LIPA CITY COLLEGES

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN

ACCOUNTANCY STUDENTS AND THEIR QUALIFYING EXAMINATION
RESULTS : A CORRELATIONAL STUDY

A Thesis Proposal Presented

For the Faculty of College of Business Education and Accountancy
LIPA CITY COLLEGES
Lipa City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement

For the Degree of
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ACCOUNTANCY

ZARA MAY M. CEQUEÑA

PATRICIA MAY D. CERA
SHAIRA SOFIA C. CONCORDIA
ASHLEY JOYCE B. GONZALES

September 2022

Lipa City Colleges

G. A. Solis St., Lipa City Batangas
Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
www.lipacitycolleges.net
 LIPA CITY COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

INTRODUCTION

An accountant, often known as a CPA (Certified Public Accountant), is a

bachelor's degree in accounting graduate who has passed the board exam. The

work of an accountant includes carrying out accounting procedures for gathering,

accurately recording, analyzing, and presenting financial data for a company, or-

ganization, or financial operations. In the daily operations of a business, the ac-

countant typically performs some administrative duties.

Students can enroll in this program to gain general accounting knowledge

if they are interested in the work field of accounting or public accounting in partic-

ular. Further, this curriculum complies with the most recent competency frame-

work for accounting professionals provided by the International Federation of Ac-

countants (IFAC) through their International Education Standards. This enables

the program's graduate to sit for tests leading to accountancy certifications of-

fered by the Professional Regulatory Commission - Board of Accountancy (PRC-

BOA) and other worldwide professional accountancy organizations.

Assurance and audit services for statutory financial reporting, tax-related

services, management advisory services that support management decision-

making, the creation of planning, performance, and control systems, and the pro-

vision of expertise in financial reporting and control to assist various stakeholders

Lipa City Colleges

G. A. Solis St., Lipa City Batangas ii
Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
www.lipacitycolleges.net
 LIPA CITY COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

in decision-making are all part of the field of study and profession of accounting.

The Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, or PICPA, is an-

other organization that supports the honesty and high standards of the account-

ing profession. The Professional Regulation Commission has recognized this as

the CPAs' authorized professional association (PRC). PICPA aims to advance the

science of accounting, improve accountancy education, promote high profes-

sional and ethical standards among accountants, maintain friendly relationships

among accountants, and safeguard the Certificate of Certified Public Accountant

issued by the Republic of the Philippines.(www.picpa.com.ph)

Accounting education helps students learn to become professional ac-

countants. The Bachelor of Science in Accountancy is a four-year degree pro-

gram in the Philippines that has a qualifying exam depending on the policy of the

school whether it would be conducted every after-school year, in the 3 rd year or

4th year. The qualifying test is an exam designed to determine the level of each

student's comprehension of fundamental Academic material, measures the stu-

dents’ proficiency in accounting subjects as it relates to their strand and area of

specialty as well as their preparation for the review. It will serve as the basis to

determine whether, the students, have acquired the competency required to con-

tinue in the accountancy program and to know if they are ready to take the next

level in their academic life. It is a policy set by the school for BSA programs that
Lipa City Colleges
G. A. Solis St., Lipa City Batangas iii
Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
www.lipacitycolleges.net
 LIPA CITY COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

has a primary objective of preparing the students for the board examination they

are to take after graduating from college. The students can review their past ac-

counting courses by doing this. Accounting students will get a glimpse of what it

will be like to take the board test once they graduate, as well as how stressful it

will be and how much pressure there will be to study all the required material

Qualifying Examination is required to take at the end of every school year. Failure

to pass the exam will force students to shift to other courses depending on the

choice of the students like Bachelor of Science in Management Accounting, Busi-

ness Administration Major in Human Resource, etc.

It is the responsibility of all higher education institutions (HEIS), whether

public and private, to equip people with the specialized knowledge required by

the nation for ongoing growth and development. To generate highly educated

graduates and globally competitive professionals to fulfill the expectations of the

industries, all universities and colleges have an intrinsic commitment to ensure

the quality of their services.

