Academic Performance of Political Science Students of WMSU

This study intends to answer the following questions:
1. What are the effects of studying in an institution away from home on the academic performance of Political Science students? 2. How do these AB Political Science students manage their studies? 3. What are some of the difficulties these students encounter in their studies?

Significance of the Study
As is always the case, knowledge is the basis for action and/or reaction. Hence, the study will not be without merit. This study is an attempt to present first-hand information on the effects of studying away from home on the academic performance of the AB Political Science students, the difficulties that these students encounter in their studies and how they manage it. In addition to this, this study can give the researchers ample information about the effects of studying away from home and this information can serve as a resource material for future researchers who may wish to expand it. The study provides the respondents with the opportunity to voice out their perceptions when it comes to the management of their studies. Likewise, this study can serve as an instrument for the school to provide their students factual ideas about the hardships that these students experience and will impose remedy out of it.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study
This study will focus on the effects of studying away from home on the academic performance of the AB Political Science students, the difficulties that these students encounter in their studies and how they manage it. The research study is to be conducted in one of the universities in the city of Zamboanga which is the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU). The respondents are limited to the Political Science students of WMSU who are studying away from home. Operational Definition of Terms

Academic performance
Political Science
WMSU

CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

High school life and college life are like salt and sugar. They look alike but, in fact, they totally differ in taste. First, we obtain different information and knowledge. In high school, we are instructed with every aspect of knowledge and concentrate mostly on textbooks; while in college we specialize in a certain subject and should not to confine ourselves to the knowledge on the textbooks. We are supposed to broaden our knowledge by different channels such as doing researches and brainstorming discussions. In high school, we purely recite poems and formulas to finish examination. In college, however, we learn how to employ our knowledge to apply to practicalities.

Second, activities held in college are more than in high school. For example, there are frequent sports games and contests that can be held almost every day. Though these various activities, we can achieve happiness and knowledge and enhance sociability as well. On the contrary, at high school, activities are seldom held. Most of our time is occupied by the study of different subjects.

Third, although we attend lectures everyday in both high school and college, we have different ways to study. In high school, teachers play an important role in our education. We depend mostly on teachers. By contrast, teachers change into supporting roles in college. As a result, in high school we can get high marks by remembering what key points teachers have said during classes. But, in college we decide what the key point is, solve problems or find answers by ourselves.

In conclusion, high school is a place to absorb fundamental knowledge whereas college is a place to learn independence. Study at high school and study at college are two important journeys in our lives, but the former is like joining a package tour. What we do and go is arranged by tour guides and schedules. On the other hand, the latter is more like joining an individual travel. We decide which way we go and what we like to do.

The College Life More Independence, Freedom, Harder work, and being away from home. The college experience is one of the most memorable moments in a person’s life. There are many things to do in college to take up time. You can do many things such as particpate in sports, cheerlead, play in the band or sing in the chorus. Most people chose not to participate in anything because of the fact that they need the time for studying, doing homework or just sleeping.

One of the reasons you are likely going to college in the first place is to help you prepare for life and all of its challenges. If you are going just to land a degree because you are supposed to, then you might want to re-think your priorities. This is because the people you will meet in college will teach you just as much as the classes you take, and that has nothing to do with your degree. In this respect, diversity on college campuses is a great advantage. Diversity on college campuses will help broaden your view of the world in a semi-sheltered environment–one that encourages learning about people who are different from you. Many schools make a significant effort to promote the visibility of diversity on college campuses. Some schools create pages or micro-sites dedicated to college life quotes addressing issues from a decidedly multicultural perspective. Additionally, most schools will have specific departments dedicated to diversity on college campuses. While he didn’t write it specifically about college, John Lennon once wrote one of the greatest college life quotes ever: Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.

When you embrace diversity on college campuses, you are better preparing yourself for life. It is arguable that much of what you learn in college, you will learn in the dorms. College dorm life is a crash course in social skills, and College View offers beneficial articles containing college life quotes from alumni to help you prepare for your transition. You will learn how to handle everything from what to do in the in the case of roommate conflicts, to the pros and cons of all night cram sessions. In addition, you will share a significant growing experience with people who are going through the same things you are, creating bonds that often last well after your college dorm life years are finished. For this reason, many schools provide quick and easy access to information about college dorm life right on their web pages. Some feature snazzy features like 360-degree virtual room tours, videos about how some students approach uniquely decorating their rooms, and college life quotes about what life lessons they have learned from college dorm life. If college is going to be your home away from home, then dorm life has to be something with which you feel comfortable.

