The Level of Academic Performance in General Science Among Senior High School Non-STEM Learners:An Input for Intervention

Science education is essential for developing scientific literacy among learners across academic pathways. However, limited evidence describes General Science performance among Non-STEM learners under the Strengthened Senior High School (SHS) Curriculum. This study determined their academic performance in a pilot-implementing school in the Schools Division of Aklan, Philippines, and examined differences according to track/cluster,sex, academic status, and socioeconomic status as a basis for proposing an intervention. Using a quantitative descriptive-comparative design, 97 learners were selected from a population of 128 through proportionate stratified random sampling. Learner profiles were obtained from School Form 1, while General Science grades were retrieved from School Form 9. Frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and independent-samples t-tests were used at a 0.05 significance level. Results showed an overall mean grade of 87.47 (SD = 4.34), interpreted as Very Satisfactory. Academic-ASSH learners obtained a higher mean (88.64) than TechPro-HT learners (86.69), while female learners (89.45) obtained a higher mean than male learners (85.09). Academic Excellence Awardees obtained a mean of 92.11, compared with 84.74 among Non-Academic Excellence Awardees. Lower-middle-income learners (87.73) and low-income learners (87.25) demonstrated similar performance. Significant differences were found according to track/cluster (p = .029), sex (p <.001), and academic status (p < .001), but not socioeconomic status (p = .587). These findings imply that science instruction should address diverse academic pathways and learning needs while promoting equitable participation and achievement. They provide a basis for the proposed ALL FOR JUAN GEN-SCI Program, emphasizing gender-inclusive instruction, contextualized materials, track-responsive activities, and targeted academic support. Systematic implementation and evaluation are recommended to determine its effectiveness and inform future instructional decisions.