Students Speak Their Minds BS Informatio PDF

Dr. Rommel L.
Verecio, International Journal of Research in Engineering, IT and Social Sciences,

ISSN 2250-0588, Impact Factor: 6.452, Volume 06 Issue 06, June 2016, Page 17-25
Students Speak their Minds: BS Information

Technology Course Choice Influences of
Leyte Normal University, Tacloban City,
Philippines
Dr. Rommel L. Verecio
(Leyte Normal University, Tacloban City, Philippines, email: rlverecio@lnu.edu.ph)
Abstract: This study aimed to determine the course choice influences of the BS Information Technology students of
the Leyte Normal University, Tacloban City. Descriptive survey method were used which involved a questionnaire
and interviews. One hundred seventy-three (173) first year students currently enrolled during the first semester of
school year 2015-2016 served as respondents. Results showed that in terms of economic influences respondents give
much emphasis on Employability, Awareness of Present Salary Rates in IT Industry and Ability of the Parents to
Pay School Fees while on non-economic influences they give much importance on Interest in Computer related work
with the latest technology, childhood dreams or aspirations and role of IT in business. This implies that higher
educational institution will provide students with graduate attributes aligned with employability skills relevant to the
world of work in order for them to be more e mployable. Further, the university should provide activities or
programs to strengthen or boost the interest of the students with computer related works with latest technology.
Keywords: Course Choice Influences, BS Information Technology, State Universities and Colleges, Social Science,
Descriptive Research, Philippines
I. INTRODUCTION
Students entering college stand at the crossroads of making career decisions, with forces imp inging upon
their decisions. Such forces, which can be broadly categorized as economic and non -economic, are usually
conflicting. There are some who put premiu m on the economic considerations, while others take the non -economic
factors into account. There are also those who consider both economic and non-economic influences in the choice of
a college course. Leitch (2005) declared that whatever the influences to the student’s decisions, the main reason for
pursuing a college degree is for personal growth and development.
The quality and amount of decision support and guidance afforded to students contemplating on a college
course is a crucial service requirement fo r every educational institution. The availab ility of college counseling and
informat ion is one of the important elements in students’ decisions to go to college (King, 1996). Meanwhile, the
educational sector has an unenviable task of addressing the labor requirements of industry as its contribution
towards national economic and social development. The academe must define the specific sectors of industry for
which the students can productively involve themselves in after graduation. The outputs of education are the future
inputs for industry. Alongside this argument is the need to integrate the educational system with the society of which
it is a part - making education an inseparable part of the whole process of national development and freeing our
country from charges of mis match between educational outputs and national manpower needs; and wastage of time,
money and effort of both s chools and graduates.
Education is attained not only for education’s sake but for other meaningful goals and objectives - a means
of social continuity of life - a guidance of students into professions best suited for them (Lucey, 2005). A major
influence on education is the stronger awareness of the direct relationship between education and income potential
(Cabrera and La Nasa, 2001; Meyers, 2006; Becker and Murphy, 2007) creating pressures on education to ensure
continuing relevance of courses in response to the rapidly changing environment and job opportunities. Students
need guidance in making reasonable plans for the future, and at the same time, availing themselves of opportunities
in the present for the realization of their plans. The academe is in th e best position to offer this guidance, it must
possess essential and up-to-date informat ion to successfully steer students towards the best career decisions. The
results of this study would thus be of primordial significance to the administration of the Leyte Normal Un iversity,
Tacloban City, and other State Universities and Colleges in the Philippines, in their efforts to design an ideal
framework for student career guidance and support.
www.indusedu.org Page 17
Dr. Rommel L. Verecio, International Journal of Research in Engineering, IT and Social Sciences,
The Leyte Normal University, Tacloban City is one of the state universities in Region VIII. It is a training
institution in education, arts and sciences, and management and entrepreneurships. As an institution it is expected to
be a catalyst and produced a graduate that has the norms and values of the university as resp onsible citizens of the
Republic of the Philipp ines. The university offered BS In formation Technology (BSIT) program as one of its many
undergraduate programs. While many studies have been done on factors affecting students’ career choices and their
effect on the country’s manpower development needs. This study is believed to be the first to be undertaken at Leyte
Normal University specifically the BS Informat ion Technology program in determin ing the students’ decision
considerations those influences in their chosen course.
II. FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY

