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Alignment of The Holy Cross College STA. Rosa Student’s 

program with their Interest and Skills 

 
Abie Shane B. Perez1, John Vincent L. Santos2 

Undergraduate Researcher, Holy Cross College, Sta. Rosa, NE, Inc. Philippines1 

Adviser, Holy Cross College, Sta. Rosa, NE, Inc. Philippines2 

j.vince103@gmail.com 

 

Accepted: 

Jan 17th 2022 

Reviewed:  

March 12th 2022 

Published:  

May 30th 2022 

 

Abstract:  There are several elements that impact individuals' college program selection. Most 
students choose their college program based on parental influence, often overlooking some aspects 
such as whether they are fit or interested in the programs. This research focused on finding if 
there’s a significant relationship between the alignment of students’ programs with their interests 
and skills to their academic performance. The test was conducted on the 3rd-year students of Holy 
Cross College enrolled in the year 2021-2022. The researchers conducted the survey on the selected 
programs of Holy Cross College which is from the Education, Computer Science, Business 
Management, and Hospitality Management. This study used a quantitative, non-experimental 
design using a correlational approach. Spearman Rank Correlation, a non-parametric test was used 
to find the relationships between the alignment of the students and their academic performance. 
In testing the alignment of the students, the researchers used the Holland Theory. The data show 
that the obtained value is rs = -0.004 and the critical value is set at 0.206. Failure to pass certain 
criteria we fail to reject our null hypothesis (rs = -0.004, ρ>0.05).  Therefore, we can say that there 
is no significant relationship between the alignment of students’ programs with their skills and 
interests, and performance. Whether the student’s programs are aligned or not aligned with their 
interest and skills they can still have good performance in their chosen programs. Although from 
the data obtained we can notice that students aligned with their programs have better performance 
academically. 

 

Keyword:  Holland’s Career Theory of Choice, Student Traits, Performance, Work Preference, 

Skills, Interest 

 

Introduction 

 A career is exciting and at the same time, a very tough decision to make. There are a lot of 

factors that influence the students in choosing their program in college, studies show the parent's 

influence as most significant, followed by influence from peers, gender, print media, financial 

reasons, interest, and others1. Most of the students chose their program in college based on the 

influence of their parents and most of the time disregarding some factors if they are fitted or 

interested in the programs2. Roese and Summerville (2005) provided meta-analytical evidence that 

 
1 Asma Shahid Kazi and Abeeda Akhlaq, “Factors Affecting Students’ Career Choice.,” Journal of Research & 

Reflections in Education (JRRE) 11, no. 2 (2017). 
2 Christian Kuswibowo, “Analisis Pengaruh Kompetensi, Motivasi Kerja Dan Pengembangan Karir Terhadap 

Produktivitas Kerja Guru Pada Lembaga Pendidikan Islam,” Journal of Islamic Education and Innovation (2021): 153–164; 
C Kuswibowo - International Journal of Business Studies and undefined 2022, “The Impact of Service Performance 
on Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty During Covid-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Bank BTN,” 

mailto:riyu.choirul57@gmail.com


 
 
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Volume 7 , Number 1, May 2022 
 ISSN : 2579-8383 (Print) ISSN : 2579-8405 (Online)_____________________________________________________________ 
 

Volume 7, Number 1, May 2022 | 26  

  

the most frequently identified life regret for Americans involves their educational choice3. 

 Any student's academic success is the consequence of a complex interaction of elements 

such as study habits, personality traits, and personal interests, as well as the teaching abilities of 

concerned faculties4. The teachers are tasked with responsibilities of making sure that students 

achieve the objectives of their lessons5. However, Students' eagerness is a major motivator for 

academic achievement6. Their interest in the subject is distinct and appears to be self-sustaining; it 

has a positive impact on their ability to accomplish and thrive in their occupations by improving 

their attention, goal-setting, comprehension, motivation, and learning7. Second, the student's 

abilities were discovered to predict academic success8. Students' study habits, skills, attitudes, and 

motivation are all linked to their academic achievement9. 

 Many students are disregarding these factors that cause a varied response to their 

performance in their programs. According to Wallace, P., & Clariana, R. B. (2005), upon entering 

a program like a computer science, students are expected to have prior computer knowledge and 

skill from their previous experience, to have a good performance in their chosen program10. When 

we’re talking about alignment this pertains to the proper positioning or state of adjustment of 

parts. A work being fit for its users can be linked with students being aligned with their 

capabilities11.  

