CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Business Mathematics is crucial when it comes to business management. It
embodies the soul of business, which is to tackle the usage of money. This core subject
encompasses the fields of accounting, marketing, sales, stock management, financial
analysis, and sales forecasting that are beneficial in calculating various business cycles.
It is essential in commercial enterprises because it interprets and manages everyday
operations. Commercial enterprises record and manage business operations with the use
of business mathematics. Statistics is also part of Business Mathematics that provides
solutions to business problems. (EDUCBA, 2019)
The Department of Education (DepEd) has instilled the field of Business
Mathematics in the basic education curriculum in the academic track, particularly in the
Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) strand and Accountancy,
Business and Management (ABM) strand. However, the scope of the learning areas in
the said subjects are somehow different from one another. In the chronological order of
the curriculum guide proposed by the Department of Education (DepEd), STEM strand
has a Business Mathematics under the General Mathematics core subject for first
semester. On the other hand, ABM strand has Business Mathematics as a specialization
subject which conceals the basic concepts of mathematics as applied in business.
In the proposed curriculum of DepEd for both strands, business math in the STEM strand
involves the study of interests, stocks and bonds, and loans for a limited amount of
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learning hours. Unlike in STEM strand, the business math of ABM strand has a wide
range of topics taught within 80 hours in a semester.
This study will mainly focus upon the significant differences of test scores on
selected Business Mathematics learning competencies between Accountancy, Business
and Management (ABM) strand and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM) strand.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Definition and importance of business mathematics
Business mathematics, in its expansive definition, is mathematics that deals with
the study of commercial enterprises and its managerial capabilities (Wegner, 2016). In
the daily lives of the human person, this scope of mathematics deals with how markets
revolve in the delivery of goods or services. It is commonly used in accounting, inventory
management, marketing, sales forecasting, and financial analysis.
On the other hand, the economic world defined business mathematics as a field of
mathematics that seeks to have a resolution on the uprising economic problems through
its methods and concepts in the scope of mathematical knowledge (“Application of
Business Mathematics in Automobile Industry of Bangladesh”, 2015). From this definition,
it seeks business math as a resurgence to the downplay of economy based through its
competencies.
Beyond the meanings of business mathematics through different views, this
mathematics also provides the common good in business talks. Based on the study of
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Uremadu and Du-Uremadu (2017), people that are knowledgeable enough in business
mathematics are engaged in specialized areas such that in allocation and planning
complex situations within a limited environment. These future expertises of business
mathematics should bear improvements in the future rather than being the ordinary
workers of an industry. Aside from that, the application for business mathematics in
exchange dealings and foreign transactions is vital in the trading industry. Essentially,
financial mathematicians are trained to be critical in derivation methods and extend their
knowledge in developing theories involved in economics (Tularam, 2013). In addition, to
draw an intersection, students who are inclined in financial mathematics are multipotent
in acquiring higher order thinking skills (HOTS) such as creativity, logical arguments,
deduction, and metacognitive analysis and such skills.
In this proposed study of the researchers, the definition that would be used in this
term paper is based on its usage to education. Therefore, focusing on the business
mathematics as meant in an academic institution. In addition, the inclusion of the
mathematics skills is still valiant in this research study. The pursuit of this study makes it
a big deal in the scope of forming a developmental stage for future business-related
professionals from nurturing them to be the competitive workers in the next generations.
STEM and ABM as academic tracks of K-12 program in the Philippines
On May 15, 2013, former president Benigno Aquino III approved the Republic Act
(RA) 105 that emphasizes the K to 12 program; it aims to enhance the quality of education
by adding 2 more years in the secondary level. It consists of 4 tracks namely: Academic,
Technical-Vocational Livelihood, Arts and design and sports. This research study focuses
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on 2 focal strands under the Academic track. The researchers chose the science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and Accountancy, Business and
Management (ABM) strand because Business Mathematics is present in both strands in
their 1st Semester in Grade 11.
STEM strand is intended for students who are engaged in the fundamental
concepts of engineering, science, and math. As stated by Larson (2017), STEM education
focuses students to be business and industry leaders and that STEM jobs are suspected
to increase in the next generations. On the other hand, ABM strand enhances students’
skills in basic concepts of business management, financial management, and corporate
operations (Nucum, 2018). In these stated fundamentals, it has been observed by the
researchers that Business Mathematics is a common denominator between these two
strands. Moreover, as authored by Hermozura (2017), being an ABM students requires
analytical skills, creativity, and logical skills which improves the students’ strategic ways
of solving problems.
According to Yu (2018), choosing an appropriate career track is a crucial part of
an incoming Senior High School's life. It is essential for these students to make this
decision carefully for it will help them cater their skills and prepare them for a college
course or even employment without attaining a college degree. This study reiterates the
importance of career guidance in the pursuit of Grade 10 students of a beneficial senior
high school program. It aims to know the significant difference between the test scores of
Grade 11 STEM and ABM students.
