Aklan State University

College of Teacher Education

Banga, Aklan

Effect of Relationship Status on Academic Performance

In Partial Fulfillment 
 of the Requirements for 

EDUC 103 - Methods of Research 1

Submitted by: 


Gemma M. Fernandez

MAEd-Mathematics

Submitted to: Dr. Celedonia Hilario

Professor

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This
commitment

research and output

dedication

is of the the product

of

researcher.

invested

Hence,

the

author wishes to express thanks to the following people who helped tremendously

for

the

completion

of

the

research

study.
Special thanks to Dr. Celedonia Hilario for sharing her vast wisdom and knowledge in the field of research and for creating opportunities such as this for the researcher to enhance her skills.
The researcher also wishes to express her gratitude to the Tourism students who gave their time to respond to the questionnaire. Last

and

most

importantly,

the

researcher

deeply

appreciates her family for the unwavering support in all her endeavors.
With all sincerity, thank you.

G. M. F.


!i

ABSTRACT
An important concern for parents and students alike is whether getting into a relationship would hinder or inspire students in their education. This study was conducted to determine whether being in a relationship has a significant effect on a student's academic performance.
The study was conducted from August to September 2015.
The questionnaire method was used to survey 147 2nd year to
4th

year

BS

Tourism

—

College

University

Management of students

Hospitality

and

of

Aklan

Rural

State

Resource

Management. Respondents were divided into two groups: in a relationship and not in a relationship, and their grades were compared

using

statistical

tools

such

as

mean,

variance, standard deviation.
While the arithmetic mean of grades of the two groups initially show that students in a relationship performed a little better

academically,

independent

means

difference

revealed

between

the

that

academic

results

of

t-test

there

no

significant

is

performance

of

the

of

two

groups, and thus the researcher concludes that being in a relationship does

not

affect

a

student's

academic

performance.

!ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgment
Abstract
Table of Contents
List of Tables

i ii iii iv List of Figures

v

Chapter 1

1

Introduction
Background of the Study

1

Statement of the Problem

1

Significance of the Study

2

Scope and Limitations of the study

3

Chapter II

5

Review of Related Literature
Chapter III

7

Methodology
Research Design

7

Locale of the Study

7

Respondents of the study

8

Sampling Technique

8

Research Instrument

9

Data Gathering Procedure

9

Data Analysis
Chapter IV

10
11

Presentation, Analyses and Interpretation of Data
Chapter V

15

Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation
Summary of findings

15

Conclusions

16

Recommendations

16

References

17

!iii

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Descriptive Statistics of Data Gathered

12

!iv

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Profile of the Respondents

10

Figure 2. Academic performance based on relationship status

11

!v

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Since
warned

time

immemorial,

students

relationship, girlfriend of

the

reasoning

acts

as

a

parents

dangers that and

of

getting

having

distraction

teachers

a

have

into

boyfriend

from

a

a or student's

responsibility, which is to study well.
On the other hand, some students say that having a relationship inspires them to study harder and do better at school. Having a boyfriend or girlfriend might also have the beneficial

effect

of

having

someone

to

support

the

student emotionally and financially.
This study helps answer the question of whether there is indeed

a

significant

difference

in

the

academic

performance of students who are in a relationship vis-a-vis those who are not.

Statement of the Problem
Generally, the study aimed to determine the effect of a relationship status to a student's academic performance.
Specifically, the study aimed to answer the following questions: !1

1. What

is

the

mean

grade

point

average

(GPA)

of

(GPA)

of

students who are in a relationship?
2. What

is

the

mean

grade

point

average

students who are not in a relationship?
3. Is there a significant difference between the grade point average of students who are in a relationship and the grade point average of students who are not in a relationship?

Significance of the Study
The results of the study will be of high importance to the following:
Students: It is essential for students to understand the consequences of becoming involved in a relationship if they are in their early years of college. The findings of the study will guide students to make better decisions on whether to engage in a relationship or not.
Parents: As the individuals most concerned about their children's education, the findings of the study will better inform the parents of the benefits or risks of allowing their children to have a romantic relationship.

!2

Teachers: The findings of the study will help teachers guide students

on

how

to

manage

their

studies

and

relationships at the same time.
School Administrators: The results of the study might serve as

basis

for

school

administrators

to

formulate

policies regarding prohibition or encouragement of romantic relationships between students.
Future
serve

as

Researchers:

their

baseline

The

findings

of

information

for

the

study

other

will

related

studies to be conducted.

Scope and Limitations of the study
The

study

was

conducted

in

Aklan

State

University-

College of Hospitality and Rural Resource Management. This study gathered information from second- to fourth-year BS
Tourism Management students. The selection considered the respondents' grades for 1st and 2nd semester AY 2014-2015.
The study was conducted for a period of one month, starting from the

third

week

of

August

to

the

second

week

of

September 2015.