 According to Roese, N. J., & Summerville, A. (2005), Education is the most common life 

regret, followed by profession, romance, parenthood, and self-discovery12. The majority of 

Americans regret their college degrees and programs, which leads to career regrets. Based upon 

the study of Kazi, A. S., & Akhlaq, A. (2017), The impact of their parents, friends, gender, and 

social media have a role in determining their major and programs1. In the the meta-analysis of 

Robbins 2004, Which underlined the significance of a student's skills to forecast academic 

achievement success7. In addition to this, the theory based on Harackiewicz, J.et al. (2016), 

according to the findings, a student's interest may be a potent motivator for academic 

achievement5.  

 
Fig. 1 Research Paradigm 

 
ijbs.ipmi.ac.id (n.d.), accessed June 23, 2022, http://ijbs.ipmi.ac.id/index.php/ijbs/article/view/211. 

3 Neal J Roese and Amy Summerville, “What We Regret Most... and Why,” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 
31, no. 9 (2005): 1273–1285. 

4 Arora, N., & Singh, N. (2017). Factors Affecting the Academic Performance of College Students. Journal of Educational 
Technology, 14(1), 47-53. 

5 Santos, J. V. L. (2021). Contingency Theories of Leadership: Effectiveness of the College Instructor’s Leadership Sty le. 

EDUCATIO: Journal of Education, 6(2), 107-113. 
6 Harackiewicz, J. M., Smith, J. L., & Priniski, S. J. (2016). Interest matters: The importance of promoting interest in 

education. Policy insights from the behavioral and brain sciences, 3(2), 220-227 
7 Renninger, K. A., & Hidi, S. E. (2015). The power of interest for motivation and engagement. Routledge. 
8 Robbins, S. B., Lauver, K., Le, H., Davis, D., Langley, R., & Carlstrom, A. (2004). Do psychosocial and study skill factors 

predict college outcomes? A meta-analysis. Psychological bulletin, 130(2), 261. 
9 McKenzie, K., & Schweitzer, R. (2001). Who succeeds at university? Factors predicting academic performance in first 

year Australian university students. Higher education research & development, 20(1), 21-33. 
10 Wallace, P., & Clariana, R. B. (2005). Perception versus reality—Determining business students’ computer literacy skills 

and need for instruction in information concepts and technology. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 4(1),  
141-151. 

11 Santos, J. V., & Gallardo, D. L. (2021). Ergonomic hazards in the workplace: Assessment, evaluation and prevention in 

the educational environment of Holy Cross College. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Analysis, 4(07). 
12 Roese, N. J., & Summerville, A. (2005). What we regret most... and why. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 

31(9), 1273-1285. 



 
 
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Interest is a powerful motivational process that energizes learning, guides academic and career 

trajectories, and is essential to academic success5. According to Robbins et al. (2004), in their meta-

analysis found that the academic-related skills have predicted students to succeed academically and 

more motivated to do well in academic environments7. Many students are disregarding these 

factors when they are considering their career path. Through this study, we are going to investigate 

the following: 1) How may the students alignment to their program be described in terms of their 

performance? 2) Is there a significant relationship between the Student's alignment to their 

program with their academic performance? 3) How can the institution help the students in 

choosing their career path that is relevant to their interests and skills? 

 The general purpose of this study is to find out how many students are enrolled in 

programs that match their interests and abilities. The researchers also wants to discover if there is 

a significant effect on their academic achievement. 

 This study will be conducted in Holy Cross College, Sta. Rosa, N.E. Inc. Each of the 

respondents is given the same questionnaire through the form to answer. The study will be 

conducted on the third-year students in different programs under Education, Business, Hospitality, 

and Computer Science. 

 However, there are some limitations to this study: the sample for this study was limited to 

third-year students enrolled in programs such as Education, Business Administration, Hospitality 

Management, and Computer Science. This course may not be appropriate for students who do not 

fit into these categories. Instead, the survey generated a number of case studies from which the 

researchers might draw conclusions. One of the reasons for the paper's weak foundation is the 

lack of previous research papers in the studied areas. 

 

METHODS 

 This study uses a quantitative, non-experimental design using a correlational approach. 

Quantitative research design is a formal, objective, systematic process in which numerical data are 

used to obtain information about the variables. It is used to describe and examine relationships 

between and among variables. Correlational research is a quantitative research approach in which 

two or more quantitative variables are from the same group of subjects. 

