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IMPACT OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS ON
STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AT
SAN PABLO CITY INTEGRATED SCHOOL
A Research Presented to the
Faculty of San Pablo City Integrated
High School
John Clarence A. Aling
Kimberleen C. Kong
Rafael S. Escoses
March 2025
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
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Socio-economic status (SES), encompassing factors like income,
education, and occupation, significantly impacts academic performance, with
students from higher SES backgrounds often achieving better results due to
access to resources and opportunities. Conversely, low SES can lead to
challenges in accessing quality education, healthcare, and resources,
negatively affecting academic outcomes.
The impact of socio-economic status on students can influenced on
various aspects of their education. Moreover, SES can also affect students
health and well-being, which in turn can affect their academic performance.
Students from lower SES backgrounds may face more challenges related to
health issues, nutritions, and access to health care. Additionaly SES can
influence students motivations and aspirations. Socio-economic status plays
a significant role in shaping the academic performance of the students.
Understanding these effects can help educators and policymakers develop
targeted interventions to support students from all backgrounds and ensure
access to educational opportunities.
The problem has affected so many undergraduate students failed to
write the class assessment test that would qualify them for some
opportunities. If the problem was not solved it may perpetuate educational
inequalities, stalling equal opportunities for academic success. Students from
disadvantage socio-economic backgrounds may face barriers to learning,
impacting their educational outcomes. The aim of this study was to
investigate how socio-economic status affects the academic performance of
students, the goal is to find solutions to the socio-economic issues impacting
education. Determining whether parental income is a challenge to students
academic performace, or is it the students emotional development including
their self-esteem. Understanding this issue can help schools and teachers
support students better, especially those from different backgrounds.
Statement of The Problem
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This study aims to identify the factors, problems, and impact of socio-
economic status on students academic performance. Specifically, it seeks
answers to the following questions:
1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:
1.1 Name
1.2 Gender
1.3 Age
2. What is the impact of socio-economic on students academic performance?
3. Is there a significant relationship between socio-economic status and
academic performance?
Scope and Limitations
The scope of the study is that socio-ecomic status (SES)
encompassess a person’s social standing based on a combination of factors
like income, education level, and occupation, providing a broad view of their
access to resources and opportunities within society; however, its limitations
include not fully capturing subjective social status, potential for
misrepresentation due to complex individual circumstances, and not always
accounting for factors like geographic location or social capital that can
significantly impact life experiences.
While this study comprehensively examines the factors and common
problems with low, middle and high socio-economic background. To
understand and to evaluate the solutions for this problem. Firstly, the study
focuses specifically on San Pablo Integrated High School. Secondly, the
scopes respondents will be grade 10 students that will be moving up to Senior
High School. Additionally, the study will help students with low socio-
economic status and this will evaluate the distracting factors such as financial
problems, neighborhood violence, and additional home responsibilities.
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School data was used to identify the number of target participants,
specifically a hundred grade 10 students from SPCIHS. A questionnaire will
be used for the participants that will supplement the discussion of the
quantitative study. The online questionnaires will take place at San Pablo
City Integrated High School classrooms, or availability of the target
participant.
Significance of the Study
This study aims to provide valuable information and impacts of socio-
economic status on students academic performance. Specifically, it will be
beneficial to the following:
Learners - By identifying the impact and factors of socio-economic status
they will encompass quality of life attributes as well as opportunities and
privileges afforded to people within society.
Teachers/School Administrators - This will help the teachers and school
administrators for further knowledge and improvement of the curriculum by
implementing equalities to all of their students and also by implementing
strategies such as summer class, improved teaching methods, collaboration
with professionals, and anything that will help the students to prioritize their
academic performance.
Parents/Guardian – This will help them to realize the main cause of the
problems and this can help them to identify the right thing to do when it
comes to financial matters, so that their children won’t have to be involve on
this.
Future Researchers - The study will further open doors for future
researchers to refine and expand studies in relation to socio-economic status
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on students. This may serve as a source of information about factors
contributing to the low, middle, high socio-economic status of students.
