Chapter 1

The Problem

Introduction

Every students genuinely wants to go to college and earn a degree because it could be

their ticket to success in the future and in life. Most of the students want to enroll in college to

increase their chances of landing a better job. Senior high school students must choose between

going to college and entering the workforce when they graduate. In order to pursue a college

degree, every student must learn to acclimatize to the transition from high school to college.

Students can explore their interests and sociocultural experiences in college while also

developing more promising professional paths. Colleges frequently cognizance at the idea of

getting ready college students for university, or making them ‘university ready.’ In this example

have a look at (Yin, 2018) we take the other perspective, asking what faculties do to make

themselves ‘scholar ready,’ which includes assembly the desires of college students

academically, social-emotionally, and financially. These helps are essential for growing a

scholar’s feel of wellness and belonging on campus, which will increase patience closer to

educational desires and matriculation. The have a look at explores how one university positioned

in a big suburb of an business town in a Midwestern kingdom works to assist college students

and the disconnects that create limitations to being ‘scholar ready.’ We finish with the aid of

using supplying suggestions for growing scholar helps, growing a feel of belonging, constructing

community, and decreasing disconnects.

According to Chait, R. and Venezia, A. (2009), with their journal entitled ‘’Improving

Academic Preparation for College.’’ Our society is moving toward a model of preparing all
students for some kind of education and training after high school. That is what parents want for

their children, what students say they want for themselves, and what analysts and policy makers

at all levels believe is needed for success in a global economy. The benefits to the individual are

clear. College graduates earn more money, have better career opportunities, engage in greater

civic participation, and have a higher overall quality of life. High rates of remediation, stagnant

rates of college completion, and more time to degree completion suggest that many students are

not fully ready to succeed academically in college. Otherwise, weak academic preparation is a

growing concern in the research and policy communities.

This study is a great importance to both the student and the parents. For this reason, the

study will be useful to graduate students who are yet to enter into the university and also to the

teachers and education authorities in their efforts to improve the quality of education being

offered in the colleges affiliated with Kogi State University. According to Ikpea (2004),

assessment guide for effective teaching and learning in higher education, states that assessment

should promote self-evaluation, peer evaluation, teacher and external examiner evaluation and

should be formative, summative and developmental. He also stated that assessment must be

continuous, periodic and retrospective for forward planning. Based on these attributes of

assessment, this study seeks to find out the level of preparedness of students for university

education in selected colleges in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital of Kogi State and assess the

effectiveness of teachers in college in preparing their students for university education and

finally recommend appropriate measures for improvement background information.

We would like to conduct this research because we want to know how many student in

VC ENHS that are not ready to go to college. We are the first one to conduct a research about the

students’ level of preparedness. We will be conducting this research by gathering datas about
their families income and gender, we will be assessing these two characteristics in order to find

their level of preparedness. We will conduct this by giving survey questionnaires to 30 students

in Vicenta C. Enerio National High School, grade 12.

This study aim to evaluate the amount of aspiration and readiness of senior high school

students to pursue a college degree. According to age, gender, average monthly family income,

and academic track, it examined whether there are differences in the amount of aspiration and

readiness for earning a college degree. The association between the respondents’ level of

aspiration and their readiness to pursue a college degree was also examined. All of the Vicenta

C. Enerio National High School’s grade 12 pupils participated in this descriptive-correlational

study.

Conceptual Framework

This study will be conducted to asses the Grade 12 students of Vicenta C. Enerio

National High School regarding the preparation for college level. This study will furthermore

will investigate the relationship of variables being observed in the study.

Figure 1.

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Characteristics: Student’s level of
•Monthly Income
preparedness in taking
•Gender
college degree (college

preparedness)
 It can be observed in figure 1 the two variables of our study. Which are the independent

and dependent variable. Characteristics of the grade 12 students is the independent variable in

our study because the student’s level of preparedness will depend on this, in short this will be the

cause. The student’s level of preparedness is the dependent variable in our study because this

will be the effect or result of the characteristics of the students. Meaning to say that the student’s

level of preparedness will depend on the different Characteristics of the grade 12 students,

whether their differences in gender and monthly income will affect their level of preparedness.