This study is anchored on Behavioral Model of College Selection Process by Chapman, R. G. (1986). The
model describes the stages through which student move along the path toward ultimate selection of a colleg e. The
stages are labeled as Pre-Search Behavior; Search Behavior; Application Decision; Choice Decision; and
Matriculation Decision.
The premise upon which this model is based is that

college selection consists of search and choice components.
Search refers to searching for the attribute values which
characterize colleges. Relevant college attributes might
include cost, academic quality, future career prospects and
opportunities (upon graduation), quality of life wh ile a
student at the college, and related considerations that might
be of interest to students in the ultimate college choice
decision. The search phase concludes with the application
decision, when a student decides on the set of colleges to
which formal applications for admission will be s ubmitted.
Choice refers to choosing among the colleges that have
admitted a student. Search and choice are distinct but
interrelated phases of the college selection process. However,
it is useful to recognize the distinctiveness of these two
stages in analyzing student behavior because different
considerations arise at the search and choice stages.
Pre-Search
Pre-search behavior begins when a student first
recognizes the possible need and desirability of a college-
level education. Parental influences may lead to such a
realization on the part of the student well before the high
school years. Thus, the pre-search stage maybe extended,
covering many years. This length of time plus the difficu lty
in assessing when pre-search behavior actually first begins
make this stage of the college selection process the most
difficult to research. Pre-search activ ities presumably involve an assessment of the costs and benefits associated with
attending college in general (and perhaps certain college types, in particu lar), plus a corresponding assessment of the
costs and benefits of alternative non-college post-high school options.
Given the recognition of the possible need for a college-level education, a student imp licitly and perhaps
continuously scans a range of possible information sources to learn about the availability of informat ion sources,
their content, and some information about various college options and perhaps even specific colleges.
Search Behavior
The search behavior stage is characterized by extensive and active acquisition of information about
possible college alternatives. “Knowledgeable” others are presumably consulted with great frequency and in depth.
Knowledgeable "others" might include high school teachers, high school guidance -counselors, family members and
relatives, family friends, college alumni, and acquaintances attending particular colleges. Students typically write to
a number of co lleges to request descriptive informat ion, such as college catalogs and relevant brochures. Students
receive unsolicited direct mail fro m individual colleges. Some actual visits to colleges occur. The search phase
involves active search, rather than the relatively passive search -related activities that might be found in most
consumer nondurable goods settings. College selection is an important milestone in a student's life, and extensive
high-involvement search efforts are to be expected.
Application Decision
Search behavior ends when a student decides to apply to a set of colleges. By definition, the application set
consists of those colleges to which a student submits an application for admission. At this point, the pursuit of a
college-level education is serious and the number of college alternatives has been narrowed down to a few.
Students are most likely to apply to colleges in which they are interested and to which they are likely to be
admitted. Thus, a student's expectations as to the probability of admission are relevant here. In addition, it is
presumed that only colleges viewed as being at least min imally acceptable on all majo r dimensions are included in
the application set. One area in which students lack full informat ion at the application decision stage is financial aid.
Thus, students may apply to colleges that might be too expensive for them, unless sufficient aid is ultimately
forthcoming with the offer of ad mission.
Choice Decision
By definition, the choice set consists of all those colleges to which a student is admitted. Note that this is
another point where some uncertainty enters into the college selection process - namely, the uncertainty with regard
to whether a student will be admitted to a college. Students may form expectations about the probability of
admission to particular colleges, but they cannot be certain of ad mission. This is especially true for selective
colleges where the nu mber of applications fro m min imally qualified students may exceed the number of available
freshmen slots.
At the choice decision phase, the student is presumed to possess relatively co mplete informat ion on all
relevant college attributes, since the student is informed of the availability of financial aid amounts and mix (the
allocation of financial aid between grants/scholarships, loans, and part -time jobs). However, there may be some
further extended search along the "determinant attributes", those college attributes which will really make a
difference in the college choice process.
Matriculation Decision
For most students, the college choice decision will be made late. The personal circu mstances (such as
significant changes in financial situation) and unexpected events may alter the original choice decision. A student
who was wait-listed with a highly preferred college may renege on the initial college selected if the hig hly preferred
college subsequently admits the student. This "no-show" problem creates considerable problems for colleges, as it
can easily cascade down from h ighly selective to successively less selective institutions, as the colleges tap their
wait-list pools to fill their respective classes. Standard institutional practice in ad missions is to require a deposit
along with the acceptance of admission. However, these deposits are normally not substantial so the cost of
forfeiting such a deposit to attend a much more preferred college alternative is not a major hurdle for many students.
Further, the model provides an integrated framewo rk in the course choice influences of BS Information
Technology students. This model may also serve as basis in the college admission process of the different
universities in the Philippines.
III. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main thrust of this research is to determine and understand the influences in the BS Informat ion Technology
course choice preference of Leyte Normal University, Tacloban City.
Specifically, this study would like to answer the fo llo wing questions:
1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:
1.1 age;
1.2 gender;
1.3 civil status;
1.4 monthly family income;
1.5 religion;
1.6 father’s occupation;
1.7 mother’s occupation;
1.8 source of financial support?
2. What influences were perceived by the respondents in their course choice preference in terms of:
2.1 Economic;
2.2 Non-Economic?
3. What inputs can be proposed for policy development in their course choice influences as to economic
and non-economic?
IV. METHODS
Research Design
The research method used by the researcher in this study was the descriptive method, which involved a
questionnaire to determine the students’ influences in their chosen course.
Research Procedure
The researcher sought permission through the University President of the Leyte Normal Un iversity,
Tacloban City. This was done for the determination of samples directly involved in the study and for the distribution
of the questionnaires.
Respondents of the Study
This study was confined to all the first year BS Information Technology students currently enrolled at
Leyte No rmal University, Tacloban City during the first semester of school year 2015-2016. However, out of 173
expected respondents there were only 152 who participated the actual survey which is almost 87.86% of the entire
population.
Data Gathering Instruments
The researcher used surveyed questionnaires as main data gathering tool for this study. The instrument
consists of two parts; the first part is composed of the demographic profile of the respondents the second part
focused on the economic and non-economic considerations that influences in their course choice preference. Data
collections were done through personal distribution and were given enough time to think about the questions as
stated on the questionnaire, thus producing more accurate in formation period.
Statistical Treatment of Data
Responses fro m the questionnaires were direct ly encoded in an excel format. The data were analyzed using
the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software – descriptive statistics (frequency counts, percentages,
and mean). Figures and tables presentation format follo wed the American Psychological Association Style
(APA Table Gu idelines, 2007).
V. RES ULTS AND DIS CUSSION

