A Reaction Paper on Self-Perception of ABM Students Towards Their Academic, Social, and Emotional College Preparedness

In December 2020, Remedios P. Magnaye published "Self-Perception of ABM Students Towards Their Academic, Social, and Emotional College Preparedness," which aims to assess the relationship between demographic profiles of ABM students and self-perception regarding their academic, social, and emotional college preparedness. It is quantitative research and utilizes a four-part questionnaire. The survey was conducted at a private higher education institution in Batangas Province in the Philippines with 255 randomly selected ABM students. The results show a significant relationship between some demographic profiles and the three levels of preparedness, and few show no significant difference. This study is relatable and valuable but somehow confusing in some aspects.

 

As an ABM student who struggles to understand what factors affect college preparedness and career choices in the future, this study is very relatable. It provides factors and scenarios that can affect the students' level of college preparedness. It does not only discuss the academic level but also the social and emotional that can considerably affect how well-prepared a student is for college. According to Jaime (2017), a student can decide on the right career in the future if they are well-prepared for college. College education extensively affects the job choices of students.

 

The data presented is valuable for ABM students. The provided scenarios in the survey questionnaires help them on what areas to improve and develop. It also helps them analyze what demographic factors can affect their level of preparedness. They can assess their academic performance- if they are eligible or prepared for college. Also, they can use it as a guide to what social and emotional skills can help them in the future. Students should be socially and emotionally prepared for college, not just academically (Felton, 2016). However, there are terms and aspects in this paper that are somehow confusing. From the title itself- ABM students, first thought would be senior high school ABM students, but it meant ABM students in college. It aims to know the level of college preparedness through first-year ABM students, not to know how well prepared senior high school ABM students are for college. Also, the use of abbreviations or symbols (X̅, SD, & VI) in the table portion of the paper has no proper definition. Readers might be confused about what it means, the importance of it, and how they arrive at those numbers.

 

In conclusion, the research benefits ABM students, yet clarification on some aspects is needed. It is helpful to senior high school ABM students who want to know the factors that can affect their level of preparedness for college, which they can improve while they're still in high school. Also, first-year college students on the same track can use these results and assess whether they are college-ready or need improvements in some aspects. This paper is recommendable for future researchers who want to analyze the level of preparedness in different tracks like HUMMS and STEM, where they can also compare the results with these- in the ABM track.

References

Felton, E. (2016). When Social and Emotional Learning is key to college success. Education. The Atlantic.

Jaime (2017). College readiness: The importance of preparing for college while in high school. Reality Changers. Available online at: https://realitychangers.com.

 

Self-Perception of ABM Students Towards Their Academic, Social, and Emotional College Preparedness: A Scoping Review

        College is a very different path a student will take once he finishes high school. It is at a higher level where all the responsibilities double up. High school students, even those who excel academically, may struggle when transitioning to college due to a lack of preparedness. Duncheon (2015) categorized college readiness into three main areas: cognitive academic factors, non-cognitive academic factors, and campus integration factors. The evaluation conducted in this study focused on gauging the preparedness of college students in three key areas, namely, academic, social, and emotional domains. These domains were based on Conley's model of college and career readiness for academic preparedness and the new foundation for readiness for social and emotional preparedness. The objective of this study is to examine how the demographic characteristics of ABM students relate to their self-perceived levels of preparedness for college in academic, social, and emotional factors. The study also tested the hypotheses "HO1: There is no significant difference in the level of students’ academic, social, and emotional preparedness when grouped according to their demographic profile."

 

In the academic variable, the results show a significant relationship between academic preparedness and the general weighted average of students. GWA factor got a p-value of .000 against their computed t-value of 10.774 in the academic variable, which means that the GWA affects the academic preparedness of students. This coincides with Khattab's (2015) and Venkatesan's (2020) studies, where students' high aspirations or expectations have higher school achievement. Other demographic factors, such as age, sex, type of school, family income, and birth order, show no significant difference. This matches the study of Heo (2018) that age has no significant relationship with self-directed learning readiness (SDLR) but contradicts Dominguez (2015), who states that the first in their family to attend college were discovered to have lower levels of academic readiness.

