i

ii

Editorial Board

Paulito V. Hilario, PhD

Editor

Rommel Miles E. Corro, M.A.

Maria Theresa L. Ingles, M.A

Myrna Escoto, M.A.

Karen Gabinete, M.A

Board Members

Zarah Jasmin L. Jacob

Cover Design

Thelma Geraldine A. Baricaua,M.S

Consultant

iii

The Official Faculty Publication Of the College of Arts and Sciences

San Beda College Alabang Alabang Hills Village, Muntinlupa City

Volume 3 No. 2 (August 2010)

iv

v

FOREWORD

Ugong Faculty Journal August 2010 issue is a product of scholarly

researches of faculty members of San Beda College Alabang College of Arts and Sciences, whose interests are in various disciplines of business , IT,

education, arts and sciences. The articles for publication may be in a form of

a basic or applied research.

This issue includes Prof. Baricaua‟s paper on the use of

organizational climate survey as an assessment of organizational transformation. This issue also features various research in the educational

setting. Prof. Gabinete explores the written feedbacks of teachers while Dr.

Hubilla explores non-intellective predictors of academic performance. Two

tracer studies CAS alumni by Dr. Hilario, Prof. Argete and Prof Sobrepenas are also included in this edition.

The faculty journal follows the standard format for scientific journal, which includes the Title, Abstract, Introduction, Methodology, Results and

Discussion, and Conclusion. The inclusion of Recommendation and

Acknowledgement is optional to the author/ s of the article. The citation of references is presented based on the standard format set by each discipline;

thus the authors decide on the style of reference citation to use.

The Editors

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Table of Contents

Assessment of Organizational Transformation Plan

Through An Organizational Climate Survey

Thelma Geraldine A. Baricaua, M.S............................................ 1

The Contrastive Study Between Written Feedback Given by

Language And Non-Language Teachers On Essay of

Students In The Higher Education

Karen L. Gabinete, M.A ............................................................. 14

Career Status of San Beda College CAS Graduates:

An Online Tracer Study Paul V. Hilario,Ph.D ................................................................. 23

Non Intellective Predictors of Academic Performance of

First Year High School Students

Mario B. Hubilla, Jr. Ph.D ........................................................ 30

Employability of SBCA CAS IT Students:

Inputs For IT Program Enhancement Angelito Argete,MIT

Richard Sobrepenas, MIT .......................................................... 48

1

ASSESSMENT OF ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSFORMATION

PLAN THROUGH AN ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE SURVEY

THELMA GERALDINE A. BARICAUA, M.S.

This paper examines the transition of a large Filipino-owned electronics component manufacturing company (COMPANY “G”) as it

embarked on an Organization Transformation Plan to support the goal of

becoming a Global Tier 2 EMS1.

COMPANY “G” was established in 1980 as a joint venture. With

more than 25 years of experience in the industry, it has an established

expertise in comprehensive manufacturing capabilities and higher value services for the storage device, communications, industrial, consumer, and

automotive electronics markets.

Key to COMPANY “G”‟s complete service is flexibility and responsiveness to customer needs, and respect for our customers‟

intellectual property rights. OEMs can leverage company‟s excellent quality

and productivity systems.

COMPANY “G” has received numerous awards and accolades from

its global customers. It also obtained the awards for Manufacturing Quality and Dependability/Timely Delivery for Medium-Sized EMS Companies in

Circuits Assembly’s Service Excellence Awards 2006 based on customers‟

survey responses. These, along with long-term business partnerships

nurtured through the years, are clear evidence of the high level of customer satisfaction that COMPANY “G” is able to maintain.

COMPANY “G”‟s facilities in the Philippines are located in Laguna and Cebu. They offer a wide range of services such as PCBA, Flip chip

assembly, Box build, Sub-assembly, and Enclosure system manufacturing.

With the new strategic direction, transitions in many aspects of the company was expected; several programs were implemented and continuous

communication was done to inculcate the culture of a Business Centric

1 EMS tier ranks are based on revenue numbers, global presence, and market

segment coverage. 2 BCO focuses on maximizing value for shareholders and as such should be an organization strongly

2

Organization2 (BCO) and other organization-wide initiatives that support the

goal of becoming a global tier 2 EMS.

This paper explored Company “G”‟s transition with a Culture

Assessment that aimed to determine the relevance of COMPANY “G”‟s

current culture vis-à-vis its strategic direction. The assessment aimed to identify aspects of COMPANY “G”‟s culture that should remain constant in

the midst of change. Likewise, it looked into which aspects of the company

culture require reinforcement or modification.

In addition, the assessment would lead to the creation of a new,

forceful culture (to be adopted by COMPANY “G”) that is linked with the change process and can sustain, drive and accelerate COMPANY “G”‟s

growth into the future. Finally, this study would establish the baseline and

identify basis for the programs and plans to support COMPANY “G”‟s goal

of becoming a global tier 2 EMS.

This Organizational Climate3 Survey (OCS) Study aimed to: 1)

Assess whether the Company “G”s doing well in the implementation of its change initiatives; 2) Identify strength and opportunities for improvement in

critical dimensions that have an impact in the achievement of the company‟s

goals and objectives.

Method

The study utilized survey questionnaires, interviews and focus

group discussions in determining the organizational climate of Company

“G”.

Respondents

The study attempted to include as many participants for the survey

in order to produce a complete assessment of the prevailing organizational

climate. Of the 22,000+ employees of Company “G”, around 2,880 were included in the survey. Majority or 45.5% came from the PCP group

followed by the HDD group with 13%.

2 BCO focuses on maximizing value for shareholders and as such should be an organization strongly

focused on operations and sales. 3 Organizational climate is the set of characteristics that describe an organization and that (a) distinguish

one organization from other organizations; (b) are relatively enduring over time and (c) influence the

behavior of the people in the organization (Forehand & Gilmer, 1964).

3

Function / Group

(N=2880)

Percentage

PCP 46.5 %

HDD 13%

Eps 8.9%

SMT 7%

I&A 4.5%

Cebu 4.4%

Semicon & Exposure 4%

3Cs 3%

Eaz 1.2%

Tosh .1%

Quality 1.7%

Plant Eng‟g 1.1%

Materials mgt 1%

CETD .9%

Finance .9%

HRMD .7%

ICT .6%

Marketing .3%

Sales .2%

No Answer .010%

The bulk of the participants (80%) of the study are the operators or

dailies followed by the supervisors (12%). This distribution is representative

of the population of the company‟s different plant locations.

4

In terms of tenure, majority (66%) of the respondents have been

with the company for 1-5 years. This is followed by respondents who have

been with the organization for 6-10 years (24%).

In terms of age, 49% of respondents are 20-25 years old. This is

followed closely by the 26-30 years old bracket with 30%.

Senior Personnel

2%Supervisory

12%Monthlies

6%

Operators80%

no answer0%

Level (N=2864)

Senior Personnel

Supervisory

Monthlies

Operators

no answer

1-5 yrs66%

6-10 yrs24%

11-15 yrs7%

16-20yrs2%

21-25yrs1% no answer

0%

Tenure (N=2854)

1-5 yrs

6-10 yrs

11-15 yrs

16-20yrs

21-25yrs

no answer

5

Instrument

A 60-item Organizational Climate Scale was utilized for the study.

The scale surveyed 12 dimensions relevant to organizational climate such as strategic direction, leadership, communication, innovation, job satisfaction,

rewards and recognition, change, employee training and development,

employee commitment/involvement, team orientation, performance management, and organizational structure. The scale follows a 5-point

Likert type format that asks the respondent to evaluate the indicators of

organizational climate. Responses to items indicate the respondents‟

perception of the dimensions of organizational climate in Company “G”.

Graphical icons are also incorporated in the scale to facilitate better

understanding of the items by respondents in the company. The interpretations below were used in evaluating the organizational climate

dimensions.

4.5 or greater Found to be strongly rooted in the organization

4.10 – 4.49 Highly visible in the Organization

3.7 - 4.09 Quite visible in the organization

3.69 and below Definitely needs reinforcement

20-2549%26-30

30%

31-3514%

36-404%

41-453% 46-50

0% 51-above0%

no answer0%

Age (N=2862)

20-25

26-30

31-35

36-40

41-45

46-50

51-above

no answer

6

Procedures

Given the size and different location of the units of Company “G”,

the survey questionnaires were distributed to employees using different

means. Printed, as well as emailed copies of the survey were sent to selected respondents. Honest and candid responses were encouraged. Similarly,

confidentiality and anonymity of survey respondents were ensured.

Similar assurances were given to respondents selected to participate in focused-group discussions (FGD). FGDs were scheduled with 4-5

participants in the different ranks particularly those in the supervisory levels.

Data Analysis

All the survey data were encoded and tabulated. Statistical analysis

of the survey data was used to identify response rates and trends.

Descriptive statistics were computed for each of the dimensions and

demographic grouping of the participants. Proceedings of the FGDs were transcribed and analyzed for recurring themes and patterns. Frequencies and

percentages were mainly used in the interpretation of the data. Quadrant

analysis of the different dimensions for the entire organization was accomplished using the level of visibility and importance as criteria.

Results and Discussion

Level Of Morale

Major factor for employees‟ morale is satisfaction with their job or current scope of responsibility. It is also very much affected by the sense of

stability in having a definite source of income, and the personal

development they gain in working at Company “G”. As shown by the graph below, employee morale ranges from quite visible to highly visible in the

organization.

7

FGD data reveals the following things that respondents like about

Company “G”. Substantially most respondents mention liking the activities (25%), benefits (25%) and bonuses (23%) that they receive in Company “G”.

Participants in the FGD consistently express their appreciation for the

opportunity for advancement in the company (9%). The respondents (8%) similarly expressed their liking for their CEO in setting strong leadership

(down to earth, people oriented, set good example etc.).

There are no glaring areas for improvement spontaneously suggested but some mentions were wage increase, provision /maintenance

of facilities, and expansion of shuttle service terminals. Employee

suggestions for improvement within their divisions were limited to the provision /maintenance of facilities (like rest rooms, locker area),

improvement of the working environment, and reinforcement of teamwork.

