Socio – Economic Status and Academic Achievement of Senior High

School Students

Background of the Study

One of the most widely researched concepts in the social sciences is socio

– economic status (SES) and it is a complex concept. Socio – economic status

(SES) is a measure of a person's overall social standing or status in society. It is

typically measured along with income, employment status, and education. One

of the most essential indicators for evaluating students' performance and

educational attainment is academic achievement. The main factor affecting

academic achievement is socioeconomic status (SES), but the relationship

between SES and academic achievement can differ across various sociocultural

contexts. (Liu et al., 2019)

The study by Zhonglu Li and Zeqi Qiu aims to investigate how family

background influences young children's academic achievement. The future labor

force of a nation is directly impacted by a child's education, which also affects

the nation's competitiveness on the world market. According to this study, a

child's background has a significant influence on his academic success. (Li & Qiu,

2018)

Gemechu Abera Gobena carried out another study to determine how

family SES affects college students' academic success. According to the study,

the sample included more boys than girls. As a result, families with low SES

have a tendency to spend their finances in favor of male children. Most

respondents' fathers had higher levels of education than their mothers did. This

backed up the research's findings. Families with higher education encouraged

and guided their kids to achieve in school (GOBENA, 2018). Furthermore, Juan
Liu, Peng-Peng, and Liang Luo's study, "The Relationship between Family

Socioeconomic Status and Academic Achievement in China: A Meta-Analysis,"

came to the conclusion that the policies the Chinese government has

implemented over the years have helped to promote educational equity to some

degree. Compared to math and science, the relationship between SES and

language is stronger. (Liu et al., 2019)

Through this research, we researchers hope to discover how socio –

economic status affects the academic achievements of the Senior High Students

of La Filipina National High School. We aim to find out if a student has better

academic achievements if their family has high socio – economic status or not.

We also desire to find out whether certain factors and conditions help students

obtain better results in their studies.

The socioeconomic level of a student has a significant influence on how

they perform. Researchers discovered that a student's socio – economic

situation can have a negative impact on their performance. High socio –

economic status students are exposed to a better learning environment since

their parents take care of all their requirements and have easy access to

educational resources. Kids with high profiles are more likely to achieve well

academically than pupils with low profiles. Therefore, it is essential to

understand that socio – economic situations have a significant influence on

students' performance and to take steps to ensure all kids succeed, regardless of

economic stability.

The descriptive – correlation type of research will be used in this study. In

order to gather information for descriptive – correlation research—which tests

the null hypothesis—surveys or interviews will be conducted. Most often,

questionnaire surveys will be to gather descriptive data.

We observed that some senior high school students at La Filipina National

High School had not yet paid their PTA (Parent-Teacher Association)

responsibility, daily dues, CR contribution, HRPTA (Homeroom Parent-Teacher

Association), and other financial commitments. Furthermore, some students are

shown to have minimal or no allowance, which causes them to go the entire day

without eating and therefore affecting their academic performance.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine the effects of socio – economic status of a

family to the academic achievement of the Senior High School Students of La

Filipina National High School.

Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following questions.

1. What is the extent of Socio – Economic Status (SES) among the Senior

High Students in terms of:

1.1 financial aspect;

1.2 school expenses; and

1.3 learning materials and facilities?

2. What is the level of the academic achievement of the Senior High

Students?

3. Is there a significant relationship between the socio – economic status and

the academic achievement of the Senior High Students?

Scope and Delimitation

The overall goal of this study is to study the effect of the socio – economic

status of a family on the academic performance and achievement of La Filipina

National High School, Senior High students. Data will be collected from a random

sample of Grade 11 and Grade 12 students within the school year 2022 – 2023.

This study will concentrate socio – economic status and academic

achievement of the students and will not discuss unrelated concerns. This is

delimited to La Filipina National High School Junior High school students and

anyone outside of school premises.

This study will be conducted within the first and second semester of the

school year 2022 – 2023.

Significance of the Study

This study is made with the aim to provide information and knowledge

regarding the chosen topic from the respondents, recent studies or theses, and

related sites needed for the expected importance to the individuals as follow:

● Senior High School Students – This study will help the Senior

High students to not underestimate and overestimate others and

themselves, especially since there are people who discriminate

against others based on their status alone.

● Teachers – This study can help teachers assess their own students

and help others with their education and other things.