This section presents the results of the study. It deals with the profile of the BS Informat ion Technology students
and the economic and non-economic consideration that influences students in their course choice preference.
Table 1
Profile of the Res pondents
Profile Variab le Frequency (n=152) Percent

Gender
Female 80 52.63
Male 72 47.37
Total 152 100%
Age
16 – 17 years old 93 61.18
18 – 19 years old 36 23.68
20 years old and above 23 15.14
Total 152 100%
Ci vil Status
Single 152 100.00
Married 0 0.00
Total 152 100%
Monthly Family Inco me (in PhP)
4,999 and belo w 75 49.34
5,000 – 9,999 51 33.55
10,000 – 14,999 12 7.90
15,000 – 19,999 8 5.26
20,000 and above 6 3.95
Total 152 100%
Religion
Catholic 128 84.21

Christian 17 11.18
Protestant 2 1.32
Muslim 0 0.00
Others 5 3.29
Total 152 100%
Father’s Occupation
Govern ment emp loyee 27 17.76
Private emp loyee 17 11.18
Self-Emp loyed 56 36.84
Unemployed 52 34.22
Total 152 100%
Mother’s Occupation
Govern ment emp loyee 29 19.08
Private emp loyee 4 2.63
Self-Emp loyed 32 21.05
Unemployed 87 57.24
Total 152 100%
Source of Financi al Support
Parents/relatives 45 29.60
Self-supporting 29 19.08
Scholarship 58 38.16
Spouse 5 3.29
Co mbined sources 10 6.58
Other sources 5 3.29
Total 152 100%
The data as shown in Table 1 contains the profile of BSIT students which consist of gender, age, civil status,
monthly family income, religion, father’s occupation, mother’s occupation and source of financial support.
Gende r
The data disclosed that female respondents dominate having (52.63%; n=80) and male which has (47.37%;
n=72) fro m 152 respondents.
Age
The most number o f respondents as shown in the table were 16 to 17 years old (61.18%; n=93), this was
followed with 18 to19 years old (23.68%; n=36), while 20 years old and above represent the smallest portion of the
sample (15.14%, n =23).This only imp lies that majority of respondents 16 to 17 years old age bracket for the first
year college status shows that they are on the right and exact age in the Ph ilippine educational system.
Civil Status
The data disclosed that all of the respondents are single.
Monthly Family Income
The data presented indicate that most respondents have a monthly family inco me of Php4,999 and below
(49.34%; n=75), fo llowed by Php5,000 – Php9,999 (33.55%; n=51) and the least number (3.95%; n=6) have a
monthly income Php20,000 and above.
Religion
The data disclosed that majority of the respondents are Ro man Catholic (84.21%; n=128), followed by
Christian (11.185%; n=17) wh ile Muslim takes the least with no responses.
Father’s Occupation
The data disclosed that majority of the respondents reveals that their father’s occupation was self-employed
(36.84%; n=56), followed by unemp loyed (34.22%; n=52) and the least were the private emp loyee (11.18%; n=17).
Mother’s Occupation
It shows that that majority of the respondents reveals that their mother’s occupation were unemployed
(57.24%; n=87), followed by self-emp loyed (21.05%; n=32) and the least were private emp loyee (2.63%; n=4).
Source of Financi al Support
Most respondents showed that their source of financial support was from scholarship (38.16%; n =58), came
next were fro m their parents/relatives (29.60%; n=45) while sources fro m spouse and other sources were the least
having the same responses (3.29%; n=5).
Figure 1
Distribution of Res pondents by Economic Influences
Economic Influences
Low Cost Education
87, 31%
Scholarship
1, 0%
Ability of the parents to pay
43, 15% school fees
64, 22% Awareness of present
salary rates in IT industry
31, 11%
Employability
59, 21%
Others
The data in Figure 1 disclosed that majo rity of the respondents considers “Emp loyability” as the most
economic influence in their course choice preference having (31%, n=87), this was followed by “Awareness of
Present Salary Rates in IT Industry” (22%, n=64)while “Others” takes the least indicator (0%, n=1).In a study
