AMA COMPUTER COLLEGE CAVITE CAMPUS
General Education
Factors of Students who leave School at AMA Cavite Campus:
Basis for Intervention Program
Mr. Joseph S. Butawan, Assistant Professor III, Marilyn Balleras and Mr. Rodolfo Talavera
College of Business Administration and Accountancy, AMA Computer College Cavite Campus, Philippines
I. Introduction
Education is commonly referred to as the process of
learning and obtaining knowledge at school. Dropouts
among school children are one of the most complicating
problems that continually beset the Philippine educational
system. The internal efficiency of school brought primarily
by this problem has been with the system long enough to
disturb and move both policy-makers and administrators.
Early withdrawals from school are growing unchecked
especially among the poor and depressed rural areas where
children are forced out of school to help augment family
income, thus depriving them of their right to basic
education.
Each student who makes the choice to drop out of
high school has a different story and reason for his or her
decision. These range from a lack of interest in school to
family situations that did not provide the support they
needed to critical academic deficiencies that impede their
success at the college level. With all the varying reasons
that students give for dropping out of college in AMA
Cavite, we know that there is no one clear answer to this
problem and no single strategy that will meet the needs of
all these students. In this issue, we seek to provide you
information on what has been shown to work based on
research and evidence and some innovative strategies being
used in our states.
In the Philippines, the dropout problem is as
serious as ever. As early as 1925 up to present, the dropout
problem has been considered as a priority concern
highlighting the educational wastage.
II. Material and Methods
In accomplishing the study, the researchers used the
Descriptive-Survey.
To complete the analysis, the proponents used
different data collection methods stated as follows:
Survey: The proponents used this method in
collecting all the information required via
questionnaires to reveal summary statistics of the
respondents’ thoughts to take a general comprehensive
view of the situation.
Interviews: Individual interviews were also done to
students to ask about the most common factors affecting
students to dropout, and an interview to the teachers to
address the raised issues. These data were sorted and
presented to the respondents upon questionnaire
distribution.
The researchers used the Convenience Sampling
Method. The respondents of the study were the teachers and
students at AMA Cavite Campus. The researchers utilizes
purposive sampling. According to Pareño and Jimenez
(2014) purposive sampling is a sampling technique which
respondents of the study are chosen based on their
knowledge of the information required by the researcher.
The researchers distributed Questionnaires to a
total of 50 respondents composed of Twenty Five (25)
students enrolled and Twenty Five (25) from the
Academe. The gathered data, such as educational
issues, concerns and problems experienced by the
dropout students were presented to the respondents
before they were told to answer the questionnaire.
Furthermore, items were also elaborated to them.
The survey or questionnaire is patterned after the
Likert Scale, which is one of the most commonly used
scales to rate the responses of the respondents. Likert
typically has the following format Strongly Agree - 5;
Agree – 4; Neither Agree nor Disagree – 3 ; Disagree
– 2; Strongly Disagree – 1.
Here are the sample questions that were used in the
questionnaire:
Factors that affect students to dropout are as follows:
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 AMA COMPUTER COLLEGE CAVITE CAMPUS
General Education

Likert’s Scale

Option Range Interpretation Symbol

5 4.20-5.00 Strongly Agree (SA)

4 3.40-4.19 Agree (A)
3 2.60-3.39 Neither Agree or Disagree (NAD)
2 1.80-2.59 Disagree (D)
1 1.00-1.79 Strongly Disagree (SD)

