CHAPTER Ӏ

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Every year we experience having intramurals in our school, different sports to

participate in and different competitors with good set of skills. We were recently

awarded with the Mythical 5 and Most Valuable Player (MVP) which means we

contributed a high amount of points for the overall score to boost up, and by that we

conquered the lower levels resulting for us to be the overall champion. Behind it was

challenging especially we need to practice to improve and dominate the lower levels

because we’re the oldest in our campus, and the pressure is on the athletes. Finding time

to train whether individual or group, it was hard, because we mostly use our school

hours on academics and the cut off time is used for the cheer dance and yell competition.

Student-athletes come to school to study then train after school and go home tired.

Furthermore positive or negative effects of a student-athlete affects his/her way in

developing oneself.

Participating on sports became a great component in the Philippine history in

which it encourages young people to engage in improving their physical and mental

health. Filipino athletes will soon have a home to train for competitions (CNN

Philippines, February 19) as President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Republic Act 11214

or the Philippine Sports Training Center Act. The law requires construction of

necessary sports facilities and amenities within 18 months in a location that is suitable

and conducive to high level training of athletes, coaches, and referees. With a budget

of 3.5 billion pesos, it has been included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
Approved on August 26, 2015 by President Benigno S. Aquino ӀӀӀ is the Republic Act

No. 10676 or Student-Athletes Protection Act: An Act Protecting the Amateur Nature

of Student-Athletes in The Philippines By Regulating the Residency Requirement and

Prohibiting the Commercialization of Student-Athletes.

Universities are most likely to participate in sport competitions like the famous

athletic association in Manila, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines

(UAAP) in which young people mostly watch. Another association is the National

Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) that governs college athletics. Student-

athletes that participate in competitions are not only from Manila, but also in different

regions in the country that showcase impressive records and positive attitude in their

sport. In doing so, some student-athletes were already given scholarships. These

athletes want to pursue their passion that’s why most of them who graduate, continues

their success in which it became their career.

Similarly, high school communities also have student-athletes with a

challenging high school life. Most people say that these students only focus on their

sport, which they are unable to balance their academic life. In this study, we tend to

take a closer look on the student-athlete on how they develop or change, whether

positive or negative, in season or off season.

Researchers mostly studied the athletic participation and academic

performance in college while few addressed the situation in the high school level. Our

study is different from the past studies in which our group focuses on the effects,

progress and development of the athlete itself. According to Sitkowski (2008), the

effect of participation on athletics, with respect to its direct effect on the participants

themselves, has not been investigated in literature.

 We give importance to this study because it can inform non-athlete students that

student-athletes also experience hardships in academics and not all the time they have

exemptions or considerations, they find a way for themselves to cope up with their

lessons like their other schoolmates.

This study aims to make non-athlete students understand the situation of

student-athletes that they also work hard for their grades, in order to achieve success

both in sports and school. It can be an eye opener to people who don’t have any

education in what student-athletes are really doing and how does it affect them when

they participate in sports.

Significance of the study

This study would be beneficial and may provide essential information to the

Department of Education (DepEd) as they are relevant with the development of young

minds that’s why this study will provide a wider perspective on the passing of required

curriculum each year and lessen the units needed to take. Also, this study will open the

eyes of the government agencies/officials because they are basically called as the law

makers thus this study will benefit them, for they will procure wisdom in making and

passing laws for student athletes. The findings of this study will be a great help to the

coaches/trainers for they are the people who guide one another in learning a new skill,

making them more responsible of the students. This study will help them on how to

train the athletes with the accordance of the students being students. Also, the findings

of this study can help school administrators, as educational managers, to guide them on

how to manage the schedule and studies of the students and be able to execute special

programs. For teachers, this study will give them more understandings to give more
considerations and help the students to catch up on their missed lessons as they are the

educational instruments. On a bigger picture, this study will have a great impact to the

students who are in the secondary level and are considered the second main concern in

the educational system. The findings of this study will inspire, motivate and enlighten

them what a student-athlete is like. This research’s result will be advantageous to the

parents because this study will open their eyes about their child’s school life. Parental

encouragement and support for learning activities are a major factor for a child. They

create conditions in which children learn more effectively. In addition, it will be a big

help as time passes by for researchers as this study would serve as a guide for their

future reference for more studies ahead that they’ll do. It will help the student

researchers to be more aware and knowledgeable about the topic. Lastly, for the

researchers themselves, the findings of this study will expand their knowledge about

student-athletes and inspire themselves to do better and strive harder.

Statement of the problem

This study aims to determine the effects of being a student-athlete on

academic performance at a private school in Capas, Tarlac.

Main Question

1. What are the effects of joining of sports competitions on student-

athletes?

Subordinate Questions

1. What does a student athlete contribute to our school?

2. What are the common health related problems of student-athletes?

 3. What is the impact of being a student-athlete in improving

themselves from their sport?

Scope and Delimitation

The coverage of this study is the effects of being a student-athlete on

academic performance in one private high school in Capas, Tarlac, if they are

improving or not. The selected participants are currently known athletic students of one

private high school in Capas, Tarlac, particularly the Mythical 5s from Grades 7 to 10

during intramurals and the swimming team known as Hammerheads. In this study, only

12 males and 11 females are chosen as research subjects. The said participants are

chosen using criterion sampling technique where the criterion is that, the participants

must be awarded as Mythical 5 in the year 2019 and the swimmers who competed

outside the school in the year 2018. They will be surveyed by providing them a

questionnaire that they will answer briefly and will be given to them during their free

period, recess, lunch, or dismissal.