University of La Salette, Incorporated

Santiago City, Philippines

A Quantitative Study Bachelor of Science in Accountancy

Summer, A.Y. 2022 – 2023

Counting Dreams: Factors Affecting the Academic

Preparation of Fourth-Year Accountancy Students at
the University of La Salette for Certified Public
Accountant Licensure Examination (CPALE).
Jed Angel Domingo, Reuven Seth F. Donato, Jane Liwen Khoo, Ram Shane Rock
Macaraeg
University of La Salette, Incorporated
College of Accountancy

Keywords: Academic Preparation, CPALE, Licensure Examination, 4 th Year Students,

Certified Public Accountant

ABSTRACT
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Fourth-Year Accountancy Students at the University of La Salette
for Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination |2

INTRODUCTION
One of the most rigorous board examinations in the country is the Certified Public

Accountant Licensure Examination (CPALE), reflected through the comparatively low

passing rates of both the local and national levels. This study aims to evaluate attitudes,

study habits, and time management elements that may influence fourth-year accounting

students' academic preparation for the CPALE. Twenty-nine (29) fourth-year

accountancy students participated in the said study. The four variables were measured

using the CPALE Factor Scale (CFS) presented in the online questionnaire.

Background of the Study

The Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination (CPALE) is considered

one of the country's most difficult board examinations. The difficulty of passing the

board examination is reflected in the relatively low passing rates at local and national

levels.

The accounting profession in the Philippines is one of the highly professionalized

industries that produce highly competent individuals after completing a thorough test

administered by the governing body, the Board of Accountancy (BOA). Those

accounting graduates who have passed the examination and are entitled to get a

license to practice the profession are referred to as Certified Public Accountants

(CPAs).
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Fourth-Year Accountancy Students at the University of La Salette
for Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination |3

Thousands of candidates take the CPALE each year. The comparatively low

passing rates at the local and national levels reflect the difficulties of passing the board

examination. Graduates who pass licensure/board tests are more likely to succeed in

their chosen field.

Given this situation, addressing the factors affecting the students' academic

preparation is essential.

One of the factors is attitude. A person's learned enthusiasm to respond

positively or adversely to an object, circumstance, concept, or another person is called

attitude (Sarmah & Puri, 2014). Attitudes can alter and evolve (Syyeda, 2016), and

having a positive attitude can allow students to study better (Akinsola & Olowojaiye,

2008; Mutai, 2011).

Another factor is time management. Students who performed with less free time

have better academic performance than those with freer time (Ackerman and Gross,

2003). These results suggested that students should develop better time management

skills and have proper time allocation to reduce their stress and positively impact their

academic performance, just as Macon, Shahani, Dipboye, and Phillips (1990) also

suggested.

Understanding time management has implications for accounting students. First,

having good time management skills is important in taking accounting majors because

they face academic demands that other business majors do not. According to
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Fourth-Year Accountancy Students at the University of La Salette
for Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination |4

Bierstaker, Howe, and Seol (2004), the majority of accounting majors indicate that they

plan to sit for a certification examination. If the student plans to sit for the CPA

examination, he or she must complete 150 hours of studying. Second, accounting is a

very time-sensitive and demanding profession. That is why learning sufficient time

management skills are important before entering this profession. Sweene and

Summers (2002) found that accountants in public practice are experiencing extreme

burnout levels.

These studies suggest that developing time management skills during the

education process is essential and perhaps a predictor of success in board

performance and the profession. Success depends on having the capacity to operate

under time constraints and manage one's time. Students who are more adept in time

management believe they are a good fit for their major and, consequently, for their

chosen vocation (Macan, 1994).

Little research has been carried out on students' learning habits at any level of

the educational system, particularly in Asia, where much of the teaching is aimed

primarily at western countries. "Since we live in the information era, this reality plainly

places new demands on the educational system, needing fundamental reforms on

''what” and "how pupils learn, and why students are not performing as expected,"

Sawar et al. (2009, p.204) acknowledge.

There has recently been a surge in interest in non-cognitive elements. Study

skills (Fazal, S. et al., 2012; Awang, G. & Sinnadurai, S.K., 2011; Demir et al., 2012;

Hassanbeigi et al., 2011), study motivation (Tella, A., 2007; Nonis and Hudson, 2008),
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Fourth-Year Accountancy Students at the University of La Salette
for Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination |5

study behavior (Yang Yang, 2011; Otto, 1978), study habits (Crede and Kuncel, 2008;

Nuthana & Yanagi, some people believe that these factors have a substantial

association with students' academic achievement, while others believe that a

combination of factors can explain students' academic performance.