From the survey, employee morale across the different levels ranged from 4.12 to 4.24 (see graph below). Further, across the organization,

factors contributing to morale are: job satisfaction (29%), followed by

having a source of income (22%), personal and professional development (14%), working environment [people are friendly (9%), level of comfort

with co-workers (4%), Employee feel that they are part of a family (3%)]

and Employees display positive working behavior [Industrious (5%), Quality conscious (3%), and Discipline (3%)].

3.74

4.06

4.07

4.12

4.21

4.21

4.12

4.15

4.22

4.3

1 2 3 4 5

EAZ

CEBU

EPS

S & E

PCP

Support Group

3Cs

SMT

I & A

HDD

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For the senior personnel level, factors contributing to morale are : Leadership –[Goals set by leaders (3.6%), Motivation provided to

employees (3.6%),Leadership in general (5.5%)], Giving quality products

and services (12.7%), Growth of the company – 5.5%, Management support e.g. availability of needed resources to execute one‟s job (9.1%) and equal

treatment to employees (5.5%).

For the monthlies, factors contributing to morale are: Environment [Level of comfort with co-workers (8.3%), Positive working behavior

manifest by employees (8.3%), Satisfaction on the job (3.3%), Dealing with

employees (2.5%), Culture of sharing is visible (2.5%)], Having a source of income (5.8%), Appraisal (4.2%), Quality consciousness (4.2%) and

Teamwork, leadership and training (3.3%).

For the operators or dailies, factors contributing to morale are: Job

Satisfaction (29%), Having a source of income (26.4%), Personal

development (16.4%), Environment-[Happy working environment

(10.4%),Positive work behavior (4.6%),Familial environment (3.6%),Relationship among employees (2%),Level of comfort with co-

workers (1.8%)], and Communication e.g. attitude employed in

disseminating/communicating with employees (4.4%).

Identified Strength and Opportunities

As indicated by the table below, among the 12 dimensions assessed, Employee Commitment came out as highly visible in the organization. All

the others fall under “Quite visible”.

1

2

3

4

5

Senior Personnel

Supervisor Monthlies Dailes

4.24 4.12 4.2 4.19

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Senior Personnel

Supervisors Monthlies Dailies

Strategic Direction Leadership Communication Innovation Job Sat Rewards Change Training Commitment Teamwork PMS Org’l Structure

Legend: 3.69 and below-, 3.7 - 4.09 -, 4.10 – 4.49 -, 4.5 or greater -

While overall leadership rating is in an acceptable level (3.97), broken down by level, the ratings reveal that the CEO is seen as a very

strong leader (4.41). However, this dramatically drops down the hierarchy of

leadership. As shown by the table below, the following ratings by level:

Functional Head (4.09), Immediate Manager (3.91), and Immediate Supervisor (3.73) are all within acceptable levels.

CEO Functional

Head Immediate Manager

Immediate Supervisor

Senior Personnel

Supervisors

Monthlies

Dailies

4.41 4.09 3.91 3.73

Legend: 3.69 and below-, 3.7 - 4.09 -, 4.10 – 4.49 -, 4.5 or greater -

Among the 12 dimensions assessed, Organizational Structure is

commonly found in the “IMPROVE” area among all levels. This area is evaluated as low visibility in the organization but high in importance.

The dimension of teamwork and rewards and recognition on the other hand are found in the “IMPROVE” area among the supervisors,

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monthlies and dailies. Performance Management is also in the “IMPROVE”

area among senior personnel, supervisors and monthlies.

As shown in the table below, Strategic Direction is also in the

“IMPROVE” area among senior personnel and supervisors. Among

monthlies, the dimension of strategic direction is perceived as high visibility and low importance or “UNCOVER”. For the dailies or operators, it is

perceived as high visibility and high importance or “CAPITALIZE”.

The dimension for job satisfaction for all levels is perceived as high

visibility and high importance or “CAPITALIZE”. This is also true for the

dimensions of change and training. For the employees, this is indicative that the efforts of Company “G” in transforming itself through the

implementation of programs and interventions are being felt by them. This

scenario makes it ripe for the implementation of improvements and changes

that would allow for the achievement of a business centric organization.

Senior Personnel

Supervisors Monthlies Dailies

Strategic Direction Improve Improve Uncover Capitalize Leadership Capitalize Capitalize Capitalize Uncover CEO Uncover Uncover Uncover Uncover Functional Head Uncover Uncover Uncover Uncover Immediate Manager Capitalize Uncover Improve Uncover Immediate Supervisor

Uncover Uncover Improve Monitor

Communication Monitor Monitor Monitor Monitor Innovation Improve Monitor Monitor Monitor Job Satisfaction Capitalize Capitalize Capitalize Capitalize Rewards Monitor Improve Improve Improve Change Capitalize Capitalize Capitalize Capitalize Training Capitalize Capitalize Capitalize Capitalize Commitment Uncover Capitalize Uncover Capitalize Teamwork Monitor Improve Improve Improve PMS Improve Improve Improve Monitor Org’l Structure Improve Improve Improve Improve

Capitalize – High visibility and high importance, Improve – Low visibility and high importance

Uncover – High visibility and low importance, Monitor – Low visibility and low importance

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Based on the graph below, current strengths of Company “G” are found to be in the areas of Strategic Direction, Job Satisfaction, Change

Management, Training and Development, and Employee Commitment.

The quadrant analysis below reveals that there are already gains in the change process of Company “G” that it can capitalize to propel it

forward towards the achievement of its vision to become global tier 2 EMS,

and which can be leveraged towards positive change. Quadrant Analysis

3.71

3.74

3.74

3.77

3.77

3.88

3.94

3.95

3.97

3.97

4.04

4.12

1 2 3 4 5

12. Structure

6. Rewards & …

3. Communication

11. Performance …

4. Innovation

10. Teamwork

5. Job Satisfaction

1. Strategic direction

7. Change …

2. Leadership

8. Training & …

9. Employee …

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These are the dimensions measured in the areas of strategic

direction, job satisfaction, change management, training and development, and employee commitment.

The current credibility of top management, as well as the functional

leadership to lead the company to its desired state or destination is a factor that can very well be uncovered and taken advantage of by the company.

Highly credible leaders know that it is their visible actions that demonstrate

their true commitment. If judiciously tapped, this credibility will sustain hope and keep it alive particularly during troubling times of transition.

People need more energy and enthusiasm, more inspiration and optimism

from strong and credible leaders than in times of stability and growth.

While the top leadership enjoys a good reputation, on one hand,

there is a need to cascade the positive regard towards management down to

the level of the immediate manager and supervisor. In the ultimate sense, this level of the managerial hierarchy interacts more directly with the ranks.

The immediate manager or supervisor is usually associated to be the

representative of the company. Hence, the quality of interaction and experience between immediate superior and the ranks, rightly or wrongly, is

interpreted as the company “doing it to them”. Therefore, if the immediate

superior is benevolent in his style of leadership, the necessary conclusion by the ranks is the Company “G”s likewise that way to them. The reverse is

equally true for them.

Conclusion

In the process of change, the significance of communication,

innovation and performance management can never be over emphasized. Communication, the nervous system of the company, provides the assurance

that the agenda for change is understood by all, and the flow of information

regarding the status of the change is cascaded to all.

Innovation is the lifeblood of a change process. The commitment to

continuous improvement guarantees the seriousness of the management to

deliver the company‟s purpose. Performance management ensures the achievement of the vision-mission-strategy and goals by individuals and

teams.

For Company “G”, there is much to be desired in the organizational

dimensions of teamwork, rewards and recognition, and organizational

structure. Teamwork accelerates the change process because of its

multiplier effect. However, without a sound rewards and recognition system, the enthusiasm for the desired change may wane, as the climb to the summit

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gets arduous. Moreover, a well-established organizational structure

responsive to the company‟s vision-mission stabilizes and embeds the change to become eventually a culture.

Company “G” is successfully progressing towards the achievement

of its vision to become global tier 2 EMS. As of this writing, Company “G” has achieved its business goals, two years ahead of schedule and was

declared that it is now a Filipino multinational company4.

4 As of July 2010, Company I opened its sixth facility in Chengdu, Sichuan province in southwestern

China. It is consistently ranked among the top 30 EMS providers in the world. Last year, it swung to

profitability with net earnings of $10 million as against a $17-million net loss in 2008.

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THE CONTRASTIVE STUDY BETWEEN WRITTEN FEEDBACK GIVEN BY LANGUAGE AND NON-LANGUAGE TEACHERS

ON ESSAY OF STUDENTS IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION

KAREN L. GABINETE, M.A

Abstract

One cannot overemphasize the importance of providing corrective

feedback on essays of students in order to effect improvement on

their writing skills. This paper presents the difference in the nature of feedback given by Language and non-Language teachers (N=11)

of San Beda College Alabang on essays of their students. The result

of the survey and actual corrections given on student‟ essays reveal

a contrast between Language and Non-Language teachers. While Language teachers focus more on local issues when giving

corrective feedback, non-Language teachers do not make clear

feedback, if at all, any correction was provided. Non-Language teachers may find it time-consuming to discuss these matters, as

they are more concerned with the subject matter at hand, leaving the

task of correcting the writing skills of their students to Language teachers.

Introduction

There have been several research studies that examined the

importance of providing corrective feedback in writing classes, and whether these corrections have indeed improved the writing skills of L2 students.

The nagging question remains, “Should teachers correct their students’

essays and if so, should form precede content in the hierarchy of

importance?” As an attempt to answer these questions, the following research studies from the Journal of Second Language Writing (JSLW) have

been reviewed to give light to the plight of writing teachers on the

effectiveness of providing feedback. In the four articles reviewed, not one has proposed the “no correction” as it was clearly revealed in their

experiments that correction has positive effects on L2 writing classes except

for one, John Truscott.

Truscott (2007) examined the findings of Chandler (2004), Ferris

(2004), Lalande et.al. (1982), to find the best estimate of the overall effect of

correction on accuracy and to determine an upper limit on how helpful correction might be through a meta-analysis, relying on the measure most

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widely used, Cohen’s d . The conclusion gleaned from his investigation

revealed that the best estimate is that correction has a small harmful effect on students‟ ability to write accurately and that he can be 95% confident that

if it actually has any benefits, they are very small.

