Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION
Over the last decades, modernization has greatly affected the form of entertainment
especially among young people. Many entertainment establishments such as night clubs, bars,
pubs and taverns have created unique ways to attract individuals since these establishments
provide various activities that would certainly entertain their guests, and they usually operate late
at night. Young individuals tend to explore places as such for it creates a world of adventure for
them. Thomas Vander Ven (2011), states that partying in bars is a collective activity for young
people, and for students, they work together to decide when to go out, what to do, when and how
much to drink, how long theyre going to stay out and how frequent they would visit bars. They
also help each other out and manage their partying episodes.
Everybody wants to get the most out of his/her college experience. For many, going to
school is the first real chance to get away from the parents, meet new people, explore their
intellectual potential, and yes, to party. Some college students are encouraged to engage in bar
activities by the good feedback they hear about the bar events, as well as embracing the peer
influence and curiosity about the activity. When they have a lot of friends partying and drinking
to intoxication, they feel happy, amazed, and excited because anything can happen. Hearing
dangers about partying and clubbing may sound empty to college students the fact that these
activities have been a ground for fun and enjoyment (Schulenberg 2010).
General Santos City presently has been rising economically and had been an economic
hub of Southern Mindanao. Business establishments such as bars were built to create amusement
to young ones to be able to express and enjoy themselves in a way that they want to. Activities
on bars include drinking, dancing with music and DJ or disk jockey which operates the music.

Other bars can either be a karaoke bar, acoustic bar, or gay bar. They provide different ways of
entertaining their guests and customers.
General Santos City has numerous colleges and universities. One of them is the Notre
Dame of Dadiangas University located at the heart of the city. Students have been observed to be
outgoing. Seemingly the students from Notre Dame College differ from each other by ethnicity
and the places they live. They might differ from each other in terms of personality but may
engage in activities and behaviors that similarly attract them like the other. College students, they
tend to be in the stage when they enjoy taking part of something that they want. Activities such
as bar partying have become noticeable among young people in the city. These activities tend to
tighten relationships and interactions as they respond to each other as active individuals creating
a common ground of interest.
These are the things that a researcher tries to look in. This topic has caught the interest of
the researcher for she has personally experienced bar partying, however looking into other young
peoples perception of the activity can be a venue for understanding their motivation and
responding to their needs as developing individuals. Determining the consequences of bar
partying can become a basis of intervention, if necessary.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine the reasons and consequences of college students
engagement in bar activities. Specifically, it attempts to answer the following questions:
1. What is the family background of the college students who are engaged in bar
activities?
2. What are the reasons of the respondents for engaging in bar activities in relation to;
a. Personal Aspects?
b. Social Aspects?
3. What are the respondents activities inside the bar?
4. What are the consequences of engaging in bar activities as perceived by the
respondents?
Significance of the Study
The result of the study is deemed helpful to the following:
To the Department of Sociology, data on this study serves as an additional information for
subjects like Psychology, Sociology of Deviant Behavior, Sociology of Education, Social
Institution, Urban Sociology and Sociology of Social Change and Development.
To the readers, the data gathered can help in understanding the behavior of the college
students and the reasons why they engage in bar activities. It may break some barriers among
their perceptions on the people going to bars specially students. It would also provide new
knowledge about what this ground has been providing and what things it might affect to them on
their personal and social lives.
To the future researchers, the data of the study might serve as one of the references for
future related studies that may be conducted.

To the researcher, the result of this study may help her in fulfilling the requirement of the
course and serve as a guide in her profession in the future being a sociology student. It will give
her more and a better knowledge on the rising social problems if not balanced. The researcher
learned the process of doing research and the importance of honesty when it comes to gathering
data from her subjects to come up with a factual result that would eventually help her with her
career in the near future.

Scope and Delimitation

The study focuses on sixty (60) college students of Notre Dame of Dadiangas University,
General Santos City, single, ranging the age bracket of 17-22 years. Respondents were first to
fifth year college students who were engaged in bar activities in not less than one (1) year. They
are residents of SOCSARGEN. Study variables that were considered include the respondents
family background, the reasons why they engage in bar activities, their activities inside the bars,
and the consequences of engaging in bar activities.
The results of this study do not generalize all college students who are engaging on bar
activities and partying. The results were confined to the college student respondents only.

Assumption of the Study

It is assumed that the respondents come from quite problematic familial backgrounds and
that they engage in bar activities for fun and socialization. While the prime purpose of the
respondents is to enjoy with other young people in the bar, alcohol intoxication and other vices
they got and do with peers have ill results not only to their physical health but also to their
academic performance.

Conceptual Framework
This section presents the conceptual and operational definitions of the variables that were
used in the study.
The conceptual framework has four major components the family background of the
respondents, the reasons why college students engage in bar activities in relation to personal and
social aspects, their activities inside bars, and the consequences of actively participating in bar
activities. This study was supported by the theory Social Identity Theory by Henry Tajfel
(1970) and John Turner (1980) that introduced the concept of a social identity as a way of
explaining intergroup behaviors. They proposed that people have an inbuilt tendency to
categorize themselves into one or more "ingroups", building a part of their identity on the basis
of membership of that group and enforcing boundaries with other groups. Groups offer both
identity (they tell us who we are) and self-esteem (they make us feel good about ourselves). The
theory of social identity has been the basis of the study on why college students engage in bar
activities, and will further be explained throughout the research.
Social identity theory is a persons sense of who they are based on their group
membership. Tajfel (1979) proposed that the groups (e.g. social class, family, team etc.) which
people belonged to were an important source of pride and self-esteem. Groups gives a sense of
social identity and a sense of belonging to the social world. In order to increase self-image,
people enhance the status of the group to which they belong by giving compliments to each other
and the group itself. They also increase their self-image by discriminating and holding prejudice
views against the out-group (the group they dont belong to). Therefore, this theory has a process
called social categorization where people put themselves into an in-group or out-group.
Social identity theory states that the in-group will discriminate against the out-group to enhance

their self-image. This theory has been the basis of this research since bar activities involves
group of people doing different activities at bars. Although some people enjoy themselves alone,
most college students include themselves in a group to gain more friends, to gain social
acceptance, to explore different activities with their co-groups, and to create different activities to
catch attention from the others.
The four major components of this research also provide information on the reasons and
consequences of engaging into bar activities. The family background of the respondents serves as
a data on their personal background. This guided the questions with their name, sex, age, school,
year level, daily allowance, marital status of the parents, occupation of the mother, occupation of
the father and estimated monthly income of the family. This information is primarily concern on
the social and economic factors of the respondents to better understand how the combination of
the influences and their personal background has affected their behavior. This also helped in
determining the respondents status in the community and provided help in data gathering
collection.
The center of the study are college students from Notre Dame of Dadiangas University
who are visiting bars in General Santos City. Many has been curious about what bar is, how it
looks like, whats inside the bar and what do they do inside bars. A bar is a retail business
establishment that serves alcoholic drinks such as beer, wine, liquors, and cocktails for
consumption of the premises. It is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the
night. It is generally distinguished from clubs, pubs, and taverns by the inclusion of a dance floor
and a DJ (disc jockey) booth, where a DJ plays recorded music. The music in bars is either like
bands or more commonly a mix of songs played by a DJ through a powerful public address
system or an electronic sound amplification with a microphone, amplifier, and loudspeakers

