“PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS AFFECTING ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF ADAMSON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS”
A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Language, College of Liberal Arts
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Technical English
Basillaje, Edmond Talingdan, Timothy John Victorino, Marifer A.
Prof. Jose Rizal O. Dapat (Thesis Adviser)
September 2014
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APPROVAL SHEET
This research work entitled, “PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS AFFECTING ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF ADAMSON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS” by Basillaje, Edmond, Talilingdan,Timothy John and Victorino, Marifer, to the Foreign Language Department College of Liberal Arts and Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Subject Technical English, is hereby accepted.
____________________________________ Jose Rizal O. Dapat (Professor)
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The researchers would like to thank, first of all, the almighty God. He has given them wisdom and the proper skills to finish this research paper. And without His never ending grace and mercy they would have never accomplished this task. They would also wish to give their deepest thanks to Sir Jose Rizal O. Dapat, for without his unending guiding and continuous positive criticism the researchers would have produced a substandard research work. They would also wish to thank the various respondents. The Adamson University students who diligently answered their questionnaires which enabled the interpretation and completion of all the data tables the reader will view in the paper.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract
Page 5
Chapter 1
Page 16
Chapter 2
Page 20
Chapter 3
Page 24
Chapter 4
Page 26
Chapter 5
Page 41
Chapter 6
Page 48
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ABSTRACT Title:
“Psychological Factors Affecting the Academic Performance of Adamson University Students “
Researchers:
Basillaje, Edmond Talingdan, T…. Victorino, Marifer
Subject:
Technical English
School:
Adamson University
Professor:
Prof. Jose Rizal Dapat (Thesis Adviser)
Statement of the Problem: This study aims to identify the various psychological factors that affect a student’s academic performance and identify a definite relationship between the two variables of psychological problems and academic performance. Specifically, this seeks to answer the following questions: 1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of: a. Age b. Gender c. Year Level d. College Department e. Nationality 2. What psychological factors affect the academic performance of Adamson University students? 3. Are there additional factors that play an important role in a student’s performance?
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4. If there is any additional factor, how do they influence academic performance with regard to psychological factors? Research Methodology: The methodology employed in the study was descriptive. The research was conducted with the aid of various materials, namely: books, online articles, and journals. All citations of materials are in the American Psychological Association (APA) format. Various books on psychology were referenced in regard to the topics of learning, stress, and motivation. A 10question survey form was distributed randomly to 24respondents. The questionnaire is designed to determine and analyze different factors affecting the academic performance of students from Adamson University. Aside from this the test also attempts to correlate the age, gender, course, year level and nationality of the respondents to the given topic. A. Instruments Used 1. For the profile of the respondents, the formula used to compute the weighted average of the data is the simple percentage formula. P = (X/Y) x 100 Where: P= Percentage or weighted average X = the total number of a specific profile. Ex: The total number of female who answered the survey Y = the total number of respondents.
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2. For the analysis of the survey questions, the method used is by getting the weighted mean of the respondents’ answer based on the Likert scale, where the answers of the respondents falls under five different frequencies: 5=Always 4=Most of the time 3=Sometimes 2=Rarely 1=Never To get the weighted mean of the respondents in each survey question, the formula to be used is: Wm= ∑ (Nr1*Fl1)/Y Where: Wm= weighted mean Nr= number of respondents who answered a certain frequency Fl= value of the frequency i.e.sometimes=3 Y= number of respondents Profile of Respondents -Male and Female Adamson University students from different Colleges
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-16-18 years old -Filipino and foreigner students -First to fifth year students Summary of Findings The frequency and percentage of the profile of the respondents as to gender is that out of a total of 24 respondents, 12 or 50.0 0% of the respondents are female, while 12 or 50.00% of the respondents are male. According to other researchers, namely Coley (2001) and Haist (2000), gender, as a factor of the academic performance of students is not yet proven and needs a lot more research to be concluded. Hence, the researchers made the number of male and female respondents the same, for them to know the profile of the respondents in terms of gender. Table 2 displays the frequency and percentage of the profile of the respondents as to Age. The data reveals that, with a total of 24 respondents, 13 or 57.17% are 16-18 years old, 5 or 20.83% are 18-20 years old, 4 or 16.67% are 20-22 years old and 2 or 8.33% are 22-24 years old. According to Newman (2009), there are two kinds of students with reference to age. 2125 years old are considered mature students, while 20 and below are young students. Also, mature students lack basic skills required for effective study or to be impaired by age-related intellectual deficits than the younger students. In this table, the numbers of young students are relatively larger than the mature students. Thus, there are more young students in Adamson University and according to Newman, these students have enough basic skills required for effective study that will eventually affect their 8
academic performance. Hence the academic performance of students does not only involve psychological factors but also the profile of the respondents with reference to age. Table 3 displays the frequency and percentage of the profile of the respondents as to Year level. The data reveals that, with the total of 24 respondents, first years, second years and third years each has 6 or 25.00% and fourth years and fifth years above each has 3 or 12.50%. The populations of the first second and third years are relatively bigger compared to the population of the fourth, fifth and higher years. In reference to the age brackets on Table 3, this shows that not all higher years are older or mature students and not all lower years are young students. Table 4 displays the frequency and percentage of the profile of the respondents as to College he/ she belongs to. The data reveals that, with the total of 24 respondents, College of Science, College of Engineering, College of Business Administration and College of Liberal Arts each has 4 or 16.67% while College of Architecture, College of Education, College of Pharmacy and College of Science each has 2 or 8.33%. Table 4 shows that the four colleges that each have 4 respondents has more department and more students, while the remaining colleges that each have 2 respondents has lesser departments. Thus, the different courses are considered in measuring the psychological factors affecting the academic performance of Adamson University students. Table 5 displays the frequency and percentage of the profile of the respondents as to Nationality. The data reveals that, with the total of 24 respondents, 20 or 83.33% are Filipinos and 4 or 16.67% are foreigners.
