Factors Affecting Senior High School Students to Choose STEM as

Their Strand

Aldrin G. Madriaga1*, Reymar Alejandro G. Siobal 1, Helenne Atasha C. De Luna 1, Dave Kristian
Cyd Z. Caguioa1, Tristan Daryl A. Opilas 1, and Rani B. Singh Cudhail1
1
Saint Louis University Laboratory High School – Senior High
*agmadriaga16@gmail.com

Marifel T. Camero1, Research Adviser

1
Saint Louis University Laboratory High School – Senior High

Abstract: There has been a massive number of students choosing the STEM strand in different
schools worldwide and the Philippines, and this involves various factors that influence students to
choose the strand. This descriptive quantitative study aims to determine why by examining the
specific factors 243 12th-grade Saint Louis University Laboratory High School – Senior High
(SLU LHS-SH) STEM students considered before selecting the strand, their level of satisfaction
with the strand based on these factors, and their Career Aims. A pilot-tested survey questionnaire
consisting of multiple response types and a four-point Likert scale was utilized to gather data,
while descriptive statistics, specifically the measure of frequency and central tendency, was
applied for data analysis. The findings reveal that there are many factors that students consider.
Career Aims lead in personal factors and School Rating and Performance tops in institutional
factors. The results also imply that the respondents are satisfied with the STEM strand. In line with
these findings, most students in the STEM strand aim to pursue STEM-related courses and careers
such as medicine and engineering.

Keywords: STEM; career aims; institutional factors; student satisfaction; personal factors

1. INTRODUCTION education and emphasize the importance of the disciplines

associated with this type of education in planning and
1.1. Background of the Study initiating such efforts.

As stated in an overview in the Global Opportunity
Analysis and Industry Forecast in Green Technology and
Sustainable Market for 2020–2027 by Borasi et al. (2020),
“various governments across the globe are investing heavily
in green technology to conserve nature and reduce the
negative impact on the environment, which is boosting the
growth of the market.” Many global efforts and activities
require these technologies as they concentrate on solving
global issues centered around environmental problems.
However, to solve these issues and minimize their effects,
countries have to spread awareness to the youth through
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
Aside from emphasizing its role as one of the
critical components in solving the said issues, technologies,
specifically digital, have shaped the world and how people
manage information. Although it increased the world’s
complexity, the change implies that it is more than necessary
for the youth to acquire and nurture skills such as
problem-solving, critical thinking, and gathering and
evaluating information to make a well-informed decision
(U.S. Department of Education, n.d.). These skills, among
others, are called 21st Century Skills, which are developed
and enriched mainly through STEM Education. Since
technology in education is fast advancing due to innovations

