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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Education in a globalizing economy demands not only

specialized technical skills but also the needed knowledge

and awareness for the emerging occupational demands of the

modernizing social and economic environment. Such

educational needs is greatly felt especially in the

Philippines with the globalization and opening of doors

among the neighboring countries.

Rapid changes in technology and increasing

international competition have led employers to seek new

strategies for producing goods and providing services.

These changes require a high performance organization where

all workers have more responsibility and decision-making

functions. Such organizations need employees who are well

trained and possess the skills and knowledge necessary for

their new functions. In addition, as learning becomes an

integral part of the work itself, workers will need to be

better prepared to avail themselves of training and

learning opportunities in the workplace

The present conditions on technology and education

will certainly demand a mass of highly trained

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manpower for business operation and management including

the knowledge and the language skills required for the

automated equipments and information technology of the

present-day world of business. The Medium Term Development

Plan for Higher Education (MTDPHE) 2005-2010 articulates

how the higher education system could contribute to the

attainment of the national development goals through its

three main functions namely, human resource development

(HRD), research, and extension. The needed education

towards this end, therefore, has become an important task

with which educational institutions in the country are

expected to assume.

Based on the 2007 National Human Resource Conference,

the common issues/gaps to all disciplines that surfaced

during the said event were mismatch of graduate’s

skills/knowledge against the needs of the industry and lack

of English proficiency.

In confronting a growing mass of young people who are

less inclined for the academic upbringing, the college

instruction for Business and Computer Studies Program has

to be re-designed in a manner more appropriate and fitting

to the students’ experiences and learning preparatory for

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industry immersion. For this purpose, it would mean

certain innovation and adjustment in terms of the school

curriculum, instructional materials, teachers’ preparation,

and teaching methodology.

What instructional ends and materials as well as

approaches to be contained for curricular adjustment can

only be made when information about the assessment of

learning capabilities/skills of students acquired as well

as their language proficiency are more or less sufficient

to serve as basis of such innovation and development. A

study, in this regard, on the skills assessment and

readiness of students for industry work will crystallize

the need for the re-designing of the curriculum and

instructional approaches of the Business and Computer

Studies Program.

Statement of the Problem

The study aimed to determine the correlation of the

performance of the students in Business and Computer

Studies during their Practicum Program.

Specifically, it sought to answer the following;

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1. What is the performance of the students in the

practicum program offered by the Business and

Computer Studies Program?

2. What is the performance of students along the Key

Results Area on adaptability, attitude,

punctuality and quality of work?

3. What is the effect of the KRA results on the

performance of students during the Practicum

Program.

Objectives of the Study

This research aims to determine whether the students

who underwent the practicum program of the Business and

Computer Studies Program of Santa Isabel College Higher

Education Department for SY 2007-2008, have competencies

which match the industry need.

Its specific objectives are:

1. To assess the level of competencies acquired by

the students of the Business and Computer

Studies Program;

2. To determine the desired competencies of the

industry and match these with the competencies of

students in the practicum program.

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3. To identify other personal factors associated

with the students’ work performance.

Significance of the Study

A study on the learning capability and the acquisition

of skills/competencies of the students of the Business and

Computer Studies Program is quite important. The findings

from such a study will certainly be of value to the efforts

of making college instruction relevant and most suitable to

the industry required skills / competencies. Its researched

findings can very well provide important information that

may help identify the problems affecting the student’s

performance and their learning capability and subsequently

direct institutional efforts in the curriculum review and

improvement of the Business and Computer Studies curriculum.

The findings of the study may help the faculty and

administrators to take up necessary measures to review and

re-design curriculum that will address both the needs of

students and the required skills of the industry today.

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The study may also be of importance to future

researchers, since the research findings may reveal certain

problem areas that require further exploration and probing.

The results of the study may we000ll serve also as baseline

data needed for a follow-up and, at the same time, an

expanded investigation of the students’ background and

learning experiences and classroom performance in the

Business and Computer Studies Program.

To the faculty members of the Business and Computer

Studies, the results of the present study may prove useful

in their efforts to develop and improve the course content

of their syllabus. Likewise, it may help them find or

design the appropriate teaching aids and approaches for

enhancing the effectiveness of their classroom instruction.

Finally, this study may also be of help in making the

owners of industry and business companies informed and

conscious of the social and educational problems inherent

from the country’s stubbornly growing economy; that their

knowledge about these problems may incline them to offer

certain adaptive measures or recommendations that would

cater and best suit to their demand for knowledgeable and

skillful manpower resources out of the graduates of

Business and Computer Studies Program.

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Scope and Limitation of the Study

The research inquiry was mainly focused on the

learning capability/acquisition of competence and

instructional methodology. The research purpose is to

secure information about the students’ work performance and

learning needs, which are information that may be important

as basis for the improvement of the curriculum and

instruction in the Business and Computer Studies Program

offered in Santa Isabel College.

The study was limited to the 2nd and 4th year practicum

students enrolled in Industry Immersion for the first

semester of SY 2007-2008 and who are currently deployed

in different companies and offices as part of their

industry immersion program.

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Chapter II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter presents related literature and studies

which guided the researcher in establishing the gap between

the competencies acquired by the students in the classroom

and the competencies required by the industry.

Based on the 2007 National Human Resource Conference,

the common issues/gaps to all disciplines that surfaced

during the said event were mismatch of graduates skills

against the needs of the industry and lack of English

proficiency. It is a must to review the curricular

offerings of Higher Education Institutions if they are

preparing students for actual work.

