IMPACT OF WRONG COURSE CHOICE ON THE STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC

PERFORMANCE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND THE

FACTORS INFLUENCING STUDENTS’ DECISION

___________________

A Research Report Presented to the Faculty of the

College of Arts and Humanities

Palawan State University

Puerto Princesa City

___________________

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Course

Purposive Communication

By:

Marvelous Mitch Cordero

Rosario Dangan

Hanz Amithy Ness Panes

Dea Rose Tabasa

May 2023
 Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents the Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem,

Significance of the Study, and the Assumptions.

1.1 Background of the Study

Filipinos value education as it is commonly perceived that a good educational

background will lead to better opportunities in life, hence, Article 14 Section 1 of the 1987

Philippine Constitution stated that it is every Filipino’s right to have free access to basic

education (Official Gazette, n.d). In the current Philippine educational system, after the K-12

program was implemented, this basic education now consists of 6 years of Elementary, 4

years of Junior High School, and additional 2 years of Senior High School. Implemented in

2013, the K to 12 program’s objective is to strengthen and improve the Philippine educational

system by adding two (2) additional years in high school. One of the aims of the program was

to prepare high school students in a college and workforce environment (Official Gazette,

2013).

Aside from elementary and high school education, it’s also pretty common in Filipino

society to push students for a Bachelor’s Degree as parents and students alike deem it the best

chance for better job opportunities and higher salary. Courses that are within science,

engineering, or business are the ones that are commonly perceived to be profitable careers,

and this is seen in CHED’s 2019-2020 enrollment census where the top 5 courses students

enrolled in are: Business related, Education, Engineering, IT, and Medical and Allied

disciplines (CHED, 2020). Moreover, in terms of job opportunities this perception is even

more evident in the recently conducted census by Jobstreet, as cited by Inquirer, in their
survey, jobs in line with engineering, medicine, business, technology, and economics are the

most in demand in the Philippines (Monzon, 2023).

The passing of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act or R.A 10931

enabled more leeway for students to pursue higher education, as it provides free tuition to

students enrolled in SUC’s, CHED accredited local universities, and technical-vocational

institutions under TESDA. It also strengthens the Unified Student Financial Assistance

System (UniFAST), which provides students with subsidy and loan programs.

As students transition from high school to college there are bound to be differences

and adjustments, however, one of the problems they face is an uncertainty in their chosen

college course which sometimes develop into dislike and possible regret when they graduate.

Which is why DepEd provides a career guidance program (CGP) to 11th and 12th grade

students, this is to assess their future career plans and their target college course, it consists of

written works where students are required to internalise their career decisions. According to

the memorandum issued by DepEd, this career guidance program is meant to prepare the

students for tertiary education, train them in the ways of the workforce, and prepare them for

their future job endeavours (DepEd, 2021).

However, despite the implementation of K-12 and DepEd’s career guidance programs

there are present studies that showed many students experience strand mismatch with their

college course. Among these studies is a research conducted by Formaran, et al., (2022), in

their findings, students experienced a strand mismatch because of some family members who

pushed them to pursue the course, some were influenced by their peers, while some just had a

change of personal interest. They also responded that this strand mismatch managed to be a

hindrance in their academic performance and they had a hard time adapting with the lessons

tackled in their course because their SHS learning is unrelated to their current course. Some
also reported self-doubts regarding their decisions and a certain level of regret, some thought

that if they pursued a course in line with their SHS track they could have participated in class

better and would probably be in a much better academic state.

Senior High School strand mismatch has a significant effect not only on the students’

academic aspect but also on their psychological state. In line with this, in a study conducted

by Salanga and Bernardo (2016) among the factors of students’ lack of motivation to study is

a certain dislike or they’re not interested in their chosen course. Considering that motivation

and interest in a course is a key role in the students overall academic performance and

psychological state, it’s important for students to retain their motivation and interest in their

course.

Wrong course choice or wrong major phenomenon happens when students choose a

course they lack interest in or are not motivated to learn the lessons offered in their major.

