Surviving College: a study on students and the negative Habits they adapt upon entering college in the Philippines

Abstract

This study on the negative habits which students adapt upon entering college focuses on how it affects their academic performance. The researcher made a study about the different aspects in which a Filipino college student may have substantial levels of stress, and which of these may have a direct, negative effect on their grades. In order to gather data from the students belonging to De La Salle University, the researcher adopted the College Adjustment Scale which measures the levels of psychological distress of college students in nine (9) different constructs namely: Anxiety, Depression, Suicidal Ideation, Substance Abuse, Self-Esteem Problems, Interpersonal Problems, Family problems, Academic Problems, and Career Problems. This research design used both qualitative and quantitative methods. Important points within the study are the correlation of the student’s high school performance as a predictive factor for his or her college academic performance, and their specific scores in each of the 9 constructs of the College Adjustment Scale along with the rise/fall of their academic performance throughout high school and college. The study was able to establish the common patterns and extremes from the respondents’ high school performances and their college grade point averages. An example of this would be the decrease in the numerical value of majority of the respondents’ high school and college academic averages. The study was also able to pinpoint the specific constructs which the respondents’ were experiencing high levels of stress, and which not so much. With the data collected and analyzed, the researcher was able to connect the stress causing constructs did have a relative effect on the decrease of the respondents’ academic performance.