Admission requirements and predictors of academic performance of Central Philippine University Development High School freshmen

Abstract

The study was designed to determine the predictive ability of admission requirements on academic performance of Central Philippine University Development High School (CPUDHS) freshmen in 1999, 2000 and 2001. It also tried to find out the variation in the admission requirements when the subjects were grouped according to sex, type of elementary school graduated from and school location. The subjects of this study were 280 randomly selected high school freshmen who were officially enrolled at CPUDHS in 1999-2001 and have complete data needed in the study. The data were collected, coded, encoded and analyzed by computer using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows program. Hypotheses of the Study 1. Students differ in their admission requirements such as Grade VI General Average (GGA); Grade VI Final Grade in English (GFGE); Grade VI Final Grade in Mathematics (GFGM); Grade VI Final Grade in Science (GFGS); SCAT- English; SCAT- Mathematics; and Reading Comprehension (RC) when they are grouped according to sex, type of elementary school graduated from (TEG) and school location (R-U). 2. Each of the indicators of admission requirements is significantly related to academic performance. 3. All the admission requirements in the CPUDHS could best predict academic performance. Major Findings The pertinent results of the study were: 1. The CPUDHS female freshmen obtained significantly higher means in their Grade VI Final Grade in English, Science and General Average than the male freshmen. 2. Students from public elementary schools had significantly higher mean grade in their Grade VI Final Grade in Science compared to students from private elementary schools. On the other hand, students from private elementary schools got significantly higher mean scores in the three admission test areas (SCAT- English, SCAT- Mathematics and Reading Comprehension) than students from public elementary schools. 3. Students from urban elementary schools got significantly higher mean score in SCAT- English than those from rural elementary schools. On the other hand, students from rural elementary schools got significantly higher means in their Grade VI General Average, Grade VI Final Grade in English, Mathematics and Science. 4. All the correlations between each of the independent variables and each of the indicators of academic performance are significant and positive (zero-order). This indicates that students who have higher ratings in the admission test areas and Grade VI Grades tend to have higher grades in their First Year Final Grade in English, Mathematics and Science and First Year Weighted Average. Except for the low correlation, present but slight, between Reading Comprehension and First Year Final Grade in Mathematics, as well as between Grade VI Final Grade in Mathematics, SCAT-English, SCATMathematics and Reading Comprehension; and First Year Weighted Average, the rest ofthe pairs have substantial correlations. 5. When the other six independent variables were partialled out, the correlations between SCAT- English and Mathematics and First Year final Grade in English, as well as between SCAT- English and Mathematics and First Year Final Grade in Mathematics also turned out to be significant in the positive direction, however, the magnitude of the correlation is low, present but slight. Moreover, correlations between Grade VI Final Grade in English, Grade VI General Average and Reading Comprehension and First Year Final Grade in English, Grade VI Final Grade in English and First Year Final Grade in Mathematics, Reading Comprehension and First Year Weighted Average, as well as between Grade VI General Average, SCAT- Mathematics and Reading Comprehension and First Year Final Grade in Science are all significant and positive however, the degrees of relationship are indifferent or negligible while Grade VI Final Grade in Mathematics and First Year Final Grade in Science has a significant indifferent or negligible negative correlation. Although the partial correlations may be statistically significant, they may have limited meaning when used in this study since the correlations, which were generated show very slight relationship between variables. 6. The step-wise regression analysis shows that Grade VI General Average, SCAT- English and Mathematics, Grade VI Final Grade in English and Reading comprehension are the independent variables that could best predict students’ First Year Final Grade in English. It was also found out that Grade VI General Average and SCAT- Mathematics could best predict students’ First Year Final Grade in Mathematics. Moreover, Grade VI General Average, Reading Comprehension, SCAT- Mathematics and Grade VI Final Grade in Mathematics are variables that could best predict students’ First Year Final Grade in Science however, Grade VI Final Grade in Mathematics is a significantly negative predictor. Grade VI General Average and Reading Comprehension on the other hand, could best predict students’ First Year Weighted Average. Conclusions On the basis of the findings of this study, it seems reasonable to conclude that: 1. The three background characteristics namely, sex, type of elementary school graduated from and school location, may affect the CPUDHS freshmen performance in the admission test areas and Grade VI Grades. There are significant mean differences in students’ Grade VI Final Grade in English and Science and Grade VI General Average when they were grouped according to sex. Significant mean differences are also shown in their Grade VI Final Grade in Science, SCAT-English and Mathematics and Reading Comprehension when they were grouped according to type of elementary school graduated from. When students were grouped as to school location, they had significant mean differences in Grade VI General Average and Grade VI Final Grade in English, Mathematics and Science. 2. The obtained r in the zero- order correlation may not be due to the particular relationship between variables, rather it may be because of their respective correlations to other variables. Moreover, the other six variables that were partialled out may have great “influence” or “effect” on the r of the main variable. 3. Grade VI General Average, SCAT- English and Mathematics, Grade VI Final Grade in English and Reading comprehension are the best predictors of students’ First Year Final Grade in English. 4. Grade VI General Average and SCAT- Mathematics are the best predictors of students’ First Year Final Grade in Mathematics. 5. Grade VI General Average, Reading Comprehension, SCAT- Mathematics and Grade VI Final Grade in Mathematics are the best predictors of students’ First Year Final Grade in Science, however, Grade VI Final Grade in Mathematics is a significantly negative predictor. 6. Grade VI General Average and Reading Comprehension are the best predictors of First Year Weighted Average. Recommendations The foregoing findings lead to the following recommendations: 1. Since Students’ ratings in Grade VI General Average and Reading Comprehension are the best predictors of First Year Weighted Average, it is important that CPUDHS raises the cut-offfor Grade VI General Average and Reading Comprehension for freshmen admission to the high school department. 2. Other variables not considered in the study should be explored such as personality, values, study habits and attitudes. 3. Students’ ratings in the admission test areas, Grade VI Final Grade in English and Grade VI General Average could be used as predictors of their First Year Final Grade in English. 4. Their ratings in SCAT- Mathematics and Grade VI General Average could be used as predictors of their First Year Final Grade in Mathematics. 5. Their ratings in Grade VI General Average, Reading Comprehension, SCAT- Mathematics and Grade VI Final Grade in Mathematics could be used as predictors of their First Year Final Grade in Science. It should be noted however, that the higher students’ grades are in Grade VI Final Grade in Mathematics, the lower are their grades in First Year Final Grade in Science.