Employment Scenario

One challenge faced by educators and employers is how

to prepare students for their changing roles in the

workplace and how to ensure that the economy uses the full

capacity and potential of our youth. At a point in our

history when education beyond high school is increasingly

viewed as necessary to meet the educational and skill

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requirements of many current and emerging careers,

approximately one half of U.S. youth do not attend college

and about half of those who do will not complete their

studies. For many of these youth, particularly those who

are members of the growing underclass, the transition

between school and work has become problematic (U.S. GAO,

1990b). Many graduate high school with few or no job-

related skills; often their academic preparation is weak.

Those who drop out before high school graduation, many

of them caught up in an inescapable world of poverty, fare

worse with even more limited job and career prospects.

Until the age of 25, these youth are likely to move from

job to job, usually in the service sector of the economy

where they find jobs that are low-skilled, poorly paid, and

offer few opportunities for further training or

advancement.

The result for some young people is a life of poverty.

For many others the prospect is employment that pays less

than a living wage and offers neither self-respect nor a

future (William T. Grant Foundation Commission on Work,

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Family, and Citizenship, 1988). Unemployment rates among

all youth are high (twice that for adults) and not

responsive to economic upturns. The official 1991

unemployment rate for high school graduates below the age

of 24 was 13 percent for whites, 17 percent for Hispanics,

and 29 percent for Blacks. In reality, these frighteningly

high rates are probably even worse. If young people drop

out of school, their prospects for not getting a job are

one out of four, and their employment prospects do not

improve with time.

Related to these employment patterns are the prospects

for further training and career mobility. Employers tend to

invest training dollars in their best educated employees.

Only 45 percent of high school dropouts received training

from their employers compared to 71 percent of high school

graduates and 79 percent of college graduates (Vaughan and

Berryman, 1989). Also, those who are trained on one job are

more likely to be trained on subsequent jobs.

Education and Employment

Recent attention to the "forgotten half" of students

who do not follow the traditional high school to college

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sequence stems from changes in the economy and the

inadequate response by schools, businesses, and government.

A number of factors make the school-to-work transition

issue critical at this time.

First, the changing demographics of the U.S.

population find fewer young people and a general aging

trend (U.S. DOL, 1989a). Second, a set of changes in the

labor market suggests a shift from manufacturing to a

service economy with the resulting reduction in low-level

high-pay jobs in manufacturing and growth in low-skilled

low-pay jobs in the service sector of the economy (Johnston

and Packer, 1987).

According to the U.S. General Accounting Office

(1992), while there is general agreement that the

demographic make-up of the labor force will continue to

change, critics differ on the likelihood of labor shortages

and skill gaps. Johnston and Packer argue that there will

be a need for higher order and technological skills for a

growing number of jobs in all sectors of the economy.

Others assert that labor shortages will be limited in scope

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and impact and that high-skill technical jobs will

represent only four percent of all jobs by the year 2000.

Third, an increasing number of young people are "at-

risk" of not becoming productive members of society.

Finally, as the institutions of the family and community

have changed dramatically, society once again has turned to

the schools to carry out the transition process, an

enormous role for which schools have not received the

resources or the required training and which some critics

view as a dangerous shift in the focus of attention away

from "the nation's economic malaise." These critics argue

that while our education system is in need of major

improvement, business has done much to contribute to the

American worker's lowered competitiveness and offers little

in the way of an economic agenda aimed at absorbing the

highly skilled workers it is demanding from the schools

(Weisman, 1992).

In many communities, transition programs are a part of

major school reform and restructuring efforts. School-to-

work transition may in fact be driven by school reform or

may drive some of the changes that are being incorporated

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as a part of restructuring efforts. The literature taken as

a whole indicates a consensus that school-to-work

transition cannot be accomplished as an activity separate

from the school reform movement. It is an integral

component in any effective reconfiguration of our current

education system.

There is a growing recognition that school reform

requires the full commitment of all partners to

systematically change the way we approach education in the

U.S. Schools alone cannot be expected to develop effective

strategies for providing young people with the knowledge,

skills, and support they need to become creative and

productive members of society. At the same time that

educators have reached out to the community for advice and

support, businesses have become aware that the local and

national economic interest is increasingly at risk.

Furthermore, the absence of an effective system to help

non-college-bound youth make a smooth transition to the

primary labor market has cost the U.S. socially and

economically. Half of our young people are experiencing

difficulties finding long-term, productive employment.

Currently there is no system in place to help them access

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such opportunities. Charner (1990) suggests that such a

system would comprise a set of services essential to an

effective transition, including information on employment

and career options, career counseling, oversight of student

work experience, linkages to employers, and other essential

services, similar to those offered in other countries.

Byrne et al. (1992) point to the Quality Connection

Consortium, initiated by the National Alliance for

Business, as a school-to-work transition model where

employers take direct responsibility for a portion of the

educational enterprise.

Curriculum and Employment

The Council of Chief State School Officers (1991a)

also views the improvement of transition connections

between school and employment as a critical catalyst in the

restructuring of elementary and secondary education. The

Council offers a set of nine principles for improving the

preparation of youth for gainful employment and continued

learning, and a set of ten actions which should be taken in

each state to establish curriculums that promote a school-

to-work system.
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The National Center on Education and the Economy

(1990) has received a great deal of public attention

focusing on its recommendations which provide a framework

for developing a high quality American education and

training system, closely linked to high performance work

organizations. The recommendations include: a national

benchmarked educational performance standard for all

students; state responsibility for students achieving

Certificates of Initial Mastery; a comprehensive system of

technical and professional certificates and associates

degrees; incentives for employers to invest in further

education and training for their workers; and a system of

Employment and Training Boards to organize and oversee the

proposed school-to-work transition programs and training

systems. Recently, a series of bills have been introduced

in the U.S. Congress that build on these recommendations

for a national system.

