SOUTHGATE INSTITUTE OF MALVAR, INC.

Senior High School Department

The Impact of Birth order to the Leadership skill of the class officers

A Research Meticulously Presented to

Curioso, Price Jarred V.

November 2025
 INTRODUCTION

Every country from all over the continents has a leader with exceptional

leadership skills. According to Haggai (2025), leadership is the key to unlock lasting

change and creating a sustainable future. One of the best example of leaders are the

country's leaders, especially the President. Those leaders can bring about reforms,

mobilize resources, and inspire people to work together for the common good. In the

condition of the Philippines, the contrasting leadership approaches of two Presidents

demonstrated through conflict resolution and emotional intelligence, Ferdinand Edralin

Marcos Sr. And Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. from the same family line—a father

and son—present a compelling case of distinct leadership style. With the father, as the

first born child, whose administration became increasingly controversial, marked by the

declaration of martial law in 1972 leading to widespread abuse of human rights in the

context of preventing communist insurgency and rebellious tendencies (Ebsco, 2023)

Moreover, Ligsay (n.d) asserted that the son, youngest child, whose leadership is

based on diplomacy and cooperation, focusing on building good relationship with other

countries and unity different political groups within the Philippines.

Birth order refers to the order a child is born in their family in relation to their

siblings, such as whether they are first-born, middle-born, or last-born, etc (Cherry,

2024). There are three main types of family degrees, as mentioned by Foster (2024), a

typical First-degree family consists of the Father, Mother, and children in birth order

together with their sibling from the miscarriage of their mother. Family members in this

degree are the closest to an individual in terms of genetic relatedness or the biological

children who are tend to inherit many traits and features from their parents. These

include intelligence, creativity, and physical characteristics. Moreover, Second-degree

family family members are relatives with one other family member in the bloodline between

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them, sharing approximately 25% of their DNA on average. This category includes

individuals like aunts, uncles, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and half-

siblings (The NHS Constitution, 2019). Additionally, Farland (2023) asserted that Third-

degree family refers extended family or family that related by blood (consanguinity) or

marriage (affinity) where there are two other family members in the bloodline between

them. While Adaptive children are identified not by their biological relationship within the

family—such as first-degree relatives including parents, siblings, or children—but by the

behavioral and emotional roles they fulfill within the family system. In this, their family

are called Foster and Adoptive family (Braga. 2024).

Every child foster differently and differ on the kind of upbringing and support

they receive. Guarnaccia (2024) believed that one’s persona changes could come into

effect depending on one's birth order. Firstborns may experience more anxiety, as

parents tend to be more restrictive and anxious during their first parenting experience.

Conversely, later-born children often enjoy more freedom and may develop a different

approach to risk-taking and creativity (Ebsco, 2025). Furthermore, Foster (2024) states

that children without siblings is considered as first born, they tend to get much more

attention from adults than a child with siblings does. Their interactions with older people

can make them feel like "tiny adults", and they can seem more mature, confident, and

self-centred than their peers with siblings.

Leadership skills are the qualities of individuals in influential roles possess to

direct and complete tasks, support initiatives, create a sense of unity within a team, and

empower others. This include the abilities or strengths shown by people in management

roles that guide and encourage a group of people and their team toward achieving a

common goal or set of goals (Staff, 2025). Indeed Employer Content Team (2024)

asserted that leaders are born to be leaders. It is the natural ability of a leader to guide

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and manage teams of others to accomplish shared objectives. Instead of learning to

become an effective leader, they already have the instinctive skills to inspire others and

encourage them to follow their vision.

A person develops special qualities as they mature, such as leadership skills

that are mostly demonstrated in the classroom. Leadership is a cornerstone in the

landscape of education, impacting the very core of student accomplishment and future

professional preparation (Telit, 2024). Students in the secondary or high school

department are the ideal time and opportunity to develop or build the skills and abilities

of being a leader. In this regard, class officers are one of the people who build and

strengthen the student community in the classroom (Northbridge International School,

2023). Additionally, Staffer (2023) expounded that leadership consists of key positions

such as president, vice president, secretary, and many more. These positions each

have their own roles including represent or serve as a voice for the student community.