(Oxford Dictionaries, 2014). Some known bars in General Santos City are Veranda Bar, V-Bar,
Babes Bar, Freedom Rock Bar and Wave Super Club, where people enjoy drinking, dancing and
partying with the loud beats of music.
The term bar is derived from the specialized counter on which drinks are served
(Robert Greene, 1951). Patrons may sit or stand at the bar and be served by the bartender or they
may sit at tables and be served by cocktails servers. The back bar or the back portion of the bar
is a set of shelves of glasses and bottles behind that counter. In some establishment, the back bar
is elaborately decorated with woodwork, etched glass, mirrors and lights.
Party goers find bars to be an avenue of socialization and ground for enjoyment and
entertainment. College students who engage themselves in bar activities may have enjoyed
meeting and hanging out with a range of people including their close friends for they find it
rewarding on their part. According to the Theory of Selective Social Interaction, as individuals
get older they are more likely to focus on the interactions that are the most familiar and
rewarding for them and they want their interactions to be as positive as possible. So in their case,
students find bar activities rewarding for themselves as they see it as an outlet for their personal
problems, stress, burn-out, and depression from family, school and others. On the positive note,
partying is a way of expressing their happiness and satisfaction.
Moreover, reasons why college students engage in bar activities could either be an
advantage or disadvantage on their part. One of the factors that trigger their engagement is peer
pressure. Regan & Morrison (2011), suggests that a significant portion of an individuals selfconcept is formed through their peer groups. Participation and interaction is essential to fit within
these peer groups and in order for them to be socially accepted on this environment. Another
factor is sense of belongingness. It is when a person does not feel secured and welcome on their

own home that they find places in which they can find companionship where they feel accepted
and acknowledged.
As far as they feel satisfied and rewarded on this activity, they continue to go to bars
frequently. Some reasons might be on personal issues literally physical issues. They see people
going to bars as cool people because people who go to bars are well-dressed and they want to be
trendy as well. Students who have been involving themselves in partying have had higher
expectations on satisfying themselves from physical to emotional aspects, since it has been
explained earlier that students tend to look for outlets of their feelings and emotions.
Primarily, students who involve themselves in extreme partying are those who just have
learned doing it or new party goers. They are expected to be seen more often at bars especially
on weekends where they normally spend their free time with their friends. Since these activity
has basically provided a good social ground for them, the consequences has also been incautious
to them. Its true that this had been providing a super fun experiences to them, so this thought
gave them the idea of indulging more often than weekends to bar which caused them to disregard
their priorities at home and at school. Unfortunately, it caused absenteeism at school where
students receive low grade marks. Extreme parting also leads to extreme drinking where they
lose control of themselves resulting to dangerous and unexpected activities like drunk driving,
drugs, sexual interaction, and any harm such as conflicts and other catastrophes. Aside from
personal and social harm, regular visit to bars may also harm the persons physical health. Bars
do operate at night and attending late night parties regularly may harm our bodies especially it
includes drinking, smoking, and other vices.

Conceptual Paradigm
Figure 1.

Bar Activiti
Family
Activities
Inside
Background
the Bar

Review of Related Literature

A review of the relevant literature is presented
in this chapter in order to be informed about family

Reasons of Engagement in

background, personal and social reasons of the

Bar Activities

students as to why they indulge themselves in

partying, their activities inside the bar and to address

College Students

the possible consequences of this activity.

This study made used of the following previous studies for references that were used by
the researcher as reference of supportive ideas regarding the subject of her study and are closely
relevant to the study. The researcher used the available published materials in libraries and
websites that provide online articles and journals posted by different authors and researchers.
The following were the readings that were related to the topic.

Consequences
of many
There are as many kinds of student as there are individuals
in the world. While
in older
Bar and
Activities
students may be attending college straight from high school,Engaging
others may be
returning to
school. While some students may like to have many friends and enjoy a party lifestyle, others
may prefer to get excellent grades and study almost all the time. The kind of student you are

10

depends on the kind of person you are. For many, your time at college is a time of definition, of
finding out what kind of person you are, and learning to live with more independence and
responsibility for yourself than you ever have before. Fortunately, colleges are aware of this and
are designed to provide experiences that help students discover how they want to live (Beck &
Ven 2009).
Thomas Vander Ven (2011), a sociology professor at Ohio University studied different
factors of why college students usually engage in bar partying, alcohol drinking, and other
related activities. He found out that these activities on college students is a very much social one
for they support each other on doing it. Even if they have bad experiences or repeated bad
experiences, they still continue to do it because of the social support that they give to one
another. It was mentioned that drinking at bars boosts confidence and lessens shyness, so with
this behavior the peer group creates creative ways to reframe and recast violence, perform
embarrassing activities, and regretful drunken behaviors which they find a very strong factor in
maintaining the fun all throughout the night.
Social influence provides big impact on college students as well. As part of growing-up
and improving their selves physically and emotionally, they tend to copy what they usually see.
Mass media, televisions, movies, computers, and all new technological form of information push
individuals to pursue of what they see as something satisfactory for themselves. This was
explained on Social Learning Theory of Albert Bandura (1977) which states that behavior is
learned from the environment through the process of observational learning.
Thomas Rogers (2000) on his study showed that college students love to drink specially
at bars because at places like these, they were dressed well and when they feel drunk they feel
socially skilled, wonderfully impulsive, and far more fun than their normal behavior. His study
11

also have shown that alcohol drinking with peers is an escape to natural shyness and even boost
confidence to bond with people they even dont know or people they randomly met at bars. It
also boosts their expression of happiness by dancing on bars with the loud music, which also
makes them feel free and joyful.
In addition to Thomas Vander Vens study that explains why college students love
partying at bars, he explained that what really attracts students to party and drink alcohol is the
feeling of alleviating their social anxiety with this type of expression and fun. It helps them grow
close friendships and find romantic love by taking care of other drinkers when theyre feeling ill
and any other form of showing care and love to someone. This social phenomenon has been
widely practiced and experienced on all places in the world, most especially the young people
while they were on their stage of trying to experience everything and trying to explore the things
that seems to provide joyful moments and extreme happiness to them.
Dr. Jodi Dworkin (2012), stated that one of the challenges the university faces is the
varying response from parents about bar partying by the college students. Parent and child
communication is important. Some parents view partying as a hindrance to childrens focus on
their studies while others allow their children to explore and have fun while theyre still young.
Drinking on bars are some activities they use to do frequently. Over 80% of college
students have at least one alcoholic drink over a two-week time period (Johnston, OMalley,
Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2009). Of these college students, 40% are binge drinking (i.e., having
four or more drinks) on occasion, which greatly surpasses the rate of their non-college peers.
Research suggests that this discrepancy between college students and their non-college peers is
largely due to the college environment (Johnston et al., 2009). More specifically, college students
must transition from depending on their parents at home to depending on their peers on campus

12

(Borsari & Carey, 2001; Teese & Bradley, 2008). Peer interactions may be essential for college
students and that peers provide the guidance and support needed to circumvent this transitional
period (Teese & Bradley, 2008). In addition, the freshman population is particularly reliant on
peer groups because they are new to the college environment and are attempting to adapt to the
college lifestyle. Although peers may be an essential coping mechanism during this transitional
period, the increase of peer involvement in a students everyday life may influence the increase
of peer pressure as well.
Peer pressure, or the direct or indirect encouragement from ones own age group to engage
in activities that they may or may not want to engage in (Santor, Messervey, & Kusumakar,
2000), is a major factor in the development of risk-taking behaviors (e.g., alcohol use, drug use,
and tobacco use; Lewis & Lewis, 1984). Peers act as an influential model by introducing,
providing, or pressuring risky activities (i.e., alcohol use) to other peers (Kinard & Webster,
2010). By modeling these behaviors to their peers, college students are viewing bar partying and
alcohol use as a positive and socially acceptable experience (Kinard & Webster, 2011). However,
what college students fail to take into consideration are the negative consequences that are
related to bar partying and alcohol use, especially within a peer group context. For example, the
leading cause of death for adolescents 17 to 20 years old is alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes
(US Department of Health and Human Services, 2011). In addition, about 400,000 college
students between the ages of 18 and 24 have unprotected sex due to drinking and meeting them
randomly on bars. More than one fourth of those students report being too intoxicated to know if
they even consented to have sex (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2011).
Therefore, it is imperative to understand peer pressure, as well as which groups of college

