Statement of the Problem

One of the key elements in an individual’s life towards the path of academic success is the

course selection decision-making process. In a similar study conducted by Olamide and

Olawaiyes (2013), it is revealed that there exist numerous problems encountered by students in

their process of career selection. An incorrect career choice directs all individual efforts and

resources in the wrong direction, when not aligned with the expectations; would not only be

frustrating rather draining the individual energy and wastage of resources. (Ahmed,Sharif and

Ahmad, 2017). Gbennga and Toyin (2014) expressed that career guidance programs are

intended to help students understand their own potential and develop it fully. The lack of career

guidance programs in the Philippines leads most individuals to pass the stage of course

selection confused, as they apply for tertiary education without knowledge of what they want to

pursue. In the case of high school students who are yet to choose their courses in college,

critical decision-making is challenging and may end up in them failing to make the right

decisions. As a result, wrong choices may lead to dissatisfaction and disapproval of influential

people around them and society as well. Furthermore, it will only entail underperformance

which becomes a derivation of incompetence and inefficiency not only for themselves and the

department they represent but also for the economy as a whole.

1. What are the factors that influence the decision of Senior High School students in

choosing their college courses?

1.1 Do parents play an important role in the college course selection of their children?

1.2 Are students concerned about the practicality of their chosen course?
 1.2.1 For instance, will a student hesitate to pursue their preferred course if it is too

inconvenient or not reliable in today's standards.

1.3 Are grades and assessments with regards to their proficiency in certain subjects,

influential to their chosen college course?

Hypotheses

The researchers hypothesized that:

Ho1: In terms of the percentage of participants, there are considerable disparities in the factors

that influence course decision-making.

Ho2: A notable correlation existed between the factors that can influence course

decision-making in terms of the percentage of participants who choose to attend college.

Ho3: Among the 3 factors that we have focused on, personal preference has the most impact

on the student's decision in choosing their college course.

Definition of Terms

The following operational definitions were applied in this study:

Attrition: A student leaving the college without completing the program in

which they were enrolled. (Pendergrass, 1983)

Career: A career is a sequence of employment-related positions, roles, actions, and

experiences. A career defines how one sees oneself in the context of one’s social environment,

in terms of one’s future plans, one’s past accomplishments or failures, and one’s present

competencies and attributes. In this study, the term “career” refers to any type of professional

engagement students pursue whether paid or unpaid. (Overview of Career Development

Theories)

Career Counseling: Career counseling is referred to as helping to bring about

self-understanding, understanding of the career concerns involved, and behavioral options

available (Herr et al., 1996:44). In this study, career counseling means a verbal process in which

a professional counselor and counselee are in a dynamic collaborative relationship to solve

career problems

Career Path: According to Herr et al. (1996:44), the term is typically used in business and

industry to describe a series of positions available in some occupational or specialized work

area, ordinarily connoting possibilities for advancement. In this study, a career path was used to
denote the way that individuals achieve something or the way that their life develops. The term

pathway was used interchangeably with a career choice in this study.

Completer: A student who successfully completes a program leading to an associate’s degree

at the college in this study. (Appendix B. Glossary)

Completion: A student successfully completing a program leading to an associate’s degree in

which they were enrolled at the college in this study. (Appendix B. Glossary)

Course: A course is a series of classes. These classes are all in one area of study. Therefore,

when choosing a major, you will take courses geared towards that major. Courses are assigned

credits. Colleges dictate how many credits you need to take to graduate. Sometimes, there will

be lower-division courses and upper-division courses. (Class Vs. Course - What’s the difference

?)

Non-Completer: A student who enrolled in a program leading to the associate’s degree and

either graduate without a degree, or who leaves the college without completing any program of

study. Student academic success: Completing an initial program within the required maximum

completion time. (Pendergrass , 1983)

Academic Proficiency/Achievement/Performance: This is the measurement of student

achievement across various academic subjects(BallotPedia). Academic Performance was used in

this study to indicate an individual's achievement in a specific subject, namely his or her grades

in that field.
Personal Interests: Means interests that can bring, or that may be perceived to bring, directly

or indirectly, benefits or disadvantages to the member as an individual, or to others whom the

member may want to benefit or disadvantage (law Insider). Personal interest in this study

refers to a student's desire and or what he or she wants to pursue in terms of a career

or course.

