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, ISSN: XXXX-XXXX
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Implementation of Senior High School Work

Immersion: Classroom and Field
Experience Alignment
Evelyn Albia1, Julito Gulle2, Nonotzska W. Lumaban3,
Melba C. Olidan4, Albin Jay C. Tabamo5*
1
Philippine Science High School – Caraga Region Campus, Ampayon, Butuan City
2
Timber City Learning Academy, Butuan City
3
Gingoog National High School, Misamis Oriental
4
Surigao State College of Technology-Malimono Campus, Surigao del Norte
5
Northeastern Mindanao Colleges, Surigao City, Surigao del Norte
*Corresponding author’s email: albintabamo5@gmail.com

Abstract: As part of the culmination of Basic Education, work immersion has been integrated to put principles into
practice. Currently, the issue of skills-work immersion misalignment has been a problem to the education sector. This
paper aims to assess the degree of correlation between the skills of senior high school students of Northeastern Mindanao
Colleges and the extent of alignment of these skills to their work immersion. Survey questionnaires were employed to 126
samples from the Academic and TVL Tracks obtained via stratified random sampling. Responses gathered were analysed
using Spearman Rank Correlation as these did not qualify for Pearson Product Moment Correlation due to non-normality
and non-homogeneity of data. Performance indicators observed through 21 st Century Skills such as Learning and
Innovation (LAI), Media and Information Literacy (MIL), and Life and Career (LAC) were correlated to the Extent of
Skills and Work Immersion Match (ESWIM), to wit, LAI and ESWIM (r=0.226, p-0.039), MIL and ESWIM (r=0.250, p-
0.022), and LAC and ESWIM (r=0.299, p-0.006) for the Academic Track and LAI and ESWIM (r=0.370, p-0.035), MIL
and ESWIM (r=0.375, p-0.040) and LAC and ESWIM (r=0.345, p-0.042) for the TVL Track. These suggested significant
direct weak correlations. Hence, mismatch exists in the two programs.

Keywords: Academic Track, Senior High School, Skills – Work Immersion Misalignment, TVL Track., Work
Immersion, 21st Century Skills.

