Correlation of Performance of Alternative Learning System (ALS) Completers, Life-long Learners and Senior High School (SHS) Graduates

: This study aims to carry out the factors affecting students’ academic performance of senior high school (SHS) graduates, Alternative Learning System (ALS) completers and life-long learners enrolled at a State University, Philippines during the academic year 2019-2020. 310 freshmen from the different academic programs were asked to self-evaluate their study habits, personal condition and attitudes towards school and make personal assessment on the impact of home environment, school environment and lecturer/instructor to their academic performance. Furthermore, their academic performance was measured based on their first semester GPA. Attitude is a significant factor for some students (but not all who are under study) that affects their performance; study habits and personal condition are not an important variable in this situation. However, students should be encouraged to develop effective study habits as some experts have discovered; neglecting to do so might lead to poor academic achievement. Furthermore, it appears that some factors, which are not limited by personal background, may influence habits, and as a result, negatively or favorably effect academic achievement. External factors such as family, school and instructors had no meaningful correlation with the respondents' academic achievement.


Introduction
One of the indicators of a university's standards is the student's academic achievement. Hence, academic institutions are becoming more interested in studies on factors impacting students' academic success. Academic achievement can be counted as extremely essential in selecting who will become great leaders and manpower for the country's social and economic success. The knowledge and skills gained from the educational institute assists a person in identifying his role and responsibilities as a citizen. A lot of recent studies have been conducted to examine the factors that influence the performance of university students. A variety of factors influence student performance, including learning abilities, gender, race, and home environment (Hanson, 2000 cited by E. Shahzadi, Z. Ahmad, 2011). E. A. Siahi and J. K. Maiyo (2015) investigated the correlation of academic achievement, paving the way for the control and manipulation of related variables for better school results. Despite the fact that schools provide all students with the same classroom instructions, there is still a wide range of difference of academic attainment. Despite the fact that some cultural aspects are not bound by country of origin, it appears that some cultural aspects may influence habits, and as a result, negatively or positively affect academic performance (E. A. Siahi, J. K. Maiyo, 2015). It becomes clear that there are universally beneficial study habits that can be taught, monitored, and tested throughout the study process (M. A. Cerna, K. Pavliushchenko, 2015). These researchers believed that education should be sustainable in terms of ensuring that students continue to perform well during their studies and in order to do that they must have to change attitude. Thus, educators and counselors have roles to treat habits first among students in order to achieve the goal.
Students' study methods have an impact on their learning and academic performance, and the process has an impact on the development of cognitive and practical skills, as well as their future career prospects. Similarly, determining students' study habits and its relationship to their academic performance can help them improve their academic performance, strengthen their study habits, and modify them (H. Rezaie Looyeh, S. F. Seyed Fazelpour, et.al., 2017). Furthermore, because of the relationship that exists between study habits and academic performance, education administrators and planners can improve students' study habits by including appropriate educational content, particularly their note-taking and note-reading skills, and thus improve their academic performance. On the contrary, A. S. Lawrence (2014) found no correlation between study habits and academic achievement among students in higher secondary schools.
Nevertheless, teachers' age, gender, professional qualifications and teaching experience were not significantly related to academic achievement. Teachers' job group had significant and positive relationship with students' academic achievement in secondary schools. Teaching skills of the teacher educator can also affect students' rate of achievement. As an understanding, friendly environment between a teacher and student compels the learner to put more effort for his own pleasure rather than a strict disciplined one (G. N. Kimani, A. M. Kara, L. W. Njagi, 2013).
A school, as a learning institution and as a second home for learners, must have provided excellent learning experiences for students. teachers' motivation towards improving students' educational achievement are crucial for student development (Brookover, Lezotte, 1979) cited by A. Nasreen and A. Naz (2013). A. Nasreen and A. Naz (2013) added by citing Papanastasiou (2002) that teaching directly affects attitudes toward a particular school subject and achievement is directly related to attitude. Schneider (2002) mentioned that conducive environment and other facilities provided by the institute affect the student learning positively along with physical facilities; guidance services provided by the institute play a significant role in achievement. A. Nasreen and A. Naz (2013) concluded that a good teaching environment and a healthy relation with the teacher, increases the capability of student. Therefore, teaching style would be modern and versatile to make children work to their best of capabilities. The way the teacher deals with a student develops the interest in a specific subject and this interest directly affects grades.
