Challenges and Opportunities Encountered by Senior High School Students during their

Immersion Program

Introduction

The Department of Education has been trying to implement changes in the Philippine

school system to keep up to global standards that is because of the increase in

unemployment and under-employment rate in the country every year. Some of which include

innovative teaching strategies like Cooperative Learning Strategy, Four-Pronged Approach,

change in teaching time and the usage of both English and Mother Tongue as a medium of

instruction and the most controversial and flabbergasting program was put to effect, the K to

12 program.

One of the goals of the K to 12 Basic Education Program is to develop in learners the

competencies, work ethics, and values relevant to pursuing further education and/or joining the

world of work. To achieve greater congruence between basic education and the nation’s

development targets, Work Immersion, a required subject, has been incorporated into the

curriculum. (Dep. Ed. Order No. 30 series of 2017)

Work Immersion refers to the part of the Senior High School (SHS) Curriculum

consisting of 80 hours of hands-on experience or work simulation which the Grades 11 and 12

students will undergo to expose them to the actual workplace setting and to enrich the

competencies provided by the school under the supervision of the School Head and the

designated personnel of the Partner. (Dep. Ed Order No. 40, series of 2015)

According to the Department of Labor and Employment, this program when fully realizing its

goal will produce job-ready graduates equipped with industry-based skills. DOLE strongly

affirms that work immersion contributes to the full realization of the objectives of the K to 12
Program. Furthermore, work immersion is useful as it enables Senior High students to decide if

what they have chosen in school is what they want to have as a career. Being able to test their

skills and knowledge in practice will help them develop their career choice. (Capulong, S.R.

2018) In this view, the researchers are motivated to know the challenges and opportunities

encountered by Senior High School Students during their Immersion Program.

Statement of the Problem

This research study attempts to find out the Challenges and Opportunities Encountered

by Senior High School Students during their Immersion Program.

1. What is the demographic profile of the Senior High School Students in terms of:

1.1 Age;

1.2 Gender;

1.3 Economic Status of the Family;

1.4 Educational Attainment;

1.5 Area of Specialization;

2. What are the experiences of Senior High School Students during their immersion

program?

3. What are the challenges the Senior High School Students encountered during the

immersion program?

4. What measures the Senior High School Students employ to address the challenges?

5. What are the opportunities the Senior High school Students perceived after the

immersion program?

6. What are the best practices observed by the Senior High School Students in the

conduct of the immersion program?

 7. What are the monitoring schemes used by the respective schools to oversee their

Senior High School Students during immersion program?

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This research will be executed to distinguish the Challenges and Opportunities

Encountered by Senior High School Students during their Immersion Program.

This research is focused on the problems encountered by 15 students from Vocational,

Public and Private Schools in the Province of Aklan, Philippines. This study will be conducted

next semester School Year 2019-2020.

Significance of the Study

The result of this is perceived to be significant to the following:

School Administrators - This study can be inferring to acquire the judgment on what actions

are suitable to help the Senior High School Students in their Immersion Program.

Teachers - Findings may help teachers to create their own strategies and style with regards

to the implementation of SHS immersion Program.

Students - This study will provide data that will help them understand their struggles

encountered in the immersion program and also will enhance their knowledge and skills to

become globally competitive.

Curriculum planners - The outcome of this study will gain ideas to perceive what to include

and to exclude in the curriculum.

Future Researchers - The ideas presented will perform as a reference for future researchers
 who would intent to make further studies or in testing the validity of other related findings

particularly in the Challenges and Opportunities Encountered by Senior High School Students

during their Immersion Program.

CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

In order to establish a comprehensive background for this study, a survey of related

literature and studies has been conducted and have drawn out some concepts, ideas and data

a bases in formulating approaches, formats, instruments and necessary information in the

conduct of the study.

In 2012, the DepEd started to implement the K-12 education system. The high school

from the former system will now be called junior high school, while senior high school will be the

11th and 12th year of the new educational system. It will serve as a specialized upper secondary

education. With the senior high school, students may choose a specialization based on the

aptitude, interest and school capacity. The choice of career track will define the content of the

subjects a student will take in Grade 11 and 12. Senior high school subject fall under either the

core curriculum or specific tracks.

There are seven Learning Areas under the Core Curriculum. These are Languages,

Literature, Communication, Mathematics, Philosophy, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.

Current content from some General Education subjects are embedded in the SHS curriculum.

