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ASSESSING THE ROLE OF IMMERSION EXPERIENCES IN SHAPING CAREER

READINESS AMONG SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

A Research Presented to the

Faculty of the Basic Education Department

Misamis University

Ozamiz City

In Partial Fulfillment

of Practical Research 1

By:

Harry Abamo
Leslie Buro
Kyla Crisistomo
Lovely Emoro
Crisben Gallardo
Christian Labo
Ben Sordilla
Chris Tapalo

March 10, 2025

 Chapter 1

Introduction

Rationale

Starting from the Year 2017, the Work Immersion Program for Senior High

School students has been implemented by Department of Education ([Link].) and

supported by The Asia Foundation’s Coalitions for Change (Putri, 2021). Work

Immersion is one of the subjects offered in senior high school, which aims to

further enhance the quality of education and prepare the K–12 curriculum learners

for employment through exposure to the actual field. Work Immersion exposes

students to the work-related environment related to their field of specialization,

thus making it so that they develop competencies and gain practical experience in

the workplace (Insorio et al., 2021), which are invaluable in their professional

capabilities. Through Work Immersion, students can also explore various career paths, be

provided with networking opportunities, wherein students can create and maintain connections

with professionals in their field (Fujio, 2023), and understand certain dynamics found in a

workplace and the various expectations within a workplace.

Without proper preparation, a student may make impulsive choices, and without proper training,

a student will be unable to handle the future responsibilities they’ll handle. In fact, according to

the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines, Job-Skills mismatch is a one of the top 3

concerns of employers in the Philippines. One of the greatest reasons for the job-skills mismatch
is inadequate preparation, training, and guidance. Because of this lack of preparation and

guidance, students will often choose a course which they had not been trained for beforehand.

And as a result of this lack of training, employees will be lacking in their capability to address

issues in their specific field which could have been solved by adequate preparation beforehand.

To address this amongst other issues, the Philippines implemented the K–12 Basic Education

Program by Republic Act No. 10533, also known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013,

transitioning from being the last country in Asia and one of the only three countries in the world

with a 10-year basic education program (Yap and R, 2011) to a 12 year program, nearing the 13-

year program benchmark which was found to be the best period of learning under basic

education (Orate et al., 2022). This implementation gives graduates the ability to become

competitive in their own chosen field, and possess the necessary skills for their career (Dizon et

al., 2019).

As defined by the Glossary of Education Reform (2013), the term ‘Career Ready’ is

generally applied to (1) students who are considered to be equipped with the knowledge and

skills deemed to be essential for success in the modern workforce, or (2) the kinds of educational

programs and learning opportunities that lead to improved workforce preparation. According to

Conley in his ‘Complete Definition of College and Career Readiness (2012)’, there are four key

facets of college and career readiness, being: [1] Cognitive Strategies, which include analysis,

interpretation, precision and accuracy, problem-solving skills, and reasoning, or in other words;

are the overarching ideas found in core subjects (Rico, 2020). [2] Key Content Knowledge, being

the knowledge of specific types of content; including facts, theories, principles, and vocabulary-

are crucial in attaining success, not just in one’s college life, but also in professional setting. An
example area of this is a student being capable of adding two fractions. [3] Key Learning Skills

and Techniques, which consist of two broad categories: Student ownership of learning; which

encompass several personal traits of a student and transcend content; including but not limited to:

persistence, motivation, self-awareness, progress-monitoring, and self-efficacy; and Learning

Techniques which are specifically the skills that a student may harness, including: time

management, note-taking skills, strategic reading, and technology proficiency among others.

Lastly are [4] Key Transition Knowledge and Skills, which are necessary in adapting to life

beyond high school includes among other things, knowledge of one’s future career choices,

understanding financial aid options and procedures, and the capability of being a self-advocate in

institutional programs

Career readiness is well-defined by authors such as David T. Conley in his various

written works such as ‘A Complete Definition of College and Career Readiness’, though the

measurement of students’ actual career readiness is relatively difficult due to the many factors

which comprise career readiness, including but not limited to [1] a student’s self-concept, which

is his/her awareness of her/his own identity (Schmidt and Cagran, 2008), [2] Self-interest in

career, and simply stated, is one’s interest in a certain career and; [3] Learning Motivation, which

is one of the most powerful determinants in a student’s failure or success (Filgona et al., 2020).

