Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM

Introduction

Academic performance continues to be a key factor in determining the

success of students and is a basis for future success in their chosen career paths in

the Philippine setting. Students in senior high school are at a pivotal stage in

choosing a strand before entering college, thus making it imperative to recognize

the factors that play a significant role in shaping their academic success during

this critical transition stage. Among the many factors that influence the success of

students, study habits have been recognized as one of the most important

predictors of success, including aspects such as time management, note-taking

techniques, reading comprehension, and academic motivation.

The General Academic Strand (GAS) of the Philippine K-12 Senior High

School curriculum offers a distinct educational setting that is worth exploring. The

GAS strand was designed for students who would rather have a general scope of

study instead of specializing in a particular field, giving Senior High School

students the opportunity to choose electives from different strands. This general

strand encompasses different fields such as Humanities, Social Sciences,

Organization, and Management, giving students exploratory experiences that

enable them to make informed decisions about their future college programs and

career choices.
 The students of Grade 11 GAS in Salvacion National High School, located

in Barangay Salvacion, Pilar, Sorsogon, are at a very crucial point in their

educational journey. As they try to balance their academic subjects with the

development of their interests and career goals, it is very important for them to

understand the correlation between their study habits and academic performance.

This will help them gain very useful insights for the development of interventions

for GAS students.

In this setting, it focuses on Grade 11 GAS Student at Salvacion National

High School, are essential examples of the larger educational issues and success.

Grade 11 GAS students form a distinct group as they tackle the challenges of the

updated curriculum and enhance their study routines. Early evaluations and

personal stories indicate a connection between the study behaviors of these

students and their academic success, yet there is a lack of concrete studies

focusing on this link in the school's setting.

The association between study habits and academic achievement has been

widely investigated in diverse educational settings, and the findings have been

consistent and contradictory. A descriptive survey conducted among 200 Senior

Secondary School students revealed a significant association between study habits

and academic achievement in Mathematics, proving that good study habits have a

positive impact on academic achievement in particular subjects.

Studies have highlighted the complex nature of study habits and their

association with learning. Good study habits were a crucial factor in enhancing

academic achievement and encouraged a positive attitude towards learning,

memory aids.

These habits not only contribute to academic achievement but also promote

positive attitudes towards education and develop intrinsic motivation among

students.

However, the correlation between study habits and academic performance

is not always consistently observed in all situations. In a study conducted by Tus

(2020) involving 130 senior high school students in a Catholic School in Bulacan,

Philippines, the results showed that study attitudes and study habits are not

significant factors in influencing the academic performance of senior high school

students. This indicates that there are differences in the correlation between study

habits and academic performance depending on the situation.

In particular for senior high school students, recent studies conducted in

the Philippines have provided significant information. In a study involving senior

high school students in Statistics and Probability, the results showed that although

senior high school students possess good study habits, particularly in terms of

motivation, their note-taking skills and lack of access to learning resources are

factors that influence their performance.

Findings have revealed large differences in study habits when grouped by

track strand and GPA, indicating that the study fields and academic status affect

the degree of their study habits. This highlights the importance of studying study

habits in a particular academic setting, such as the GAS strand, to create

appropriate interventions.
 The body of literature suggests that although study habits tend to affect

academic performance, their effects can be different depending on the particular

academic setting and environmental factors. This calls for localized studies,

especially in a particular setting such as Salvacion National High School, to grasp

the particular dynamics at play among the Grade 11 GAS students.

The relevance of this study arises from the various factors that are

currently influencing the present batch of Grade 11 GAS students at Salvation

National High School. As the K-12 program continues to focus on college and

career readiness, it is important to understand the current study habits and

performance trends of the GAS students in order to provide timely and relevant

interventions.

Grade 11 is a critical year in the senior high school curriculum, as it is the

basis for the performance in Grade 12 and eventually in tertiary education or the

workforce. Students at this level are busy exploring different subjects in school

while also making critical decisions about their college programs in the future.

The current timing of this study is important as it can provide immediate inputs on

how to adjust the guidance and counseling programs, teaching approaches, and

academic support services at this critical level.

Moreover, considering the fact that the GAS curriculum is a generalist

strand, which is quite different from other strands such as STEM, ABM, and

HUMSS, there is a pressing need to determine the impact of study habits on the

performance of GAS students. This will enable administrators to develop

GAS strand before students move to Grade 12.

The general objective of this study is to investigate the study habits of

Grade 11 General Academic Strand (GAS) students at Salvation National High

School and determine their relationship with academic performance.

The general purpose of this study is to offer empirical findings on the

relationship between study habits and academic performance of Grade 11 GAS

students of Salvacion National High School, which can be used as a scientific

basis for optimizing guidance and counseling programs, developing academic

interventions, and improving teaching practices in the school setting.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine relationship between study habits and

academic performance of Grade 11 General Academic Strand (GAS) students at

Salvacion National High School. Specifically, it seeks to answer the following

questions:

1. What are the study habits of Grade 11 GAS students at Salvacion National High

School in terms of: 1.1. Time management; 1.2. Reading and note-taking: 1.3.

