MNHS-MAIN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION AND

DISTRACTION IN STUDYING

MARD JERYSS DANIEL A. RAMOS

SUNJIN B. MORALES
CLARENCE R. EFONDULAN
MEYNARD P. GONZAGA
NOIME L. SABATIN
LARA MAE GALLETO
DAVID JOSUHA P. PINILI
ARNOLD DELA CRUZ JR.

A research proposal presented to the Faculty of Science Technology, Engineering

and Mathematics, Munoz National High School-Main Senior High School,
Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija, in partial fulfillment
of the subject Practical Research II

OCTOBER 2023
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGES

APPROVAL SHEET i

TITLE PAGE ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii

LIST OF TABLES iv

LIST OF FIGURES v

LIST OF APPENDICES vi

LIST OF APPENDIX TABLES vii

LIST OF APPENDIX FIGURES viii

INTRODUCTION #

Background of the Study #

Objectives of the Study #

Significance of the Study #

Scope and Limitation of the Study #

Definition of Terms #

Time and Place of the Study #

Conceptual Framework #

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE #

Factors that Affect Students’ Motivation in Education #

Understanding the Importance of Motivation in Education #

Motivation of Senior High School Students in their Studies #

 Filipino Students’ Reasons for Not Being Motivated… #

Analysis of Classroom Distractions in Tertiary Institutions #

Motivation and Types of Motivation - Education Psychology #

Distracted Learning: Big Problem and Golden Opportunity #

The Potential Effect of Technology and Distractions on… #

Technological Distractions V Motivational Factors #

Motivation Enhances Control of Positive and Negative… #

An Important Piece of the Student Motivation Puzzle #

Social Media and Internet Distract Students from Homework #

Student Motivation — An Overlooked Piece of School… #

MATERIALS AND METHODS #

Preparation of Survey Questionnaire #

Research Design #

Data Gathering #

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION #

Topic 1 #

Topic 2 #

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATION #

Summary #

Conclusion #

Recommendation #
LITERATURE CITED #

APPENDICES #
 LIST OF TABLES

TABLE TITLE PAGE

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3 #
 LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE TITLE PAGE

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3 #
LIST OF APPENDICES
APPENDIX TITLE PAGE

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2 #

3 #

LIST OF APPENDIX TABLE

APPENDIX TABLE TITLE PAGE

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LIST OF APPENDIX FIGURE

APPENDIX FIGURE TITLE PAGE

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INTRODUCTION
 Background of the Study

In the past years, there have been studies about students and what drives them to

study, and their distractions while studying. According to Inocian (2019), Senior High

School students face different struggles pertaining to having a lack of materials needed in

school. In order for them to continue pursuing their studies, they must establish a strong

motivation.

Global and local motivations and distractions vary depending on the locality and

socioeconomic status of the students. Multitasking and drawing attention towards

necessary and unnecessary activities have caused decreasing learning and academic

performance (Foegeding & Hartel, 2020).Furthermore, Filipinos tend to have lack of

motivation or reasons to be motivated in studying and achieving a good academic

performance (Salanga & Bernardo, 2016).

A student studies for his/her dream, and that dream may differ, from self-

fulfillment, future occupations, and taking pride as the family’s next bread winner.

Although motivation drives students, there are still obstacles that will hinder them from

achieving their ambitions, and these are distractions. Distraction diverts a person’s focus

and therefore blocks the desire of acquiring new knowledge (Soyemi & Soyemi, 2020).

Finding out what drives a student to study, and what truly causes the student to

divert his/her focus from studying, knowing their motivations and distractions will pave

a way for a better understanding and better actions.

 This study shows urgency. Finding factors of motivation and distraction can help

in shaping a student’s mindset better. It is never too late to shape the so-called “hope” of

our nation.

Objectives of the study

This study aims to collect and evaluate information on the significance of

motivation and distraction in academics.