I. INTRODUCTION
Since its enactment in 2013, Republic Act No. 10533, also known as Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, has
been in full effect and observance in some public and private educational institutions across the country. It mandates the
implementation of K-12 Basic Education Program which covers one year of kindergarten education, six years of
elementary education, and six years of secondary education which includes four years of junior high school and two years
of senior high school education.
This program intends to satisfactorily meet the basic needs of learning which lays a strong foundation for the
development of productive and responsible citizens through the provision of systems anchored on pragmatic educational
philosophies oriented towards excellence, competence, empowerment, interdependence, autonomy, and transformation.
(Republic Act No. 10533, Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines).
Hence, the State has crafted this functional basic education system that will develop students’ competencies;
knowledge, values, and skills based on pedagogically appropriate curriculum that is at par with international standards,
thereby broadening the goals of high school education for college and vocational career preparation through the
conversion of discipline – based curriculum into a spiral progression approach that is more learner – centred and
developmentally appropriate (Republic Act No. 10533, Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines).
Connelly (2013) claimed that in order to ensure that the students are equipped with the skills needed for the job
or career they have chosen the schools must exert every effort to perform its vital functions and cope with the standards of
instruction. As the country’s socio-economic status continues to evolve, rethinking of the support systems provided by
schools to the students in choosing career pathways must also be done. Moreover, with consideration of the drastic socio-
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economic changes the government is dealing with, it is necessary to plan actions to secure the future of the students who
will be entering the workforce after high school. Hence, it is the school’s social obligation to fully prepare students and
make the transition between studies and work as smooth as possible.
In consonance to the efforts made to accomplish the basic functions of the school, teachers, education experts,
and business leaders crafted the so called P21’s for 21st Century Learning – A Framework for the Future to guide
educators in gearing their methods of assessment and instruction towards long-term development and productivity in
work, citizenship, and life for the 21st century. This framework has been used to consider 21 st Century Skills the core of
educative process (Partnership for 21st Century, 2009).
This is organized into skills with corresponding sub-skills and performance indicators. Learning and Innovation
Skills (LAI) component includes creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, and communication and
collaboration. Information, Media, and Technology Skills (MIL) include information literacy, media literacy, and
information/communications/technology literacy. Lastly, Life and Career Skills (LAC) include flexibility and
adaptability, initiative and self-direction, social and cross-cultural skills, productivity and accountability, and leadership
and responsibility (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2009).
Recent approaches to investigate the teaching and assessment of 21st century skills were initiated by the National
Research Council by facilitating several workshops and seminars. A framework for classifying the types of knowledge
and skills students need for college and career readiness were formulated, to wit: (1) cognitive skills, including critical
thinking, non-routine problem solving, and systems thinking; (2) interpersonal skills, including complex communication,
social skills, teamwork, cultural sensitivity, and dealing with diversity; and (3) intrapersonal skills, including self-
management, time management, self-development, self-regulation, adaptability, and executive functioning (Committee on
the Assessment of 21st Century Skills, 2011).
Furthermore, due to the reasons of complexity of the other frameworks, the Assessment and Teaching of 21st
Century Skills (ATC 21) organization has come up with an alternative framework for the organization of the different
types of 21st century skills (Binkley et al., 2010). This shows four classes of skills that are encompassing: Ways of
Thinking, which covers creativity and innovation; critical thinking, problem solving, and decision-making; and
metacognition or learning to learning; Ways of Working, which includes communication and collaboration or teamwork;
Tools for Working, which addresses information literacy and information and communication technology (ICT) literacy;
Living in the World, which includes citizenship, life and career skills, and personal and social responsibility (Committee
on the Assessment of 21st Century Skills, 2011).
The organization has defined several important dimensions that encapsulate these different types of skills in a
paradigm called the KSAVE model where the acronym represents Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes/Values/Ethics. This
model relates to the basic taxonomy of learning which includes the cognitive (knowledge), affective (attitudes, values, and
ethics), and psychomotor domain (skills) (Committee on the Assessment of 21st Century Skills, 2011).
To satisfy these conditions and uphold the highest possible quality of education for the development of
competencies and work ethics pertinent in pursuit of continuous professional education and/or of the working world, K-12
Basic Education Program has integrated Work Immersion in the curriculum as one of the required courses for graduation
for the application of knowledge, values, and skills developed from previous trainings and habituation. This has been
practiced to bridge the gap between basic education and nation’s development prospects by achieving better congruity and
smooth transition from schooling to employment (Department of Education Order No. 30, s. of 2017)
Rodriguez (2017) of the Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) recognized the significance of work
immersion as an integral part of K-12 Basic Education Program in the full realization of its nation building and
development goals to produce high quality graduates ready to be employed in industries. The department strongly
believes that the work immersion is the key contributor to the acquisition of knowledge, values, and skills but the safety,
health, and morals of the students should also be placed into paramount consideration.
Along with the transition of the Philippine educational system from the old discipline-based curriculum to the
new spiral curriculum, are the inevitable problems of resource scarcity as teaching / learning materials insufficiency and
obsoleteness, lack of classroom facilities, congested class size, and ineffective school-industry partnership coupled with
the people strong adherence to traditional customs and beliefs. These flaws in the system lead to low – quality learning.
Consequentially, at the culmination of basic education which marks the commencement of their employment,
further education or entrepreneurship, senior high school graduates are not totally ready and prepared due to weak
foundations and failure to appropriately put theories and principles into practice. This only proves that problems occur not
only from elementary to junior high school but more so in the senior high school.
This study seeks to assess the degree of alignment of the 21 st Century Skills of senior high school students in
Academic and TVL tracks to the tasks assigned to them in the work immersion. Specifically, it tries to measure students’
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readiness (degree of manifestation) of the 21st Century Skills and if they have successfully manifested and applied these
skills in the actual performance of their duties and responsibilities in their respective stations. Other tracks such as Sports
and Arts and Design are not considered in this study for the reason that the school to where the study was conducted does
not offer the two programs aforementioned.
It assumes that there is a significant correlation between the skills of the senior high school students and their
work immersion tasks on the basis of their application of the learning and innovation skills, media and information
literacy, and life and career skills in their corresponding agencies.
The results of this study are expected to enlighten the mind of each of the members of the educational
community to rethink, reconsider, re-plan, and redevelop a more comprehensive, appropriate, and effective means and
systems of bridging students’ schooling and working.

