Mental Ability

The Mental Ability of Selected
San Pedro College of Business Administration Students in Relation to their Academic Performance

A Thesis Proposal Presented to the
Faculty of the Psychology Department
San Pedro Colleges of Business Administration
Km30 Old National Highway Barangay Nueva, San Pedro Laguna.

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

Aman, Juan Carlo M.
Lope, Bryan P.
Grijaldo, Floyd Christopher A.

Chapter I
Problem and Its Background
Introduction
Some people consider students as having low intelligence, as we may observe here at San Pedro College of Business Administration. It is mainly because these freshmen students have problem with their changing environment.
The 21st century has been characterized as an “ego-deflating” state in a fast-paced world – a world being contoured and re-contoured at a pace no one seems to catch up with nor fully grasp or comprehend.
Countless persons feel that happiness and peace of mind seems so elusive. As a result, gripping anxiety and fear, and finally, depression and mental breakdown occur.
Economic depression in many countries has thrown a large number of people jobless. The concomitant anxiety and stress, fears and insecurities inflict more and more people and there are disorders that upset the equilibrium and peace of mind not only of those concerned but also of the families and the people around them.
Young people are also being afflicted with stress, anxiety and depression. Problems with schoolwork, with the home and even in the workplace often lead to depression, drug abuse and sometimes, suicide. Statistics bear out the fact that this state of mind are true in many people in the world as in Australia, Canada, Japan, and more so in developing countries like the Philippines.
Various changes in one’s life are “bedrock of stress” more especially if these changes are “unexpected, sudden and inescapable.” A student suddenly feels that he does not belong or he has feeling of absence inside the classroom or even on his or her background that he or she has to make adjustments even though he or she doesn’t want to, and those who are inevitably caught in the ensuing trouble are stunned, immobilized, and crippled to act.

Research Locale
SPCBA is a business school in the south. It was founded in September 1986 by Mr. Cheng Eng Teng from Bicol. The college was formally operated in June 1988 with 13 faculty members and 380 students. Its first commencement exercise took place in March 1990 for its first associate course and in 1992 produced its first batch of bachelor degree holders. In the same year, 3 pioneer students made it to the CPA board exams. As of now, SPCBA offers competitive courses such as Computer Science, Information Technology, Accountancy, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Business Administration major in Marketing Management, Elementary and Secondary Education, Industrial and Computer Engineering, Tourism, and the last but definitely not the least, Psychology. SPCBA has grown as the no. 1 business school in the south.

Theoretical Framework Intelligence, as measured by psychometric test such as IQ and other aptitude tests, is widely used in educational and business settings due to its efficacy in predicting mental ability. Intelligence is significantly correlated with successful training performance outcomes. It has been proved to be inherited from parents to offspring. Intelligence, for Howard Gardner, covers different components: logical, linguistic, spatial, musical, kinesthetic, naturalist, and interpersonal. In this study, however, the researchers will focus on the use of psychometric tests instead of relying on Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence. Conceptual Framework

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT
Relationships of mental abilities of the selected Students of SPCBA and its relation to their academic performance.
Demographic profile
Age
Gender
Year
GWA
I.Q test

I.Q test - PLNT administration
Survey administration

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Fig. 1 paradigm of the study

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The major objective of this study will be to determine the mental ability of freshmen students through the use of an I.Q. TEST and it will determine the significant relationship to their academic performance Specifically, this study will aim to answer the following questions: 1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents according to: * a. Age * b. Gender * c. Year * d. GWA * 2. What will be the mental ability of the selected SPCBA students? 3. Is there a significant relationship between the mental ability and academic performance of freshmen? Assumption and Hypothesis The research will aim on proving that the freshmen students do not have low intelligence; despite the common thinking that they have low intelligence. This will be known through the use of an I.Q TEST to be administered with the selected students. The researchers are assuming that low academic performance is not due to having low intelligence but due to other factors. There will be a significant relationship between the mental ability and academic performance of the selected students. This study will be based on the following assumptions: 1. Low academic performance is due to other factors, such as fear, lack of self confidence, lack of trust on self. 2. Freshmen students have lower academic performance compared with non-freshmen students. 3. People will change their perception of the freshmen students after reading this study.