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contributing to increased accessibility of knowledge, students
now have a much greater capacity to process large amounts
of information. STEM strands and courses utilize these
technologies to help students improve their 21st Century
Skills in preparation for tertiary level STEM-related courses
and future professions (Estonato, 2017).
Looking at the background of education in the
Philippines, it has only been eight years since the
implementation of the Republic Act No. 10533, containing
the K to 12 system that adds two more years in high school
(i.e., senior high). For these additional years, the DepEd’s
purpose is to strengthen, improve, and develop the learners,
prepare them for future employment, and produce more
excellent and competent students that can compete globally in
academic excellence. Tracks with specialized disciplines
were included, and students had the freedom to decide what
path to take. Among the tracks, strands under the Academic
Track (i.e., STEM, ABM, HUMSS, and GAS) are the most
preferred for incoming Grade 11 students (Malonda, 2017).
Moreover, Rask (2010) states that STEM education
is one of the most in-demand strands. K-12 curricula made
students competitive, particularly in the four STEM fields,
causing the Philippines’ educational system to develop
constantly and make students more globally competitive.
However, STEM students do not complete this college
requirement due to financial constraints, parental influence,
and other issues affecting the number of students who
finished senior high school.
1.2. Review of Related Literature
According to many studies related to factors that
influence students’ decision to pursue the STEM strand,
common findings dictate that the primary reason for choosing
the particular strand is career choice or aim, which is based
on personal aspirations, preferences, interests, and influences
(Agamata et al., 2018; Rafanan et al., 2020; Suero et al.,
2020). In addition, National reports proved that a parent’s
influence is essential for the students’ education and is one of
the factors considered in pursuing the strand (Craig et al.,
2021).
Furthermore, recent studies have proven that STEM
programs, activities, and education are necessary to increase
students’ interest and positive perception of STEM strand and
courses. This statement agrees with Vennix et al.’s (2018)
conclusion that the STEM-related outreach learning program
2
and the environment they associated their participants with
were positively perceived. These STEM-related activities
help communicate the importance of its applied disciplines in
enriching 21st-century skills to students (El-Deghaidy &
Mansour, 2015; Roberts et al., 2018).
Additionally, Artika et al. (2021) state that students
are interested in participating in STEM-based learning
activities because it trains them to think critically, creatively,
and systematically. Other related literature points out that
associating STEM education with its daily relevance to life
and real-world problems through involvement is one of the
best ways of positively influencing their perception of the
strand. As concluded by these studies, using personal
significance, real-world situations, participation, exposure,
and hands-on experience help equip students with awareness,
knowledge, and a clear perception of the strand (Dawes et al.,
2015; Hacioglu & Gulhan, 2021; Sari et al., 2018).
Overall review and evaluation of prior studies
related to the factors affecting students to pursue the STEM
strand indicate that there is still lacking local studies
concerning this topic as most related studies are conducted
from foreign countries. While most of these studies focus
only on the factors, there are also insufficient studies about
students’ satisfaction concerning the factors that led them to
select the STEM strand. Also, the numerous related studies
are focused only on two general factors (e.g., Gender and
Ethnicity, Personality and Socioeconomic Factors, and
others). Aside from these, prior studies have limited
respondents, making them unreliable. Hence, this study will
provide more potential factors that explain why senior high
school students choose the STEM strand and include
information about their satisfaction with the STEM strand
based on these factors. This study will provide and utilize
enough respondents to strengthen its reliability.
1.3. Statement of the Problem
Considering that choosing a strand requires
evaluating different factors, it can be challenging for students
to decide which track and strand they want to pursue in senior
high school. As for this study, many students prefer to choose
STEM as their strand for the academic track. However, not
all students are passionate about this strand, which mainly
affects their interest and academic performance. Hence, this
study aimed to determine the factors that influence students
to pursue STEM as their strand. These factors will be divided
into two: personal and institutional factors. In addition, since
part of the influence of the factors on students concern their
satisfaction level towards the strand, this study also aimed to
determine their satisfaction level. Lastly, since a significant
number of studies point out that Career Aims are the main
deciding factor, this study also aims to discover the Career
Aims of the students. Thus, the study sought to address these
questions:
1. What factors lead SLU LHS-SH students to choose
STEM as their strand in terms of (a) personal and
(b) institutional factors?
2. What is the level of satisfaction of SLU LHS-SH
students in their chosen strand, STEM, based on the
(a) personal and (b) institutional Factors?
3. What are the Grade 12 students’ Career Aims to
accomplish by pursuing the STEM strand?
1.4. Significance of the Study
Planning a students’ life track is essential for them
to succeed in the future. Since many students end up in the
STEM strand, this study will contribute to the information
about why this may be and help them sort their perceptions
and expectations upon taking the said strand. Aside from
them, the results of the study will be beneficial to their
parents by providing them with a clear understanding of the
factors they should consider to guide their children when
choosing the STEM strand. It will also help the teachers
better understand how to assist their students in choosing a
career that suits them by integrating career plans with the
curriculum and employing improvements in teaching to
increase the satisfaction of their students towards the strand.
This study may become a basis for educational
institutions, especially their guidance council, in creating
plans, programs, and activities that apply STEM disciplines
to influence positive perceptions and attitudes towards STEM
strands and courses. It will also assist guidance counselors in
setting a student on a clear path and orienting them with
possible future careers using the knowledge about the factors,
level of satisfaction, and career aims that can influence their
decisions. Additionally, this study will serve as a foundation
for future researchers to go beyond the scope of this study
and formulate new theories and ideas about the nature of the
factors affecting students to choose the said strand.
1.5. Scope and Delimitation
This study considers all factors that influence a
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student’s decision to choose the STEM strand, whether
personal or institutional. It does not cover the factors that
influence students’ considerations for other strands under the
academic track, such as ABM and HUMSS. Moreover, the
students’ Career Aims that this study seeks to know pertain to
their preferred college course and future careers, excluding
their aims as they become professionals.
2. METHODOLOGY
The variables included in the study are the factors
(independent) and the student’s decision to select the STEM
strand (dependent). With these two, the study was anchored
on the conceptual framework below:
Figure 1
STEM Factors Model
When students choose a track or strand in senior
high school, they must consider specific factors that fit their
given abilities, interests, situation, and other criteria. A
review of the findings on strand-deciding factors from related
studies enumerated the following: education, family income,
parental occupation, institution type, school preference, skills,
abilities, academic environment, strand offers and
availability, strand popularity, past academic performance,
aptitude test results, peer and family influence, and strand
interest and perception.
Moreover, based on the literature review, it was
established that a student’s Career Aim is the primary factor
that prompts them to choose the STEM strand. Skills taught
in the STEM strand, such as critical thinking and
problem-solving, apply to practically all jobs and are in high
demand for the majority. Medicine was the most desired
career, followed by engineering, law, police, and architecture
(Kizilay et al., 2019).
Students’ satisfaction is a short-term attitude
resulting from a student’s evaluation of educational
experience, services, and facilities (Weerasinghe & Fernando,
2017). It is influenced by personal and institutional factors
(Appleton-Knapp & Krentler, 2006, as cited in Weerasinghe
& Fernando, 2017). It also assists in student retention and
academic achievement (Dhaqane & Afrah, 2016). If a student
is not satisfied with what strand he/she pursues, the student
may perform poorly on his/her academic requirements,
negatively affecting his overall performance, engagement,
and interest in the strand.
Regarding the study’s design, this research adapted
descriptive quantitative since the variables were measured
quantitatively. In the study’s case, answering the problems or
questions as to why many students desire the STEM strand
for the academic track requires a descriptive approach in
stating the findings and conclusions.
after ensuring that the survey questionnaire was reliable and
error-free through revisions, the survey questionnaires were
disseminated online via Facebook Messenger. After two
weeks, the responses were tallied and encoded for analysis.
Lastly, the researchers employed descriptive
statistics for data analysis to provide basic information about
the variables in a dataset and highlight the variables’ potential
characteristics. The specific descriptive statistics used for
research questions 1 and 3 was the measure of frequency. For
the second research question, both the measure of frequency
and central tendency (i.e., mean) was utilized. The following
scale range interpretation was accounted for in the analysis of
the weighted mean: >3.25 is Very Satisfied; 2.50–3.25 is
Satisfied; 1.75–2.49 is Dissatisfied; <1.75 is Very
Dissatisfied.

