LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND TEACHER-PUPIL RELATIONSHIP: ITS INFLUENCE TO THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF THEGRADES FOUR AND FIVE PUPILS OF SAN AGUSTIN

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

RUTH A. BILLONESPAUL C. COLEGIO

MARIA ASUNCION LIZA B. DOÑA

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS PROPOSAL PRESENTED TO THE EDUCATIONDEPARTMENT OF SAN AGUSTIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY VALENCIA CITY, BUKIDNON IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT

OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF

BACHELOR IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION(BEED)

INTRODUCTION

Children deserved to be educated either send into

private or public schools, because, through education, the

child will gain new information which lead them to improve

their lives. According to John Dewey, “Education is not a

preparation for life but education is a matter of life,

growth and reconstruction of experience. It is an important

tool to a man’s thinking.”

Learning environment acts an important role in the

development for school-aged children. Pupils’ experiences

within the classroom help develop their behavioral, social,

and academic skills. The quality of the interaction that

pupils have with their teachers predicts later academic

success (Pianta, Steinberg & Rollins, 1995).

According to some researchers that the structures of

the school building that have less motivating factor would

not elevate the performance of the teacher and its influence

on the academic achievement of the children. The classrooms

should be properly elevated so as to a requirement of the

building code of the institutional building, concerning also

for the safety and sanitation of the occupants. Ineffective

ventilation systems lead to poor health among learners as

well as to teachers, which lead to poor performance and

higher absentee rates (Frazier, 2002; Lyons, 2001; and

Osendorf, 2001) these factors can adversely affect learner’s

behavior and lead to higher levels of frustration among

teachers and poor learning attitude among learners.

The San Agustin Institute of Technology has some of

these variables. Hence, the learning environment remains an

important area that should study and well managed to enhance

the pupil’s academic achievement. The school may have not or

have met the appropriate kind of environment but the

researchers still need to study because of their building

situation and the availability of its convenience for the

teachers and pupils.

In view on these circumstances, the researchers are

motivated to conduct a study in San Agustin Institute of

Technology Grade School Department on the Learning

Environment and Teacher-Pupil Relationship; Its Influence to

the Academic Achievement of Grade Four and Grade Five Pupils

of San Agustin Institute of Technology.

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this study is to determine the learning

environment and teacher pupil-relationship; its influence to

the academic achievement of the grades four and five pupils

of San Agustin Institute of Technology.

Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following

questions:

1) What is the demographic profile of the respondents?

a. Age

b. Gender

c. Rank in the family

d. General average

2) What is the influence of the learning environment to the

academic achievement of the grades four and five pupils?

a) Classroom condition

b) Classroom layout

c) Classroom arrangement and rules

d) School facilities

3) How do teacher-pupil relationship affect the academic

achievements of grades four and five pupils in terms of:

a) Teacher’s experience

b) Parent’s involvement

c) Teacher’s qualification

d) Teacher’s competence

4) What is the relationship between learning environment and

teacher-pupil relationship regarding on their academic

achievement?

5) Is there an effect of a good classroom environment and

teacher-pupil relationship on pupils’ academic

achievement?

Objectives of the Study

The present study seeks to determine the learning

environment and teacher-pupil relationship; it’s influence

to the academic achievement of the grades four and five of

San Agustin Institute of technology.

The study aimed:

1) To determine the demographic profile of the respondents

in terms of:

a. Age

b. Gender

c. Rank in the family

d. General average

2) To find out the influence of classroom environment on

the academic achievement of the grades four and five pupils

in terms of:

a) Classroom condition

b) Classroom layout

c) Classroom arrangement and rules

d) School facilities

3) To determine the influence of teacher-pupil relationship

on the academic performance of grades four and five

pupils in terms of:

b) Teacher’s experience

c) Parent’s involvement

d) Teacher’s qualification

e) Teacher’s competence

4) To find out the influence between learning environment

and teacher-pupil relationship to the academic achievement

of the pupils.

5) To assess the significant relationship of a good

classroom environment and teacher-pupil relationship on

their academic achievement.