All these factors make a comprehensive understanding of the levels of career readiness in

students a difficult task, though there are instruments as listed by the REL Mid-Atlantic Research

Laboratory (2019), such as the CAPEL compendium which can measure a student’s soft skills

which include their self awareness, self management, and social awareness. These instruments

are reliable and are capable of giving us a measure of the Key Learning skills and Key Transition
Knowledge of certain students, thus giving us a glimpse of a student’s career readiness. This

combined with other instruments to measure content knowledge, as developed by Kazemi and

Rafiepour (2017), can possibly give us a complete measurement of career readiness.

While there may be research on career readiness and immersion experiences separately,

there may be limited research that directly examines the relationship between immersion

experiences and career readiness in the context of Senior High School education. There is a lack

of comprehensive studies that specifically focus on the role of immersion experiences in shaping

career readiness among Senior High School students in local areas. This lack of comprehensive

studies creates a gap in knowledge which may propagate immersion programs which are lacking

in their efficiency and effectiveness. Addressing this gap may provide valuable insights into the

effectiveness of immersion programs in preparing students for their future careers.

Significance of the Study

The researchers of the study want to identify the impact of work immersion on career readiness

as well as to distinguish the underlying effects of Work Immersion. In accordance to this, the

study will benefit the following: [1] Students - This research might help them in building up an

in-depth understanding about the new course in the curriculum that they should be aware and

well oriented. In addition, this study will help them to voice out their opinion regarding the Work

Immersion Program that they had undergone for 80 hours. [2]Teachers - This study might be a

useful instrument to empower their teaching in a way that it might become a guide since it will

cater the thoughts and opinions of the students upon the hands-on learning experience.

[3]Curriculum Developers - Since this study will be showing the results from the gathered data,
the obtained conclusion might become a solid and reliable basis for the continuous improvement

of the educational curriculum of our country. [4]Administrators - The results obtained from this

research depicts the voice of the students; hence, this will open a wide range understanding about

the students. Therefore, the administrators might also open a way to cater the views and opinion

of the students about their experience during the immersion. [5]Future Researchers - This

research might be used by the future researchers as a basis for further improvement of the study

in the field of academics.

Lastly, as for the primary reason why researchers were particularly interested in this

topic, it was due to curiosity as up and coming Grade 12 students on how immersion experiences

can shape the researchers’ career readiness, making them prepared and ready, come what may, in

their future professions.

Theoretical framework

This study will be anchored on two theories, these being the "Theory of Planned

Behavior" proposed by Ajzen and Fishbein; and the “Experiential Learning Theory” proposed by

David A. Kolb

The "Theory of Planned Behavior" which, according to Ajzen (1985), assumes that

intentions to perform behaviors of any kind can be accurately predicted by three

(3) factors, namely the [1] attitudes, which are defined by the Merriam-Webster

dictionary as a set of emotions, beliefs, and behaviors toward a particular object,

person, thing, or event; [2] subjective norms, being a person’s perception of social
expectations to adopt a particular behavior; and [3]perceived behavioral control, which is

a person's perception of the ease or difficulty of performing the behavior of interest. This

framework can effectively guide the researchers in assessing the relationship between work

immersion experiences and career readiness. Through the Theory of Planned Behavior, the

researchers can identify the impact of work immersion on previously grade 12 students, as well

as being able to assess the quality of their learning experience in work immersion. TBP can also

help researchers understand how they engage in immersive experience and prepare for their

careers. In immersion experiences, TBP can expound how attitudes, subjective norms, and

perceived behavioral control influence individual's intentions to cooperate fully to gain

knowledge and acquire skills from these experiences. TBP helps in assessing how individuals

attitudes, norms, and perceived control guide their determination to pursue in their field, make

possible strategies to enhance their preparedness and success. This theory was formulated in the

study of “Evaluating the Relationship of Immersion Program and Course Selection Aspirations

of SHS Students in NSNU” that aimed to explore the effects of the Immersion program on first-

year college students and its relationship with their course selection aspirations.