 

In the social variable, the results show a significant relationship between social preparedness and sex and GWA. Sex is indicated by a p-value of 0.034 against the t-value of -2.127 in the social variable, and GWA got a p-value of .000 against their computed f-value of 9.816 in social variable. This means that sex and GWA affect the level of social preparedness of students. This corresponds with the study of Cuy & Salinas (2019) and Kinzie et al. (2007) that female students are more socially prepared for college than male students and Venkatesan's (2020) study, where GWA positively affects the social preparedness of students. Other demographic factors, such as age, type of school, family income, and birth order, show no significant difference.

 

In the emotional variable, the results show a significant relationship between emotional preparedness and GWA of students. GWA factor got a p-value of .000 against their computed f-value of 7.59 in the emotional variable, which means that the GWA affects the emotional preparedness of students. This corresponds to the study of Venkatesan (2020), where students' GWA positively affects academic preparedness. Other demographic factors, such as age, sex, type of school, family income, and birth order, show no significant difference.

 

In conclusion, the tested hypothesis is partially accepted in demographic factors, such as age, type of school, family income, and birth order, as there is no significant relationship between academic, social, and emotional preparedness. However, it declines in factors like sex and GWA as these demographic factors show significant differences in the three levels of preparedness. This study should be further analyzed and conducted in public schools as the results will certainly differ, especially to demographic factors like age, family income, and birth order.

 

 

References

 

Conley, D. T. (2007). College readiness practices at 38 high schools and the development of the college career ready school diagnostic tool. Eugene, OR: Education Policy Improvement Center.

Cuy, N. A., & Salinas, E. M. (2019, May 5). Aspiration and readiness of Filipino senior high school students in pursuing college degree. SCIRP. https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=92481

Dominguez, R. P. (2015, April 29). Perceived barriers to higher education among first-generation and non-first-generation Latino male high school students. Scholarship.miami.edu. https://scholarship.miami.edu/esploro/outputs/doctoral/Perceived-Barriers-to-Higher-Education-Among/991031447281802976?institution=01UOML_INST

Duncheon, J. (2015, November). The problem of college readiness. https://www.academia.edu/9104683/The_problem_of_college_readiness 

Heo, J., & Han, S. (2017, March 9). Effects of motivation, academic stress and age in predicting self-directed learning readiness (SDLR): Focused on online college students - education and Information Technologies. SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10639-017-9585-2#Abs1

Khattab, N. (2015, January 21). Students’ aspirations, expectations and school ... - wiley online library. https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/berj.3171

Kinzie, J. (2007). The relationship between gender and student engagement in college. Semantic Scholar. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Relationship-between-Gender-and-Student-in-Kinzie/3e7e2cc245ebaaa86946b87180b21140c912149c

Venkatesan, S. (2020). Exploring relationship between social-emotional skills and college readiness as evidenced by A-G completion and GPA. Guide books. https://dl.acm.org/doi/book/10.5555/AAI27995741

A Critical Analysis of TedTalk Video "Al Gore: How to make radical climate action the new normal | TED Countdown"

The world today is remarkably different from how it was. There are positive changes, such as improvements and developments in people's way of living and the technologies used, but drastic negative changes are also observable, such as climate change. Climate change is an earnest and concerning problem in our world today. As defined by the United Nations, climate change refers to "long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns where these shifts may be natural, but since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change". It is a natural occurrence but has worsened and severed due to people- who are also the one who suffers from it. The TedTalk video of Al Gore titled "Al Gore: How to make radical climate action the new normal | TED Countdown" encompasses and discusses the causes and effects of climate change and what actions people should take to mitigate it- a radical climate action. The video is a relevant, understandable, and informative topic.

