards of the two agencies on different aspects of an

academic institution. Moreover, Baliuag University has over six annexes which includes the

Grade 11 campus, Baliuag University Annex III, wherein the study takes place. The BUSHS

students make use of the three campus of Baliuag University; Main Campus, Annex III and

Annex VI which could be a great factor that affect the students' behaviour. However, considering

the university as one of the best, it is however a necessary to identify the problems related to the
academic performance in order to maintain the university status in terms of giving the best

academic experience.

On the other hand, academic performance also pertains to the academic excellence which

refers to the final grades achieved by the students by the end of a period. However, it also

includes the 'specials' or elective courses and subjects in the arts, music, health, business and

others (Sharrock, 2018). By the means of the academic performance, academic institutions can

measure how a student performed, whether good or bad, in a certain academic period.

Furthermore, it also mirrors the old adage: "Publish or perish" (Morrall, 2018). This simply

means that whenever setting a goal for achieving high in different aspects especially in academic

performance, students must pursue out of the best ways that they can do, even though there are

some factors that affect their cognitive ability, such as class schedule. However, a student's level

of functioning on academic tasks, most often reflected in grades and test scores (Brown, 2019).

As resulted in variety of studies, it has been increasingly recognized that high school

students get less sleep than is recommended. Some reports show that high school working

classes are 41% earlier than they were decades ago (Pew Research Center, 2012). This concluded

that earlier school start time also affects the students' sleeping behaviour. At the same time, it

also influenced certain decisions for attending earlier classes such as pressure for earlier

commutes. Moreover, environmental factors such as homework, extracurricular activities, social

activities, part-time work and technology make teens to decrease sleep time even more. These

issues for the teenagers likely leads to increase the possibility of poor health and academic

performance due to the lack of sleep. Changes in sleeping pattern and reduce learning, resulting

in lower test scores. Thus, academic performance likely to suffer in teens with reoccurring

inadequate sleep.
 As senior high school students of Baliuag University, the researchers experienced the

situation stated above. This study was conducted to examine whether earlier school start time

affects the students’ behaviour and academic performance. Moreover, it would be a great tool to

examine the effects of the stated situation to the students’ sleeping patterns that will enable the

administration to understand the mechanisms through changing school start times affect the

students’ habit that also regards with their academic performance.

All in all, the main purpose of this research is to provide awareness about certain effects

of earlier school start time and longer time spent inside the university. It could enable them to

make various courses of actions to be implemented that will lead the students into much higher

academic performance.

Significance of the Study

The result of this study could provide awareness to the effects of earlier school start time

and would make certain response to the following:

Students. The findings of the study would be a great tool to identify the proper

momentum of studying which would enhance their mechanism to improve their academic

performance. With this study, they would know how early classes affect their capability to learn

effectively which would inspire them to create ways on how to avoid poor academic

performance.

School Administration. The results of the study would let the faculty members to know

if they have implemented an effective school start time. From the results, faculty staffs could be

provoked to amend the scheduling of students’ classes that may lead to the improvement of the

academic performance.
 Parents. The study claimed to help the students’ parents to be aware of the certain factors

that affects their children’s academic performance as well as with health due to the changes of

their child’s sleeping pattern.

Other Researchers. To conduct wider study that will lead into much accurate findings.

Review of Related Literature

The study focused on different factors affecting the students’ academic performance

mostly with their behaviour among earlier classes, time management and changes in sleeping

pattern. Certain factors could affect a student’s academic performance such as earlier classes. On

this study, it would be a great tool to cope up with lower level of academic performance and

develop cognitive ability from earlier class start times.

Students’ Behaviour Among Earlier Classes

Based on the study of Katalinic F. (2017), majority of high school students across the

United States do not receive a sufficient amount of sleep and most schools in the United States

do not start after 8:30 am., analysis of tardiness and student performance in earlier classes when

compared to later times can give researchers a greater understanding of the benefits of shifting

the schedule. On this study researchers found an increase in absences and a decrease in academic

performance when analysis compared earlier class times to classes later in the day. Also

researchers and scientists often find an increase in stress, obesity, and depression among others.

Moreover, according to this study, class schedules made an impact to the behaviour of students

as connected with the absences and tardiness of a student. However, absences and tardiness of a

student can affect his or her capability of learning.