The study of Truscott (2007) emphasized the effect of correction on accuracy without regard to whether any type of feedback is the more

effective method. The study of Ashwell examined the best method of

feedback: Content feedback on early drafts followed by Form feedback on later drafts, the reverse pattern, mixed pattern or no feedback. Advocates of

a process writing approach to second language writing pedagogy suggest

that teachers should focus on content on early drafts before focusing on form on later drafts. Ashwell experimented on four mentioned patterns of

teacher feedback and found that the recommended pattern of content

feedback followed by form feedback is not superior to the reverse pattern or

to a pattern of mixed form and content feedback.

The above research studies dwelt mostly on feedback in the

perspective of the writer and the feedback provided by the teacher. Not too many examined the self-assessment of the teacher of the type and amount of

feedback that they provide to students. All these three aspects were

investigated by Montgomery and Baker (2004), when they investigated the compositions of ninety-eight students at Brigham University ELC. The

study revealed that teachers were not completely aware of the amount of

local and global issues throughout the writing process although students

perceived receiving more feedback than teachers perceived giving.

However, despite all research studies‟ contrasting views about the

effectiveness of feedback on students‟ writing skills, Guenette (2007), after reviewing numerous experiments, argues that a generalized conclusion may

not be arrived at as yet, because these studies seem to have not considered

other variables that may have contributed to the conflicting results gleaned

from these investigations. These variables include research design and methodology. From this standpoint, Guenette(2007) suggests creating an

ideal experiment scenario where students, belonging to almost the same

proficiency level in terms of speaking and writing in the second language, are given ample time to learn from the corrections given by their teachers.

Other variables that stand to confound the result of this experiment may be

the type of feedback given, whether content-focused or form-focused, and the classroom context. Lastly, Guenette(2007) emphasized the importance

of motivation of the students in wanting to improve their writing skills.

All these mentioned, teachers should keep on providing corrections on the essays of their students as part of teaching pedagogy to improve the

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writing skills of their students in the second language no matter how

complex and demanding the task of providing feedback is to the teachers. As to the question of the focus of feedback, most researchers have found

that L2 writers still needed to have more of local corrections in the first

drafts before they could develop a sensible essay but teachers are

encouraged to provide feedback on form even on early drafts. These discussions seem to be a call of challenge to writing teachers but only those

dedicated and committed teachers will heed with an uncomplaining

obedience. Sad but true.

The study was conducted in the second semester of school year

2009-2010 at San Beda College Alabang, a leading learning institution in higher education in the south of Metro Manila. Presently, the school has a

total of 60 fulltime and part time college faculty who are, in the study,

classified as Language and non-Language teachers. The manner by which

either teacher provides corrective feedback on essays given as part of classroom activity or assignment will be examined. My guess is that

Language teachers focus more on local issues when giving written feedback

while non-Language teachers focus more on content, ideas, and organization when writing feedback on essays of students. This could probably be

because Language teachers believe that it is more their responsibility to

check the grammar of the students than it is of the non-Language teachers. This hypothesis is based on the finding of Leki (2006) which suggests that

students prefer lots of comments especially on local issues (e.g. Cohen ,

1987), however, the analysis of actual teacher feedback suggests that

teachers gave little feedback on global issues.

The research of Leki (2006) demonstrates a difference in the type

and amount of feedback given on disciplinary-based papers (i.e., papers written for their specific field of study) which is the context of my study.

In order to substantiate the hypothesis, a survey (see appendix A)

was conducted inquiring whether teachers give essays as part of classroom activity or assignment and if they do, are the corrections more focused on

local or global issues. Specifically, the paper sought answers to the

following research questions:

1. What is the profile of participants in terms of :

1.1 gender 1.2 subject taught

2. What is the most common type of essay that teachers in the

tertiary level require their students to write when grouped

according to: 2.1 Language

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2.2 Non-Language

3. How do Language and non-Language teachers differ in the type of feedback given to students in relation to:

3.1 self-assessment

3.2 actual corrections on students‟ paper

Methodology

The study was modeled after the research carried out by Montgomery and Baker (2007) at Brigham University in which self-

assessment of teachers‟ corrections given to students on their essays were

compared with students‟ assessment on feedback given by teachers. Also, the said study determined the focus of corrections of teachers in terms of

whether the corrections are global, focused on meaning, or local, focused

on grammar. The researcher modified the study by comparing the self-

assessment of Language and non-Language teachers on the feedback that they provide to students‟ essays through a questionnaire. A nine-item

questionnaire (see appendix A) was given to teachers to determine the type

of essay they require students to write, the focus of corrections, whether a revision is required and whether there was an improvement in the essay

after feedback was provided. To determine whether the self-assessment of

teacher participants are in conjunction with the actual corrections provided on essay of students, sample essay of students were collected, coded,

analyzed, and compared.

Participants of the Study

The survey was given to 11 tertiary level (out of 60 fulltime and part

time faculty) Language and non-Language teachers of San Beda College

Alabang. (3 male, 8 female); four of which teach in the Languages

Department and six teach in other departments. One of these 11 tertiary level teachers teaches both Japanese Language and Psychology subjects.

However, for purposes of classification, she was classified as a non-

Language teacher as the sample essay of student by this particular teacher was an output in her non-Language class.

Language teachers are teachers in the Languages Department of San Beda College who teach English Communications Skills (EN101), Speech

Communication in English (EN 103), Technical Writing (EN 102),

Technical Writing with Business Application (EN 104), Art, Man, &

Society (Hum101), Philippine Literature (Lit 101), World Literature (Lit 102), and all equivalent subjects in Filipino.

18

On the other hand, non-Language teachers are the teachers who teach Mathematics/Science, Social Science, Business, Accountancy,

Theology, and Psychology.

Data-Gathering Procedure

The data were collected from the responses given by the teacher-

participants to a 9-item-questionnaire to answer research questions no. 1 and 2; however, in answering question no. 3, the researcher examined the type of

feedback that teachers give to students, whether local or global. Sample of

students‟ essays (one student sample essay for every teacher) were provided by the participants. Students‟ output include art criticism, answer to essay

test questions, narrative essay, reaction paper, and argumentative essay.

Research Instrument

A nine-item questionnaire was utilized to gather pertinent

information about the participants (see appendix A).The questions were prepared by the researcher to seek answer to the research questions. Items 1

and 2 give the profile of the participants in relation to gender and the

subject/s they teach which answer research question no.1a and 1b respectively. Item 2 determines whether the participant is a Language or

non-Language teacher. Items 3 and 5 provide information on whether they

ask students to write essays as part of classroom activity or assignment and

if they do, what is the common type of essay they require their students to write

To answer research question number 3, item no.6 asks the participants what the focus of their correction is, whether it is local –

focused on grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, or global –

focused on meaning, content, and organization.

In answering research question no. 3, the researcher analyzed the

sample essays by:

coding the students‟ output from L1 to L5 for Language and NL6

to NL11 for non-Language with each letter-number code

corresponding to a sample essay where L stands for Language and

NL stands for non-Language

copying the exact specific teacher correction of both Language

and non-Language;

determining whether corrections are local or global for both

Language and non-Language; and

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comparing corrections of Language and non-Language teachers

Items 7 and 8 are questions answerable by yes or no referring to students‟ revisions after teacher corrections are given and improvement in

writing skills after revision was made. Since there were no data by which

the researcher could investigate whether there was an improvement in the

essay of students after corrections were made, these pieces of information could not be considered valid, as it was merely assessment of teachers, the

researcher decided not to include items 7 and 8 as part of research questions.

Item 9 gives opportunity for the participants to provide information

about other forms of feedback aside from the ones suggested by the

questionnaire.

Results and Discussion

The table below reveals the profile of participants in terms of gender and the subject they teach. Also included is the number of teacher-

participants from both the Language and non-Language disciplines.

Table 1. Profile of Participants

Teacher Gender Language Non-Language

1 Female Art, Man, & Society

2 Male Filipino

3 Female Filipino

4 Female Filipino

5 Female Technical Writing

No. of Male = 1 No. of Female = 4

Total no. of Language Teachers = 5

6 Female Psychology 7 Male Psychology 8 Male Business 9 Female Psychology 10 Female Social Science 11 Female Social Science

No. of Male = 2 No. of Female = 4

Total no. of non-Language Teachers = 6

Total No. of Participants = 11

20

Based on the data gathered, out of 11 participants, 5 are language

teachers, 4 female and 1 male, and 6 are non-Language teachers, 4 of which are female while 2 are male.

Language teachers are teachers in the Languages Department who

teach English Communications Skills (EN101), Speech Communication in English (EN 103), Technical Writing (EN 102), Technical Writing with

Business Application (EN 104), Art, Man, & Society (Hum101), Philippine

Literature (Lit 101), World Literature (Lit 102), and all equivalent subjects in Filipino.

On the other hand, non-Language teachers are the teachers who teach Mathematics/Science, Social Science, Business, Accountancy,

Theology, and Psychology.

Table 2. Most common type of essay required

Type of Essay

Language Expository

Non-Language Argumentative

Comparison/contrast

In relation to the most common type of essay teacher participants required their students to write, the expository essay was the most common

type of essay Language teachers asked their students to write. On the other

hand, non-Language teachers most commonly required their students to

write either an argumentative or comparison and contrast type of essay.

Table 3. Focus of corrections based on self-assessment

Language

Non-Language

Local 16% 0%

Global 33% 50%

Both Local/Global 33% 50%

Table 3 provides information about the focus of corrections of teacher participants when grouped according to Language and non-

21

Language. As revealed by the data, only 1 out of 6 or 16% Language

teachers focus on local errors and an equal number of language teachers or 33%, i.e. 2 out of 6, focus their corrections on global and both local and

global errors. None of the non-Language teachers however, focused his/her

correction on local errors, giving more emphasis on global or a combination

of both local and global.