According to study, non-intellectual variables such as demographics, personality, and behavior as predictors of academic success for students explained between 16% and 23% of the variance in academic success of students. While student motivation was a significant predictor of academic success, behavioral variables such as time spent at work or studying did not have the expected associations with academic success (S. A. Nonis, M. Philhours, A. Syamil, G. I. Hudson (2005). On the study of E. Shahzadi and Z. Ahmad (2011), academic performance is influenced by learning abilities, and learning abilities are influenced by the home environment. Academic performance is also influenced by academic interaction, which is influenced by study habits and home environment. It means that any student's academic performance can be predicted based on their home environment and learning abilities, as well as their academic interaction, study habits, and home environment. Examining the three possible paths for estimating academic performance, the strongest path is the home environment, which influences learning skills, which in turn influences academic performance.
In the Philippines, the educational system is becoming more robust and comprehensive. The government's 'Education For All' program is a noble effort to improve the Filipino people's literacy rates. The Alternative Learning System (ALS) provided a platform for young Filipino children to be exposed to formal education. Completers and qualifiers of the ALS program are now accepted into colleges and universities, and longtime high school graduates (life-long learners) are offered opportunities to continue their education. The free higher education policy, on the other hand, opens the door to life-long learners and other students who want to pursue higher education training and instruction. Thus, their academic achievement as indicators of their acquired learning will be the common denominator of these variables.
In its context, the respondents' attitudes, study habits, and learning styles all have an impact on their performance (R. Capuno . Furthermore, these mindsets and study habits need to be improved to enhance the students' performance. The academics are very much concern on the quality of graduates being produced and the impact on the educational models created and implemented. Studies on academic achievement and its factors are deemed significant for the academe to be able to shape policies on program admission and retention. The information derived from this study is helpful in assessing the students' qualification upon admission to a specific program in a college/university. Thus, this study investigated the performances in the course and the factors influencing it.   Moreover, the overall weighted mean of 3.2 and 3.1 for SHS graduates and ALS completers means that the respondents rated 'fair' with regards to their attitudes towards school based on the indicators. While the life-long learners having a weighted mean of 3.4 rated 'poor' on the indicators regarding their attitude toward school. This means that life-long learners have negative attitudes about learning at school than the other two groups. It is essential to enhance their condition while in class so that their attitudes towards school also be improved. Overlooking the level of the attitudes of the students in learning or in going to school could have adverse effects on their performance. Unlike the study of Keys and Fernandes (1994), majority of the students in both age groups (about 90 percent) expressed very positive attitudes towards the value of school and learning.
Other External Factors Affecting the Performance of the Respondents  . On the other hand, the personal condition of both groups has no significant relationship with their academic performance. This implies that the learning of the students does not depend on their personal condition while they are in the classroom. Likewise, the performance of SHS graduates and ALS completers is not affected by their attitudes towards school, while the life-long learners' attitude towards school has a positive correlation with their performance. Academic performance depends on learning skills and learning skills depends on home environment. Also academic performance depends on academic interaction and academic interaction depends on study habits and home environment (E. Shahzadi and Z. Ahmad, 2011). The home environment has low effect to SHS graduates and life-long learners and has moderate effect to ALS completers. School environment has moderate effect to the respondents. Instructor, on the other hand, has a moderated effect on both three (3) groups of respondents' performance. The study habits of both three groups of respondents are not significantly related to their academic performance. Likewise, the personal condition of both groups has no significant relationship with their academic performance. This implies that the learning of the students does not depend on their personal condition while they are in the classroom. Similarly, the attitudes towards school of the SHS graduates and ALS completers do not affect their performance while the life-long learners' performance has a positive correlation with their attitude towards learning. The external factors such as home environment, school environment and instructor related do not affect the academic performance of both groups of students.

Conclusion and Recommendations
After analyzing the data gathered, the study concluded that the attitudes are significant factors to some students (but not to all who are under study) that can affect to their performance but study habits and personal condition in this case do not significantly correlate with the academic performance of the respondents. However, M. A. Cerna and K. Pavliushchenko (2015) advised to have a good study habit because if neglected this can be a cause of a poor academic performance. However not bounded by personal background, it seems that some aspects may affect determine habits and hence negatively or positively affect academic performance. The external factors such as home, school and instructors do not significantly correlate with the academic performances of the respondents under study. In order for the students to continue to perform well during their study period and even after they step out from the school, a positive attitude matters the most. Hence, educators are encouraged to treat habits of the students first. Other factors that positively or negatively affect the student's performance may be given considerations.