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CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Student as member of the community play a huge role in the country. From

different schools, are different types of facilities and amount of ventilation in them.

Changing amounts of ventilation, if discussed, can have a good effect on academic

performance of students. The research helps to find-out the effects of classroom

ventilation to performance of students in class. Experiences of low ventilation and it

causing lack of focus are some examples of motivation to conduct the study.

Bulacan State University (BulSU), a tertiary school with high quality of teaching

and one of the best schools in Bulacan. The three-story of High School Department is

located in Carpio Hall. The classrooms located in ground floor and second are equipped

with electric fans and air conditioning units, while the classroom located in third floor has

only electric fans and some are not in working condition. The classrooms have

inadequate ventilations for some have limited electric fans and air conditioning units.

This class room condition can affect the performance of students. This can result to

increase exposure to indoor air pollutants which can lead to health issues and academic

performance.

Temperature has been shown to have a tremendous impact on student

performance, and it all begins with altering our mood. Temperature effect on mood

decreases memory and cognitive ability which is what affects learning ability. The
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temperature can make a lot difference in how students think and how students absorb new

data and information. (Sansone 2016)

Low ventilation rates can result in an increased exposure to indoor air pollutants,

assumed to be the primary reason for adverse effects on occupant health and

performance. The low ventilated classroom is giving the student more chance of having

illness that will cause to absence and lack of focus. (Shaughnessy 2015)

The issues of ventilation can have a negative impact to academic performance.

The issues of ventilation also affect the student’s thinking, activeness/energy, health and

focus which they need to have a better academic performance (UNESCO, 2017)

Improper ventilation has many effects on the mental state of a student. It can

indirectly affect their performance as a result of this. And for a population as big as

Bulacan State University, the effects are greatened because it offers a big environment,

all the more making a student’s performance all more important. Also, an example of a

situation where there is less space for errors and has a higher performance standard is the

STE program. From here on, it can be seen that improper ventilation has a considerable

impact on the students of this university.

Therefore, this study aims to identify the effects of poor ventilation to the

performance of a student as the two are believed to have a relationship with each other.

This research is then conducted to find and prove that this relationship exists, and to

understand how close this link is.

Statement of the Problem

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The study aims to identify if there is a relationship between classroom ventilation

and academic performance of students.

Specifically, this study aimed to answer the following question:

1. What is the level of academic performance of a student in a poorly

ventilated classroom?

2. What is the level of academic performance of a student in a well-

ventilated classroom?

3. Is there a significant difference on the academic performance between

well and poor ventilated classrooms?

4. How does classroom ventilation affect the academic performance of

students?

Significance of the Study

This study helped in finding out the effect of insufficient classroom ventilation on

the students' performance. It increased the supply of fresh air and therefore created a

better and more comfortable learning environment. It will also brought health benefits

and reduced the chances of students getting various illnesses. Lastly, it served as a

foundation upon which future researches can improve upon the relationship between

classroom ventilation and academic performance.

Scope and Delimitation

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The general intent of the study was to know the ventilation of the classroom of

high school department at Bulacan State University with the focus on student health and

academic performance. This study will identify and assess the current condition of

classrooms, the academic performance of students using these kinds of rooms, with their

current condition and proposed solution to the problems.

CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

This chapter concludes the related literature that are supporting the study. There

will and explanation that will be explaining the possible out come or result for thus study.

It will also help to understand the study.

Relevant Theories

The “Theory of Performance” is a theory that seeks to explain performance and

performance improvement. It does this through the use of a framework formed from six

foundational concepts. The theory focuses on the performance of people in various

backgrounds/professions as well as its improvement. Under the performance

improvement are its various results, classified into categories.

The theory is related to the study in terms of the topic performance. It talks about

developing and improving performance which the study aims to do as well, and that

improving has some factors that are immutable and some can influence by the performer.

Immutable factors are things that cannot be changed and can be necessary to improve

one's performance.
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Review of Related Literature and Studies

This literature review consisted of several studies and literature arranged into

different themes: a) Indoor Air quality (IAQ) b) Health Issues Caused by Poor

Ventilation c) Controlling Air Flow to Meet Proper Air-Quality Conditions.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

According to Shaugnessy et.al (2008), poor indoor air quality may result in

condition, which contribute to health symptoms that decrease performance while at

school. In addition, it has been suggested that poor IAQ may directly reduce a person’s

ability to perform specific mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation, or memory.

The United States Environmental Protection agency (EPA), 50% of schools have issues

with substandard IAQ. These issues can have a negative impact on student performance

through increased absenteeism, inattentiveness, and overall academic performance.

Indoor Air Quality issues can also have an impact on employee performance and

absenteeism due to illness (Unesco, 2017). Issues like poor Indoor Air Quality (AIQ)

may affect academic performance in class negatively, which may show a reason for

researchers to conduct the study. As it is mentioned in both the literature and study, it

shows a relationship between the thought of the two statements.