Parental Influence: It is defined as any opinion, attitude, or action (other than direct

tutoring) that somehow shapes or molds the child's reading attitudes. Involvement is defined as

any direct tutorial help the child receives with his or her reading (Nebor, 1986). Parental

influence, in our study, refers to a parent's view or urge for their kid to follow a certain career or

course.

College Course Decision Making: Refers to the critical state in which young individuals

decide which path are they in (Bernardino , 2015) . College Course Decision Making, in our

study, is a vital decision that senior high school students must make when deciding what field or

course to pursue in college.

Significance of the Study

The researchers conducted this study to contribute to developing and improving the quality

of career guidance and counseling that are given to high school students. This paper attempts

to identify the fundamental variable that influences senior high school students' career or course

choices in relation to various factors. Thus, the study findings may be useful and beneficial for

students, teachers, and parents.

Teachers.
The information acquired indicates the possibility that the professors
would be able to provide appropriate recommendations regarding the students’ skills. They also
become a key aspect in the achievement of a student's goals and vision. This may assist them
in comprehending the necessity of understanding how to urge pupils in selecting a goal reason
for a better future.

Pupils. Particularly graduating senior high school students

The purpose of learning and direct benefactors of the gains of the study. They would be more
conscious of their interests and more definite of what they want to become in the near future.

Parents.
The study's goal is to help parents understand their child's endeavor.
They would be also innovated to work and support the teachers in giving assistance to their
pupils. Moreover, they will be educated on the great role they will play in fostering
decision-making towards the students’ future and in determining their objectives.

The study was focused on the following key areas:

1. To figure out what factors have an impact on the decision-making process of

Senior Highschool Students in their course selection.

 2. To assess the relative importance of each factor and determine which factor

holds a greater influence.

Limitations of the Study

Below are the following limitations that were anticipated in the study:

1. Since the study was only carried out exclusively at Integrated Laboratory

School-Senior High Department, the results may not be generalizable nor

applicable to every student.

2. The current study has a limited time span and sample size.

3. Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, close physical contact is still strictly prohibited,
and it is necessary to maintain the social distancing policy to avoid a rapid
increase in cases, the gathering of data and information may be difficult. As a
result, data and information will only be collected through the use of online
platforms or surveys.

4. Since our research is not prominent, finding information and references on the
internet are challenging.

Scope and Delimitation: The study was carried out in West Visayas State University-
Integrated Laboratory School, as it focuses exclusively on Grades 11-12 Senior Highschool
Students, the School year 2021-2022. The researchers incorporated certain variables to
determine the effect of the elements that affect the students' decisions in their college courses.
These variables include the student's parental influence, personal interests, and academic
proficiency that made the student choose a certain college course.
Conceptual Framework:
Theoretical Framework

Frank Parsons’ Trait and Factor Theory

The theories that are utilized to answer the primary research questions are shown in this

section. In order to determine the factors that affect the student’s course choice, the

researchers adopted Frank Parson’s Trait and Factor Theory. Parson states that occupational

decision-making occurs when people have achieved: an accurate understanding of their

individual traits(attitude, interest, personal abilities). Due to his hypothesis on how individuals

select their professions, he introduced the concept of matching, in which it is possible to

measure both individual talents and attributes required in particular jobs and people can be

matched to a job that is a decent fit.

The model above used the primary concept in Parson’s theory. The first concept is a thorough

knowledge of students with regards to their individual attributes, this includes personal abilities,

aptitudes, interests, and other distinctive traits that they possess. The last two concepts on

Parson’s theory are students' knowledge of jobs and the labor market and the objective

judgment of students about the relationship between individual traits and the labor market. The

researchers however did not use the other two concepts because it was not the focus of the

study and they deduced that aside from the understanding of the labor market, job trends, and

demand in the economy, there are more factors that heavily impact a students choice for their

college course, in particular academic proficiency, aptitudes, abilities, personal interests and

influential people in their lives.

Roe’s Personality Theory

The researchers also used Roe’s personality theory which states that a person chooses their

career based on their interaction with their parents. Roe believed that the way a child interacts

with their parents would lead them to pursue either person-oriented or non-person-oriented

jobs. Person-oriented jobs have a high amount of interaction with other people.

Non-person-oriented jobs are more independent. Roe figured that childhood experiences either

reinforce or weaken high-order needs and thereby influence career choices and developments.