13

students are more susceptible to it, in order to decrease these negative consequences from
occurring.
The social identity theory may help to explain why college students are influenced by
peer pressure (Regan & Morrison, 2011). The social identity theory suggests that a significant
portion of an individuals self-concept is formed through their peer groups, with the in-groups
being viewed more positively than the out-groups. In a college environment, it is essential for
students to be associated with the in-group in order to be socially accepted. Out-groups, such as
freshmen college students and non-drinkers and non-party goers, may lack the social support
needed during this transitional period because they are not fitting in with the majority of their
peers. More specifically, non-drinkers and non-party goers would be considered an out-group
because they are not participating in the normative behavior of alcohol use and bar activities.
Subsequently, students who enter college determined to remain non-drinkers and non-party goers
often give into peer pressure in order to become a part of the in-group (Borsari & Carey, 2001).
This experience of feeling like an out-group is prevalent in freshmen college students as well.
Freshmen are highly at risk for alcohol consumption and engagement in bar activities because
they are adapting to the college lifestyle and attempting to develop new friendships (Bosari &
Carey, 2001). Furthermore, vulnerable college groups (e.g., freshmen, non-party goers and nondrinkers) will give in to peer pressure in hopes to be socially accepted and have a successful
transition to college.
Research disentangles peer pressure into many dimensions: active participation in bar
partying, active offers of alcohol, modeling of others drinking and perceived party and drinking
norms (Borsari & Carey, 2001; Crawford & Novak, 2007). Active offers of alcohol may be the

14

most obvious and direct form of peer pressure. These offers range from a simple gesture to
highly encouraging a peer to drink (Borsari & Carey, 2001). Some examples include being
offered a drink, being bought a drink, or having your drink refilled without asking (Wood, Read,
Mitchell, & Brand, 2004). Explicit offers are more prominent for those students who attend
parties and decide not to drink. This is because these students are seen as abnormal (i.e., the outgroup) from the rest of the college community (i.e., the in-group); thus, non-drinkers are an easy
target for drink offers and teasing from their peers (Borsari & Carey, 2001).
Peggy Eastmans (2002) study relayed information on students perspective on college
partying which involves activities like drinking, smoking, and more. He found out that college
life evolves on two important routines; studying and partying. College and universities are
academic environment where it's very competitive and vey cut-throat competition he explained.
But some students spend studying at day and do the routine of partying at night. This scene of
routine is a moment where they free themselves from thinking and over-stressing on the reports,
reviews, exams, and assignments given to them at school. One student explained that some
school contains a Greek System normally the students on higher levels which operates and
perpetuates the cycle of partying and drinking. This usually happens at Western and Eastern
countries where partying is very extreme. This occurrence is very common on weekends right
after classes.
Bars were built everywhere, and normally bars where just a way reach of the people.
Some places produce a large number of partying students for bars where just a distant away from
their school, home, or apartments. Different bars provide different popularity of activity, and
these things are very much familiar to the students.

15

According to Arthur Amann (2012), college is a fun, exciting, and challenging experience
for most students, but for some, it is simply too much to handle. College classes usually require a
large amount of time spent outside class, working for the class, and some students do not
understand the importance of this. A surprisingly large number of college freshmen have
extremely poor time-management skills, which can lead to more time, spent partying than
studying, which is the main cause of failing tests. All of these are causes of the students
ultimately flunking out of college. Some are totally unprepared to meet the demands of college
life since most classes require a significant time investment outside of school.
As a result of bad time-management skills, students will sometimes attend parties instead
of completing necessary assignments. Partying, undoubtedly, is one major attraction of college,
but time spent partying is time not spent studying. Many incoming college freshmen think they
can get by without studying, so they decide to party instead; this attitude can be suicidal for the
student's GPA. Students must bear in mind that college class move quickly through large
amounts of material, and students can quickly become overwhelmed with the work load. Those
students who chose to party instead of work can easily fall behind. When out partying, students
can easily lose track of time, staying out till the early morning hours instead of getting their
much needed rest. Everyone knows "time flies when youre having fun", this is doubly true when
spending time with friends. When alcohol is added to the mix, it only makes keeping track of
time harder. Often times students decide to stay out "for a little while," but they quickly lose
track of time, and before they realize it, morning has come. Even worse than simply losing track
of time is passing out someplace, not waking up till late next morning, and possibly missing a
class. The aftereffect of drinking, hangovers, can also take a heavy toll. It is almost impossible to
concentrate with a pounding headache and a super sensitivity to light and sound, and the desire
16

to sleep through this agony can cause students to miss class entirely. Those who are actually able
to attend class, despite the hangover, will have a mind so fogged they will never be able to
concentrate properly, causing a much higher incidence of careless errors (Amann, 2012).
Multiple visit and drinking to bar have caused some multiple negative consequences
(Naa, 2005). The article College Drinking Changing the Culture by Toomy, Lenk &
Wagenaar (2005), explained that the negative consequences of excessive drinking can be severe
for both those college students who drink and those around them. Students who drink heavily
may experience a range of personal consequences that include missing class, academic
difficulties, dropping out of school, problems with friends, health problems, and unprotected or
unwanted sex. Excessive use of alcohol can also increase the likelihood that students will engage
in high-risk sex, behave aggressively, or perpetrate or experience sexual assault. These
consequences are highlighted because they can have severe, long-term repercussions including
contracting a sexually transmitted disease, becoming pregnant unintentionally, developing an
arrest record, or living with the emotional devastation caused by rape. Research clearly
demonstrates that heavy alcohol use by college students is associated with high-risk sexual
behavior. Alcohol impairs information processing and reasoning and heightens the salience of
simple cues to action (such as sexual arousal) while blunting the more distal consequences of
behavior (such as the risk of HIV infection). Students who drink excessively are two to three
times more likely to have had multiple sexual partners in the past month than those who drink
responsibly. Similarly, drinking on a first date is associated with a twofold to threefold increase
in the probability of having sex on that date.

17

This article (College Drinking Changing the Culture by Toomy, Lenk & Wagenaar
2005) also show that alcohol and physical and sexual aggression are linked. Aggressive college
students tend to drink more, but it may also be that heavier use increases the likelihood of
aggression. At least 50 percent of college student sexual assaults are associated with alcohol use.
Typically, both parties in such situations have been drinking when the sexual assault occurs.
Alcohol-related sexual assault is underreported, primarily because of the misplaced shame and
stigma that surround this violent and personal crime. In addition, approximately one in three 18to 24-year-olds admitted to emergency rooms for serious injuries is intoxicated. Heavy alcohol
use is also associated with homicides, suicides, and drownings. The link between excessive
alcohol consumption and unsafe driving is well known. About one-half of all fatal traffic
crashes among those aged 18 to 24 involve alcohol; many of those killed in this age group are
college students. Alcohol can slow a drivers reaction time, affect concentration, interfere with
steering, and impair response to pedestrians and traffic signs and signals.
There are also secondhand effects according to Wechsler (1998). These are noise and
property damage, vomit, and unsightly litter which are common byproducts of a night of binge
drinking on campus. Some researchers term these consequences secondhand effects, because
they are similar to the secondhand smoke from tobacco use (Wechsler et al., 1998). More than
one-half of college administrators from schools with high levels of excessive drinking report
problems with vandalism and property damage. In addition, students who drink excessively are
more likely to physically or sexually assault other students.
In relation to the studies on related literature of college students engaged in bar activities,
the researcher considered some information on social media as well as on articles also on why do

18

college students party and drink too much. Some of the research found out that college students
indulge in too much partying for they take time to adjust from their high school experiences.
They party until they flunk out. Many dont realize that college isnt just more of the same high
school thing and they dont realize that being an irresponsible person wont get them through.
They love the new freedom and they cant wait to play the grown-up role in life.
On the article of Life: A Recovering Alcoholic Stage of College Students by Mitchell
(2004), stated that partying is finally to do something that their parents and society considered
taboo. Then it becomes to de-stress from all the stress they encounter at home and school. Its
too bad some of them take it too far that they ended up wasted and mismanagement of their time.
Society and media has hammered the people specially the young ones that partying is cool and
most socially acceptable. This becomes the most pitfalls of colleges because students became too
confident of making their own rule, following their own rule and party all through their lives
without putting their responsibilities in school as their focus of attention.
There is nothing wrong with having a good time, but many students go wrong and they
forget to put boundaries of their activities. They party most of the time rather than have study
time and keep things in proper perspective. The purpose of college is to get an education, learn
more about life, and get ahead in life. The bottom line is students see college as freedom. As a
student you are free to make your own choices, but with freedom there must be responsibility. To
many students, its about being free away from their parents and away from the authority. They
want to let loose (Ven 2011).
.

