Republika ng Pilipinas
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Dibisyon ng mga Paaralan sa Sorsogon
Rehiyon V
BAGACAY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Bagacay, Gubat Sorsogon
School ID: 302182
Email Address: 302182@[Link]
Bridging the Gap: A Study on the Social and
Academic Adaptation of Junior High
Completers to the Senior High School
Environment at Bagacay National High
School
Submitted By:
Alyssa Kay Pacuri
Princess Marienelle D. Engay
Niña C. Domanais
Charls J. Engay
RJ D. Ergina
Rhazie Repalpa
Submitted To:
Ms. Helen Hije
CHAPTER II
Review of Related Literature
The jump from Grade 10 to Senior High is one of the biggest steps we take as students.
According to the United Nations (2015), the global goal for quality education means that schools
shouldn't just be about passing grades, but about making sure every student actually gets the
skills they need to succeed in life. For us at Bagacay National High School, bridging the gap is
more than just about moving to a new classroom and changing uniforms, it is about making sure
that no one gets left behind as we enter more difficult and specialized strands.
When we first start Grade 11, it is common to feel lost or overwhelmed because the teachers,
the subjects, and the expectations are suddenly different. This feeling is what Duchscher (2009)
calls transition shock. It is that initial stage where we are trying to adapt to a new environment,
and it often leaves us feeling physically and mentally tired. Understanding this shock helps us
realize that the gap we feel isn't because we aren't smart, but because our minds and bodies are
still adjusting to a much more demanding environment.
Because Senior High brings a lot more pressure than Junior High, we have to learn how to
handle the stress without giving up. Lazarus and Folkman (1984) explain that when we face
something hard, we do a stress appraisal or deciding if something is a threat or challenge to our
happiness that we can beat. If we look at our new SHS subjects as a challenge, we stay motivated
to find ways to adapt. This model shows that bridging the gap starts with how we choose to think
about the hard work ahead of us.
In Senior High, we don't have teachers checking on us every minute like they did in Grade
10, so we have to learn to do things on our own. Edutopia (2023) points out that self-regulated
learning is a huge part of being a successful student. This means setting our own goals, managing
our time, and checking our own progress. For us to bridge the academic gap, we have to get used
to creating our own strategies in reviewing or understanding topics.
Every student needs a set of tools or hacks to survive the harder subjects in the GAS or TVL
strands. Jaiyari (2025) discusses how specific learning strategies affect how well we perform in
school. Since we are dealing with specialized subjects now, we can’t just use the same old study
habits from Junior High. This article suggests that finding new ways to learn and memorize
information is a key part of how we successfully bridge the academic gap in Grade 11.
School isn't just about what we learn in books, it’s also about the people we spend our time
with. SocialSelf (2024) explains that moving to a new level of school is like a social litmus test
because our old friendship groups often change or break apart. For many of us, adapting socially
means finding a new group of friends within our new strand. This social bridge is important
because having friends makes the academic pressure feel much lighter and easier to handle.
Having good relationships with our classmates is actually one of the best ways to make sure
we don't burnout or get too stressed. Wentzel et al. (2021) argue that peer relationships are the
main reason students feel comfortable at school. When we feel accepted by our peers, our brains
can focus more on learning and less on worrying. This proves that we can't bridge the gap alone,
we need a supportive circle of friends to help us feel like we truly belong in the Senior High
environment.
Sometimes, the best way to feel at home at a new school level is to get involved in things
outside of just regular classes. Fredricks and Eccles (2006) mention that students who join clubs,
sports, or extracurricular activities usually have much better outcomes and feel more positive
about school. For a Junior High completer, joining clubs at Bagacay National High School can
be the bridge that helps them meet new people and feel connected to the school community much
faster.
Adapting to a new environment is actually a social skill that we have to practice and
improve. Ioannidi and Gogaki (2020) emphasized that school adaptation is about good practices
like learning how to work in teams and communicate better. They argue that when a school
focuses on these social skills, the transition becomes much easier. This shows that bridging the
gap is a team effort between the students and the school to create a friendly atmosphere for
everyone.
To truly understand what it’s like to bridge the gap between Grade 10 and Grade 11, you
have to look at the real human experience. Van Manen (1990) explains that researching lived
experience is about listening to the deep, personal stories of the people involved. This is why our
study is qualitative, we aren't just looking at grades or numbers, but at the actual journey of
adaptation. By hearing the voices of students at Bagacay National High School, we can see the
real experiences of students in the transition.
Review of Related Studies
In a recent study, Abulon (2025) looked at how having a good support system with friends
actually helps students do better in school during the K-12 transition. The research found that
when students help each other out with school work, they feel more confident and less stressed
about the new subjects in Senior High. For us students at Bagacay National High School, this
shows that bridging the gap isn't something we have to do alone, having friends can actually
make our grades better because we are all learning together.