 The respondent in this study was selected using non-probability sampling strategy that 

included voluntary response and convenience sampling. Non-random sampling is a sampling 

method in which the sample is chosen based on criteria other than chance. The convenience of 

access is a major factor in the voluntary response sample. People volunteer themselves rather than 

the researchers selecting and physically approaching them (e.g. by responding to a public online 

survey). A convenience sample is made up of people who are most easily accessible to the 

researchers. This study's respondents were the third-year students of Holy Cross College, Sta. 

Rosa, Nueva Ecija, Inc.  

 Before conducting the study to the students, the researchers asked permission to conduct 

the survey. The researchers sent a letter and a copy of the questionnaire to Holy Cross College, 



 
 
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Sta. Rosa, N.E. Inc. asking permission to conduct a study in all the third-year college students. 

After the approval of the letter, the researchers will conduct an online survey through an closed-

ended questionnaire in the Google form and survey questionnaire. The questionnaire undergoes a 

series of approval and validity to ensure the relevance to the study.  

  

The researchers made use of a multiple-choice questionnaire to gather the necessary data 

needed. The first part of the multiple-choice questionnaire consisting of seven (7) questions was 

based on Holland's Theory on the six categories of people based on personality, interests, and 

skills. Holland found that people needing help with career decisions can be supported by 

understanding their resemblance to the following six ideal vocational personality types: Realistic, 

Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional. This test will determine what are the 

skills and interests of the students and if it’s aligned to their programs. The second part of the 

survey will be focused on the academic performance of the students. 

 In determining the alignment of the student’s interest and skills, the researchers made use 

of Holland Theory, the data was interpreted by getting the skills and interest code which compose 

of the initials of the three personality types that the respondent selected, in order, then interpret 

the results through the given table to know what programs are aligned based on their interest and 

skills. 

Table 1 – Skills and Interest with Sample Occupation 
Skills and Interest Sample Occupation Description 

Realistic • Contractor 

• Emergency medical 
technician (EMT) 

• Mechanic 

• Military career 

• Packaging engineer 
 

• Structured 

• Clear lines of authority 

• Work with things and tools 

• Casual dress 

• Focus on tangible results or 
well-thought-out goals 

Investigative • Pharmacist 

• Lab technician 

• Nanotechnologist 

• Geologist 

• College professor 

• Nonstructured 

• Research oriented 

• Intellectual 

• Work with ideas and data 

Artistic • Advertising career 

• Architect 

• Animator 

• Musician 

• Journalist 
 

• Nonstructured 

• Creative 

• Rewards unconventional and 
aesthetic approaches 

• Creation of products and ideas 

Social • Teacher 

• Geriatric counselor 

• Correctional officer 

• Coach 

• Nurse 

• Collaborative 

• Collegial 

• Work with people and on 
people-related 
problems/issues 

• Work as a team or community 

Enterprising • Sales manager 

• Banker 

• Lawyer 

• Business owner 

• Restaurant manager 

• Typical business environment 

• Results oriented 

• Driven 

• Work with people and data 

• Entrepreneurial 

• Power focused 

Conventional • Auditor 

• Insurance 

• Orderly 

• Clear rules and policies 



 
 
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underwriter 

• Bank teller 

• Office manager 

• Database 
manager 

• Consistent processes 

• Work with systems to 
manipulate and organize data 

• Control and handling of money 

  

 

The researchers used the Correlation Analysis to measure the strength of the linear 

relationship and association between students’ alignment to their program and their academic 

performance. The analysis also identify the relationship, patterns, significant connections, and 

trends between two variables. The researchers test the relationship with the use of Spearman Rank-

Ordered correlation test.  

 The Spearman Rank-Ordered Correlation, this statistical test was used to determine the 

significant relationship of two variables that are either ordinal, interval, or ratio.  Spearman's 

correlation coefficient, (ρ, also signified by rs) measures the strength and direction of association 

between two ranked variables. This is used to determine if there’s a relationship between the 

student’s programs' alignment in their interest and skills relating to their academic performance. 

The researchers separates the students aligned and those who are not to their programs and test 

their relationship to their academic performance. 

 The researchers also used the Correlation Analysis to measure the strength of the linear 

relationship and association between students’ alignment to their program and their academic 

performance. The analysis also identify the relationship, patterns, significant connections, and 

trends between two variables. 