Scope and Delimitation The researchers’ purpose will be proving to the people that selected students, especially freshmen, are not obtuse. The researchers will study the area about their mental abilities, their academic performance, and their problems and will propose solutions to them. The study will cover the students of San Pedro College of Business Administration. The study will be located at San Pedro College of Business Administration, San Pedro Laguna, during Academic Year 2010 – 2011.

Significance of the study The study, entitled Mental Ability Of the Selected San Pedro Colleges Of Business Administration Students In Relation To Their Academic Performance, is perceived to be significantly useful to others.

To School Administrators - This study will validate the relevance and merit of giving scholarship to freshmen students. To Teachers – it will dispel the common notion that freshmen are academically deficient. To Students - it will prove them that the freshmen are not senseless, and must not be given low regard. To Parents - For they will know that the studies of their children do not suffer even if they are engaged in their new era of life. To Researchers - it will give us a chance to help uplift the negative impression towards the freshmen students. To the Future Researchers – this study will be helpful for their future researches.

Definition of Terms Concomitant. Accompanying: conjoined. Correlation. The act or state of being correlated; mutual relationship; degree of relationship. Demographic. Characteristics of a population. Gripping. absorbing Intelligence. the aggregate or global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally and to deal effectively with its environment. IQ. Intelligence Quotient. Measure of intelligence; obtained through a series of aptitude tests concentrating on different aspects of intellectual functioning. Mental Ability. the power to learn or retain knowledge; in law, the ability to understand the facts and significant of your behavior. Obtuse. Stupid, unintelligent. Parametric. An equation in which there is a symbol representing a arbitrary constant the symbol can be given any numerical value desired.