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Difficulties in approaching their peers were identified as a problem by a number of students, especially international or transfer students. (Roccas and Brewer 2002) With the data and the study of Roccas and Brewer, it can be said that peer interaction has a huge impact in the relationship of students to other students. Also, According to DiMatteo and Martin (2002), social variables such as family and peers, play a huge role in the physiological aspect of a student. Thus, lack of social variables, can lead to stress, which is considered a psychological and physiological factor that can affect the academic performance of students. On the first question, the respondents answered that students, most of the time, study without modern gadgets such as laptops, tablets, cellular phones and etc. Hence, this shows the flaw of the theory of the input-output model of Ludwig Von Bertalanffy, that students do not rely so much on modern technologies, and they are more comfortable studying without it. On the second question, the respondents answered that students, most of the time, study hard if they are pressured by social variables around them, especially those people who are close to them, like their family, peers and even their professors. This can be associated to questions 7 and 10 when respondents answered that they sometimes study alone and they rarely get persuaded by peers respectively. On the third question, the respondents answered that most of the time; they find it hard to interact with other students with different nationality. Thus, this survey supports the idea of Roccas and Brewer (2002) that nationality affects the interaction of students to other students. It can be measured because of the differences in language, culture, physical appearances and other factors. And also, this supports the idea that lack of social variables contribute to the psychological factors affecting the academic performance of Adamson University students.
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On the fourth question, the respondents answered that they can study sometimes with an empty stomach. According to Ryan (2004), Health factors contribute a lot in the buildup of stress of Adamson university students. Hence, health factors affect the psychological physiological aspects of a student that can lead to the change in the students’ academic performance. This also applies to the fifth question and sixth. Learning and memory can be affected by stress. Although an optimal level of stress can enhance learning ability, too much stress can cause physical and mental health problem and may affect the academic achievement of students. Illness and health are therefore no longer seen as due purely to physiological factors, but to the interplay of biological, psychological, and social variables (DiMatteo and Martin, 2002). Students cannot be good problem solvers if they are mentally affected and if they are sleepy, hungry, tired, or under stress. The relationship between sleep deprivation and cognitive functions is documented in this study. Learning and general academic behavior are affected by fatigue and altered states of consciousness (Smith and Fredrickson, 2003). In questions 8 and 9, the respondents answered that students sometimes mind studying in old building, and they can rarely study in a noisy environment. Despite often concentrating on negative points, students also had good things to say about their university – sometimes with experience of being able to contrast it with other higher educational institutions. The university was perceived as having an attractive campus, and staff are invariably seen as friendly and helpful. Many students do persevere and settle into university life, even after a rather risky fist term. (Lowis and Castley, 2008) The data collected in the survey and the study of Lowis and Castley (2008) concludes that the environmental factors also affect the academic performance of Adamson University students.
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Table 7 shows the Mean and Verbal Interpretation of the answers of the respondents as to Age. It reveals that in almost all questions, the answers of the male and female are virtually identical in the verbal interpretation. Thus, this supports the idea of researchers Coley (2001) and Haist (2000) that in academic performances, there are still no proof that gender is a factor. And also, this shows that male and female Adamsonians has the same perception to the given topic. Table 8 shows the Mean and Verbal Interpretation of the answers of the respondents as to Nationality. The table reveals that in seven questions, the Filipino and foreigner students answered the same. But in questions 3, 7 and 10, they answered differently. In question number 3, foreign students said that most of the time, they find it hard to interact with students who have different nationalities and Filipino students answered sometimes. In question number 7, foreign students said that they sometimes study alone while Filipino students answered rarely. And lastly, in question number 10, foreign students said that they are sometimes persuaded by their peers if they would study or not, while Filipino students answered rarely. The data shows that foreign students find it harder to interact with other nationalities than Filipino students. Foreign students value peer interaction than Filipino students. This supports the idea of Roccas and Brewer (2002) that foreign students find it hard to interact to other students that causes to affect their academic performance. Table 9 shows the mean and verbal interpretation of the answers of the students as to age. The data reveals that in almost all the questions, the answers of students in four age brackets are virtually identical, thus this does not support the idea of researchers Newman-Ford, Lloyd and Thomas (2009). And this also shows that academic performances of Adamson University does not depend on age or the mature and young students.