CHAPTER II
Review of Related Literature
This deals with the impact of soio-economic status on students
academic performance. The foundation of socio-econimic inequities and the
educational outcomes of efforts to reduce gaps in socio-econimic status are
of great interest to researchers around the world, and narrowing the
achievements gap is common goal for most education system. This review of
the literature focuses on socio-economic status (SES) and its related
constructs, the association between SES and educational achievements, and
differences among educational system, together with changes over time.
Commonly-used proxy variables for SES in education research are identified
and evaluated, as are the relevant components collected in IEA’s trends in
international mathematics and science study (TIMSS). Although the literature
always presents a positive association between family SES and student
achievements, the magnitude of this relationship is contingent on varying
social contexts and education system. TIMSS data can be used to assess the
magnitude of such relationship across countries and explore them over time.
Finally, the literature review focuses on two systematic and fundamental
macro-level features: the extent of homogeneity between school, and the
degree of centralization of education standards and norms in a society.
SES affects overall human functioning, including our physical and
mental health. Low SES and its correlates, such as lower educational
achievements, poverty and poor health, ultimately affect our society.
Inequities in health distribution, resource distribution, and quality of life are
increasing in the united states and globally. Society benefits from an
increased focus on the foundations of socio-economic status in the United
States and abroad. Research indicates that children from low-SES
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households and communities develop academic skills slower than children
from higher SES groups (morgan, Farkas, Hillemeier, & Maczuga, 2009). For
instance, low cognitive development, language, memory, socio-emotional
processing and consequently poor income and systems in low-SES
communities are often underresourced, negatively affecting students’
academic progress and outcomes (Aikens & Barbarin, 2008). Inadequates
education and increased dropout rates affects children’s academic SES
status of the community. Improving school system and early reduce some of
these risk factors; therefore, increased research on the correlation between
SES and education is essential. Research indicates that school conditions
contribute more to SES difference in learning rates than family characteristics
do (Aikens & Barbarin, 2008). Researchers have argued that classroom
environment plays an important role in outcomes.
Education is a crucial need in this era of globalization. Education not
only offers to understand but also shapes the personality, instills moral
values, broadens knowledge, and talents. Education is crucial because of the
culture of competition. In any profession, highly qualified employees are
needed. It is well acknowledged that children of parents with higher and
middle socio-economic status (SES) are exposed to a learning environment
at home that is more favorable since these parents have greater learning
resources available to them. Low family SES is often associated with children
performing poorly in school, although the mechanisms underlying this link are
less obvious. Children’s parents are their closest relatives. Their level of
education and wealth do have a significant impact on the child’s personality.
Parents with more education are better able to gauge their children’s aptitude
and educational demands. They can support their kids in their early
schooling, which affects how well-versed they are in their particular field.
With a solid financial foundation, parents may best support their children’s
potential by giving them access to the latest facilities and technologies. In this
research paper, the problem being studied is how the soio-economic
background of students impacts their educational achievements and
academic performance.
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Education is widely recognized as a critical factor influencing an
individual’s social and economic success, as it provides a pathway to
improved opportunities and a better quality of life (OECD, 2020). Academic
achievement, measured by factors such as test, scores, grade point
averages, and educational attainment, is often considered a crucial indicator
of educational success (Sirin, 2005). However, numerous studies have
consistently demonstrated that socio-economic status (SES) plays a
significate role in shaping academic achievement outcomes (Reardon, 2011;
Sirin, 2005).
Socio-economic status refers to the social economic position of
individuals of families within a society, encompassing various dimensions
sych as income, parental education level, occupation, and access to
resources and opportunities (Mistry, Benner, Biesanz, Clark, & Howes, 2010).
SES is a multifaceted construct that reflects both material and social
advantages or disadvantages (Duncan & Magnuson, 2012). It is well-
established in research that individuals from higher socio-economic
backgrounds tend to have better access to educational resources, including
quality schools, tutoring, books, and technology, which contribute to
enhanced academic performance (Reardon, 2011; Sirin, 2005; Duncan &
Magnuson, 2012).