Significance of the Study

This study will be conducted in order to determine the

learning environment and teacher-pupil relationship: its

influence to the academic achievement of grades four and

five pupils of San Agustin Institute of Technology. The

study provides a valuable reference for other schools to

reflect upon the school environment.

This study will provide useful data and information on

the effect of learning environment of the school on the

academic achievement of pupils for the future development of

the school.

Scope and limitation of the Study

This study will focus on the academic achievement of

the Grades Four and Five pupils of San Agustin Institute of

Technology for the school year 2013-2014, identify whether

the learning environment and teacher-pupil relationship has

an effect on the academic performance of the pupils.

The study will be delimited to the academic achievement

of grades four and five pupils of San Agustin Institute of

Technology for the school year 2013-2014 in Valencia City,

Bukidnon. Random Sampling procedure was being used in

selecting the respondents of the study. There are 52

respondents, 28 of which will be coming from the Grade Four

Pupils, 24 will be coming from the Grade Five Pupils. The

reliability of the data that has been gathered was solely

made by the researchers.

THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK

Review of Related Literature and Studies

The review of the literature for this study presents factors

affecting the learning environment and teacher-pupil

relationship; its influence to the academic achievement of

grades four and five pupils of San Agustin Institute of

Technology.

A. Socio Economic Profile

Age

It is believed that there is wisdom in age. This is

because of the vast accumulation of knowledge that an

individual has in his youth during his middle life of

education. Shein (1987) purported that with advancing age,

involvement becomes more meaningful for active participation

and less meaningful for inactive involvement in community

affairs. Gapuz (1977) states that the younger students have

higher IQ’s than the higher IQ’s individual have academic

performance of people and influences their behavior.

The phenomena that older children in a school cohort

take advantage of their physical and mental maturity is

called the relative age effect in the developmental

psychology, literature and it is widely con rmed infi

education performance and sports Age also can affect the

language development of individual. The critical period

studies usually focused on adult-child difference and

suggested that the younger learners, still operating within

the critical period, should be superior learners. However,

studies of oral languages skill acquisition by children of

different ages has led to the conclusion that, initially,

older children acquire faster than younger children. Ervin-

Tripp (1974), found that in the first year of study, 11 to

15 years old were significantly better at acquiring English

as a second language than 6 to 10 years old in

pronunciation, morphology and syntax.

Religion

Children usually acquire the religious views of

their parents, although they may also be influenced by

others they communicate with such as peers and teachers.

Aspects of this subject include rites of passage,

education and child psychology, as well as discussion of

the moral issue of religious education of children.

Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer spoke of the subject in

19th century:" And as the capacity for believing is

strongest in childhood, special care is taken to make sure

of this tender age. This has much more to do with the

doctrines of belief taking root than threats and reports of

miracles. If, in early childhood, certain fundamental views

and doctrines are paraded with unusual solemnity, and an air

of the greatest earnestness never before visible in anything

else; if, at the same time, the possibility of a doubt about

them be completely passed over, or touched upon only to

indicate that doubt is the first step to eternal perdition,

the resulting impression will be so deep that, as a rule,

that is, in almost every case, doubt about them will be

almost as impossible as doubt about one's own

existence."(Arthur Schopenhauer, On Religion: A Dialogue)

Issues of religious beliefs has also been investigated

empirically, Barret, Richert and Priesenga (2001), who

studied ideas about God’s abilities expressed by children

from religious school and preschools. Comparison of those

ideas about with the children’s beliefs about human agency

was a step toward understanding of the effect of religious

instruction and participation. In addition, there are older

studies of the effect of the Sunday School attendance and of

Boy Scout Membership (Witman and Koise, 1964), although they

tend to focus on late school age and early adolescence.

Educational Background

The student with parents who are college graduate

obtain higher performance in school than those who had lower

educational attainment (Janeth B. Cruz) as her dissertation

concluded that the student whose parents are professionals

and employed significantly obtain higher performance than

those parents who were farmers or fulltime housewives.

Gueros (1975) found out that the higher educational

attainment of individual members of organization, the more

likely they participate in the activities of the community.

Economic Background

Varying economic statuses within classrooms can

significantly impact the dynamic between students and

teachers, and may detract from the learning environment.