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A. Conclusions With reference to the profile of the respondents, Gender plays no significant role in the academic performance Adamson University students. While in terms of age, there are two types of students, the mature and young students. Mature students, based on other researches, lack of basic skills required for effective study while young students are said to have enough skills required for effective study. Based on the survey conducted by the researchers, it shows that academic performance of the students does not rely only on age itself, but based on the survey conducted, the researchers found out that Adamsonians’ academic performances are not affected if they are considered as mature or young students. In terms of year level, as the year level of a student accelerates the number of students per year level decreases. Thus, academic performances of students change as the year level changes. In terms of nationalities, Foreigners find it hard to study in an environment full of Filipinos mainly because of language barriers. Hence, the profile of respondents contributes to the factors affecting academic performances of Adamson University students. The different psychological factors affecting the academic performance of Adamson University are mental pressure or stress and lack of social variables. Aside from the psychological factors, the researchers also concluded that physiological factors also affect the academic performance of Adamsonians. Health is under physiological factor, and it includes the eating and sleeping habits and also exercise. Lack of these mentioned routines, results to physiological stress, thus psychological factors such as stress or mental pressure is triggered. Then lastly, the environmental factors, which includes the kind of place a student studies. B. Recommendations 1. Adamson University 13
The researchers recommend that Adamson University would consider not only the intellectual being of an Adamsonian, but also the physical and psychological beings of students. This can be done by providing counseling for each student. For example, one scheduled student per day per department, so that the faculty can understand better why a student’s academic performances drop or not. 2. Adamson University Faculty The researchers recommend that Adamson University faculty would consider the situation of students that has been gathered thru counseling. The researchers also recommend to give special considerations to students with a very difficult situation for the students to cope up to his or her studies and problems at the same time. 3. Adamson University students The researchers recommend that Adamson University students cooperate to the proposed plan for the plan seeks to help them psychologically and improve their academic performance. 4. Other Researchers Since this study was done under time pressure, the researchers would like to recommend to other researchers to broaden and allot a lot of time in this study.
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CHAPTER I The Problem and its Setting IIntroduction A. Background of the Study Academic performance is how a student translates what he learns into vital output. In this case, grades. Most students grades fluctuate during the years it takes them to finish their degrees. Student grades are affected by various academic factors that either 15
enhance or impede a students’ academic performance. Mental and physical factors are the greatest influences. A few examples of these factors are stress, overall physical and mental health, and learning environment. Being college students themselves, the researchers have chosen this topic in order to determine how they can improve students’ academic performance with regard to the various factors a college student will encounter. Properly addressing these factors will help the researchers be aware of what are a student’s seemingly simple problems that may have unfortunate consequences if left unchecked. With the constant news of how the standard of education in our country is continually escalating, it is now time to know the different psychological factors and how they affect a student’s grades. B. Statement of the Problem This study aims to evaluate the various psychological factors that affect a student’s academic performance and identify a definite relationship between the two variables of psychological problems and academic performance. Specifically, this seeks to answer the following questions: 1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of: 1.1 Age 1.2 Gender 1.3 Year Level 1.4 Course 1.5 Nationality 2. What psychological factors affect the academic performance of Adamson University students? 3. Are there additional factors that play an important role in a student’s performance? 4. If there is any additional factor, how do they influence academic performance with regard to psychological factors? 16
The research shall focus mainly on the aforementioned questions.
C. Significance of the Study The study will benefit the following: 1. The students of the university 2. The faculty of the university 3. Future Researchers Adamson University is directly affected by the study since the administration may decide to act upon the problems identified in the research. The students will also be affected since they will be made aware of the problems affecting their grades. The educators are also affected since will be able to address the different factors affecting their students. D. Scope and Limitation This research shall focus mainly on the psychological factors that affect academic performance of Filipino and foreign students of Adamson University. If there are other factors involved, then the researchers shall also attempt to correlate their influence to academic performance. E. Definition of Terms
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Psychological Factors- Factors that affect thinking and comprehension such as mental health and stress level Cognitive Development- Pertains to an individual’s development of his/her thinking capabilities Academic Performance- Pertains to a student’s final grades Physiological factors- physical characteristics of a person Sleep deprivation- lack of undisturbed sleep Altered states of consciousness- from spacing out to unconsciousness Social variables- social groups of a person i.e. (family, peers etc) Intellectual deficits- lack of ability to gather information fastly
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CHAPTER II Review of Related Literature This chapter contains related studies from journals, books, magazines, and the review of related literature. The scope of academic performance relies heavily on different factors. Measuring of academic performance of students is challenging since student performance is a product of socio-economic, psychological and environmental factors. These factors vary but the study is composed of psychological factors that can be identified and measured. These factors indicate how the students are affected socially, physically, and mentally (Hansen, 2000).
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Learning and memory can be affected by stress. Although an optimal level of stress can enhance learning ability, too much stress can cause physical and mental health problem and may affect the academic achievement of students. Illness and health are therefore no longer seen as due purely to physiological factors, but to the interplay of biological, psychological, and social variables (DiMatteo and Martin, 2002). A review of local literature indicates that Filipino university students usually experience stress due to a multitude of ways such as 1.) Health factors: amount of exercise, sleeping habits, nutritional routines. 2.) Academic factors, 3.) Social factors: family and social support and problems with roommates (Ryan, 2004). Students cannot be good problem solvers if they are mentally affected and if they are sleepy, hungry, tired, or under stress. The relationship between sleep deprivation and cognitive functions is documented in this study. Learning and general academic behavior are affected by fatigue and altered states of consciousness (Smith and Fredrickson, 2003). According to the input-output model, it is assumed that the students with high admission points, high social economic background and good school background will perform well if the university facilities are good, updated and modern teaching materials and the lecturers and the management of the university is good. This may not always be the case and this is one of the flaws of the theory input-output model developed by Ludwig Von Bertalanffy. The interrelationships between the student and the factors of a system or environment have to be understood by all parties involved in the educational institution.(Oso & Onen, 2005). Difficulties in approaching their peers were identified as a problem by a number of students, especially international or transfer students (Roccas & Brewer’s 2002).