 

The video tackles the climate crisis, which is timely-relevant, and Al Gore defines and highlights it as "the most serious manifestation of an underlying collision between human civilization and the Earth's ecological system." The Earth's ecological system is severely damaged due to emissions of fossil fuels and carbon dioxide caused by humans. This results in climate change, an increase in Earth's temperature, that shows disturbing effects. According to the United Nations, these effects include severe droughts, water famine, wildfires, increasing sea levels, flooding, destructive storms, and declining biodiversity. One of these effects is the movement of people to wild areas where animals live, which leads to the potential transfer of viruses from animals to humans. As Al Gore mentioned, data from World Bank states that three-fourths of new infecting diseases are zoonitic- transferred from animals to humans like COVID-19. This leads him to answer his questions about the fact that human activities result in disturbing effects, but solutions are not widely distributed. The solution he presented is the wide usage of renewable resources. Businesses, companies, and households should switch to net zero or reduce the emission of greenhouse gases to the lowest possible level (United Nations).

 

The video itself is understandable, visually appealing, and engaging to watch. The presentation of images, videos, and graphs as visual aids makes it more engrossing and helps the audience visualize the concepts presented. Visuals enhance presentations, keep the audience's attention, clarify points, and retain long-term memory in the audience (Presentation Training Institute, 2020). Alongside the visual presentation is the speaker, Al Gore, who commendably delivers his speech. Al Gore speaks to the audience confidently and professionally with minimal to no vocalized pauses. The way he talks, from the tone, volume, and pace, emphasizes every point he wants to convey, attracting the audience's attention, and not a single moment is dull. As Chris Miller (2020) stated, "Good delivery is meant to augment your speech and help convey your information to the audience," which Al Gore perfectly displays. Furthermore, the ideas presented are well organized- from introducing the climate crisis to stating the causes and effects and then stating the solutions to mitigate climate change and make it a new normal.

 

The points and discussions provided by Al Gore are informative. He provided information about how climate change happens and the causes and effects, which supports and is relevant to his argument of the potential solution for climate change. He presented his ideas and statements with evidence from reliable sources, such as NASA, NOAA, World Bank, and many more. An example is when he showed data from the International Energy Agency via Carbon Brief about the spending of the oil and gas industry going to renewables up to 4% and the other 96% still going to the oil and gas industry. Al Gore's arguments, supporting evidence from reliable sources, and effective communication can result in a high potential of persuading the audience to take radical action against climate change. According to Miami University, the quality and comprehensiveness of the supporting evidence directly influences the persuasiveness of an argument. Furthermore, Al Gore addressed the other perspective about the investments of companies in the oil and gas industry, where they stated that they tripled the spending up to 4% for renewables, which is not that good because, from another perspective, it does not compare to the 96% they spend on the oil and gas industry that has plastics or petrochemicals as its highest market- which needs to be eliminated.

 

Overall, this TedTalk effectively presents and discusses climate change and an effective advocacy for radical climate action. This video encompasses all the relevant information with evidence from reliable sources about climate change and conveys the message or persuades the audience to take action towards climate change. Al Gore was able to explain how people should take immediate action on this problem. Everyone should start mitigating the factors contributing to this, start the healing process, and reach net zero, as Al Gore emphasized. This video is extensively relevant to the current situation, and people should respond to it.

 

 

References

 

Argument support. Argument Support Handout | Howe Center for Writing Excellence - Miami University. (n.d.). https://miamioh.edu/hcwe/handouts/supporting-argument/index.html#:~:text=Support%3A%20The%20statements%20that%20back,the%20more%20persuasive%20the%20argument.