Fraser and Charner (1993) recommend setting up local

Community Youth Development Councils, with a satellite

Office of Youth Transition Services in every high school.

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Because no single institution acting alone can address the

education-work needs of youth and employers, these local

collaborative councils would be responsible for overseeing

the movement of all the community's young people between

school and work or further education and training.

Another approach that has been advocated by the Director of

the National Center for Research in Vocational Education is

"high schools with character," which would include: the

integration of academic and vocational studies; cooperative

student learning; collegial work among teachers; and a

special school identity, commonly established through an

industrial connection (NCRVE, 1992a). This connection with

a specific industry or corporation is similar to the

Japanese connection between high schools and individual

corporations. It is believed that a substantial number of

students will perform better in such a program than in

traditional college-prep programs and that such schools

will be more relevant to the needs of our economy.

Waiting until high school to address the education-

work needs of youth, however, may prove to be a costly

mistake. Lacey (1988) and the Carnegie Council on

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Adolescent Development (1989) build a strong case for

providing new school structures and supportive services as

core program components for students in the middle grades.

Without an early focus on such elements as counseling and

health services to assist youth in overcoming difficulties,

and without innovative delivery approaches such as case

management, large numbers of our young people will not be

able to become self-sufficient (Nightingale et al., 1991).

Bostingl (1992) posits that our schools no longer

provide an opportunity for students to perform high-quality

work. The primary issue is how to rethink the schooling

process so that young people have greater opportunities to

develop the self-direction and creative decision-making

skills that are necessary for success in today's global

economy. Finn (1992) argues that the chance to reform our

schools may be squandered unless three promising

educational reform ideas are implemented: national school

standards; exams keyed to those standards; and the use of

exam results for college admission and employee selection.

The general consensus is that two problems are

motivating the current restructuring movement--the

educational system's poor performance and the changing

nature of work and workers (McDonnell, 1989). How well

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restructuring transforms American education, improves

student learning, and eases the school-to-work transition

will depend in large measure on the sustained attention of

parents, employers, trade unions, educators, churches,

youth-serving agencies, community leaders, and local,

state, and national authorities (William T. Grant

Commission on Work, Family and Citizenship, 1988).

With our nation's economic competitiveness sagging and

our productivity levels not keeping pace with our

international competitors, employers and policy makers have

called for changes and improvements in how our schools

prepare students (PEI Quarterly, 1991). In multiple

surveys, employers point to inadequacies in academic skills

and work readiness among workers, including the lack of

integrity and of willingness to assume responsibility and

work cooperatively. They also point to the increasing need

for workers to be lifelong learners--a need generated by

the increasing speed with which skills become obsolete and

by the frequent changes in jobs that are typically made by

workers during their lifetimes (one in five workers leave

their jobs once every five years and younger workers even

more often).
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According to the Committee for Economic Development,

"Employers in both large and small businesses decry the

lack of preparation for work among the nation's high school

graduates. Too many students lack reading, writing, and

appropriate behavior on the job. Nor have they learned how

to learn, how to solve problems, make decisions, or set

priorities" (quoted in Carlson, 1990). This view of young

workers contributes to their poor prospects in the labor

market as employers seek to hire older, more experienced

workers, even for entry-level positions.

Yet students have correctly ascertained that there is

little if any relationship between how well they do in

school and how likely they are to get a high-skill, high-

pay job, or even a job that pays good students more than

their counterparts who do less well in school. Employers

rarely bother to check the academic credentials of young

job applicants, nor does the U.S. have an externally graded

competency assessment system keyed to the secondary school

curriculum, as do most other industrialized nations

(Bishop, 1992).

The U.S. Department of Labor Secretary's Commission on

Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) recently made a start on

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developing such a system by identifying the five

competencies that effective workers can productively use

and the three-part foundation of skills and personal

qualities that competence requires (U.S. DOL, 1991).

Other approaches to providing information on the

skills employers need include the Employment Readiness

Profile proposed by Barton (1989b) and the employability

skills portfolio being piloted in the State of Michigan

(Stemmer et al., 1992). All of these approaches are aimed

at providing both students and employers with a set of

useful, practical indicators of linkages between student

competencies and achievements and their likely performance

as workers in a changing economy.

Vocational Education and Alternative Learning Systems

For years, vocational education has been regarded as

the traditional "dumping ground" for those students who

were identified as not being suited to a curriculum of

academic, college-oriented courses. According to Douglas

(1992), the long history of competition and distrust

between the academic and vocational sectors of schools

succeeded only in embittering teachers and harming

students. Today, the emphasis is increasingly being placed

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on integrating academic (theoretical) disciplines with more

rigorous vocational (hands-on) courses for all students,

but particularly for the large number of non-college-bound

students. In the best of these programs, traditional

academic and vocational offerings are complementary, with

work activities used to help students learn English, math,

and science, for example, while the classroom experience

builds on and reinforces on-the-job learning.