Table 4. Focus of corrections based on actual students‟ essay

Language

Non-Language

Local 60%(3/5)

Global 40%(2/5) 16%(1/6)

Both Local/Global 16%(1/6)

Correction not clear 33%(2/6)

No feedback/ correction

33%(2/6)

The data gleaned from table 4 show that (see appendix B) majority,

i.e. 3 out of 5 or 60% of Language teachers focused on local issues while majority, i.e. 4 out of 6 or 66% non-Language teachers were unclear about

the feedback or corrections that they provided on essay of students. When

compared, as revealed by actual students‟ essays and self-assessment of

teachers‟ feedback/correction, there seemed to be a contrast in the correction or feedback that they provided on students‟ essays. Language teachers‟

corrections focused more on local issues although self-assessment revealed

that this group of teachers gave an equal emphasis on both local and global issues except for one teacher who indicated focusing on local issues. On the

other hand, the non-Language teachers, as revealed by actual students‟

essays gave an unclear feedback if not none at all. The self-assessment,

however, revealed that this group of participants also gave an equal emphasis on both local and global which was the opposite of what was

revealed on the actual essays of students.

Conclusion

This study was designed to find out the difference on the type of feedback given between Language and non-Language teachers. As shown in

the result of the survey and actual corrections given on student‟ essays, there

seems to be a contrast between the result of the two data. Language teachers

22

focus more on local issues when giving corrective feedback that supports

my hypothesis that Language teachers are more concerned in correcting the grammar of their students‟ essays. Although, it may be wrong to generalize

that non-Language teachers are not concerned with the grammar of their

students‟ essays because the data from survey revealed that they focused on

both local and global issues; actual students‟ essay revealed the contrary. It was found that non-Language teachers do not make clear feedback; if at all,

any correction was provided.

To answer the research question no. 7 & 8 about the improvement

of students‟ essays after corrective feedback was given and whether

revisions were made, data from survey have shown that students‟ essays in Language classes seemed to manifest more an improvement in writing skills

compared to student‟s essays in non-Language classes. This could perhaps

be explained by the fact that corrections on the writing output of students

were discussed in class since the subject is a Language course. Non-Language teachers may find it time-consuming to discuss these matters, as

they are more concerned with the subject matter at hand, leaving the task of

correcting the writing skills of their students to Language teachers.

References

Ashwell, T. 2007.Patterns of teacher response to student writing in a

multiple-draft composition classroom: Is content feedback followed

by form feedback the best method? Journal of second language writing, volume 9, issue 3, pages 227-257.

Guenette, D. 2007. Is feedback pedagically correct? Research design issues in studies of feedback writing. Journal of second language writing,

volume 16, n1, pages 40-53.

Montgomery J. and Baker W. 2007. Teacher-written feedback: Student perceptions, teacher self-assessment, and actual teacher performance.

Journal of second language writing, volume 16, n2, pages 82-99.

Truscott, J.2007. The effect of error correction on learners’ ability to write

accurately. Journal of second language writing, volume 16, issue 4,

pages 255-272.

23

CAREER STATUS OF SAN BEDA COLLEGE CAS

GRADUATES: AN ONLINE TRACER STUDY

PAUL V. HILARIO,Ph.D

Abstract

The study examined the current career status of graduates from the

SBCA CAS from SY 1999-2010. The study explored the

employment status, relevance of jobs with completed course and the impact of SBCA programs on their current career competencies.

The study utilized an online survey that was electronically mailed to

a purposively sampled 100 CAS graduates. A total of (N=78) responded to the survey. Findings show that (59) 80% of the

respondents are employed and majority (82%) gained employment

in six months or less from their graduation in San Beda. Only 79%

of the alumni respondents are in jobs related to their college course.

Graduate employability is often a predominant and consistent theme in any higher education institution. Industry employers and alumni alike

agree that college preparation is essential to workplace readiness. According

to Harvey (2002), employability is an individual property; it is about equipping individuals to secure their own economic success.

Previous tracer study by Talusig (2004) and Adrao (2007) has

already indicated that employability among SBC graduates is moderately high or around 70% of the respondent alumni. They however recommended

the periodic follow up on the careers of alumni to see their development.

This study aimed to determine the employability of SBC CAS

graduates. Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions: “What

is the profile of alumni in terms of employment, monthly salary, and locale

of work?”, “Are the alumni in occupations related to their college courses?” “What is the perceived impact of the different SBC CAS programs on the

jobs of the alumni?”

24

Method

The study employed a descriptive approach through an online

survey using shared Google Documents.

A hundred alumni respondents (N=100) were selected purposively

based on available email addresses and referrals. Links to the online survey

were emailed to respondents requesting for their participation to the study.

A ten-item questionnaire was developed for the study containing the

key questions of the study. The survey included a 5-point Likert type format in evaluating the different programs (ex. General Education, Major subjects,

Formation, Extra Curricular, etc).

The study was conducted for a month from June 26 to July 26, 2010. A tabulation and computation of descriptive statistics was done after the end

of the month long survey.

Results

Out of the 100 respondents emailed only 78 (78%) responded, 35 were males and 43 were females. Most of the respondents (32%) were

graduates of the BA International Studies program.

Degree Program Completed Female Male Grand Total

BA Communication and Media Studies 4 2 6

BA International Studies (all majors) 21 4 25

BA Psychology 6 4 10

BS Accountancy

1 1

BS Information Systems (all majors) 1 6 7

BS Information Technology 2 6 8

BS Legal Management

1 1

BSBM Entrepreneurship 3

3

BSBM Financial Management 1 2 3

BSBM Marketing and Sales 5 9 14

Grand Total 43 (55%) 35 (45%) 78

Majority of the respondents were from Class 2010 with 27 % of the

respondents followed by Class 2008 with 24%.

25

Year Graduated from SBCA CAS

Degree Program Completed

2000 2002 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Grand Total

BA Communication and Media Studies

1 3 2 6

BA International Studies (all majors)

3 2 2 4 5

9 25

BA Psychology 1

2 4

3 10

BS Accountancy

1

1

BS Information Systems (all majors)

1 1

2 1 2 7

BS Information Technology

2 2

2

2 8

BS Legal Management

1

1

BSBM Entrepreneurship 1

1

1

3

BSBM Financial Management

1 2 3

BSBM Marketing and Sales

1

3 1

2 4 3 14

Grand Total 5 5 6 4 2 7 19 9 21 78

A good number of the respondents are currently employed while a

few are unemployed given the following reasons: currently studying (10 %),

not actively looking for work (13 %). Based on the responses, majority of

the alumni are employed in the country.

In the survey, most of the alumni reported finding employment in

less than six months from graduation. This is an improvement from the

findings of Talusig (2004) when graduates reported difficulty in job

application due the lack of “brand” recall of the school which was named St.Benedict College then.

Employed77%

Not Employed13% Studying

10%

26

Employed alumni report earning an average of PHP 10-20 thousand

a month. Differences in the number of years employed partly account for

the range of salaries of the respondents. Entry-level salaries are generally

lower for most industries. An exception would be for BPO related work were respondents, even if they are fresh graduates, are paid more. IT related

work however, fetch a relatively higher entry-level pay than the other

courses.

BA

CMS

BAIS BAP BSA BSIT BSLM BSBM Total

Below 10 K 5 4 5 14

10 - 15K 2 5 5 1 1 3 18

15 - 20K 1 5 1 4 1 4 16

20 - 25K 2 5 3 2 12

25 - 30K 2 1 3

30 - 35K 1 1

35 - 40 K 1 1

40 - 60 K 1 1 4 2 8

60 - 65 K 1 1

above 65 K 1 2 3 N/A 1 1

Total 6 25 10 1 15 1 20 78

Majority of the alumni acknowledge the role of communication

skills (83%) as being the most useful in their first jobs, followed by human

relations skills (69%) and critical thinking skills (60%). Notably, alumni respondents in their comments allude to the importance of developing

less than a month

75%

1 to 3 months 13%

4 to 6 months10%

7 mos to 1yr2%

27

communication skills particularly in the job application phases of their

careers. Job interviews with employers are particularly crucial to their budding careers.

More than 79% of respondent alumni reported that their first jobs

are related to the college courses they finished in San Beda College Alabang. Based on the respondent‟s assessment, it could be reliably noted that their

employment in their first jobs were guided by the degrees that they finished.

Since it was not asked in the survey, it would be interesting whether their current careers are still related to their degrees or realignments have taken

place.

A common suggestion in improving the quality of education of their alma mater revolves on the theme of increasing the industry readiness of the

graduates.

“Focus on improving the personality of the students. I've learned that

the companies are looking for vibrant, confident, pro-active graduates

for hiring.” (Alumni A)

“I think SBCA's doing great. However, my current job needs good

communication skills, so I think SBCA should train their students

more on how to handle themselves inside/outside campus, not on spoon feeding type of education. I had a hard time at first on how to

communicate and express myself in front of people, and it's a learning

process, so I think it's better to start at school.” (Alumni B)

106

16 13

33

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Jobs Not Related College course

Jobs Very Much Related to College

course

28

The alumni‟s experience in the workplace appear to have given them a

realization of the value and importance of a functional school career development program.

“Approach in curricula has to be more practical and industry-based

in order for academic programs to be relevant to current trends of employment. However, academic programs should not cater to such

industries which have the highest demand at the moment, but rather to

the industry where growth and career development is most sustainable.” (Alumni C)

“Make sure that the students are taking the course they wanted and give them an idea what kind of jobs, qualifications for those jobs and

what real world is really like...also a seminar on rules of work and

professionalism is also a must for graduating students” (Alumni D).

In addition, specific suggestions called for the lengthening of the

hours for OJT or practicum as well as the inclusion of subjects that deals

with the skills demanded currently by the industry (ex. Usage of ticketing software, etc.).

“Prolong the OJT hours, hire competent and knowledgeable professors preferably those who are really working the field of media

(for CMS), upgrade the computer system of CAS, practical

applications instead of pure lecture and discussions. Expose the

students more on field works.” (Alumni E)

“Internship should at least be in 3 different working environments

(clinical, school, and in corporate settings) so we could have a 'feel' of different. careers for a psychology graduate even though we're just

took up Bachelor in Arts- so there's application or connection of what

we have studied” (Alumni F)

“I would suggest For IT department, more fieldwork. It is a very

different world out in the corporate world. More hands on than

lectures, field trips and OJT etc. Add more subjects like, network security, data encryption, etc... Linux training would also be a really

big help.” (Alumni G)

The suggestions and comments of the respondent alumni reveal the

insights that they gained in dealing the world of work. These realizations of

what they should have been equipped with when they graduated provide

valid basis for improving current programs.

29

The current curriculum programs have in fact been revised with the

recommended increase in the number of OJT hours. The push for a curriculum that trains students towards industry-valued competence is a

thrust that is shared by the CAS administrators.