The locale for this study is SLU LHS-SH. It was 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
accomplished during the second grading period of the 1st
semester of the academic year 2021–2022 amidst the Table 1
COVID-19 pandemic. The chosen population consists of 650 Personal Factors
grade 12 students of the STEM strand with 15 sections. Since
the school implemented an online and modular learning mode
in compliance with the protocols, the researchers included Factors Total* actors Total*
both Online-based learning (OBL) and
Correspondence-based learning (CBL) students to be part of Career Aim 202 ast Grades 71
the sample. Out of the 650 students, the study accounted for
Family and/or Peer
248 for the sample size using Slovin’s formula with a 5% 118 chool Preference 71
Motivation
margin of error. The researchers decided to exclude the
students who participated in the reliability testing. They then eer Influence/
Abilities and Skills 109 65
divided the sample size into 15 and employed simple random ressure
sampling. Subject Interest/
102 trand Popularity 58
Preference
The primary gathering instrument used in the data
Strand Perception 98 arental Occupation 49
gathering was a research-based and pilot-tested survey
questionnaire created by the researchers using Google forms. inancial Status and
NCAE Results 96 27
It incorporated multiple response types, with choices based amily Income
on prior studies’ findings and an option to specify unlisted Family
choices to answer the first and third research questions. As 93 Gender Stereotype 3
Influence/Pressure
for the second research question, the type of questionnaire
used was a 4-point Likert scale, with a Chronbach’s Alpha *
Number of Students who considered the factor
value of 0.77, to determine students’ level of satisfaction.

The data gathering comprised four steps: asking Table 2

permission, pilot testing, dissemination, and encoding and Institutional Factors
tallying. A formal letter was sent to the principal asking to
permit the conduct of the study. With the consent, the pilot Factors Total* Factors Total*
testing commenced to measure the reliability of the survey
questionnaire and determine errors or unclear parts. Then,