conducted by Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (2011), pointed out that in Canada (and to some extent
the USA) there is an emphasis on the significant role that secondary schools can play in preparing students for the
world of work. Addressing employability within secondary schools has provided students with a basic level of
awareness before progressing to higher education. Likewise, it has increasingly defined how students choose
institutions. In the UK, they have been encouraging institutions to publish employability statements, especially for
prospective students. Research has also shown that employability is an increasingly impo rtant factor in the
institution selection process for students. Therefore, institutions may need to look further at the types of services
they provide and how they communicate this information to pros pective students.
Further, the data implies that with respect to economic influence “emp loyability” would mean, h igher
educational institution will provide students with the graduate attributes aligned with employability skills or relevant
to the world of work. These attributes are the qualities, skills, and understanding that a university or college
community agrees its student should develop during their time at the university or college. Graduate attributes thus
redound to obtaining employ ment.
Table 3 revealed that majority of the respondents in terms of Non-Econo mic Influences give much
considerations on “Interest in Co mputer related work with Latest Technology” (22%, n =111), came next was
“Childhood dreams or Aspirations” (12%, n=61) while “Others” takes the least indicator (0%, n=1). This implies
that their “interest in computer related work with latest technology” would allo w them to bring their general
computer knowledge into a variety of specialized niches. The world of information technology is always growing
and changing, so learning how to keep up with the pace of technology is one of the most important things students
learn when enrolled in a degree program. The fast pace at which technology changes means that many different
types of people are required to specialize in a variety of different areas, providing plenty of opportunity for
everyone. It is much easier to keep up with one aspect of technology than with all of them. Therefore, it is important
for specialists in different fields to communicate with each other. Hence, students who earn information technology
degrees can excel at a variety of jobs right out of college. Graduates with strong people skills can work at in
informat ion technology services help desk or at a customer service call center. Creat ive specialists can design
microchips or new software. Skilled mu lti-taskers can juggle the management of an entire co mputer network for a
company.
Non-Economic Influences
Childhood Dreams or Aspirations
Career Program
Parental Influence
Peer Influence
Gender
38, 8% 33, 7%
52, 11% Interest in Computer related work
29, 6% with Latest Technology
20, 4%
18, 4% Course Content
26, 5%
30, 6%
1, 0% Diversity in Profession
61, 12%
111, 22% Role of IT in Business
34, 7%
9,12,
2%22,
2% 4% Innovation
Graduate Employment Rates
Quality of Academic Facilities
School to Industry Linkages
Academic & School Reputation
Others
Figure 2
Distribution of Res pondents by Non-Economic Influences
Moreover, a major in info rmation technology is suitable for people of all ages at any stage of their career.
Recent high school graduates will already have a familiarity with co mputers, having grown up in the dawn o f the
computer age. Working adults that did not grow up with computers can give themselves a unique edge over others
their own age, while also staying competitive with younger generations of computer-savvy college graduates.
Inputs for Policy Development