Banchang (2015) stated that a nation will develop quickly if its population

has a high degree of education. Additionally, this might result in improved income

distribution, economic expansion, and individual income increase. Better educa-

tion should therefore be given top priority in the nation because it plays a crucial

role in shaping and molding people's attitudes, behaviors, and morals.

Lipa City Colleges
G. A. Solis St., Lipa City Batangas iv
Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
www.lipacitycolleges.net
 LIPA CITY COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

In addition, Lipa City Colleges must provide high-quality, easily accessible

education, just like other HEIs. The college aspires to be one of the top schools

with a culture of excellence and a strong focus on on-going improvement. To

achieve this aim, LCC must regularly and constantly generate quality graduates

from each of its program offerings who will act as responsible participants in the

advancement of the country. The standard of graduates is based on their aca-

demic performance. The College will therefore pay close attention to its students'

academic performance to achieve the goal of creating quality graduates.

One of the programs that Colleges offer is the Bachelor of Science in Ac-

countancy (BSA) degree. Offering such a program meets the community's de-

mand for accessible business and accounting courses. The curriculum was de-

signed under the requirements established by the Commission on Higher Educa-

tion (CMO No. 3, series of 2007), and it was benchmarked against the curricula

of top universities both domestically and abroad that offered programs similar to

its own. As a result, the courses in this program are taught using interactive

classroom discussions, visual aids, and other teaching materials, as well as by

holding laboratory classes, to give the students the chance to learn the neces-

sary information and develop the necessary skills and competencies.

The institution introduced several measures and academic policies, such

as the retention policy and the qualifying examination, in response to CHED, no-
Lipa City Colleges
G. A. Solis St., Lipa City Batangas v
Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
www.lipacitycolleges.net
 LIPA CITY COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

tably concerning the CPA board examination performance of the BSA graduates.

Davis (2014) emphasized that these policies give students a minimum set of re-

quirements to which they must adhere while pursuing their degree. Typically,

these requirements are set by the faculty who teach in the student's chosen ma-

jor. They also give students parameters to use in determining whether a program

is a good fit for their skill set. To increase the likelihood that they will pass the

CPA board test, these mechanisms serve as a way for the program to encourage

the students to work more in their studies and to perform better academically in

all the core accounting subjects.

Furthermore, numerous factors have an impact on students' academic

performance. According to Burrow, Reilly and Woodfield (2009), a student's age

has been linked to degree performance, and it has been discovered that older

students somewhat outperform younger ones in terms of degree outcomes.

Moreover, Win and Miller (2005) discovered that factors influencing pupils' aca-

demic achievement include the quality of prior instruction they got, their home en-

vironment, and their parents' education; consequently, the variables are a family

member's degree and the kind of school they attended. Jacobs (2002) conducted

a second study that found that a student's financial situation has an impact on

their performance.

Relatedly, Mamede (2015) noted that factors like academic credentials of

Lipa City Colleges
G. A. Solis St., Lipa City Batangas vi
Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
www.lipacitycolleges.net
 LIPA CITY COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

faculty, teachers with up-to-date content, various teaching methods, research ac-

tivities, use of the book rather than hand-outs and abstracts, and full access to

microcomputers are positively associated with student's performance in the ac-

counting course.

In this study, the researchers aim to have more knowledge with regards to

the relationship of academic performance to the qualifying examination of the ac-

countancy students. Academic performance is defined as the grades of the re-

spondents in their major subjects which can have an impact on their performance

in the Qualifying Examination. The policy of the institution is that the incoming

second year accountancy students should obtain a weighted average of 2.25 in

Basic Accounting (FUNACO1) and Partnership and Corporation (FUNACO2) and

should pass the Qualifying Examination Part I. Whereas incoming third- and

fourth-year accountancy students should have a weighted average of 2.25 in all

board related subjects taken and need to pass the Qualifying Examination Part II

and Part III, respectively. In the precedent cases, students who will fail the exami-

nation may be allowed to take a retest and in case they do not meet the required

grade and want to continue with the program, they should re-enroll the subject/s

and obtain the required grade.