A 2014 study of Foster with 20,026 Swedish students reported short sleep duration

increased the risk to fail one or more subjects because school schedules are forcing adolescents
to lose sleep and to perform weak academically. School records indicated that students at the

earlier starting school were tardy. Also, sleep deprivation lead to impaired learning and

performance. They are in class at a time that their body wants to be asleep, which both makes it

difficult to learn and fatigues the brain. Furthermore, tardiness is one factor that makes the

student have a lowering performance in school. At the same time, it has been recorded that

having earlier classes makes the student lose some sleep which resulted into failing cognitive

ability.

Based on the study of Wheaton, Croft & Chapman (2016), insufficient sleep in

adolescents has been shown to be associated with a wide variety of adverse outcomes, from poor

mental and physical health to behavioural problems and lower academic grades. However, most

high school students do not get sufficient sleep. The researcher found that insufficient sleep in

this young population is tied to poor mental health, including depression, depressive symptoms,

and suicidal ideation. In addition, a few studies have shown an association between insufficient

sleep and unhealthy risk behaviours including alcohol use, tobacco smoking, and marijuana use,

use of other illicit /prescription drugs, unhealthy weight control strategies, and recent sexual

activity.

Changes on the Students’ Time Management

The study of Muhammad Saqib Khan and Shazia Nasrullah (2015), states that time

management is highly related to the academic performance of the university students. The

researchers found out that successful students are good time managers. Results from this study

showed that students who scored poor in academic achievement gained significantly low skills in

time management. In addition, the research study demonstrated that there is an association

between anxiety lessening, practices of time management and higher academic success.
 The results in the study of Sayari, Jalagat, & Dalluay (2017), suggest that students should

observe and undertake prioritization of their tasks and responsibilities to improve their academic

performance. As stated by Brigitte, et al. (2005), time management plays a significant role in

improving students’ performance and achievements. They added that, every student should

possess time management to effectively organize their activities, set goals, and prioritize those

activities that requires immediate attention and others. It is also through time management that

the students’ ability to make decisions can be enhanced thereby using time more effectively

(Noftle, Robins & Richard, 2007).

Based on the study of Alsalem et al. (2017), many students could not manage their time

efficiently. Students who had opportunities to practice time management skills revealed better

academic performance in addition to the differences in the time management level between

students according to faculty, gender and curriculum. The findings also provide advantages of

having proper time management. In addition, researchers found out that students who reported

using goal oriented time management had a higher overall Grade Point Average (GPA).

Students’ Sleeping Patterns

Based on the study of Kelley et al. (2017), moving school start times later are better

aligned with adolescent sleep and Chromo type patterns that is practical and beneficial.

Following a change to a 10:00 a.m. school start time, rates of absence due to illness in students

aged 13–16 reduced, and academic performance of students aged 14–16 significantly improved.

When the school start time was turned back earlier, these benefits were abolished. On this study,

it said that earlier classes affect a student’s sleeping pattern and it is one of the factor that makes

them reduce absences which leads into developing learning skills.

and early school start times leaves secondary school classrooms filled with sleep-deprived

students. Evidence is growing that having adolescents start school later in the morning improves

grades and emotional well-being, and even reduces car accidents. The researchers cite costly

adjustments to bussing schedules and decreased time after school for jobs, sports, or other

activities as reasons to retain the status. While changing school start times is not a costless

policy, it is one of the easiest to implement and least expensive ways of improving academic

achievement.

A sleep-laboratory study among adolescents given a 10-hour sleep opportunity suggested

that adolescents need on average 9.2 hours of sleep each night. Recently, the National Sleep

Foundation recommended that teenagers (ages 14-17) sleep between 8 and 10 hours each night

(Hirshkowitz et al., 2015). However, a national survey of adolescents found that adolescents in

high school reported sleeping on average only 7.2 hours on the typical school night. About 45

percent of U.S. public high schools started the school day before 8:00 A.M. in 2015-2016, and

about 86 percent started before 8:30 A.M. (Taie and Goldring, 2017). Advocates of later bell

times argue that delaying bell times would allow students to get more sleep, which would

promote cognitive functioning during the school day and improve academic achievement (Jacob

and Rockoff, 2011). On this study, it found out that having later start time and earlier dismissal

time benefit the students’ sleeping pattern as well as their health conditions. Aside from school

activities, most of the students tend to work as part of their roles on their family. However, this

study claims that adjusting classes will became more powerful and effective for students. It is

also pertains to have a greater time of sleep than spending time inside a university.
Theoretical Framework

Two related theories gave foundation to the study namely Pedagogical Theory by

Boettcher, J. (2007) and Veblen Theory or The Theory of the Leisure Class by Thorstein Veblen

(2003).