Miller, C. (2020, August 1). The importance of practicing delivery. Exploring Communication in the Real World. https://cod.pressbooks.pub/communication/chapter/chapter-4-nonverbal-delivery-in-the-public-speaking-context/

Suzanne. (2020, June 4). What is the importance of using visuals when giving a presentation?. Presentation Training Institute. https://www.presentationtraininginstitute.com/what-is-the-importance-of-using-visuals-when-giving-a-presentation/

United Nations. (n.d.-a). Key findings. United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/key-findings#physical-science

United Nations. (n.d.-b). Net zero coalition. United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/net-zero-coalition

United Nations. (n.d.-c). What is climate change?. United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change

E-commerce Marketplaces (Tiktok Shop, Shopee, Lazada): Do They Offer a More Favorable Balance of Benefits than Drawbacks?

    Nowadays, a lot of businesses have been selling their products online. Businesses can benefit economically by engaging with stakeholders, customers, and employees through online marketing (Purkayastha & Sharma, 2016). There are ways of selling online- this can be through e-commerce marketplaces and independent online stores. These are online shopping websites or applications, but transactions are different. In e-commerce marketplaces, transactions are managed by the website owner, while independent online stores manage their own. There are recognizable e-commerce marketplaces in our country today, such as TikTok Shop, Shopee, and Lazada, and independent online stores like Shein and Zara. But which option presents a better ratio of advantages to disadvantages? The most likely known, widely used, and low-financing shopping application has more potential, regardless of the design and appearance of the websites.

    E-commerce marketplaces benefit businesses as they provide instantaneous exposure to the market (Yazbeck, 2022) and trust and safety to consumers (Chan, 2021). Businesses often want to sell their products in e-commerce marketplaces as these platforms are already known and established. Sellers won't look for consumers and buyers as these online shops provide it for them. It would be much easier for them to expose and sell their products to a broad market. They won't have to exert too much effort in acquiring customers, like paying websites and endorsers for promotions. Furthermore, the e-commerce marketplace ensures businesses a safe community for transactions with minimal to no effort and provides consumers with safety that can efficiently gain their trust. This factor is a relevant thing a consumer would consider when shopping online.

 

When talking about cost control, businesses always prefer where they can minimize expenses and increase profit, as defined by Kenton (2022). Starting a business in an e-commerce marketplace requires low start-up costs. Sellers won't have to spend building a website or application for selling their products online. Start-up payments in e-commerce marketplaces are way lower than creating your own, thus leading to low setup expenses. In addition, e-commerce marketplaces also have their own logistics and payment forms that can benefit your business. Sellers won't have to worry about paying for delivery fees as the marketplace provides it for them. Also, this can attract consumers as these sometimes offer vouchers they can avail of and reduce the delivery cost of their orders, and some online shops, like Shopee, even offer monthly payments for selected items.

E-commerce marketplaces will always have drawbacks or disadvantages for businesses. These include high competition, less control, and reliance on the marketplace (Gupta, 2023). But if you analyze these factors from a broader and positive perspective, these things are expected when doing business. There is high competition in marketplaces because of the occurrence of other similar products, but as Golubovic (2023) said, "competition drives innovation," and product innovation will help sellers improve their current product and compete in the market. The business also has less control and is dependent on e-commerce marketplaces, but do these factors match the convenience and security it provides? Sellers may have less control over the website because it has its own rules and regulations, but they can still sell and interact with their customers. The same goes with reliance, where sellers rely on these marketplaces, and if troubled or malfunctioned, transactions will be affected too, but these are undeniable troubles in online shopping.

Overall, e-commerce marketplaces exhibit a more favorable balance of benefits than drawbacks. Selling products in e-commerce marketplaces is effortless and cost-effective with expected and fewer drawbacks. Sellers should analyze the online market and target market and pose strategic implementations in every weakness and threat the business has, as this is inevitable. Selling in e-commerce is hassle-free and less costly than selling or building an independent online shop. "Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship" - Benjamin Franklin

 

 

References

 

Chan, A. (2021, October 22). Why trust and safety is essential for e-commerce platforms. SEADS. https://seads.adb.org/solutions/why-trust-and-safety-essential-e-commerce-platforms

