by:RUSSEL ANGOT
Preferred Pastime Activities of Junior High School Students of Southern Christian College
Sean B. Apostol, Princess Kate T. Bersaldo, Russel S. Angot, Annaliza D. Barat
Abstract. This research aimed to know the preferred pastime activities of the junior high school students, both inside and outside the school premises, and to gather relevant data regarding the their preferred pastime activities. Specifically, it determined the following: preferred pastime activities per year level in junior high school at home or every weekend and at school, effects of their pastime activities to their behavior and personality and the most common pastime activities among the respondents.
The study used the descriptive research design. Respondents of the study were consisted of sixty (60) junior high school students of Southern Christian College in Midsayap, Cotabato during the second semester of school year 2016-2017. Pertinent data were obtained from the responses of the respondents. The statistical tools used was descriptive statistics such as percentile and rank.
The major research findings are briefly stated as follows. The most common pastime activities at home are: surfing the net with 63.33% of the total respondents, watching television with 56.67%, and sleeping with 53.33%. Meanwhile, the most common pastime activities at school are: playing/talking with classmates/schoolmates with 76.67% of the total respondents, followed by eating at the cafeteria/students’ center/street food area with 28.33% which has a far gap with the first one, and sleeping inside the classroom with 21.67%. The effects of their pastime activities are as follows. The top three negative effects are: forgetting to do school assignments/requirements, becoming lazy, and forgetting to eat on time. The top three positive effects are: becoming more active, becoming more responsible and improvement of cognitive skills.
The researchers concluded that: they are a generation that are having pastime activities with less physical activities. Even at school, the respondents are still having less physical activities. Forgetting to do their assignments and requirements doesn’t affect the respondents to become responsible. Moreover, having less physical activities, doesn’t affect the respondents to become active. There are still other factors that can affect them for being responsible and active. The generation of teenagers nowadays that are the same age with the respondents are more likely active in terms of technology and not in to playing board games, playing traditional games and gardening when they are at their homes or every weekends. In addition, they spend more time playing/talking with classmates/schoolmates rather than playing board games, traditional games and outdoor games when they are in school.
Introduction. Teenagers nowadays are active in different activities such as pastime activities. Due to the developing and evolving society, the interest of teenagers have changed, and most of them are more on technology. According to Drzewicka and Wojciechowska (2016), nowadays, teenagers have changed in comparison with the teen in the past, taking into account eating habits, an active way of life spending free time and clothes. They are a “technology” generation. For teens in today’s world mobile phones, internet, music, movies, television and video games are very important. Apart from that, they are happier mingling with friends during free time for their pastime. Teenagers need free time to explore their own interest, be with friends or just unwind (Raising Children Network, 2016).
In the Philippines, teenagers are engaged in different kinds of pastime activities, whether through technology or through their natural environment. Some of these pastime activities are traveling with friends, window shopping, watching movies, etc. Unlike younger children, teenagers do not listen as much to parents. They are conditioned by their environment, listen more to their peers, and are eager to be recognized as independent adults. Unfortunately they are halvstrak (half-strong), the German’s term for the adolescent age. They are endangered species – specially the Filipino teenagers (Soliven, 2015)
At Southern Christian College, a private Christian school run by the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), teenagers are playing with friends, staying at the cafeteria, or staying at the library during free time. These teenagers are more engaged in their natural environment during free time when they are in school premises.
METHODOLOGY
Research Design. The descriptive method was used to achieve the objectives of this study. This method described a present condition which in this study was the preferred pastime activities of junior high school students of Southern Christian College.
Research Locale. This study was conducted at Southern Christian College (SCC), Midsayap, Cotabato. SCC is a private Christian educational institution that is run by United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP).
Respondents. The respondents of this study was composed of sixty junior high school students. There were fifteen from Grade-7, fifteen from Grade-8, fifteen from Grade-9, and fifteen from Grade-10. They were selected through quota and convenience sampling.
Research Instrument. The survey questionnaire was used to elicit the data needed in this study. The questions knew the preferred pastime activities of junior high school students of Southern Christian College.
Data-Gathering Procedure. The data was drawn from sixty junior high school students of Southern Christian College. Each respondent was asked to answer the questionnaire.