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Existence of a health, financial or other social problem is neither a unique characteristic of students, nor predictive of the student’s performance. What clearly emerged was that the coping mechanisms used will make the difference in whether an unfortunate event will have an impact or not on academic performance of students. Although some of these coping mechanisms may be inherent to the psychological make-up of individual students, a strong pastoral network could help towards developing such mechanisms in overcoming difficulties with minimum longterm consequences in performance (Todres & Tsimtsiou, 2012).
Despite often concentrating on negative points, students also had good things to say about their university – sometimes with experience of being able to contrast it with other higher educational institutions. The university was perceived as having an attractive campus, and staff are invariably seen as friendly and helpful. Many students do persevere and settle into university life, even after a rather risky fist term (Lowis and Castley, 2008). The influence of age and gender on academic performance has been investigated in a number of studies with widely differing conclusions. Most of the differences in reported findings are due to varying contexts such as subject of study, age and gender interactions. Research has shown that men perform better than women in certain settings while women outperform men in other settings. There is no found evidence of academic performance being influenced by gender (Haist, Wilson, Elam, Blue, & Fosson, 2000). In summary, more research on age and gender differences in academic achievement is needed to make conclusive implications of the impact that age and gender may have on students’ academic achievement. This study was conducted to
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determine whether students’ age and gender would make a difference in their academic achievement (Coley, 2001). With regard to the issue of student age, recent changes in educational policies around the world have led to an increase in the number of mature-age admissions in educational institutions. While a large proportion of undergraduate students are still 19-year olds, the ages of students in classes are now more variable than 10 to 15 years ago. The definition of a mature student varies by country with 21, 22 and 25-year old students being classified as mature students in the United Kingdom, United States of America and Australia, respectively. In this study, mature students are defined as those students whose age was greater than 21 years on their first day at the university. Students who were 21 years of age and younger were classified as ‘young’ students. Mature students are thought to lack basic skills required for effective study or to be impaired by agerelated intellectual deficits. Mature students tend to be admitted into their programs with distinctly lower educational attainment than the young students (Newman-Ford, Lloyd & Thomas, 2009).
CHAPTER III Research Methodology This chapter discusses methodology employed in the study. It discusses statistical tools and their sources. The research was conducted with the aid of various materials, namely: books, online articles, and journals. All citations of materials are in the American Psychological Association (APA) format. Various books on psychology were referenced in regard to the topics of learning, stress, and motivation. A 10-question survey form was distributed randomly to 24 22
respondents. The questionnaire is designed to determine and analyze different factors affecting the academic performance of students from Adamson University. Aside from this the test also attempts to correlate the age, gender, course, year level and nationality of the respondents to the given topic. B. Instruments Used For the profile of the respondents, the formula used to compute the weighted average of the data is the simple percentage formula. P = (X/Y) x 100 Where: P= Percentage or weighted average X = the total number of a specific profile. Ex: The total number of female who answered the survey Y = the total number of respondents. 3. For the analysis of the survey questions, the method used is by getting the weighted mean of the respondents’ answer based on the Likert scale, where the answers of the respondents falls under five different frequencies: 4=Always 3=Sometimes 2=Rarely 1=Never 23
To get the weighted mean of the respondents in each survey question, the formula to be used is: Wm= ∑ (Nr1*Fl1)/Y Where: Wm= weighted mean Nr= number of respondents who answered a certain frequency Fl= value of the frequency i.e. sometimes=3 Y= number of respondents
CHAPTER IV Presentation, Analysis, and Interpretation of Data This chapter displays the analyzed data of the respondents and their answers in the survey questionnaires. This also includes the interpretation of the researchers to the data presented.
Table 1: Frequency and Percentage of the profile of the Respondents as to Gender
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Female Male Total
12 12 24
50.00% 50.00% 100.00%
Table 1 presents the frequency and percentage of the profile of the respondents as to gender. The data reveal that, out of 24 respondents, 12 or 50.0 0% are female, while 12 or 50.00% are male. According to Coley (2001) and Haist (2000), gender, as a factor of the academic performance of students is not yet proven and needs a lot more research to be concluded. Hence, the researchers made the number of male and female respondents the same, for them to know the profile of the respondents in terms of gender.
Table 2: Frequency and Percentage of the profile of the Respondents as to Age 16-18 years old 19-20 years old 21-22 years old 23-24 years old Total
13 5 4 2 24
54.17% 20.83% 16.67% 8.33% 100.00%
Table 2 displays the frequency and percentage of the profile of the respondents as to Age. The data reveals that, with a total of 24 respondents, 13 or 57.17% are 16-18 years old, 5 or 20.83% are 18-20 years old, 4 or 16.67% are 20-22 years old and 2 or 8.33% are 22-24 years old.
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According to Newman (2009), there are two kinds of students with reference to age. 2125 years old are considered mature students, while 20 and below are young students. Also, mature students lack basic skills required for effective study or to be impaired by age-related intellectual deficits than the younger students. In this table, the numbers of young students are relatively larger than the mature students. Thus, there are more young students in Adamson University and according to Newman, these students have enough basic skills required for effective study that will eventually affect their academic performance. Hence the academic performance of students does not only involve psychological factors but also the profile of the respondents with reference to age.
Table 3: Frequency and Percentage of the profile of the Respondents as to Year Level First Year Second Year Third Year Fourth Year Fifth Year and above Total
6 6 6 3 3 24
25.00% 25.00% 25.00% 12.50% 12.50% 100.00%
Table 3 displays the frequency and percentage of the profile of the respondents as to Year level. The data reveals that, with the total of 24 respondents, first years, second years and third years each has 6 or 25.00% and fourth years and fifth years above each has 3 or 12.50%. The populations of the first second and third years are relatively bigger compared to the population of the fourth, fifth and higher years. In reference to the age brackets on Table 3, this 26
shows that not all higher years are older or mature students and not all lower years are young students.
