Challenges Faced of Grade 12 Senior High School Students in Pilar National

Agricultural High School during Agricultural Field Activities.

A Qualitative Research

Presented to the Faculty of Senior High School Department

PILAR NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL

Oquendo District, Calbayog City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in

English 10

Last Name, First Name M.I.

Last Name, First Name M.I.

Last Name, First Name M.I.

Last Name, First Name M.I.

Last Name, First Name M.I.

Last Name, First Name M.I.

Last Name, First Name M.I.

Last Name, First Name M.I.

Researchers

RAYMARK E. LAGRIMAS

Research Teacher
 CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Background of the Study

The primary aim of agriculture is to cause the land to produce more abundantly,
and the same time to protect it from deterioration and misuse. Agriculture is the systematic
raising of useful plants and animals under the management of man. Agriculture and
agricultural yields are vital factors for human in making a living. This, agricultural yields
must be sufficient to meet the needs of the world population. Agricultural education based
on active learning (learning by process) is an essential part of the daily school life
especially for senior high school students learning from agricultural school. However, due
to the misinterpretation and wrong perceptions of others in agricultural studies became
the factors in decreasing students to pursue agriculture.

In the Philippines, there is a continuing decline in enrollment in agricultural courses

and this poses a serious threat to agricultural development and more importantly for food
and security. The Commission on Higher Education reported that 142,182 students
enrolled in various institutions offering agricultural courses all over the country for the
school year 2015-2016. The enrollment fell to 127,287 for school year 2016-2017 and
further went down to 100,922 to 2017-2018. Young Filipinos are increasingly less
interested in the agriculture industry.

In Pilar National Agricultural High School alone, there are 135 grade 12 students
total enrolled during school year 2023-2024, the data was taken from the registrar office
in Pilar National Agricultural High School (PNAHS). The 8 researchers will be deducted
from the given participants because they are the ones who conducted the study. This
qualitative study aims to explore students struggles during agricultural activities. The said
participants were being used to gather information that will be needed for this study, this
is to know what factors affecting them in struggling during agricultural activities. Struggle
defined by Britannica Dictionary which to try very hard to do, achieve, or deal with
something that is difficult or that causes problems.
 Due to this, several studies were conducted by different researchers (De lay et
al.,2014) conducted study about students’ apathy in agriculture education. This
phenomenological study captured the voice of secondary agriculture students as they
shared their perspective and experience surrounding student apathy. Boone and Boone
(2007) indicated experienced struggles with a lack of student’s motivation evidence by
apathy.

The study of (De lay et al., 2014) where students apathy in agriculture education
may relate on how students performed during agricultural activities especially field
activities. This is the reason why students experience struggles and their performance
during field activity has been affected.

Agricultural activities are defined as income-producing activities or uses that are

characterized by the crop cultivation, not all of which are restricted to floral, fruit and
veggies, vegetation, graze, and wood; and farming or raising livestock activities or uses
that are connected to livestock farming, and fish farming (Unacademy.com>biology).

Presently, agriculture in the Philippines is major sector of the economy, ranking the
third among the sector in 2022 behind only services and industry. While the world
continuously decreasing its interest about agriculture specifically students having less
interest about agriculture may results and influence the economy.

Statement of the problem

This study seeks to identify the specific challenges that students face, including
physical and educational barriers; and to examine how these challenges impact their
learning experience and over all engagement in agricultural practices.

By addressing these challenges, the research aims to provide insights and

recommendations to improve the effectiveness and inclusivity of agricultural field activities
for grade 12 students.

Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following objectives (questions).

 1. To identify the specific challenges faced by grade 12 senior high school students
during agricultural field activities, including physical labor, knowledge acquisition,
the management and over all engagement.
2. To examine the impact of the challenges on the students learning experience,
motivation, and overall performance in agricultural practices.
3. To explore the factors contributing to these challenges, such as limited resources,
inadequate forming, and lack of support system.

Significance of the study

This study holds significant importance for various stakeholders involved in

agricultural education and the over all development of grade 12 students/ the study aims
to provide valuable insights and recommendations to address the challenges failed by the
students during agricultural field activities.

SCHOOL – this study will help them to guide and provide a solution to solve the factors
affecting them in struggling during field activities.

TEACHERS – it will help them by guiding students in assessing the factors that triggers
students’ agricultural activities.