A variety of innovative efforts are aimed at achieving

such an integration between academic and vocational skills,

including tech prep, cooperative education, academies,

occupationally focused schools, and occupational clusters

within schools. The 2+2 tech prep/associate degree program

is currently being implemented in a number of states (Hull

and Parnell, 1991). Tech prep links vocational education

programs offered at the secondary and postsecondary levels,

covering the last two years of high school and the first

two years of postsecondary education. The four-year program

combines a common core of learning and technical education,

built on a foundation of basic proficiency in math,

science, communications, and technology, all in an applied

setting and subject to tests of excellence. The first phase

of the program stresses career counseling and academic work

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and moves toward a more technical concentration at the

postsecondary level. The student who completes the program

earns a certificate or associate degree in a technical

field. First introduced in Indiana in 1987, currently

approximately 700 tech prep programs in 47 states allow

students to link their high school studies with studies in

both community and four-year colleges (Education Writers

Association, 1992).

Kerka (1989) examines the findings from cooperative

education as a model for school-work integration and finds

that although it appears successful for students in the

fields of engineering, business, and health, cooperative

education remains a marginal program, lacking the scope,

funding, and impact it needs to serve as a vehicle for

workplace transformation. Grubb (1992) looks at three

approaches that attempt to reshape both the academic and

vocational components of the high school: academies,

occupationally focused schools, and occupational clusters.

Academies usually operate as schools-within-schools,

existing in many occupational areas, and maintaining close

relationships with businesses related to the core

occupational area.
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Occupationally focused schools are usually magnet or

focus schools with clear missions, separate organization,

and social contracts that indicate the responsibilities of

teachers, students, and parents. Every student in an

occupational cluster chooses among clusters within a school

rather than among schools. In each case, the traditional

division between academic and vocational subjects has been

bridged.

The general consensus seems to be that vocational

education in this country is at a crossroads. Major

restructuring is necessary to meet the future economic,

social, and technological needs of the U.S., including a

new vision of vocational education as an integrated and

interrelated part of the overall education program for all

students (Daggett, 1990). Achieving this goal will not be

easy, given the years of historical distance between

academic and vocational educators. Based on current

information, however, the momentum seems to be growing for

closer integration of academic and vocational skills for

the benefit of all students.

Electronic Program Management

Sloan School of Management (2003) states that the

rapid rate of Internet penetration throughout the world,

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coupled with dramatic advances in uses of information

technology in business and industry, is creating an

extensive literature on various aspects of ‘e Business’ and

‘e-Commerce’ as well as a special interest in ‘e-

Readiness’ both here and overseas. Recent studies showing

the increasing knowledge intensity of economic activities

in almost all of the industrial countries contributed to an

accelerated interest in e-venues for growth in the

developing countries. National and international

institutions alike appear to be focusing on the e-

potentials for growth in private as well as public sectors,

and almost every developing country is now mounting a

national information technology (IT) development plan. And

preparations for the forthcoming World Summit on

Information Society (WSIS) planned for 2003 and 2004 are

placing IT-related issues at the center for global politics.

Underlying these trends is an implicit expectation

that successful e-Business and e-

Commerce (however redefined) can take place if, and only

if, emergent initiatives are built on robust foundations of

readiness. However, the notion of e-Readiness means

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different things to different people, in different

contexts, and for different purposes.

As a result, a large gap exists between ideas and

concepts, on the one hand, and practical applications and

implications, on the other. Gaps also exist between new

expectations and capabilities in place. Investors as well

as policy makers would be well served by the availability

of tools to reduce ambiguity about decision and choices in

this general domain. Much of what we know about e-Readiness

– in theory and in practice – comes from a range of studies

that provide a view of past performance, current

assessment, and future expectations. Jointly, they reflect

on the characteristic features of ‘first generation of e-

Readiness assessment’. This paper reviews these studies,

identifies central tendencies and selectivity features, and

proposes an approach that, we believe, provides the basis

for the next generation of e-Readiness – for research and

policy, assessments as well as realities.

Helping youth make informed choices about what they

want to do as adults is the root of why preparatory

experiences are so essential. Assisting youth to negotiate

the transition from school to employment and further

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education means, in part, preparing them to adjust to the

workplace and the performance of work. In a major sense,

what happens during the preparatory (work readiness) stage

of career development can significantly affect the

transition to employment of the young person. A stable,

smooth, and supportive transition to employment can reduce

the problems of unemployment and productivity that

sometimes plague young workers, particularly those with

disabilities.

With all the related literature and studies presented

here, it can be concluded that Higher Education

Institutions has great responsibility in forming and

preparing students develop competencies while in their

premises. The moment students step out of the school

campus after graduation, the million dollar question is,

are they prepared enough to face the challenges and

realities of the outside world? Have they acquired

competencies which would serve as their shield and armor in

facing the real battle of life outside the four walls of

the classroom?
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Theoretical Framework

The study was anchored on themes related the

development of student competencies.

As Maslow (Feist, 2003) has pointed out, people

possess a desire to know, to solve mysteries, to understand

and to be curious. He also predicted that self-actualizing

people would have high levels of self-fulfillment and self-

acceptance. The Maslow’s hierarchy of needs says that

people who have reached self-actualization become fully

human and fully use their cognitive potentials. The need

to know is important in it and is not specifically related

to the satisfaction of another need. Knowledge brings with

it the desire to know more, to theorize, to test hypothesis

or to find out how something works just for the

satisfaction of knowing (Maslow, 2003).