In conclusion, given the snapshot of alumni careers, the study reveals that majority of the SBCA alumni readily find employment within

three months from graduation. They are in occupations that are generally

aligned with their courses. Communication and human relation skills are felt by the alumni as very useful in their jobs. The insights and realizations

gained while looking for employment by alumni are valuable basis for

improving the different academic programs of SBCA CAS. The findings support the current curriculum revisions that lengthen the OJT period to

300-400 hours from the previous 200 hours. The OJT program is currently

being strengthened through different MOAs with industry partners that

assure the holistic exposure of students to “real” work environment. The OJT programs of BA Psychology

1 is now scheduled on the second semester

to take facilitate practicum in the school setting.

In addition, the findings support the directions of the college

periodically updating2 the program curriculum in response to developments

in industry. Further, the findings suggest the possible role of a strong placement program that would facilitate job applications, mock job

interviews and job fairs in preparing graduating students.

References:

Adrao, A. (2007) A career tracer study of CAS graduates of San

Beda College Alabang Muntinlupa City : unpublished thesis..

Harvey, L. and Locke, W. with Morey, A., (2002), Enhancing

employability, recognising diversity. London, Universities UK

and CSU.

Talusig D.L (2004) Career tracer study of college graduates of San

Beda College Alabang Batch 2000, unpublished thesis

1 Summer OJT makes it difficult to have exposures in schools because of the school‟s

summer break. 2 The CAS updated and revised the different program curriculums more than three times since the

college started.

30

NON INTELLECTIVE PREDICTORS OF ACADEMIC

PERFORMANCE OF FIRST YEAR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

MARIO B. HUBILLA, JR. PH.D Abstract

This study examines several predictors of academic

performance of first year high school students. A

total of 143 freshmen students, twenty-two (22) of whom are males and 121 females, with ages ranging

from eleven (11) to thirteen (13) were included in the

study. Their IQ (OLSAT), personality (16PF),

admission test scores and first year academic subject grades were analyzed through regression procedures.

Introduction

Performance finds its way in all aspects of life. It plays a significant

role in the advancement of science and technology and in the improvement of life. It is the way or means to have access to a great many occupations,

careers and professions. People who function effectively achieve successes

in all avenues of life.

So much expectation has been placed upon the school to enable the

individual to cope with changes in this diversified universe. The school has

to equip itself with the most updated methods and techniques to measure up to the demands that the individual might need if he or she is to maximize

learning and cope adequately with environmental changes.

Consequently, education has geared on the individual as its focal

point of interest. Recognizing man‟s unique quality and potential is the

point of education. Something is done towards this objective when the school begins with the analysis of students in terms of personality

differences, intellectual capacity, interests and socioeconomic background.

Academic performance is a result of several factors. The strength and direction of the student‟s potentialities and characteristics represent an

important aspect of his or her achievement. An adequate approach therefore

to directing a student within an educational setting, requires a thorough understanding of the determinants of the achievement.

Most of the researches have used intelligence and ability as

determinants. Some researchers have studied the relationship between scholastic achievement and other variables such as personal characteristics

31

and sociological determinants. Now, factors like sex, ability, and socio-

economic status are called basic correlates of academic achievement.

Knowledge of non-intellective factors serves as guide not only to

the school but also to its mentors in the formulation of course objectives and

adoption of methods and techniques of teaching. At present, there seems to be an evident need to study the intellective and non-intellective factors.

Although much improvement has been made in use of intellectual measures,

perfect predictors of academic success have not yet been developed.

Educators are also concerned with the different factors affecting

their whole learning process.

Lehman-Mehrens1, writing about education and psychology in

general, say:

Personality characteristics are, or should be of concern to classroom teachers. It is

generally agreed that educators must be

concerned with attitudes, values, and interests to the same degree as it is concerned with the

development of cognitive skills and knowledge.

What value will society acquire from individuals who can solve the quadratic

equation or are able to detect the components of

LSD, but who are hostile or aggressive?

Education should be concerned with developing a well-rounded individual.

With much reason, the same authors argue for a certain total approach in the education of the students. According to them:

This totality goes beyond academic skill and

knowledge. A student‟s mental health has direct

relevance to his ability to learn, his interest in learning, and his attitude toward the values of an education. Quite

frequently, learning difficulties are related to the

student‟s total strengths and weaknesses in both cognitive and non-cognitive areas. Whether an educator

realizes or not, he is influenced by the student‟s

attitudes, values, and in general makeup.2

1 William Mehrens and Irvin Lehaman, Measurement and Evaluation in Education

and Psychology (New York: Holt, Rhinehart, and Winston, Inc., 1973), pp. 556-557. 2 Ibid., p. 519.

32

Biddle 3 pointed out that poor academic performance could be more

of a function of personality rather than of inadequate I.Q., poor teaching, and uncooperative environment or some other factors. He emphasized that

the student with a great need for achievement avoids failure, expects success,

takes risks and persists.

The writer is also aware that there are tools, which can be used in

order to establish the relationships of these existing factors to the academic

achievement of students: Kelly stated:

In his effort to attain greater control over his

environment, man has sought to discern and employ relationships between observed events. The accumulation

of experience has yielded not only class concepts and

generalizations of a descriptive nature but also relationships,

which have some useful predictive value. In statistics, these are the parallel quantitative processes of correlation and

regression.4

These statistical processes of correlation and regression can be used

in predicting academic achievement.

How do the following non-intellective factors predict student

academic performance:

Age, Sex,

Educational attainment of father,

Educational attainment of mother, Parents‟ average income, and

Sixteen personality factors

3 B.J. Biddle, Contemporary Research on Teacher Effectiveness (New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston, 1974), p98. 4 W.A. Kelly, Educational Psychology (Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing

Company, 1965) , p. 376

33

METHOD

Method This study made use of the descriptive method of research because

it aimed to determine the factors that are significant predictors of students‟ academic performance.

Respondents The respondents of this study were the freshmen students enrolled

in Saint Francis Institute Learning & Business High School in Queen‟s Row

Subdivision, Molino 3, Bacoor, Cavite for the school year 2000-2001. A total of 143 students, twenty-two (22) of whom are males and 121 females,

with ages ranging from eleven (11) to thirteen (13).

The researcher utilized all freshman students with complete records who were enrolled during the school year 2000-2001. Students who did not

have records on mental ability were not included.

Instruments

Questionnaire. The questionnaire was used to survey the age, sex, and educational attainment of parents and income level of parents.

Interview. Interviews were conducted among the respondents to get

first hand information.

Observation. Observation was used also as an additional tool in

gathering data.

Sixteen Personality Factor Test Profile Questionnaires. The

sixteen Personality Factor Test Profile questionnaires is an instrument that is

intended to assess the personality traits of the students. The data were needed in order to establish whether a relationship exists between

personality traits and academic performance. The 16 P.F. is an objectively

scorable test devised by basic research in psychology to give the most complete coverage on personality possible in such a brief time. This test,

which is designed, for sixteen-year-olds and over yields sixteen traits

namely; Factor A – Reserved vs. Outgoing

Factor B – Less Intelligent vs. More Intelligent

Factor C – Affected by feeling vs. Emotionally Stable

Factor E – Humble vs. Assertive Factor F – Sober vs. Happy-go-lucky

34

Factor G – Expedient vs. Conscientious

Factor H – Shy vs. Venturesome Factor I – Tough-minded vs. Tender minded

Factor L – Trusting vs. Suspicious

Factor M – Practical vs. Imaginative

Factor N – Forthright vs. Shrewd Factor O – Placid vs. Apprehensive

Factor Q1 – Conservative vs. Experimenting

Factor Q2 – Group Dependent vs. Self-Sufficient Factor Q3 – Undisciplined vs. Controlled

Factor Q4 – Relaxed vs. Tense

The researcher administered the Sixteen Personality Factor Test

Profile to the first year high school students and took the following into

consideration:

1. The physical situation where the test was given was provided with good ventilation and lighting.

2. The directions were given clearly following the

instructions given by the manual of directions.

After the administration of the 16 PF test profile, the answer sheets

were grouped according to sex and were scored by the researcher with the use of standard scoring keys. The raw scores of the respondents were

recorded and were converted to sten scores. As a result, the distinct

personality traits of each respondent were determined. Average limit is

between sten scores of 5 and 6. Deviations from this limit are either low or high with the corresponding description.

Data from the different instruments and grade point averages were statistically analyzed for relationship and predictive value. The Chi-Square

and regression

Results and Discussion

Profile of the Freshman Students

What was previously described was the profile of freshman students

in intellective factors. This was followed by the discussion on non-

intellective factors such as age, sex, father‟s educational attainment, mother‟s educational attainment, and parents‟ average income and sixteen

personality factors.

35

Non-Intellective Factors

Frequency and Percentage distribution of Freshman Students according to

Sex

Sex Frequency Percentage

Male 22 15.4

Female 121 84.6

Total 143 100.0

The above table shows the data on the students‟ age. From the data,

one would note that the largest group of respondents numbering 134 or 93.72 percent fell in the 16 – 18 year old group, while the second largest

group of respondents fell in the 13 – 15 and 19 – 21 year old groups, both of

which had a frequency of 4. There was only one freshman student who fell in the age group of 22 – 24 which was represented by .7%.

Tabular values show that majority of the respondents had ages

within the range 16 – 18 years old. This is in fact the typical age of the students when they enter in the school.

From the same table, it can be seen that there were more female students than male, with 121 respondents or 84.6 percent of the former

against twenty-two freshmen or 15.4 percent of the latter. This showed a

ratio of 5 to 1 in favor of the female group.

Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Fathers’ Educational

Attainment

Fathers‟ Educational

Attainment Frequency Percentage

Beyond college 21 14.6

College graduate 57 39.9

High School graduate 57 39.9

Elementary graduate 7 4.9

Did not complete 1 .7

Total 143 100.00

36

Father‟s Educational Attainment. For father‟s educational

attainment, the above table reveals that out of 143 respondents, 114 or 79.8 percent had fathers who were college and high school graduates. There

were twenty-one or 14.6 percent whose fathers attained beyond college

schooling. There were only few respondents with fathers belonging to

elementary or did not complete elementary schooling bracket. However it is interesting to note that there was a high motivation among elementary

graduates parents to send their children to high school.