19

Chapter II
20

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the research design, variables of the study, sampling procedure,
and instrumentation, methods of data gathering and methods of data analysis.

Research Design
This study used a descriptive survey method in determining the family background of the
respondents, the reasons why they engage in bar activities in relation to personal and social
aspects, their activities inside bars and the consequences of engaging in bar activities.

Variables of the Study

The variables of the study are the following:
The variables of the study include; the profile and family background of the respondents
which includes their name, sex, age, school, year level, daily allowance, marital status of parents,
occupation of mother and father, and estimated monthly income of the family, the reasons of
engaging in bar activities to different bars in relation to personal and social aspects, their
activities inside bars, and the consequences of frequently going to bars.

21

Sampling Procedure
The researcher used a non-probability sampling technique specifically purposive
sampling procedure using a snow ball technique. After identifying one respondent considering
the set criteria, the researcher asked for assistance to help identify people with a similar trait of
interest, until the desired number (60) of respondents was reached. These students came from
Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, General Santos City.

Instrumentation
In this study, a self-constructed questionnaire was used in gathering data to obtain the
necessary information. The questionnaire was composed of four (4) parts. The first part
presented the questions about the profile and family background of the respondents containing
ten (10) questions to answer by checking the answer they have chosen and by filling the blank
spaces with their honest answers. The second part contains of two (2) preliminary questions and
one (1) main question divided into two aspects in which each part consists of several choices to
be checked according to their honest answers. The third part consists of two (2) preliminary
questions and one (1) main question comprised with several choices to be checked based on the
respondents activities. The fourth and the last part composed of questions regarding the
consequences of their engagement in bar activities.
The instrument was first presented to the adviser and underwent a validation by showing
it to the selected faculty members of the Sociology Department. Their comments and suggestions

22

were solicited for the improvement of the questionnaire. The purpose of the validation is to
ascertain that the instructions were clear and questions were properly stated. Copies of revised
instrument was produced and distributed to the respondents in gathering data for the study.
Method of Data Gathering
This study used the questionnaire as the primary instrument in data gathering provided
with sixty (60) questionnaires for the sixty (60) respondents. In looking for the needed
respondents, the researcher searched for contacts at Notre Dame of Dadiangas University
campus that helped her reach the necessary respondents through a referral method from the
identified respondents. The researcher focused to the needed qualifications of its study and
looked for the respondents contact as well. With the use of social networking sites, the
researcher developed close relationship with its respondents and finally set a schedule towards
the administration of the questionnaire.
The researcher administered the questionnaire to the respondents in Notre Dame of
Dadiangas University General Santos City with the help of her friends as her research
assistants. Some of the respondents referred another qualified group of people to the researcher
to complete the desired samples. The researcher experienced some difficulty in convincing the
identified respondents, however she convinced them by assuring the confidentiality of their
identity and the result of the study.
The researcher together with the research assistants distributed the questionnaires during
the availability of the members, outside the school campus located near the street-food vendors.
It took the researcher 5 days in the administration of questionnaires from December 07-11, 2015.

23

For those respondents who were not around during the conduct of the study, she kept her contact
through the help of social networking sites and re-scheduled another vacant day to answer the
instrument. In the case of unanswered questionnaire, the researcher asked for referrals from her
respondents to look or refer students ranging the age of seventeen to twenty-two (17-22) with bar
partying experience to answer the instrument.
The researcher maintained more effort and kept her patience in gathering the data, like
waiting for the respondents to answer the questionnaire and rescheduling days of answering the
questionnaires. After the data gathered, it was consolidated and tabulated for its analysis.

Methods of Data Analysis

The method of data analysis is highly descriptive in approach. The researcher presented a
table used to analyze the tallied data. Appropriate statistical tools were used such as the
Frequency Distribution and Percentage in analyzing the profile and family background, the
reasons of their engagement in bar activities, their activities inside bars, and the consequences of
engaging to bar activities. In analyzing the results mean and grand mean were used.
The mean was calculated using the formula indicated below

X = x
n

where x is sum of all data values, while n is number of data items in a sample.

24

Flow Chart
Figure 2
TITLE: Reasons and Consequences of College Students Engagement in Bar Activities
Research Methodology
Research Design
Descriptive
Survey Method
Variables of the Study
Family Background of
Respondents

Reasons of

Engagement

Activities

Inside Bars
Consequences of Engaging in Bar Activities

25

Sampling Procedure
Purposive Sampling
60 Respondents
Instrumentation
Questionnaire
Informal Validation
Technique

Faculty

Members of Sociology Department

Methods of Gathering
Data

Questionnaire
Methods of Data Analysis
Frequency Distribution
Percentage Distribution
Mean

Chapter III
PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
This chapter presents, analyzes and interprets the findings of the study. This includes
respondents profile and family background, the results of their reasons in engaging to bar
activities in relation to personal and social aspects, their activities inside bars and the
consequences they have experienced in engaging to bar activities and to whether it is
advantageous or disadvantageous.
I.

Profile and Family Background

This section presents the profile and family background of the respondents which

includes the gender, age, year level, daily allowance, marital status of parents, occupation of the

26

mother, occupation of the father and the estimated monthly income of the family. Results were
shown in the tables below.
Table 1. Sex of the Respondents
Sex
Female
Male
Total

Frequency
31
29
60

Percent
51.67
48.33
100.00

Data revealed that a low majority (51.67%) of the respondents are females, while males
constitute 48.33% of the respondents.
This result shows that most female college students of NDDU tend to go out frequently at
bars, for this is the time where they can show themselves off, they can dress well with their peer
groups, and they can do things that they want without their parents control.
Table 2. Year Level of the Respondents
Year Level
First Year
First Year Irregular
Second Year
Second Year Irregular
Third Year
Third Year Irregular
Fourth Year
Fourth Year Irregular
Fifth Year
Total

Frequency
3
1
7
9
10
14
6
9
1
60

Percent
05.00
01.67
11.67
15.00
16.67
23.33
10.00
15.00
01.67
100.00

Based on the data above, it shows that most bar goers are from third year irregular
students with a percentage of 23.33%, followed by third year regular students with 16.67% and
the rest were thinly scattered in different year levels. Only 1.67% of the respondents engaging
bar activities are first year irregular and fifth year students. It can be observed also that those
irregular students from first to fourth year constitute the majority (55%) of bar goers.
Most bar goers were from second to fourth year levels, and was probably been influenced
by their higher year peers (from their freshmen stage) to engage into bar activities. Students
27

mostly start to involve themselves in other higher year level of peer groups after finishing
freshmen year, where they started to build their trust with each other, and embraced the feeling of
belongingness to a group where they wanted to belong. Trust grows after the experiences they
have made all together with the people they have been going out with. The result also shows that
those of irregular students from different year levels, are those who are repeatedly engaging into
bar activities. Thirty-three students out of sixty was listed to be irregular students based on the
respondents. Most of them have only few number of units enrolled and they have more time for
their extra activities. This could be one of the many reasons why they have more time to party,
resulting to destruction on their studies since they lack time and focus for their role as students.
Amann (2012) stated that college is fun and exciting but for some students, it is too much to
handle because college classes require a large amount of time. Surprisingly a large number of
students have extremely poor time-management skills which can lead to more time spent
partying than studying.
Table 3. Daily Allowance of the Respondents
Daily Allowance
P100 and below
P101 P150
P151 P200
P201 P250
P251 P300
P301 P350
P351 P400
P401 P450
P451 P500
P501 and above
Total

Frequency
10
18
16
8
1
0
0
0
3
4
60

Percent
16.67
30.00
26.67
13.33
01.67
0
0
0
05.00
06.67
100.00

Data shows that 30% of the respondents allowance is in the bracket of 101-150 pesos
daily, followed by 26.67% of 151-200 pesos daily allowance and 16.67% of 100 pesos daily