Golubovic, V. (2023, March 22). Why is it so important for companies to have competitors? - legislate. RSS. https://www.legislate.tech/post/why-is-it-so-important-for-companies-to-have-competitors

Gupta, N. (2023, September 8). E-commerce marketplaces vs. independent online stores. Youth Ki Awaaz. https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2023/09/e-commerce-marketplaces-vs-independent-online-stores/?success=1

Kenton, W. (2022, May 30). Cost control: How businesses use it to increase profits. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cost-control.asp

Purkayastha, A., & Sharma, S. (2016). Gaining competitive advantage through the right business model: Analysis based on case studies. Journal of Strategy and Management, 9(2), 138–155. https://doi.org/10.1108/jsma-07-2014-0060

Yazbeck , D. A. (2022, November 16). 4 benefits of selling on an e-marketplace for your business: Maze solutions. Digital Marketing & Advertising Agency in Lebanon. https://www.wearemaze.com/4-benefits-of-selling-on-an-e-marketplace-for-your-business/

  

Aromaz Balm De Parfum: A Feasibility Study

Chapter 1

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Introduction

            Students nowadays are using various kinds of perfumes to smell fresh and pleasant. Students' idea of choosing an ideal perfume to use is something that would match those expensive and popular ones in the market. Most of these affordable fragrances have alcohol as their ingredient, which is used to preserve the scents. The alcohol and chemicals in perfumes can be dangerous and a pressing problem for people with sensitive skin, especially students. It can cause allergies, irritations, dry skin, and headaches to some who get sprayed with it. Also, some perfumes have big containers that make it inconvenient for people to bring them around.

 

Watson (2019) mentioned that isopropyl alcohol or ethanol is the most harmful component of fragrances. Alcohol may stabilize the scents in perfumes, but it is still not good for the skin. One observable example of this is the dryness of the skin when using disinfectant alcohols that have ethanol. Therefore, ethanol on fragrances that come in contact with our skin is not likely as it also causes skin problems in people with sensitive skin.

 

People who use and are more exposed to these chemicals can lead to damaging health effects. It does not only include the harmful effects when in contact with the skin but also the health problems that come when inhaling it. A few of these harmful effects include migraine headaches, contact dermatitis, asthma attacks, respiratory difficulties, and others (Athar, 2020).
Contact dermatitis and skin allergies are the most common effects when chemicals or alcohols come in contact with the body. Headaches, asthma attacks, and respiratory difficulties are other outcomes when people inhale these chemicals present in fragrances.

 

Traditional spray perfumes take up space and are inconvenient for students. Some liquid perfumes also irritate people with sensitive skin due to their alcohol content. From the typical liquid spray perfume, it is improved into a solid type of perfume, which comes from the name of it- a balm-type. It is not the traditional spray perfume people use that has fragrance oils, alcohol, and bulky containers. The product is natural (uses beeswax, essential oils, and jojoba oil), convenient (comes in a balm container with a crafty keychain accessory), and less costly, which makes it student-friendly. 

 

The Aromaz Balm de Parfum is a beneficial solution for students and teachers. It is a compact, convenient, and all-natural product that can help solve the issue of using liquid perfumes that contain alcohol and chemicals and carrying big perfume containers while on the go. Unlike spray perfumes that can affect other people and trigger allergic reactions, this balm is easy to apply without being intrusive. Additionally, it is free of alcohol and instead uses natural oils like beeswax, jojoba oil, and essential oils that can moisturize and hydrate the skin. This product is an affordable and natural alternative that is perfect for students, teachers, and those who are allergic to alcohol-based perfumes.

 

Purpose of the Study 

This study aims to provide a perfume product to consumers that is natural, compact, and convenient. These consumers, specifically, are the students and teachers of Liceo de Cagayan University. This product is different from the ones sold in the market. The market provides liquid spray perfumes and solid perfumes that still need to rub your fingers on them and then apply them to your skin.