Data Analysis Procedure. The data was analyzed using statistical analysis and was presented in themes.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Table 1.1
Preferred Pastime Activities of the Respondents at Home or Every Weekend
| PASTIME ACTIVITIES | Year Level and Number of Respondents | TOTAL | % | |||
| G-7 | G-8 | G-9 | G-10 | |||
| Watching television | 5 | 13 | 7 | 9 | 34 | 56.67 |
| Surfing the net | 8 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 38 | 63.33 |
| Playing board games | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Playing outdoor games | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 20 |
| Playing traditional games | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Hanging out with friends | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 23.33 |
| Gardening | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3.33 |
| Cooking | 1 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 21.67 |
| Sleeping | 2 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 32 | 53.33 |
| Others | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 8.33 |
Table 1.1 shows that the most preferred pastime activity of the respondents at home or every weekend is surfing the net with 63.33% of the total respondents. It is followed by watching television with 56.67% of the total respondents. Sleeping is the third preferred with 53.33% of the total respondents. The rest were the least preferred which includes playing board games, playing traditional games, and gardening.
Table 1.2
Preferred Pastime Activities of the Respondents at School
| PASTIME ACTIVITIES | Year Level and Number of Respondents | TOTAL | % | |||
| G-7 | G-8 | G-9 | G-10 | |||
| Playing/talking with classmates/schoolmates | 8 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 46 | 76.67 |
| Eating at the cafeteria/students’ center/street food area | 4 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 28.33 |
| Reading books inside the library | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 18.33 |
| Making requirements | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
| Reading books outside the library | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8.33 |
| Sleeping inside the classroom | 0 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 21.67 |
| Playing board games | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.67 |
| Playing outdoor games | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Playing traditional games | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.67 |
| Others | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
Table 1.2 shows that the most preferred pastime activity of the respondents at school is playing/talking with classmates/schoolmates with 63.33% of the total respondents. It is followed by eating at the cafeteria/students’ center/street food area which has a far gap from the first one with 28.33% of the total respondents. Sleeping inside the classroom is the third preferred with 21.67% of the total respondents. The rest were the least preferred which includes making requirements, reading books outside the library, playing outdoor games, playing board games, and playing traditional games.
Table 1.1 and 1.2 correlates with the study of Healthy Families BC (2014) that all teenagers are different and like to do different things. Many like to spend their free time with friends, shopping, going to parties, using the computer for games or other online activities, social networking, texting, watching movies, reading and going to the beach or park.
Table 2.1
Common Pastime Activities of the Respondents at Home or Every Weekend
| PASTIME ACTIVITIES | TOTAL | % |
| Surfing the net | 38 | 63.33 |
| Watching television | 34 | 56.67 |
| Sleeping | 32 | 53.33 |
Table 2.1 presents that out of the preferred pastime activities of the respondents at home or every weekend, the common are surfing the net with 38 or 63.33% of the total respondents, watching television with 34 or 56.67% of the total respondents and sleeping with 32 or 53.33% of the total respondents.
The research correlates on the study of Sienasmec (2015) that social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube are the top most profiles used especially by teenagers and young adult. It is just followed by watching television because, according to Library Index (n.d.), some parents claim teens watch too much television. Meanwhile, sleeping is also common among the respondents because according to Michelle (2011), sleeping is frequently pastime of most Filipino people, they love to sleep especially when the weather is cold and rainy.
Table 2.2
Common Pastime Activities of the Respondents at School
| PASTIME ACTIVITIES | TOTAL | % |
| Playing/talking with classmates/schoolmates | 46 | 76.67 |
| Eating at the cafeteria/students’ center/street food area | 17 | 28.33 |
| Sleeping inside the classroom | 13 | 21.67 |
Table 2.2 shows that out of the preferred pastime activities of the respondents at school, the common are playing/talking with classmates/schoolmates with 46 or 76.67% of the total respondents, eating at the cafeteria/students’ center/street food area with 17 or 28.33% of the total respondents which is far from the first one and sleeping inside the classroom with 13 or 21.67% of the total respondents.
As what Drzewicka and Wojciechowska (2016) said, nowadays, teenagers have changed in comparison with the teen in the past, taking into account eating habits, an active way of life spending free time and clothes. The youth of today go to different places, enjoying their coffee and donuts in some fancy coffee shop or having their lunch at a famous restaurant, and tend to imitate some characters from different foreign films (Lazaro, 2012). Meanwhile, sleeping is also common among the respondents because according to Michelle (2011), sleeping is frequently pastime of most Filipino people, they love to sleep especially when the weather is cold and rainy.