28

allowance. The bracket from 301-450 pesos shows zero percent among the respondents, and the
highest bracket of 501 and above daily allowance only existed at 6.67% from the respondents.
Students daily allowance is small yet they seem to manage to save for their party plans.
Since the city is small and establishments are only blocks away from each other, students do not
need to spend money on transportation and they still have extra money to save. But instead of
saving money for their school and other important matters, they rather save money for partying
and to buy drinks, smoke, food and others that will satisfy them on their daily and weekly
routines. Some students sacrifice their needs just to have money for things that they enjoy and
love doing such as bar partying that resulted to ultimately flunking out in college. According to
Amann (2012) partying is one major attraction among college students and they think they can
get by and catch up without studying, so they decide to use their money for school in bars and
party instead. This attitude can be suicidal for the students GPA.
Table 4. Marital Status of the Parents
Marital Status
Married
Separated
Single Parents
Widowed
Total

Frequency
41
12
4
3
60

Percent
68.33
20.00
06.67
05.00
100.00

Data presents the marital status of the respondents parents. The table shows that 68.33%
of their parents were married and probably was living together in one house, followed by 20% of
separated parents or broken family. Single parents have only 6.67% while those of widowed
were only at 5%.
The result shows that majority of the respondents have married parents. Parent and child
communication is very important. Dworkin (2012) explained that having an intact family results
to good relationship with each other. Some parents consider their children in doing bar partying
and allows them to explore and have fun while theyre still young. Some parents allow their
29

child to party for them to have a break after their long week at school. This resulted to abusing
their parents approval and regularly partying to bars. Other parents view partying as a hindrance
to childrens focus and so they do not allow their child to be destructed by these activities, but
others disobey their parents and sneak out when going to parties. Parents consent is important to
other students, but for some who have presumed their parents disapproval, continue their party
plans by giving reasons, by lying and sneaking out.
For students who have single parents, separated parents and widowed parents engaging
into bar activities, create their own way of gaining love and affection through their peers.
Separated parents and broken homes provide stress to students and unfortunately disturbs and
affects their lives which may lead them to look and go for places where they find peace to forget
about their problems such as bar partying. Ven (2011) explained that if students have bad
experiences or repeated bad experiences especially at home, they call out their friends for a drink
and party to reframe their problems and repeatedly do it because of the social support that their
peer groups are providing. This could be true among the respondents.
Table 5. Occupation of the Mother
Occupation
Government Employment
Self-Employment
Business
OFW
Engineer
Accountant
Private Employment
Teacher/Professor
Total

Frequency
14
13
13
8
5
4
2
1
60

Percent
23.33
21.67
21.67
13.33
08.33
06.67
03.33
01.67
100.00

Data above presents the occupation of the respondents mother, where the higher
percentage of 23.33% was under government employment. Both self-employed and

30

businesswoman mothers shows 21.67% and the rest were OFWs, engineers, accountants, and
under private employment. Only 1.67% is under the profession of teaching.
Low majority of the respondents mothers are educated according to the results and have
the capacity to send their child at private schools like Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, with
good paying jobs since most of them gained formal education and reached tertiary level.
Government employee mothers work hard to maintain their job for the needs of their family.
They mostly work full time at office, on which they do not have enough time to check their
childrens activities personally. It could be the reason why students can free themselves in their
own will and do activities like partying, for they were not being checked all the time due to their
mothers busy schedule.
Table 6. Occupation of the Father
Occupation
Business
Government Employment
Driving
Self-Employment
OFW
Private Employment
Teacher/Professor
Engineer
Fishing
Accountant
Farming
Total

Frequency
14
8
7
5
5
4
4
4
4
3
2
60

Percent
23.33
13.33
11.67
08.33
08.33
06.67
06.67
06.67
06.67
05.00
03.33
100

The data above shows the occupation of the respondents father, where the higher
percentage of 23.33% was businessmen followed by 13.33% government employee fathers. A
percentage of 11.67% are working as drivers, and the rest were scattered to self-employed, OFW,
private employee, teacher/professor, engineer, fishermen, and accountants. Among the
respondents fathers, only 3.33% are working as farmers on their hometown to provide for the
basic needs of their family.
31

Low majority of the respondents fathers according to the results are in-line with
business. As the head of the family, men provides the basic needs as well the other needs of his
family. Mostly men are into doing business, and those who have business establishments always
secure the development of their business foundation to address the needed necessities of the
family. Government employee fathers also work full time to provide for their families, and those
in profession of driving, self-employment, OFW, private employment, teaching profession,
engineering, fishing, accounting, and farming similarly are doing their paramount effort to have a
stable source of income for their own families.
Hard-working fathers focus on doing their own careers while providing enough for the
family. High-paid fathers can also give enough expanse of money to send their children at private
schools and give them high amount of allowance, which makes the students manage their bar
partying easily by saving cash for drinking, smoking, and other activities. Teese & Bradley
(2008) clarified that college students are adapting into activities like bar partying by connecting
to their peer groups and participating into it, even if it will cost vast amount of money in dealing
with these events.

Table 7. Estimated Monthly Income of the Family

Monthly Income
P5,000 and below
P5,001 P10,000
P10,001 P15,000
P15,001 P20,000
P20,001 P25,000
P25,001 P30,000
P30,001 P35,000
Above P35,000
Total

Frequency
1
3
5
12
4
9
14
12
60
32

Percent
01.67
05.00
08.33
20.00
06.67
15.00
23.33
20.00
100

This table presents the estimated monthly income of the family from both the mother and
father of the respondents. The bracket of 30,001-35,000 pesos has the highest percentage
(23.33%) of income. Both brackets of 15,001-20,000 pesos and above 35,000 pesos of income
are of 20% families, and among those families only 1.67% were having the below 5,000 pesos
income.
Data implies that the family net income of the respondents mostly is high since their
parents are in good-paying jobs and receive high-paid salaries, while other respondents have
small family income. Apparently those who have high monthly income families are those
Businessmen and Government Employees, who can afford to send their children at private
schools and give them high allowance budget for their school needs. Professional mothers and
fathers prefer to send their children at private schools for it provides complete school amenities
and good quality of school services.
High allowance budget of students for school gives them temptations of exploring things
like bar partying and trying different vices which can harm their health, for they have extra
savings and afford to have it for themselves. This may lead them to extreme partying and
excessive drinking. Eventually, this might become a part of their weekly routine together with
their peer groups and lose their focus in school responsibilities.

II.

Reasons for Engaging in Bar Activities

This section presents the results of their reasons in engaging to bar activities in relation to

personal and social aspects. Students have identified possible reasons as to why they engage in
bar partying as shown below.

33

When the respondents were asked whether their parents know that they go to bars, 60%
of the respondents said Yes and expressed that they have their parents consent in going to bars
and 40% of them said No and explained that they are sneaking out and going to bars without
the consent of their parents. There were 78.33% who revealed that someone influenced them to
go to bars and 21.67% says that it is their own will to go to bars.
Many students were influenced by their peers to go to bars by giving them a good
impression and stories about bar partying which makes them curious about it, and the best way to
experience this fun is to visit it personally with friends and enjoy many activities inside the bars.
In regard to reasons for bar partying, the following tables will show the reasons of why they
make fun of visiting bars in relation to both personal and social aspects.

Table 8. Reasons for Engaging in Bar Activities in Relation to Personal Aspects

Reasons
Frequency
Percent
To personally explore and experience bar partying
43
71.67
To enjoy independence and freedom from parents control
27
45.00
To reward myself after rigorous exams at school
25
41.67
To get away from stress at home
20
33.33
To get away from stress at school
20
33.33
To develop more confidence in interacting with others
19
31.67
To get attention from friends and other people in the bar
9
15.00
To avoid responsibilities at home
5
08.33
To avoid requirements at school
3
05.00
To satisfy my weekend by partying
1
01.67
Multiple responses coded
The table above shows the reasons of college students engagement in bar activities in
relation to personal aspects. The respondents of the study considered to personally explore and
experience bar partying as their primary reason for engaging in bar activities in relation to
personal aspects. Out of 100%, 71.67% of the respondents said that they visit bars to personally