Maslow further explained that self-actualizing people

extend their frame of reference far beyond self. They are

concerned with external problems and adopt a solid

philosophical and ethical basis for handling these

problems. Watson et al (1996) noted that technology itself

cannot automatically release its potential; only teachers

who have mastered the students’ learning patterns are aware

of the condition under which this new technology can play

its role efficiently.

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Conceptual Framework

The conceptual model of the study (Fig.1) is based on

the output of the practicum program of the business and

computer studies, in relation to instructions,

methodologies, facilities of the school, and the

competencies developed to all students in both technical

and soft skills. The framework assumes that there are

factors affecting in the development of such skills,

technical know-how of students on how to manipulate and

operate a computer and a software as well as non-technical

skills or the soft skills such as English proficiency,

inter and intra personal relationship skills.

The Business and Computer Studies program seeks to

produce competent and well rounded Isabelan who demonstrate

their competencies in the workplace upon deployment as part

of their Industry Immersion program. One of the goals of

the program is to assist individuals to become self-

directing and self-motivating as they get along with other

people in the workplace.

Because they are being exposed to the actual world of

work, they are constantly learning. This can be attested

through the Integration classes held twice a week with the

Practicum teacher. The curriculum for Information

Technology (BSIT), Associate in Computer Technology (ACT),

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Business Administration (BSBA) and Certificate in

Accounting (CIA) is designed to include critical thinking

as an integral component of the instructional strategies.

The intent is for the students to develop their

competence and self-confidence in meeting those standards

required by the industry through critical thinking,

technical know-how, and the sharing of ideas and

perspectives. Classes of the program are expected to have

designated opportunities for students to practice

reflective thinking, develop skills and competence and

expression by relating the content of classroom discussions

and dialogue to their personal paradigms and then

constructing new knowledge and insight from the interchange

of concepts. Reflections provide an opportunity for

students to express their interpretations and newly

constructed knowledge in written form and to correlate this

new knowledge to the standards and competencies. Students

are expected to continually improve and learn through the

experience.
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Student Industry Needs

Competencies
Problem Solver
Adaptability Technical
Skills/Computer
Attitude Operation
Human Relations
Punctuality Foreign language
Business Management
Quality of Work Excellent
Communications Skills-
oral and written
Information Management

Figure 1

Conceptual Model of the Student

Competencies and Industry Needs

Faculty believes that through continuous reflection

about the course work and field experiences of practicum

students, they can be prepared to become life-long

reflective practitioners who seek to improve their skills

and knowledge and grow as professionals.

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Reflective thinking is made up of many parts and

reflects the individual desire to engage in inquiry and

aggressively seek self-awareness, self-knowledge, and new

insights into the world of professional practice.

There are important terms used in the study and they

are either defined or explained in terms of their

operational use as stipulated in the conceptual model.

Student Competencies

These are the skills learned by the students from

school, training, seminars, and the likes in preparation of

sending them to the industry immersion / exposure.

Adaptability - refers to the ability of students to

learn the job requirements quickly, to makes things in the

workplace as expected, does more than the routine work,

remaining calm and poised at all times, and making

suggestions or new strategies and methods to facilitate the

student practicumer’s efficiency and productivity.

Attitude refers to the behavior of students in

accepting challenges in the specific task assignment given

to them. Having the initiative to work without asking to

do so.
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Punctuality refers to students performance in the

workplace such as attendance and tardiness. It measures if

students does not missed any single day without valid

reasons to be absent in their practicum office.

Quality of Work refers to the quality of output

students had in the duration of their practicum program.

It refers to the thoroughness and accuracy of their work

and if this is completed as instructed.

Industry’s Desired Competencies

Problem Solver- a thinker who focuses on the problem

as stated and tries to synthesize information and knowledge

to achieve a solution.

Technical/Computer Skills- similar with the technical

know-how of the students as stated in the actual

competencies, technical skills here refers to the required

ability of students in manipulating office machines as

well as the use of productivity tools and programming

software.

Human Relations – it covers all types of interactions

among people, their conflicts, cooperative efforts, and

group relationships. It emphasize the influence of

peoples’ beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors which sometimes

 33

cause interpersonal conflict in their personal lives and in

work related situations.

Foreign Language – aside from the English as the

second language, the knowledge of speaking another foreign

language is a competitive edge and is being required by

some of the international companies today.

Business Management – a business principles and

processes can be decomposed into several sub-processes

which have their own attributes, but also contribute to

achieving the goal of the super-process. The analysis of

business processes typically includes the mapping of

processes and sub-processes down to activity level.

Excellent Communication Skills – this refers not only

to English proficiency but the ability to compose/write a

clear and logically organized business correspondence. One

of the most common causes of work-related conflict is lack

of communication between co-workers. Because good

communication skills are essential in just about any

workplace.

Information Management- the scope of the information

management function may vary between organizations. As a

minimum, it will usually include the origination or

acquisition of data, its storage in databases, its

manipulation or processing to produce new (value added)

 34

data and reports via application programs, and the

transmission (communication) of the data or resulting

reports.

Assumptions

In view of the preceding flow conceptualization, the

students actual competencies gained, the industry’s desired

competencies, and the factors affecting in meeting

industry’s standards, the study had worked on the following

assumptions:

1. The Business and Computer Studies Program provides

opportunity for students to develop and hone their

skills and talents through the practicum program.

2. Teachers use appropriate teaching strategies to

motivate the students in their studies.

3. Teaching style and strategies greatly affect

students’ learning.

