LEVEL OF AWARENESS IN FORMS AND EFFECTS OF SEXUAL

HARASSMENT OF SELECTED COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

STUDENTS ACADEMIC YEAR 2012-2013
James Kevin R. La Torre
Renz Jarius E. Bal-ut
Mark Jay P. Asutilla
Eleazar C. Umipig
Junior S. Lim
BSE-SOCIAL STUDIES
Dr. Magno M. Quendangan
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to determine the perception of selected students of
Rizal Technological University College of Education, Academic Year 2012-2013 about
their level of awareness in forms and effects of sexual harassment.
This study utilized the Descriptive Method of research in order to determine the
perception of selected students on the forms and effects of sexual harassment. The
Normative Survey method was also used to find out the normal typical condition of the
situation and the people.
The chi-square test of relationship was used to determine the level of relationship
between the forms and effects of sexual harassment and the selected variables: sex, age,
religion, year level and specialization.
The study focused on the population of students enrolled in 1 st Year to 4th Year
College of Education RTU-Boni Campus.

Majority of the respondents were female,

ages 18-20 years old, Roman Catholic, First Year level and English major.
The level of awareness of the respondents about sexual harassment in terms of
forms of sexual harassment is categorized as Aware. On the other hand, the level of

awareness of the respondents in terms of the effects of sexual harassment is categorized

as Strongly Agree.
Suggested preventive measures to avoid Sexual Harassment were the following:
avoid discussing pornographic/obscene materials; established demarcation line between
student and teacher/refrain from being too close to the professor; don not accept any
favour from a professor; report to the authorities if there are attempts of harassment;
refrain from wearing seductive clothing and gestures.
Using the chi-square test of relationship, it was found out that there is no
significant relationship between the level of awareness of the respondents on the forms
and effects of sexual harassment and sex, age, religion, specialization and year level.
The study recommends that schools should include sexual harassment as part of
the curriculum so that all students whether male or female become aware on the different
forms, effects and ways to prevent Sexual Harassment. The school should also encourage
the participation of private sectors in giving seminars about sexual harassment. The
parents should be open to discuss this issue so that their children will become aware on
what sexual harassment is and what should they do if they experience such abuse. The
government should amend several provisions of the Republic Act 7877 and Republic Act
7610 in order to make its scope wider and precise so that stiffer penalties meted out to the
offenders. The community should observe the role of everyone in order to lessen (if not
eliminate) the number of victims of sexual abuse in their place. The barangays should
conduct free seminars or outreach programs in their respective places in order for their
people to become aware on the issues of sexual harassment. The teachers should have
yearly seminars about the Code of Conduct for Professional Teachers which is in line
with Sexual Harassment Act so that the cases of sexual abuses on students will be
lessened. Future researchers should use public employees as respondents instead of
students due to the reason that sexual harassment is not only happening in school set up
but also in offices and business establishments. This might help to reduce or lessen the
scope of sexual harassment in different fields of the society.
Key Terms:
Sexual Harassment an act committed by an employee, manager, supervisor,
agent of the employer, teacher, instructor, professor, coach, trainer, or any other person

who, having authority, influence or moral ascendancy over another in a work or training
or education environment, demands, requests or otherwise requires any sexual favor from
the other, regardless of whether the demand, request or requirement for submission is
accepted by the object of said Act. (Republic Act 7877- Anti-Sexual Harassment Law)
Sex offender refers to a person convicted of a sexual offense such as rape (sexual
assault), sexual contact, or lewdness. (Gifis, 2003)
Hostile Environment refers to intimidating, threatening or offensive verbal or
physical conduct of a sexual nature happened in employees work environment or student
education.
Quid Pro Quo (this for that) refers to any unwelcome sexual advances, requests
for sexual favor is made explicitly or implicitly in return for educational benefits.
Campus-related Sexual Harassment is committed when a person in an
academic community who, having authority, influence of moral ascendency over another
in an educational environment demands, request or otherwise requires any sexual favor
for the other, regardless of whether the demand, request or requirement for submission is
acceptable or not. (Sec. 3 R.A. 7877)
Introduction:
Background of the Study
The natural/biological origin of sexual harassment is based on the good old
fashion idea of attraction between two people. Men are possessed with the bigger sex
drives which cause men to aggressively approach women with sexual comments or
intentions. The battle of the sexes is used in this example of the socio- cultural model.
Women in

todays society are becoming more work force oriented creating more

opportunities and assertiveness for them to get job and take over companies. The problem
with this is, some men see this very frustrating from which can cause anger, confusion,
miscommunication and misconduct. This miscommunication can cause men to use power
to harass the female on the job (Brandenberg 37-49, 2001).
The media and society reinforce the idea that men are dominant in our society.
Indirect this is embedding sex-role stereotypes into children all over the world. Some of
the things we see on the television sports heroes, and military leaders. It is said that men
are more aggressive and independent. Women are portrayed as passive and dependent in