34

explore and experience bar partying, 45% said that they want to enjoy independence and
freedom from parents control, 41.67% said that it is their way to reward themselves after
rigorous exams at school and 33.33% said that bar partying is the way to get away both stress at
home and at school. Only 31.67% of the respondents said that the reason they engage into bar
activities is to develop more confidence in interacting with other. Low percentage (15%) of
respondents revealed that their reason for engagement into bar activities is to get attention from
friends and other people in the bar, (8.33%) to avoid responsibilities at home, (5%) to avoid
responsibilities at school, and a very low percentage of 1.67% saying they engage into these
activities to satisfy their weekend by partying.
Findings imply that college students particularly those at the peak of their teenage life
want to experience more happiness outside home and school than more readings and paper
works, and sometimes they do it intentionally to avoid responsibilities at home and school
(although only few respondents believe that it is the best way to avoid their responsibilities at
home and at school). Some students consider their parents advice to put studies as their top
priority. While some are doing their best at school for their parents, others think that they are like
prisoners at home and so students wanted to enjoy independence and freedom form their parents
control. This is where the sneaking out at home takes place where students go out without their
parents consent. College students are aware of the things they do and according to Beck & Ven
(2009) they are designed to provide experiences that will help them discover how they want to
live as teenagers and young students.
Teenagers are in the stage when they insist on independence as they evolve towards
forming their identity. Anywhere and anytime they can call out anyone for a party. For those
families who are very knowledgeable and very open about partying, they truly believe that bars
have been a ground for real fun and enjoyment and so some college students can go out with the

35

blessing of both their mothers and fathers. Some students reward themselves after rigorous
exams by partying with friends and classmates as a celebration of every long readings and exams
they have done to pass their subjects. The least response they have noted is getting away from
stress at home and school by enjoying too much and expressing their individuality outside their
home and school.
Other reasons are very particular to personal matters since they believe that this exposure
develops their confidence most especially in interacting with others and of course they wanted to
get attention from others at the bar. For their reasons in engaging to bar activities in relation to
social aspects, results where shown in the next table.
Table 9. Reasons for Engaging in Bar Activities in Relation to Social Aspects
Reasons

Frequency
49
47
41
31
22
20
10
5
3

Percent
81.67
78.33
68.33
51.67
36.67
33.33
16.67
08.33
05.00

To enjoy teenage life

To meet new friends
To enjoy leisure time w/ friends
To enjoy with friends at drinking sessions
To enjoy dancing at bars
To treat friends with drinks and partying
To gain social acceptance from others
To experience different vices with friends and others
To introduce business products for extra source of income
Multiple responses coded
The table above shows the reasons of college students engagement in bar activities in
relation to social aspects. The respondents considered to enjoy teenage life as their primary
reason of engaging in bar activities in relation to social aspects. Out of 100%, 81.67% said that
they engage into bar activities to enjoy teenage life and 78.33% said that they want to meet new
friends. Many respondents also revealed that they regularly engage into these activities to enjoy
leisure time with their friends with 68.33%, to enjoy drinking sessions with their friends
(51.67%), to enjoy dancing at bars (36.67), and to treat friends with drinks and partying (33.33).
Low percentage (16.67%) of respondents said that they want to gain social acceptance from

36

others by bay partying, (8.33%) to experience different vices with friends and others and (5%) to
introduce business products for extra source of income.
The results signify that to college students, the best way to teenage life is to experience
bar partying with their colleagues and friends. High number of students also believes that this is
not just a ground for fun and enjoyment, but also a ground where they could meet new friends
and enjoy their leisure time together by enjoying their drinking sessions and dance grooves at the
bars. Bar partying for them is a means of socialization to other people, means of satisfying their
needs as teenagers, and form groups where they think they belong and acquire acceptance and
belongingness. Based on Vander Vens (2011) research and studies, he explained that college
students love clubbing and bar partying because they support each other on doing it. Even if they
have bad experiences, they still continue to do it because of the support they receive from one
another and the fun they do altogether. However, too much drinking sessions will lead them to
alcohol intoxication which may endanger their safety.
Moreover, too much exposure on this field boosts their confidence and self-esteem. Other
respondents revealed that they wanted to gain social acceptance from others by involving
themselves into this activity and by introducing themselves to new groups of people, to be a part
of it.
The result of this study also agreed with Peggy Eastmans (2002) research studies, where
he found out that college life evolves on two important routines which is studying and partying.
Respondents relayed that they need to have a break on too much studying, and the best way for
them to spend their break is by bar partying. They spend weekdays at school, and do the routine
of partying on weekends. This is where they free themselves by from thinking and over-stressing
on the reports, reviews, exams and assignments given to them at school. They wear the best
clothes they have for weekend parties and spend time catching up with their friends, and share
stories and drinking sessions.
37

III.

RESPONDENTS ACTIVITIES INSIDE THE BAR

This section presents the respondents activities inside the bars, and to whether it is

advantageous or disadvantageous on their part. Students identified different activities they

usually do at bars and preliminary questions were asked as to how frequent they go to bars, if
they have a companion when going to bars and who are their companion when visiting bars.
Table 10. Frequency in Going to Bars
Frequency in Going to Bars
Almost every night
Twice a week
Every weekend
Once in two weeks
Total

Frequency
1
18
36
5
60

Percent
01.67
30.00
60.00
08.33
100.00

The findings show that 60% of the respondents visit bars every weekend. They spend
their weekend by partying in the evening. 30% says they visit bars twice a week, 8.33% visit bars
once in two weeks. Only 1.67% says they visit bars almost every night. The results also
presented that respondents do not usually visit bars on weekdays since they have classes. After
their long week at school, they plan with their peer groups to spend weekend at bars to have a
break and have fun.
When the respondents were asked as to whether they have companion when going to
bars, 100% of them said Yes and explained that bar partying is more fun when they have a
company, and that partying will be more exciting when they have their peer groups with them.
Table 11. Companion When Going to Bars
Frequency in Going to Bars
Friend
Boyfriend/Girlfriend
Brother/Sister
Cousins

Frequency
53
24
10
17
38

Percent
88.33
40.00
16.67
28.33

Others (Classmates)
5
08.33
Multiple responses coded
The table above presented that high percentage of 88.33% says their companion when
going to bars are their friends, and 40% says their companion are their boyfriends/girlfriends. A
percentage of 16.67% says they go out with their brothers/sisters, 28.33% go out with their
cousins and a very low percentage (5%) says they go out with their classmates.
When students plan to go to bars, they look and prefer the most comfortable people they
can be with and these people are usually their friends, closest friends, and their best friends
whom they can show their true identity and their weird habits without hesitations. As what Ven
(2011) explained, partying among college students is a collective activity because they decide
when to go out, what to do, when and how much to drink, how long theyre going to stay out and
how frequent they would visit bars, which was also revealed by the respondents. Young people
are fond of helping each other to prove their loyalty to each and every one in their group. Regan
& Morrison (2011) expounded on their theory of social identity that an individuals self-concept
is formed through peers and their peer groups. Kinard & Webster (2011) also added that peers act
as an influential model by introducing, providing, and pressuring risky activities such as partying
to other peers. By modeling these behaviors to other people, college students view bar partying a
positive and socially acceptable experience.
While others enjoy being with friends, some respondents concluded that it is safer to be
with their brothers nor sisters when going to bars and partying, or any of their relatives such as
cousins so they can look out for each other and easily call each other for help when something
unnecessary happens. Being with any member of the family also when going to bars are being
suggested by parents to protect their child from any harm, especially when staying too late and
drinking too much. Few number responded of being with their classmates when going out to
bars.

