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NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE

School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

For most students graduating high school, the prospect of

entering college is seen as a new and exciting experience. It’s

the first time they are away from home, living away from their

parents. It’s an opportunity to meet new people and make new

friends. It is leaving the comforts of high school behind for a

whole new world.

For some students however, the process can be extremely

stressful and overwhelming sometimes. The process of choosing a

college major in education can be very convoluted. It is a cause

of great anxiety, because for most it will likely be one of the

most important life decisions they make (Ramirez & Dizon, 2014).

They may sometimes consider the people and the information

they received within their environment. There are several

factors that may affect the decision of students and parents,

where it can be a good source of insight for private higher


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

2
education institutions to offer quality services that will suit

to the needs, expectations and demands of the community.

Furthermore, understanding what factors are used to decide

a career is comparable to what is used to decide and academic

major as well. Since choosing an academic major is usually the

first step in setting an individual on a career path, the

process of deciding needs to be investigated directly. Most

students choose a major when they choose an institution, it may

seem to some that this is too early to make an informed decision

about what to study over the course of one’s college career, but

it is indicative of the process most institutions follow.

Certain factors that may hold different weight are the

reputation of the college, location, cost, and student

socioeconomic status (Yazici & Yazici, 2010). Additionally

interest in the subject, potential job opportunities, and

influence from parents and teachers has also been found as

influential factors (Malgwi, Howe, & Burnaby, 2005).

Thus, this study aimed to determine the factors that

influence the Teacher Education students’ choice of

specialization and wished to identify the most influential.


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

3
Theoretical and Conceptual Framework

According to Holland’s Theory of Career Choice (Holland,

1996), choosing a career or education program that fits

individual personality is a vital step toward career well-being

and success–job satisfaction, good grades, and graduating on

time.

This is one of the most widely researched and applied

theories of career development. Based on the premise that

personality factors underlie career choices, his theory

postulates that people project self-and world-of-work views onto

occupational titles and make career decisions that satisfy their

preferred personal orientations. The theory incorporates several

constructs from personality psychology, vocational behavior, and

social psychology, including self-perception theory and social

stereotyping (Jones, 2018).

In line with this theory, the researchers believe that

students’ choice of specialization is determined by various

factors. Based on an individual’s personality pattern and the

pattern of the environment, some outcomes of such a pairing can,

in principle, be forecast using knowledge of personality types

and environmental models. Such outcome includes choice of field


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

4
of specialization that consequently will become their line of

work or career.

This theory further posits that people have unique

characteristics and that they tend to consider personal and

environmental factors in making judgment and choices. Thus, they

have greater satisfaction when they can work in a particular

field of specialization matched to the characteristics they

hold.

This study was conducted to find out the underlying factors

behind the Teacher Education students’ choice of specialization.

It was aimed to further discuss the strongest driving force

behind that particular choice. The independent variables that

were considered were the sex and the parents’ educational

attainment whereas the factors influencing their choice of

specialization served as the dependent variable.

Independent Variables Dependent Variables

Factors influencing the


Sex choice of field of
specialization among
Parents’ Educational Teacher Education Students
Attainment

Figure 1. Paradigm of the Study


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

5
Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to determine the factors that influence

freshmen BSEd students’ choice of the field of specialization.

Specifically, this study sought to answer to the following

questions:

1. Which factors influence the students’ choice of field of

specialization when they are taken as a whole and when they are

classified according to sex and parents’ educational attainment?

2. Is there significant difference on the factors that influence

the students’ choice of field of specialization when classified

as to sex and parent’s educational attainment?

Hypothesis

Based on the questions raised, the following null hypothesis

was formulated:

There is no significant difference on the factors that

influence the students’ choice of field of specialization when

they are classified as to sex and parent’s educational

attainment.

Significance of the Study

This study has bearings to the following:


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

6
College/University Administrators the information gathered

in this study may gave insight to the college/university

administrators those factors that students perceive to be

influential in the college selection process. They could use

this knowledge to address the concerns of students when they try

to accommodate such students.

DepEd Teachers. The findings of the study may be

beneficial to the DepEd Teachers because it can give knowledge

on how they assist the interest of the high school students in

choosing a field of specialization when they enter the college.

Parents. Parents of high school students may also be able

to use the results of this study by reviewing this data, parents

may convince their children to have interest in the subject in

which the Teacher Education Department of NIPSC Estancia offered

such as Mathematics, Filipino, Social Science, and English.

Students. Students of high school may know if what field of

specialization they take that suit within their inclination.