Frequency and Percentage Distribution of Mothers’ Educational Attainment

Mothers‟ Educational

Attainment

Frequency Percentage

Beyond college 13 9

College graduate 66 46.2

High School graduate 55 38.5

Elementary graduate 8 5.6

Did not complete 1 .7

Total 143 100.00

Mothers‟ Educational attainment. The above table shows that a large number of the respondents had mothers who were college and high

school graduates. Sixty-six or 46.2 percent had acquired college degrees

while fifty-five or 38.5 percent had acquired secondary schooling only. This was followed by beyond college, elementary graduate and did not complete

elementary schooling only. This was followed by beyond college,

elementary schooling respectively which showed a small percentage responses on this line. Nevertheless, there was the desire of mothers to let

their children achieve higher learning.

Frequency and Percentage Distribution of Parent’s Average Income

Parents‟ Average Income

Frequency Percentage

Below -3,000 15 10.4

3,000 – 6,000 35 24.5

6,001 – 9,000 26 18.2

9,001 – 12,000 27 18.9

12,001 – 15,000 20 14.0

15,000 – above 20 14.0

Total 143 100.0

Parents’ average income. The summary of parents‟ average income categories is shown in the above table. Tabular data show that the3, 001 –

6,000 average income of parents ranked first among the respondents,

37

followed by 9,001 – 12,000 and 6,001 – 9,000 respectively. These first

three had 24.5, 18.9, and 18.2-recorded percentages. The fourth one was represented by 12,001 – 15,000and above incomes with 14.0 percentages.

The last bracket had only fifteen respondents or 10.4 percentages whose

parents had below 3,000 average incomes. This simply shows that the

students of SFHBHS are well off or may even be considered rich.

Sixteen Personality Factors. Tabular data shows that out of the

sixteen personality factors. Factor L (Trusting vs. suspicious) had the highest mean sten score of 7.01. It revealed an average score description

although it was nearing the tendency to be in a high score description. This

shows that the freshman students were neither easy-to-get-on-with and free of jealous tendencies nor hard-to-fool and self-opinionated but tended to be

mistrusting and doubtful.

Factor B (Intelligence) had the lowest mean sten score of 3.85 out of the sixteen personality factors. It revealed an average score description

although it was nearing the tendency to be in a low score description. This

shows that the respondents were neither slow nor fast learners, but they tend to be dull and this may be simply a reflection of low intelligence.

Factor E (humble vs. assertive), Factor M (practical vs. imaginative), Factor N (forthright vs. shrewd), Factor O (placid vs. apprehensive), Factor

Q1 (Conservative vs. experimenting), and Factor G (expedient vs.

conscientious) fell on mean sten scores of 6.39 – 6.66 which means an

average score description. The first year college students were neither mild nor conforming to others now a law to themselves who disregarded

authority which is shown by a mean score of 6.66 on Factor E. The

respondents showed neither natural, simple nor unsophisticated behaviors nor shrewd, and calculating as revealed in their mean sten score of 6.50 on

Factor N. They were not worriers neither were they matured, confident and

secured in themselves as shown in their mean score of 6.45 in Factor O.

Their mean sten score in Q1 (conservative vs. experimenting) revealed an average result.

This means that the freshman students didn‟t accept the “tried and true”, despite inconsistencies when something else might be better, neither

did they doubt fundamental issues, inclined themselves more in

experimenting and were more tolerant of inconveniences and changes in life. The last variable, which had a mean sten score belonging within the 6.39 –

6.66 is Factor G (expedient vs. conscientious). This factor show that the

respondents didn‟t belong in high or low level score descriptions but still on

the average description level. They neither lacked effort for any group

38

undertakings, nor their freedom from group influence led to anti-social acts

nor were they dominated by a sense of duty.

The other sixteen personality factors belonged to a mean sten scores

between 5.48 – 5.73. These are factors Q3, A, Q2, Q4 and H. The

respondents got 5.73 as their mean sten score on Factor H (shy vs. venturesome). This shows that they were still on the average score

description of being shy, in expressing themselves, on being pushy and

sociable. This was followed by Q4 (relaxed vs. tense) with mean sten score of 5.68. This manifested a neither calm, quiet and satisfied behaviors of the

respondents not restlessness. The third one, Q2 (group dependent vs. self-

sufficient) revealed another average score description of 5.62. Freshman students didn‟t prefer to go along with the group and just depended on social

approval and admiration, neither did they go their own way and discounted

public opinion. Factor a (reserved vs. outgoing) has a mean score of 5.52

which means an average score description of the respondents.

This shows that they were neither stiff, aloof and liked things rather

than people nor easy-going, adaptable, generous in personal relations and liked occupations dealing with people. The respondents also got an average

mean score of 5.48 on Factor Q3 (undisciplined vs. controlled). This means

that the freshman students didn‟t follow their own urges, didn‟t have strong control of their emotions and were not well disciplined in their actions.

Factor C (emotional stability), Factor I (tough-minded vs. tender minded)

and Factor F (sober vs. happy-go-lucky) also fell on average score

description bracket. The respondents‟ mean score of 4.90 on Factor C shows that they were neither so much affected by feeling, changeable and

plastic nor emotionally mature, stable and realistic about life. They were

not self-reliant, and responsible, neither were they over-protected, impatient and impractical as revealed in their mean score of 4.56 on Factor I. Lastly,

they were neither serious and sometimes pessimistic, nor impulsively lively,

talkative and carefree as shown in their mean sten score of 4.38 on Factor C

Sixteen Personality Factors Test Scores of the College Freshmen

Factors Description Mean Sten

Scores

S.D V.I.

A Reserved vs. Outgoing 5.52 2.72 Average

B Intelligence 3.85 1.84 Average

C Emotional Stability 4.90 3.01 Average

E Humble vs. Assertive 6.66 2.95 Average

F Sober vs. happy-go-lucky

4.38 3.39 Average

G Expedient vs.

Conscientious

6.39 3.69 Average

39

H Shy vs. venturesome 5.73 2.73 Average

I Tough-minded vs. tender

minded

4.56 2.32 Average

L Trusting vs. Suspicious 7.01 2.02 Average

M Practical vs. imaginative 6.64 3.24 Average

N Forthright vs. Shrewd 6.50 2.40 Average

O Placid vs. Apprehensive 6.45 2.87 Average

Q1 Conservative vs. Experimenting

6.43 2.22 Average

Q2 Group dependent vs.

Self-sufficient

5.62 2.26 Average

Q3 Undisciplined vs.

Controlled

5.48 2.34 Average

Q3 Relaxed vs. Tense 5.68 3.08 Average

Students’ Performance in Academic Subjects

Performance in the different subjects. The following table shows the performance of the respondents of the Elementary Dept. in their

academic subjects. Science and Social Studies students performed best in

Physical Education with mean scores of 1.64 and 1.53. The computed grade

scores revealed very satisfactory and superior grade ratings. Students on both courses performed barely and fairly satisfactory in Science with mean

grade scores of 3.07 and 2.66 respectively. Mean scores of 2.03 and 2.06

showed very satisfactory performance in Mathematics and Filipino and 2.24 and 2.26 showed satisfactory grade ratings in History and English among

Biology students. Social Studies freshman students, English and

Mathematics with mean grade scores of 2.03, 2.07, 2.11, and 2.12 respectively. This group of first year high school students was

homogeneous as revealed in their standard deviations.

Science students performed very satisfactorily in Physical Education with a mean grade score of 1.64, followed by English and

Filipino subjects with satisfactory grade rating of 1.82 and 2.0. They

performed satisfactorily in Social Studies, History and Mathematics with grade ratings of 2.23, 2.34, and 2.45. Chemistry students performed fairly

satisfactorily in Chemistry with a mean grade score of 2.66.

Chemistry students had superior performance in Physical Education with mean grade of 1.43. In Filipino, English, and History they had a

satisfactory performance with mean scores of 2.39, 2.46, and 2.57. They

had just a fairly satisfactory performance in Laboratory Technology,

40

Chemistry and Mathematics with mean scores of 2.79, 2.82 and 2.96

respectively. Chemistry and Technology freshman students were homogeneous as

shown in their tabulated standard deviations.

Performance of the Freshman Students in Their Academic Subjects

Course / Subjects Mean Standard

Deviation

Science

Chemistry 3.07 .92

History 2.24 .29

English 2.26 .63

Mathematics 2.03 .45

Filipino 2.06 .25

Physical Education 1.64 .32

Social Studies

Chemistry 2.66 .60

History 2.07 .43

English 2.11 .62

Mathematics 2.12 .56

Filipino 2.03 .37

Physical Education 1.53 .41

Chemistry

Chemistry 2.66 1.24

History 2.34 0.44

Psychology 2.23 0.55

English 1.82 0.50

Mathematics 2.45 1.02

Filipino 2.00 0.32

Physical Education 1.64 0.38

Chemical Technology

Chemistry 2.82 0.24

History 2.57 0.35

Laboratory Technology 2.79 0.30

English 2.46 0.42

Math 2.96 0.09

Filipino 2.39 0.24

Physical Education 1.43 0.19

Respondents‟ mean performance. In order to get a concise

description of the student‟s academic performance, the mean and standard

deviation of each group were ascertained.

41

Tabular data Show that the typical SFILBHS freshmen school year

2001-2002 made a satisfactory achievement in academic subjects as indicated by their performance ratings ranging from 2.25 to 2.5. The first

year psychology students had the highest computed mean of 2.16, which is

interpreted as satisfactory. This group of students was homogeneous as

revealed by a standard deviation of .39. Chemistry freshman students had performance grade rating of 2.23 which was described as satisfactory. A

standard deviation of .56 indicated that they belonged to a homogeneous

group. The other groups of students coming from two different courses namely, the biology and chem.-tech students had computed mean scores of

2.33 and 2.57 respectively which were both interpreted as satisfactory. It

also reveals that these two groups of freshmen were homogeneous as shown by their standard deviations of .39 and .21 respectively.