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Definition of Terms
For better understanding of the study, the following terms were operationally and conceptually defined:
In a relationship - This term refers to students who are in an official romantic relationship with a person of the opposite sex.
Not in a relationship - This term refers to students who either do not have a boyfriend or girlfriend, or is dating someone

but

are

not

yet

engaged

in

an

official

relationship.
Academic
student's

Performance

grade

point

-

This

average

terms

during

refers

the

1st

to

the

and

2nd

semester of A. Y. 2014-2015.


!4

CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Research on the effect of relationship status on GPA is very

limited. Some studies find that individuals who

date more frequently tend to have lower grades than those who do not. Other studies have found that relationships can have a positive or a negative effect on GPA depending on other factors

(Albright,

Carlile,

Kirkendall

&

Webber

2010). However, most studies find that Relationship status does not have an effect on GPA (Kopfler, 2003).

Romantic Relationships
Romantic
people sex. as

relationships

they

increasingly

Relationships

can

are

very

socialize

oftentimes

common with alter

an

for

the

young

opposite

adolescent's

mood and way life. These constant changes may influence things such as academic performance.

Academic Achievement
Academic achievement is a concept that is affected by several different

environment.

There

factors has been

of a the vast individual amount of

and

the

research

!5

published on discovering what factors motivate a student to achieve success

in

the

educational

setting.

Also,

there

have been studies focusing on the reasons behind why some students struggle throughout school.
There are several social influences that affect one’s behavior or

achievement

in

academics,

especially

in

institutions of higher education; some of these factors are romantic relationships, organizations or clubs, and sports activities effect

(McLaughlin,

that

these

2010).

factors

had

Research on evaluating

academic

the

performance

concluded that each of them had an influence to a certain degree. Romantic relationships had the largest impact on educational psychological

success

in

a

negative

barrier

it

imposes

way

towards

due the to

the

learning

process. Also, extra-curricular activities such as clubs or sport teams posed a threat to education due to their time commitment issues,

but

the

threat

was

not

significant

(McLaughlin, 2010). Academic performance is a matter that has been discussed in detail due to its complexity, but it is important to be aware of all of the possible influences of achievement. 


!6

CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the research design, locale of the study, respondents of the study, sampling technique, research instrument,

data

gathering

procedure

and

data

analysis.

Research Design
The researcher employed a non-experimental comparative research design.

A

comparative

research

design

study

compares two or more groups on one variable. In the case of this research, the two groups being compared are students in a relationship and not in a relationship, with academic performance as the variable in focus.

Locale of the Study
The

study

was

conducted

in

Aklan

State

University-

Ibajay Campus. The ASU campus in Ibajay is home to the
College

of

Hospitality

And

Rural

Resource

Manage-

ment(CHARRM). Located in Colong-colong, Ibajay, Aklan, the campus occupies 25 hectares of land. It offers six degree programs: Bachelor

Management

of

(BSHRM),

Science
Bachelor

and of Hotel

and

Science

Restaurant in Tourism

!7

Management (BSTM), Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
(BSCS),

Bachelor

of

Science

in

Environmental

Science

(BSES), Bachelor in Secondary Education (BSEd) and Bachelor in Elementary Education (BEEd). As of A. Y.

2015-2016,

there are 1882 students enrolled in the campus.

Respondents of the study
The respondents of the study were 143 2nd year to 4th year BS Tourism Management students of ASU-CHARRM. Freshmen were not included in the target population as they do not have a

grade

point

average

at

the

time

the

study

was

conducted.

Sampling Technique
The sample size was determined using Slovin's formula:

where n = sample size

n =

N
1 + Ne2

N = population size e = 0.05 (sampling error)

n =

222
1 + 222 0.052

(

)

= 142.77 ≈ 143

!8

The sample size was proportionally allocated across the three year levels:
Year Level

Population

Percent

Sample Size

2nd

91

41%

58

3rd

74

33%

48

4th

57

26%

37

Total

222

100%

143

Research Instrument
A questionnaire was given to every respondent that was used as data gathering instrument. The questionnaire asksed for the respondent's relationship status and their grade point averages for the first and second semester of A. Y.
2015-2016.

Data Gathering Procedure
The researcher prepared and reproduce a questionnaire based on the total number of respondents identified in the study. Data collection was carried out by distributing the questionnaires answering supervised the the to

the

respondents.

questionnaires, respondents the

for

In

the

basis

researcher

any

of

closely

clarification

or

queries.

!9

Data Analysis
Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean,

variance

and

standard

deviation.

Inferential

statistics such as independent samples t-test were employed to determine if there is a significant difference between the mean GPA of students in a relationship and those who are not in a relationship. Calculations were done using spreadsheet software, Numbers for Mac.

!10

CHAPTER IV
PRESENTATION, ANALYSES AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
This chapter presents the findings on how relationship status affects

Management

academic

students

in

performance

ASU-CHARRM.

of

The

BS

Tourism

findings

are

presented, analyzed and interpreted based on the interview schedule gathered from the respondents of the study.