Each student in Senior High School can choose among three tracks: Academic;

Technical-Vocational-Livelihood; and Sports and Arts. The Academic track includes three

strands: Business, Accountancy, Management (BAM); Humanities, Education, Social Sciences

(HESS); and Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM). Technical Vocational

Education (TVE) is an important part of the educational structure and plays a major role in

developing a flexible a well – educated work force to address current and emerging industry and

labor – market needs

Students undergo immersion, which may include earn-while-you-learn opportunities, to

provide them relevant exposure and actual experience in their chosen track. The Department of

Education (DepEd) strengthens its K-12Basic Education Program with the issuance of the

DepEd Order No. 30 s. 2017 that also describe as the Guidance of Work Immersion, this was

issued last June 5, 2017 as the basis for the implementation of work immersion in all Senior

High Schools. The work immersion is a required subject that provides the learners with different

opportunities like become familiar with the work place, employment simulation, and apply their

competencies in areas of specialization. The program aims to help develop among the learners

life and career skills, and prepare them to make decisions on employment. Through partnership

building, DepEd hopes that the Partner Institutions will provide learners with work immersion

opportunities.

Caraig (2017) believe that learning takes place beyond the four corners of the classroom

and students must be exposed in other ways of learning new skills can be gained through

training.

Practicum, on-the-job training (OJT), internship, externship, field exposure and /or

experiential learning, regardless of how it is called, the essential element is that students learn

by doing. This educational program aims to provide students with hands-on experience in all

aspects of basic job tasks and responsibilities and while doing this; the students also observe

and participate in the essential aspects of the business. (Moreno and Mapa, 2014).
 As cited by Fuller (2015) recommends that a student select an internship that requires

substantial work; act professionally; network; ask questions; set goals; volunteer; and follow up

with the business after the internship is completed.

The quality of internship learning heavily depends on the quality of feedback and

supervision by both the company and the schools (Narayanan et. al., 2010). However, Martin

and Wikerson (2006) cited that student attitudes and perceptions are important. According to

Feldman (2009), attitudes are commonly referred to as ―personal attributes or states that

evaluate any particular behavior, belief, or concept of a person. On the other hand, Aceron

(2015) states that attitude is a verbal expression, intention, and mental position with regard to a

fact or state, or a feeling or emotion toward a fact or a state. In addition, Laguador (2013) cited

that work values and attitude are necessary to achieve the ultimate goal of education to produce

efficient and effective leaders and professionals.

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The researcher used the descriptive method to find out the Challenges and

Opportunities Encountered by Senior High School Students during their Immersion Program.

The researchers collected and analyze the gather data through Focus group Discussion and

structured interview.

Research Participant

The participants of the study will be 15 students from Vocational, Public and Private

Schools in the Province of Aklan, Philippines. The respondents of the study are enrolled in

Industry Immersion 1 during the Second Semester of Academic Year 2019-2020.The

respondents are more likely to become blue-collar workers/employees, since the

Technical Vocational Education (TVE) is an important part of the educational structure and

plays a major role in developing a flexible a well – educated work force to address current and

emerging industry and labor – market needs.

- includes: a. inclusion/exclusion criteria

b. interview guide

c. informed consent

Locale of the Study:

Data Gathering Procedure: 1. Selection of participants

2. Execution of consent form

3. Schedule of interview

4. Transcription of data

Data Analysis: 1. Establishment of major themes

2. Grouping of themes

3. Interpretation and meaning making

4. Validation of meaning

Data Instrumentation

The Memorandum DM-CI 2018 (Monitoring and Evaluation of Work Immersion) will be

used as one of the bases for structure interview.

Data Collection

The assigned Work Immersion Teacher will b OJT coordinators deploy student-trainees

in different host

Data Analysis

The use of mean and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient will be utilized to
describe the results of the study. To determine the results of the data on the challenges and op

by Senior High School, scale and ranges will be presented below and their corresponding verbal

interpretation will be used to interpret the results.

Summary

Conclusion

Recommendation

REFERENCES:

1. Sarvia r. Capulong may, 2018 work immersion experience at dinalupihan water

district of the municipality of dinalupihan, bataan

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Philippine Seminars, Conferences, and Training Site, Asia Pacific J. Multidiscip.

Res., 5(3): 118-129.

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Restaurant Management Interns of West Visayas State University, Calinog, Iloilo,

Philippines, Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 2, 1, P-ISSN 2350-

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4. Martin, D.R., Wikerson, Jr., J.E. 2006. An Examination of the Impact of Accounting

Internships on Students Attitudes and Perceptions, The Accounting Educator’s

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5. Feldman, R.S. 2009. Understanding Psychology, 9th Edition, McGraw Hill: New

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effectiveness: An exploratory model. Academy of Management Learning and

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