Specifically it aims to:

1. assess what kind of motivation drives the students,

2. identify the distractions in studying, and

3. know the main purpose of why they study.

Significance of the Study

The results of this study will serve significance in presenting the various

motivations of students along with their distractions in academics. The findings can be

used to help the following beneficiaries to motivate themselves or resolve unwanted

situations to studies.
 The findings of this study can urge higher authorities to pave way in raising

awareness and give help to those who are possibly affected, help teachers in motivating

their students, and help them in times of low academic performance as it can provide

awareness of how teachers will approach students in certain situations, help parents open

their eyes to the possible cause of a student’s distraction while studying, and it will also

help them motivate their sons/daughters, guide students through their academic journey

in Senior High School on preventing poor academic performance, correct actions on

unwanted situations, and genuine and authentic motivation in studying, and provide

information needed for future researchers that will research relevant topics to this

particular study.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This research study aims to explore the different and possible motivations and

various distractions of students. This study will consider 20 to 25 students from all the

strands (STEM, HUMSS, ABM, TVL, & GAS) in Munoz National High School Main

during the first semester of 2023.

Time and Place of the Study

This research will be conducted in the Senior High School department of Munoz

National High School Main in October 2023, first semester.

 Definition of Terms

Academics - It is the work done in schools, colleges, and universities, especially

involving studying and reasoning rather than any technical and practical skills.

Academic Performance - It pertains to the achievements or work done by a student

within the school or university that are needed to complete a course or subject.

Distraction - It is something that prevents the student from finishing or focusing on a

certain task.

Motivation - It is something that pursues, drives, willingness of a student to finish his/her

school works and activities, and to do well in his/her studies.

Multitasking - Performing two or more tasks at once, either simultaneously or switching

from task to the other back and forth.

New Knowledge - Knowledge that is newly, freshly acquired in school.

Obstacles - These are people or things that hinder students from fully engaging in their
academics.

Socioeconomic Status - It is the standing of a person, often financially, and through the
subjective perceptions of society.

Unnecessary Activities - These are activities or actions that do not relate or are not
important to what you are currently doing.

Unwanted Situation - This happens when things get out of hand and results into a
situation that is not pleasing.

Conceptual Framework

Insert Illustration
 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Factors that Affect Students’ Motivation in Education

Motivation in education can have a dramatic impact on students’ performance and

results. Therefore, parents and teachers who are willing to help their children do better in

school should be aware of the factors that affect student motivation. Motivation is the state

that can maintain students’ attention and behavior as well as provide them with more energy

needed to lead tasks to completion. Thus, it can help sustain activities over a period of time.

In education, motivation can have a variety of effects on students’ behavior, preferences, and

results. Motivation can help us in many ways, for example it helps us direct our attention to

tasks that are prioritized among anything else as we use minimal or short periods of time due

to our focus on finishing the task. It also helps in decreasing distractions and increasing our

resistance to them. Most importantly, motivation drives us to take action, for sometimes it is

hard to do so (Silva, V., 2020).

Understanding the Importance of Motivation in Education

According to Hawthorne, H. (2021) the term ‘motivation’ is derived from the Latin

verb ‘movere’, so quite literally, it’s what keeps us moving. Motivated students are much

more likely to achieve their potential and find success. Motivation is an essential ingredient

in effective teaching and learning. It not only yields more positive behavior in students, but it

also contributes to a greater sense of wellbeing. Understanding how to motivate children and

young people in education is crucial, if we are to provide them with the best possible start in
life. In education, motivation helps children and young people to focus their attention on a

key goal or outcome. In doing so, they are unfazed by possible distractions, and are therefore

able to maintain their attention during longer periods of time. Students who are motivated

display goal-oriented behaviors. They take initiative, show resilience, harness their curiosity,

and care for and respect their work. They are equipped to orchestrate their own learning

journey. Motivation is the force that keeps children going, even when they face barriers or

challenges. It charges them with the energy required to fulfill their potential. A child who is

motivated is committed, energetic, and innovative: they see the value in what they are

learning, and are determined to achieve their goals. Motivation is defined as our enthusiasm

for doing something. It is the ‘why’ behind every action. Motivation is the reason or reasons

for acting or behaving in a particular way. It helps us to set a goal and reach it.