39

Table 12. Respondents Activities Inside the Bars

Activities
Frequency
Percent
Drinking alcohol
52
86.67
Smoking cigarette
44
73.33
Dancing
43
71.67
Talking, chatting and laughing with friends
41
68.33
All night party
39
65.00
Listening to the DJs beat and mix
33
55.00
Celebrating birthday parties at the bar
25
41.67
Singing with the DJs beat while dancing
23
38.33
To engage into drunken behaviors and other activities to
21
35.00
catch others attention
Looking for new friends by introducing oneself to them
13
21.67
Celebrating relationship day with my partner at the bar
9
15.00
Smoking marijuana
6
10.00
Eat food specialties and watch friends drink
6
10.00
Asking my partner for an intimate time
5
08.33
Asking someone for a private time in the hotel
4
06.67
Transacting business
4
06.67
Taking drugs
3
05.00
Drinking juice while watching friends drinking alcohol
3
05.00
Selling drugs
2
03.33
Multiple responses coded
This table shows different activities of college students of Notre Dame of Dadiangas
University from the most activity they do, down to the least activity they are doing inside bars.
The respondents of the study revealed that drinking is their main activity in bars with a high
percentage of 86.67%. Other activities they usually do inside the bars of higher percentage are
smoking cigarettes (73.33%), dancing (71.67%), talking, chatting and laughing with friends
(68.33%), all night party (65%), listening to DJs beat and mix (55%), celebrating birthday
parties at bars (41.67%), singing with the DJs beat while dancing (38.33) and engaging into
drunken behaviors and other activities to catch others attention (35%). Out of 100%, 21.67%
respondents said that they are looking for new friends by introducing themselves to other people.
40

Few number of respondents revealed that their activities inside bars include celebrating their
relationship day with their partners (15%), asking their partners for an intimate time (8.33%),
asking someone for a private time in the hotel (6.67%), smoking marijuana (10%), taking drugs
(5%) and even selling drugs (3.33%).
While others spend too much on enjoying the night my drinking alcoholic drinks and
taking illegal drugs, few of the respondents explained that they only eat food specialties and
watch friends drink (10%), and drink juice while watching their friends drink into intoxication
(5%). Among all the respondents, only 6.67% use their time on bars in transacting business with
other people.
Drinking ranks as the top activity of the respondents when going to bars. This is called a
session, where they drink until they feel groggy, tipsy and laugh about it. They believe that fun
starts when everybody starts to get drunk with their alcohol intake. According to Johnston,
OMalley, Bachman, & Schulenberg (2009), drinking among college students showed that eighty
percent have at least one alcoholic drink over a week time period. Peers act as an influential
model by introducing and providing risky activities to other peers. By regularly doing these
activities, college students are viewing bar partying and alcohol use as a positive and socially
acceptable experience. However, what college students fail to take into consideration are the
negative consequences that are related to bar partying and alcohol use, especially within a peer
group context.
Few number of students revealed that they wanted to take their partner or someone out
for a private time in a hotel, which makes premarital sex possible to most college students. Some
of these respondents confessed that they have been actively engaging into sexual intercourse
without having any knowledge of what risks might affect them after doing so. They were not
even aware of any information about the safety precautions in doing this activity, thus society
also lack in giving orientations for the youth. For business thinkers, this is their chance to
41

introduce their business and maybe look for another business innovation with others idea, but
only few takes this chance at bars since most students focus on the fun that they experience and
just making themselves happy.
IV.

CONSEQUENCES OF ENGAGING IN BAR ACTIVITIES AS PERCEIVED BY

THE RESPONDENTS
This section presents the consequences experienced by the respondents in engaging into

bar activities. Preliminary questions were asked among the respondents if they believe whether
their engagement into bar activities is advantageous or disadvantageous. A high percentage of
86.67% (out of 100%) respondents said that engagement into bar activities are advantageous in
some specific good reasons, while 95% (out of 100%) of the respondents also believes that it is
also disadvantageous and might cause struggles at home and at school. For those who said that
their engagement in bar activities is advantageous, their reasons are shown in the next table.
Table 13. Advantages of Engaging in Bar Activities as Perceived by the Respondents
Advantages
Frequency
Percent
I met new friends
48
80.00
I have enjoyed the night
40
66.67
I have enjoyed drinking with friends
39
65.00
I have enjoyed visiting different bars
26
43.33
I have discovered new places in the city
17
28.33
I met new lover
10
16.67
I became socially acceptable to this ground
9
15.00
I have discovered new business to start
5
08.33
I met new business partner
2
03.33
I found new part-time job at the bar
1
01.67
Multiple responses coded
This table presents the advantages of engagement in bar activities. High percentage of
80% respondents claimed that the highest advantage of bar partying is having the chance to meet
new friends. Another high percentage of 66.67% responded that enjoying the night is an
advantage on their part and 65% responded to enjoying drinking sessions with their friends. A
42

very low percentage of respondents said that they have discovered new business to start (5%),
they met new business partner (2%) and they found a part-time job at the bar (1%).
Teenagers always love to meet new people who have been doing the same activities like
they do. Regan & Morrison (2011) explained young individuals depend on their peer groups for
their participation and interaction is essential to fit within their chosen peer groups and in order
to be socially accepted on this environment. According to the Theory of Selective Social
Interaction, as individuals are more likely to focus on the interactions that are most familiar and
rewarding for them. Some advantage that they feel rewarding on their part includes the fun and
the entertainment they experience such as enjoying the night with friends and bar partying,
visiting different bars or what they call the bar-hopping, and discovery of new place to hang
out with.
In-relationship respondents also are happy to meet new lover and inspiration of their
lives, which they have met in bars through friends. This ground has also been very useful to
those business minded students where they met new business partner and shared their ideas
together to look for new business to start. One venturous student among the respondents started
its part-time job at a particular bar in the city on weekends to make money for themselves and to
help their family on their needs. With the help of new friends, he met at the bar and a connection
from this bar, he was able to take the job easy which makes it advantageous on his part.
For those who said that their engagement in bar activities are disadvantageous, their
reasons are shown in the next table.
Table 14. Disadvantage of Engaging in Bar Activities as Perceived by the Respondents
Disadvantages
Experienced regular hang-over/nausea every after party
Extended year/s at college
Poor academic performance
Extravagant spending
School truancy
Absenteeism
43

Frequency
30
29
28
25
23
23

Percent
50.00
48.33
46.67
41.67
38.33
38.33

I became a chronic drinker

Became chain-smoker
Failing grades
Became an irresponsible student
Experienced conflict with parents
Loss of interest in studies
Experienced unsafe sex
Had conflict with friends due to alcohol intoxication
Had conflict with partner due to jealousy among other
company
Experienced riot or rumble at bars
Experienced conflict with siblings
Met vehicular accidents (motorcycle/car) due to drunken
driving
Became addicted to drugs
Engaged in some illegal activities
Had multiple sexual partner/sexual promiscuity
Became addicted to marijuana
Experienced unwanted/early pregnancies
Engaged in prostitution
Infected with STD
Infected with HIV/AIDS

22
21
20
16
13
12
10
10
10

36.67
35.00
33.33
26.67
21.67
20.00
16.67
16.67
16.67

10
7
7

16.67
11.67
11.67

4
4
3
2
1
1
0
0

06.67
06.67
05.00
03.33
01.67
01.67
0
0

This table presents the disadvantages and consequences of engaging in bar activities. A
percentage (50%) of students disclosed that they experience regular hang-over and nausea from
bar partying, 48.33% extended years at college, and 46.67% had a poor academic performance at
school. Respondents with 41.67% revealed that they are also suffering from extravagant
spending from unimportant activities such as alcohol drinking, smoking, and other wasteful
vices. Other respondents suffered from school-related responsibilities for having a habit of
school truancy and absenteeism with 38.33%. Some students admitted that they gained failing
grades (33.33%), became an irresponsible student (26.67%), experienced conflict with their
families (21.67) and lost their interest on studies (20%). A low percentage of 36.67% respondents
said that they consider themselves a chronic drinker and 35% became a chronic smoker.
When out partying, students can easily lose track of time staying out till the early
morning hours instead of getting their much needed rest (Amman, 2012). Too much partying and
44

alcohol intake will harm their health and eventually will make them sick, and when theyre sick
they cannot attend class which will cause absenteeism and will result to a year extension at
college. Respondents confessed that they have a poor academic performance at school, they
experienced school truancy, they have an absenteeism habit, they have failing grades, and they
became an irresponsible student which led them somewhat to lose their interest in studies. This
was explained by Toomy, Lenk & Wagenaar (2005), that those students who drink heavily may
experience a range of personal consequences that include laziness, missing class, dropping out of
school, problems with friends, health problems, and unprotected and unwanted sex.
Alcohol leads to intoxication where you feel tipsy and groggy at the same time, it is the
normal effect of alcohol especially when you already have taken more bottles. When you had a
lot of it, you feel so confident and strong, the reason why other respondents have experienced
conflict with parents, siblings and partners, even riot and rumbles at bars. Few of those
respondents have experienced vehicular accidents such as motorcycle accident and car accident
due to excessive alcohol consumption from bar partying. Alcohol can slow a drivers reaction,
affect concentration, interfere with steering and impair response to pedestrians and traffic signs
and signals (Wechsler, 1998).
Other party goers prefer to meet new pal and get drunk together. Both males and females
can easily be attracted to each other when they are drunk, another factor that led to some
respondents to experience unsafe sex, having multiple sexual partners, and experienced early and
unwanted pregnancies for ladies. This study shows that young college students among the
respondents are experiencing premarital sex and doing unsafe sex when they are drunk or into
alcohol intoxication. According to Toomy, Lenk and Wagenaar (2005), excessive use of alcohol
can increase the likelihood that students will engage in high-risk sex, behave aggressively, or
perpetrate or experience sexual assault. These consequences are emphasized because they can

45

have severe, long-term repercussions including contracting a sexually transmitted disease,

becoming pregnant unintentionally, developing an arrest record, or living with emotional
devastation cause by rape.
One respondent is also engaging in prostitution where she looks for a customer (mostly
old man) at bars to provide money in return of her service. This act has been really alarming to
young college students especially those on private universities for they find no other choice but
to sell themselves to pursue college. Among the total respondents, theres no listed as positive
STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) and HIV carrier.