PARENTS – it will help them to asses and help their students about the factors affecting
students agricultural field activities.

STUDENTS – the results of this study will guide the students to prepare them about the
factors that affect them in performing agricultural activities.

FARMERS / AGRICULTURIST – This study will benefit them by knowing what are those
factors that they may encounter during agricultural activities.

FUTURE RESEARCHERS – this study helps the future researchers as a guide or source
in conducting future researchers.
Scope and Limitations

This study is a survey-descriptive since it sought to answer in descriptive form

of questions. The researchers utilized questionnaires to gain the information needed in
order to obtain the objective of the study. Among agricultural studies having difficulties
during agricultural fields activities the researchers were boundered the locale in Pilar
National Agricultural High School alone. Where the study was being held.

Particularly, this research aims to study only the students studying in Pilar
National Agricultural High School particularly the grade 12 senior high school students
especially those who perform actual fields activities during the school year 2023-2024.

Definition of term

ABUNDANT - Existing or occurring in large amount (Meriam Webster)

AGRICULTURE - The science, art, or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and
raising livestock and in varying the preparation and marketing of the resulting product.
(Meriam Webster).

APATHY - Lack of interest (Meriam Webster).

DECLINE - To become less in amount or to tends towards an inferior state or weaker

condition (Meriam Webster).

FACTURE - The act, process or manner of making anything; construction.

GARDENING - The act, activity, or pastime of planning and cultivating gardens (Meriam
Webster). The laying out and care of a plot and ground devoted partially or wholly to the
growing of such as flowers, herbs, and vegetable.

PREDISPOSITION - To dispose in advance or to make susceptible (Meriam Webster).

STRUGGLE - A forceful or violent effort to get free of restraint or resist attack.

THREAT - An indication or warning of probable trouble, or being at risks for something

terrible.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

• Environmental Factors
• Social and economical factors

• Vary across cropping patterns

• Use typologies to aid
description and interpretation
in relation to forestry
development.

• Determinants of making crops.

FIG I: Paradigm of the factors affecting farmers and agricultural student during
agricultural field activities.

The illustration above shows the input, process, and output of the studies taken
from different authors in related literatures. The first contains the input of the future study
where the factors or the problems encountered of the farmers most especially the
agriculture students during the agricultural field activities.

The second includes how the given problems was being terminated. The first
bullet represents the first bullet in the first box where farmers solved the given problems
or factors. While the second one represents the last bullet, farmers or even future
agriculturist were being known to be creative in terms of any various forms of agriculture.
This given process were shown to be the solution on how they cope those factors. The
last one contains the output of the given study.
 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter contains review of related literature and studies from different authors
or researchers from source that are related to agriculture.

Agriculture is one of the most important fields of business because the health of
the nation depends on healthy food. But at the same time, it is a subject to numerous,
often difficult to foresee risks. Today all fields of agricultural business are more
complicated and more technologically developed than they were just 50 years ago
(Fassakhova et al.,2020). Agriculture needs highly qualified, experienced workers who
can use modern technologies in this field. However, dye to continuously decreasing for
lacking of interest of students in agriculture may results to serious threat for Agricultural
fields. In addition, agriculture subjects require learners to have direct experienced that
can be applied to the daily life activities. It is important for learners to learn and practice
their skills in a variety of agriculture activities, including crop and vegetable growing,
livestock demostication, technologies for increase agricultural yield and yield
management in the actual situation (Thanapanyaratchawong, 2002).

It has been that the learning management using an agricultural garden area as
a place for implementing integrated learning activities, under the concept of the promising
strategies for the learning management (Srisuantaeng, 2013). Hence, the use of various
learning sources for developing the facilitation of agricultural teaching and learning
leading center to promote agricultural learning making learners to gain knowledge,
understanding and skills agricultural practices is a great interest (Thiangtrong, 2014). It
can be said that the management using agricultural garden area specifically for those
who studied under agricultural crop production school is under the concept to do the
actual situations where students have to practice Agricultural fields activities. However,
the study wasn’t discussed how students struggles during the performance in actual field
activities. Therefore, tis research study still has the ability to determine what factors
affecting students struggles and its affect to the students.
 Other studies explore the predisposition factors of student’s choice in
agriculture, fisheries and natural resources (AFNR) courses (Luzon area) (Dr. Romeo C.
Clemente, 2014). This study features empirical facts generally reflective of the recent
conditions of public and private Higher Education Institution of Luzon, Philippines problem
and reasons of continuously decline in the subscription of Filipino students for agriculture,
fisheries and natural resources (AFNR) courses. This study is in relate to the working
research study due to its factor on the predisposition of students in choosing agriculture
courses.