Motivation of Senior High School Students in their Studies

Senior High School students face different struggles pertaining to having a lack of

materials needed in school. In order for them to continue pursuing their studies, they must

establish a strong motivation. This just shows that motivation is somehow strongly

needed in academics for a student to prosper in his or her school work and performances

in activities. It shows that motivation is essential for the students for them to be dedicated

enough to their studies (Inocian, A. J et al., 2019).

 Filipino Students’ Reasons for Not Being Motivated in School: Insights into Their
Implicit Beliefs About Motivation and Learning

Motivation is an important multidimensional construct that is consistently

associated with achievement in school, but few theories conceptualize students’ lack of

motivation as an explicit dimension of motivation. In this research study, findings

showed that academic performance of students were affected due to their own

perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, and distractions (Salanga, M. G & Bernardo, A. B., 2016).

Analysis of Classroom Distractions in Tertiary Institutions

According to Soyemi, O. B & Soyemi, J. (2020) distraction is a process of

diverting the attention of a person or group from the desired focus which results in

blocking the reception of desired information. Various factors affect students in the

course of their studies. Classroom distraction arises from the inability of students to pay

adequate attention to the reason for being in class. In any class where learning is taking

place, maximum attention, and optimal alertness are required. Attention and alertness

may be used interchangeably but they are not the same. Attention is the action of dealing

with or taking special care of someone or something while alertness is the state of active

attention to details and in this case to information derived from learning. Academic

excellence is dependent on the optimal level of alertness during the delivery of lectures.

This is about the students concentrating in their present class and making other things at

that period insignificant.

 Motivation and Types of Motivation - Educational Psychology

Motivation begins with a purpose for change, directs the person in the desired

direction, and supports their behavior. It is the first time this particular word, which

translates to "move", has ever been used in a sense other than just movement. The

motivation of individuals is a strength that pushes them to act in a certain way, and, from

the supervision perspective, the objective of motivating someone is to make them act in a

way that benefits the organization the most.Students are either intrinsically or

extrinsically motivated. Intrinsic motivation refers to a person's natural interest in a

subject and their belief that it is meaningful. External variables, for example, exam

results, expectations of family, forces extrinsic motivation. Both have benefits and

drawbacks. In their hunt for knowledge, Intrinsic learners are self-driven. They remember

the learnings in the longer term. Students have various motivation levels and different

kinds of motivation, which can change over time depending on the learning and teaching

environment. If teachers have a firm hold on the various modes of student motivation that

exist in any given context, they will be better equipped to produce a more conducive

learning environment for their students that improves their learning (Hanif, I., 2021).

Distracted Learning: Big Problem and Golden Opportunity

According to Foegeding, E. A & Hartel, R. (2020) numerous studies from

psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience have generated substantial evidence

suggesting that multitasking while doing schoolwork has a significant detrimental effect

on student learning and performance. Despite this evidence, attending to multiple streams
of information and entertainment while doing homework, writing a paper, studying, or

even during class has become common behavior among young people.

The Potential Effect of Technology and Distractions on Undergraduate Students’

Concentration

In the present era, it is difficult to keep the concentration of college students at its

maximum potential during the class time, as there are many distractions that negatively

impact students’ concentration and prevent optimal learning. Technologies such as

laptops and cell phones have invaded the classroom, raising considerable concerns about

their effects on college students’ attention in the classroom (Attia, N. A et al., 2017).

Technological distractions V Motivational factors

There are various motivational factors that have been used in order to motivate

students for many years. It is clear that the scope of the paper prevents us from

investigating all of these. However, the study considers motivational factors namely, they

are extrinsic and intrinsic motivations. Among them, intrinsic motivations become more

important in education; because of the individual interest, enjoyment and satisfaction of

human beings. Further, some state that extrinsic motivations are also quite important.