Pedagogical Theory. Research findings into how our brains work are stimulating a re-

examination of traditional principles of designing teaching and learning experiences. Insights

from this research are not only helping to deepen our understanding of traditional core learning

principles, but they are also providing practical guidance on how to design learning experiences

for our new high technology environments (as cited by Boettcher, 2007).

A core learning principle by this theory explained the time-on-task principle which is

important to the learners in order to improve one self’s understanding. Meaning that the “Core

Learning Principle #10: Everything Else Being Equal, More Time-on-Task Equals More

Learning” plays one of the major role on this study. The perfect time for a people to study makes

them understand and learn even better that studying out of their leisure time.

One major insight contributing to these principles is the uniqueness of each brain in its

structure and its accumulated experiences. We each do experience and remember events just a

little differently. This richness of perspective and worldviews is a challenge as well as a potent

creative force. The combination of the uniqueness of each learner and the richness of each

learner's perspective argues persuasively for more emphasis on a pedagogy that emphasizes

community, culture, and ethics as well as the acquisition of knowledge, content, and skills.

Veblen Theory or The Theory of Leisure Class. According to Veblen (2003), the

evidence afforded by the usages and cultural traits of communities at a low stage of development

indicates that the institution of a leisure class has emerged gradually during the transition from
primitive savagery to barbarism; or more precisely, during the transition from a peaceable to a

consistently warlike habit of life. The conditions apparently necessary to its emergence in a

consistent form are: (1) the community must be of a predatory habit of life (war or the hunting of

large game or both); that is to say, the men, who constitute the inchoate leisure class in these

cases, must be habituated to the infliction of injury by force and stratagem; (2) subsistence must

be obtainable on sufficiently easy terms to admit of the exemption of a considerable portion of

the community from steady application to a routine of labour. The institution of leisure class is

the outgrowth of an early discrimination between employments, according to which some

employments are worthy and others unworthy. Under this ancient distinction the worthy

employments are those which may be classed as exploit; unworthy are those necessary everyday

employments into which no appreciable element of exploit enters.

This distinction has but little obvious significance in a modern industrial community, and

it has, therefore, received but slight attention at the hands of economic writers. When viewed in

the light of that modern common sense which has guided economic discussion, it seems formal

and insubstantial. But it persists with great tenacity as a commonplace pre-conception even in

modern life, as is shown, for instance, by our habitual aversion to menial employments. It is a

distinction of a personal kind — of superiority and inferiority. In the earlier stages of culture,

when the personal force of the individual counted more immediately and obviously in shaping

the course of events, the element of exploit counted for more in the everyday scheme of life.

Interest centred about this fact to a greater degree. Consequently a distinction proceeding on this

ground seemed more imperative and more definitive then than is the case to-day. As a fact in the

sequence of development, therefore, the distinction is a substantial one and rests on sufficiently

valid and cogent grounds.

have a functioning brain at its fullest. Henceforth, making their standards based on their passion

make them even more understanding whenever attending their classes. However, the theory

suggests that having proper time of classes made an impact to everyone’s learning.

Statement of the Problem

The investigators seek to examine whether earlier school start time affects the students’

behaviour mostly in academic performance and to provide awareness about its effect which

would benefit the beneficiaries themselves. The results could be the way to enable the

administration to understand the proper mechanism through changing school start times and help

the students to do more in terms of academic learning.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

The study focused on the various effects of earlier school start time to the academic

performance of Grade 11 students in Baliuag University on the Academic Year 2018-2019. The

research paper was intended to produce awareness and provide courses of actions to be

implemented by the beneficiaries. Furthermore, the study would assess the students’ capability to

adjust and adapt to the new schedule after certain implication was made through the study. In

addition, the researchers used open-ended survey questionnaires and direct interview method to

gather pieces of data that can be used as a tool on the study.