Through the result of this study, the College of Accountancy faculty mem-

bers will have a deeper understanding of how important their role is not only in
Lipa City Colleges
G. A. Solis St., Lipa City Batangas vii
Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
www.lipacitycolleges.net
 LIPA CITY COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

the department but most of all in the academic performance of the students. In

addition, this will influence the creation of innovations in the form of improve-

ments in methods of teaching and techniques, student activities, and possible

drills to improve the performance of Accountancy students in the Qualifying Ex-

amination. On the other hand, Accountancy students will be more knowledgeable

concerning their academic performance which could reflect on the outcome of

their Qualifying Exam.

Finally, this paper may also serve as a foundation for other board pro-

grams within the institution to examine their performance in the past and make

the required adjustments based on the researcher's findings.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Victor H. Vroom's Expectancy Theory, which is often known as the ex-

pectancy theory of motivation, contends that people behave or act in certain

ways because they are motivated to do so. By being motivated they tend to antic-

ipate a better outcome of the activity that they are doing. People work harder be-

cause doing so would help them reach their goal and this is one of the typical ex -

pectancy theory instances.

Walberg’s Theory of Educational Productivity was tested as one of the theo-

ries of academic achievement. This theory states that psychological characteris-

tics of an individual and their environment influence one’s educational outcome.

Lipa City Colleges
G. A. Solis St., Lipa City Batangas viii
Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
www.lipacitycolleges.net
 LIPA CITY COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

Furthermore, Walberg identified nine key variables that influence educational out-

comes as: student ability, motivation, developmental level, quantity of instruction,

classroom climate, home environment, peer group and exposure to mass media

outside of school. The first three variables reflect characteristics of the student.

The fourth and fifth variables reflect instruction and the final four for the aspects

of the psychological environment.

Based on Potential Performance Theory, the proposed methodology distin-

guishes among observed performance, strategy, and consistency along with the

idea that changes in observed performance can be caused by changes in strat-

egy or consistency. This theory was developed by Trafimow and Rice (2008) as a

general theory of task performance that specifies the relationships among actual

performance, true performance and randomness.

The researchers make use of Expectancy Theory, Theory of Educational

Productivity and Potential Performance Theory since the students' performance

is discussed here. The following factors mentioned will be the evidence that there

are factors wherein students correlate with their performance result. As men-

tioned, they are motivated to have a specific behavior over others due to what

they expect the result of that behavior will be. The performance of students re-

flects their expectation that a particular effort would result in the desired perfor-

mance.

Lipa City Colleges

G. A. Solis St., Lipa City Batangas ix
Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
www.lipacitycolleges.net
 LIPA CITY COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This study shows the correlation of the academic performance of Bachelor of

Science in Accountancy students and their qualifying exam results administered

by the College of Accountancy in Lipa City Colleges, with the end in view of pro-

viding a baseline data in improving the performance of examinees in the next

years.

Specifically, the study aims to provide answers to the following questions:

1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 Age
1.2 Sex
1.3 Senior High School Strand

2. What is the academic performance of the BS Accountancy Students?

3. What are the results of the qualifying examination of the BS Accountancy

Students?

4. Is there a significant relationship between the academic performance and

the results of the qualifying examination of the BS Accountancy Students?

5. Is there a significant difference between the result of the qualifying exami -

nation when grouped according to their profile?

Lipa City Colleges

G. A. Solis St., Lipa City Batangas x
Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
www.lipacitycolleges.net
 LIPA CITY COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

6. Based on the findings of the study, what qualifying examination policy can

be proposed?

LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter shows a review for materials related to the present study that

was taken from various sources. Studies, literature and concepts are presented

for the researchers to enrich and widen the understanding on Academic Perfor-

mance of a Bachelor of Science Accountancy Students and their qualifying ex-

amination results: A Correlational Study and the factors that would influence this.