Researchers. The results of this study made them aware of

the factors influencing the choice of majors among freshmen BSEd

students.
NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

7
Future Researchers. The findings of this study served as an

additional knowledge to the future researcher regarding the

factors influencing the choice of field of specialization among

the Teacher Education Students.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This descriptive study was conducted to determine the

factors that influence the choice of field of specialization

among BSEd students.

The respondents of this study were all the freshmen BSEd

students of Teacher Education Department of NIPSC Estancia,

Iloilo, AY 2018-2019 and were classified according to sex and

their parent’s educational attainment.

The research instrument used in this study was the

validated checklist. The validated checklist served as the basis

about the factors that influence the choice of field of

specialization among Teacher Education Students.

The researchers’ made questionnaire was used to gather the

needed data. The instrument was subjected to validation and

reliability. The questionnaire was administered personally by

the researchers. Finally, the data gathered from the respondents


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

8
were subjected to statistical treatment utilizing the frequency

counts, percentage, One-way ANNOVA, and mean.

Definition of Terms

For the purpose of classification, the following terms were

defined operationally and conceptually:

Choice is the act of choosing: the act of picking or

deciding between two or more possibilities (Merriam-Webster

Dictionary, 2018).

In this study, this refers to the choice of field of

specialization among BSEd students.

Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSED) is designed to meet

the needs of professional teachers who can teach in one of the

different learning areas in secondary like, Mathematics,

Physical Science, English, Filipino and others (CHED Memorandum,

2017).

In this study, it refers to the program in NIPSC that

offers different field of specialization such as; Mathematics,

English, Filipino and Social Science.

Educational Attainment is the achievement of one’s goal in

learning (Bandojo, et al, 2013).


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

9
In this study, it refers to the highest educational level

attained by the respondent’s parents categorized as elementary,

secondary, and college level.

Factor something that helps produce or influence a result:

one of the things that cause something to happen (Merriam-

Webster Dictionary, 2018).

In this study, this refers to the factors that influence

the choice of field of specialization among BSEd students.

Freshmen are the students in the first year of high school

or college (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2018).

In this study, this refers to the freshmen BSEd students of

Teacher Education Students of NIPSC, Estancia, during the AY.

2018-2019.

Influence is the power to change or affect someone or

something: the power to cause changes without directly forcing

them to happen (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2018).

In this study, this refers to the influence of the

field of specialization among BSEd students.


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

10
Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College (NIPSC) is the

state college situated in Estancia, Iloilo established under

Blg. 500 on June 10, 1983 (Temporosa, NIPSC Journal, 1996).

In this study, this refers to the educational institution

of the BSEd students.

Sex is either of the two major forms of individuals that

occur in many species and that are distinguished respectively as

female or male especially on the basis of their reproductive

organs and structures (Merriam- Webster Dictionary, 2018).

In this study, it refers to the stage of being male or

female of the respondents.

Specialization is the limiting of one’s study or work to

one particular area, or a particular area of knowledge

(Cambridge University Press, 2019).

In this study, this refers to the major of the BSEd

students of Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College.

Student is a person who attends a school, college, or

university (Merriam- Webster Dictionary, 2018).


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

11
In this study, this refers to the freshmen students taking

up Bachelor of Secondary Education and the respondents of the

study.

Teacher Education Department provides a wide range of

programs to support the interests of prospective and practicing

professionals at the undergraduate, graduate and Doctoral levels

(Cambridge University Press, 2018).

In this study, this refers to the Teacher Education

Department of NIPSC Main Campus, Estancia, Iloilo where the

respondents are currently enrolled.


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

12
CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Factors Affecting Selection of Specialization

Specialization selection (Sarwar, 2015) is a very complex

task as it takes into account multiple considerations. These

considerations or determinants that relates to student’s choice

of specialization are somewhat overlapping. Students are

affected by their personal goals, their aptitude level and most

importantly their interest. On the other hand, the academic part

is also very important which includes the quality of course

content, difficulty level of the subject and the workload. Some

other dimensions are related to future which may include

career development and employment opportunities. But in the end,

students do not take the decision regarding choice of their

specialization selection alone; they are normally affected by

the advice of their parents, friends and teachers. Based on the

theory of reasoned action, a research by Downey divided the

influential factors into two broad categories that might be

overlapping and these categories are external and internal

influences. External influences include the influences that are

directly related to the specialization and career


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

13
development. These include employment opportunities, job

availability, job security, prestige of the degree and the

institution, work load and finally the influences of

other that is of friends, family and teachers. While

internal factors are the beliefs, personality and the

image of a person, although they are affected by the external

influences but they mainly represent the personal

attitude, image, interest, aptitude and influence of the others.