III- Results

Academe Students Composite Ranking

WM VI WM VI WM VI
Factors Affecting Students to Dropout
1. Students have health problems. 1.17 SD 1.29 SD 1.23 SD 9
2. Students leave schooling due to
personal problem such as being NA NA
2.61 3.31 2.96 NAD 7
delinquent, emotion disturbance, and early D D
pregnancy.
3. Students have poor academic NA NA
3.34 3.24 3.29 NAD 5
performance. D D
4. Students leave schooling due to their
4.45 SA 4.42 SA 4.42 SA 1
family problem or broken family.
5. Students cannot go to school due to
4.24 SA 4.16 A 4.20 SA 2
financial problem.
6. The school is not accessible to students NA
3.45 A 3.32 3.39 NAD 4
due to poor location. D
7. Students transfer in residency. 2.24 D 2.26 D 2.25 D 8
8. Students are not motivated to go NA
3.41 A 3.39 3.40 A 3
schooling because of Teacher factor. D
9. Students are not motivated to go NA NA
3.26 3.28 3.27 A 6
schooling because of school policies. D D
NA NA
Composite 3.13 3.19 3.16 NAD
D D
As shown in the table, academe and 3.34, 3.26 and 3.31, 3.24, 3.28 which rated as
students rated family and financial problem as neither agree of disagree (NAD) while health
strongly agree (SA) and agree (A) with weighted problems rated strongly disagree (SD) with a
mean of 4.45, 4.42 and 4.24, 4.16 while poor weighted mean of 1.17 and 1.29. In summary,
location and teacher factor rated as agree (A) and family problem rank number 1 factor affecting
neither agree and disagree (NAD) with a students to leave school with a composite mean
weighted mean 3.45, 3.41 and 3.32, 3.39. of 4.42 followed by rank two (2) financial
Personal problems, poor academic performance problem with 4.21 and interpret as strongly agree
and school factor with a weighted mean of 2.61, (SA). Additionally, teacher factor rank number

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 AMA COMPUTER COLLEGE CAVITE CAMPUS
General Education
three (3) with 3.40 and interpret as agree (A).
Poor location rank number four (4) with 3.49
while poor academic performance rank number
five (5) with 3.29 composite mean which
interpret as neither agree or disagree (NAD.
Moreover, school policies rank number six (6)
with 3.27 and personal problem which rank
number seven (7) with 2.96 and interpret as agree
(A) and neither agree or disagree (NAD). Lastly,
transfer in residency ank number eight (8) with
2.25 and health problems rank number nine (9)
with 1.23 which interpret as disagree (D) and
strongly disagree (SD). In comparison, both
respondents interpret neither agree nor disagree
(NAD) on the factors affecting students to
dropout at AMACC.
IV. Discussion
There are common factors why learners leave
the school. One of which is early marriage
wherein the learners do not even know the risks
of early pregnancy into their health at their very
young age. Followed by the peer influence,
transfer of residency, distance between school and
home which conclude the accessibility of their
travel to go to school wherein some of them come
late in class. Additionally, the lack of interest in
class which conclude the teaching technique and
strategy of teachers are obsolete to learners or
they apply traditional way of teaching to students
and may be the reason why they don’t have the
interest to study which result to poor academic
performance. And one factor also is the health of
learners which they ignore it due to financial
constraints that result to death. Furthermore, the
top three common factors of dropouts is family
problem as Rank No.1, followed by Rank No.2
financial problem and teacher factorin Rank
No.3. The family is the key factor why learners
success into their chosen career and they are also
the one who turn the life of their child into to
miserable situation. One factor also is the
financial status of the child and family. Instead of
studying they choose to work in benefit to bring
food at home and to help their parent in their
household chores.
Development Intervention Program
An intervention program entitled “Moving
Forward Program” composed of six (6)
Programs for parents, teachers, and students at
risks and out-of school youth was proposed.
Objectives were set together with the key result
areas. Then target areas are identified to measure
if the objectives are realized. After which,
strategies were planned wherein, the activities,
resources, program duration were identified.
After completing the program, an intervention
program was made.
In the light of the findings and conclusions of the
study, the following recommendations
are suggested:
1. An intervention programs on potential school
leavers learners should be strengthened to
motivate students to stay in school.
2. School governing council should be developed
composed students, community leaders, parents
and teachers to capitalize on school-parenting-
community relationship.
3. Activity must be meaningful to the students
which is important when building a positive
school environment. Classroom should be high
in challenge and low in terms of threat.
V. References
Ashley et.al. (2007). Reinvesting in Youth:
Dropout Prevention Planning Book, A Guide
for School Planning and Self-Assessment.
Ashford, J., Lecroy, C.W., & Lortie K.L. (2006).
Human Behavior in the Social Environment
3rd Ed.Thomsom. USA.
Ballantine, J.H., (2003). The Sociology of
Education: A Systematic Analysis. Prentice
Hall Inc. New Jersey.
Department of Basic Education (2011). Report on
Dropout and Learner Retention Strategy to
Portfolio Committee on Education June 2011.
Republic of South Africa.
Fleisch et al (2010). Report on Dropout and
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General Education

Learner Retention Strategy to Portfolio

Committee on Education. Republic of
South Africa.

Organization for Economic Co-Operation and

Development (2007).

Rathus, S.A. (2006). Childhood and Adolescence.

Voyages in development.2nd edition. New
York University. Thomson Wadsworth,
Canada.