 

This product also delivers various benefits to the following:

Consumers - The product is beneficial to consumers in a way that there is less need for them to carry big containers of perfumes wherever they go. People will repeatedly apply it daily to freshen up and boost the scent. With its compact and convenient design, consumers would prefer something like it.

Suppliers - This product benefits the suppliers through earning from bulk orders of raw materials. The ingredients used in making this product are not the usual ingredients used in making a perfume. People are not familiar with these ingredients, which makes the demand in the market low. Through the production of this product, the suppliers will earn from these acquired raw materials. It may not give them a growing income if not ordered in bulk, but they will still make money from it.

 

Small Merchandising Businesses - A merchandising business is a business that buys products and resells them to consumers. This product could help them sell a different one in the perfume market that consumers would surely try- given that it is unique, convenient, and affordable.

 

Future Business Owners - This product benefits the owners in such a way that it provides a unique and differentiated product in the market. Owners most likely develop products that are not well-known to people but are commonly used by many to generate income. If the product is of good quality and appropriately promoted in the market, they will surely increase their revenue by providing and producing bulk orders of products.

Future Researchers – The researchers are producing products and identifying if the target market or consumers would most likely buy the product and if this study is feasible. This study will be beneficial to future researchers by utilizing the results of this study as a basis for the purchasing behavior of consumers- if they will buy this product or not, then future researchers can use it as a guide if they will or will not try to venture and improve the said product.

 

Scope and Delimitations of the Study

The breadth of this study is to gather information about the product, determine the scent choices of consumers, and examine the purchase behaviors and selections of the target market. Most importantly, to identify whether this product is feasible in the market. It is important to note that the study is limited to the preferences of selected students and teachers

from Liceo de Cagayan Senior High School-Main Campus. The outcome of this study will depend on the responses of the chosen participants. Through analyzing the results, the researchers may attain their objectives and develop a balm time perfume that offers different scents according to the respondents' liking.

 

Justification of the Study

A wide range of perfume products are seen in the market nowadays. People's psychological need for something that can mask body odor or smell nice is what perfumes aim for. It may have used various ingredients, containers, and designs- but it still has the same purpose. The demand for perfumes and their uniqueness could be one of many reasons why consumers prefer a specific product or brand. Another factor that affects the product demand is the consumers, specifically teachers and students in this study's buying behavior and preferences.

 

As observed by the researchers, these consumers most likely prefer unique, safe, convenient, and affordable. The Aromaz Balm de Parfum offers something different, not popular, and a consumer-like perfume product. The market sells solid perfumes, but you still need to rub your fingers through them and then apply them to your skin. This perfume balm works just like lip balms, where you can rub it directly on your skin or your perfume's key

points. Also, the balm-type container makes it convenient, and the keychain accessory makes it handy and trendy.

 

In conclusion, this product is suitable for students and teachers of Liceo de Cagayan University as it offers safety from alcohol and convenience. It fits students and teachers who don't want to carry big perfume containers. They can bring it wherever they go because it wouldn't take up so much space in their bags like the regular spray perfume or hang the keychain on their wallets or IDs, knowing that most of them nowadays prefer to bring smaller bags. Also, the price is not as high as others, and can consume the product for a long time. Lastly, the product container offers a keychain accessory for those who often lose smaller items.

 

Definition of Terms

Balm - It is a moisturizing product used on the skin that comes in solid form.

Contact dermatitis - An itchy rash caused by direct contact with chemicals in the body.

Intrusive - It disturbs or affects someone when applying perfumes.

References

Athar, M. (2020). Detrimental effects of perfumes, aroma & cosmetics. Journal of Dermatology & Cosmetology, 4(2), 42–44. https://doi.org/10.15406/jdc.2020.04.00149 

Watson, K. (2019, June 24). Perfume poisoning: Symptoms, dangers, and what to do. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/perfume-poisoning