During the lesson, Students like to keep in touch with their friends; they try to sign up
online to check their status continuously, for Social media is available to anyone at any

time. They listen to their lessons partially, because they are online with their laptops or

smartphones and spend the majority of their time checking their ‘home page’. So, their

ability to pay attention to one person or thing is almost impossible, because of their

heavily involvement in social media; they will always keep themselves doing something

else (Coskun, L. & Ozturk, O. S., 2013).

Motivation Enhances Control of Positive and Negative Emotional Distractions

According to Walsh, A. T et al. (2018) using cognitive control to ignore

distractions is essential for successfully achieving our goals. In emotionally-neutral

contexts, motivation can reduce interference from irrelevant stimuli by enhancing

cognitive control. However, attention is commonly biased towards emotional stimuli,

making them potent distractors. Overall, both negative (mutilation) and positive (erotic)

images caused greater slowing of responses than neutral images of people, but emotional

distraction was reduced with reward. Crucially, despite the different motivational

directions associated with negative and positive stimuli, reward reduced negative and

positive distraction equally.

An Important Piece of the Student Motivation Puzzle

According to Hulleman, C. & Hulleman, T. (2018) motivation is not only

important in its own right; it is also an important predictor of learning and achievement.

Students who are more motivated to learn persist longer, produce higher quality effort,
learn more deeply, and perform better in classes and on standardized tests. It’s common

sense, but it’s also reinforced by hundreds of studies. Given the key role that student

motivation plays in learning, making school more meaningful for students seems vital to

educational reform. Fortunately, research suggests that “value interventions” can help.

Encouraging students to find value in what they’re learning can lead to more interest in

the topic they are learning, increased engagement, and higher achievement.

Social Media and the Internet Distract Students from Homework

There are almost always other things a student would rather be doing than

working on homework and studying. Whether that be playing sports and games or

hanging out with friends. Another common distraction that has only recently evolved

would be social media and the internet. As social media is becoming so much more

popular, students all over the country and in various grades spend a large amount of their

time communicating online. The internet has many distractions that can prevent work

from getting done, but it can be used in a positive manner as well. The internet is a

wonderful resource but has negative outcomes when taken advantage of. Taking away

privileges can help students realize that the internet is exactly that, a resource

(Angelastro, L., 2015).

 Student Motivation — An Overlooked Piece of School Reform

Often the crucial factor that accounts for cases like these is the students’ own

motivation to learn. Motivation is a central part of a student’s educational experience

from preschool onward, but it has received scant attention amid an education reform

agenda focused mainly on accountability, standards and tests, teacher quality, and school

management. Education reform could benefit from a robust conversation about the

overlooked element of student motivation. Motivation can affect how students approach

school in general, how they relate to teachers, how much time and effort they devote to

their studies, how much support they seek when they’re struggling, how they perform on

tests, and many other aspects of education. If students aren’t motivated, it is difficult, if

not impossible, to improve their academic achievement, no matter how good the teacher,

curriculum or school is. Higher motivation to learn has been linked not only to better

academic performance, but to greater conceptual understanding, satisfaction with school,

self-esteem, social adjustment, and school completion rates (Usher, A., 2013).
 MATERIALS AND METHOD

Preparation of Survey Questionnaire

 For this research to be conducted, we will be formulating survey questions (26),

and the surveys will be in the forms of printed media, and online google forms. Then

these surveys will then be disseminated by the researchers to the participants of different

strands. 20 to 25 students from the five strands shall answer the survey and right after

that.

Research Design

The design of this research will be a grounded theory, the study will mainly rely

on the collected data for evaluation and conclusion of it. Information that is gathered and

analyzed will help in discovering or constructing a theory.

Data Gathering

One survey questionnaire will be given to all participants to be answered.