Economic status affects how students interact with one

another, learn concepts, develop intellectually and relate

to authority figures.

Cliques based on economic status may form in classes.

Wealthier students are able to wear name-brand clothing and

participate in high-cost extracurricular programs, which

results in strong bonds, while those with lower economic

status may bond based on hardship and personality types.

These cliques can result in divided and tense classrooms

that compromise learning.

Some teachers may show favoritism to wealthier students

to prevent conflict with their influential parents or

because they're higher achievers, while others may give more

attention to students of lower economic status because of

behavioral issues, desire to change lives or identification

with the child's circumstances. Economic status diversity

can teach tolerance and acceptance. Over time, students from

different socioeconomic statuses can learn from each other,

become friends and overcome economic differences. Teachers

can use the existence of socioeconomic differences as an

opportunity for students to learn about demographics and

societal class issues.

If we say budget, it is a plan for the efficient use of

money, time or materials. A budget provides a plan which

helps the consumers refrain from unnecessary expenses and

forces one to set aside money for saving. It prevents the

consumers, too, from spending more than he earns and he

keeps away from getting into heavy debts due to installment

contracts and share accounts. There six heading for fairly

satisfactory budget cover important items such as: 1)

Income, 2) Savings, 3) Food, 4) Clothing, 5) Shelter, 6)

Welfare and development. In operating expenses may fall

under shelter. It includes electricity, water, fuel, ice,

telephone/cellphone, laundry, cleaning, household supplies,

and stationery and postage. Welfare and development includes

reading materials, education, medical and dental bills and

others.

B. Parent Involvement

Studies have indicated that children whose parents

and/or other significant adults share in their formal

education tend to do better in school. Some benefits that

have been identified that measure parental involvement in

education includes:

Higher grades and test scores

Long term academic achievement

Positive attitudes and behavior

More successful programs

More effective schools

All parents want their children to become successful,

caring adults. Similarly, many parents want to be involved

with the formal education of their children. Sometimes,

however, they don't know where to start, when to find the

time, or how to go about making positive connections with

the school.

At the most basic level, parents can begin encouraging

the education of their children by showing that they truly

value education themselves Pupils’ achievement and

adjustment are influenced by many people, processes and

institutions. Parents, the broader family, peer groups,

neighborhood influences, schools and other bodies (e.g.

churches, clubs) are all implicated in shaping children’s

progress towards their self-fulfillment and citizenship. The

children themselves, of course, with their unique abilities,

temperaments and propensities play a central role in forming

and reforming their behavior, aspirations and achievements.

IMPORTANCE

Students with parents who are involved in their school

tend to have fewer behavioral problems and better academic

performance, and are more likely to complete high school

than students whose parents are not involved in their

school. Positive effects of parental involvement have been

demonstrated at both the elementary and secondary levels

across several studies, with the largest effects often

occurring at the elementary level. A recent meta-analysis

showed that parental involvement in school life was more

strongly associated with high academic performance for

middle schoolers than helping with homework.

Involvement allows parents to monitor school and

classroom activities, and to coordinate their efforts with

teachers to encourage acceptable classroom behavior and

ensure that the child completes school work. Teachers of

students with highly involved parents tend to give greater

attention to those students, and they are more likely to

identify at earlier stages problems that might inhibit

student learning. Parental involvements in school, and

positive parent-teacher interactions, have also been found

to positively affect teachers’ self-perception and job

satisfaction.

Research shows that students perform better in school

if their fathers as well as their mothers are involved,

regardless of whether the father lives with the student or

not.

Increasing parental involvement in school can be

challenging, particularly when the families concerned are

economically disadvantaged, or do not have English as their

primary language.  Low-income parents’ involvement in school

may be hindered by transportation difficulties, chronic

health conditions, or conflicts with work schedules, while

parents whose primary language is not English may not feel

able to participate in school activities, or may belong to a

culture where questioning teachers is not a norm.

Schools have employed several strategies to increase

parental involvement in school, ranging from extensive

promotion of events such as “back to school” nights, to

school-based cultural events in areas with large immigrant

populations.  Large-scale initiatives, such as the community

schools movement, are also designed to increase

disadvantaged families’ involvement in school by making the

school a hub of social services for the neighborhood.