Table 3.1
Negative Effects of the Respondents’ Pastime Activities to their Behavior and Personality
| NEGATIVE EFFECTS | Year Level and Number of Respondents | TOTAL | % | |||
| G-7 | G-8 | G-9 | G-10 | |||
| I forgot to do my school assignments/requirements | 9 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 36 | 60 |
| I forgot to do my household chores | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 21.67 |
| I forgot to eat on time | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 19 | 31.67 |
| I forgot to have my personal hygiene | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8.33 |
| I disobey my parents | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
| Becoming unfaithful | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3.33 |
| Becoming lazy | 4 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 23 | 38.33 |
| Becoming rude | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Less social interactions | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Showing disrespect to others | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6.67 |
Table 3.1 shows that the highest number of negative effects among the respondents is forgetting to do their school assignments/requirements with 60% of the total respondents. It is followed by becoming lazy with a far gap from the first one with 38.33% of the total respondents. Forgetting to eat on time is the third in the list which has a close gap from becoming lazy with 31.67% of the total respondents.
This affirms the study that texting, instagraming and facebooking has turned the children into a generation of mindless drones who can only interact when they’re behind a keyboard, earpiece, speaker or headset–anything else is just too scary (Torres, 2015). Because there are factors from technology that hinders the youth’s intellectual growth like video games, social networking sites and other online activities (Tisha, 2013).
Table 3.2
Positive Effects of the Respondents’ Pastime Activities to their Behavior and Personality
| POSITIVE EFFETCS | Year Level and Number of Respondents | TOTAL | % | |||
| G-7 | G-8 | G-9 | G-10 | |||
| Becoming more active | 6 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 23 | 38.33 |
| Becoming more responsible | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 23 | 38.33 |
| Becoming more helpful | 4 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 17 | 28.33 |
| Becoming aware of the current issues | 1 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 18 | 30 |
| Improvement of social skills | 1 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 25 |
| Improvement of cognitive skills | 2 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 19 | 31.67 |
| Able to determine right and wrong | 3 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 18 | 30 |
| Showing empathy | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6.67 |
| Good performance in school | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6.67 |
| Able to multitask | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 13.33 |
Table 3.2 shows that the highest number of positive effects among the respondents is becoming more active with 38.33% of the total respondents. It is followed by becoming more responsible which has the same number of respondents from the first one with 38.33% of the total respondents. Improvement of cognitive skills is next in line which is close from the previews one with 31.67% of the total respondents.
The results correlates with the literature that there are also a lot of positive benefits that come from social media and the internet for teenagers. For a lot of people wherein social media is an outlet for thoughts that they are able to share with their peers. Websites where you can interact with others your age means a lot to teenagers because it is a form of self-expression. As we begin to get older it is very important to know who you are and what you want to do with your life, through social media you can easily find this out (Crawford et al., 2015).
Moreover, in the age of the New Media and exponential technological advancements, we have the capacity to do more, reach more people, and act earlier – but the caveat is that we must use these resources responsibly (Sebastian, A., 2014).
CONCLUSION
- The top pastime activities of the respondents at home or every weekend are surfing the net, watching television and sleeping that needs less physical actions. This shows that teenagers who are in the same age with the respondents are more engaged in social medias in the world wide web like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and the like. Meanwhile, playing traditional games (e.g. tumbang preso and patintero), playing outdoor games (e.g. basketball and volleyball) and gardening that needs more physical action are the least preferred. Therefore this demonstrates that they are a generation that are having pastime activities with less physical activities.
- The top pastime activity of the respondents at school is talking with classmates/schoolmates. Followed by eating at the cafeteria/students’ center/street food area and sleeping inside the classroom which is having a far gap with the first one. Still, playing outdoor games and traditional games are their least preferred. This shows that even at school, the respondents are still having less physical activities.
- Due to their preferred pastime activities, they forgot to do their school assignments/requirements which is the top negative effect for them. Meanwhile the top positive effects that they get from their pastime activities are becoming more active and becoming more responsible. This shows that even though they forgot to do their school assignments/requirements they still become more responsible. And even though they are having less physical activities, they still become more active. Therefore, the researchers concluded that forgetting to do their assignments and requirements doesn’t affect the respondents to become responsible. Moreover, having less physical activities, doesn’t affect the respondents to become active. There are still other factors that can affect them for being responsible and active.
- The generation of teenagers nowadays that are the same age with the respondents are more likely active in terms of technology and not in to playing board games, playing traditional games and gardening when they are at their homes or every weekends.
- In addition, they spend more time playing/talking with classmates/schoolmates rather than playing board games, traditional games and outdoor games when they are in school.
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