 

RESULT AND DISCUSSION 

 
Table 2 – Demographic Profile 

Demographic Profile Percentage 

Sex Male 26.37% 

 Female 73.63% 

Senior High School Strand ABM 28.57% 

 HUMSS 6.59% 

 STEM 7.69% 

 GAS 13.19% 

 TVL 7.69% 

College Program Education 45.05% 

 Computer Science 27.47% 

 Hospitality Management 15.38% 

 Business Management 12.09% 

 

 After the tabulation of the data, 91 students from the Department of Education, Computer 

Science, Hospitality Management and Business Administration of Holy Cross College voluntarily 

participated in the study. The age of the respondents are ranging from 20 to 37 years old, most of 

the respondents are at the age of 21 (48.35%),  the lowest are at the age of 30,31,and 37 (1.09%) 

and there is no record for the age of 26 and 27. While most of them are female (73.63%) compare 

to the male (26.37%) who participate on the survey. Comparing the strand of the students from 

senior high school from ABM(28.57%), HUMSS (6.59%),STEM(7.69%), GAS (13.19%), TVL 

(7.69%) most of the respondents are from Alternative Learning System (36,36%). The dominant 

respondents who participated on the study is from the Education Department (45.05%), next to 



 
 
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the list are the from the Computer Science (27.47%), Hospitality Management (15.38%), and lastly 

the Business Management (12.09%). 

 The students were tasted if their interests and skill are aligned with their program which is 

done through the Holland Theory. The data shows that 63.73% of the students are aligned with 

their program and 36.26% from the different departments are not aligned with their program. The 

respondents were asked about their grades last semester and were computed through general 

weighted mean. The performance of the students aligned with their program resulted in a general 

weighted average of 3.53, verbally, they are having a very good performance which falls under the 

grades of 1.75-2.00. This goes the same with the students not aligned with their program, the data 

shows the general weighted average of 3.60, which still fall in the bracket of 1.75-2.00. 

 

Table 3 – Performance and Alignment Cross Tabulation 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fig. 2 Frequency of Performance with Alignment 

 
 The cross tabulation of data shows the alignment and the performance of the students, if 

we going to compare the data obtained, we can notice that students who are aligned with their 

programs mostly get very good performance rather than the students who are not aligned. In 

addition, we can observe that there are more students who have excellent performance when their 

program is aligned with their interests and skills. Although, we have 3 students with the lowest 

performance under the students aligned. The overall graphical representation shows that students 

who are aligned have a better performance than the students who are not aligned but we cannot 

disregard the data that students who are not aligned still performed well academically. 

 

Table 4 – Spearman’s Rho Correlation Coefficient 
Spearman's rho Alignment Correlation Coefficient 1.000 -0.004 

Sig. (2-tailed)   0.972 

 Performance Total 

Passing Fair Good Very Good Excellent 

Alignment Not Aligned 0 3 11 15 4 33 

Aligned 3 6 15 25 9 58 

Total 3 9 26 40 13 91 



 
 
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N 91 91 

Performance Correlation Coefficient -0.004 1.000 

Sig. (2-tailed) 0.972   

N 91 91 

 To test the relationship of the student’s academic performance with their interest and skills, 

the researchers used the Spearman Rank-Ordered Correlation, setting the margin of error at 5%, 

the critical value for rejecting the null hypothesis is 0.206. The tabulation of data shows that the 

obtained value is rs = -0.004. To reject the null hypothesis, the obtained value should be greater 

than or equal to the critical value which only means that we fail to reject our null hypothesis (rs = 

-0.004, ρ>0.05). The correlation coefficient implies a trivial or no relationship at all between the 

alignment and self-assessed performance of the students. 

 

CONCLUSION 

 Upon analyzing the data, most of the students studying at Holy Cross College in the 

Department of Education, Business Administration, Hospitality Management, and Computer 

Science are aligned with their program. Regardless of their alignment with their skills and interests, 

students can have a very good performance academically in their chosen programs. In terms of 

relationship, we fail to reject our null hypothesis, which suggest that there is no relationship 

between the performance of the students and their alignment to their programs. 

 In conclusion, the interests and skills of the students have no relationship to their academic 

performance, whether their aligned or not to their chosen program. 

 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

 The study shows that even if the interest and skills of students are not aligned with their 

chosen program, they can still attained a good performance. So if you are someone who thinks 

that your skills and interest are not aligned with your desired program, you can try and pursue what 

you love. 

 Should the future researchers desire to study the interest and skills of the student's 

alignment to their programs, the researchers suggests another survey technique in getting the 

performance of the students and have an additional interpretation to test the alignment of the 

programs. In addition, the future researchers should include all the programs to further expand 

the coverage of the data, the sampling method should be more specific and the location of the 

study should be more accessible to the researchers. The researchers also suggests finding more 

related literature and theory to support the study. 

 

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