Health Issues Caused by Poor Ventilation

According to Wyon, Wargocki, Toffum, Clausen (2010) a greater indoor-outdoor

temperature difference significantly reduced the CO2 level was still above the

recommended level of 1000ppm in 75% of the naturally ventilated classrooms occupants

of poor ventilated classroom has negative effect to teachers and children, their
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performance of school-works are reduced, this maybe because the occupants of poorly

ventilated space has poor air quality. Based on the article of Seppa (2014) poor

ventilation in classrooms might contribute to tuberculosis spread children. The scientists

showed that the average student was breathing on unsafe level of other’s exhaled air

three-fifths of the time. Improving ventilation could prevent transmission of the disease.

The scientists calculated that students spent about 60% of their time inhaling air

containing more than 1,000 parts per million CO 2, a threshold for poor air hygiene that’s

more than double the 350 to 450 ppm found outdoors. The CO 2 measurements indicated

that classroom air was fully recycled only five or six times per hour on average just half

of the 12 air charges considered healthy. In these two articles, it stated that classroom

ventilation is a big factor to student’s performance and health issued the study

demonstrates that the poor air quality in classrooms might contribute to spread of

diseases like tuberculosis, colds, cough and other contagious diseases. The main objective

of these studies is to improve ventilation for better health and learning.

Controlling Air Flow to Meet Proper Air-Quality Conditions

Wyon, Wargocki, Toffum, Clausen (2010) mention that routinely leaving

windows open would often cause thermal discomfort and almost always waste large

amounts of energy. He also stated that good engineering could make schoolwork seem

much easier while reducing energy use in schools. Similarly, the article by Achrnews

(2004) states that the environmental control system must be designed carefully to meet

these needs. This pertains to the need of recommended ventilation by various users of a

room. Both the article and the study state that proper building design is essential in

meeting proper ventilation needs. This is true because building design is one of the main
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factors for the quality of ventilation/air flow and as such, must be considered in making a

recommendation so that one can meet the optimal ventilation conditions.

These literatures and studies were related as they talked about variables that are

used in this study, such as academic performance and classroom ventilation. Classroom

ventilation is one factor to be considered in a facility as it can affect one's performance in

school, work etc. In short, it's an important factor as it discusses it in these studies and

how it can affect multiple things. These studies and literatures helped in working this

cause by understanding these studies and literatures as it made a good conclusion and

assumption for this study.

Conceptual Framework

CLASSROOM ACADEMIC

VENTILATION PERFORMANCE

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework

Classroom ventilation is the flow of air or the temperature inside a classroom, while

academic performance is the performance is the performance of students in the school.

The two boxes represent these variables, while the line that connects them represents the

relationship between these two variables.

Hypothesis of the Study

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Null Hypothesis (Ho): There is no significant relation between classroom ventilation and

academic performance

Alternative Hypothesis (Ho)2: There is a significant relation between classroom

ventilation and academic performance.

Definition of Variables

Classroom Ventilation. The amount and quality of air circulating in classroom

Academic Performance. The scores of a student in various written works such as seat

works, quizzes and quarterly exams

Well Ventilated Classroom. A classroom that meets the recommended air-quality and

amount of airflow due to sufficient electric fans and air conditioning units

Poorly Ventilated Classroom. A classroom that has limited electric fans or air

conditioning units causing the air-quality and amount of air-flow to be below

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CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This part of the study will help you understand the process of gathering data necessary

for the study to conclude the outcome of the study.

Methods and Techniques

The research design used is the “correlational” design. The research design was

primarily focused on finding if a relationship between two variables exist and explaining

said relationship. We used this research design (correlational) because the study aimed to

find the relationship between classroom ventilation and student’s academic performance

or in other words, the relationship among the variables.

Population and Sample

The general objective of the study was to see if there is a relationship between the

two variables used which are academic performance of students and classroom

ventilation. The target population of the study are Grade 8 students.

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The target population was selected because they experience both poor and well-

ventilated classrooms. This is a good contrast that allows us to answer the specific

problems listed in the statement of the problem.

The study used all Grade 8 students and as such, did not need to use a sampling method.

The whole population were the respondents in the study in order to gather the sufficient

data needed in producing accurate results.

Instrument of the Study

The instrument to be used in this study are records or the grades of students in the

necessary grade and section of the study’s population which are the sections of Grade 8,

Palosapis, Talisay, Apitong and Mahogany. The researchers will gather the data needed

which specifically is General Weighted Average (GWA) of students in the said

population.

Development Process

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

Submission Of Analysis of
Letter And Collecting of
Explanation Title / Result
Collecting Necessary
Data Data

Figure 2: Development Process

Step 1
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Getting sample groups from the Grade 8 students was not necessary. The study

needed to assess the relationship between the academic performance of students from the

sections of Grade 8. Two of the sections that has air-conditioning and the other two with

only electric fans in their room. A questionnaire too wasn't needed to gather information.

The study required data for the variable "academic performance" which was gathered

from the records of the Grade 8 students.

Step 2

To get the grades of the grade eight Laboratory High School students, a letter was

made to the principal's office. Included in the letter was the request for the permission of

the researchers to acquire the grades of the Grade 8 students that were used for the study.