4. The factors affecting the development of students

potential can be quantitatively determined.

Hypotheses of the Study

The following are the hypotheses of the study:

1. There are personal factors associated with the

performance of the students in the workplace.

 35

2. The actual competencies of students are congruent

with the desired competencies of industries

Definition of Terms

There are important terms used in the study and they

are either defined or explained in terms of their

operational use for this study.

Performance refers to the ability of student

practicumer to work on the task given to them in the

workplace.

Workplace is the place or office where practicumers

work and deal with other practitioners/office professionals.

Practicum Program is a course taken by the students

upon the completion of all academic requirements. This is

also refers to Industry Immersion.

Technical Know-How refers to the ability of students

manipulate / operate machine as well as the productivity

and programming softwares.

Soft-Skills refer to the competencies developed or

produced as an output of the practicum program. These are,

inter and intra relationship, language proficiency, human

relations and work ethics.

Work Ethics refers to the behavior / attitudes of

student practicumer as exhibited in the workplace.

 36

Work Habit- a pattern of behavior which we have

learned. (The definition differentiates habits from

"instincts," which were acquired without learning.) Habits

exist in the various realms of our life: physical (as a

repeated action), mental (as a way of thinking), and

emotional (as a tendency to respond with the same emotion

when a situation recurs).

Problem Solver- a thinker who focuses on the problem

as stated and tries to synthesize information and knowledge

to achieve a solution.

Human Relations- refers to fitting people into work

situations so as to motivate them to work together

harmoniously. The process of fitting together should

achieve higher levels of productivity for the organization,

while also bringing employees economic, psychological, and

social satisfaction.

CHAPTER III
 37

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the methods and procedures

followed in the conduct of the study. This includes the

research design used, instrument and data collection and

the statistical analysis of the data.

Research Design

The descriptive research design was used in this

study. The descriptive design was employed in the

assessment and analysis of students evaluation as rated by

their practicum company. The design was helpful in

determining the level of competence of students as they

performed in the workplace for actual business work.

Respondents of the Study

The target population of the study consists of the

graduating students from BSIT, BSBA, ACT, and CIA of the

Business and Computer Studies Program at Santa Isabel

College during the first semester of the academic year

2007-2008.

Instrument and Data Collection

A structured appraisal/performance report was used for

data collection. The items in the instrument included the

 38

four KRA’s namely, adaptability, attitude, punctuality and

quality of work.

The adaptability KRA includes five indicators, learns

job requirements quickly, makes expected progress, does

more than routine work, remains calm and poised at all

time, and makes suggestions and think new methods.

The punctuality KRA includes seven indicators, has a

great interest in job, makes great efforts to progress, is

enthusiastic, accept suggestion and supervision, is

cooperative, works well without constant supervision, and

complies with office rules.

The attendance KRA includes three indicators, never

misses a day without work except for sickness, is punctual,

and observes break periods properly. The quality of work

KRA includes three indicators, works with thoroughness and

accuracy, performs tasks rapidly but accurately, and

completed work as instructed.

Statistical Analysis

The descriptive statistics such as the mean,

percentages and ranks were used in the profiling of

respondents. To test congruence of students competencies

with industry competency needs, the Pearson R was used.

 39

Profile of the Respondents

Table 1 presents the profile of the respondents, 33

students from different majors composed the population of

this research. 8 students from the Bachelor of Science in

Business Administration, 3 students from the Bachelor of

Science in Information Technology, 7 students from the

Certificate in Accounting Program (evening class), and 15

students from the Associate in Computer Technology (evening

class).

The BSBA group got 24.24 percent, the BSIT got 9.09,

the CIA group got 21.21 while the ACT group got the highest

percentage of 45.45

TABLE 1

Profile of Practicumers-First Sem_SY 2007-2008

COURSE & YEAR NUMBER OF PERCENTAGE

STUDENTS
 40

BSBA 4TH YEAR 8 24.24 %

BSIT 4TH YEAR 3 9.09 %

CIA 2ND YEAR 7 21.21 %

ACT 2ND YEAR 15 45.45 %

Total Number of ------- 100 %

Students 33

Eight students or 24.24% came from the BSBA goup,

three or 9.09% from the BSIT group, seven or 21.21% from

the Certificate in Accountancy group, and fifteen or 45.45%

came from the ACT group.

Table 2

Students Performance After the Practicum Program

BS in Business Rating Rank Descriptive

Administration Remarks
 41

Quality of Work 92.25 4 Very Satisfactory

Adaptability 93.4 3 Very Satisfactory

Attitude 96.33 2 Outstanding

Punctuality 98.33 1 Outstanding

95.08 Outstanding
Ave. Rating
BS in Information
Technology

Adaptability 90.5 3 Very Satisfactory

Attitude 92.4 4 Very Satisfactory

Punctuality 96.0 1.5 Outstanding

Quality of Work 96.0 1.5 Outstanding

Ave. Rating 93.73 Very Satisfactory

Associate in Computer
Technology (2 years)

Adaptability 90.25 3 Very Satisfactory

Attitude 91.0 4 Very Satisfactory

Punctuality 96.0 1.5 Outstanding

Quality of Work 96.0 1.5 Outstanding

Ave. Rating 93.58 Very Satisfactory

Certificate in Descriptive
Accountancy (2 years) Rating Rank Remarks

Adaptability 89.75 4 Very Satisfactory

Attitude 91.6 3 Very Satisfactory

Punctuality 95.67 2 Outstanding

Quality of Work 97.0 1 Outstanding

Ave. Rating 93.26 Very Satisfactory

 42

Table 2 shows the specific KRA rating per program and

per course. The three programs such as Certificate in

Accountancy, Associate in Computer Technology and BS

Information Technology shared the same descriptive mark of

Very Satisfactory while the BS in Business Management got

the highest remark of outstanding rating.