However, few studies have rigorously evaluated the effects

of such programs on parental involvement.  A recent report

from the Center for American Progress provides suggestive

evidence from studies of several successful community

schools that these types of schools positively impact

parental involvement.

C. School Facilities Assessment

The quality of a school’s environment and its

facilities has a strong influence on students’ learning.

Besides regular use in organizing and managing a school’s

activities, records of a school’s physical facilities and

material resources such as furniture and equipment can

provide data to derive many indicators for assessing the

quality of education in a school.

Schools record and report data in the annual school

census about the availability of basic facilities, such as

clean water, separate toilets, electricity, kitchen/canteen,

telephone and various other facilities and services in

school. Administrators at various levels of the education

system can use this information to evaluate the environment

and physical facilities of schools they oversee and then

prioritize and plan the upgrade or improvement of

facilities.

Teacher’s Competence

It is time now to talk much about the teachers

competence as a shelter of teacher professionalism in doing

their holy job, teaching, that has been proven from time to

time as ‘doctors of education’ and will be hoped as the

actors of changes to human development all over the world.

The belief on teacher’s competence is not a sudden event,

but it provides an axiom “without teachers, we are useless”.

This axiom reminds us all to think that teachers are certain

people who have certain competency to guide students so that

they will have certain competencies as needed wherever,

whenever, and however they are and whatever they will do.

(TEACHER’S COMPETENCE AND STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT, Anselmus

Sahan Lecturer of Writing and Literature Timor University,

Kefamenanu, Timor, East Nusa Tenggara Province)

Teachers should be updated with new trends of

education. As mentors, the teachers are required to attend

educational seminars and conferences for teachers. This will

improve the classroom instruction and classroom management.

This will give points also for them whenever they aspire for

better and higher position. Every teacher shall participate

in the professional education and shall pursue such other

studies that will improve his efficiency, enhance the

prestige of the profession and strengthen his competitive

virtues, productivity in order to be nationally competitive.

Teacher’s Performance

In teaching, the professional competencies should be in

hierarchical arrangement (Sarellano, 2002). The teacher’s

base on the important role in the classroom, the teacher

should provide the condition for effective learning. The way

the students learn in the classroom usually depends on how

the teacher’s impact his/her knowledge and skills of the

subject to the learners. (Bustus and Espiritu 1985) stressed

that the teacher is a model of his student in desirable

patterns of behavior and values. As facilitator of student

learning, he/she utilizes approaches and effective teaching

methods depending in the situation that he/she encounters.

One of the strategies for effective teaching and

classroom management is cooperative learning. It results to

a higher pupil achievement increase critical thinking

skills, greater subject, better collaborative, higher self-

esteem and better relationship with teachers (Manalo 1996).

Concept of Teacher Characteristics

Ashton (1996) indicates that these characteristics

could include qualities of teachers that are viewed as

personal– such as mental ability, age, gender – or as

“experiential” – such as certification status, educational

background, previous teaching experience and the like. Some

characteristics are combinations – in unknown amounts – of

personal and experiential qualities, for example;

candidates’ performance on teacher-certification tests such

as the national teacher examinations and state-mandated

tests.

Teacher Qualification and Student Academic Achievement

Darling – Hammond (1998) defines well qualified teacher

as one who was fully certified and held the equivalent of a

major in the field being taught. Although the formal

qualification of teachers is an important indicator for

their knowledge and competence in teaching, it has only

limited utility in analyzing how well prepared teachers are

for what they have to teach in schools. More detailed

knowledge of the courses they have taken during their

training needs to be compared to the actual content and

skills required to teach the high school’s curriculum.

Ruthland& Bremer (2002) refer to teacher qualification

in two ways - traditional and alternative qualification

routes. Traditional certification is when an individual

completes an undergraduate degree or post graduate program

in education. Alternative routes of certification are based

on coursework in pedagogy and subject area without a degree

in education.

Hardy & Smith (2006) cite short term activities such as

mentoring, peer evaluations and workshops as ways other than

formal qualifications for improving teaching. More often

graduates teachers with first degree content go into

teaching if they cannot find another job right away.