According to Enhanced Cognitive Engagement theory (2011),

students when allowed to choose their subjects and

specialization area freely creates motivation and a sense of

independence in which in turn surges their cognitive and

reasoning abilities, aptitude and performance. Under this

theory there are different considerations related to the

selection of specialization. These include:

Academic Consideration. The factors that come under academic

consideration are the course content quality, workload,

difficulty level of the subject, knowledge gained and the

experience and competency of the instructor. And an ideal

situation would be when all these needs of students are

fulfilled. Obviously ideal situation is not possible so the

student will choose the specialization which fulfils his/her


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

14
need to the maximum. The counselling and advising services

provided by the university is considered as the least

important factor when students are making decisions about

their specialization but different resources deployed by the

teachers and professionals to help students select and

understand their specialization is important and critical.

Personal Consideration. The effect of factors related to

personal conditions has normally larger impact on the

student’s decision making process regarding his/her

selection of specialization. Each student thinks of each

specialization field differently and makes decision about

it on the basis of his/her personal beliefs. Personal

considerations include a student’s needs and interest, his/her

mental ability level, his goals and motivations etc. The

development theories like Maslow’s theory of hierarchical

needs and Bandura’s social cognitive theory could be used

to understand how students make decisions regarding their

academics and course selection.

Social Consideration. Family, peers and other salient

individuals play an important role in the choice of

specialization of a student. Elder siblings in a particular

specialization may act as a role model and mentor for


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

15
their younger siblings and may impress them to go for that

specialization or major. Similarly, families especially

parents normally encourage or even force their children

to pursue a specific degree. Friends are also an important

influential factor; students are attracted towards those fields

in which their friends had specialized. In some cases,

students did not decide to take in a particular

specialization until his/her friend informed him that he

is going to take that specialization. Finally, the

charismatic, caring and impressive faculty; both in the

initial years of university and at the college level affect

the students’ choice of area of specialization.

Future Prospect Consideration. The market demand, job

availability & future prospect considerations include many

factors including career development, employment

opportunities, compensation, job options, job security and

occupational prestige. According to Al-Rfou [2011], the most

important factors among all considerations are the job

opportunities, job security and earning potential of the job.

All the above mentioned factors are as important and

influential as the others. For the administration of the


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

16
university, all these considerations are very important.

But they need to explore the priorities of the students and then

work on it. Using this information, the university would be

able to meet the needs of the students which will in

turn increase the enrollment which is the ultimate goal

of any institution. Another advantage of this information

is that when the needs of the students are fulfilled, this

increases students’ satisfaction which in turn increases their

engagement and comprehension of the subject which is an ultimate

goal of any teacher. If this information is properly used, it

can result in effective lectures and students’ satisfaction.

Through these studies, university administration can get

knowledge about the needs and wants of the students and their

parents and then design the course and class execution

accordingly. This would increase the retention, satisfaction

and enjoyment of the students in class. This will also help

them gain more knowledge in a good mood and atmosphere,

and this will urge them to recommend that course to the

other students which will increase enrolment which in turn

will be better for the university administration.

Furthermore, studies revealed that the academic advisors

are the under-utilized and under-considered resource that have


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

17
the least or negligible amount of influence on the student’s

specialization choice. There is a need to build a meaningful

student-advisor relationship so that the advisors reinforce the

self-concept in the students and hence boost their confidence in

making the choice of their specialization (Sarwar, 2015).

What Influences Student’s Choice of College Major Today

The choice of a college major (Bauman, 2018) is one of the

most important decisions a person makes in his life, as it

defines, to a significant extent, what happens to you in the

years to come. Of course, there is no guarantee that you are

going to follow a career presupposed by the major, but it may be

very difficult to go against the fact that you’ve spent three to

four years of your life studying something you are not going to

use. But what influences one’s choice of major these days? How

do people select their way?

Gender. Despite women constituting a majority of enrolled

students (56 percent last year), their share differs

dramatically across different disciplines. Although we hear a

lot about changing gender perceptions, they still tend to

prioritize areas where they are traditionally well-represented:

education, social services, etc., and constituting only a small


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

18
percentage in, for example, business economics, computer

science, and engineering.