Statement of the problem

The study asses the preparedness of the grade 12 student for college degree. It focuses in

Vicenta C. Enerio National High School (VCENHS) utilizing the grade 12 student as a research

participants. The study will be conducted during the school year 2022-2023.

Specifically it will answer the following queries:

1.) What are the characteristics of the respondents/in terms of:

1.1) Monthly income

1.2) Gender

2.) What is the level of preparedness of the grade 12 students of VCENHS in taking tertiary

level?

3.) Is there significant relationship between the characteristics of students and their level of

preparedness in taking tertiary level?

Hypotheses

The following hypotheses shall be tested using the 0.05level of significance

1. There is a significant relationship between the student’s characteristics and their level of

preparedness?

2. There’s no significant relationship between the student’s characteristics and their level of

preparedness?

Scope And Limitations Of The Study

This research is conducted in order to assess the preparedness of Senior High School

students in Vicenta C. Enerio National High School. This will be done through the use of

surveys, questionnaires and by gathering qualitative information from sources such as articles,

websites, academic journals and books, that are recognized as reliable, accurate and valuable.

Another purpose of the study is to determine the different factors and indications to be

considered for the student’s preparation upon entering college.

Subject Matter. This study will focus on the students characteristics. If their differences

in characteristics will affect their level of preparedness. Like in age, gender, strand and their

parents income.

Research Environment and Timeline. This research study will be conducted in Vicenta C.

Enerio National High School, during the first semester of the school year 2022-2023.
 Research Participants. The participants are the grade 12 students in Vicenta C. Enerio

National High School.

Research Design. This research study is a correlational quantitative design employing the

test of variables: Characteristics (Independent) and Level of preparedness (Dependent).

Research Methods. In doing this research we are going to use a survey questionnaires

which will be answered by a 30 students in grade 12.

Significance Of The Study

The preparedness of Senior High School students in Vicenta C. Enerio National High

School for college degree has been shown to be a significant predictor of success in college. This

research will provide information on how to prepare for college degree and why it is important.

It will also discuss the beneficiaries of the study and how it can help students succeed in college.

The following various individuals will benefit from the study;

Senior High School Students. This study will reveal which scheduling strategy is most

efficient and evaluate the academic performance. The direct recipients and manage to improve

the study of this research is to make the grade 12 students to be prepared for the upcoming

college degree.

Senior High School Teacher. They can discover and evaluate their own effectiveness as

teachers using the study's findings. They can identify some of their areas of field weakness
according to the research. They will be able to adjust their attitude toward it or make some

appropriate adjustment to them.

Administration. The study will also be helpful to those who design curriculums that will

change over time as students' learning preferences change and are analyzed, evaluated, and

adjusted. This study will serve as the foundation for implementing the raised curriculum and for

determining how to improve the grade 12 student learners.

Future Researchers. The study has relevance for the researcher as well. They would gain

more information, skills, and strategies for conducting interesting research for the upcoming

college degree. As a result, this will serve as a tool to direct and navigate them as they uncover

credible, trustworthy, and essential elements that are known as important material for deeper

learning on the research.

Definition Of Terms

A term may have multiple or complicated meaning, in order to have a clear definition to

understand the specific word better, we should require the definition of term. With that the

researchers present the list of terms that can give the readers accurate information.

Assessment. Refers to the collection of data describe or better understand an issue.

Preparedness. Refers to how ready the grade 12 students on taking college courses.\

College. A place of higher education usually for people who finished twelve years of schooling

and where they can obtain more advanced knowledge and get a degree to recognized this.
Grade 12 students. Refers to the learners from Vicenta C. Enerio National High School under

K12 Program.

Strand. Refers to a strand is a consistent thread running through a course offer respective of its

subject content.