This study addresses the alarmingly low passing rates experienced in the past

three years in the CPALE. Students' academic performance is an essential matter in

education. It is one way of perceiving one's total potentialities and capacities (Nuthana

& Yenagi, 2009), often measured through examination results. The Professional

Regulation Commission's (PRC) report on graduate performance in various licensure

and board examinations shows that graduate performance has been dropping for the

past ten years. This is not only in Accountancy but in ifferent licensure examinations.

The passing rates are extremely low (around 36% on average). On the word of PRC

figures, nearly 70% of college graduates failed the PRC's professional licensure

examinations in 2010, and just 125,419 of the 345,182 college and technical school

graduates completed their respective professional eligibility examinations last year.

These figures are based on the outcomes of 45 different professional groups' licensure

examinations. Elementary teachers (15.4%), secondary teachers (23.3%), electronics

engineers (23.5%), and registered electrical engineers (31.9%) had the lowest passing

rates (Philippine Education Sector Assessment Project, 2011).

CPALE faces the same dilemma of low passing rates before 2010 in other fields

of knowledge. In May 2018, the passing rate of CPALE was 28.92%; only 2,843 out of

9,830 examinees passed the examination. In October 2018, out of 14,358 examinees,
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Fourth-Year Accountancy Students at the University of La Salette
for Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination |6

only 3,616 passed, with a total passing rate of 25.18%. In addition, the result of May

2019 CPALE had 1,699 passers out of 10,319 examinees with a passing rate of

16.46%. For October 2019, it decreased to 14.32%, with 2,075 passers out of 14,492.

In October 2021, only 361 passed out of 2,367 board takers, with a passing rate of

15.25%. For December 2021, the passing rate was 21.87%; only 318 passers out of

1,454 examinees. With the recently conducted CPA Licensure Examination last May

22-24, 2022, with a total of 4,442 examinees, only 990 lucky examinees passed the

examination. That resulted in a 22.29% passing rate.

The study is required as it helps enhance the level of competence of

accountancy students, increasing the possibility of passing the said board examination.

The researchers also believe that studying the factors that affect students' academic

preparation for the said board examination enables them to create a better and more

effective study plan. Furthermore, the researchers expect to contribute to the students'

performance in their board examinations performance.

This study aims to assess attitudes, study habits, and time management factors

that may affect the academic preparation of fourth-year accountancy students for the

CPALE. Attitude is a feeling or way of thinking that affects a person's behavior. Study

habit is an action that a student performs regularly and habitually in order to accomplish

the task of learning. Time management is a process of organizing and planning how to

divide your time between specific activities. The score will be obtained by answering the

CPALE Factors Scale.

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Fourth-Year Accountancy Students at the University of La Salette
for Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination |7

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to describe the prevailing attitudes, study habits, and time

management of fourth-year students for their preparation in CPALE.

Specifically, this study shall seek answers to the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents?

a. Age

b. No. of Hours Spent in Studying

2. How do attitudes, study habits, and time management affect students’

preparation for CPALE?

3. What are the fourth-year students’ attitude, study habits, and time management

in their studies and CPALE?

Hypothesis

The following are the hypothesis formulated for this study about the factors

affecting the preparation of fourth year students:

1. There is a significant influence of factors affecting the preparation of fourth-year

students for CPALE

a. Attitude

b. Study Habits

c. Time Management
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Fourth-Year Accountancy Students at the University of La Salette
for Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination |8

2. There is no significant influence of factors affecting the preparation of fourth-year

students for CPALE

a. Attitude

b. Study Habits

c. Time Management

Significance of the Study

This study provides relevant and valuable contributions to the field of

accounting based on the following reasons:

First, aspiring CPAs can gain accurate and factual information that could help

prepare them for the CPALE. It can also help increase the student's morale and

confidence upon taking the board examination.

Second, graduates of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy (BSA) and other

courses requiring licensure examination will use the results of this study as the basis for

their self-assessment and self-evaluation of their probabilities of passing the board

examination.

Third, school heads and teachers will be given ideas on the factors affecting the

preparation of the students for CPALE as their basis for implementing school programs,

activities, and curricula to help the students to achieve their goals. Since there are only

limited studies about the factors affecting the preparation of the students for CPALE,
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Fourth-Year Accountancy Students at the University of La Salette
for Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination |9

this study will contribute to the existing literature and be helpful for the board

performance of the CPALE takers.

