Half-day Class Affecting the Academic Performance of Students in Pedro T.

Mendiola
Senior Memorial National High School

CHAPTER I

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Introduction:

In traditional schools with high teacher-to-student ratios, teachers lose a lot of time
trying to get children focused during the course of the school day. Students are less likely to
“zone out” from overwhelm with a shorter school day since they won’t feel like time is
passing slowly. Nothing quite drags down on a student’s incentive to learn than making the
school day too long. A shorter school day means that students aren’t counting down the
minutes until the end of class. Some kids may stay up late working on their schoolwork when
they have a lengthy school day and several extracurricular activities. A brief school day gives
pupils the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities while yet giving them the
time to finish their schoolwork.

Half days give students the opportunity to catch up on grades. After coming back
from a virtual school year, students are being bombarded with work. With a lack of time to
adjust, students are expected to turn in work faster than they are used to, leading their grades
to suffer. According to a study that was conducted by Columbia students, half days allow for
quality learning time in classes and benefit testing and academics
(Woottoncommonsense.com).

In the Philippines, from Monday to Friday, school hours usually start from 7:30 am to
4pm or 5pm. A student needs to wake up at 5 or 6 am in the morning to prepare, goes home
at 4 and still they need to do school works that takes hours to finish. If you will assess the
everyday life of a student, a great portion is obviously spent only in school and doing school
works at home. Because of this factor, most of the students, especially students in high school
face chronic health problems like sleep deprivation. According to a research, a person needs
to get enough sleep; one needs an average of 8 hours a day for the body to function well; and
because of the long school hours, this ‘need’ is being sacrificed by many students.
(https://www.change.org/p/department-of-education-increasing-productivity-of-filipino-
students-by-decreasing-school-hours)

A teacher’s group said that shorter class hours and online learning can help alleviate
the impact of the record-breaking high temperatures on students and teachers. According to a
Department of Education (DepEd) memorandum posted by the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition
(TDC), school heads have the authority to suspend classes due to unfavourable weather
conditions and implement modular distance learning to make up for the suspensions.
(https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1759739/shorter-class-hours-and-online-modal-can-mitigate-
hot-weather-impact-on-schools-teachers-group)

Statement of the problem

The following are the research question of this study.

1. Why half-day classes significantly affect the students academic performance?

2. What is the level of productivity of the students during the implementation of half-
day classes?

3. What is the status of students academic performance in terms of half-day classes?

Significance of the Study

This research will benefit the various sectors as follows:

Researchers of the Study. This refers to the students who participated in the research. In this
study, they will discover self-fulfilment and acquire knowledge and skills. More researchers
will be encouraged and assisted by this study to be more creative and innovative in their
future studies.
Students. This study will help the students to improve their way of learning as they will be
more productive in half-day classes.

School Administrations. The results obtained in this study will serve as a basis and guide
that will help the school administrations to improve the quality of learning for the students.

Parents and Guardians. This study will provide information on the possible resources that
they will need to support their children financially, emotionally, and morally in any learning
system and educational set up.

Future Researchers. This study will serve as a reference for researchers on the subject of
research in the same field. This will serve as a guide to further developing the research with
the connection to the variables used.

Overall, this study will provide knowledge and information that would benefit specifically
the secondary students regarding their academic performance during the half-day classes in
PTMSMNHS.

Hypothesis

Half-day classes is beneficial to students in terms of their health, time management,

peers relationship, and productivity.

Scope and limitation

This study is limited to grade 7 to grade 12 students including their previous grades,
their previous level, midterm, and periodical examination test results, excluding the students
in alternative learning system. The researchers aim to determine the effects of half-day
classes in the academic performance of secondary students. This study will be conducted in
June 2023 to April 2023 and data will be gathered in Pedro T. Mendiola Senior Memorial
National High School.

Conceptual Framework

The researchers aim to determine how half-day classes affect the academic
performance of secondary students as the results of their general weighted average.
 One of the factors that can affect the academic performance of the students is their
time schedule in school as how they response positively in half-day classes implementation.
This study will show that half-day classes can improve the students quality of learning as
they have more time to do their homework and school task without staying late up night and
as they have more attention to lessons and being more productive, this will also maintain
them as being physically fit.

Definition of terms

Academic performance. Results of written outputs, examination scores, and

performance accomplished by the students.

Chronic health problems. Such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are the leading
causes of death and disability.

General weighted average. Overall scholastic standing of the students in

PTMSMNHS.

Half-day classes. Duration of time lessons in school.

Homework. School activities and assessment done in home.

Peers relationship. Relationship of the students within their school surrounding.

Productivity. Physical participation of the students during discussion of lessons.

School work. Activities in school in regards of their lessons.

Sleep deprivation. A condition that occurs if you don’t get enough sleep.

Time management. Manage of time of the students in school works.

Zone out. Lose of focus of the students while in discussions of lessons.