Academic Performance

According to Magpiliy and Mercado (2015) the general weighted average

(GWA) ordinal scale continues to be used to assess academic performance, and

it remains the best indicator of future academic success. Depending on his or her

GWA, a student is frequently classified as high-, average-, or low-achieving.

In the study entitled “A quantitative assessment of student performance and

examination format” of Davison and Dustova (2017), one method for assessing a

student's academic success is through their academic achievement - their

grades or general weighted average (GWA). As cited in the paper, the Center for

Lipa City Colleges

G. A. Solis St., Lipa City Batangas xi
Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
www.lipacitycolleges.net
 LIPA CITY COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

Research and Development Academic Achievement (CRIRES) report from 2005

stated that academic achievement is used to assess students' proficiency in aca-

demic subjects.

According to research done by D'Souza, Maheshwari, and Sharad (2010) on

factors impacting student success in the introductory management science

course. The strongest predictor of performance aptitude is GPA as cited by Mun-

yaradzi Duve (2016) in the study entitled Non-accounting Students' Academic

Performance and Introductory Financial Accounting Course. Also, according to

Bautista, Rey and Suan (2014) the undergraduate GWA are significant in the pre-

diction of the students’ academic performance.

Ballado-Tan (2015) discovered that if the following concerns are effectively

addressed and carried out by everyone involved with passion and commitment,

performance of the respondents in the qualifying exam could be expected to be

higher. These concerns include the availability of the syllabus and its contents,

appropriateness of teaching methods, holding of instruction-enriching activities,

recognizing individual differences, and use of varied techniques for evaluating

students.

The results of the Jalagat study (2016) entitled "Performance in CPA

board examination: Benchmarking for opportunities to meet market demands."

also revealed that schools with strong rules, stringent admission standards, and

effective retention strategies have a significant impact on graduates' success on

Lipa City Colleges
G. A. Solis St., Lipa City Batangas xii
Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
www.lipacitycolleges.net
 LIPA CITY COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

the CPA board examination. He came to the conclusion that ineffective admission

and retention rules would probably lead to poor performance.

Mersha, Bishaw, and Tegegne (2013) looked into the elements influencing

female students' academic success. The ensuing elements were taken into ac-

count. Lack of self-confidence, insufficient effort, and carelessness are major is-

sues that impact female students' academic success and consequently raise

their attrition rates at universities. On college campuses, there are significant is-

sues with sexual harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.

According to the report, 35 percent of female respondents experienced sexual

harassment or attempted sexual assault each year.

Mlambo (2011) researched the variables influencing college students' suc-

cess in an introductory biochemistry course. The main conclusions were that so-

cioeconomic position, attendance, and student motivation all significantly affect

academic achievement. Gender, age, learning styles, and entry requirements did

not significantly affect students' academic success.

Qualifying Examination

According to Iqbal (1996) as cited by Neemati (2014) in the study entitled

"An Investigation into the Learners' Attitudes towards Factors Affecting Their

Exam Performance" exams are given to students to gauge their performance and

determine whether they have attained a particular level of academic learning and
Lipa City Colleges
G. A. Solis St., Lipa City Batangas xiii
Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
www.lipacitycolleges.net
 LIPA CITY COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

understanding.

According to Stephen (2019) the complexity and length of the process are

the key issues with most of the qualifying examinations. A significant amount of

time is wasted on focusing on grades and excelling in areas that are basically un-

related to growth and development. Even when the lessons are useful, making

you cram them in before you can proceed with the program is little more than

academic struggle.

According to Del Mundo & Refozar (2013) several studies considered the

strict implementation of retention policy as an important aspect of maintaining the

quality of students in accountancy programs. To study accountancy takes a great

discipline in all aspects of the students and because of that retention policy was

strictly implemented.

According to Cascio (2015) ; Rahamneh (2012) a successful educational

system requires an understanding of both the objectives of education and the re-

quirements of students. Finding information about the effect on students' aca-

demic performance in various contexts and countries can be done by utilizing the

internet and reading papers.

