CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM

Background of the Study

With the advent of the recently implemented Philippine basic education curriculum
(K-12), high school students are required to take number-driven courses such as Mathematics
and Statistics. Submerged with theoretical content and computational drills, students then
graduate with the hope of being able to apply these knowledge and skills in solving problems
encountered in their future workplace or more importantly in the next stage of their
education.

Mathematics is generally considered as the most important subject at school levels all
over the world. All the major commissions and committee report on education since
independence emphasized the importance of mathematical knowledge and its utilitarian
values. In spite of all these reports and recommendation still in the Philippines, many students
struggle with mathematics and become disaffected as they constantly bump in two obstacles
to engagement. It is an agreeable fact that, amongst the subject taught in schools,
mathematics is considered as one of the toughest subjects. But the reason behind this might
be different in different situations. Lot more studies were conducted in this area and
researches come up with their recommendations as well. But still, the problem of low
performance in mathematics appears to be pertinent in all levels of school education.
Landicho (2021).

Students’ commitment in mathematics refers to students’ motivation to learn

mathematics, their confidence in their ability to succeed in mathematics and their emotional
feelings about mathematics. Students’ commitment in mathematics plays a key role in the
acquisition of math skills and knowledge. Education Matters (2015).

The mathematical achievements of students in high school have an impact on their

college performance and future professions. Having a strong mathematical foundation allows
students to develop insightful viewpoints and expand their employment prospects. Educators
and policy makers have often underlined the importance of mathematical learning (Wilkins &
Ma, 2002). Teachers and parents have paid close attention to pupils’ mathematics ability and
improvement over the years. Law makers have also urged for an improvement in students’
overall performance as well as the bridging of achievement discrepancies. Teachers and

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parents who understand the elements that influence their children’ mathematics achievement
and improvement will be able to assist them in making significant academic progress.

Furthermore, this study concluded that students’ interest in mathematics and their
strands, is believed to play a significant role in mathematics achievement and might influence
students in mathematics achievement. This study discloses whether there is a significant
difference of STEM and Non-STEM students’ general average in General Mathematics.

Related Literatures and Related Studies

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)

An article from OEd (2021), The STEM strand is a senior high school program that
focuses on your skills and knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
It’s designed to provide you with the necessary skills to pursue careers in highly demanded
fields like Engineering, Computer Science, and Mathematics.

The article also stated that while you will tackle some general classes like
Communication, Philosophy, and Entrepreneurship classes in this track, most of the classes
you will encounter are geared toward Math and Science. The STEM strand gives senior high
school students exposure to the intertwining disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics) to see how they work in real life.

Non-STEM

Non-STEM refers to pursuing any study program that isn’t limited to the four core
fields covered in the STEM courses. This academic study has been a common and popular
academic choice amongst multiple international students globally. In Non-STEM, students
can pursue courses such as Humanities, Business, Education, Social Work, etc. In fact, all
leading USA universities offer a range of Non-STEM courses for students to choose from.
This includes Harvard University, Stanford University and more. (Collegepond, 2024).

The above-mentioned track and strands have their own specializations and strengths.
No strand is on top of the other because every strand possesses different competencies; it’s on
the student’s selection which s/he thinks best for the future program that the scholars want to
acquire.

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 Many studies have been established about the said curriculum and a few of those
studies compared the academic performance of Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM students. The study of M. Molina (2019) compared the
Calculus I performance of engineering students from STEM and non-STEM SHS strands.
The findings showed that engineering students performed poorly in Calculus I. Moreover, a
significant difference between the performance of non-STEM SHS strands and the
engineering students from STEM and in finding derivatives was found. This revealed that the
performance of the engineering students from STEM strand in finding derivatives is better
than the engineering students from the non-STEM strand.

General Mathematics

According to a website TASC (2017), General Mathematics aims to develop learners'

understanding of concepts and techniques drawn from number and algebra, trigonometry and
world geometry, sequences, finance, networks and decision mathematics and statistics, in
order to solve applied problems.

It refers to a course or curriculum that focuses on reinforcing basic arithmetic skills

and providing a foundation for further mathematical study. It is often taught at the secondary
school level and has traditionally been seen as a course for students who have not mastered
the basics of mathematics. However, there have been efforts to reorganize and redefine
general mathematics based on psychological principles and a more holistic approach to
teaching the subject. The goal is to break down the compartmentalized method of teaching
and instead teach mathematics from a psychological perspective. This reorganization has led
to the emergence of different types of general mathematics, but they all share the common
goal of teaching mathematics in a way that is more engaging and relevant to students.
(SCISPACE, nd).

Math Pathways

For the past several years, attention has turned toward reviewing and reframing the
curricular pathways in math for students, particularly at the post secondary level. Focus has
shifted not only to math preparedness, but also to redefining the curricular pathways that lead
to academic and career success. In higher education, the central principle involves redefining

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and reorganizing coursework around defined pathways, based on academic and career
interests of students. For K-12 institutions, the math pathways reforms have less clear
implications. (Jassen, S. and Johnson, A. 2020)

In one article by Amy Getz, mathematics pathways enable students to take different
paths through the math curriculum, making the math students learn relevant to their programs
of study and careers.

The article also emphasized that, a working knowledge of basic mathematics

empowers individuals to engage productively in today’s society and economy, which is
increasingly reliant on data and quantitative reasoning. Yet all too often, mathematics is an
obstacle rather than an opportunity to students who want to achieve their career goals through
higher education. (Getz, A. 2019)

Traditionally, students were required to take algebra-laden courses to meet the

mathematics curriculum requirement to obtain any undergraduate degree, regardless of
degree major or career goals (Gaze et al. 2014).