childrens literature and television. The issue on parenting and what are our parents
teaching us and are not teaching us during adolescents. At a young age we see parents
warning their children about sexual and aggressive activity, but not taking about this
same type of issue with their boys. It is seen as the girl job to protect her, while boys. It is
seen as the girls job to protect her, while boys let their emotions and behaviors come
naturally to them.
Schools, like the work force, face many types of sexual harassment. Many are not
the same, but are still considered sexual harassment. It is said that teachers call on boys
more, and give more attention to them. Then, again, boys demand more attention because
of their short attention span and ability to get in more trouble. Teachers spend more time
with girls in reading classes and more with boys in math classes. These types of issues
unfortunately are not taken seriously by school districts. They see this issue of sexual
harassment as boys will be boys behaviour. Also classified under this, boys will be
boys title are boys making girls cry, boys rating girls on appearance, and teasing girls
sexually. In the real world these things are viewed as sexual harassment.
What makes it okay for boys to do this? We are sending a message to boys that it
is okay to do these types of things in grade school, and then it carries up through college
and into the real world. If we think about girls in school, they are losing valuable
education in an unsafe environment. This environment is not conducive to learning. By
doing this, boys put girls in an inferior class which impacts their education (Morewitz,
291-325). What kind of policies and procedures should be following to prevent this type
of behaviour? Schools or any educational institution that receives federal funding must
present in some way sexual harassment, sex discrimination and ensure a non-hostile
environment. The policies include addressing the right audience of faculty, teachers,
students and everyone involved in the educational process. Also, peer harassment, should
be included. These areas should all be well defined in the policy and talk about the
seriousness of the offense.
Unheard of until 1970s, sexual harassment has become a dominant concern of
employers, schools, and other organizations throughout the country. It is one of the most
litigated areas of sexual discrimination law, and virtually all major companies,
government organizations, colleges, and universities and even the military now have

sexual harassment policies in place. Even the president of the United States has been
subject to a sexual harassment lawsuit.
The definition of sexual harassment has always been controversial. Blacks Law
Dictionary defined it as A type of employment discrimination consisting in verbal or
physical abuse of a sexual nature, and it has also been held to exist in educational
situations. But beyond this, there is the question of what kind of behavior translates into
sexual harassment and what the relationship of the parties must be for sexual harassment
to occur.
These issues have been fought over at the federal level for many years. Although
sexual harassment law is still not clearly defined, there has emerged over the years a
consensus of the basic outlines of what sexual harassment is and what needs to be done
by companies and other groups to prevent it (www. Enotes.com/labor-lawreference/sexual-harassment).
Statement of the Problem
This study determines the perception of selected students of Rizal Technological
University-College of Education about their Level of Awareness in Forms and Effects of
Sexual Harassment. Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions:
1

What is the profile of the respondents according to:

1.1 Sex
1.2 Age
1.3 Religion
1.4Specialization
1.5 Year Level
What is the level of awareness of the respondents about Sexual harassment in

3
4

terms of:
2.1 Forms of Sexual Harassment
2.2 Effects of Sexual Harassment
What are the preventive measures can you suggest to avoid Sexual Harassment?
Is there a significant relationship between the Level of awareness of the
respondents on the subject and the selected variables?

Objective

This study aims to increase the level of awareness of all students, parents,
administrators, teachers and the community about the forms and effects of sexual
harassment and also, how to deal with it.
Scope and Delimitation of the Study
The study was limited to the selected students of College of Education, Rizal
Technological University for the School Year 2012-2013. It is confined in the students
level of awareness about sexual harassment. The students level of awareness was based
on their perception and understanding about sexual harassment. It focused on the
relationship of their perception when grouped according to sex, age, religion, major and
year level. All the students of the Rizal Technological University-College of Education
during the Academic Year 2012-2013 were used as respondents.

Methodology
Research Method Used
This study utilized the descriptive method of research in order to determine the
perception of selected students of Rizal Technological University-College of Education
about their Level of Awareness in Forms and Effects Sexual Harassment. The
researcher believes that this is the most appropriate method to use in this particular study.
Descriptive method is a general procedure, which describes the nature of a situation as it
exists at the time of the study and explores the course of a particular phenomenon
(Tavers, 1978). This method is used to discover facts on which judgment could be based.
It is used in different fields of study because of its applicability to solve varied kinds of
problem.
Specifically, the normative survey was employed. This survey was conducted to
find out the normal typical condition of the situation and people. This is also used to
gather all the information from place to place or from group to group (Rivera, 1999).
Population Frame and Sampling Scheme
The study focused on the population of students enrolled in 1 st Year to 4thYear in
the College of Education RTU-Boni Campus. Out of 1,069 students, only 291 were