CHAPTER II
RELATED LITERATURE This chapter presents a combination of readings and literature pertinent to the study. It insists of local and foreign literature and studies conducted in relationship to the study.
FOREIGN STUDY
Charles Spearman
British psychologist Charles Spearman (1863-1945) described a concept he referred to as general intelligence, or the g factor. After using a technique known as factor analysis to to examine a number of mental aptitude tests, Spearman concluded that scores on these tests were remarkably similar. People who performed well on one cognitive test tended to perform well on other tests, while those who scored badly on one test tended to score badly on other. He concluded that intelligence is general cognitive ability that could be measured and numerically expressed (Spearman, 1904).
Louis L. Thurstone
Psychologist Louis L. Thurstone (1887-1955) offered a different theory of intelligence. Instead of viewing intelligence as a single, general ability, Thurstone's theory focused on seven different "primary mental abilities" (Thurstone, 1938). The abilities that he described were: verbal comprehension, reasoning, perceptual speed, numerical ability, word fluency, associative memory, and spatial visualization.
Howard Gardner
One of the more recent ideas to emerge is Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Instead of focusing on the analysis of test scores, Gardner proposed that numerical expressions of human intelligence are not a full and accurate depiction of people's abilities. His theory describes eight distinct intelligences that are based on skills and abilities that are valued within different cultures.
The eight intelligences Gardner described are: visual-spatial intelligence, verbal-linguistic intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, musical intelligence, intra personal intelligence, and naturalistic intelligence.
Robert Sternberg
Psychologist Robert Sternberg defined intelligence as "mental activity directed toward purposive adaptation to, selection and shaping of, real-world environments relevant to one’s life" (Sternberg, 1985, p. 45). While he agreed with Gardner that intelligence is much broader than a single, general ability, he instead suggested some of Gardner's intelligences are better viewed as individual talents. Sternberg proposed what he refers to as 'successful intelligence,' which includes three different factors: analytical intelligence; which refers to problem-solving abilities, creative intelligence, which involves the ability to deal with new situations using past experiences and current skills, and practical intelligence, which refers to the ability to adapt to a changing environment. While there has been considerable debate over the exact nature of intelligence, no definitive conceptualization has emerged. Today, psychologists often take into account the many different theoretical viewpoints when discussing intelligence and acknowledge that this is still an ongoing debate.
Factors Influencing Intelligence
Today, nearly all psychologists recognize that both genetics and environment play a role in determining intelligence. It now becomes matter of determining exactly how much of an influence each factor has. First, it is important to note that genetics and environment interact to determine exactly how inherited genes are expressed. For example, if a person has tall parents, it is likely that the individual will also grow to be tall. However, the exact height the person reaches can be influenced by environmental factors such as nutrition and disease.
Twin studies suggest that identical twins IQ's are more similar than those of fraternal twins (Promin & Spinath, 2004). Siblings reared together in the same home have IQ's that are more similar than those of adopted children raised together in the same environment (McGue & others, 1993).
Identical twins reared apart have IQ's that are less similar than identical twins reared in the same environment (McGue & others, 1993). School attendance has an impact on IQ scores (Ceci, 2001). Children who are breastfed during the first three to five months of life score higher on IQ tests at age 6 than same-age children who were not breastfed (Reinberg, 2008).
Local Studies
A researcher says that learning often becomes associated with drudgery instead of delight. A large number of students, more than in four, leave school before graduating.
Learning is experimental. It is an interaction between the learner and environment. The experience let the students encounter learning either by reading, discussing or anything that changes the learners’ mental perception on outlook in life.
According to De Jesus (2005), many students are more physically present but mentally absent, because they fail to invest themselves fully in the experience of learning awareness of how student’s attitudes and beliefs about learning develop and what facilities are considered learning for its own sake assist educators in reducing student apathy.
De Mesa (2007)determined that most students can achieve their goal if only they are motivated.
De Jerez (2007) determined the different factors that can affect he students’ academic performance a large number of students sits in crowded classrooms without the rudiments of instructions, text books, blackboards, writing materials, and teachers who have mastered the curriculum. The situation is worse if the school is not fully provided with the needed materials it is tempting toremedy this problem through special assistance
Limay (2006) sought to study the relationship between intelligence quotient and academic performance of freshmen students using survey method, she found out that intelligence of parents affect the students’ academic performance. A similar finding was raised by the study of Devera (2007). Apostal also arrived at the same conclusion using 60 respondents, it was found out that intelligence of parents favorably influenced the study orientation and consequently btain higher education.
According to Josephine Ramirez, et. al. (2007), parents’ educational attainment and occupation are positively related to the learner’s interest. Many parents who do not value education are hardly to expect his child to value it at the same time. There are findings that give the academic achievements of their child.
Bucu (2006) said sex is another factor that affects intelligence. He also mentioned that it is not true that males are more intelligent than females. There are geniuses in males and females and there are idiots in males as there are in females. Several boys excel more in spatial ability more than girls while there are problems wherein girls excel more that boys in memory, reasoning, influence and numerical abilities. The difference is not due to intelligence; it is more in culture influence.
Buntuzal (2006) studied the relationship of academic performance of poor learners to the education attainment of their parents. It showed that majority of the parents were not qualified to coach their child.
Learning Disability
Typically, students with learning disabilities have an average intelligence but they will require more specific instructional strategies, program modifications or accommodations. A learning disability does not include a disability resulting from vision, impaired hearing, physical ability or behavior although, many behavior disabled students often have learning difficulties. Discrepancies between academic performance and actual intellectual ability will occur. Diagnosis of a learning disability usually occurs after the child has had a WISC R performed which is the standardized test and is usually done by a psychologist. Definitions of learning disabilities will often vary from district to district but they do tend to convey a common meaning. Here's a comprehensive list of characteristics of students’ learning disability by their specific category: Visual Perceptual; auditory perceptual; body and spatial relationships; conceptual deficits; memory deficits; and behavior deficits.
Students Comparisons Studies examining the academic achievements of freshmen college students compared to other levels, usually measured by cumulative college GPA, tend to represent two views. One view holds that there is a positive relationship between freshmen students’ participation and academic achievement. The second view is that freshmen’s participation is negatively associated with academic achievement. Although these views are not necessarily mutually exclusive, it tend to be that the polarized positions are the most discussed and reported when the indicator of academic achievement has been cumulative grade point average. Suffice to say, the findings of most research in this area have been inconsistent and the inequalities of the studies make interpretation difficult, thus, each study should be taken on its own merit. The impact of being freshmen on academic achievement primarily has been studied by comparing freshmen to the rest of the student body on descriptive data. A relatively spare amount of evidence exist where attempts have been made to compare and contrast the academic aptitude, achievement, and progress of different categories of freshmen students. These studies emphasize, from the beginning, that freshmen are not regular or average students, that the pressures they live under are not those of higher level students, and their motivation for college attendance may or may not be the same.