● Future Researchers – This study can hopefully help other

researchers on their own studies and use this as their reference.

This can also add to their knowledge and find out gaps between this

chosen topic.
Definition of Terms

These following terms are defined conceptually, operationally, or both:

Socio – Economic Status. This term pertains to a class or a position of

one family based on their income, educational attainment, and type of job.

Academic Achievement. This term represents the outcome or the

extent to which a student has attained their short or long – term educational

goals.

Senior High School Students. This term refers to the students that are

part of the K-12 curriculum, especially in Grade 11 and Grade 12 departments.

 Academic Achievement of
Socio – Economic
Senior High School
Status
Students

Conceptual Framework

Independent Variable Dependent

Variable

Interest

Diligence

IQ

Moderator variables

Figure 1. The schematic diagram of the Independent and Dependent Variables of the

Study.

Figure 1 presents the conceptual framework of the study. It consists of

two variables, with Socio – Economic Status as the independent variable since it

can affect the academic achievement of the Senior High School students. On the

other hand, Academic Achievement of the Senior High School Students is the

dependent variable since it can be affected by their socio – economic status.

The moderator variables shown in the conceptual framework of the study

are diligence, interest, and IQ because it might affect the academic achievement
of the Senior High School students while not being affected by the socio –

economic status of the students.

Theoretical Framework

Three theories—the human capital theory, the good parent theory, and

the investment theory—served as the foundation and direction for this study.

According to Becker (1964), the welfare and academic success of children are

significantly influenced by their parents' educational attainment. It simply means

that the welfare and academic success of the students will increase in direct

proportion to the educational level of the parents. Meanwhile, according to the

Good Parent Hypothesis (Mayer, 2002), parents with poor income and education

have a detrimental impact on their children's development since it limits their

capacity to be "good parents" for their children. Low SES parents frequently

have dysfunctional values and pass on to their kid’s social conventions and

practices that could harm their development. According to investment theory

(Becker 1981, Becker and Tomes 1986), parents who spend both time and

money in their kids' "Human Capital" will do well for them in the long run. This

was calculated below for greater comprehension.

 Chapter II

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The descriptive – correlation type of research will be used in this study. In

order to gather information for descriptive – correlation research—which tests

the null hypothesis—surveys will be conducted. Most often, questionnaire

surveys will be used to gather descriptive data. A statistical measure of the link

between two or more variables is correlation.

Research Subjects

The respondents of this study are the selected 162 Grade 11 students and

149 Grade 12 students chosen through Slovin’s Formula and gathered through

Simple Random Sampling and Cluster Sampling.

Table 1
DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS
Grade Population Sample Size Percentage

11 732 162 52%

 12 670 149 48%

Total 1,409 311 100%

Research Instruments

The researcher will create customized questionnaires for this study to find

out how senior high students at La Filipina National High School's socio-economic

status and academic achievement relate to one another. The following

parameter is will be used to determine the degree to which socio-economic

status and academic achievement are known. The research questionnaire, which

has five categories with numerical values corresponding to descriptive

equivalency, will use the Likert Scale.

SCALE DESCRIPTION

5 Strongly Agree

4 Agree

3 Neutral

2 Disagree

1 Strongly Disagree
Data Collection Procedure

In this study, the researchers will use surveys to collect their data. The

researchers will distribute permission letters to the following subject teachers

and class advisers of each section after first requesting approval from the school

principal, assistant to the principal, research adviser, and grade level head. The

researchers will first carry out a pilot test, gathering only fifteen participants

from the Senior High Department. The purpose of the pilot testing is to

determine whether the research questionnaire is appropriate for the respondents

to complete and to refine it based on their comments. After that, information will

be acquired from respondents who will respond to the survey questionnaire. The

acquired data will then be processed and examined using the scale limit and

descriptive rating equivalents below.

Data Analysis

The following statistical tools will be used in the analysis of data:

Mean and Standard Deviation - This will be used in the study to

determine the level of the Senior High Students’ response on what extent does

socio-economic status affect their academic achievement. This will be used

specifically to answer question number 1 and 2.

Pearson r - This will be used in the study to determine the correlation

between socio-economic status of the Senior High Students and their academic

achievement.
 Regression - This will be used in the study to determine the significance

relationship between socio-economic status of the Senior High Students and

their academic achievement. This will be used specifically to answer question 3.