II. MATERIALS AND METHODS

This chapter presents the general patterns of organizing the procedures for collecting valid and reliable data for
investigation as well as the detailed description of methods that have been carried out.
The study was conducted at Northeastern Mindanao Colleges which is a non-religious and non-sectarian private
school mandated to provide high-quality, secondary and tertiary education to all types of learners regardless of race,
ethnic origin, colour, gender and other differing attributes. Under the supervision of the Department of Education and
Private Education Assistance Committee, the school is regularly accredited to ensure that the goals, and objectives are
followed, adhered to, and realized by the various stakeholders of the entire educational community.
The study used the survey method. It made use of probability sampling technique specifically stratified random
sampling. This was used to give equal chances to each element of the population to be a part of the sample by dividing the
entire population of senior high school students on the basis of tracks and strands with limitations on the number of
respondents giving due consideration on the majority of samples in relation to the school’s entire population.
With the data on the group’s population size obtained from the Office of the Registrar, the researchers obtained
samples by dividing the population size of each stratum (N) to the entire population size (ΣN). The result was the relative
frequency (rf) which was multiplied to the total sample size ( +1) to get the sample size of each stratum (n)
Researcher - made questionnaires, previously checked by experts, were randomly administered to 126 students at
the Senior High School Department of the said institution.
The collected data were organized, tabulated, analysed, and interpreted using Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS) Frequency Count and Percentage Computation were employed to quantify the respondent’s profile. Tests
of Normality and Homogeneity of Variances were done through Shapiro-Wilk test and Levene’s test, respectively. Both
tests presented results suggesting that data are not obtained from a normal distribution (non-normal) and not
homogeneous (heterogeneous). Hence, to test the significant correlation, a non-parametric test, the Spearman’s Rho
Correlation, was employed.

III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This section presents the results and discussion of the study. It vividly exposes the outcomes of thorough
observation, investigation, and analysis.

Table No. 1 shows the personal, educational, and socio-economic profile of the research respondents
Sex
Male Female
Frequency 72 54
Percentage 57.20% 42.80%
Age
17-18 19-20
Frequency 84 42%
Percentage 66.67% 33.33
Grades
O VS S FS DNME
(90-100) (85-89) (80-84) (75-79) (<75)
Frequency 38 56 32 0 0
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Percentage 30.16% 44.44% 25.40% 0.00% 0.00%

Parents’ Educational Attainment
None Elementary High School College Post-graduate
Frequency 82 110 32 28 0
Percentage 32.54% 43.65% 12.70% 11.11% 0.00%
Parents’ Occupation
None Skilled Self-employed Professional
Frequency 49 71 40 47
Percentage 23.67% 34.30% 19.32% 22.71%
Family Income
2,000- 4,000- 6,000- 8,000-
<2,000 >10,000
4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000
Frequency 21 28 32 18 16 11

Percentage 16.70% 22.20% 25.40% 14.30% 12.70% 8.70%

The study considers the sex of the students as one of the considerations in scholastic achievement (Hadjar, 2014).
Sex can be a factor of the student’s selection of career path. Males generally enter professions that require risk-taking
ability, physical force, and mathematic-logical inclination. Females prefer works that include social and civic welfare,
health care, and education.
Age is associated with maturity. Hence, it is a worthwhile factor to assess students’ readiness in acquiring and
applying a specific skill and a more specific sub-skill. The Center for Parenting Education (2017) claims it takes a lot of
maturity to commit to a certain identity and responsibility.
Grades are not always indicative of scholastic performance. But these are objective indicators of assessing and
evaluating students’ performance, hence, readiness to the development of new skills and experiences.
Socio – economic status is the sum total of the person’s education, occupation, and income. Ichado (2015)
emphasized the vital role played by parents’ socio-economic standing in children’s education.
Gooding (2001) reported that parental education significantly influences children’s education. Parents who have
high educational attainment have higher chances of having professional children. They tend to imitate their parents and
eventually become successful in the future.

Table 2 shows the frequency count and percentage computation of respondents grouped on the basis of decision to
pursue college.
Pursue College Frequency Percentage
Yes 50 39.7%
No 76 60.3%
Total 126 100%

Since, Senior High School students are already job and life ready most of them do not pursue continuous
education but resort to employment and entrepreneurship, (Viering, 2012). Based on the obtained results, 60.3% of the
students have no plans to continue college, only 39.7% have.