This important work has been focused on providing various course sequences for
students to fulfill math graduation requirements by taking courses with mathematical content
that is applicable to specific degrees and careers. As a result, many higher education
institutions have begun encouraging Non-STEM students to take math courses in other
branches of mathematics, such as statistics and liberal arts math, rather than traditional
algebra courses.

Still today, STEM students often take these traditional math courses to meet the
prerequisites needed to eventually enter the Calculus sequence. “Not only does the GATC
[Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus] completely abandon the fundamental middle
school math topics necessary for quantitative literacy but this superabundance of algebra
taught in the abstract fosters math phobia and supports the culturally acceptable stance that
math is not relevant to everyday life” (Gaze 2014, 1).

Conceptual Framework

STEM Students'
General General Average
Mathematics 4 Academic
Performance
Non-STEM Students'
General Average
 For better understanding of this research, the researcher provided the conceptual
framework which indicates the independent and dependent variable of the study.

STEM is field and curriculum centered on education in the disciplines of science,

Figure
technology, engineering, and 1. Conceptual
mathematics. Educators focused on improving science and
Framework
mathematics instruction employed several approaches to K-12 STEM education and the
majors include Agriculture, Architecture, Biological & Biomedical Services,
Communications Technology, Computer & Information Science, Engineering, Mathematics
& Statistics, Natural Resources & Conservation, Physical Sciences, and Science
Technologies. On the other hand, Non-STEM subjects or courses are Humanities, Arts,
Literature, and Management.

The independent variable in this study is the general mathematics subject of the senior
high school students specifically the grade 11. Whereas, the dependent variable is students
general average which are in two categories: STEM and Non-STEM students.

This paper investigates the significant difference of a Science, Technology,

Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strand and Non-STEM (Accountancy, Business and
Management (ABM), Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS), and Technical Vocational
Livelihood (TVL). Finally, the results of this study may serve as a starting point for skill
assessment in BEST College of Polomolok Inc.

Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to determine the significant difference of academic performance of

STEM and Non-STEM students of BEST College of Polomolok Inc. Specifically, it answered
the following questions:

1) What is the general average of the Grade 11 STEM strand in General Mathematics
subject?

2) What is the general average of the Grade 11 Non-STEM strand in General Mathematics
subject?

3) Is there any significant difference between the STEM and Non-STEM's General
Mathematics grades?

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Scope and Delimitation

This study will analyze the academic performance of students in general mathematics
from both STEM and Non-STEM, considering their grades, test scores and academic
achievements. This study will also examine the general mathematics curriculum for both
STEM and Non-STEM tracks, focusing on content coverage, depth and complexity.

The study limited its participants to senior high school students studying at BEST
College of Polomolok.

Significance of the Study

This study examines the contrast between STEM and Non-STEM students’ general
average in General Mathematics lies in its potential to uncover distinctive learning patterns,
challenges, and achievements.

Benefiting the study will be the following:

To the DepEd Administration, this study will help DepEd authorities to give them
an insight into the different difficulties of STEM and Non-STEM students in General
Mathematics.

To the School Organization, this study will help school organizations to understand
and keep track of student's difficulties. This study will also help them to strengthen the
curriculum to suit the student’s learning abilities and needs.

To the Upcoming Senior High School Students, this study will help upcoming
senior high school students in understanding whether there are significant differences
between academic strands in terms of General Mathematics.

To the teachers, this study will shows a better understanding of the challenges
students face in each academic strand concerning General Mathematics.

To the parents, this study will provide valuable insights into the academic pathways
available to their children, offering a deeper understanding of the differences between STEM
and Non-STEM tracks in General Mathematics.
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 To the future researchers, it would help future researchers and it will serve as the
basis and background about their research.

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References

OEd (2021). Online Senior High (https://www.onlineshs.com/stem-vs-non-stem-

strands-in-senior-high-school/)

Collegepond (2024). STEM vs Non-SSTEM Course in USA

(https://collegepond.com/blog/stem-vs-non-stem-courses-in-us/)

SCISPACE (nd.) What is the Difinition of General mathematics?

(https://typeset.io/questions/what-is-the-difinition-of-general-mathematics-2xolxe1bmr)

TASMANIAN ASSESMENT, STANDARDS, AND CERTIFICATION (2017).

General Mathematics
(https://www.tasc.tas.gov.au/students/courses/mathematics/mtg315115/#:~:text=More
%20information,General%20Mathematics%20aims%20to%20develop
%20learners'%20understanding%20of%20concepts%20and,order%20to%20solve
%20applied%20problems.)

Jassen, S. and Johnson, A. (2020) Math Pathways Reforms in Maine.

(https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED606721)

Getz, A and Liston C. (2019). The Case for Mathematics Pathways.

(http://dcmathpathways.org/resources/case-mathematics-pathways)

Mathematics Hub (2023). Maths and Numeracy.

(https://www.mathematicshub.edu.au/understanding-maths/the-curriculum/maths-and-
numeracy/)

Laerd Statistics (nd). Kruskal-Wallis H Test using SPSS Statistics.

(https://statistics.laerd.com/spss-tutorials/kruskal-wallis-h-test-using-spss-statistics.php)

Korb, K. (2013). Conducting Educational Research Calculating Descriptive

Statistics. (http://korbedpsych.com/R17bDescriptive.html#:~:text=Percentage%20is
%20calculated%20by%20taking,%25%2C%20resulting%20in%2040%25.)

BYJU’S (2024). Relative Frequency. (https://byjus.com/maths/relative-frequency/)