Role Conflict of Students Students in college experience role conflict as a result of their new roles in the school. Academically well - prepared freshmen students are just as likely to experience role conflicts as those freshmen students who are under – prepared for academic activities. However, academically well – prepared freshmen students appear to be more successful at managing academic role. Female freshmen student experiencing role conflict may be increased due to society’s inclination to view academic participation as a male endeavor.
Synthesis of the Study Therefore, the stated literature and researches in this chapter contains the fact that mental ability is not only the factor that affects the academic performance of a student. Indeed, there are many different factors that can affect students’ academic performance.
However, there contributing factors either benefits the students to perform better in their school or it could be threat their academic performance.
The present study has its similarities with the previous works like that it is not true that only males are more intelligent than females. Females seemed to perform equally as to male students equally only in sampling chances.
The present study also tells that parents’ lack of education affects their child’s study habits.
The present study also tells that, in school, role conflicts as freshmen student also affect their academic performance. Comparison among themselves also affect their performance in the classrooms. One factor that also affects performance academically is the learning disabilities, poor reading comprehension, hearing and sight disabilities, etc.
The review of related literature whose studies were similar in aspects with this study will indeed a great help in the researchers to know the relationship and importance of mental ability in one’s life.

CHAPTER III
METHODS AND PROCEDURES
This chapter includes a system of procedures arranged logically toward the solution of the problem. The researchers will discuss the method used to gather data, to describe the respondents, and how the respondents were taken, the instruments and procedures used to gather the data which will be used for the interpretation of the results. This will also includes the statistical treatment of data which were used to determine the level of reliability and correlation on the research made.

Research Design In order to come up with a truth-based research, the researchers utilized descriptive method of research since it involves the description, collection, recording, analysis, interpretation and evaluation of the data that will be gathered. This further described the interaction of the variables in the event. The rationale for the use of such is to know if it is in relation to their academic performance.

Respondents of the study The respondents of the study will be taken from selected student of San Pedro College of Business Administration. The respondents include students of different gender, age, and year.

Sample and Sampling Technique The samples were taken from selected students of San Pedro College of Business Administration, using the purposive type of sampling. From total population, only some students will be taken as a sample. This will serve as the respondents of the study because they represent the selected students of San Pedro College of Business Administration.

Research Instrument In order to come up with an organized body of data, the researchers will use a survey and mental ability test as tools for data-gathering. 1. IQ Test. The Purdue Non - Language Test will be used by the researchers to answer the main problems of this study. 2. Survey. A survey will be conducted to further elicit data from the students and to validate the clarity of their answers regarding their mental ability.

Data – Gathering Procedure The following data-gathering procedures will be conducted: 1. The researchers will seek the approval of Mr. Jowell Jo N. Ching, chief administrator of San Pedro College of Business Administration, in conducting the research on the said school. 2. A follow-up letter will be endorsed to the said school to get the total population of the selected students of San Pedro College of Business Administration. Per year. 3. After getting the total population of the school, the researchers will be using the percentage distribution to get the respondents of this study. 4. Once the total numbers of respondents were identified, the test will be administered to the respondents to answer the main problem of this study. 5. The results of the test will then be scored, tallied, analyzed, evaluated and interpreted by the researchers.