Leadership is one of the characteristic an individual have or developed as they

grow. Observation plays a crucial role in developing leadership capabilities. By

expanding one’s network and gaining greater exposure to environments where effective

leadership is demonstrated, individuals can closely observe how those surrounding

skilled leaders respond to their behaviors. This enables them to reflect on and cultivate

key leadership competencies—such as emotional intelligence, conflict resolution,

decision-making, and strategic thinking—while gaining valuable insight into how these

qualities contribute to team success (Coursera, 2025).

The essence of this study is to Investigate the impact of birth order on class

officers leadership skills and to use this study to assist them in determining the diversity

of leadership skills of each birth order (first, middle and last born), as they are

developed differently by their personalities, upbringing, and characteristics.

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 The primary goal of the research is to determine the impact of birth order to the

leadership skills of class officers. This research is concretely focused on ascertaining if

the child's position in birth (first, middle and last born) impacts the skills of leadership

through class officers. The study only focuses on high-school class officers including

president, vice president, secretary, auditor, treasurer, P.O, P.I.O, muse, and escort,

who are apart of the first degree family (Father, Mother and biological children) from

grade 7 to grade 12 that are currently studying at Southgate Institute of Malvar, Inc. in

the school year 2025-2026.

Objectives of the Study (SOP)

skills of the respondents. It especially aimed to respond to the following questions:

[Link] what birth order does the respondents belong?

[Link] type of leadership skills do the respondents have?

[Link] there a significant association between the respondents’ birth order and

their leadership skills in terms of:

3.1 Emotional Intelligence

3.2 Conflict Resolution

Hypothesis

The study will be tested through the following hypothesis:

Null hypothesis (Ho): There is no significant association between birth order and

leadership skills.

Alternative Hypothesis (Ha): There is a significant association between birth

order and leadership skills.

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Theoretical Framework

This study uses the “Trait theory of Leadership” of Thomas Carlyle & Francis

Galton (1911) and Erik Erikson's (1950) Stages of Psychosocial Development Theory in

which focuses on the different traits of leadership and stages of human development.

The trait theory by Thomas Carlyle & Francis Galton suggest that the eight

characteristics or traits such as communication and active listening, integrity and

honesty, adaptability and flexibility, innovation and creativity, accountability and

responsibility, resilience and stability, and empathy and are all traits of a leader. This

theory describes the internal characteristics of successful and effective leaders that

enhance their leadership. Moreover, according to this theory, leaders are born to be a

leader. The theory believes that these traits are part of who they are. Those leaders

have special leadership traits that are developed in them since birth such as emotional

intelligence, responsibility, communication skill, etc.

One of the main elements of Erik Erikson's (1950) Stages of Psychosocial

Development Theory, is the Identity vs. Role Confusion stage. It is the self-awareness

that a person develops through social interactions and new experiences which

continuously evolves as they explore their individuality and work to establish their

identity. This process is closely linked to leadership, as effective leaders must

understand themselves, their strengths, and their values in order to guide and inspire

others with authenticity and confidence. Stages arise as individuals grow and face new

decisions and turning points during adolescence. Erikson believed that self-skills

developed in a series of stages and a framework for understanding how individuals

develop qualities for effective leadership.

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 As people transition from childhood to adulthood, people may begin to feel

confusion about what they are capable of, how they can contribute, and how to grow

into the best version of themselves .Adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 begin

to explore their independence, honing their skills and abilities to shape who they want to

become and what they aspire to do, including taking on leadership roles. Throughout 10

to 19 year-old or adolescents navigate the process of self-discovery, they often engage

in a period of exploration, experimenting with different roles, behaviors, and activities to

better understand who they are and where they fit in the world. This experimentation is

vital for shaping their personal identity, as they navigate the pressure of social norms

and begin to develop the confidence and skills that are key to becoming effective

leaders.