Random selection will be used to select participants per strand. A consent will be

prepared and attached to the survey in case it is necessary. Dissemination of the survey
forms will be during free times, such as health breaks, lunch time, or class dismissals.

The respondents will be given the free will to say no if they don’t have any interest in

participating in the said research.

On the day of the dissemination, the group will split into 3 in order to minimize

the time in giving out the survey forms. Printed forms will be collected right away after

the respondents have answered it, and as for the google form, it will only be limited to a

specific number of students. Documentation of survey dissemination shall be taken.

 APPENDIX A

Survey Questions
Name (Optional)

Age (Optional)

Strand:

● STEM

● HUMSS

● ABM

● TVL

● GAS

1. What or who has motivated you to study hard?

● Peer/s

● Teacher/s

● Family/Parents

● Achievements

● Ambitions and Dreams

● Self

● Others (please specify)

2. Do you think love or infatuation can drive you to study and achieve high remarks?

● Strongly Agree

● Agree

● Neither

● Disagree
 ● Strongly Disagree

3. Do low academic performances make you lose motivation to study?

● Strongly Agree

● Agree

● Neither

● Disagree

● Strongly Disagree

4. Can a peer group or a peer motivate and help you study better?

● Strongly Agree

● Agree

● Neither

● Disagree

● Strongly Disagree

5. Does achieving high scores in quizzes and activities motivate you to study more?

● Strongly Agree

● Agree

● Neither

● Disagree

● Strongly Disagree

6. Do your parents/family/guardian motivate you to study hard?

● Strongly Agree

● Agree

● Neither
 ● Disagree

● Strongly Disagree

7. How do you motivate yourself to study hard?

● Answer in sentence/s

8. How does motivation help in your studies?

● Answer in sentence/s

9. What can motivate you to study more?

● Answer in sentence/s

10. What often distracts you from focusing on your studies?

● Social Media and the Internet

● Online Games

● Family

● Personal Problems

● Peers

● Others (please specify)

11. Do you think distractions delay or hinder your studying?

● Strongly Agree

● Agree

● Neither

● Disagree

● Strongly Disagree

12. Do you get distracted easily?

● Strongly Agree
 ● Agree

● Neither

● Disagree

● Strongly Disagree

13. Do you easily get back to focusing after getting distracted?

● Strongly Agree

● Agree

● Neither

● Disagree

● Strongly Disagree

14. How often do you get distracted on a daily basis? Rate it from 1-10

● 1-3

● 4-6

● 7-8

● 9-10

15. Do you entertain distractions?

● Strongly Agree

● Agree

● Neither

● Disagree

● Strongly Disagree

16. What or who has/have distracted your studying within the campus?

● Peers
 ● Teachers

● Top students

● Low scores

● Gadgets

● Online Games

● Social Media

● Others (please specify)

17. Are peers a distraction to your studies?

● Strongly Agree

● Agree

● Neither

● Disagree

● Strongly Disagree

18. Is social media and the internet a distraction to your studies?

● Strongly Agree

● Agree

● Neither

● Disagree

● Strongly Disagree

19. Does family pose distractions to your focus on studies?

● Strongly Agree

● Agree

● Neither
 ● Disagree

● Strongly Disagree

20. Is love or infatuation a distraction to studies?

● Strongly Agree

● Agree

● Neither

● Disagree

● Strongly Disagree

21. Do you think that your classroom’s ambience poses any distraction to you?

● Strongly Agree

● Agree

● Neither

● Disagree

● Strongly Disagree

22. What were the distractions you encountered inside your classroom?

● Noise

● Lack of Sleep

● Gadgets

● Sickness

● Weather (e.g. the blasting heat)

● Ambience of the room

● Others (please specify)

23. How are distractions a hindrance to your studies and academic success?
 ● Answer in sentence/s

24. What are you studying for?

● Answer in sentence/s

25. What is the main reason why you are studying?

● Answer in sentence/s

26. Why are you studying?

● Answer in sentence/s