Academic Performance of the Freshman Students

Subject Mean Standard Deviation

Science 2.33 0.39

Social Studies 2.16 0.36

Chemistry 2.23 0.56

Chemical Technology 2.57 0.21

Correlation of Academic Performance with Non-Intellective Factors

Relationship of the Non-Intellective Factors to academic performance. The relationship between achievement grade in academic

subjects and non-intellective factors such as age, sex, fathers‟ educational

attainment, mother‟s educational attainment, parent‟s average income and the sixteen personality factors were determined through chi-square (X

2).

The computed chi-square (X2) value between performance grade in

academic subjects and each of the non-intellective factors are given in table 14. It can be noted that Factor N (forthright vs. shrewd) significantly

affected the academic performance of freshman students. The computed

chi-square value of 760.327 indicated that the performance of the students was dependent on Factor N. The chi-square value reached the level of

significance at 0.05. This implies that students who are simple, sentimental

and unsophisticated perform better than those who are shrewd or

hardheaded. Hence, forthright or artlessness affects performance in academic subjects.

The correspondence between performance grade in academic subjects and Factor B (intelligence) was given by chi-square of 534.950. It

42

was found to be significant at 0.05 levels. This signifies that the success or

failure of students in terms of grades in academic subjects has a bearing on their intelligence.

These results have similarity to the findings of Castro5 concerning

personality characteristics. In her study, she found out that eight personality variables are concededly related to academic achievement namely

cyclothymia, shrewdness, intelligence, super-ego strength and high self-

concept formation. Two of the mentioned related personality factors such as shrewdness and intelligence were related to academic performance in this

study.

The chi-square (X

2) between academic performance and Factor E

(humble vs. assertive) was found to be 888.374. It bears significance at .05

levels. This implies that a student who is mild and docile performs better in

academic subjects than a student who is aggressive and stubborn.

As noted in the table, the computed chi-square of Factor Q2 group

dependent vs. self-sufficient) was 775.243 when this value was tested for significance, it was found to be significant at .05 level. This result showed

that the performance grade of the students was dependent on Factor Q2.

These findings further showed that a student who is self-sufficient and independent may do better in academic subjects than a student who prefers

to work and make decisions with others. The chi-square value of 720.046 in

Factor Q3. (Undisciplined vs. controlled) was found to bear significance

at .05 level. This shows that a student who has a strong control of his emotions and behavior performs better than a student who has not been

considerate and socially precise. Will power, which is usually associated

with Factor Q3, suggests self-discipline, which is carried on in school in terms of persistence, endurance, regularity in study and willingness to

postpone impulsive pleasure gratification in order to achieve long-range

goals.

The relationship between performance grade in academic subjects

and Factor Q1 (conservative vs. experimenting) was given by chi-square of

719.390. It reached the level of significance at .05. This implies that a student who respects established ideas may perform better than a student

who is critical and liberal.

5 Josefina C. Castro, “the Relationship of Intellective and non-intellective Factors to

Academic Achievement in College” (unpublished Doctor‟s dissertation, University

of San Agustin, Iloilo City, 1971).

43

With reference3 to the same table, it can be noted that the other

personality factors such as Factor A (reserved vs. outgoing), Factor C (emotional stability), Factor F (sober vs. happy-go-lucky), Factor G

(expedient vs. conscientious), Factor H (shy vs. venturesome), Factor I

(tough-minded vs. tender minded), Factor L (trusting vs. suspicious), Factor

M (practical vs. imaginative), Factor O (placid vs. apprehensive), and Factor Q4 (relaxed vs. tense) have no bearing on academic achievement of

freshman students.

The chi-square value between academic performance and age

characteristic of freshmen was 317.208. It was found to be not significant

even at .05 levels. This indicates that age has no significant bearing on academic grade performance of first year high school students. The

computed chi-square (X2) value of 104.040 further reveals that the sex of a

student does not in any way affect the student‟s performance. This Chi-

square value failed to reach the .05 level of significance. The result show that the academic performance of freshman students of different sexes does

not differ significantly.

The relationship between performance grade in academic subjects

and fathers‟ educational attainment is given in the result of chi-square,

which was 247.591. This value was found to be not significant at .05 levels. It indicates that there are students whose fathers have earned degree who

may not perform well in academic subjects as well as there are also students

whose fathers have just finished high school who may not also perform well

un academic subjects. Hence, getting a superior or satisfactory grade in academic subjects has no bearing on father‟s educational attainment. With

reference to the same table, the chi-square value of mothers‟ educational

attainment was 251.942. When this value was tested for significance, it was found to be not significant at .05 levels. This indicates that the success or

failure of students in academic subjects has nothing to do with mother‟s

educational attainment.

The chi-square value of 273.483 in the average income of parents

was found to be not significant at .05 levels. This indicates that

performance of the students‟ academic subjects is independent of the parent‟s average income.

44

Relationship of the Non-Intellective Factors to Academic Performance

Non-Intellective Factors Chi-Square Verbal

Interpretation

Age 317.208 P > .05 not significant

Sex 104.040 P > .05 not significant

Fathers‟ educational attainment 247.591 P > .05 not significant

Mothers‟ educational attainment 251.942 P > .05 not significant

Income level of Parents 273.483 P > .05 not significant

Factor A (reserved vs. outgoing) 679.435 P > .05 not significant

Factor B (intelligence) 534.950 P > .05 significant

Factor C (Emotional Stability) 713.349 P > .05 not significant

Factor E (humble vs. assertive) 888.374 P > .05 significant

Factor F (Enthusiasm) 875.524 P > .05 not significant

Factor G (Superego strength) 712.587 P > .05 not significant

Factor H (Sociability) 665.015 P > .05 not significant

Factor I (tough-minded vs. tender

minded

572.228 P > .05 not significant

Factor l (trusting vs. suspicious) 453.279 P > .05 not significant

Factor M (practical vs. imaginative)

766.204 P > .05 not significant

Factor N (forthright vs. shrewd) 760.327 P > .05 significant

Factor O (Confidence-adequacy) 734.480 P > .05 not significant

Factor Q1 (conservative vs.

experimenting)

719.390 P > .05 significant

Factor Q2 (Self-sufficiency) 775.243 P > .05 significant

Factor Q3 (Self-concept) 720.046 P > .05 significant

Factor Q4 (Relaxed vs. tense) 755.893 P > .05 not significant

Predictive ability of non-intellective factors. The data show that none of the non- intellective factors can predict academic performance. Age,

sex, fathers‟ educational attainment, mothers‟ educational attainment,

parents‟ average income, and the sixteen personality factors are not

significant predictors of academic performance of freshman students.

Independent Variables Entered R R2 Adjusted R2 Se

Overall Entrance Examination .36 .13 .12496 .365

Elementary Grade Point Average .41 .17 .16 .357

45

Conclusions

Non-Intellective factors.

Age. The largest group of respondents numbering 134 or 93.72

percent had ages falling under the 16 – 18 year age group. A mean of 17 years showed that the students represent the typical freshman student. There

was only one freshman student who belonged to the age group of 22 – 24,

which was represented by .7 percent.

Sex. Most of the freshman students in the high school of Science

are females. In the study, there were 121 females constituting 84.6 percent

and the rest were males.

Father’s educational attainment. Most of the respondents had

fathers who were college and high school graduates numbering 114 or 79.8 percent. Another relatively large percentage of 14.6 attained beyond college

schooling.

Mother’s educational attainment. Most of the respondents had

mothers who had acquired a college degree and they yield about 66 or 46.2

percent in the statistical finding; mothers who acquired secondary schooling

are fifty-five in number, or about 38.5 percent while mothers who pursued graduate studies are represented by the thirteen or 9 percent of them and

only 1 mother in the group or .7 percent did not complete her elementary

schooling.

Parents’ average income. Most of the parents‟ average income

ranged from Php 3,000 –Php6,000 followed by Php9,001 – Php12,000 and Php6,001 –Php 9,000. Only fifteen or 10.4 percent had parents with below

Php3,000 average income.

Sixteen personality factors. The mean score of Factor L (trusting vs. suspicious) was 7.01 which revealed an average score description

although it was nearing the tendency to be in a high score description. The

mean sten score of Factor B (Intelligence) was 3.85. It revealed an average score description although it was nearing the tendency to be in a low score

description.

Factor E (humble vs. assertive), Factor M (practical vs. imaginative), Factor N (forthright vs. shrewd), Factor O (placid vs. apprehensive), Factor

Q1 (Conservative vs. experimenting), and Factor G (expedient vs.

conscientious) fell on mean sten scores from 6.39 – 6.66 which means an average score description.

46

The other sixteen personality factors belonged to mean sten scores

between 5.48 – 5.73. They revealed an average score description. These were Factor Q3 (undisciplined vs. controlled), Factor A (reserved vs.

outgoing, Factor Q2 (group dependent vs. self – sufficient), Factor Q4

(relaxed vs. tense) and Factor H (shy vs. venturesome).

Factor C (emotional stability), Factor I (tough-minded vs. tender

minded) and Factor F (sober vs. happy-go-lucky) fell on average score

description bracket with mean sten scores ranging from4.38 – 4.90.

The relationship between the achievement grade in academic subjects

non-intellective factors.

Age and Academic performance. Age does not affect student‟s

academic performance or age has no significant bearing on academic grade

performance of first year college students.

Sex and academic performance Sex or gender difference has no

significant bearing on academic grade performance among first year college students.

Fathers’ educational attainment and academic performance. Based on the findings, the students‟ performance is not affected by their

fathers‟ educational attainment. Hence, students‟ performance is

independent of their fathers‟ educational attainment.

Mothers’ educational attainment and academic performance. The

hypothesis that the educational attainment of the respondents‟ mothers does

not affect their performance in academic subjects was accepted. Indeed, the educational attainment of the respondents‟ mothers has nothing to do with

the students‟ performance in academic subjects.

Parents’ average income and academic performance. Based on the findings, achievement grade in academic subjects is not affected by parents‟

average income. Hence, student‟s performance is independent of parents‟

average income.

16 personality factors and academic performance. The

achievement grade in academic subjects is affected by Factor N (reserved vs. outgoing), Factor B (intelligence), Factor E (humble vs. assertive), Factor Q2

(group dependent vs. self-sufficient), Factor Q3 (undisciplined vs.

controlled) and Factor Q1 (conservative vs. experimenting). These are

strong intervening factors in the academic performance of the students.

47

Indeed, these factors have something to do with the performance in

academic subjects of the freshman students.