Development of Technology. The rapid growth of the IT sphere

significantly changed and continued to improve the professional

landscape of the modern world. The demand for programmers,

coders, network specialists, and other accompanying vocations is

growing at almost exponential rates, and the demand still

exceeds the supply. As a result, even those who wouldn’t think

about choosing an IT-centered major just a few years ago

seriously consider it today. One of the spheres that deserves

special mention is ecommerce and Magento-based ecommerce in

particular. According to 2017 statistics, Magento developers are

on increased demand as far as currently the third-

largest ecommerce platform in the world shows extremely rapid

growth and a necessity in new skilled brains. As a result, a

growing percentage of college applicants expect this to become

their life’s work.

Passion. Ideally, the choice of a major should be based on a

combination of passion and job prospects, and a surprising

amount of would-be college students count passion as very high

on their hierarchy of priorities (especially the ones choosing a

liberal arts major).


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

19
Career Prospects. The antithesis of passion-based choice is the

level-headed approach of students who mention the profitability

of a future career as one of their primary considerations.

Needless to say, it is predominant among those pursuing jobs in

high-paying fields like medicine, engineering, computer science,

etc.

Wishes of Their Parents. Unfortunately, many people still have

no idea what they want from their lives even after they reach

the age when they are supposed to choose their major. That is

why young people so often follow the recommendations or demands

of their parents who believe that they, from the height of their

experience, know better what their offspring needs. Sometimes

this imposed choice works out, but more often than not, it

results in frustration, feelings of inadequacy and resentment

towards the parents who made a choice in the first place. It is

especially true for the cases when a college applicant has a

perfect idea of what he or she wants to study and do later in

life but not enough willpower to go against the choice of his or

her parents.

Abilities. Another item occupying an important position on the

list of things influencing the choice of a major is the innate

abilities of a student. Many people go with what they are good


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

20
at, irrespectively of any particular feeling of passion towards

a specific vocation. In the long run, factors leading college

applicants to this or that choice remain mostly unchanged,

although the rapid technological development of our time takes

its toll, as well as the growing importance attached to the idea

of following one’s passion.

Similarly, in the study conducted by Malgwi (2005), the

authors examined factors such as why students initially select

particular majors and which positive and negative factors relate

to any later changes in those choices. Results show that

interest in the subject was the most important factor for

incoming freshmen, regardless of gender. For women, the next

most influential factor was aptitude in the subject. However,

men were significantly more influenced by the major's potential

for career advancement and job opportunities and the level of

compensation in the field. Students appeared to be driven to

change their major because of positive factors about the new

major, rather than negative factors related to the old major.

While on the study conducted by Dapiawen (2008), it was

found out that the primary reason of the 187 respondents

from the Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSED) and


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

21
Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED) students of

University of Baguio under the new curriculum who were

asked to rank the factors, the fields of specialization

and the reasons. From all the year levels for their

specialization is “my own decision;” the students do not

strongly look at career guidance and location of the

school as among the motivating factors; friend’s

influence, it is a difficult subject and it i s an easy

subject are not among the reasons for choosing their major

field of specialization. Overall, the Education students

had the freedom to choose their own career path as they

have not been strongly influenced by outside forces.

Finally, in the study conducted by Poldin (2015), social

influence was considered as an important factor in learning and

decision-making. They estimate peer influence on student choice

of specialization using data on undergraduate students of a

Russian university. Information about individual social ties has

been gathered from a questionnaire survey. They show that

specialization choice is significantly influenced by friends as

well as by study partners. The strongest effect is produced by

friends who are study partners and those who have similar

academic achievements. Reciprocal friendship ties have a


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

22
stronger influence on the choice than nonreciprocal ones. Also,

the decision is affected by classmates with similar academic

achievement. The results allowed the researchers to better

understand the mechanisms of peer effects in the specialization

choice.
NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

23
CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The descriptive research design was used to determine the

factors that influence the choice of field of specialization

among freshmen BSEd students of Teacher Education Department

NIPSC, Estancia.

Descriptive research is defined as a research method that

describes the characteristics of the population or phenomenon

that is being studied. This methodology focuses more on the

“what” of the research subject rather than the “why” of the

research subject (Baht, 2018).

Respondents of the Study

The respondents were all the 118 freshmen BSEd students of

NIPSC Teacher Education Department, Estancia, Iloilo during A.Y.

2018-2019.

When classified according to sex, 24(20.3%) were male and

94(79.7%) were female. In terms of educational attainment of

parent, 13(11%) were on elementary level, 67(56.8%) were on

secondary level and 38(32.2%) were on college level.


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

24
Table 1
DISTRIBUTION OF THE RESPONDENTS

CATEGORIES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE


Entire Group 118 100.0

Sex:
Male 24 20.3
Female 94 79.7

Parent’s Educational Attainment:

Elementary Level 13 11.0


Secondary Level 67 56.8
Tertiary Level 38 32.2
NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

25
Figure 1

Locale of the Study

This study was conducted at the Teacher Education Department

of Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College, Estancia, Iloilo.