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The K-12 Program was not solely built for the modification of the curriculum per
year level. It also aides the needs of the students in preparation of their pursuable careers
in college. With ABM and STEM strands, students are likely to be inclined in the
technicalities of mathematics, which will prepare them for such deeper units in tertiary
school. There is a high expectancy of these strands to dominate the business-related
courses in college. Thus, it will preview them the basics of different branches of math
specifically business mathematics to be fully equipped of the scope of business math
units amongst other strands.
Business math curriculum of ABM/STEM strand
In the SHS curriculum guide of Department of Education (DepEd) for ABM Strand,
Business Mathematics is considered as a specialized subject for the second semester of
the Grade 11 year level. Specialized subjects are subjects considered to be unique in a
designated track that the student chose (“Senior High School in the Philippines:
Curriculum Breakdown”, n.d.). With that being said, the course outline of a specialized
subjects are said to be the same as taking a college degree although the complexity of
the lessons are not equivocal. On the other hand, core subjects are subjects present upon
all tracks or strand (“Senior High School in the Philippines: Curriculum Breakdown”, n.d.).
This means that all strands might usually have General Mathematics as their subject.
In the suggested scheduling of subjects of DepEd, General Mathematics for STEM
strand is scheduled for the first semester of the academic year. However, ABM students
have a capacity to learn more on the competencies of business mathematics as they are
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given 80 hours per semester. This discrepancy in the time allotment will definitely be a
factor in their acquisition of the topics.
It is being implied in this section that there are still differences in the scope of
business mathematics in STEM and ABM strands. From the line of topics to the time
allotment, these could be the huge factors in instilling them the mastery of business
mathematics in college level.
Mathematics proficiency of STEM and ABM students
In a research paper conducted by Bien, Dalisay, Fajardo, Manuel, and Tangonan
(2017), they had concluded that there is no significant difference between the
mathematics achievement between Grade 11 ABM and STEM students of their school.
Nevertheless, this is opposite from their assumption that STEM students are the ones
who have higher Mathematics Achievement in their institution. They had used a
descriptive method in conducting their research. This instance proved that the
assumptions of the researchers were not reflected in the results of their study
Their assumption was opposed through the study of Chen (2013) where he stated
that whether a student is from a non-STEM or STEM strand, there would always be a
discrepancy between their test scores especially in Math and Science. Furthermore, the
results from the study of Wang (2012) showed that high school math achievement,
exposure to math and science courses, and math self-efficacy beliefs all affect students’
intent to major in STEM fields. Both of these studies conducted a test questionnaire in
gathering their results.
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With these opposing evidence, it is concluded that the results with this type of study
would highly depend on the methodology that will be used. It is highly preferred that this
type of study should always depend from a current data of testing rather than overlooking
a past semestral grade of the students to create a vague conclusion.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework
Figure 1 above shows the conceptual framework of the expected phenomena of
this research study. As shown in the illustration, STEM and ABM strands are the two
variables being tested in terms of their business mathematics proficiency. Both strands
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will be given the same set of questionnaires to be the sole basis of their proficiency in the
said field. Afterwards, it is expected that the researchers will analyze the scores per
subtest to know the discrepancy between the strands’ proficiency in business
mathematics.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The study aims to evaluate the test scores on selected learning competencies of
Business Mathematics between grade 11 STEM and ABM students in Marikina City. It
specifically answers the following research questions:
1. What are the mean scores in Business Mathematics of the following groups:
1.1 ABM?
1.2 STEM?
2. Is there any significant difference between the test scores of STEM and ABM
students?
HYPOTHESIS
Null
There is no significant difference between the test scores of STEM and ABM students.
Alternative
There is a significant difference between the test scores of STEM and ABM students.
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SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study may have significant results that may be beneficial to some group of
people.
Students. The results from this study will provide data representing the capacity of ABM
and STEM students towards their knowledge about Business Math that can be used as
a guide for incoming Grade 11 students on choosing their strand.
Teachers. Teachers are the ones who guide students towards their academic path. With
this, the study can provide data about the learning competencies the educators would
focused more in the scope of business mathematics.
Education System. The results gained from this study will aid in providing insights on
the betterment of the lesson plan of the K-12 basic education program.
Future Researchers. Future researchers may use this research in the analysis of
difference between senior high school strands based on the education system.
SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This research aims to analyze if the choice of strand has an effect on the student's
understanding of the topics in Business Math. The study will only focus on a specified
range of topics in Business Math. The paper will only be limited to Grade 11 ABM and
STEM students. Three (3) classes per strand will be chosen. A test questionnaire will be
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given for the students to take and answer. The study will be conducted for the academic
year of 2019-2020.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
The following words will be used in the study as:
1. ABM Students. Students who are enrolled in Accountancy, Business, and
Management strand and currently taking Business Mathematics as their core subject.