College of Science
4
16.67%
College of Engineering
4
16.67%
College of Business
4
16.67%
College of Liberal Arts
4
16.67%
College of Architecture
2
8.33%
College of Education
2
8.33%
College of Pharmacy
2
8.33%
College of Science
2
8.33%
Total
24
100.00%
Administration
Table 4: Frequency and Percentage of the profile of the Respondents as to Course
Table 4 displays the frequency and percentage of the profile of the respondents as to College he/ she belongs to. The data reveals that, with the total of 24 respondents, College of 27
Science, College of Engineering, College of Business Administration and College of Liberal Arts each has 4 or 16.67% while College of Architecture, College of Education, College of Pharmacy and College of Science each has 2 or 8.33%. Table 4 shows that the four colleges that each have 4 respondents has more department and more students, while the remaining colleges that each have 2 respondents has lesser departments. Thus, the different courses are considered in measuring the psychological factors affecting the academic performance of Adamson University students. Table 5: Frequency and Percentage of the profile of the Respondents as to Nationality Filipino Foreigner Total
20 4 24
83.33% 16.67% 100.00%
Table 5 displays the frequency and percentage of the profile of the respondents as to Nationality. The data reveals that, with the total of 24 respondents, 20 or 83.33% are Filipinos and 4 or 16.67% are foreigners. Difficulties in approaching their peers were identified as a problem by a number of students, especially international or transfer students. (Roccas and Brewer 2002) With the data and the study of Roccas and Brewer, it can be said that peer interaction has a huge impact in the relationship of students to other students. Also, According to DiMatteo and Martin (2002), social variables such as family and peers, play a huge role in the physiological aspect of a student. Thus, lack of social variables, can lead to stress, which is considered a psychological and physiological factor that can affect the academic performance of students.
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Table 6: Mean and Verbal Interpretation of the respondents in general
Criteria 1. Can students study without modern gadgets? i.e. laptop,
Mean
Verbal Interpretation
3.875
Most of the time
tablets, cellular phones and etc. 2. Do students study hard if they are pressured by professors,
3.75
classmates and other people around them? 3. Do students find it hard to interact with other students with different nationalities?
Most of the time 3.7083 33
Most of the time
4. Can students study if they are stressed out?
3.25
Sometimes
5. Can students study with an empty stomach?
3.166
Sometimes
6. Can students study if they stay up late at night?
3.0416
Sometimes
3
Sometimes
2.833
Sometimes
7. Do students often study alone? 8. Do students mind studying in old but fairly usable classrooms?
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9. Can students study in a noisy environment?
2.208
Rarely
10. Are students easily persuaded by peers to study or not?
2.125
Rarely
On the first question, the respondents answered that students, most of the time, study without modern gadgets such as laptops, tablets, cellular phones and etc. Hence, this shows the flaw of the theory of the input-output model of Ludwig Von Bertalanffy, that students do not rely so much on modern technologies, and they are more comfortable studying without it. On the second question, the respondents answered that students, most of the time, study hard if they are pressured by social variables around them, especially those people who are close to them, like their family, peers and even their professors. This can be associated to questions 7 and 10 when respondents answered that they sometimes study alone and they rarely get persuaded by peers respectively. On the third question, the respondents answered that most of the time; they find it hard to interact with other students with different nationality. Thus, this survey supports the idea of Roccas and Brewer (2002) that nationality affects the interaction of students to other students. It can be measured because of the differences in language, culture, physical appearances and other factors. And also, this supports the idea that lack of social variables contribute to the psychological factors affecting the academic performance of Adamson University students. On the fourth question, the respondents answered that they can study sometimes with an empty stomach. According to Ryan (2004), Health factors contribute a lot in the buildup of stress of Adamson university students. Hence, health factors affect the psychological physiological
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aspects of a student that can lead to the change in the students’ academic performance. This also applies to the fifth question and sixth. Learning and memory can be affected by stress. Although an optimal level of stress can enhance learning ability, too much stress can cause physical and mental health problem and may affect the academic achievement of students. Illness and health are therefore no longer seen as due purely to physiological factors, but to the interplay of biological, psychological, and social variables (DiMatteo and Martin, 2002). Students cannot be good problem solvers if they are mentally affected and if they are sleepy, hungry, tired, or under stress. The relationship between sleep deprivation and cognitive functions is documented in this study. Learning and general academic behavior are affected by fatigue and altered states of consciousness (Smith and Fredrickson, 2003). In questions 8 and 9, the respondents answered that students sometimes mind studying in old building, and they can rarely study in a noisy environment. Despite often concentrating on negative points, students also had good things to say about their university – sometimes with experience of being able to contrast it with other higher educational institutions. The university was perceived as having an attractive campus, and staff are invariably seen as friendly and helpful. Many students do persevere and settle into university life, even after a rather risky fist term (Lowis & Castley, 2008). The data collected in the survey and the study of Lowis and Castley (2008) concludes that the environmental factors also affect the academic performance of Adamson University students.
31
Table 7: Mean and Verbal Interpretation of the answers of the respondents as to Gender
Profile of Criteria
Verbal Mean
Respondents 1. Can students study without modern gadgets?
Male
Interpretation Most of the 3.75 time Most of the
i.e. laptop, tablets, cellular phones and etc.