As cited by Lugo and De Vera (2018) in the study entitled “Correlation be-

tween the Entrance Exam Score and the Academic Performance of the BS Com-

puter Science Graduates of De La Salle Lipa from AY 2010-2015”, Allen & Sherry

Lipa City Colleges

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Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
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 LIPA CITY COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

(2008) revealed that retention at the first-to-second year stage is very crucial

since students often drop out at this stage.

Relationship between Academic Performance and the Qualifying Exam-

ination

According to the study by Magdaraog and Magdaraog (2013), since there is

a strong positive correlation between BSA students' academic performance and

performance on the qualifying examinations at all levels, it can be said that their

performance in the subject is a good indicator of how they will perform on the

qualifying examinations. Secondly, it can be said that the topics covered by the

qualifying examinations serve as a preparation ground for such exams. Lastly,

Ogbonnaya et al. (2014) showed a positive correlation between the entry qualifi -

cation scores and the final academic performance.

In this regard, various studies have attempted to study the variables that

may affect the type of exam and the performance of test-takers. According to Ra-

sul and Bukhsh (2011) as cited by Neemati (2014) in the study entitled “An Inves -

tigation into the Learners' Attitudes towards Factors Affecting Their Exam Perfor -

mance" the variables influencing students' success in university-level exams.

They looked into how certain issues with the exam's rubric, prompt, administra-

tion, exam room, and students' families affected the way the kids performed.

Cassady & Johnson (2002) and Limber & Morris (1967) commented that lots of

studies have focused on the cognitive aspect of test anxiety to examine how well
Lipa City Colleges
G. A. Solis St., Lipa City Batangas xv
Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
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 LIPA CITY COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

kids performed academically. Additionally, according to the previous study by

Cassady &Johnson (2002), cognitive test anxiety is "made of people's cognitive

reactions to evaluating events, or internal conversation about evaluative situa-

tions, in the moments before, during, and after evaluative activities".

According to Narad and Abdullah (2016), academic performance is the

knowledge acquired that is evaluated by a teacher through marks and/or educa-

tional goals set by students and teachers to be attained during a specified period

of time. They said that these objectives are measured through ongoing evalua-

tions or test outcomes.

Academic achievement also serves as a proxy for educational success, ac-

cording to Annie, Howard, and Midred quoted in Arhad, Zaidi, and Mahmood

(2015). They emphasized that it demonstrates and gauges the amount to which a

school, its instructors, and its pupils have succeeded in achieving their educa-

tional objectives. Similar to this, Yusuf, Onifade, and Bello (2016) asserted that a

student's academic success is a measured and discernible behavior throughout a

particular period. He stated that it is made up of a student's evaluations from as -

sessments including quizzes, tests, midterms, mock exams, and final exams.

According to the findings of Khurshid, Tanveer, and Qasmi (2012), the good

study habits and academic success are positively correlated. Students at univer-

sities are more likely to be female and to have better study habits and academic

success. The academic performance of day students is superior to that of those

Lipa City Colleges
G. A. Solis St., Lipa City Batangas xvi
Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
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 LIPA CITY COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

who are enrolled full-time.

According to Leppel (2005) as cited by Lugo and De Vera (2018) in the study

entitled “Correlation between the Entrance Exam Score and the Academic Per-

formance of the BS Computer Science Graduates of De La Salle Lipa from AY

2010-2015” that student’s academic performance and high perseverance on the

qualifying and selection exams are correlated (Leppel, 2005). Various research

stressed out the strict implementation of the retention strategy is necessary to

maintain the caliber of students enrolled in the accounting program.

Recent years have seen a lot of studies focused on student academic

achievement. It is now a question of standards and education quality, which are

determined by how well students perform on their exams. A student's poor exam

performance has significant repercussions for teachers, schools, and the educa-

tional system as a whole. Therefore, it is important to take into account the con-

nection between students' academic achievement and the outcomes of their ex-

ams.

Lipa City Colleges

G. A. Solis St., Lipa City Batangas xvii
Telephone Number: 756-1943
Fax Number: 756-3768 local 300
www.lipacitycolleges.net