Internal and external factors affecting the strand preferences of Grade 10 students in Divine Word College of San Jose

The main objective of this descriptive-correlational design is to determine the internal and external factors affecting the strand preferences of 129 Grade 10 students and their relationships.The researchers adopted questionnaires as the primary instrument in this study.The findings show that parents' expectations and beliefs about their child's academic abilities significantly affect their child's academic track preferences.External factors such as parental interest, financial condition, peer influence, and job opportunities affect grade 10 students in terms of their strand preferences.Among the four factors, job opportunities got the highest weighted mean of 3.27.This implies that students sought employability and stability in their preferred strand.Moreover, with a mean of 3.20 students choosing their strand based on their parental interest, it shows that some students seek guidance from their parents, especially when they have difficulty making decisions.Moreover, the study revealed a highly significant relationship between the internal factors and strand preferences, as well as external factors and strand preferences of the grade 10 students.It is recommended that the school conduct a career week for grade 10 students to learn the best strand that they want to take in their SHS based on their interests and skills.It is recommended that the parents continue providing financial and moral support for their students, especially in decision-making.