Different things can cause a person’s socio-economic position to
affect how well they do in school. Families with higher SES often have more
money to spend on their children’s education, giving them access to good
schools, privete tutoring, and activities that help them to learn more (Reardon,
2011; Pong, 2009). Research has shown over and over again that there is a
strong link between socio-economic standing and academic success. Several
studies (Sirin, 2005; Reardon, 2011; OECD,2019) have found that students
form high SES backgrounds tend to do better than their friends from lower
SES background in terms of test scores, grades, and education (OECD,
2019). Different countries and educational systems have seen these
differences in how well people do in school based on their socio-economic
status.
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CHAPTER III
This chapter discusses the research design, participants,
instrumentation, data gathering procedure, and data analysis.
Research Design
This study employed a quantitative research design utilizing the
questionnaire that will provide better context for the research data by helping
to see things from a respondent's point of view. It served as a tool for
gathering data and information for the components supporting the success of
SPJ students in journalistic series. The quantitative method of research
focuses on gathering statistics or the number of respondents to understand
the majority of factors affecting events and circumstances, this uses
questions in gathering the data concerning the current status of the study.
Quantitative research design is data collected through answering the
structured tools such as survey, polls, and questionnaire. Quantitative data
deals with answers that can be counted and measured in numerical values.
Likewise, this study used a survey technique in gathering the needed
data. According to Cleland JA (2017), Getting at the everyday realities of
some social phenomena and studying important questions as they are
practiced helps extend knowledge and understanding. Cleland further cited
that this is not the same as having no plans or framework. Quantitative
research methods are concerned with the planning, design, and
implementation of strategies to collect and analyze data. This includes a
description of your goals and objectives, your motivation for performing the
work, and the specifics of your methodology, including theoretical foundation,
design, techniques, and analysis.
Respondent of the Study
The respondents of the study are students of the Special Program in
Journalism (SPJ) in different years at San Pablo City Integrated High School.
The total number of students who will take part in this study is 81; Grade 8
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Journalism is 37; Grade 9 Journalism is 19; and Grade 10 Journalism is 25.
The students are the ones who have enough knowledge to answer the
problems posed in the study. Students will answer the questionnaires that will
be given, which supplies the information that is needed. SPJ Students are the
participants of the study as they are potential candidates representing
SPCIHS in journalistic competitions and are currently immersed in the
school's Journalism curriculum, which is the central focus of the research.
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Research Instrument
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE
Part I. Respondent’s Profile
Name (Optional):_______________________________________
Gender:
□ Male
□ Female
Age:______________________________
General Weighted Average on previous academic quarter.
□ Below 75
□ 75 - 80
□ 80 - 90
□ 90 - 100
Do you receive any external tutoring or academic support outside of school?
□ YES
□ NO
Have you ever felt discriminated againts in an academic setting based on your socio-economic status?
□ YES
□ NO
What are your academic goals after high school?
□ College/University
□ Workforce
□ Undecided
□ Others, please specify:_______________________
How would you rate your own academic performance this past few years?
□ High academic performace
□ Average academic performance
□ Low academic performace
□ Others, please specify: ____________________
Part Il. The Impact of socio-economic status on students
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Directions: Please put a check mark (/) on the space that corresponds to your perception of your
background and socio-economic status. Use the scale below.
Scale Description
4 Strong influence
3 Some influence
2 Little influence
1 No influence
Parental influence 4 3 2 1
1.) I will choose depending on the preference made by my parents
because they will provide my expenses.
2.) I consider my family’s financial status when deciding on future senior
highschool strand.
3.) My parent has stable income to support my studies.
Academic Performance 4 3 2 1
1.) I consider my grades as a basis for my future career path.
2.) My grade is important in determining my future strand.
3.) I go for something that acquires my academic strengths.
Socio-economic status 4 3 2 1
1.) I have freedom to choose my strand.
2.) Due to my socio-economic status I am considering choosing a more
practical strand.
3.) My socio-economic status matters when deciding on my future career
path.
Job Opportunities 4 3 2 1
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1.) I’ll choose a strand that is related to an in-demand job.
2.) I will choose a strand that my parents can afford for a practical job.