The other sixteen personality factors namely Factor A (reserved vs.

outgoing), Factor C (emotional stability), Factor F (sober vs. happy-go-

lucky), Factor G (expedient vs. conscientious), Factor H (shy vs. venturesome), Factor I (tough-minded vs. tender minded), Factor L (trusting

vs. suspicious), Factor M (practical vs. imaginative), Factor Q4 (placid vs.

apprehensive) and Factor Q (relaxed vs. tense) have no significant bearing on academic grade performance of first year high school students.

In view of the foregoing findings, the researcher presents the following conclusions:

The personality factors such as intelligence, submissiveness,

artlessness, conservatism, self-sufficiency and high self-concept formation significantly affect the performance of the students in academic subjects.

The personal characteristics of the students do not affect the academic

performance of the students.

References

Biddle ,B.J., Contemporary Research on Teacher Effectiveness (New York:

Holt Rinehart and Winston, 1974), p98.

Castro , Josefina C., “The Relationship of Intellective and non-intellective

Factors to Academic Achievement in College” (unpublished

Doctor‟s dissertation, University of San Agustin, Iloilo City, 1971).

Kelly ,W.A., Educational Psychology (Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing

Company, 1965) , p. 376

Kerr ,Rebecca, “the Validity of the CET in predicting academic

performance of De La Salle College Freshmen in the First Semester

of 1971 – 1972, “ FAPE Review 4, (September) pp. 54 – 56.

Mehrens, William and Lehaman, Irvin, Measurement and Evaluation in

Education and Psychology (New York: Holt, Rhinehart, and Winston, Inc., 1973), pp. 556-557.

Salvosa, Benjamin, Education for Freedom Baguio City:Baguio College

Foundation Press, 1974), p.11.

48

EMPLOYABILITY OF SBCA CAS IT STUDENTS:

INPUTS FOR IT PROGRAM ENHANCEMENT

ANGELITO ARGETE, MIT

RICHARD SOBREPENAS, MIT

Abstract

A limited online survey among SBCA CAS IT alumni was

conducted to identify possible improvements in the current IT

program. Fifteen alumni conveniently sampled respondents (N=15) were surveyed on their current employment status and their inputs

for the improvement of the IT program. Findings reveal that 100%

of the respondents are employed within 3-6 months of graduation. Majority of the respondents suggest further improvement in the

current program.

One of the characteristics of quality education is the value placed in

continuous improvement based on evaluation and utilization of feedback

from graduates. This is an aspect of education that is often neglected. Too often college programs are offered in response to the popular demand for

degree courses that “promise” high paying salaries. It can lead to what

Milan (2010) describes as a disastrous condition where the education system fails to consider what their graduates really need in the aspect of

employment.

The Information Technology (IT) program of San Beda College Alabang is being offered since 1996 (SBCA Course Catalogue, 2010) and

has gone through several review and revisions. Reasons for the changes

were directives and CMOs from the CHED as well as inputs from industry experts. As the field of IT is an ever-changing field, it is always important to

find out the inputs from the industry and the graduates of the program.

The need for formal and empirical inputs motivated the IT

department to conduct the short study as part of its efforts to improve the

quality of the IT program. The study attempts to know the current

employability conditions of the graduates, particularly the relevance of job to IT, salary, and employability. The study also attempted to solicit

recommendations from the graduates on the improvements to the IT

program.

49

Method

Respondents

Fifty Respondents were conveniently sampled from a list of alumni with email addresses and Facebook accounts. Emails were sent to possible

respondents with the link to the online survey. Of fifty targeted, only 15

alumni who graduated from SY 2000-2010 responded. Three of the fifteen respondents were females. Most of them are single.

Instrument

The study utilized a 10-item survey questionnaire. The items include questions that inquire about the respondents‟ demographic data,

employment condition, salary, and inputs about how the CAS IT program

can be improved.

The instrument likewise requested the respondents to indicate their

opinion about the relatedness of their current job to their degree program.

Results and Discussion

The fifteen respondents to the study came from the following batches. All of the respondents are employed except for one who is running

his own IT-related enterprise.

Single10

67%

Married33%

Civil Status

Single

Married

50

Majority of the respondents report monthly incomes ranging from PHP 20,000 and above. Relative to other industry, the income range for IT

related jobs as shown by the table. The higher income range increases

further depending on length of job experience and industry certification earned by the graduate.

Monthly Income Total %

10 K to less than 15K PHP 1 6%

15 K to less than 20K PHP 4 27%

20 K to less than 25K PHP 3 20%

25 K to less than 30K PHP 1 6%

30 K to less than 35K PHP 1 6%

35 K to 40 K PHP 1 6%

above 40 K PHP 4 27%

Grand Total 15 100%

The prevailing trend of BPO industries in the country has made it

possible for the high demand for IT workers in the Philippines. Majority of the respondents are able to earn well while staying in the country.

Place of Work Total %

in the Philippines 13 88%

Saudi Arabia 1 6%

USA 1 6%

Grand Total 15 100%

200020%

200220%

200827%

20096%

201027%

Year Graduated

2000

2002

2008

2009

2010

51

More than 73% of the respondents were able to land their first job in

one to three months from their graduation. Forty percent of the respondents

found employment less than amount from graduation. This data consistently

agrees with the different tracer studies conducted by Talusig (2004) and Adrao (2007).

Remarks and suggestions from the IT alumni reveal the following

trends and themes.

First, the alumni encountered the need for more skills preparation in

terms of what the industry requires. Their experience made them realized

that their knowledge and skills are not enough in relation to what they need at work. Several alumni emphasized this need in their recommendation.

“Offer advanced programming courses for IT. The skills that I acquired were not enough for the level used at work and thus I was

advised to undergo advanced training.” (Alumni A)

“An example in my field is to ensure the students are aware of the

Software Development Lifecycle (Plan, Analyze, Design, Build, Test,

Deploy). This is a basic knowledge an IT or Information Systems

student should be aware of.”(Alumni B)

The value of certain industry-needed subjects became apparent to

the alumni as they were exposed to the demands of their work. Hence, investment in additional training and industry certification became a

2 days6%

less than a month

35%1- 3 months35%

4-6 months24%

How long did it take to get first job?2 days

less than a month

1- 3 months

4-6 months

52

necessity. The alumni view this as a gap in what their SBCA education

should provide.

“During our time the curriculum had some lapses in terms of preparing us in the real business world. I'm not sure if the following

courses are already available in the school: - Visual Studio .Net

programming or other programming languages (e.g. Java) - SQL

programming, - Web development, - Server Administration and Management” (Alumni C)

“I guess in relation with Information Technology course tackle the basics of IT but focus more on the advance topics of IT and also

help the senior students to have an idea or introduce the

certifications (CCNA, HP, etc...) that the IT people needed as they go in the corporate world.” (Alumni D)

Next, the comments reveal the need for more industry or job related exposure as part of their college preparation. The appreciation of the value

of a good OJT program is made evident. The entry of the graduates into the

world of work proved to be a revelation for all the respondents. Even the respondents‟ distinction of „real-life‟ with their college life indicates the

contrast in perception that they had to go through. The importance of

extracurricular activities was seen as a good venue for exposing students to

world of work.

“For major subjects, focus on the practical applications that will

help simulate the 'real-life' scenario. The students need to learn how to take initiative in solving problems and use available resources to

their advantage.” (Alumni E)

“Give the students more opportunities to showcase their leadership

skills in extracurricular activities. Also, provide them with more

opportunities to learn about their chosen fields outside of the

campus environment.” (Alumni F)

“Apply and teach latest technologies for easier understanding for

the future. Better to have more physical interaction/demonstration than just lectures. Let the students experience what is like in the

real world.”(Alumni G)

In conclusion, the suggestions and comments from the IT graduates

reveal a gap in the current IT program. Though the existing curriculum complies with the required provisions of the CMOS issued by the CHED,

53

the perceived inadequacies may be in the areas of software technology that

rapidly changes. Hence, what a student learns in four years may already be obsolete by the time they graduate. The insights shared by the alumni are in

agreement with the current department‟s belief for the need to review

periodically the IT curriculum.

It is also apparent from the remarks of the graduates that the SBCA

CAS IT curriculum should have more flexibility in offering IT subjects that

would be needed and expected from the graduates by the time they graduate. This can be over and above the required subjects

1 by CHED. Any future

revisions of the curriculum however, should consider the addition of

advanced IT subjects without bloating further the units of the existing program.

References:

Adrao, A. (2007) A career tracer study of CAS graduates of San

Beda College Alabang Muntinlupa City : unpublished thesis..

Milan, Leandro (2010) http://planetphilippines.com/migration/a-

disastrous-oversupply-of-unemployable-graduates/ accessed

July 2010.

Talusig D.L (2004) Career tracer study of college graduates of San

Beda College Alabang Batch 2000, unpublished thesis

1 The current curriculum has a total of 166 units, 33 units for IT professional courses, 18, basic IT core

courses

54

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Prof. Thelma Geraldine A. Baricaua, M.S. is currently the Dean of

the College of Arts and Sciences and Academic Director for San Beda

College Alabang. She completed her Master of Science in Guidance and Counseling from De La Salle University-Manila. She is a Career

Development practitioner and an active consultant in the fields of

Human Resource Management, Organizational Development.

Prof. Karen L. Gabinete, M.A is a full time faculty of the

Languages Department. She completed her Master of Arts in

Education Major in English from the University of Perpetual Help.

Prof. Paul V. Hilario, Ph.D is currently the Head for the Research,

Planning and Development Office. He finished his Ph.D in Counseling Psychology from De La Salle University Dasmariñas. He

completed his Master of Arts in Psychology from the University of

the Philippines in Diliman.

Prof. Mario B. Hubilla, Jr., Ph.D is a part time faculty for the

Business Management Department. He completed his Ph D in Education Management from De La Salle University Dasmariñas. He

is also a Bedan alumni, having completed his MBA from San Beda

College Manila.

Prof. Angelito Argete, MIT is a full time faculty of the Information Technology Department. He completed his Master of Information

Technology from the Technological University of the Philippines.

Richard Sobrepenas, MIT is currently the Program Chair for the Information Technology Department. He completed his Master of

Information Technology from the Asia Pacific College.

55