Most of these students here are engaged to being business leaders and
entrepreneurs.
2. Business Mathematics. A field of mathematics that provides the foundation of
arithmetic, mathematics, and measurements used in common business and industry
practices.
3. Competency-based learning. Refers to the systems of instruction, assessment, and
academic attainment based on the students’ acquisition of knowledge and skills.
4. STEM Students. Students who are enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics strand and currently taking Business Mathematics as part of the
semester in the core subject of General Mathematics.
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CHAPTER II
THE METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH DESIGN
This study will use descriptive design in its pursuit of establishing the difference of
the test scores between STEM and ABM students. This is to determine the degree of
proficiency of these strands in Business Mathematics. Based on the article of McCombes
(2019), descriptive research has the objective in accurately, systematically describing its
variables. Aside from that, this research design also has the capability to determine the
frequency and trends in a certain population. Thus, the accumulated data are expected
to be objective in the expectations of having credible results.
RESEARCH LOCALE
The study will be conducted inside the premises of the following public schools:
Sta. Elena High School, Parang High School and Marikina High School. Researchers had
decided to this locality because it offers the two strands needed as variables in this study.
These academic institutions are located in Marikina City.
SAMPLING TECHNIQUE AND PARTICIPANTS
This research study will use Stratified Random Sampling (SRS) in gathering its
participants. According to Hunt and Jyrrell’s work (as cited in KENPRO, 2012). SRS is a
sampling method involving the researchers’ randomly chosen representation in a
population. It will ensure that estimates can be made with equal accuracy in different parts
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of the region. This technique will enable the researchers to administer the methodology
efficiently and accurately.
DATA GATHERING INSTRUMENTS
The researchers will produce a test questionnaire based on the curriculum of
STEM and ABM academic strand. The test questionnaire will be distributed to the
participants of the study. The questionnaire made by the researchers of this study will
consist of 40 points assorted to different types of test. In the first part of the test, the
students will be tested in their vocabulary of business mathematics terminologies.
Through the next subtest, a multiple-choice type of exam will test the students’
background knowledge on the following fundamentals of business mathematics. The
following are the content of the test questionnaire: decimals, percentage, ratio and
proportion. For the last part of the test, students will solve problems according to chosen
scopes of business mathematics as followed from the curriculum of STEM and ABM
strand. A pointing system will be given in this part of the exam for a more organized and
legitimate scoring.
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DATA GATHERING PROCEDURE
Preparation of the Questionnaire
and Agreement forms
Approval of Letter of Permission
from the School Heads of Chosen
Locale and Research Adviser
Randomly select students
Fill-up the agreemeent forms
Conduction of the examination
for the students
Analyze test results
Figure 2. Data Gathering Procedure
The researchers will prepare a questionnaire with the selected learning
competencies in Business Mathematics. A confidentiality agreement is provided for the
formality and anonymity that is required in the ethics of research. The researchers will be
seeking for the approval of the higher authorities in selected schools in Marikina City,
where the study will be conducted. If the authorities allow the researches to proceed, then
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the researchers will be able to gather the data that they will be needing through their
questionnaire. The data that will be gathered from the questionnaire will be analyzed and
evaluated by the researchers.
DATA ANALYSIS
The statistical treatment that will be use in this study is the independent t-test since
the data will require to determine if there are differences between the mean scores of
STEM and ABM students as based on their test results. Moreover, in a dissertation of
Stone (n.d.), he stated that the number of observations in t-test are treated by estimating
the population mean of each group, in which the groups in this study will be the STEM
and ABM strands. By using independent t-test, the researchers will be able to describe
and compare the difference between their proficiency skills in Business Mathematics.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
The Participants
In this research, the researchers are obliged to have human intervention with their
chosen participants from the participating schools. A test questionnaire containing solely
the technicalities of business mathematics will be tested to the participants. In this matter,
an informed consent form is a must in ensuring that the participants are well-informed as
if it is onto their decision to participate voluntarily on the possible risks and benefits of the
research. This form contains the brief purpose of the research to the participants.
Aside from the said form, a statement of confidentiality will also be inclusive of the
consent forms to the students to assure their anonymity and indicate the participants’
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response on whom they can discuss the study. Personal information and anecdote of the
participants shall be held confidential within the researchers and participants only.
The Procedure
This study will require the researchers to go out of their school premises, which
shall be accredited by the research adviser, Mr. Ronald Escorpiso and the school
administration. The researchers will conduct surveys, questionnaires, and forms including
the letter of confidentiality with supervision to assure that no protocol is being by-passed.
The researchers will be seeking the approval of the higher authorities in their
chosen schools in Marikina City where the study will be conducted. Afterwards, the
researcher will proceed to their designated schools located in Marikina City and conduct
their research by handing out the questionnaires.
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