Different schools foster different environments through their respective approaches to college dorm life. In addition to finding the right academic program for you, getting valuable college life quotes about dorm life can help ensure you are making the right choice. The first signs of starting to settle down in another place to study are not that you start to feel comfortable with the place but that you start to hate it. Most students who go to another place to study experience this breaking-in process which makes them think why on earth they left home in the first place…. Students need not fear and need not change their plans of going outside their own country to study. This problem is not insurmountable and in fact it can be turned into a first class challenge. Upon arriving in another place most students are forced to deal with the challenge of “how can I cope with homesickness”? Though there is no magic way of making the problem go away there ways of making the problem more palatable.

For a start, talk to other people about your place and tell them about the similarities and differences between your place and theirs. Talk to your student advisors about your problems, they know what you are going through, as they probably have been through these problems themselves. Every worthwhile college has advisors who are more than willing to listen to the problems of the students. Good advisors are more than happy to chat with new students and to see how they can help them get over their problems. Homesick students are strongly advise to take part in all College programs and to get involved in college life as quickly as possible. Most colleges have programs designed to help students bring their culture to the college. For example, international students bring food from different counties helping to make a cultural experience for all, as each brings a bit of his or her place to the feast. Meeting other internal students is a good way of dealing with the problem and getting over your homesickness. The second problem that most students who go board go through is culture shock, as at first everything in the new place seems unusual and pretty soon the new place becomes overwhelming. Most students are not amused when they try to buy something and the shopkeeper does not understand their accent.

Nor is it amusing when the student gets lost every time he or she leaves his house just because the new neighborhood seems strange. Soon, students realize that they live in a different place and that they have to learn new ways of coping. It is therefore imperative to learn quickly how the system works. Learning how the system works does not necessarily mean that the student fits in with the locals. All it means is that the student no longer stands out clearly as an alien. Getting to know the locals is a great help as they are part of the system and can provide the student with valuable tips on how to deal with a variety of issues.

Getting to know the (new) town very well helps students get around easily and makes them feel more at home. The good thing is that eventually, most students view the town as their new home. In conclusion, students not to be intimidated and to remember that at the end all work out well. In fact, on completion of their studies most international students are sad to leave their new town and when they arrive in their hometown “homesickness” begins to work in reverse. (Petasis, 2007) However, this factor still affects academic performance in terms of time demanded and the psychological state they may cause. A student may be influenced to be involved in this situation. The question is how one strikes a balance between the stressful academic attainment and burden of being away from home. (Umar, Yakubu and Bada, 2010)

CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY

This part of the study covers a comprehensive description of the planned process which includes research design, research locale, respondents of the study, research instruments, sampling techniques, statistical treatment of data and data gathering procedure.

Research Design
This study makes use of Descriptive Qualitative design as its methodological orientation in order to determine the effects of studying away from home on the academic performance of the political science students of WMSU, the difficulties that these students encounter in their studies and how they manage it. Descriptive Qualitative Research seeks to provide a picture of an event, condition or situation using data in the form of words or picture rather than numbers. Researchers conducting descriptive qualitative studies stay close to their data and to the surface of words and events. Descriptive Qualitative study is the method of choice when straight descriptions of phenomena are desired. Research Locale

This study is to be conducted in one of the universities in the city of Zamboanga which is the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) located at Normal Road, Baliwasan Zamboanga City. Respondents of the Study

The respondents of the study will comprise of a total of 40 Political Science Students of WMSU who are studying away from home. Each year level will consists of ten (10) students.

Research Instruments
A questionnaire-checklist is to be employed as a preliminary research tool. The questionnaire—checklist will consists of two parts. The first part includes the demographic profile of the respondents and the second part followed the questions proper. Questionnaire –checklists will be approved for distribution to the Political Science students of WMSU. Sampling Techniques

This study is to be conducted with forty (40) respondents who are to be selected from Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) using random sampling. A sampling method in which all members of a group (population or universe) have an equal and independent chance of being selected.

Data Gathering Procedure

In gathering the data, few steps are strictly followed by the researchers as a matter of protocol. After the researchers will prepare the questionnaire-checklist s for the survey, they will immediately propose a letter addressing to the school for its approval to conduct data gathering within its disposition. Then, the researchers will secure a letter addressed to the respondents for his/her consent to answer the questionnaire-checklist prepared.