Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

INTRODUCTION

Rationale of the study

Every year schools, colleges, and universities all over the country turn over to

society a graduate ready to go out into the world. But how are they prepared to face life?

Is diploma enough to guarantee that they will find a stable job? (Corpuz, 2000)

The success of an institution lies in its graduates. The quality of graduates is

measured through the employability and transformation they gained as they exposed

themselves to the real world. And to find out if an institution is effective in helping its

graduates become more successful employable, tracer studies conducted.

The ILO Thesaurus (2005) defines a tracer study as an impact assessment tool

where the “impact on target groups is traced back to specific elements of a project or

program so that effective and ineffective project components may be identified.” In

educational research the tracer study is sometimes referred to as a graduate or alumni

survey are popular for “analysis of the relationship between higher education and work.”

The effectiveness of the tracer study can be judged according to the success or failure of

the graduates to make use of their acquired skills and training for economic progress, and

of getting relative chances and maintain different kinds of employment, information on

the professional orientation and experiences of the graduates.

Peng- Tan and Nang (2012), averred that tracing graduates is an important action

on the part of the institution, making it an essential tool in the evaluation of institution’s
programs for improvement. Hence, the study aim to trace the employment status of

Guindaruhan National High School graduates in the year 2008 - 2009 ,to determine

which facets were successful in helping the graduates of that year achieve their career

goals. Moreover, the fact that our society is changing at an equally accelerated pace,

institutions of higher education should undertake follow – up studies of the graduates?

Alumni programs in order to deal with the future development of the programs.

The follow- up research or tracer study has significant importance as an

evaluation strategy. However, there are some specific considerations to make the result

more valid and reliable. In this regard, (Flaherty and Morell, 1978) argued that if follow

up techniques are to be used to their fullest potential, it is necessary to consider the

unique nature of evaluation as a form of social research. Basically, tracer study must be

guided by the two principles. First, data bear a heavy responsibility for generating

information on the value and validity of what has been found. Second, tracer study can’t

be interpreted in isolation from knowledge which is gained from a multiplicity of sources

that are external to the research itself (Morell, 1978).

Therefore, the main objective of this tracer study was to trace the graduates of

GNHS not only to find out their whereabouts but also to get information on activity status

to make sure that the knowledge and skills of individual learned during the training are in

use. This can be verified by their post training information. The gathered information

from the tracer study is not only applicable to identify the employment status of graduates

but also analyses or update the demand of labor market.

Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to determine the employment status of the Alumni graduates of

Guindaruhan National High School from year 2008 as input to appropriate

intervention study.

Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions:

1) What is the demographic characteristics of the graduates of GNHS in terms of:

1.1 Age;

1.2 Gender;

1.3 Civil Status; and

1.4 Source of Income?

2) What is the occupational profile of the respondents in terms of:

2.1 Nature of employment;

2.2 Present Monthly Income;

2.3 Current position/ Designation/ Academic rank; and

2.4 Current employment status?

3) Based on the results, what possible action plan can be produced?

Significance of the study

It constitutes an important tool for educational planners, as they can

provide valuable information for evaluating the results of the higher education and

training institutions.

Tracer study will benefit every institution most especially, the DepEd and

the schools because it will help them to know what is now the status of their products

after graduating in their institutions.

Alumni. The study will provide new idea to the alumni of GNHS with

regards to their employability readiness.

GNHS Administrative Officials. The study will be significant basis for

initiating and implementing improvement plans its academic curriculum, as it will

provide information about the graduate chosen career.

Students. This study will also serve as reference for future studies and ill

hope to inspire the faculty in upgrading their techniques in their areas of

specialization by advancing academically to prepare students to actively participate in

competing globally.

Researchers. This study will help future researchers who conducting

about tracer study as a guide in developing instruments that they can use in the

production of similar studies.