TABLE 3

Student’s Rating on Key Result Area along Adaptability

Indicators
Learns
Course & Year job Makes expected Does more than Makes suggestions Gen.

quickly progress routine work think new methods Average

BCS(33)
 43

BSBA (8) 95 94 95 85 92.25

BSIT (3) 96 89 90 87 90.5

CIA (7) 90 91 92 86 89.75

ACT (15) 92 89 95 85 90.25

Total Average 93.25 90.75 93 85.75 90.69

Table 3 shows the performance rating of students with

their respective practicum companies. The indicator used

is “adaptability”. It measures students performance,

adaptability in the workplace setting. The BSBA group got

the highest average of 92.25, followed by the BSIT group

who got 90.5. The two year course ACT group got 90.25

while the CIA group got 89.75. The total average weight of

90.69 indicates that this batch easily adapt themselves to

the environment of the actual work setting.

Table 4 shows the result of the evaluation on Attitude

as the indicator. The BSBA group got 93.4% followed by BSIT

group who got 92.4%. The CIA this time got 91.6% compare

to the ACT group who got 91%.

 44

TABLE 4

Student’s Rating on Key Results Area along Attitude

Indicators
Course & has a is accept
Year great makes great enthusiastic suggestion works well Gen
effort to w/o
interest progress and supervision constant Average

supervision

BCS(33)

BSBA (8) 93 94 95 95 90 93.4

BSIT (3) 96 89 90 94 93 92.4

CIA (7) 90 91 92 96 89 91.6

ACT (15) 88 89 95 95 88 91

Total
Average 91.75 90.75 93 95 90 92.1

TABLE 5

Student’s Rating on Key Results Area along Punctuality

Indicators
 45

Course & Year never misses observes Gen

a day except is punctual break period Average
for sickness
BCS(33)

BSBA (8) 98 96 95 96.33

BSIT (3) 97 95 96 96.00

CIA (7) 98 95 94 95.67

ACT (15) 96 96 96 96.00

Total Average 97.25 95.5 95.25 96.00

Table 5 shows the general average of the four groups

with Punctuality as the indicator. The BSBA group still in

the lead with 96.33%. The BSIT and ACT group however got

the average of 96.0% respectively. The CIA group got 95.67

which is still above average performance.

TABLE 6
Student’s Rating on Key Results Area along Quality of Work

Indicators
Course & Year work with thorough- performs tasks completed Gen
ness and rapidly but work as Average
 46

accuracy accurately instructed

BCS(33)

BSBA (8) 98 99 98 98.33

BSIT (3) 97 95 96 96.00

CIA (7) 98 95 98 97.00

ACT (15) 96 96 96 96.00

Total Average 97.25 96.25 97 96.83

Table 6 shows the summary of evaluation in which the

quality of work was used as indicator. The BSBA group got

98.33%, followed by the CIA group who got 97.0%. The BSIT

and ACT group however got 96.0% respectively.

Table 7
Summary Distribution of Key Results Area per Major

KRA's
Course & Year Adaptability Attitude Punctuality Quality of Work
 47

BSBA (8) 92.25 93.4 96.33 98.33

BSIT (3) 90.5 92.4 96 96

CIA (7) 89.75 91.6 95.67 97

ACT (15) 90.25 91 96 96

Total Average 90.69 92.10 96.00 96.83

BCS (33)
Gen Average 93.91
Descriptive Very Satisfactory

Table 7 shows summary of the four KRA’s per major such

as Adaptability, Attitude, Punctuality, and Quality of

Work. The BSBA, BSIT, CIA, and ACT group got an average

score of 93.91 which has a remark of Very Satisfactory .

Statistical Treatment Used

The following statistical treatments were used in this

study.
 48

1. Percentage was used to get the proportion of students

in relation to their performance in Office Practicum.

2. Mean was used to get the average of scores of the

students who underwent the Practicum Program.

3. Pearson’s R was used to test relationship of the

independent; intervening variables with the dependent

variables.

Table 8

Relationship of Key Results Area with Practicum

Program Performance of Students
 49

Table 8 shows the relationship of performance

indicators being used in the appraisal instrument for

student trainee. There was a very strong relationship with

their attitude towards their adaptability to the work

environment. This only means that whatever habit and

values they developed in the school, they tend to bring

these practices outside. A strong relationship with

adaptability towards quality of work was also evident,

similar with attitude and punctuality. The quality of

their performance is totally dependent on their

adaptability and flexibility. This depends on what kind of

preparation do they have while in the school. However, the

indicators punctuality and quality of work registered

moderate correlations. This only shows aside from the

values the students should develop, a certain skills and

knowledge should also be enhanced side by side with the

values being integrated in the curriculum.

 50

KRA’s used in the Appraisal r-value Interpretation

Form

Adaptability vs 0.750 Strong Relationship

Quality of Work

Punctuality vs 0.491 Moderate

Quality of Work

Attitude vs
Adaptability 0.832 Very Strong

Attitude vs 0.707 Strong Relationship

Punctuality

Attitude vs Quality 0.73 Strong Relationship

of Work
 51

Chapter IV

DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

The data presentation and analyses of findings follow

the order of presentation of the specific questions posed

in the study.