4 Female
2. Do students study hard if they are pressured
Male
time Most of the 3.666667 time Most of the
by professors, classmates and other people around them? 3. Do students find it hard to interact with
4.083333 Female Male
time 3.583333
Sometimes Most of the
other students with different nationalities?
3.833333 Female Male
time 3.166667
Sometimes
3.333333
Sometimes
3.083333
Sometimes
4. Can students study if they are stressed out? 5. Can students study with an empty stomach?
Female Male
32
3.25
Sometimes
3.25
Sometimes
2.916667
Sometimes
2.916667
Sometimes
3
Sometimes
2.666667
Sometimes
2.75
Sometimes
2.333333
Rarely
2.166667
Rarely
2.25
Rarely
2.166667
Rarely
Female
6. Can students study if they stay up late at
Male
night? Female Male 7. Do students often study alone? Female 8. Do students mind studying in old but fairly
Male
usable classrooms? Female Male 9. Can students study in a noisy environment? Female 10. Are students easily persuaded by peers to
Male
study or not? Female
Table 7 shows the Mean and Verbal Interpretation of the answers of the respondents as to Age. It reveals that in almost all questions, the answers of the male and female are virtually identical in the verbal interpretation. Thus, this supports the idea of researchers Coley (2001) and Haist (2000) that in academic performances, there are still no proof that gender is a factor. And also, this shows that male and female Adamsonians has the same perception to the given topic.
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Table 8: Mean and Verbal Interpretation of the answers of the Respondents as to Nationality
Profile of Survey Questions
Verbal Mean
Respondents 1. Can students study without modern gadgets?
Filipino
i.e. laptop, tablets, cellular phones and etc.
Interpretation 3.416667
Sometimes
2.75
Sometimes
3.208333
Sometimes
3.25
Sometimes
3.083333
Sometimes
Foreigner 2. Do students study hard if they are pressured
Filipino
by professors, classmates and other people around them? 3. Do students find it hard to interact with
Foreigner Filipino
Most of the
other students with different nationalities?
3.75 Foreigner Filipino
time 2.708333
Sometimes
3.25
Sometimes
Filipino
2.708333
Sometimes
Foreigner
2.75
Sometimes
Filipino
2.541667
Sometimes
3.25
Sometimes
4. Can students study if they are stressed out? Foreigner
5. Can students study with an empty stomach?
6. Can students study if they stay up late at night?
Foreigner
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Filipino
2.458333
Rarely
2.75
Sometimes
2.375
Rarely
2
Rarely
1.875
Rarely
2.25
Rarely
1.75
Rarely
2.75
Sometimes
7. Do students often study alone? Foreigner 8. Do students mind studying in old but fairly
Filipino
usable classrooms? Foreigner 9. Can students study in a noisy environment?
Filipino
Foreigner 10. Are students easily persuaded by peers to
Filipino
study or not? Foreigner
Table 8 shows the Mean and Verbal Interpretation of the answers of the respondents as to Nationality. The table reveals that in seven questions, the Filipino and foreigner students answered the same. But in questions 3, 7 and 10, they answered differently. In question number 3, foreign students said that most of the time, they find it hard to interact with students who have different nationalities and Filipino students answered sometimes. In question number 7, foreign students said that they sometimes study alone while Filipino students answered rarely. And lastly, in question number 10, foreign students said that they are sometimes persuaded by their peers if they would study or not, while Filipino students answered rarely. The data shows that foreign students find it harder to interact with other nationalities than Filipino students. Foreign students value peer interaction than Filipino students. This supports the idea of Roccas and Brewer (2002) that foreign students find it hard to interact to other students that causes to affect their academic performance.
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Table 9: Mean and Verbal Interpretation of the answer of the respondents as to age
Survey Questions
1. Can students study without modern gadgets? i.e. laptop, tablets, cellular phones and etc.
Profile of Respondents
Mean
16-18 y/o
3.75
18-20 y/o 20-22 y/o
22-24 y/o 16-18 y/o 2. Do students study hard if they are pressured by professors, classmates and other people around them?
18-20 y/o 20-22 y/o 22-24 y/o 16-18 y/o
3. Do students find it hard to interact with other students with different nationalities?
18-20 y/o 20-22 y/o 22-24 y/o 16-18 y/o
4. Can students study if they are stressed out?
18-20 y/o 20-22 y/o 22-24 y/o
5. Can students study with an empty stomach?
16-18 y/o 18-20 y/o 20-22 y/o
4
Verbal Interpretation Most of the time Most of the time
3.666667
Most of the time
4.083333
Most of the time
3.583333
Sometimes
3.833333
Most of the time
3.166667
Sometimes
3.333333
Sometimes
3.083333
Sometimes
3.25
Sometimes
3.25
Sometimes
2.916667
Sometimes
2.916667
Sometimes
3
Sometimes
2.666667
Sometimes
2.75
Sometimes
2.333333
Rarely
2.166667
Rarely
2.25
Rarely
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22-24 y/o 16-18 y/o 6. Can students study if they stay up late at night?