selected as respondents and this was determined through Slovins formula n= N/1+N (
) and stratified sampling.
Stratified sampling was used because the respondents were classified by year
level, age, sex, religion, and major.
Description of the Respondents
The respondents were the students enrolled in the College of Education, School
Year 2012-2013. They were described according to sex, age, religion, specialization, and
year level.
Table 1 shows the profile of the respondents according to sex, age, religion,
specialization, and year level. As gleaned from the table, 218 of the 291 respondents were
female while 73 were male. The table also shows that rank number one is the age group
18-20 with 149 respondents. This is followed by age group 15-17.
The table also reveals the religion of the respondents. Dominant were the Roman
Catholics which are represented by 223 respondents followed by Born Again.

Table 1
Profile of the Respondents
Profile

Frequency

Percentage

73

25.10
74.90

Sex
Male
Female

218
Total 291

100.00

Age
15 - 17

116

39.90

18 - 20

149

51.20

21 - 23

14

4.80

24 up

12
Total 291

4.10
100.00

Religion
Roman Catholic
Iglesia ni Kristo
Born Again
Baptist
Others

223
13
40
6
9
Total 291

Year Level
First Year
Second year
Third year
Fourth year

76.60
4.50
13.70
2.10
3.10
100.00

91
79
58
63
Total 291

Specialization
Computer Education
English
Filipino
Physical Science
Mathematics
Social Studies

31.30
27.10
19.90
21.60
100.00

51
77
49
27
46
41
Total 291

17.50
26.50
16.80
9.30
15.80
14.10
100.00

Instrument Used
The researchers used a researcher made instrument. A set of questionnaire
containing respondents profile and questionnaire proper was prepared for the purpose of
gathering data from the respondents.
The questionnaire was divided into two parts. The first part of the questionnaire
consists of personal information of respondents, which includes the gender, age, year
level, major and religion. The second part deals with the assessment on the awareness of
the respondent on the forms and effects sexual harassment in the academic setting.
Statistical Treatment of Data
For the statistical interpretation and analysis of data, the following formulas were
used:
Percentage is used to express how large one quantity is, relative to another
quantity (The Chicago Manual of Style, 2003).

%= f / N x 100

Where:
%= Percent
f= Frequency of Respondents
N= Total Number of Respondents
100= Constant Variable
Weighted mean was used to determine the level of awareness of the respondents
on the forms and effects of sexual harassment.
WM=

Where:
= Summation
f= Frequency
N= Total Number of Respondents
X= unit
Chi-square or Test of Relationship was used to determine the significant
relationship between the level of awareness of the respondents on sexual harassment and
the selected variables.

Where:
= Chi-Square value
o= Observed Frequency
e= Expected Frequency
with df = (r-1) (c-1)
where,
df = degree of freedom
r = row

c = column
To determine the level of awareness of the respondents the following scale was
used:
Scale
4.20 - 5.00
3.40 - 4.19
2.60 - 3.39
1.80 2.59
1.00 1.79

Descriptive Interpretation
Fully Aware/Strongly Agree
Aware/Agree
Uncertain/Neutral
Unaware/Disagree
Fully Unaware/Strongly Disagree

Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers wrote a letter addressed to the Dean of RTU-College of Education
requesting permission to conduct survey among the CED students. Upon approval by the
Dean, the questionnaires were then distributed to the student-respondents.
The student-respondents were instructed to follow specific steps in the
accomplishment of the questionnaire and personal data sheet. They were given ample
time to answer the questionnaire. The questionnaires were then collected immediately
after the respondents finished answering them. After retrieval, tabulation and analyses of
the data gathered follows.

DISCUSSION
Literature
In the past decades, sexual harassment has been a hot topic in our country.
However, despite experiences such crime, Pilipino people are still not aware that they are
experiencing such unethical acts by their fellow Pilipino.
The conceptual and research literature (studies) herein reviewed provide insights
about the factors that may contribute, prevent and/or effects of sexual harassment in our
community and society. Among broader conclusions that offer such insights are the
milestone towards sexual harassment is prevention rather than recovery. The school and

workplace are encouraged to formulate necessary actions to reduce the vulnerability for
prevention, preparedness and response of the students and laborers in this inhumane act.
The prevention to the increasing number of sexual harassment cases requires an
involvement and implementation of uniform rules from different sectors of the
government. Most especially, the coordination of the Department of Education,
Commission on Higher Education and Department of Labor and Employment in the
National Capital Region and the National Government involvement as sphere head of the
governments is essential.
These conclusions suggest that proper information drive may lessen and make all
the people aware about the possible causes, effects and prevention on sexual harassment.