(Lucas et al., 2011) was also found out the influential factors during Agricultural
activities which are the dry and rainy season or may even fall to climate change. The said
participants of this study may not be a student but the situations in farm especially in
agricultural activities will relate to both significances. We cannot deny the fact agriculture
isn’t easy especially for the learners in cropping fields and through this study it might give
slightest idea how agriculturist and future agriculturist affected those said factors and this
this study may bring significance especially students about what are the following factors
or even the possible factors in making them struggles while performing agricultural field
activities. The researchers were also making a concept not just for the weather condition
but also about its natural and environmental factors that may give to learners in struggling
doing agricultural fields activities.

Another study of (Nicholas F. Emtage, 2014) investigates the social and

economical factors affecting small-scale foreshy development in Leyte, province,
Philippines and in particular. The potential to use typologies of rural households to aid the
description and interpretation of the diversity of households in relation to foreshy
development. (Myra Luz M. Homillano, 2023) conducted study on short term courses on
organic agriculture for home gardens. This study shows not any factors affecting students
during agricultural field activities instead results revealed the most prospective enrollees
are from the old age bracket (42.25%), interested in home gardening (50.84%), want to
learn about basic competencies of organic agriculture (29.85%), and earn a national
certificate for teaching purposes (29.69%). Most respondents wanted to learn about crop
and animal production (44.69%) among the learning areas in organic agriculture. This
data study was being useful for the researchers and future researchers to know what
students most interested in especially in performing agricultural field activities or
gardening. This study wasn’t mentioned what and why the reasons of students however,
researcher’s hypothesis may conclude the environmental and all the factors in choosing
their most interested or suitable gardening strategies.
 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

Research design

This study is a qualitative research since the used questions were sought to
answer in a descriptive form of data.

Specifically, this research study is a phenomenological method in which study wants to

determine the challenges among the grade 12 senior high school students who during
their agricultural field activity in Pilar National Agricultural High School.

Sampling procedure

This study made of purposive sampling since the study has a purpose which
is to identify specific challenges of Grade 12 students in Pilar National Agricultural High
School did they encounter during their field activity. The participants of this study belong
to three different sections:

Aeoniums, Basil, and Begonia during their Academic year 2023-2024. However, the
alternative learning students are not qualified for being participants because the study
focuses on the students who perform actual field activities.

These are 131 total Grade 12 Senior High School students enrolled during the
first semester. Write in second semester went down to total enrollers, which supposed to
be the participants. The researchers will randomly select the participants per sections that
will be using to gather the needed information for this study.

Instrumentation

The researchers utilized three types of instrument to gather the information for
this study, first is the questionnaires the researchers will be giving all the participants a
form of questions which aims to e collect the objectives for thus study. The participants
will answer the questions at their most convenient. time. Second, the interview all the
participants in order to obtain best result or data for the study. It will be going to be one
on one interview so that the participants will be comfortable top answer.

The last instrument is the observation it will be needed since the study wants to
identify challenges among grade 12 students during field activity. In order to have a
hypothesis about the study.

This instrument will be used and performed by the researchers in order to obtain
the research objectives and to have the valid data gathered.

• Data gathering procedure

The process for gathering the needed data in this study is described in the
following steps:
1. Researchers will seek the permission of the principal of Pilar National
Agricultural High School for the conduct of the study and the teachers
or advisers as well as of grade 12 participants for this study. Also, the
inform consent of the participants will be provided.
2. The researcher will secure permissions to the school for to gather all
the information or the list of all the participants of this study.
3. Researcher will provide the questionnaires that will be distributed to
all the participants, the participants will answer the form of questions
during the most convenient time.
4. The questionnaires will be retrieved by the researchers on the next
day. This is to ensure that the data checked by the researchers will
be analyzed.

• Data analysis
The data will be gathered, analyzed and interpreted using snowball
technique. Researchers will be secure the confidentiality of the respondents
as their rights and as respect.