Although they often get somewhat lower salary than a fully

qualified teacher; they choose not to enroll in the one year

post- graduate professional training and therefore lack a

basic foundation for teaching.

Huang & Moon (2009) documents that teacher

qualification accounted for approximately 40 to 60 percent

of the variance in average of students’ achievement in

assessment. Richardson (2008) reveals that students in urban

areas performed better than those in rural areas. The

researcher suggests that the availability of enough

qualified teachers must have been a determinant for

students’ performance. However, in Kenya, some schools in

the rural areas have performed better than their urban

counterparts (Owoeye&Yara, 2011).

Maundu (1986) concludes that there was significant

correlation between teacher qualification and pupil

performance in Kenya. The good performance was attributed to

excellent instructions given by qualified teachers in

addition to other inputs. Maundu (1986) establishes that

teachers who had graduated from Kenya Science Teachers

College were more practically oriented than those who had

degrees from public universities.

Wilson et al. (2001) suggest that even with the

shortcomings of current teacher education and licensing,

fully prepared and certified teaches are more successful

with students than teachers without this preparation. Ashton

(1996) notes that teachers with regular state certification

receive higher supervisor ratings and student achievement

than teachers who do not meet standards, but this

observation was based on data with virtually no statistical

controls having been imposed. In spite of the quantity of

research on the benefits of teacher certification for

student learning, little of the past research exercised

controls over student “inputs” that would give the critical

reader confidence in the findings.

Laczko & Berliner (2001) assert that the impact of

certification status on student achievement in two large

urban school districts in the United States of America.

These school districts provided information about teachers

hired for the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 school years.

Information included the school where they were currently

teaching, the grade level taught, the teacher’s

certification status, highest degree earned, date and

institution where it was achieved, age, and number of years

teaching experience. It has been evidenced that in many

countries, teacher qualifications that are considered to be

related to student learning have become desirable targets of

teacher education reform. Some of these reforms call for the

professionalization of teacher education by making it

longer, upgrading it to graduate programs, and regulating it

through mechanisms of licensure, certification, and

promotion aligned with standards (Darling-Hammond et

al.,2001; 2002). Findings related to teachers' academic

degrees (for example; bachelors or masters among others) are

inconclusive. Some studies suggest positive effects of

advanced degrees (Rice, 2003; Wayne &Youngs, 2003).

Teacher Experience and Student Academic Achievement

Teacher experience has a significant effect on pupil

performance in primary schools and at upper secondary level.

Experienced teachers have a richer background of experience

to draw from and can contribute insight and ideas to the

course of teaching and learning, are open to correction and

are less dictatorial in classroom. Teachers’ experience and

student achievement was that students taught by more

experienced teachers achieve at a higher level, because

their teachers have mastered the content and acquired

classroom management skills to deal with different types of

classroom problems (Gibbons et al., 1997). Furthermore, more

experienced teachers are considered to be more able to

concentrate on the most appropriate way to teach particular

topics to students who differ in their abilities, prior

knowledge and backgrounds (Stringfield&Teddlie, 1991).

Teachers attendance of in – service training are one of the

indicators of experience.

Teachers’ motives to attend in-service training can be

manifold e.g. increase in salary, career planning, keeping

up with developments, filling in lacunae, removing

insecurity and meeting colleagues. In the Science Education

Project in South Africa (SEP), the objectives were mainly

formulated by the developers after having consulted various

experts who had experience with Education in Africa. The

teachers in this program had been and did not have any

experience with practical work. Only in a later stage of

their in-service training course they had a better idea of

the possible content and methods, did formulating objectives

of their own lessons become part of the program (Fullan,

1992). Therefore, the more the teachers know about students,

the better the teachers can connect with them and the more

likely they will be able to benefit from the teachers’

experience in reconstructing their world. The knowledge that

teachers need about students in order to connect with them

is gained through interaction. For many reasons, measuring

the real impact of experience on a teacher’s effectiveness

is complex, more so than measuring any other teacher

attribute. Consequently, many well-constructed research

attempts to interpret the relationship between experience

and effectiveness have produced varying results that reveal

no particular pattern.