This is common to students in high school and college who are unsure of their course or

career path, thus, they are often confused with what they want to pursue because they’re not

completely aware of their talents and skills. Even though they have the talent and skills it

might not be in line with their chosen major so it remains dormant and unutilised. The

negative effect of this choice might even extend to their future job profession as it might

hinder their productivity, efficiency, and mental health aspect because they didn’t utilise their

full potential in a career path that they truly wanted (Ali, 2018).
1.2 Statement of the Problem

Every year, graduating high school students are faced with the decision of choosing a college

course, despite the existence of career guidance in the final years of high school there are still

students who end up pursuing a course they are not interested in. With the lack of local study

regarding this topic, we choose to study the psychological and academic effect on the

students pursuing a wrong course and the factors that affect their decisions as they are

choosing their course.

With this objective, we aim to address the following problems:

1. What factor is the most influential in the students’ wrong course choice?

a. Family

b. Peers

c. Financial status

2. How does choosing a wrong course affect the academic performance of

students?

3. What are the psychological effects affecting the students who made wrong

course choices?
1.3 Significance of the Study

To the Department of Education (DepEd), this study will help them in

implementing a more interactive career guidance program where both decided and undecided

students are catered, to ensure that students are aware of the pros and cons of their chosen

college course and career program to lessen the prevalence of wrong course choice.

To the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), this will serve as a reference

study to assess the prevalence of students that are pursuing a wrong college course and to

examine its effect on the academic performance and psychological health of the students.

To the Palawan State University, this study aims to analyse how PSU can address,

deal, and assess the effect of wrong course choice in students’ academic performance and

continuously achieve the University Mission and Vision throughout the year.

To the students, they may use this research as their basis for further research about

the impact of wrong course choice on the students’ academic performance and psychological

health and the factors influencing students’ decisions.

To the parents, this study will provide them with information on why they should

support their children in choosing their chosen course based on their interest and passion, as

they will further understand and realise that wrong course choice can affect not only their

child’s academic performance but also their mental health.

To the researchers, the result of this study will make them aware of the impact of

choosing the wrong course on the academic performance and psychological health of the

students, as well as the factors influencing the students’ decision to choose a course.
1.4 Assumptions

1. Among the presented factors, the most influential out of them in the students’ wrong

course choice are the peers.

2. The academic performance of students is affected by their decision to pursue a wrong

course in college.

3. The students’ wrong choice of college course directly affects their psychological

health.
 Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter is allotted for the presentation of literature related to the study as further

evidence to support the researcher’s assumptions.

2.1.1 Factors influencing students’ wrong course choice

This section provides a discussion of the following terms: (a) family, (b) peers and (c)

financial stability.

a. Family

The most influential factor in choosing a wrong course for the students is the

family. Based on the article of Delhi (2022), choosing a college/career is primarily

determined by parents' expectations, educational levels, and social backgrounds.

Furthermore, parents are the primary influencers of a student's choice of college or

university and course of study, since the former is their primary source of the latter's

financial support. He adds that children seek advice from their parents about higher

education, since they perceive that parents have more information or experience.

Explained by qualifax (n.d) parents serve as a major influence in their

children’s career development and career decision- making. Parents want their

children to find happiness and success in life and one factor which influences

happiness and success is career choice. Research also indicates that when students

feel supported and loved by their parents, they have more confidence in their own
 ability to research careers and to choose a career that would be interesting and

exciting (Keller, 2004).

Family influence significantly affects professional improvement, and as the

support felt by young people increases, their professional improvement. Additionally,

the influence of the family on the child is an undeniable fact. From the child’s

development to character formation and career processes, the family is influential

(Kocak et al., 2021).

b. Peers

One of the most influential factors that affect the wrong course choice of the

students is their peers. In fact, according to Lumen Learning, adolescents spend more

time with their peers than with their family. This information was affirmed by

Lukman (2020), who stated that peer pressure is when you feel compelled to act a

certain way because of the pressure your peers put on you. The student's decision

about their career is greatly influenced by peer pressure. They are the ones who hinder

your own decision to choose your course by giving their opinion on you and forcing

or urging you to do the same.