Akos and Galassi (2004) did a study where they asked students, parents, and teachers what
they thought about moving to a new school level. They found that while parents worry about
safety and teachers worry about grades, students mostly worry about the social side, like making
new friends and fitting in. This study helps us understand that the gap between Junior and Senior
High feels different depending on who you ask, but for the students, the biggest challenge is
often just feeling comfortable in a new environment.
Bantatua (2021) investigated the lived experiences of Senior High students here in the
Philippines to see how they actually feel everyday. The study showed that many Filipino students
feel a mix of excitement and big pressure because Senior High is treated more like a step before
college. This research is very important for our study because it proves that the social
experiences we have in the hallways and classrooms are a huge part of whether we feel like
we’ve successfully adapted to our new strands.
A study by Dator et al. (2020) focused on students in the Health Sciences and asked if their
Senior High strands actually make them ready for harder levels of education. They found that
while the subjects are good, many students still face an adjustment gap because the jump in
difficulty is so high. This tells us that even if we are in the right strand at Bagacay National High
School, we still need to find ways to adapt because the curriculum is designed to be much more
challenging than what we had in Junior High.
De Torres (2020) conducted research on the specific challenges students face and the coping
mechanisms they use to survive. The study found that most students use problem-focused
coping, like making schedules or asking teachers for assistance. This is a great example for our
study because it shows that adapting to Senior High is a skill, we learn to use different strategies
to bridge the academic gap so we don't get burned out by all the new requirements.
In an honors thesis, Humphry (2015) focused on the students' own perspectives during the
transition to a new school level. The research found that if students feel they have a voice in their
school, they are much more likely to enjoy the transition. This supports our approach because it
shows that the best way to learn about school adaptation is to listen to the students themselves. It
reminds us that our personal feelings about the transition are just as important as our test scores.
Juvonen et al. (2017) did a long-term study that proved social belonging is one of the most
important things for a student's success. They found that when students feel like they truly fit in
with their peers, they are less likely to be absent and more likely to participate in class. This
study proves that social adaptation is the bridge to academic adaptation. If we don't feel like we
belong in our new Grade 11 section, it becomes much harder to focus on our lessons and bridge
that academic gap.
Mendoza (2019) looked specifically at the academic struggles of students under the K-12
curriculum. The research found that many students feel a shock when they see the specialized
subjects of Senior High because they feel their Junior High subjects didn't fully prepare them.
This is a very real problem that many of us face, and it highlights that the gap we are studying is
a result of the curriculum becoming much more advanced very quickly once we hit Grade 11.
A report by PhilSSJ (2020) investigated how ready Junior High completers actually are
when it comes to technical skills and research. The study found that there is often a readiness
gap, especially in subjects like Practical Research. This means that when we enter Senior High,
we aren't just learning new facts, we are learning entirely new ways of thinking and doing
projects. This research justifies why our study is titled Bridging the Gap, because the jump in
technical skills is a major problem for all of us.
Finally, the RAND Corporation (2024) released a report on how school policies and
guidance programs can help students feel better during transitions. They found that schools that
have active wellbeing programs make it much easier for students to adapt both socially and
academically. This study is helpful because it shows that the school itself, including our teachers
and administrators at Bagacay, has a big role in helping us bridge the gap by making the
environment feel more supportive and less scary.
Synthesis of the State of the Art
The State of the Art in research today shows that finishing school successfully is about more
than just a high grade, it is about how well a student can balance their mind and their heart.
Experts now agree that Transition Shock (Duchscher, 2009) is a normal part of moving to Senior
High, but it is best managed when students use Self-Regulated Learning (Edutopia, 2023) to stay
on top of their work and build strong Social Adjustments (Wentzel et al., 2021) to stay
emotionally healthy.
The current way of thinking is that bridging the gap is a systematic process. It requires us to
handle our stress (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), find a sense of belonging (SocialSelf, 2024), and
participate in a school environment that values our social growth (Ioannidi & Gogaki, 2020). By
putting all these pieces together, the academic hacks, the new friends, and the self-discipline,
students can reach the global standard of Quality Education (United Nations, 2015) and
successfully navigate the lived experience in their part in Senior High School (Van Manen,
1990).
Gap Bridged by the Study
While there are many studies about Senior High students, most of them focus on big cities or
large private schools. Research like the ones by Mendoza (2019) and Dator et al. (2020) gave us
great data, but they often use surveys and numbers to explain how students feel. There is a gap in
research when it comes to the specific, local experiences of students in rural, provincial high
schools like Bagacay National High School.
Our study bridges this gap by using a qualitative phenomenological approach to tell the real
experiences of students about the transition. Instead of just looking at grades, we are focusing on
the actual lived experiences of GAS and TVL students (Bantatua, 2021). By listening to the
specific hacks and social struggles of students in our own community, we are providing a more
personal and localized understanding that big global or city-based studies (RAND, 2024;
Juvonen et al., 2017) simply cannot provide.
References
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