18-20 y/o 20-22 y/o
22-24 y/o 16-18 y/o
7. Do students often study alone?
18-20 y/o 20-22 y/o 22-24 y/o 16-18 y/o 18-20 y/o
8. Do students often study alone?
20-22 y/o
22-24 y/o
16-18 y/o
9. Can students study in a noisy environment?
18-20 y/o 20-22 y/o 22-24 y/o 16-18 y/o
2.166667
Rarely
3.416667
Sometimes
2.75
Sometimes
3.208333
Sometimes
3.25
Sometimes
3.083333
Sometimes
3.406
Sometimes
2.708333
Sometimes
3.25
Sometimes
2.708333
Sometimes
2.75
Sometimes
2.541667
Sometimes
3.25
Sometimes
2.458333
Rarely
2.75
Sometimes
2.375
Rarely
2
Rarely
1.875
Rarely
2.25
Rarely
1.75
Rarely
10. Are students easily persuaded by peers to study or not?
18-20 y/o 20-22 y/o
37
22-24 y/o
2
Rarely
Table 9 shows the mean and verbal interpretation of the answers of the students as to age. The data reveals that in almost all the questions, the answers of students in four age brackets are virtually identical, thus this does not support the idea of researchers Newman-Ford, Lloyd and Thomas (2009). And this also shows that academic performances of Adamson University does not depend on age or the mature and young students.
CHAPTER V Summary of Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations This chapter presents the findings of the study, the conclusions made by the researchers based on the results of the survey and the recommendations of the researchers based on the significance of the study. Summary of Findings Profile of the respondents as to gender reveals that with a total of 24 respondents, 12 or 50.0 0% of the respondents are female, while 12 or 50.00% of the respondents are male.
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According to other researchers, namely Coley (2001) and Haist (2000), gender, as a factor of the academic performance of students is not yet proven and needs a lot more research to be concluded. Hence, the researchers made the number of male and female respondents the same, for them to know the profile of the respondents in terms of gender. Profile of the respondents as to age reveals that, with a total of 24 respondents, 13 or 57.17% are 16-18 years old, 5 or 20.83% are 18-20 years old, 4 or 16.67% are 20-22 years old and 2 or 8.33% are 22-24 years old. According to Newman (2009), there are two kinds of students with reference to age. 2125 years old are considered mature students, while 20 and below are young students. Also, mature students lack basic skills required for effective study or to be impaired by age-related intellectual deficits than the younger students. In this table, the numbers of young students are relatively larger than the mature students. Thus, there are more young students in Adamson University and according to Newman, these students have enough basic skills required for effective study that will eventually affect their academic performance. Hence the academic performance of students does not only involve psychological factors but also the profile of the respondents with reference to age. Table 3 displays the frequency and percentage of the profile of the respondents as to Year level. The data reveals that, with the total of 24 respondents, first years, second years and third years each has 6 or 25.00% and fourth years and fifth years above each has 3 or 12.50%. The populations of the first second and third years are relatively bigger compared to the population of the fourth, fifth and higher years. In reference to the age brackets on Table 3, this
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shows that not all higher years are older or mature students and not all lower years are young students. Table 4 displays the frequency and percentage of the profile of the respondents as to College he/ she belongs to. The data reveals that, with the total of 24 respondents, College of Science, College of Engineering, College of Business Administration and College of Liberal Arts each has 4 or 16.67% while College of Architecture, College of Education, College of Pharmacy and College of Science each has 2 or 8.33%. Table 4 shows that the four colleges that each have 4 respondents has more department and more students, while the remaining colleges that each have 2 respondents has lesser departments. Thus, the different courses are considered in measuring the psychological factors affecting the academic performance of Adamson University students. Table 5 displays the frequency and percentage of the profile of the respondents as to Nationality. The data reveals that, with the total of 24 respondents, 20 or 83.33% are Filipinos and 4 or 16.67% are foreigners. Difficulties in approaching their peers were identified as a problem by a number of students, especially international or transfer students. (Roccas and Brewer 2002) With the data and the study of Roccas and Brewer, it can be said that peer interaction has a huge impact in the relationship of students to other students. Also, According to DiMatteo and Martin (2002), social variables such as family and peers, play a huge role in the physiological aspect of a student. Thus, lack of social variables, can lead to stress, which is considered a psychological and physiological factor that can affect the academic performance of students.