Courses. Refers to a program of instruction, as in college or university

Income. Refers to the problem faced by students that are known as they do not have enough

money for their daily expenses and the possible outcome will affect their level of preparedness.

Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature

This chapter reviews the literature related to the student’s characteristics, and student’s

level of preparedness, which will provide bases for the interpretation of the data that shall be

gathered later.

Momthly Income

According to Businessdictionary.com (2016) as cited by Reindolf Yao Nani, Oliver

Edward, Emmanuel and Onesimus Kwashive in their study entitled ‘Assessment of Family

Income on Academic Performance of Tertiary Students: Tha case of Ho Polytechnic,Ghana

(2016)’, family income is the “total compensation received by all family members age 15 or

older living in the same household. Compensation may include wages, social security, child

support, pensions, capital gains, and dividends”.

 A study which conducted by Reindolf Yao Nani, Oliver Edward, Emmanuel and

Onesimus Kwashive (2016) says that there is a relationship between family income and the

academic performance of a student. In there research study it assesses the relationship between

family income and academic performance of students. 480 students were selected using

stratified-quota-simple random techniques. Survey questionnaires were used to collect data from

respondents. The findings of this study (Reindolf etal., 2016) partly imply that family incom of

polytechnic students could affect their learning process, motivation and academic performance at

the long-run. Thus, strong financial status of families helps improve students’ motivation,

learning process and hence better academic performance. However, some respondents strongly

argued that family income status is not an essential predictor of better academic performance.

The study concludes that though higher family income may improve students’perfomance, but

for the responsible and serious students, low family income must not be an excuse for poor

performance (Reindolf etal., 2016).

Aside from that a study which conducted by another researchers, Tao Lin and Han Lv

(2017) shows that family income has a significant influence on children’s education level, and

the increasing family income can improve their education level; the phenomenon of

intergenerational mobility is good. It is also found that although the total sample and urban

samples showed the level of family income has no significant influence on academic

achievement of children, but in rural families, the increasing income does play a greater role in

enhancing children’s education level, which provides suggestions for China’s education reform

accordingly (Tao Lin etal., 2017).

Gender
 According to Adigun Joseph, Onihunwa John, Irunokha Eric, Sada Yusuf, and Adesina

Olubunmi (2015), gender is one of such factors also mentioned in literature to have considerable

effects on students’ academic performances especially in science subjects. Gender is the range of

physical, biological, mental and behavioral characteristics pertaining to and differentiating

between the feminine and masculine (female and male) population.

According to Adigun Joseph, Onihunwa John, Irunokha Eric, Sada Yusuf, and Adesina

Olubunmi (2015) in their research findings, shows that students’ performance is not determined

by gender in terms of the interaction of gender and treatment on students’ academic

achievement. The result of their findings revealed no significant difference in the slightly better

performance of the male students with their female counterparts in computer studies (i.e., mean

difference 1.48; t-test = 0.08 at 0.05). The higher deviation around the mean of the male students

revealed that the performances of the male students are not as uniform as the female students that

is, the entire female students have similar performances as opposed to the male students. This

explains the reason why the male students’ better performances are not significant because the

sets of male students with good performances and the sets with bad performances did so most

likely due to certain variables which are treatments the students are exposed to, which necessited

the reason this study measures the gender performances in private and public schools. Although

some researchers have found that there are no significant differences in male-female

performance at any level, most have identified gender differences (Atovigba, 2016).

Like in the research findings of Lori Kupezynski, Michelle Brown, Glenda Holland and

Brian Uriegas (2013), the impact of gender is is way different for low achieving versus high

achieving students. Simple main effects testing demonstrared that female students scored

significantly higher than mal students in the lower overall GPA range ( Lori Kupezynski,
Michelle Brown, Glenda Holland and Brian Uriegas 2013), based on descriptors of the female

identity and research characteristics representative of female groups, female students are more

likely to seek collaboration and interactions are competition based (Arbaugh, 2000; Ashong and

Commander, 2012 as cited by Lori Kupezynski, Michelle Brown, Glenda Holland, and Brian

Uriegas, 2013)

Chapter 3

Research Methods

This chapter presents the research methodology of the study. It includes discussion on the

research design and research methods covering the research environment, research subjects,

sampling techniques, instrumentation, data gathering techniques, and statistical treatment.