In addition to the Theory of Planned Behavior, the study also anchors itself on the

Experiential Learning Theory, which as stated by Kolb (1980), suggests that experiential

learning opportunities should be grounded in a theoretical framework to ensure each opportunity

is educational. “Learning from experience” therefore, begins with experiential education in the

broadest sense and is followed by experiential learning in the field and one of the ways in which

learning in the field can be facilitated is through work-integrated learning. According to Roberts,

experiential education refers broadly to a philosophical process that guides the development of
structural and functional learning experiences, attends to the ethics of knowledge and outlines the

encompassing standards for learning environments.

Through Experiential Learning theory, researchers can identify how experience plays an

important role in career preparedness. By learning from experiences, student can easily adjust to

their environment field, considered to represent the specific techniques or mechanisms that an

individual can implement to acquire knowledge or meet learning goals. Experiential learning can

be facilitated in postsecondary education through work-integrated learning, which is a broad

term that encompasses various learning opportunities centered on the integration of academic

learning and practical application in a chosen work environment. Experiential learning, students

are exposed to and become familiar with work-related environment related to their field. This

can acquire knowledge, skills training, and work experience. This theory was applied in the

study of "Work immersion performance appraisal and evaluation of Grade 12 STEM students in

science and technology-based industries" that was conducted for Senior High School students

who have to undergo work immersion in an industry that relates to the students field of

specialization.

Conceptual Framework

This research shall focus on analyzing the impact of immersion experiences on career

readiness of Senior High School students who have undergone work immersion; it will also

analyze the factors which may moderate this relationship. This study makes use of the following

schematic diagram:
 Mediating Factors
 Guidance
 Motivation for Work

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE DEPENDENT VARIABLE

IMMERSION EXPERIENCES CAREER READINESS

 Hands-on Experience  Cognitive strategies
 Connections with Professionals in the  Content Knowledge
Field  Learning Skills
 Exploration of Career  Transition Knowledge and skills

ASSESSING THE ROLE OF INTERNSHIP

EXPERIENCES IN SHAPING CAREER READINESS
AMONG SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Figure 1.0, Schematic Diagram of the study

Figure 1.0 shows the study's conceptual framework. This study revolves around the two

main variables, with mediating factors being relatively minor. The 1 st main variable is the

immersion experiences and the 2nd is career readiness. The researchers identify immersion
experiences as the independent variable as it is the variable from which the researchers explore

the effects it has on the dependent variable. Immersion indicates the area of individuals' deep

engagement and involvement in diverse activities or environments. These experiences, spanning

from virtual reality simulations to real-world cultural exchanges, significantly influence

individuals' perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors within specific contexts.

On the other hand, the researchers identify career readiness as the dependent variable due

to the fact that it is the variable which we are measuring, and it is the variable which is

influenced by the other. Career readiness refers to an individual's readiness and ability to excel in

the professional field, including skills like technical expertise, adaptability, problem-solving,

communication, and leadership.

The researchers also identify various mediating factors which may influence career

readiness alongside experiences in work immersion. The key factors identified are [1] guidance,

which affects the type of career a student will wish to pursue, and thus the type of immersion

experience they will be subjected to. Additionally, according to Dodd, et al., (2021), guidance

has a significant impact on career readiness, and that higher levels of guidance result in higher

levels of career readiness; the other factor identified is [2] motivation for work, which, according

to a study by Sofiani (2019), increases career readiness as a student is more interested in

pursuing their future profession.

In summary, the conceptual framework of this study suggests that as immersion

experiences and some specific mediating factors are given more attention and greater effort is

made to improve these, the career readiness of students will increase.

Statement of the problem

Investigation into the effects of immersion experiences on career readiness is difficult due

to the relatively low amount of understanding in this specific field. The researchers aim to find

out how immersion experiences can impact students’ skills, knowledge, and techniques, and the

underlying effects of immersion experiences guided by these questions:

1. Do immersion experiences impact Senior High School students meaningfully?

2. Do immersion experiences specifically impact career readiness in Senior High School

students? Is it beneficial or is it not?

3. In what way do immersion experiences impact career readiness in Senior High School

students?

4. If immersion experiences impact career readiness positively, is it better than other

methods of improving career readiness? If so, is it more efficient than other methods?

5. How can we improve the current immersion experiences that Senior High School

students are subjected to?

References
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guidance: measuring the impact with a validated measure. British Journal of Guidance &
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Insorio, A. O., Manaloto, C. C., & Lareña, J. J. (2023). Building awareness, interest, and
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Conley (2012). “A Complete Definition of College and Career Readiness”

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