It has two programs offering: Bachelor of Elementary Education

and the Bachelor of Secondary Education with majors in English,

Mathematics, Filipino, and Social Science.


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

26
Data Gathering Instruments

To gather the needed data, the researchers used a

researchers-made questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided

into two parts. Part I (1) asked for the personal information of

the respondents such as names, sex and parents’ educational

attainment. Part II (2) was used to gather data that revealed

the factors that influence the choice of field of specialization

among freshmen BSEd students of Teacher Education Department.

Validity of the checklist was established after the

finalized draft of the content was reviewed by the adviser. It

was distributed to a panel of jurors. Corrections, comments and

suggestion of jurors were integrated to the checklist with at

least 2/3 agreement.

The validated researchers-made checklist was distributed to

the 40 non-respondents students of Teacher Education Department

of NIPSC, Estancia Main Campus to test its reliability.

Instructions were given before allowing them to answer the

checklist. The answered checklist were collected, tallied, and

analyzed. With the use of Cronbach’s coefficient alpha,

reliability of the checklists was tested, wherein the result was

0.80 indicating a very high internal consistency of the items.


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

27
Data Gathering Procedures

To determine the impact of the factors influencing the

choice of field of specialization among Teacher Education

Students of NIPSC Estancia, Iloilo, the researchers secured a

request letter from the Teacher Education Department of Northern

Iloilo Polytechnic State College Estancia, Iloilo to conduct the

study among the respondents.

Upon seeking the permit from the researcher’s adviser, the

letter was approved by the Dean and Curriculum Advisers of

Teacher Education Department and forwarded to the Dean of

Teacher Education Department for the approval. Upon approval,

the researchers distributed the checklist to the respondents.

The respondents were notified through a letter, explaining the

purpose of the study, and were asked to answer the checklist.

The data gathered were tallied, computed and analyzed.

Statistical Data Analyses

The statistical tools used in this study were the

cronbach’s alpha, frequency counts and percentages, mean,

standard deviation, independent-samples t-test, and one-way

ANOVA between group analysis of variance.


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

28
Cronbach’s coefficient Alpha was used to establish the

internal consistency or reliability of the researcher’s made

instrument.

Frequency Counts and Percentages were used to present the

profile of the respondents.

Mean was used to determine the factors that influence the

choice of major among BSED students when taken as a whole.

Standard deviation was used to determine the homogeneity or

heterogeneity of the respondents.

Independent-samples t-test was used to determine the

difference on the factor in terms of peers/parents interest and

job opportunities when they are classified according to sex.

One – way ANOVA was used to determine the significant

differences of the students’ choice of major when classified

according to parents’ educational background.


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

29
CHAPTER IV

PRESENTATION, ANALYSES, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

Factors that Influence the Choice of Field of Specialization


Among the Teacher Education Students when taken as an entire
group

The factors influencing the choice of field of

specialization among Teacher Education Students when taken as an

entire group and when classified according to sex and parent’s

educational attainment were determined using mean and standard

deviation.

When taken as an entire group, results revealed that the

Peers was (M=1.96, SD= 0.51) among the factors that influence

the students’ choice of specialization and had “indirect

influence”; for the Interest the score was (M=2.90, SD= 0.62)

and described as “almost influence”; while for Job Opportunities

the score was (M=2.70, SD= 0.53) and described as “almost

influence”.

It clearly showed that the interest of the students towards

that particular field of specialization and the job

opportunities related to that field are the primary


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

30
considerations of the respondents and were considered as the

most influential among all the factors.

Personal interest refers to the students’ personal interest

in their chosen professions (Liaw, 2017). Personal interests are

learned from parents, in school, from friends, and from your

life-long experiences. Interest plays very important role in

motivating people to do the right things that they like. A very

strong and motivating interest in anything will boost students

to do it wholeheartedly. In fact, Ahmed (2014) and Almiskry

(2009) in their research articles gave great importance to the

interest of students in making choice of their career. They

noted that interest in a career is according to the pattern of

likes and dislikes of students.

On the other hand, many people desire to adopt the career

that could provide them sound foundation for better standard of

living (Cavus, 2015). Job opportunities and compensation

benefits therefore are economic considerations as well that

appeal students to choose a particular specialization.