The table below presents the topmost course choice influence in terms of economic and non-economic that
affect in their course decisions.
Table 3
Economic and Non-Economic Influences Perceived of Much Importance
Economic Influence Non-Economic Influence
Emp loyability Interest in Computer related work with Latest
Technology
Economic Influences
Employability
The university should have a career resource unit or center that will bridge the gap between graduates and
emp loyers. A closer collaboration between employment and university should be undertaken, as these are closely
intertwined.
The university must develop students' skills and create opportunities so they can participate in job
shadowing, internship, and on-the-job training (OJT) programs in order to enhance their job-related skills. They
should actively conduct capacity-building programs such as seminars and workshops to become more co mpetit ive.
The university should embark on provid ing value-added services in the IT industry. They should conduct
research to see to it that improvements and developments are continuously promoted in the industry.
The university should re-asses the curricula in-o rder to match industry's needs. This will reduce instances
of job mis match and will help reduce unemploy ment. They should make business leaders part of their pools of
industry experts.
The university should design programs that will develop in their student’s leadership and behavioral skills,
work values, and ethics in order to become more competit ive. They should also strongly focus on developing their
students’ communication, critical-thin king, and initiative-taking skills by integrating these into their first- and
second-year curricula.
The university should upgrade their teacher quality and standards in order to develop highly competitive
graduates. Immediate intervention in teacher train ing and higher order thinking skills facilitation is needed.
Non- Economic Influence