Profile of the Respondents
The

profile

of

the

respondents

are

summarized

in

Figure 1.
Figure 1. Profile of the Respondents

12

57
58

!

16

Male in a relationship
Male not in a relationship

Female in a relationship
Female not in a relationship

!11

Gender.

Majority

(81%

or

115

students)

of

the

respondents are female, which is reasonable as most of the students in the BS Tourism Management course are female.
Relationship Status. Careful selection was employed in order to have an almost even distribution of respondents between the

relationship

two

groups.

and

51%

49%

(73

(70

students)

students)

were

were

in

a

not

in

a

relationship during the period of the study.

Academic Performance
Figure 2 shows the mean GPA of students who are in a relationship and those who are not in a relationship.

Figure 2. Academic performance based on relationship status

Grade Point Average

3

2.5

2

2.07

In a Relationship

Not In a Relationship

1.5

1
!

2.05

!12

Based

on

the

above

figure,

students

who

are

in

a

relationship have a higher mean GPA compared to students who are not in a relationship.

Table 1. Descriptive Statistics of Data Gathered
Statistic

In a Relationship

Not in a Relationship

70

73

mean

2.05

2.07

variance

0.07

0.06

standard deviation

0.26

0.25

sample size

Hypothesis Testing
In

order

to

determine

whether

there

exists

a

significant difference between the academic performance of students who are in a relationship and students who are not in a relationship, a t-test for independent sample means was employed at a 0.05 level of significance.
The hypotheses were formulated as follows:
H o:

There

is

no

significant

difference

between

the

academic performance of students who are in a relationship and students who are not in a relationship.


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Ha: There exists a significant difference between the academic performance of students who are in a relationship and students who are not in a relationship.
The level of significance is set at α = 0.05. The null hypothesis will be rejected if the computed t-value is less than -1.96 or greater than 1.96.
The t-value is computed as follows:

t =

X1 − X2
2
1

2
2

s s + n1 n2

=

2.05 − 2.07
0.07 0.06
+
70
73

= −0.46

Since t-value is inside the critical region (-1.96,
1.96), we do not reject the null hypothesis. Thus, there is no significant difference between the academic performance of students who are in a relationship and students who are not in a relationship.


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CHAPTER V
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
This

chapter

presents

the

summary

of

findings,

conclusions and recommendation of the study.

Summary of findings
The study was done in Aklan State University-College of Hospitality and Rural Resource Management, with 143 2nd year to

4th

year

BS

Tourism

Management

students

as

respondents.
The study used a non-experimental comparative research design. It aimed to determine whether relationship status affects student academic performance. The data gathering procedure used

was

a

questionnaire

and

information

was

analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Findings of the study showed that while the mean GPA of students who are in a relationship are marginally higher than those

independent

not

in

samples

a

relationship,

t-test

revealed

results that there

of is the no significant difference in the academic performance of the two groups.

!15

Conclusions
Based on the findings, the following conclusions were drawn: 1.

Students

in

a

relationship

had

a

mean

GPA

of

2.05,

marginally higher than those not in a relationship who had a mean GPA of 2.07.
2. There is no significant difference between the academic performance of

students

who

are

in

a

relationship

and

students who are not in a relationship.
3.

The

relationship

status

does

not

affect

a

student's

academic performance.

Recommendations
Based

on

the

conclusions

drawn,

the

researcher

recommends the following for further improvement:

1. Students should be free to enter into a relationship as having a boyfriend or girlfriend has no bearing on academic performance. 2. Further studies on the effect of relationship status on academic performance

must

be

undertaken

and

should

be

expanded to include factors such as length of relationship, hours spent on studying, and self-esteem.

!16

REFERENCES
Albright, E., Carlile C., Kirkendall J., & Webber, C.
(2010). Effects of Relationship Status on GPA. FSHH
Retrieved from
Giordano, Peggy C., Phelps, Kenyatta D., Manning, Wendy D.,
& Longmore, Monica A. (2007). Adolescent academic achievement and romantic relationships. Social Science
Research, 37(1), 37-54.
Kopfler, M. E. (2003). Effects of Romantic Relationships on
Academic Performance. National Undergraduate Research
Clearinghouse, 6. Retrieved from http:// www.webclearinghouse.net/volume/6/KOPFLEREffectsofR.php McLaughlin, N. (2010). An Analysis of the Effect of
Relationship Status on Self-Esteem and Academic
Performance. Retrieved from https://www.mckendree.edu/ academics/scholars/mclaughlin-issue-25.pdf Quatman, T., Sampson, K., Robinson, C., & Watson, C. M.
(2001). Academic, motivational, and emotional correlates of adolescent dating. Genetic, Social, and
General Psychology Monographs, 127(2), 211-234.
Stefan, Allison T. (2006). The impact of romantic relationships on the academic performance of high school girls: A qualitative study. Dissertation
Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and
Engineering, 66(122-B), 6937.

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