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

31
Table 2 shows the data.

Table 2

Factors influencing the choice of field of specialization among


Teacher Education Students when taken as an entire group
CATEGORIES M SD Description

A. Peers 1.96 0.51 indirect influence

B. Interest 2.90 0.62 almost influence

C. Job Opportunities 2.70 0.53 almost influence

Note: The mean and its description are as follows; (3.51 - 4.00
- Strongly Influence); (2.51 – 3.50 - Almost Influence), (1.51 –
2.50 - Indirect Influence), (1.00 – 1.50 - Never Influence)

Table 3

Factors influencing the choice of field of specialization among


Teacher Education Students when classified as to sex and
parents’ educational attainment
CATEGORIES M SD Description

A. As to Sex

Peers
Male 2.04 0.60 Indirect Influence
Female 1.94 0.49 Indirect Influence

Interest
Male 2.85 0.78 Almost Influence
Female 2.92 0.57 Almost Influence

Job Opportunities
Male 2.66 0.53 Almost Influence
NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

32
Female 2.70 0.53 Almost Influence

B. As to Parents’ Educational Attainment

Peers
Elementary Level 2.07 0.64 Indirect Influence
Secondary Level 1.96 0.51 Indirect Influence
Tertiary Level 1.89 0.45 Indirect Influence

Interest
Elementary Level 2.81 0.75 Almost Influence
Secondary Level 2.92 0.60 Almost Influence
Tertiary Level 2.90 0.61 Almost Influence

Job Opportunities
Elementary Level 2.70 0.48 Almost Influence
Secondary Level 2.70 0.55 Almost Influence
Tertiary Level 2.70 0.51 Almost Influence

Note: The mean and its description are as follows; (3.51 - 4.00
- Strongly Influence); (2.51 – 3.50 - Almost Influence), (1.51 –
2.50 - Indirect Influence), (1.00 – 1.50 - Never Influence)

Differences in the factors that influence the choice of field of


specialization among Teacher Education Students according to
their sex

The differences in the factors influencing the choice of

field of specialization among Teacher Education Students when

they were classified according to their sex were determined

using the independent – sample t-test.

An independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare the

factors that influence the students’ choice of field of

specialization in terms of peers for male and female. There was


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

33
no significant difference in the influence of peers for both

males (M = 2.04, SD = 0.60) and females (M = 1.94, SD = 0.48; t

(116) = 0.92, p = 0.36. The magnitude of the differences in the

means (Md = 0.11, 95% CI: -0.48) was very small (eta-squared=

0.0072).

In line with the result was the study conducted by Zolitz (

2018) about an increase in the proportion of female peers

increases gender-based sorting into university/college majors.

Women who had more female peers at the start of their university

education become less likely to choose male-dominated majors. By

contrast, men who had more female peers become more likely to

choose a male-dominated major.

The author further discussed that we can attribute these

peer effects on major choice in part to differences in gender

peer effects in mathematical and non-mathematical courses: women

who have more female peers fare relatively better in non-

mathematical courses, while men benefit relatively more from

female peers in mathematical courses. These experiences suggest

that peers affect subject-specific ability and preference, which

prompts students to believe that they are better prepared for a

major popular with their own gender. The gender composition of


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

34
peers has significant and lasting effects on woman’s but not

men’s labor market outcomes. Women who had more female peers end

up in jobs where they work fewer hours and their wages grow more

slowly, although they are also marginally more satisfied.

An independent-samples t-test was also conducted to compare

the factors influence the students’ choice of field of

specialization in terms of interest for males and females. There

was no significant difference in the influence of interest for

males (M = 2.85, SD = 0.78) and females (M = 2.92, SD = 0.57;(t

(116) = -0.46), (p = 0.65). The magnitude of the differences in

the means (Md= -.07), 95% of CI: –.35 to 0.22) was very small

(eta squared = 0.001).

According to the study conducted by Flabbi (2011), sex is a

significant determinant of the field of study even after

controlling for detailed individuals characteristics: being

female increases the probability to choose Humanities and Health

and decreases the probability to choose Sciences and Social

Sciences. Ability has a larger impact on men's decisions about

the field of study than on women's decisions. Normally, each

student thinks of each specialization field differently

and makes decision about it on the basis of his/her

personal beliefs. Personal considerations include a student’s


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

35
needs and interest, his/her mental ability level, his goals and

motivations etc. Similarly, Moore and Shulock (2011) and Dietz

(2010) believe that passion drive students’ life, and tastes for

majors are a dominant factor for choosing specific majors by

students.