Summary of Findings
1

The level of awareness of selected College of Education students on the forms of

sexual harassment is Aware.

Given the highest rating is Unnecessary and

unwanted touching, patting, hugging or brushing against a persons clothing or

body with an average mean of 4.10. This was followed by Direct or indirect
promises of academic or work benefits, such as high grades, promotions or
recommendation, in return for sexual favour and Remarks of a sexual nature
about a persons clothing or body with a mean of 4.01; Jokes, lewd suggestions,
whistling, foul language, leering and obscene gestures with a mean of 3.97;
Pervasive displays of pictures calendars, cartoons or other materials with sexually
explicit or graphic content with a mean of 3.91. Considered least was on Asking

about a persons private or sex life, explicit sexual suggestions in return for
reward with an average mean of 3.56.
On the other hand, the level of awareness of selected College of Education
students on the effects of sexual harassment is Strongly Agree. In this result,
majority of the respondents were strongly agree that the Victim has phobia or fear
of the incident having a weighted mean of 4.49; Victims loss of interest in
studying i.e. tardiness, absences and dismissal with a mean of 4.38; The victim
has insecurities because of public criticism with a mean of 4.33; The victim has
depression with a mean of 4.32. While, they were agree that The victim become
insane with a mean of 3.93; both The victim has self-blame and The victim has
2

distressing memories of the event with a mean of 3.90.

On the prevention of Sexual Harassment, the study revealed that the majority of
the respondents Strongly Agree on students should not give provocative and
seductive gestures so as not to be harassed as shown by the weighted mean of
4.70, while refrain from discussing pornographic/obscene material got the lowest

mean of 4.25.
There is no significant relationship between level of awareness on forms and
effects of sexual harassment and sex since the computed value of 1.81 and 2.16
are lower than the tabular value of 9.49 at .05 level of significance with 4 degrees
of freedom.
There is no significant relationship between level of awareness on forms and
effects of sexual harassment and age since the computed value of 6.09 and 4.97
are lower than the tabular value of 21.03 at .05 level of significance with 12
degrees of freedom. Furthermore, there is no significant relationship between
level of awareness on forms and effects of sexual harassment and religion since
the computed value of 2.15 and 3.97 are lower than the tabular value of 26.30 at .
05 level of significance with 16 degrees of freedom.
As to forms and effects of sexual harassment and year level, there no
significant relationship since the computed value of 10.22 and 4.31 are lower than
the tabular value of 26.30 at .05 level of significance with 16 degrees of freedom.
Lastly, there is no significant relationship between level of awareness on forms
and effects of sexual harassment and specialization since the computed value of

29.02 and 5.48 are lower than the tabular value of 31.41 at .05 level of
significance with 20 degrees of freedom.
Conclusions
Based on the above findings, the following conclusions are presented according to the
sequence made in the statement of the problems:
1

The level of awareness of the respondents about Sexual Harassment in terms of

Forms of Sexual Harassment is categorized as Aware.

While the level of

awareness of the respondents about Sexual Harassment in terms of Effects of

Sexual Harassment is categorized as Strongly Agree.
Suggested preventive measures to avoid Sexual Harassment were the following:

avoid discussing pornographic/obscene materials; established demarcation line

between student and teacher/refrain from being too close to the professor; don not
accept any favour from a professor; report to the authorities if there are attempts
of harassment; refrain from wearing seductive clothing and gestures.
There is no significant relationship between the level of awareness of the

respondents on Sexual Harassment and sex, age, religion, specialization, and year
level.
Recommendations
In the light of the findings and conclusions, it is recommended that
1

Schools should include sexual harassment as part of the curriculum so that all
students whether male or female become aware on the different forms, effects

and ways to prevent sexual harassment.

The school should also encourage the participation of private sectors in giving

seminars about sexual harassment.

The parents should be open to discuss this issue so that their children will
become aware on what sexual harassment is and what should they do if they

experience such abuse.

The government should amend several provision of the Republic Act 7877 and
Republic Act 7610 in order to make its scope wider and precise so that stiffer
penalties meted out to the offenders.

The community should observe the role of everyone in order to lessen (if not

eliminate) the number of victims of sexual abuse in their place.

The barangays should conduct free seminars or outreach programs in their
respective places in order for their people to become aware on the issues of

sexual harassment.
The teachers should have yearly seminars about the Code of Conduct for
Professional Teachers which is in line with Sexual Harassment Act so that the

cases of sexual abuses on students will be lessened.

Future researchers should use public employees as respondents instead of
students due to the reason that sexual harassment is not only happening in
school set up but also in offices and business establishments. This might help to
reduce or lessen the scope of sexual harassment in different fields of the society.

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