Chapter I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

I. Introduction

Until the start of the school year 2012, the Philippines is the only country left in Asia and

one of the three countries in the world that still implements just 10 years of basic education, so in

the year 2012, the Department of Education started to implement the K-12 program. This

program adds two years to high school which is called Senior High School. Senior High School

is meant to prepare students who chose the academic track for college. Those who chose the

technical-vocational livelihood track will be equipped with skills that will eventually lead their

employment in varied tech-voc courses and they can also be immediately employed after they

graduate due to varied National Certifications that they may hold.

To further enhance the skills and knowledge of the students, the K-12curriculum

includes the work immersion of every grade 12 students as a requirement before graduation.

Immersion, as implied in the Department of Education (DepEd) Order No. 40, series of 2015, is

where the students of Senior High Schools are required to work in a workplace related to their

track and strand that consist of eighty to three hundred twenty hours with the supervision of their

work immersion teacher, school head and the designated personnel of the partner. It is said that

the schools may partner with recognized institutions or organizations to come up with

agreements on work immersion for students. The objectives of this work immersion is to

facilitate the students to familiarize and learn more about their workplace, to experience working

in their chosen specialization and to apply their acquired knowledge from their school. And since
they need to work in a different environment they have to deal with environmental changes or

organizational changes.

Organizational changes may include changes in the environment or workplace and people

to work with. In this case, they need to adapt the changes, particularly dealing with the cultural

norms and values of people that surround them in order to survive and work efficiently.

In some companies that undergo changes, they consider designating employees to other

position without any experience before, leading the workers stressing out as they are not

knowledgeable enough to fulfill their new roles in the company.

Change follows adaptation. You need to adapt to the new diversity and start appreciating

your new field. You need to face the environmental changes for you to develop and grow so that

you may do the task. Adaptation is a process where you become better. Mosco and McKercher

(2007) quoted “All workers involved in the chain of producing and distributing knowledge

products”. For you to become one of the workers they are referring to, you need to adapt to your

new workplace, love your new job and start practicing. Adaptation enhances the fitness and

survival of an individual.

In Tarlac National High School, all Senior High School students are deployed in different

work immersion site without any knowledge or experience regarding their assigned task. Hence,

students had difficulties making adjustments in their new environment. Changes also cover their

roles and functions that are unfamiliar to them which lead to difficulties like coping with the

changes and lack of personal experience with teaching.

The purpose of the study is to find out how they manage the changes in their environment

for survival and their adaptation to new people with diverse behavior, values and beliefs. The
information provided in the study will somehow help the succeeding grade 11 students as well as

college students who are fulfilling their on-the-job training to further understand and know how

to manage changes within their organization as well as their responsibilities in the workplace.

II. Statement of the Problem

Generally, this study focuses on the Adaptation and Survival of ABM Students in

selected Immersion Workplace. Specifically, the study will seek answers to the following

questions;

1. How is the demographic profile of the respondents be described in the forms of :

1.1 Age

1.2 Gender

1.3 Educational Background

1.4 Job experience

2. How do they describe the challenges in their selected workplace?

3. How do they adapt and survive with the socio-cultural setting in their immersion office?

4. How do they describe the benefits of working in actual business field?

III. Significance of the Study

The objectives of this study is to provide information on how the Senior High School

students in TNHS , who are deployed in different work stations, survive and adapt the changes in

their environment despite of the fact that they are inexperienced in terms of work. This study

would be beneficial to the following people:

field. It would provide knowledge on how students cope up with the changes in their new

workplace.

To the preceding grade 12 students who will undergo work immersion. It would help

them to become aware of the different struggles and environmental setting in the work

immersion which will guide them while working in different environment.

To the schools who are offering senior high school curriculum. The information

provided by this study will help the school to provide encouragement to think of ideas that will

give proper guidance to grade 12 students, who don’t have experience in working in the industry

field, for them to easily adapt the situation. This may also increase their competency.

To other future researchers. It would help them as a basis for their future research to

conduct a quantitative study about the motivation of grade 12 students.

IV. Scope and Delimitation

The focus of the study is about the adaptation and survival of grade 12 students to

industry field specifically the Senior High School students in Tarlac National High School. It

includes their experience in their work immersion site as well as how they manage the changes

within their new environment. The study will be carried out by conducting interviews from

students who were deployed in selected industry field.

The study commenced on the second week of the second semester, second year of Senior

High School, year 2017. It aims to provide information on how they withstand and overcome the

challenges of working without prior job experiences.

industry field who were deployed in different immersion workplace. The results of this study is

applicable only to the respondents of this study and should not be considered as a representation

to the whole population especially the other Senior High School students who do not belong to

the population of this study.

The researchers considered working on this study to find out how the selected Senior

High School students of Tarlac National High School correspond with the changes after being

deployed in their work stations and to assess their strategies regarding the adaptation to their new

workplace, specifically, to evaluate how they overcome adversities.

V. Definition of Terms

Understanding of the study was facilitated to the following terms defined as:

[Link] process of changing to fit some purpose or situation.

Department of Education. It is the main agency tasked to manage and govern the

Philippine system of basic education. It is the chief formulator of Philippine educational policy

and responsible for the Philippine primary and secondary school systems.

Employees. An individual who works either part-time or full-time under a contract of

employment, whether oral or written, express or implied, and has recognized rights and duties.

Environmental Changes. A change in the workplace where an employee is not used to.

Grade 12 students. Students who are in Senior high school and are deployed to work for

work immersion as a requirement for their graduation.

(Six years of Primary Education, Four years of Junior High School, and Two years of Senior

High School, they provide sufficient time for mastery concepts and skills.)

Organizational Changes. Reviewing and modifying management and business

processes. Small business must adapt to survive against bigger competitors and grow.

Senior High School. Is the secondary school that students attend in the three or four

highest grade before college.

Survival. The fact of continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of an accident, ordeal,

or difficult circumstances.

Tarlac National High School. A public Secondary School in Tarlac City, Philippines.

Tarlac National High School is the Oldest Public High School system in the country, It is the

largest secondary schools in the the region.

Workplace.A place where work is done or where the employees work.