Finally, an independent-samples t-test was conducted to

compare the factors that influence the students’ choice of field

of specialization in terms of job opportunities for males and

females. There was no significant difference in the influence of

job opportunities for males (M = 2.67, SD = .53) and females (M

= 2.70, SD = .53; t (116) = -0.32, (p = 0.74). The magnitude of

the differences in the means (Md = -.04) 95% CI: –.28 to 0.20)

was very small (eta squared = 0.0006).

Still from the study of Flabbi (2011), he posited that the

field of study is a significant but not major variable in

explaining the earnings sex differentials; other factors -

notably, the returns on job characteristics - play a much more

important role. Choosing a given field has very different

impacts on men and women. Even Carnevale and Melton (2011)

believe that a college education is related to economic issues.

Students should know how their educational choices will affect

the rest of their adult lives, in terms of the career they will
NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

36
have and their expected earnings. Many college majors that lead

to high-paying roles are male dominated, while majors that lead

to lower-paying roles in social sciences and liberal arts tend

to be female dominated, placing men in higher-paying career

pathways, on average (Carmichael, 2017).

The p-values were greater than 0.05 alpha level of

significance in terms of peers, interest, and job opportunities.

Therefore, the researchers failed to reject the null hypothesis

that states that there are no significant differences on the

factors that influence the choice of field of specialization

when the respondents are classified as to sex.

Table 4

Differences in the factors that influencing the choice of field


of specialization among Teacher Education Students according to
their sex

Sex Mean SD MD CI t Df P Eta2

lower upper

Peers

Male 2.04 .60 .11 -.12 .34 .92 116 .36 .005

Female 1.94 .48 .11 -.16 .38


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

37
Interest

Male 2.85 .78 -.07 -.35 .22 -.46 116 .65 .001

Female 2.92 .57 -.07 -.41 .28

Job Opportunities

Male 2.66 .53 -.04 -.28 .20 -.33 116 .74 .0006

Female 2.70 .05 -.04 -.29 .21

Differences in the factors that influencing the choice of field


of specialization among Teacher Education Students according to
their parents’ educational attainment

A one-way between-groups analysis of variance was utilized

to determine the significance difference in the factors that

influence the students’ choice of field of specialization in

terms of parents’ educational attainment. Participants were

divided into three groups according to their parents’

educational attainment (Group1: elementary; Group 2: secondary;

Group 3: tertiary). Results revealed that there was no

significant difference at the p < .05 level for the three groups

in terms of peers: F (2, 115) = 0.72, p = 0.49. The actual

difference in mean scores between the groups was very small. The

effect size, calculated using eta squared, was 0.012.


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

38
According to the study of Khan (2015), high level educated

parents to an extent, have more influence on their children to

achieve and perform well in their studies and in choosing their

specialization later on. This assertion has been supported that

high level educated parents usually show interest and care in

their children’s academic performance or achievements and their

choice of subject and career while in school. This undoubtedly

leads to better performance and achievements in studies in their

particular field of specialization.

Also, when the interest of the students as one of the

factors was considered, it was found out that there was no

significant difference at the p < .05 level for the three groups

: F (2, 115) = 0.19, p = 0.83. The actual difference in mean

scores between the groups was very small. The effect size,

calculated using eta squared, was 0.00003.

In line with the result was the findings of Clutter (2010),

who subscribed to the notion that the family is the most

powerful system to which human beings can belong and that the

family is constantly fabricating the direction and choices of

one‘s individual life, as well as relentlessly feeding back

information over one‘s lifetime. Young people, who find a

healthy independence from the family during adolescence and


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

39
young adulthood, may give rise to a more confident career search

and experimentation that is needed by individuals to examine

possible occupations.

Finally, there was no significant difference as well at the

p < .05 level for the three groups when job opportunities as a

factor was considered: F (2, 115) = 0.002, p = 0.100. The actual

difference in mean scores between the groups was very small. The

effect size, calculated using eta squared, was 0.003. The p-

values were greater than 0.05 alpha level of significance in

terms of peers, interest, and job opportunities, therefore, the

researchers failed to reject the null hypothesis that states

that there are no significant differences on the factors that

influence the choice of field of specialization when the

respondents were classified as to parents’ educational

attainment.

The result simply showed that the choice of career of the

students is being influenced by some factors from the social

environment, mainly the parents as immediate family who plays an

active role in choosing the right education for their children

(Pafili & Mylonakis, 2011). It was further found out that

respondents strongly agree that they look up to their parents as


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

40
role models for their future career. Because backgrounds vary to

a large degree across families, our nation's educational system—

primary, secondary, and postsecondary—faces many unique

challenges as it commits to providing equal opportunities to all

students regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual

orientation, or origin. These factors clearly had a heavy impact

on student's educational opportunities and choices.