Table 3 shows the mean and adjectival interpretation of the responses of the respondents on their
skill readiness (frequency of manifestation) to work immersion

A. SKILLS AND ON-THE-JOB TRAINING READINESS

Mean Interpretation
Learning and Innovation

1. I can easily adapt (learn) new experiences. 4.04 Frequently

2. I can immediately find solutions to problems. 3.55 Sometimes
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3. I can think creatively at different situations. 3.51 Sometimes

4. I can work harmoniously with other people. 3.73 Sometimes
5. I can clearly express my thoughts and ideas to others. 3.55 Sometimes
Media and Information Literacy

1. I can handle certain amounts of information (facts, figures, statistics, Sometimes

3.38
and data) with ease.
2. I can interpret certain amounts of information (facts, figures, Sometimes
3.20
statistics, and data) with speed.
3. I can analyze certain amounts of information (facts, figures, Sometimes
3.31
statistics, and data) with accuracy.
4. I am properly acquainted with media in which information is Sometimes
3.38
published.
5. I can competently operate technological devices in the workplace. 3.49 Sometimes
Life and Career Skills
1. I can work under variable situations. 3.67 Sometimes
2. I can easily cope with deviations. 3.39 Sometimes
3. I can lead a group of co-practicumers. 3.37 Sometimes
4. I follow organizational rules. 4.13 Frequently
5. I can facilitate the initiation of certain plans of actions without Sometimes
3.71
being told to do so.
6. I can uphold work efficiency amidst distractions. 3.53 Sometimes

7. I can establish networks of connections for goal achievement. 3.77 Sometimes

Table 4 presents the Spearman Correlation of the Academic Track Students’ Learning and Innovation (LAI),
Media and Information Literacy (MIL), and Life and Career Skills (LAC) to the
Extent of Skills and Work Immersion Match (ESWIM)

Correlation
Independent Variable Dependent Variable p – valueB RemarksC
CoeffficientA

LAI Significant
.226 .039
Direct Weak Correlation
ESWIM Significant
MIL .250 .022
Direct Weak Correlation
Significant
LAC .299 .006 Direct Weak Correlation
A
Spearman Correlation. BTested at 0.05 level of significance. CQualitative interpretation of the absolute value of the
correlation coefficient: 0.00-0.20 (Very weak),0.21-0.40 (Weak), 0.41-0.60 (Moderate), 0.61-0.80(Strong), and 0.81-1.00
(Very strong).

In the Academic Track, significant mismatch can be directly observed with .226, .250, and .299 for Learning and
Innovation, Media and Information Literacy, and Life and Career Skills, respectively. GAS students cannot substantially
and effectively apply the skills that they have for the reason of their strands generic nature. Specific skills and sub-skills
are not clearly defined making inappropriate decisions in assigning student to firms. Most students are deployed in the
offices of their school where they cannot fully manifest their competence due to their vague conceptualization of their
skills in relation to the works assigned to them in actual immersion.

Table 5 presents the Spearman Correlation of the Technology and Vocational Livelihood Track Students Learning
and Innovation (LAI), Media and Information Literacy (MIL), and Life and Career Skills (LAC) to the Extent of
Skills and Work Immersion Match (ESWIM)
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Correlation
Independent Variable Dependent Variable p – valueB RemarksC
CoeffficientA

LAI Significant
.370 .035
Direct Weak Correlation

ESWIM Significant
MIL .375 .040 Direct Weak
Correlation
Significant
.042
LAC .345 Direct Weak Correlation
A
Spearman Correlation. BTested at 0.05 level of significance. CQualitative interpretation of the absolute value of the
correlation coefficient: 0.00-0.20 (Very weak),0.21-0.40 (Weak), 0.41-0.60 (Moderate), 0.61-0.80(Strong), and 0.81-
1.00 (Very strong).

In the Humanities and Social Sciences, failure of the students to apply their skills can be directly attributed to the
technical nature of work. Employers fail to develop confidence to the students whom they consider incapable and
incompetent to handle social services. They are deployed to radio stations, City Health Offices, and City Population
Office.
Misalignment that occurs in the Accountancy, Business, and Management can be linked to the strand’s
orientation to fiscal matters. Students are primarily deployed to banks and business firms where utmost competence in
handling fiscal matters is the institution’s primordial consideration. Most of these industries have employers who do not
develop confidence and trust to immersionist in participating in business transactions and negotiations.

In the Technology and Livelihood Track, significant mismatch can be directly observed with .370, .375, and .345
for Learning and Innovation, Media and Information Literacy, and Life and Career Skills, respectively. This can be
directly related to the weak partnership between schools and industries. The school failed to develop collaboration to
competent industries leading to the inability of the immersionists to convert principles and theories into productive
practices. Plumbing, Bread and Pastry Production, Food Beverage and Services Beauty and Nail Care are the
specializations which set specific competencies and constructs that specific industries require such as plumbing factories,
bakeries, cafeterias, hotels and restaurants, and salons. But the students are deployed to school offices which do not
demand the skills that these types of students have.