Lastly, this study will also be useful to future researchers who will carry out

further research and will use it as a guide for studies they will conduct shortly.

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

This study was conducted to understand relationships between four variables

using an explanatory design. This design is appropriate for the study because it will

examine the relationship of the factors affecting the preparation of fourth-year

accountancy students for CPALE. Grove et al. This study used descriptive or

explanatory. A descriptive design emphasizes an explanation of the relationship

between and among variables. According to Fowler (2013), descriptive statistics refer to

data that has been examined to show the fundamental characteristics of data gathered

or used in a study. They offer summaries and other crucial details about study samples

and metrics to researchers. Descriptive correlational design is used in research studies

that provide static pictures of situations and establish the relationship between different

variables (McBurney & White, 2009). The same research design was used to determine

the relationship between academic performance, aspirations, attitudes, and study

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habits as determinants in the performance in licensure examination of accountancy

graduates (Tan, 2014) and to understand the relationship of factors that contributes to

the topping of the board licensure examination for Certified Public Accountant

(Pattaguan, 2018). The mode of data collection would be through a survey form

distributed to the study participants.

Sampling

This research study was conducted in the University of La Salette Inc. The

participants of this study are fourth-year students of Bachelor of Science in

Accountancy. They are selected as study participants since CPALE is part and the final

step in their success to become a Certified Public Accountant.

The researcher used simple random sampling for this study. The researchers

randomly selected a mixture of male and female respondents to take part in the survey.

Moreover, the respondents' sample population resulted in 74 out of 91 fourth-year

students using the Sample Size Calculator, also known as Raosoft Calculator, with a

5% margin error and 95% confidence level.

Data Gathering Procedure

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An online survey questionnaire form is the primary instrument to gather the

needed data. The said participants are fourth-year accountancy students. The

researcher distributes the survey questionnaire to assess the factors affecting their

academic preparation for the CPALE. It included a briefing to the participants explaining

the purpose and aim of the study. The items in the scale were adapted from the

MiraCosta College Retention Services (2004), Wayne State University (2007), The

Influence of Study Attitudes and Study Habits on the Academic Performance of the

Students by Jhoselle Tus (2020), Effective Time Management Skills & Practices Self-

Assessment Questionnaire by John W. Olmstead (2010), Study Skills and Habits

Questionnaire by Queen’s University, and College Student’s Belief about Exam

Preparation by Shawn Van Etten, Geoffrey Freebern, and Michael Pressy. The Likert

scale is a rating method used in questionnaires to assess individuals' beliefs, views, or

expectations (Jameson, S., 2017). The legend of the rating scale being used is shown

in Table 1.

Table 1. Likert Rating Scale

Ratings Interpretation
5 Strongly Agree
4 Agree
3 Neutral
2 Disagree
1 Strongly Disagree

The researchers will ensure that the identity and confidentiality of the answers

remain anonymous. The answer will be correctly gathered, tabulated, and evaluated.
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Data Analysis

The researchers will analyze the data using a statistical tool called SPSS to

determine various variables' correlation. The descriptive-analysis is a measure that

gives figures summarizing a given collection of data. Using the SPSS, the data will be

obtained and analyzed statistically. In this analysis, SPSS will help respond to the

particular goals and hypotheses formulated. The researchers will use the frequency and

percentage to evaluate the factors affecting fourth-year students: attitudes, study habits,

and time management.

Ethical Considerations

The researchers secured the permission of the Dean of the College of

Accountancy to collect data from the study site. This was accomplished through a letter

explaining the purpose of the study and asking permission to conduct an online survey

of the fourth-year students. The researcher protects the participant's right to self-

determination and confidentiality as well as the anonymity of the school. Informed

consent was distributed with the questionnaire. The data was kept confidential, and the

participants were assured of their right to withdraw at any time. The names of the

participants are not recorded, so all the data is rendered. Since the tool utilized was

adopted, an email was sent to secure permission from the original authors.
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APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: COMPUTATION IN FINDING THE TOTAL RESPONDENTS

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APPENDIX B: COMPUTATION IN THE DATA PRESENTATION

 Percentage

part x
X= =
whole 100

Part= how many respondents answer according to the

research questions that are presented

Whole= the total number of the respondents

X= answer of the part divided by the whole

100= constant number that are used to convert the decimal into a percent

APPENDIX C: REQUEST LETTER

Mr. Ruperto Jose H. Mateo, MAIT, CPA
College of Accountancy Dean
University of La Salette College Inc.,
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Dubinan East, Santiago City.