Table 4

Differences in the factors that influencing the choice of field


of specialization among Teacher Education Students according to
their parents’ educational attainment

CATEGORIES M SD df F p Eta2

Peers

Elementary Level 1.96 0.51 (2, 115) 0.49 0.012


0.72
Secondary Level
1.96 0.51 (2, 115) 0.72 0.49 0.012
Tertiary Level
1.96 0.51 (2,115) 0.72 0.49 0.012

Interest

Elementary Level 2.90 0.62 (2,115) 0.19 0.83 0.00003


Secondary Level 2.90 0.62 (2,115) 0.83 0.00003
0.19
Tertiary Level
2.90 0.62 (2,115) 0.19 0.83 0.00003
NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

41

Job Opportunities

Elementary Level 2.70 0.53 (2, 115) 0.00 0.10 0.003


Secondary Level
2.70 0.53 (2,115) 0.00 0.10 0.003
Tertiary Level
2.70 0.53 (2,115) 0.00 0.10 0.003
NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

42
CHAPTER V

Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation

This study was conducted to determine the factors that

influence the choice of field of specialization among Teacher

Education Students of Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College.

Specifically, the study sought to answer the following

questions:

1. Which factors influence the students’ choice of field of

specialization when they are taken as a whole and when they are

classified according to sex and parents’ educational attainment?

2. Is there any significant difference on the factors that

influence the students’ choice of field of specialization when

classified as to sex and parent’s educational attainment?

It utilized 118 out of 158 freshmen students from four

different fields of specialization of Teacher Education

Department of Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College,

Estancia, Iloilo during the academic year 2018-2019. This study

used a researchers’ made questionnaire. The statistical tools

used were Frequency Count and percentage, Chronbach’s


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

43
coefficient Alpha, Mean, Standard deviation, Independent-samples

t-test, and One-way between Groups Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).

The following were the findings of the study:

1. The factors such as peers, students’ interests and job

opportunities were the factors that influence the choice of

field of specialization among Teacher Education students. When

taken as an entire group results revealed that peers had an

“indirect influence”; while the interest and job opportunities

as factors were both described as “almost influence”.

2. Result revealed that there is no significant difference in

the factors that influence the choice of field of specialization

among Teacher Education Students when they were classified

according to sex and parents’ educational attainment.

CONCLUSIONS

From the findings of the study, the following conclusions

were drawn:

The most influential factors that influenced the choice of

field of specialization among Teacher Education Students were

their interest for that particular specialization and job


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

44
opportunities that will come along with the specialization. This

maybe because students nowadays are mostly self-supporting and

personally choose and tend to make decision considering their

personal choice. They tend not to be dictated by anyone else

especially their parents. And this showed that peers have less

participation when it comes to the respondents’ choice to enrol

in the field of specialization they like. Findings further

indicated that the students were more self-reliant rather than

seeking to peer groups’ advice when enrolling in said field of

specialization. In other words, peer group has less

participation into it.

If the parents are supportive and at the same time taking

into consideration their children’s choice, students would be

able to consider their parents’ advice together with their

interest, consequently, they would have a better perspective if

what field of specialization they will going to choose.

Furthermore, there is no significant difference in the

factors that influence the choice of specialization among

Teacher Education students when they were classified according

to sex and parents’ educational attainment. Therefore, the

researchers failed to reject the hypothesis since the p-values


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

45
for both sex and parents’ educational attainment were greater

than 0.05 alpha level of significance in terms of peers,

interest, and job opportunities.

Recommendation

In the light of the findings and conclusions, the following

recommendations were made:

College/University Administrators may provide counselling

and advising services to aid the students in making decisions

about their specialization. Academic consideration may be given

importance and it includes content quality, workload,

difficulty level of the subject, knowledge gained and the

experience and competency of the instructor. And an ideal

situation may be provided by the college/university in order for

the student to choose the specialization which fulfils his/her

needs to the maximum.

DepEd Teachers as one of the major players in the

development of students may guide them in enhancing their skills

and capabilities that could be the basis later on in choosing

their field of specialization.

Parents may try to participate in choosing of major to be

taken by their children but not in an authoritative way. Also,


NORTHERN ILOILO POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
School of Education
Teacher Education Department
Estancia, Iloilo

46
they need to support whatever major their children will be

taking as long it interests them.

Students may consider the different factors that could

affect their decision in choosing their major. They need to take

into consideration their interests and also they should consult

their parents before making their choice in taking up a major.

Future Researchers may employ other variables not utilized

in this investigation.

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