Homework and assignment completion; 1.4. Examination preparation; and 15.

Study environment and concentration?

Salvacion National High School as measured by their General Weighted Average

(GWA)?

3. Is there a significant relationship between the study habits and academic

performance of Grade 11 GAS students at Salvacion National High School?

4. Based on the findings, what interventions or recommendations can be proposed

to improve the study habits and academic performance of Grade 11 GAS

students?

Scope and Delimitation

This study aims to investigate the relationship between study habits and

academic performance of Grade 11 General Academic Strand (GAS) students at

Salvacion National High School. The study will look into different study habits

like budget time, physical condition, reading ability, note taking, learning

motivation, memory, taking examinations, health and how they relate to students'

academic performance. The research Is limited only to Grade 11 GAS students.

Students from other grade levels and academic strands are rejected in order to

ensure a concentrated and precise analysis. Furthermore, the study will take place

at Salvacion National High School, meaning that the results may not be applicable

to other schools or educational settings. Data will mainly be gathered through self-

reported surveys and questionnaires, which could be influenced by biases like

social desirability and inaccurate self-evaluations.

The beneficiaries of the study on the study habits of 11 GAS Student and

their academic performance were the following:

Students - This research directly benefits Grade 11 GAS students by providing

them with empirical evidence about the relationship between their study habits

and academic performance. By identifying which study habits are most strongly

associated with academic success, students can make informed decisions about

modifying or enhancing their learning strategies. The study serves as a self-

assessment tool that encourages students to reflect critically on their current study

practices and recognize areas for improvement. Furthermore, the proposed

intervention program will offer practical, evidence-based strategies that students

can immediately implement to optimize their learning outcomes, develop better

time management skills, improve their examination preparation techniques, and

ultimately enhance their overall academic performance as they prepare for Grade

12 and tertiary education.

Parents and Guardians - Parents and guardians will be helped to realize how

significant study habits are in ensuring their children's success in their studies. The

research findings will also pave the way for parents to easily offer support to their

children who are in school by providing appropriate study environments, setting

productive routines, and encouraging effective study practices. Parents will be

assisted in becoming knowledgeable about those dimensions of study habits

guidance and support. The study could also serve as a tool to communicate

between school and home, facilitate more involvement of parents in the education

of their children, and address issues that will help in improving student learning

outcomes collectively.

Teachers - The teachers handling Grade 11 GAS students will, at their disposal,

have important insights concerning the study habits of their students and will

therefore know what this informs in terms of developing effective teaching

strategies that can build on the students' positive study habits dimensions. From

the study, teachers will be in a position to identify Grade 11 GAS students who

may need special attention in terms of academic needs depending on their study

habits. For example, the study will give teachers crucial information that enables

them to incorporate study skills training in their ways of teaching, as well as

influence their methods of handling homework, exams, and tests in line with what

they have learned concerning their students' study habits.

Future Researchers - This research study contributes further to the existing

knowledge on study habits and academic performance, especially in relation to the

General Academic Strand of senior high school in the Philippines. The research

study results can serve as a benchmark, theoretical framework, or inspiration for

further investigation or research on related or other study habits and academic

performance in the context of Philippine education and beyond. Other researchers

may further expand on and replicate or validate this research study, especially in
other educational settings, levels, strands, and terrain. Moreover, other researchers

may continue or expand on this research by examining other relevant factors or

variables, including factors which were not covered or investigated in this current

research, such as technology, socioeconomic factors, or changes in study habits

over time. The Gaps/Limitations identified in the research provide an opportunity

for further research.

Definition of Terms

For clarity and common understanding of the concepts, the following

terms have been defined both conceptually and operationally for the purposes of

this study:

Academic Performance

Conceptual Definition: The extent to which a student has reached their goals in

terms of academic performance is usually defined in terms of grades attained or

scores achieved in tests conducted.

Operational Definition: Academic performance, as used in the study, is the

General Weighted Average (GWA) of Grade 11 GAS students of Salvacion

National High School for the First Semester of Academic Year 2024-2025.

Correlation

Conceptual Definition: Correlation is a measure or statistical technique that

indicates the amount and direction of association between two variables.

Operational Definition: In this study, correlation was defined as the statistical

relationship between study habit and academic performance of Grade 11 GAS

Coefficient.

Learning Motivations

Conceptual Definition: Learning motivation may be defined as those internal or

external factors which move individuals towards learning and which are directed

towards achieving academic success.

Operational Definition: In this study, learning motivation refers to the

motivational force that propels Grade 11 GAS students to actively participate in

learning and to strive for excellence in academics, as measured by the study using

the Palsane and Sharma Study Habit Inventory.

Study Habits

Conceptual Definition of Study Habits

Study habits can be viewed as the regular patterns of behavior and systematic

approaches that students use.

Operational Definition: In this study, study habits are defined as the learning

habits of Grade 11 GAS students as measured by the Palsane and Sharma Study

Habit Inventory. Study habits are assessed according to eight dimensions:

budgeting of time, physical conditions of study, reading ability, note-taking skill,

learning motivation, memory techniques, preparing for examinations, and health

and wellness.