Dear Mr. Mateo,

Greetings in the name of peace and reconciliation.

We, the 2nd year students from the College of Accountancy, are currently enrolled
in PCOA 022 Statistical Analysis with Software Application class. In this subject, one of
our performance tasks is to create a research about the Factors Affecting the Academic
Preparation of Fourth-Year Accountancy Students at the University of La Salette for
Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination (CPALE). In line with this, we are
humbly asking for the copy of the data on the number of 4th year students in the
department.

If you would be able to give us the opportunity to get the said requirements rest
assured that we will keep it with utmost confidentiality.

Should our request be granted, please message us through this contact number
+639062030675.

Sincerely yours,

REUVEN SETH F. DONATO JED ANGEL DOMINGO

Student Student

JANE LIWEL KHOO RAM SHANE ROCK MACARAEG

Student Student

Noted by:

Mrs. Cherry Amor Viray-Ariola Ms. Mary Jane Andres Bugarin

PCOA 022 Instructor LAB PCOA 022 Instructor LEC

APPENDIX C: COMMUNICATION LETTER

August x, 2023
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Dear Respondents,
Greetings in the name of peace and reconciliation.
We are the BS Accountancy 2B students currently enrolled in a research class at
the University of La Salette, Incorporated. For our research, we are investigating the
factors affecting the Academic Preparation of fourth-year students for Certified Public
Accountant Licensure Examination. In this regard, we hope to invite you to be a
research respondent of this study.
Our survey is linked with Google Form. You may click the sent link so that you’ll
be directed to the form.
Per section, we'll be doing a random survey. Thus, we are needing 74
respondents in your batch.
Thank you so much for your cooperation and may God Bless you always! Poll
was created for you to know if the needed respondents are achieved so don't forget to
update the poll if you're already done.

Respectfully yours,

REUVEN SETH F. DONATO JED ANGEL DOMINGO

Student Student

JANE LIWEL KHOO RAM SHANE ROCK MACARAEG

Student Student

APPENDIX E: QUESTIONNAIRE
PART I
Instructions: Complete the following demographic information. Kindly put a
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check (√) if needed to mark your answer.

I. Profile of the Respondents

Name (Optional):

Sex:
 Male
 Female

No. of hours in doing modular workload (put a check mark on the space provided)
 1-3 hrs.
 4-7 hrs.
 8-12 hrs.
 More than 12 hrs.

II. Factors Affecting Academic Preparation for CPALE

DIRECTIONS: Using the Likert scale below, please put a (√) checkmark on the box that
corresponds to your answer.
Legend:

(5) = Strongly Agree

(4) = Agree

(3) = Neutral

(2) = Disagree

(1) = Strongly Disagree

ATTITUDES
Indicators 5 4 3 2 1
1. I always attend my class.

2. My course work relates to my plans

3. I seek quality work, but not perfection.

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4. I try to become interested in every subject I take.

5. I like learning, not just the thought of a good job.

6. I am motivated to do well.

7. I listen attentively in class.

8. Reading or studying too much gives me a headache.

9. I feel confident and relaxed when taking tests.

10. I lose interest in my studies after the first few days of

school.

STUDY HABITS
Indicators 5 4 3 2 1
1. I use text, internet, or library resources when needed.

2. I organize the material to make it easier to remember.

3. I prefer to study my lessons alone rather than with others.

4. I translate what I am studying into my own words.

5. I adjust my study methods for different courses.

6. I set my priorities and stick to them.

7. I download and read notes or read texts before class.

8. I review regularly.
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9. I take notes in class, refine and study them soon after class, and
review them frequently.

10. I can summarize texts effectively (not get lost in details).

TIME MANAGEMENT
Indicators 5 4 3 2 1
1. I do things in order of priority.

2. I accomplish what needs to be done during the day.

3. I can meet deadlines without rushing at the last minute.

4. I know what I want to accomplish during the coming

semester.
5. I spend enough time on academic matters.
6. I prepare a daily or weekly “to do” list.

7. I keep up to date on my reading and assignments.

8. I avoid spending too much time on trivial matters.

9. I tackle difficult or unpleasant tasks without procrastinating.

10. I am satisfied with the way I use my time.

APPENDIX F: RESEARCHER’S PERSONAL DATA