46

Chapter IV
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATION
This chapter presents the summary, conclusions and recommendations of the research
study.
SUMMARY
This study aimed to find out the reasons and consequences of college students from Notre
Dame of Dadiangas Universitys engagement in bar activities.
Specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions: 1.) What is the family
background of the college students who are engaged in bar activities? 2.) What are the reasons of
the respondents for engaging in bar activities in relation to; a. Personal Aspects? B. Social
Aspects? 3.) What are the respondents activities inside the bar? 4.) What are the consequences
of engaging in bar activities as perceived by the respondents?
Profile and Family Background
Based on the data gathered, 51.67% of the respondents were females and 48.33% were
males aged 18-19 (30%). A large majority of the respondents (23.33%) were from third year
irregular students followed by third year regular students (16.67%), with the daily allowance
ranging P101 P150. On the marital status of their parents, 68.33% were married. 23.33%
mothers are working as government employees, and 23.33% fathers are businessmen. Their
family income ranges from P30,001 P35,000 with 23.33% followed by P35,000 above and
P15,001 P20,000 bracket with 20%.

Reasons for Engaging in Bar Activities

Respondents determined both the reasons in relation to personal and social aspects of
their lives in engaging to bar activities. On the personal aspects, high number of students
revealed that they engage into these activities to personally explore and experience bar partying.

47

Some students want to enjoy independence and freedom from their parents control while some
wants to reward themselves after rigorous exams at school. Other students also revealed that it is
their way of getting away from stress at home and at school, and only few is trying to avoid
responsibilities at home and school by bar-partying.
On the social aspects, high number of students among the respondents revealed that they
want to enjoy teenage life, they want to meet new friends and they want to enjoy their leisure
time with their friends by engaging into bar activities such as drinking, dancing and all-night
partying.

Respondents Activities Inside the Bar

High number of students revealed that the first and the usual thing they do inside the bar
is drinking alcohol and smoking cigarette. Aside from the vices, they also enjoy all-night party
by dancing, talking, chatting and laughing with friends, listening and singing with the DJs beat,
and they engage into drunken behaviors and other activities to catch others attention. Others just
enjoy bar partying by just watching their friends, sitting at the corner and drinking non-alcoholic
beverages. Some respondents also revealed that they use bars to celebrate their birthdays and
relationship day with their partners and grabs the chance to ask their partner out for an intimate
time or for a private time in hotels. Only few number of respondents revealed that they are doing
illegal activities in bars such as smoking marijuana, taking drugs, and selling drugs.
Consequence of Engaging in Bar Activities
Most respondents believe that engaging into bar activities are both advantageous and
disadvantageous. High number of respondents claimed that the highest advantage of bar partying
is having the chance to meet new friends. Some advantage includes the fun and the entertainment

48

they usually experience such as the satisfaction of enjoying the night, enjoying bar partying with
friends, enjoying the drinking session with friends, visiting different bars or bar-hopping,
including the discovery of new place to hang out with. Some of the respondents revealed that
they met new lover by regularly visiting bars. Few number of venturous students also claimed
that they have met new business partner and discovered new business to start. One marked that
he found a part-time job at a particular bar in the city with the help of his friends he met at the
bar.
On the disadvantageous part, students also revealed that they are aware of the risks of bar
partying and they also have experienced struggles especially at school with these activities. High
number of respondents who visit bars regularly admitted that they experience regular hang-over
or nausea every after party. Due to this sickness, they cannot attend class regularly which caused
absenteeism, school truancy, poor academic performance and failing of grades resulted to losing
their interest in studies and a year extension in college. These students also experienced conflict
with parents, siblings, friends, and partners due to too much alcohol intake. Few of those have
encountered riot, rumbles, and vehicular accidents such as motorcycle and car accidents.
Minority of the respondents confessed that they have tried unsafe sex, multiple sexual partners,
unwanted pregnancy and prostitution but no one was listed to have an STD or HIV.

CONCLUSION
Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions are drawn.

College

students in Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, both male and female are actively engaging
into bar activities especially third year students (18-19 years old), and that most of these students
are living with their both parents whom are educated and professionals. Most students justified
49

that they have their parents consent when going to bars and that they were influenced to do bar
partying.
The main reasons why they go to bars are to personally explore and experience bar
partying, to enjoy independence and freedom for parents control, to reward themselves by
partying after rigorous exams at school, to get away stress from home and school, and to develop
more confidence in interacting with others. Their regular activities inside bars include, drinking
alcohols, smoking cigarette, dancing and partying all night, talking, chatting, and laughing with
friends, listening and singing with the DJs (disk jockey) beat and engaging into drunken
behaviors and other activities to catch others attention at the bar. Few students are involving
themselves into smoking marijuana, taking drugs and selling drugs.
This study also revealed that most of the respondents believe that bar partying is both
advantageous and disadvantageous on their part. The advantages of bar partying are meeting new
friends, the satisfaction of enjoying the night and alcohol drinking session with friends, visiting
different bars, discovery of new places to hang out, and meeting new lover and inspiration at the
bar. Among those students, few business-minded respondents took advantage of meeting new
business partner that directed them to discover new business to start. The disadvantages of
engaging into bar activities among the respondents are regular hang-over and nausea that caused
their loss of interest in studies, poor academic performance, absenteeism, and school truancy. It
affected their whole college life resulting an extension to college. Some students suffered from
chronic drinking and smoking in bars experiencing tragedies such as conflict with the people
close to them, riot and rumbles, and vehicular accidents.
Moreover, the study showed that some of the students are practicing pre-marital sex at an
early age due to alcohol intoxication. Some of the respondents revealed that they have
experienced unsafe sex with the people they met at the bar, having multiple sexual partners, and

50

unwanted pregnancy. Theres no listed STD and HIV carrier, but few respondents are addicted to
marijuana and drugs as they feel satisfied trying these vices they usually here to other people.
In general, young college students want to enjoy and experience their teenage life with
their friends and classmates. Since bar establishments are getting really popular in cities, students
want to spend their time by drinking and dancing at bars for they feel free, independent and
happy by doing it. Although most students are aware of the consequences, they still to continue
to drop all the negative thoughts and enjoy each moment they have with their friends. Their
supposedly top priority (like school and home responsibilities) becomes the least they think of.
The study revealed how alarming these bar establishments are in the field of studies among
young students.

RECOMMENDATIONS
The results of the study may have implications for practice. The findings of the research
will give new insights about the reasons why college students engage into bar activities and the
consequences of engaging into these activities. With that note, the following recommendations
are offered:
1. Enhance guidance program geared in supporting students coming from problematic
family backgrounds such as those from broken homes and single parents.
2. Correlational studies can be done to determine the relationship between frequency of
engagement in bar activities and academic performance.
3. The data gathered might provide various information on how to address the problems
ranging among young college students by conducting seminars at colleges by having

51

lectures and orientations about gender development, family planning, premarital sex
precautions and other important topics.
4. A comparative study may be conducted on different groups of students.

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