Research Design

The design of this research is quantitative research design. A correlational design was

used, which will evaluate the academic readiness of senior high school students before they join

tertiary level education or college. The study also examines the role that senior high school

plays, its advantages, and its effects on students, teachers, and parents, as well as the benefits of

students who follow the academic track, in order to describe and discover the various indications

or bases for students to be prepared for college.

 According to Bhandari (2021) a correlational research design investigates relationships

between variables without the researcher controlling or manipulating any of them. This design is

ideal for gathering data quickly from natural settings. This will help us to generalize our findings

to real-life situations in an externally valid way. This type of research will allow us to make

predictions, and can tell us if two variables are not related. The only weakness of correlational

research design according to Sumeracki (2018), correlation is not the same as causation even if

two variables are related to one another, that does not mean we can say for certain how the cause

and effect relationship works.

Research Environment

The target locale for this study is in Vicenta C. Enerio National High School which is

located in Tubod Lakewood Zamboanga Del Sur. The school serves a diverse population of

students, with a significant percentage coming from low-income families and a high percentage

of students identifying as minority groups. However, like many school districts, it also faces

challenges in ensuring that all students are adequately prepared for college and career success.

The research environment for this study is therefore shaped by both the strengths and challenges

of the local community and recommendations that can help to improve the preparedness of

students for college and career success. So, the study aims to provide a comprehensive

assessment of the preparedness of students in the Vicenta C. Enerio National High School for

college degrees, and to identify areas where additional support or interventions may be needed to

ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed.

(Vicinity Map)
Research Participants

In this research study, the chosen subject or participants are the grade twelve (12) senior

high school students of Vicenta C. Enerio National High School. The total number of

respondents are sixty-one (61) and are distributed/ divided into four (4): 21 for Humanities and

Social Sciences (HUMSS), 16 for Home Economics (HE), 16 for Shielded Metal Arc Welding

(SMAW), and 9 for Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Stratified random

sampling is being applied upon choosing the respondents from different strands.

Table 1 The Research Participants

Grade 12 / Strands Population size (N) Sample size (n)

HUMSS 24 21

HE 19 16
 SMAW 19 16

ICT 9 8

Total: 71 61

Sampling Techniques

The population of the study comprises of Grade 12 Senior High School Students enrolled

in Vicenta C.Enerio National High School. The aim of the study is to interview 61 Grade 12

Senior High School Students on how prepared are they for college degree. The sampling design

that the researchers will utilize is Statified Random Sampling. A population is divided into

smaller subgroups known as strata as part of the sampling technique known as stratified random

sampling. The benefits include ensuring that all necessary population segments are represented.

It is possible to estimate and compare the traits of each stratum. The variability caused by

systematic sampling is likewise decreased. Its constraints include the need for precise data on the

proportions of each stratum and the high cost of creating stratified lists. (Anita,2013) In stratified

random sampling, also known as stratification, the strata are created based on the shared traits or

features of the members, such as wealth or level of education.

Data Gathering Techniques

In order to gather the necessary data, the researcher ask permission to conduct the

research from the School Principal of Vicenta C.Enerio National High School. A request letter

will be prepared by the researcher to this effect after which, they will be delivered by the

researcher approval. Upon having the request granted, a letter of request with attached informed

consent will also be sent to the teachers and students. The researchers then will explain the
purpose of the study to the respondents that corresponds to the predefined criteria. After

informing the respondents about the study the researcher gives the questionnaire to every

students agree to participate. As the respondents finished the survey the researchers immediately

tallied the information and gathered it.