Furthermore, People make career choices based on the nature of relationships with their

caretakers from birth, according to Roe's theory, which has a lot to do with psychological needs

that develop through the child's interactions with caretakers and/or parents. An individual’s

psychological needs are built up by these interactions, thus they expect these needs to be met

in their chosen field of study or career.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs:

1. Physiological needs

2. Safety needs

3. Belongingness and love needs

4. Esteem needs

5. Need for information

6. Need for understanding

7. The need for beauty

8. The need for self-actualization

These were incorporated into Roe’s theory.

Roe also divided careers into eight categories: Service, Business contact, Organization,

Technology, Outdoor, Science, General culture, and Arts and entertainment. Each of these

categories was seen as having six levels based on complexity and skill required for the job.

These levels were: 1) independent responsibility, 2) less independence, 3) moderate

responsibility for others, 4) training is required, 5) on-the-job training or special schooling, and

6) little special training is required – individuals only need to follow basic directions.

According to Roe, there are three types of parental attitudes:

1. Concentration on Child

a. Overprotective

b. Overdemanding

2. Avoidance of the Child

a. Rejection

b. Neglect

3. Acceptance of the Child

a. Casual acceptance

b. Loving acceptance

Children having “Concentration” parents may continue to need focus from people as they move

into the adult world. Children from “Avoidance” parents may be loners, comparatively speaking
– more time with things, not people. People from “Acceptance” parents may be more interested

in people, not data or things.

Two major concepts of Roe’s theory were utilized in this study. The first concept is about the

manner in which parents interact with the child and its influence on their motivational intensity.

The second concept is the child's perception of his/her parents as their role model while

associating their roles, field of work, and behavior upon themselves as ideals. The researchers

believe that parental influence has a huge role in molding the decisions of their children in

relation to their course in college and future career paths.

Research Participants

The study will be conducted in West Visayas State University- Integrated Laboratory School.

Senior High School Students consisting of 1 section of Grades 11 and 12 that were enrolled for

the academic year 2021-2022 will be the respondents of this study.

Research Instruments

An online survey/questionnaire form will be utilized and serve as the main instrument in

conducting this study, which will consist of two sections: Section 1 will be the profile of the

participants, and Section 2 will be the survey/interview part.

Profile Questionnaire.

The profile questionnaire will consist of the first section of the online form. It will cover the

participants’ background including name, year and section, sex, academic performance, parents

occupation, and the number of family members studying

Survey/Interview

The second section would consist of the main factors that are given focus in this study, namely

Personal Interests, Academic Proficiency/Aptitude, and Parental Influence. The respondents will

then rate each factor on a scale of 1-10, with 1 as “not influenced” and 10 as “very much

influenced”. The last item in the second section will cover the preferred course/s and the career

that they would want to pursue.

Procedures

Approval to distribute the online questionnaires and conduct the study will be secured from the

school administrators, director, and class adviser. Consent from the respondents will also be

formally requested. The researchers will then distribute them online survey forms and conduct

the study in an online setup. The study will be administered in the fourth quarter of the

academic year.

The researchers will be including detailed instructions to orient the participants who will be

filling out the forms. In order to cater to further concerns, clarifications, and concerns from the

respondents, the researchers will be opening the form for at least 3 days. After gathering the

submissions, the data will then be collected, tallied, tabulated, and interpreted.
Data Analysis

For Section 1, which will be covering the profiling of the participants, frequencies, and

percentages will be used.

For Section 2, the weighted mean will be utilized with the given formula:

The second section comprises a 10-point Likert scale, with 1 for the lowest 10 for the highest.

The following illustrates the weight and the mean range of the degree of influence by each

point:

WEIGHT MEAN RANGE DESCRIPTION

1 1.00 - 1.90 Equal Relative Influential

2 1.91 - 2.80 Equally to Moderately More

Influential
 3 2.81 - 3.70 Moderately MoreInfluential

4 3.71 - 4.60 Moderately to Strongly

Influential

5 4.61 - 5.50 StronglyInfluential

6 5.51 - 6.40 Strongly to Very Strongly

More Influential

7 6.41 - 7.30 Very Strongly More Influential

8 7.31 - 8.20 Very Strongly to Extremely

More Influential

9 8.21 - 9.10 Extremely Influential

10 9.11 - 10.00 Most Influential

Graphs and Tables will be used to illustrate the summarized findings and results from the online

forms.