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On the first question, the respondents answered that students, most of the time, study without modern gadgets such as laptops, tablets, cellular phones and etc. Hence, this shows the flaw of the theory of the input-output model of Ludwig Von Bertalanffy, that students do not rely so much on modern technologies, and they are more comfortable studying without it. On the second question, the respondents answered that students, most of the time, study hard if they are pressured by social variables around them, especially those people who are close to them, like their family, peers and even their professors. This can be associated to questions 7 and 10 when respondents answered that they sometimes study alone and they rarely get persuaded by peers respectively. On the third question, the respondents answered that most of the time; they find it hard to interact with other students with different nationality. Thus, this survey supports the idea of Roccas and Brewer (2002) that nationality affects the interaction of students to other students. It can be measured because of the differences in language, culture, physical appearances and other factors. And also, this supports the idea that lack of social variables contribute to the psychological factors affecting the academic performance of Adamson University students. On the fourth question, the respondents answered that they can study sometimes with an empty stomach. According to Ryan (2004), Health factors contribute a lot in the buildup of stress of Adamson university students. Hence, health factors affect the psychological physiological aspects of a student that can lead to the change in the students’ academic performance. This also applies to the fifth question and sixth. Learning and memory can be affected by stress. Although an optimal level of stress can enhance learning ability, too much stress can cause physical and mental health problem and may affect the academic achievement of students. Illness and health
41
are therefore no longer seen as due purely to physiological factors, but to the interplay of biological, psychological, and social variables (DiMatteo and Martin, 2002). Students cannot be good problem solvers if they are mentally affected and if they are sleepy, hungry, tired, or under stress. The relationship between sleep deprivation and cognitive functions is documented in this study. Learning and general academic behavior are affected by fatigue and altered states of consciousness (Smith and Fredrickson, 2003). In questions 8 and 9, the respondents answered that students sometimes mind studying in old building, and they can rarely study in a noisy environment. Despite often concentrating on negative points, students also had good things to say about their university – sometimes with experience of being able to contrast it with other higher educational institutions. The university was perceived as having an attractive campus, and staff are invariably seen as friendly and helpful. Many students do persevere and settle into university life, even after a rather risky fist term. (Lowis and Castley, 2008) The data collected in the survey and the study of Lowis and Castley (2008) concludes that the environmental factors also affect the academic performance of Adamson University students. Table 7 shows the Mean and Verbal Interpretation of the answers of the respondents as to Age. It reveals that in almost all questions, the answers of the male and female are virtually identical in the verbal interpretation. Thus, this supports the idea of researchers Coley (2001) and Haist (2000) that in academic performances, there are still no proof that gender is a factor. And also, this shows that male and female Adamsonians has the same perception to the given topic. Table 8 shows the Mean and Verbal Interpretation of the answers of the respondents as to Nationality. The table reveals that in seven questions, the Filipino and foreigner students
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answered the same. But in questions 3, 7 and 10, they answered differently. In question number 3, foreign students said that most of the time, they find it hard to interact with students who have different nationalities and Filipino students answered sometimes. In question number 7, foreign students said that they sometimes study alone while Filipino students answered rarely. And lastly, in question number 10, foreign students said that they are sometimes persuaded by their peers if they would study or not, while Filipino students answered rarely. The data shows that foreign students find it harder to interact with other nationalities than Filipino students. Foreign students value peer interaction than Filipino students. This supports the idea of Roccas and Brewer (2002) that foreign students find it hard to interact to other students that causes to affect their academic performance. Table 9 shows the mean and verbal interpretation of the answers of the students as to age. The data reveals that in almost all the questions, the answers of students in four age brackets are virtually identical, thus this does not support the idea of researchers Newman-Ford, Lloyd and Thomas (2009). And this also shows that academic performances of Adamson University does not depend on age or the mature and young students.
C. Conclusions With reference to the profile of the respondents, Gender plays no significant role in the academic performance Adamson University students. While in terms of age, there are two types of students, the mature and young students. Mature students, based on other researches, lack of basic skills required for effective study while young students are said to have enough skills required for effective study. Based on the survey conducted by the researchers, it shows that 43
academic performance of the students does not rely only on age itself, but based on the survey conducted, the researchers found out that Adamsonians’ academic performances are not affected if they are considered as mature or young students. In terms of year level, as the year level of a student accelerates the number of students per year level decreases. Thus, academic performances of students change as the year level changes. In terms of nationalities, Foreigners find it hard to study in an environment full of Filipinos mainly because of language barriers. Hence, the profile of respondents contributes to the factors affecting academic performances of Adamson University students. The different psychological factors affecting the academic performance of Adamson University are mental pressure or stress and lack of social variables. Aside from the psychological factors, the researchers also concluded that physiological factors also affect the academic performance of Adamsonians. Health is under physiological factor, and it includes the eating and sleeping habits and also exercise. Lack of these mentioned routines, results to physiological stress, thus psychological factors such as stress or mental pressure is triggered. Then lastly, the environmental factors, which includes the kind of place a student studies.
D. Recommendations 1. Adamson University The researchers recommend that Adamson University would consider not only the intellectual being of an Adamsonian, but also the physical and psychological beings of students. This can be done by providing counseling for each student. For example, one scheduled student per day per department, so that the faculty can understand better why a student’s academic performances drop or not. 2. Adamson University Faculty 44
The researchers recommend that Adamson University faculty would consider the situation of students that has been gathered thru counseling. The researchers also recommend to give special considerations to students with a very difficult situation for the students to cope with his or her studies and problems at the same time. 3. Adamson University students The researchers recommend that Adamson University students cooperate to the proposed plan for the plan seeks to help them psychologically and improve their academic performance. 4. Future Researchers Since this study was done under time pressure, the researchers would like to recommend to other researchers to broaden and allot more time in this study.
CHAPTER VI References Coley, R. (2001). Differences in the gender gap: Comparisons across racial/ethnic groups in education and work. Princeton: Educational Testing Service. (ED 451-222). Haist, S. A., Wilson, J. F., Elam, C. L., Blue, A. V., & Fosson, S. E. (2000). The effect of gender and age on medical school performance: An important interaction. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 5(3), 197 – 205. Newman-Ford, L., Lloyd, S., & Thomas, S. (2009). An investigation in the effects of gender, 45
prioracademic achievement, place of residence, age and attendance on first-year undergraduate attainment. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 1(1), 13 – 28. Roccas S, Brewer MB. 2002. Social identity complexity. Pers Soc Psychol Rev 6:88–106. TODRES, M., TSIMTSIOU, Z. SIDHU, K., STEPHENSON,A., Jones, R.(2012) Medical students’ perceptions of the factors influencing their academic performance: An exploratory interview study with high-achieving and re-sitting medical students, King’s College London, UK, Evosmos Health Center, Greece. P.6 http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Effects-of-Stress.topicArticleId-25438,articleId25373.html http://www.scribd.com/doc/5486916/FACTORS-AFFECTING-STUDENTS-PERFORMANCE http://www.bangladeshsociology.org/BEJS%203.1%20Naqvi.pdf
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