The Problem and Its Setting

Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
Background of the Study
Retention as a remedy for poor academic performance has been hotly
debated and extensively studied for decades. During an era emphasizing
educational accountability, policies of determining grade retention based on
students’ scores on standardized tests have been adopted by many states and
school districts in an effort to end social promotion (Xia and Kirby, 2009).
Increasing student retention and persistence currently a major challenge
for universities. While students’ academic and social integration into an institution
seems to be vital for student retention, research into the effect of interpersonal
interactions is rare. Moreover, they found that chances of successfully predicting
individual student’s persistence based on centrality measures are fairly high – up
to 75%, making the centrality a good predictor of persistence. These findings
suggest that increasing student social integration may help in improving
persistence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields (Zolwak
et al., 2017).
With such discourse in the physics education in the Philippines,
students find it to have a negative attitude toward learning physics
because of its computational exigency in every problem sets, moreover, if they
don’t like the subject more often they don’t like the teacher. One of the most
prevailing teaching-learning strategies and approaches for physics teachers is

2
to make physics amusing and entertaining in the class. Physics can be
applied by several teaching methods in order to transfer learning effectively and
efficiently. Such effects in teaching physics may increase the ability of the
students to understand and comprehend more than the usual and the ability of
their learning process can be realized (Guido, 2014).
Inspired by the views stated by the different authors motivated the
researchers to conduct the study on the retention level of stem students towards
physics subject in Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Colleges for school year 2017-
2018.
Statement of the Problem
The aimed of this study was to determine the Retention Level of STEM
students towards Physics.
Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following questions:
1. What is the retention level of STEM students towards Physics
Subject?
2. What implication can be drawn based from the result of the study?
Theoretical Framework
This study was anchored on the proposition Foumakoy (2007) who stated
that the issue of poor performance in physics examinations was due to the poor
teaching methods. Many research efforts have been made to diagnose the
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problems associated with the teaching and learning of physics in order to give
solution that could lead to better Performance and retention.
Retention is the term used to describe the remembering of a fact or idea
after a passage of time. It is only by the demonstration of such recall that learning
could be judged to have taken place. Meaningful learning is deemed to have
taken place if after a passage of time the student can recall and apply information
which she/he had been taught previously. As observed by Oluche in Nwachukwu
(2002), there is a growing realization that poor learning and retention of science
concepts may be related to the inability of students to link previous learning with
present one. It is worthy to note that without retention there could be no transfer
of knowledge to other fields of endeavour. The perceived difficulty of physics by
learners is linked primarily to the fact that the concepts taught are not retained by
learners. The worry thus is how we teach physics so that the concepts taught
could be retained in the cognitive structure of the learner. This is why the paper
considers the use of graphic advance organizer in the teaching of physics to
prove its worth or otherwise on the retention of physics concepts.
Significance of the Study
The study, Retention Level of STEM students towards Physics has
advantage to the following parties:
Teachers. This study helped them identify student’s level of retention
towards physics subject and to aware of the student’s weakness and to make
their teaching style more and concise in terms of academic performance.

4
Students. This study helped to evaluate themselves and be awaken of
the performance.
Future Researchers. This made them realize the importance of physic
subject in our daily life and to enhance more their ability skills in solving physics
subject.
Scope and Limitation of the Study
This study was limited in determining the retention level of STEM students
towards Physics. The respondents of this study was the 95 respondents from
STEM students in Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Colleges Senior High School. A
researcher made questionnaire was used in gathering of the data.
Definition of Terms
For better understanding, the following important terms were defined:
Retention Level- In this study, it refers to the degree of maintaining the
memory of students in Physics.
Retention- It is the action of absorbing and continuing to hold a substance.

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Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Background of the Study

Retention as a remedy for poor academic performance has been hotly

debated and extensively studied for decades. During an era emphasizing

educational accountability, policies of determining grade retention based on

Increasing student retention and persistence currently a major challenge

interactions is rare. Moreover, they found that chances of successfully predicting

individual student’s persistence based on centrality measures are fairly high – up

to 75%, making the centrality a good predictor of persistence. These findings

suggest that increasing student social integration may help in improving

persistence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields (Zolwak

With such discourse in the physics education in the Philippines,

students find it to have a negative attitude toward learning physics

because of its computational exigency in every problem sets, moreover, if they

prevailing teaching-learning strategies and approaches for physics teachers is

to make physics amusing and entertaining in the class. Physics can be

applied by several teaching methods in order to transfer learning effectively and

their learning process can be realized (Guido, 2014).

Inspired by the views stated by the different authors motivated the

Statement of the Problem

students towards Physics.

Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What is the retention level of STEM students towards Physics

solution that could lead to better Performance and retention.

Retention is the term used to describe the remembering of a fact or idea

could be judged to have taken place. Meaningful learning is deemed to have

which she/he had been taught previously. As observed by Oluche in Nwachukwu

of knowledge to other fields of endeavour. The perceived difficulty of physics by

considers the use of graphic advance organizer in the teaching of physics to

prove its worth or otherwise on the retention of physics concepts.

Significance of the Study

The study, Retention Level of STEM students towards Physics has

advantage to the following parties:

Teachers. This study helped them identify student’s level of retention

their teaching style more and concise in terms of academic performance.

Students. This study helped to evaluate themselves and be awaken of

Future Researchers. This made them realize the importance of physic

Scope and Limitation of the Study

STEM students in Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Colleges Senior High School. A

researcher made questionnaire was used in gathering of the data.

For better understanding, the following important terms were defined:

Retention Level- In this study, it refers to the degree of maintaining the

memory of students in Physics.

Retention- It is the action of absorbing and continuing to hold a substance.

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