Upon the approval of the principal's office, the researchers then got the grades from the

math and science subjects. These subjects were specifically chosen because they are

mentally demanding as they require the use of problem-solving skills, logical thinking,

and memory, which may be affected by the environmental factors such as classroom

ventilation. Because of this relation, they were very important for the study.

Step 3

After collecting the necessary data, it was divided into two, regarding the section,

and then analyzed. The researchers found out if there is indeed a relationship between

classroom ventilation and a student's academic performance. The researchers then further

analyzed the data collected. It was continued to be verified that the data and relationship

analyzed came up with a reliable result.

Step 4
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After analyzing the data gathered, the researchers assumed that there is a

relationship between the variables, those two being classroom ventilation and academic

performance of students. The researchers concluded that low level of classroom

ventilation had a negative effect to the academic performance of students while high level

of classroom ventilation had a good effect on the students' academic performance. The

researchers are hoped for the study to acquire the best and reliable result for this study as

they also anticipated for positive results which showed an effect on one of the variables

and a relationship between classroom ventilation and academic performance of students.

Data Processing and Statistical Treatment

The data gathered was used to determine the effects of ventilation inside

classrooms and academic performance of students. The researchers gathered the records

or grades of the students to examine. The researchers then got the mean for each two

sections of grade 8 students for the statistical treatment of the study with the formula:

Σx
X=
n
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Chapter 4

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter presents the data gathered, the outcomes of the interpretation and

analysis for the findings. These are represented by tables in the order of the research

problems stated about Classroom Ventilation and Its Relation to Academic Performance.

Table 1-Academic Performance – Poor Ventilated

Section General Weighted Average (GWA)

Apitong 89.39

Mahogany 89.36
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Total mean 89.375

Table 1 shows two General Weighed Average (GWA). These GWA were

gathered from the students from the sections of Grade 8 having poor ventilated

classrooms or rooms without air conditioning units. These data that are shown on the

table (89.39 and 89.36) are the average of the students’ GWA in each of the sections with

poor ventilation in their classrooms. The grades that were combined were their 1st and

2nd grading grades.

Table 2-Academic Performance – Well Ventilated

Section General Weighted Average (GWA)

Palosapis 89.43

Talisay 88.83

Total mean 89.13

Table 2 shows, on the next page, the General Weighted Average (GWA) of the

students of the sections that has a well-ventilated classroom, which are Palosapis and

Talisay. The data inside the table (89.43 and 88.83) are the combined average of the

students from the first section and from the second section that both has a well-ventilated

classroom, meaning that they have air-conditioning units in their homeroom. The shown

average in the table consists of 1st and 2nd quarter GWA of the students combined.
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The GWA shown in Table 1 are higher than in Table 2. Table 1 represents poorly

ventilated classrooms while Table 2 represents well-ventilated classrooms. This shows

that improper ventilation affects the academic performance of the students negatively.

The temperature can make a lot difference in how students think and how students absorb

new data and information. (Sansone 2016). The well-ventilated classrooms have a

positive effect on academic performance. This negative effect is evident when the

average grade of two classes experiencing poor ventilation were compared with two

classes experiencing sufficient ventilation. Because of this comparison, the researchers

see that classroom ventilation plays part in the academic performance of a student. The

issues of ventilation can have a negative impact to academic performance.

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CHAPTER V

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary of Findings

From the data gathered in the previous chapter, the researchers found that the

academic performance from the two sections of Grade 8 with poor ventilation and the

academic performance of students from the other two sections with a well-ventilated

classroom has no significant difference. The GWA of two sections with a poor ventilated

classroom are 89.39 and 89.36 (Apitong and Mahogany). The GWA of the students were

from 1st and 2nd grading. The GWA of the other two sections with a well-ventilated

classroom are 89.43 and 88.83 (Palosapis and Talisay).

Conclusion

From the data gathered, the researchers concluded that the two sections with a

poorly ventilated classroom had a mean that was higher than the two other sections with a

well-ventilated classroom’s mean. Therefore, there was a significant difference between

the well and poor ventilated classrooms. Poor ventilation can affect students' comfort

negatively. Though it seems, that it doesn't affect academic performance greatly. It may

be possible that students lose focus in their academic subjects due to the comfort of being

in a well ventilated classroom and thus, lead them to perform worse than their peers who

are in a poorly ventilated classroom. In light of this, the Null hypothesis was not rejected.

Recommendations
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The following actions are recommended by the researchers. In a poorly ventilated

classroom, windows are important for air to come inside the classroom. The windows are

important for air to come inside the classroom. The windows should not be obstructed by

objects for air to come it properly. Sufficient ventilating units could be added, for not

only the comfort of students but for their health too. Alternative solutions can be applied.

Application of these solutions can result into a positive outcome in these priorities

mentioned. The room should also be appropriate for the numbers of students and

ventilation inside of it. For future researches, the study will be useful in identifying the

effects of classroom ventilation for academic performance because of the implications

about the relationship between the two variables identified in the research. It will also

serve as a basis on where else the researchers should look into to learn more about

classroom ventilation and academic performance.