Preschool pilot training and other selected variables as correlates of academic performance : an evaluation / Beverly A. Gonda. 6

Thesis (M.A.) -- Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, 2004.;A thesis presented to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and Education, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree in Master of Arts in Education Major in Educational Administration. 56

5

Abstract: The dealt on the relationship of selected variables such as family background and family structure to the academic performance of Grade III pupils with and without preschool training in selected public schools in the Division of Manila. Specifically, the researcher tested if there was a significant relationship between the samples profile variables such as Family Background (Age of Parents, Education of Parents, Occupation of Parents, House/ lot ownership, Family income, Family size, Nuclear - Extended Family) on the academic performance of selected Grade III pupils with and without preschool training in Form 137 and the National Diagnostic Test (NDT). Likewise, the academic performance of the samples in Form 137 was correlated to the scores they obtained in NDT. The study involved 72 Grade III pupils who underwent preschool training in school year 1998-99 under the Preschool Service Contracting Scheme of the Department of Education (DepEd) and another 72 pupils without any preschool training background in selected public elementary schools in the Division of Manila namely: Rafael Palma, Emilio Aguinaldo Integrated, Fernando Amorsolo, Bagong Barangay, and Lopez Jaena where the program was piloted in school year 1998-99. These pupils were in Grade III upon commencement of this study (SY 2001-2002) and they comprised the 50% of the total graduates. The five schools are the pilot batch and the only schools chosen in the entire Division of Manila to implement the program. The Preschool Service Contracting Scheme program is an alternative delivery system aimed at providing preschool experiences to five-year old children who are prospective Grade I in the fifth and sixth class municipalities, urban poor communities and relocation areas. The descriptive-survey and interview method was utilized to describe the profile of the samples according to family background (age of parents, education of parents, occupation of parents, house/ lot ownership, family income and home conveniences) and family structures (birth order, family size and nuclear-extended family). The researcher employed three kinds of measures: a questionnaire, the grade percentage average in Form 137; and scores in NDT. To establish the relationship of variables to the academic performance mean and standard deviation were employed. To correlate the academic performance of the samples with and without preschool training to their scores in NDT, the t-test was used. It was found out that majority of the samples have parents aged 49 year olds or younger while thirty percent of the parents of those with preschool education were college graduates and a greater percentage of the parents of those without preschool training had completed elementary education. One half of the parents of those with preschool training were employed in companies while majority if the parents of those without preschool training were self-employed indicating that the parents of the former have more stable source of income than the latter. Fifty percent of the pupils both with and without preschool training owned basic household conveniences. Likewise, fifty percent of the samples in both category were middle born and have extended family. Findings further showed that for pupils with preschool training, the younger the parents, the better is the academic performance, while for those without preschool training, the more mature the parents, the better is the children's performance in school. The educational attainment of parents has a positive effect in the performance of the samples showing that parents have finished their studies have children who performed better academically. The occupation of parents and types of dwelling places do not significantly affect the performance of the pupils although home appliances contribute to the enthusiasm of the children, both with and without preschool education to study. Under the family structure, the youngest in the family or last born children whether with or without preschool training performed better both in academics and in NDT. This holds true for those who belonged to extended kind of family showing the support system of other member of the family to the academic activities of the samples. In sum, the preschool education program influenced the academic performance of the samples and that improved knowledge and skills in the learning areas are evident as compared with the low performance of those who did not benefit from the program as gauged from the significant difference in their performance in class and in the NDT. In the light of the foregoing data, it is recommended that the following activities should be adopted: That the scheme must be institutionalized to cover other public schools; that advocacy system is imperative to solicit support from other sectors whether private or local government; that monitoring and evaluation are deemed necessary to sustain and gauge the benefit of the program; that teacher training and updating of instructional materials are imperative to check the accuracy and content; and that the other forms of incentives must be awarded to motivate the implementers to improve the preschool programs in their respective schools.

5