Murnane (1996) found that teacher effectiveness

improves rapidly over the first three years of teaching and

reaches its highest point between the third and fifth year

but found no substantial improvement after year five. In

contrast, a small number of studies suggest that teacher

experience effects may be evident for a longer period of

time. Murnane & Phillips (1981) state that experience

had a significant positive effect on elementary student

achievement among teachers during their first seven years of

teaching. Ferguson (1991) reveals that at the high school

level, students taught by teachers with more than nine years

of experience had significantly higher test scores than

students whose teachers had five to nine years of

experience. Rivers & Sanders (2002) suggest that teacher’

effectiveness increases dramatically each year during the

first ten years of teaching”. In the extreme case,

Clotfelter et al., (2007) found evidence of growing teacher

effectiveness out to 20 or more years in their analyses of

North Carolina teacher data, although more than half of the

gains in teacher effectiveness occurred during the first few

years of teaching. Stronge et al. (2007) assert a positive

relationship between teachers' verbal ability and composite

student achievement, verbal ability has been considered an

indicator of teacher quality. The basic logic is that

teachers rely on talk to teach (explaining, questioning, and

providing directions). What verbal ability means and how to

II. Personal FactorStudy HabitsAttitudesParents InvolvementClassroom ConditionClassroom Lay-outClassroomArrangement and

I. Demographic profile ofthe respondents

AgeGenderRank in the familyEducational

Background

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OFGRADES FOUR AND FIVEPUPILS OF SAN AGUSTININSTITUTE IF TECHNOLOGY

measure it, it turns out, are not straightforward. Lai

(2011) measured teachers' verbal ability with a 30-item

sentence completion test. Thus, though talk about the

importance of teachers' verbal ability persists, it is not a

strong measure of teacher quality.

Schematic Diagram

Independent Variables

Dependent Variable

III. Teacher FactorTeacher’s experienceTeacher’s

qualificationTeacher’s Competence

Figure 1. Schematic Diagram showing the relationship between

the independent and dependent variables on the learning

environment and teacher-pupil relationship; its influence to

the academic achievement of grades four and five pupils of

San Agustin Institute of Technology

Definition of Terms

Academic Achievement. Refers to the student scholastic

achievement or accomplishment.

Classroom Rules. The governing procedures or conditions

in a classroom.

IV. Teacher-pupil Relationship

Classroom Management. It is the techniques teachers use

to maintain control in the classroom.

Classroom Condition. It is the condition of the

classroom.

Demographic Profile. Refers to the personal factor of

the respondents.

Education. The process of arguing knowledge, attitude

and skills, value and other human qualities through

education or informal education.

Educational Background. The highest educational

attainment of the parents.

Open Communication. When an individual on equal conditions

with a transparent relation between cost and pricing is able to

obtain access to and share communication resources on one level

to provide value added services on another level in layered

communication system architecture.

Learning Environment. Refers to the environment that helps

to develop the pupils learning.

Parents Involvement. Refers to the parents that can support

their children for schooling.

School Facilities. A collection of buildings used to

provide educational programs for students. These facilities

provide students or pupils with a place to learn that is

under the direction of teachers.

Study Habits. The regular tendencies and practices that

one depicts during the process of gaining information through

learning. Your study habits play a big role in determining your

success in the learning process.

Teacher’s Experience. Refers to the experience of the

teacher in teaching.

Teacher-pupil relationship. It is the ability of the teacher

in dealing students.

Theoretical framework

The study is anchored on to the theory of Vygotsky

(1962) which stated examined how our social environments

influence the learning process. He suggested that learning

takes place through the interaction pupils have with their

peers, teachers, and other experts. Consequently, teachers

can create a learning environment that maximizes the

learner’s ability to interact with each other through

discussion, collaboration, and feedback. Moreover, Vygotsky

(1962) argues that culture is the primary determining factor

for knowledge construction. We learn through this cultural

lens by interacting with others and following the rules,

skills, and abilities shaped by our culture.

Learning Theories of Classroom Environment

Complex yet accessible relationships occurring in the

classroom enrich the mental processes of young students.