Students Performance after the Practicum Program

Table 2 shows the rating students got in their

practicum exposure. The Key Results Area used were all the

same to the four courses as the respondents of the study.

The following KRA were Adaptability, Attitude, Punctuality,

and Quality of Work. The group of the Business Program got

an average rating of 95.08 which has an Outstanding

descriptive remark.

The group of Information Technology(BSIT) registered

an average rating of 93.73 which has a Very Satisfactory

remark. The Associate in Computer Technology (ACT) group

got 93.58 which is also a Very Satisfactory while the

Certificate in Accountancy (CIA) group got 93.26 which is

also Very Satisfactory.

 52

Table 3: Student’s Rating along Adaptability

Table 3 presents KRA # 1 which is “Adaptability”. The

BSBA group got the highest evaluation rating of 92.25. It

only shows that this group is more adaptable and flexible

in the workplace, considering their years of preparation

and study. The BSIT group got 90.5, followed by the ACT

group, 90.25, and CIA, 89.75. The result on this KRA also

shows that the three group of practicumers were also

flexible in terms of accepting challenges in the workplace.

However, table 2 shows also the weakest area of our

practicumer in terms of making suggestions or new ways /

methods on how to make work better, faster, and efficient.

They may have the idea sometime but they are afraid of

expressing this since they do not know how to express this

accordingly using English language as their medium of

conversation. This is one of the reasons why lack

initiative sometime. This was observed and validated

through the integration sessions that we had.

 53

Table 4: Student’s Rating along Attitude

Table 4 shows the “Attitude” as the 2nd KRA. The BSBA

group got the highest rating of 93.4, followed by the BSIT

group of 92.4, CAI, 91.6, and ACT who got 91. The

difference on this KRA is very minimal. It proves that

Isabelan practicumers are founded with the Vincentian

values and it flourishes as they go out for industry

exposure.

Table 5: Student’s Rating along Punctuality

Table 5 presents KRA # 3 which is “Punctuality”. The

rating shows very minimal difference from 95.67 to 96.33.

The group of practicumers for this semester shows

punctuality in reporting to their respective practicum

company/offices.

Table 6: Student’s Rating along Quality of Work

Table 6 presents KRA # 4 which is “Quality of Work”.

This KRA measures the quality of their performance in their

respective offices. With all the KRA’s, this one got the

highest rating so far, same as true to all group of

practicumers. The ratings of the four group ranges from

 54

96-98 which is very high. This only shows that our

practicumers work with thoroughness and accuracy and

performs tasks rapidly but accurately as work has been

completed and as per instructed.

Table 7: Summary distribution of the four KRA’s per group

Table 7 shows the summary distribution of the results

per major. It presents the summary ratings of the four

KRA’s per major namely, adaptability, attitude,

punctuality, and quality of work. Surprisingly, the CIA

group landed the second placer with the over all rating of

97. The BSBA group consistently the top and first placer

with an average rating of 98.33. The BSIT and ACT groups

shared the third placer with an average ratings of 96 for

both of them. The general average of the four groups is

93.91 which is very satisfactory in terms of the different

indicators presented in the four KRA’s.

 55

Conclusion

Even with the high rating/evaluation they’ve got from

their practicum company, still, our instrument being used

here should be validated with the actual industry needs and

or required skills they are looking for fresh graduates.

As clearly defined in Figure 1, conceptual framework,

the following are the skills being required in the industry

as of today based on the latest survey on the 2007 National

Human Resource Conference. The following skills were,

problem solver, technical know-how, skills in human

relations, computer literate, knowledge of foreign

language, business management skills, and excellent

communication skills both oral and written.

In comparison with the instruments currently used by

the program, those were present except for additional

foreign language skills aside from English. Foreign

language offering as part of the curriculum would probably

be an advantage. Also, communication skills should be

given an importance since all the groups were not that

 56

competitive with the Adaptability KRA, this is where they

got the lowest rating since they cannot make or think any

suggestion based on the feedback of their supervisor (see

Table 7). Having validated this, the author discovered

that the practicumers has ideas in minds, unfortunately,

they are afraid of saying this verbally if they are

required to speak in English. This is based on the

author’s conference with them in one of the integration

session or focus group discussion.

The findings shows that our practicumers given the

opportunity lo learn has the potential to compete. This has

been consistently shown in evaluations and feedback from

their practicum coordinators. Our edge among other schools

is the Vincentian Spirituality that we are integrating in

our curriculum. Proper blending of academics and activities

as well as values integration has been proven effective

with their output and performance in the practicum

workplace.
 57

Recommendations

In light with the findings of the practicum evaluation

of the students who were deployed last semester of SY 2007-

2008, and, the latest survey of the 2007 National Human

Resource Conference, the author recommended the following;

1. Strengthen/revised the present curriculum both

for Business and Computer Studies to match

industry needs.

2. More exposure to industry and actual practices.

3. Increase cross-discipline training across majors

and across subfields within majors.

4. Increase integration of various areas of business

such as marketing, finance, human resource and

information technology.

5. Develop applied learning/internships/field

projects through partnerships with private

industry/linkages.

6. Field projects and practicum provide students

with the opportunity to apply their learning in a

controlled environment where faculty and staff

can provide guidance and support.

 58

7. Intensify English subjects in all majors to

develop students competitiveness in expressing

their ideas/thoughts effectively.