Interest in Computer related work with Latest Technology
The university should provide activities or programs to strengthen or boost the interest of the students, in
this case an awareness with computer related works with latest technology.
Aside from the academic aspect, the university should develop also the interest of the students by providing extra -
curricular activ ities in line with their chosen course.
The university should strengthen the activities of the clubs or organizations of the course to ensure that
organizational activit ies are to enrich the interest of the students.
Invite student to visit numerous online foru ms, websites and youtube videos to further enhance and
increase their interest in computer related works.
Advice students to immerse themsel ves in the coding community. Make it part of their life! There are
lots of good articles out there that motivate them to do better, to code more and venture deeper into coding.
V. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

For students to make enlightened and informed decisions, students need to be aware of the various factors
that might be influencing their career choice. Secondary school teachers and parents should prepare the students at
an earlier stage. Career programs should be thought in schools at an earlier age to enable them to prepare for their
career. Parents also need to work closely with their children to ensure that they positively impact them towards
choosing the right career.
Higher educational institutions should have a functioning Guidance Center staffed with appropriate
expertise to assist students on career decisions. They should be serious in the conduct of career assessment and tests
on aptitude, skills, interests, and intelligence for inco ming freshmen to ensure that students are enrolled in courses
that complement their interests and academic qualificat ions.
Further, government agencies such as CHED, the Depart ment of Labor and Employ ment (DOLE), should
join forces to inform students regarding oversubs cribed courses, which will not help them gain employ ment. They
should be regularly informed regarding local and global labor market needs so they can avoid becoming vict ims of
unemploy ment and underemploy ment. Moreover, stakeholders should work hand in hand to make their education
count so that all graduates can gain not just the know-how that will make them emp loyable but also the necessary
competence and skills so they can remain not just gainfully employed but prosper in their chosen careers in the
future.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Rommel Lagutan Vereciohas comp leted BS Co mputer Science, MS Informat ion Technology and Doctor
of Management in Human Resource Management. Presently, he is connected at Leyte Normal University, Tacloban
City as the Chair of the Informat ion Technology & Co mputer Education Unit. E-mail: rlverecio@lnu.edu.ph.
VI. REFERENCES
Becker, G. & Murphy, K. (2007). The upside of income inequality. The American. Volume 1 Number 4. Washington, D. C., USA: American
Enterprise Institute.
Cabrera, A. and La Nasa, S. (2001). Pathways to a Four-Year Degree: The Higher Education Story of One Generation. Pennsylvania, USA:
Center for the Study of Higher Education Policy.
Chapman, R. G. (1986). TOWARD A THEORY OF COLLEGE SELECTION: A MODEL OF COLLEGE SEARCH AND CHOICE
BEHAVIOR. Advances in Consumer Research, 13(1).http://www.i-graduate.org/assets/2011-Employability-Report-published-by-BIS.pdf
http://www.seameo-innotech.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Brief03 employability%20of%20Philippine%20IT%20Graduates_FI NAL.pdf
King, J. (1996). The Decision To Go to College: Attitudes and Experiences Associated with College Attendance Among Low-Income Students.
Washington, D.C., USA: College Board Washington Office. ED398775.
Leitch, T. (2005). Top reasons for going to college. Retrieved October 14, 2007 from http://www.studentsforacademicfreedom.org/
archive/2005/July/DelawareOnlineTopTenReasongoingtoCollege071805.htm?id=4e7wgf9fn5ohqsfet zz8hrpmiz4jjevo.
Lucey, C (2005). Higher ed’s other goals. Community College Times. Volume 17 Number 4. Nevada, USA: Western Nevada Community
College.

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Dr. Rommel L.

Verecio, International Journal of Research in Engineering, IT and Social Sciences,

Students Speak their Minds: BS Information

II. FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY

The premise upon which this model is based is that

III. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

V. RES ULTS AND DIS CUSSION

Profile Variab le Frequency (n=152) Percent

Catholic 128 84.21

Graduate Employment Rates

Quality of Academic Facilities

School to Industry Linkages

Academic & School Reputation

Inputs for Policy Development

Non- Economic Influence

V. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

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