IV. CONCLUSION

In conclusion, Senior High School students in the Academic Track and Technology and Vocational Livelihood
Track fail to put theory and principles into practice. There are direct weak correlations between their Learning and
Innovation Skills (LAI), Media and Information Literacy Skills (MIL), and Life and Career Skills (LAC) and the extent of
matching of these skills to their works assigned in immersion (ESWIM) which means that: they do not have sufficient
readiness resulting to failure to effectively apply such skills in the field; or may have the appropriate level of readiness but
fail to manifest these due to some intervening factors as lack of supervision on the part of the school and disobedience to
the protocol of work immersion on the part of the industry.
Misalignment in General Academic Strand can be directly attributed to the generic nature of the program. Skills
and sub-skills of the students are not clearly defined making the acquisition vague on the part of the students, and making
the assignment of immersionists to specialized firms and industries a difficult task on the part of the school.
Misalignment in Humanities and Social Sciences Strand can be directly attributed to the technical nature of
work. Employers fail to develop confidence to the students whom they consider incapable and incompetent to handle
social services. Hence, they end up assigning immersionists to menial and utility works instead of placing them to a more
specialized humanitarian and social activity.
Misalignment in Accountancy, Business, and Management Strand can be directly correlated to fiscal nature of
the work. Employers fail to develop trust to the students whom they consider incompetent and untrustworthy to handle
money matters and business transactions. Hence, they end up assigning immersionists to activities not in line

V. RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the obtained results and findings of this study, the following recommendations are given:
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1. To address the issue of misalignment and mismatch, the Department of Education must implement a
policy that will monitor, control, and regulate the adherence of the school and industries, from the
national to the local levels, to the agreement of upholding the highest quality of work immersion
experiences.
2. The school must ensure that every student is deployed to competent industries through the formulation
of a committee that will conduct assessment and evaluation of the industries’ performance indices.
3. The school must allot more time and fiscal resources in the planning and preparation stages in order to
accommodate the large sum of students who will be deployed to different industries.
4. The more students a school has, the more partner industries they need. This is to ensure that every
student is stationed to industries where they can really be guided and facilitated without issues of
congestion and overpopulation.
5. Industries must assign the immersionists to specific departments which require the specialized skills
and sub-skills of the students.
6. The Academic Track – General Academic Strand has skills which are too generic. Hence, the
assignment of students into specific industries is also a hard task. These call for an agendum to
consider the specification of the skills and sub-skills a certain GAS student needs to satisfy and pattern
these to the requirement of the partnering firms.
7. The Academic Track - Humanities and Social Sciences Strand students must be deployed to industries
where they can manifest their skills without issues of employers’ lack of confidence to entrust social
services to the immersionists. Instead, they must formulate a committee whose members will closely
monitor and guide students’ performance on social works.
8. The Academic Track – Accountancy Business and Management Strand students must be deployed to
industries where they can practice their skills without issues of employers’ lack of confidence to
entrust financial matters to the immersionists. Instead, they must formulate a team whose members
will provide facilitation and guidance to students’ performance on business transactions.
9. The Technology and Vocational Livelihood Track students must be deployed to industries where they
can showcase their specialized skills without intimidation, discrimination, and threats, Instead, they
must formulate a team whose members will provide facilitation and guidance to students’ performance
of technical and vocational works.
10. Culture of mediocrity and incompetence should be replaced by culture of excellence, solidarity, and
collaboration.
11. Future researchers must delve deeply on other intervening factors that may result to skill and work
immersion mismatch such as socio-cultural features, demographic landscape, and type of community.

REFERENCES

[1] Binkley, M., Erstad, O., Herman, J., Raizen, S., Ripley, M., Miller-Ricci, M., & Rumble, M. (2012). Defining Twenty-
First Century Skills. In P. Griffin, B. McGaw, & E. Care (Eds.), Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills. (pp. 17-
66). Dordrecht: Springer.
[2] Connelly, J. (2013). Role of Schools. Department of Education Studies. Queensland University, Australia.
[3] Department of Education Order No. 30, s. of 2017
[4]National Research Council. (2011). Assessing 21st Century Skills: Summary of a Workshop. J.A. Koenig, Rapporteur.
Committee on the Assessment of 21st Century Skills. Board on Testing and Assessment, Division of Behavioral and
Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.).
[5]Republic Act No. 10533, Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines
[6] Partnership for 21st Century, P21’s Framework for 21st Century Skills – A Framework for the Future, 2009
[7] Rodriguez, A. (2018). Department of Labor and Employment.
[8] Viering, M., Lai, E.(2012). Assessing 21st Century Skills: Integrating Research Findings National Council on
Measurement in Education Vancouver, B.C.
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