When the children reflect on their environment, they

instinctively classify experiences according to both

individual personality and the surrounding culture.

(Gardner, 1982)

The nature versus nurture argument has going on

forever, with some finding nature, our genetic make-up, to

have greater influence on personality, learning and

individual abilities than nurture, or the environment around

us. Psychologists, philosophers, doctors and educators all

have weighed in on which has dominance, but the debate still

goes on. There is still to be a determination on whether

nature or nurture reigns.

The environment encompasses all things around the

individual that has influence or offers an impression. Young

children are greatly inspired and motivated, as well as

deterred, by the environment around them.  Not only does

this include how furniture is arranged in the home or

classroom, but peer pressure and interactions with others.

And, the general environment has greater influence on

development and learning of the young mind than some might

think.

The Environmentalist Learning Theory

Environmentalist learning theory is the understanding

that the child’s environment shapes learning and behavior.

It is also thought that behavior and learning are reactions

to the environment. This perspective encourages families,

schools, and educators to understand the child develops and

learns new skills in reaction to items she finds around her.

Psychologists such as Albert Bandura found through

observational learning, that the young child will observe

and copy behaviors of others, leading to decision-making

skills and development.

Another that finds the environment as an important

factor in learning and development of the young mind

includes Julian B. Rotter. His social learning concept

focused on the idea that personality represents

an interaction of the individual with his or her

environment. Along with taking into consideration the

individual’s reaction to the environment, the individual’s

experience plays a role, too. The combination of the

environment, the individual, and her reaction encourages

behavior and learning.

Creating an Environment

When the child is in an environment not conducive to

learning, she will not learn to her best abilities. When the

environment is altered to encourage greater learning, her

educational opportunities increase. Whether in the home or

classroom, creating an environment conducive and supportive

of learning aids in the young mind’s evolution to greater

knowledge.

METHODOLOGY

Locale of the Study

The study will be conducted at the Grades four and five

pupils at San Agustin Institute of Technology, Valencia

City, Bukidnon. San Agustin Institute of Technology catholic

priest assigned in Valencia, Bukidnon.

The school has at present offered a complete grade

school, high school, and college department.

Research Design

Descriptive comparative research design will be

employed to attain the objectives of the study through the

use of percentages, frequency counts and rank orders.

Respondents of the Study

The respondents of the study will be the Grades four

and five pupils of San Agustin Institute of Technology. We

will be able to obtain the population of the grade school

department from the principals and registrar’s office. There

will be 27 selected grade four pupils and 28 selected grade

five pupils to answer the prepared questionnaire.

Sampling Procedure

The respondents of the study will be determined after

the identification of number of pupils based on records

available from the principal’s office. We will use random

sampling procedure.

Research Instrument

The study will make use of researchers-made

questionnaires.

The questionnaires will be divided into four (4) parts.

The first part comprises the demographic profile of the

students. The second part comprises the learning environment

of the pupils. The third part of the questionnaire comprises

the teacher factor and the last part comprises the teacher-

pupil relationship that affect the academic achievement of

the pupils.

Administration of the Instrument

The researchers will wrote letters address to the grade

school principal of San Agustin Institute of Technology for

the approval on the conduct of the study. Another letter

will be made for the class adviser of the respondents as

well to the parents.

Scoring Procedure

In scoring the responses of the research questionnaire,

numerical values were assigned to each response as follows:

5- Always

4- Often

3- Sometimes

2- Rarely

1- Never

The following limits with corresponding qualitative

description were used to describe the academic performance

of the subject respondents in relation to the variables used

in the study.

This numerical, boundary limits was adopted from the

Garret (1966).

Table 1. Scoring Procedure Showing the Boundary Limits.

ScaleLimits

Qualitative

Description

5 4.24-5.04 Always

4 3.34-4.23 Often

3 2.62-3.42 Sometimes

2 1.81-2.61 Rarely

1 1-1.8 Never

Statistical Treatment

The researchers will use the descriptive statistics

such as frequency and percentage, weighted mean, Pearson r-

Correlation Coefficient, and Multiple Regulation. To

determine the academic achievement of grades four and five

pupils of San Agustin Institute of Technology.