Stated by Sasank “The most crucial factor is when, somewhere down the line

they realise that the decision was influenced and was wrong. But by that time in most

of the cases it is too late. Peers tend to dominate your decision-making ability. At

times we lean towards the pressure without even understanding the situation and

ground realities” (Sumit Bhattacharjee, 2011).

Prasad adds “The concept of social acceptance finds way into their minds and

decisions tend to be governed by the environment and peer pressure", he says. Peer
 pressure at times leads to the ‘herding concept', wherein one follows the group blindly,

without having a clear understanding of the consequences and assessing his or her

strengths and weaknesses (Sumit Bhattacharjee, 2011).

c. Financial status

Financial status is another factor that is most influential in choosing the wrong

course. “One of the most critical considerations for vigilant students is financial

accessibility. For students to make an informed decision about higher education,

parents must be open to discussing the financial budgets with children regarding

higher education choices of their wards" (Delhi,2022).

Proven from the study of Cajes et al.,2020, choosing a college course/degree is

one of the most challenging decisions for students. Grade12 students may be decided

or undecided enough to choose the course that suits their abilities and skills. They

found out that the financial aspect was the top problem faced by the students in

choosing their preferred courses in college because some affordable courses suit the

abilities and skills of the students. However, students also want some expensive

courses because those courses are suitable for their skills, but they cannot afford the

tuition fee. The researchers suggest that when choosing a course, the students should

choose one that suits their passion.

2.1.2 Academic Performance of students

Academic performance is one of the factors that is affected by the wrong

course choice. Students who are labelled in a wrong course choice are known as

“undecided”. Undecided students have many pros and cons, but they commonly
 struggle with their daily life as a student. Undecided students are often considered to

be "at risk" for lower academic performance (Tampke, D. R., Durodoye, R., 2013).

According to Steve Kappler, college students whose majors don’t reflect their

interests are less likely to graduate on time and more likely to drop out. Interest is a

powerful motivational process that inspires learning, and essential to academic

success (Harackiewicz, et al., 2016). Choosing a course that is far from one’s interest

is likely a big risk that can affect students' engagement and attention to studying.

Students who pursue the wrong course, experience a process of self reflectiveness–

questioning whether they are doing the right thing. They feel unmotivated and just

gripping on the thread to avoid the disappointments where they lose the essence to

keep excelling (Juanillo, 2017). Some who have the privilege applied for other

majors they are interested in, to avoid regrets but it comes with a consequence. Based

on the study of Astorne-Figarri and Speer (2019), 37% of college graduates switch

majors due to low grades.

2.3 Psychological Health of students

Psychological health problems are one of the effects of wrong course choice for

college students, it’s affecting their academic performances. Most mental health disorders

have their peak onset during young adulthood, and 50 percent of students go to college with

lesser academic ability (Kessler, et al., 2018)

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent psychiatric problems among college students

with approximately 11.9% of college students suffering from anxiety disorder. In a

community sample of adolescents, the peak rise period of developing PTSD was between the
ages of 16 to 17 years, with approximately one third of the sample developing the disorder by

the age of 14 years old (Giaconia, et al., 2014)

Another common mental problem among college students is known depression with

the prevalence of 7 to 9 percent. As stated by Zisook, et al., (2018), over half of all causes of

depression had the first onset during childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood. Others

have shown an elevated risk for mood disorder in the early teens increasing with age in a

linear fashion.

Another issue is, suicide, although not a specific diagnosis, it’s the third leading cause

of death among young adults and is a significant problem among college students. A large

survey reported that among 8, 155 students, 6.7% reported suicidal ideation, 1.6% reported

having a suicide plan, and 0.5% reported making a suicide attempt in the past year. Given

that many students with suicidal ideation do not seek treatment. Among the major risk factors

for suicide in this age group are depression, hopelessness, and substance use (Pedrelli, et al.,

2017)
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