Statistical Treatment of Data For statistical analysis, parametric method will be used to evaluate the data gathered. Percentage and Frequency Distribution will be used to determine the demographic profile of the respondents. On the other hand, ANOVA Test will be used to test the independence between and mental ability of the respondents per year and the independence of academic performance and mental ability. To compute for the sample size, Slovin’s formula was used, utilizing 5% margin of error.
The formulas were as follows: * SLOVIN’S FORMULA
N
N= __________ (1 + Ne2)

Where: n = sample size N = population size e = margin of error

* PERCENTAGE AND FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION f
% = _____ x 100 N where: f = frequency of the respondents or response N = total number of respondents or response

* ANOVA and t – TEST
This will be used to determine if there are significant difference between mental ability and academic performance.
For the calculation of sample average for each group: 1. 2. 3.

For the calculation of average of all averages:

For the sample variance of the averages:

For the sample variance of each group: 1. 2. 3.
For the average of all the sample variance:

For the value of F statistics

CHAPTER IV
PRESENTAION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
This chapter presents the gathered data, computed, analyzed and interpreted results to answer the stated problems. The researchers answered the questions categorically. The researchers presented the result in tabular form for the demographic profile of the respondents and the date gathered were compared and computed using anova t-test

1. Tables 1 to 7 show the demographic profile of the respondents
TABLE 1
Age distribution of the respondents AGE | FREQUENCY | PRECENTAGE | 25 | | | 24 | | | 23 | | | 22 | | | 21 | | | 20 | | | 19 | | | TOTAL | | 100.00% |

Table 1 shows the age distribution of the respondents who were students of San Pedro College of Business Administration. The respondents were ages 25 – 19 years old. Majority of the students were aged 20 years old and was 25.81% . College students, at this age are more active in extra curricular activities. 3.23% of spcba students were aged 20 years old. This is due to the age limit implemented by athletic associations. Also, at this age, they tend to concentrate more on their studies and the idea of graduating from the college..
TABLE 2
Gender distribution of the respondents GENDER | FREQUNCY | PERCENTAGE | MALE | | | FEMALE | | | TOTAL | | |

Table 2 shows the gender distribution of the respondents who were students of San Pedro College of Business Administration.

TABLE 3
Year Level Distribution of the Respondents

YEAR LEVEL | FREQUENCY | PRECENTAGE | 1st year | | | 2nd year | | | 3rd year | | | 4thyear | | | TOTAL | | |

Table 3 shows the year level distribution of the respondents who were students of San Perdro College of Business Administration. Second year students are more at ease in college life at this level. Fourth year students is least, because this is their retiring stage. Most of them are also focusing on their studies.

TABLE 4
GWA Distribution of the Respondents

GWA | FREQUENCY | PERCENTAGE | 3.75 – 4.00 | | | 3.50 – 3.74 | | | 3.15 – 3.49 | | | 3.00 – 3.24 | | | 2.75 – 2.99 | | | 2.50 – 2.74 | | | 2.25 – 2.49 | | | 2.00 – 2.24 | | | 1.75 – 1.99 | | | 1.50 – 1.74 | | | 1.25 – 1.00 | | | TOTAL | | |

Table 4 shows the GWA distribution of the respondents who were students of San Pedro College of Business Administration. 20.97% of the respondents have 2.75 – 2.99 as their GWA, because the students require to pass at least 69% of their enrolled subjects per semester. Of course, they need to study, even if it is just to pass the required number of subjects

TABLE 5
Mental Ability Distribution of the Respondents

MENTAL ABILITY | FREQUENCY | PERCENTAGE | Superior | | | Above | | | High | | | Average | | | Low | | | Below | | | Poor | | | TOTAL | | |

Table 5 shows the mental ability distribution of the respondents who were students of San Pedro College of Administration. 25.81% of the respondents have poor mental ability. 2. The average academic performance, GWA of the 62 respondents was 2.64. while an average of 41.63 was mental ability of the respondents which is equivalent to average mental ability. 3. The computed value of anova t-test is 46.01, which revealed that the academic performance of students of San Pedro College of Business Administration depends on their mental ability