4
 School fees 27 104 99 11 2.37 D
School Rating and School Programs
191 126
Performance and Activities Preferred college course
7 14 83 137 3.42 VS
Strand Offers and and Career Aim
141 School Facilities 94
Availability
Aptitude 10 28 150 53 3 S
School Location 128 School Type 82
School preference and
*
Number of Students who considered the factor 5 31 140 65 3.07 S
strand perception
Tables 1 and 2 summarize the data collected for the Expectation of the
research question 1. As shown, Career Aims under the 6 50 131 54 2.94 S
school/university
personal factors, and School Rating and Performance under School performance,
the institutional factors were considered by many in pursuing 9 36 139 55 2.95 S
programs, and activities
the STEM strand. Additionally, when asked about the most
significant factor, Career Aims came out on top. Other factors 7 10 36 15 2.87 S
These statements affirm the prior studies of Personal Factors 4 16 123 100 3.31 VS
Agamata et al. (2018), Rafanan et al. (2020), and Suero et al,
which concludes that Career Aim is the primary factor Institutional Factors 4 26 163 50 3.07 S
students consider when choosing their strand and course. It is
their belief that pursuing the strand will help them attain their All Factors 5 20 142 76 3.19 S
dream career (Agamata et al., 2018). Additionally, most of
the students prefer to pursue STEM-related courses in *
Weighted Mean
college. Suero et al. (2020) mentioned that students are **
Mean Range Scale Interpretation:>3.25 is Very Satisfied
interested in pursuing STEM as it provides a wide variety of (VS); 2.50–3.25 is Satisfied (S); 1.75–2.49 is Dissatisfied (D);
professions that can contribute to the continuous growth of <1.75 is Very Dissatisfied (VD)
the economy.
Table 3 shows that the majority of the respondents
Along with their Career Aims and the consideration identified themselves, on average, as Satisfied with all the
the students have for the School’s Rating and Performance, it factors they have considered. Furthermore, they were Very
is also worth noting that there are a significant number of Satisfied with the strand based on personal factors, especially
factors that students consider compared to other studies that their Career Aims. However, most of the students were
only listed a few. However, combining all the findings from Dissatisfied with school fees.
the literature review affirms the factors included in the tables.
Although researchers have yet to conduct studies
Table 3 regarding satisfaction levels from strand-deciding factors, the
Student’s Satisfaction findings imply that satisfaction is an antecedent and
subsequent to the perception of the strand. As a personal
Numbers of factor, a positive strand perception improves a student’s
responses satisfaction as well as academic performance and vice versa
Factors WM* SI** (Dawes et al., 2015; Hacioglu & Gulhan, 2021; Sari et al.,
VD D S VS 2018). Additionally, with Career Aims as the most considered
(1) (2) (3) (4) and the only personal factor with a Very Satisfied rating,
students were keen and well-informed about the skills and
Family and peers’ knowledge that the strand will equip them for their future
12 32 143 54 2.97 S
influence courses and careers. Moreover, their dissatisfaction with
school fees may have to do with the miscellaneous fees they
paid pay despite distance learning.

5
Table 4 undecided response.
Career Aims
4. CONCLUSIONS
Future Careers/ * Future Careers/ *
# #
Courses Courses The personal factors that led students to choose the
STEM strand are Career Aims, Family and Peer Motivation,
Medicine 167 Military 1 Abilities and Skills, Subject Interest/Preference, Strand
Perception, NCAE Results, Family Influence/Pressure, Past
Engineering 66 English/Literature 1 Grades, School Preference, Peer Influence/Pressure, Strand
Popularity, Parental Occupation, and Financial Status and
Information Technology 30 ocial Sciences 1 Family Income. On the other hand, they considered School
Pure Sciences 26 Archeology 1 Rating and Performance, Strand Offers and Availability,
School Location, School Programs and Activities, School
Computer Science 23 Accountancy 1 Facilities, and School Type for the institutional factors.
Moreover, it depends on how they weigh these factors with
Mathematics 12 erforming Arts 1 their decision. Most notably, Career Aims and School Rating
and Performance have the highest significance for why they
Architecture 11 Animation 1 opted for the strand.

Astronomy 10 ilm 1 The students are satisfied with their strand based on
the overall factors they have considered. Moreover, they are
Law 3 sychology 1 very satisfied based on their Career Aims and personal
factors in general. On the contrary, the students are
Aviation 2 Religious Vocation 1 dissatisfied with the school feels, implying that the amount
they paid for their education did not meet their quality
Aeronautics/Pilot 2 Undecided 1 expectations and assessment.
*
Number of Students who want to pursue the career/course The top 10 career aims in decreasing order are
Medicine, Engineering, Information Technology, Pure
Based on table 4, most STEM students want to Sciences, Computer Science, Mathematics, Astronomy,
pursue medical career and courses, followed by Engineering. Architecture, Law, and Aviation. Most students want to
Moreover, almost all want to pursue STEM-related careers. pursue Medicine and Engineering courses and careers in the
Conversely, few STEM students want to pursue a career future. Additionally, almost all STEM students have Career
unrelated to STEM fields. It is also worth mentioning that Aims aligned to the STEM strand.
one is undecided on the career he/she will pursue in the
future.
5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
These findings’ relation to Kizilay et al.’s (2019)
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to
study varies between the leading Career Aims and the
our smart and hardworking research adviser, Ms. Marifel
number of students whose Career Aims align with their
Camero, our statistician, Ms. Maricris Mendoza, and our dear
strand. According to their research, along with Rafanan et
panelists, Ma’am Tuba-ang and Ma’am Castillo, who
al.’s (2020) findings, the top preferred future careers were
supported and helped us to accomplish our research paper.
Medicine and Engineering, affirming one of the findings.
Their recommendations and advice inspired us to work harder
However, they discussed that less than half of their responses
to accomplish this study successfully.
are related to the STEM strand compared to half of the
responses unrelated to the STEM strand, contradicting this
study’s finding having more than 90% of responses align with
their strand. Their remaining responses were either undecided
or were reluctant to go to university, which agrees with one

6
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