RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POPULARITY AND LEADERSHIP

SKILLS AMONG SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF

CEBU DOCTORS’ UNIVERSITY AY 2019-2020

JODENE VAEDA Z. DECAL

PIERRE ANGELI C. FRANCIA
CHRISTINE KATE P. LAVAJO
JILLIAN MARIE A. QUIAMCO
JESSICA MAE M. VALLENTE

RIA M. ALCANTARA
Research Instructor

CEBU DOCTORS’ UNIVERSITY

Mandaue City

October 24, 2019

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POPULARITY AND LEADERSHIP

SKILLS AMONG SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF

CEBU DOCTORS’ UNIVERSITY AY 2019-2020

______________________________

A Thesis Paper Presented

To the

Senior High School

Cebu Doctors’ University

______________________________

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for Senior High School

______________________________

by

Jodene Vaeda Z. Decal

Pierre Angeli C. Francia
Christine Kate P. Lavajo
Jillian Marie A. Quiamco
Jessica Mae M. Vallente

October 24, 2019

 iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

First and foremost, praises and thanks to God, Father Almighty for His

blessings. Without Him, our study will not be successful.

Our research team would like to extend our gratitude to these following

people:

To Ms. Ria Alcantara, our research teacher for her unlimited and invaluable

guidance and for allowing our group to survey her class and use her time with

STEM 12-G for our data collection;

To the Mind Tools Content Team, for providing a survey for leadership skills

that the researchers could use;

To Atty. Roel Hortelano, for approving our transmittal letter, which allowed us

to conduct our research in the first place;

To Engr. Romeo Aytona, for allowing our group to use his time with the

STEM 11-B, for our data collection;

To sections STEM 12-G and 11-B, for allowing us to have them as our

chosen respondents for our study;

To Cebu Doctors’ University itself, for being the place where our respondents

are and giving us facilities that allowed the research to be printed and completed;

And to our family and friends for giving us the love, emotional and financial

support and patience we needed throughout this study.

Our heartfelt thanks may be showered upon each and every one of you for

this study will not reach this far without all of your help and guidance. God bless

you all.
 iv

Table of Contents

Page

TITLE PAGE i

ACKNOWLEDGMENT iii

LIST OF FIGURES vi

ABSTRACT vii

CHAPTER

1. THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

INTRODUCTION

Rationale 1

Theoretical Background 2

Review of Related Studies 3

Conceptual Framework 4

THE PROBLEM

Statement of the Problem 6

Significance of the Study 7

Scope and Limitation 9

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design 10

Research Environment 10

Research Respondents 10

Research Instruments 10

Research Procedures 12
 v

Preliminary Procedures 12

Gathering of Data 13

Treatment of Data 13

DEFINITION OF TERMS 14

2. PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF

DATA 15

3. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary of Findings 23

Conclusions 24

Recommendations 24

REFERENCES 27

APPENDICES

A TRANSMITTAL LETTER 29

B INFORMED CONSENT FORM 30

C RESEARCH INSTRUMENT 32

D TIME TABLE OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES 35

E RESEARCH BUDGET 36

CURRICULUM VITAE 37
 vi

LIST OF TABLES

Table Title Page

4.0 Values Obtained for the Correlation Calculation 22

Between Popularity and Leadership Skills

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Title Page

1.0 Distribution of the Level of Popularity 15

2.0 Distribution of the Level of Leadership Skills 17
3.1 Distribution of the Level of Leadership Skills 18
Among the Most Popular
3.2 Distribution of the Level of Leadership Skills 19
Among the Moderately Popular
3.3 Distribution of the Level of Leadership Skills 20
Among the Least Popular
4.0 Scatter Plot: Level of Popularity and 21
Leadership Skills
 vii

ABSTRACT

Popularity is highly used as an indicator of leadership skills among voters.

While popular people are shown to participate more in extracurricular activities,
they are more likely to be less responsible, which begs the question: Is popularity
related to leadership skills? To reach an answer, 66 Senior High School students
of Cebu Doctors’ University chosen through convenience sampling were
surveyed and categorized based on popularity and leadership skills. Two
questionnaires were given to the respondents: one testing popularity, authored
by the researchers, and the other testing leadership skills, authored by the Mind
Tools Content Team. The number of respondents in each category of popularity
and leadership skills were identified, as well as the number of respondents in
each category of leadership skills when grouped according to popularity. In
addition to this, correlation was calculated between the popularity and leadership
scores gathered from the survey.

In terms of popularity, among the 66 respondents, 10 were found to be

considered popular, while 5 were considered unpopular. In terms of leadership
skills, 60 had high leadership skills while 0 had low leadership skills. When
respondents were grouped according to popularity, those with high leadership
skills were the most highly represented group in each category. The calculation
of correlation resulted in a t value of 0.8078 with a CV of 1.9977.

Based on the findings of the study, popularity has no relation to leadership

skills. Most of the Senior High School students have high leadership skills, but
are more likely to be moderately popular. As such, the voting public, those that
facilitate voting systems and candidates looking for party members should take
measures to minimize the influence of popularity in choosing potential leaders.
 Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

INTRODUCTION

Rationale

Leadership is a present part of our daily lives. Whether it be in the

household, school, work or any other interpersonal situation, people have

encountered or have been leaders at least once in their lives. Effective leaders

have always been highly regarded, due to historical accounts of famous leaders

changing the world in many ways. In the same vein, the many stories that can be

found on terrible leaders, those that tend to abuse the people working under

them, makes people more appreciative on the leaders that do well for their

respective groups. This is why there are countless theories and criterion that

people have made to identify the characteristics that make up effective leaders.

One trait that many people use to identify leaders is popularity. As

evidenced by the number of celebrity politicians around the world, being well-

known helps in being picked to be a leader. However, there are instances where

this is not the case. A good example can be found in school settings. For

instance, class and school elections are often conducted during the start of the

school year, and most students do not personally know their peers well enough

to judge and consider their actual leadership traits. With this lack of information,

they tend to choose the ones who stand out, which are usually the students that

they assume to be most popular. Popular students tend to have low academic

intelligence, high rates of absenteeism and more snobbish attitudes (Gorman

 2

and Schimmelbusch, 2002). Such characteristics show a lack of responsibility,

which indicates lower leadership effectiveness. Thus the question is raised: is

popularity related to leadership, particular leadership effectiveness?

This study aims to underline if there is a relationship between popularity

and leadership skills. In doing this, the researchers aim for those reading this

study to be more critical of what traits indicate effective leadership and pursue a

more scientific approach in finding out what these particular traits are.

Theoretical Background

This study is anchored on the theories of Theodorson (1957) and Turk

(1961). Through his findings on the relationship between leadership and

popularity roles in small groups, Theodorson claims that leadership and

popularity are only related in a cohesive group, which is defined as a group that

is more inclined to work in unity. This is because in cohesive groups more

personal responsibility is felt among the members. As the leader has the most

responsibility given to them, the other members will view the leader more

favorably, boosting their popularity. This implies that leadership affects

popularity, but only in cohesive groups.

Turk supports the theory of Theodorson above, but suggests another

reason as to why the two variables are related in cohesive groups. Cohesive

groups have better established group values, which leaders can support and act

upon. Aligning oneself with group values leads to better cohesion between

oneself and the group, which results in higher evaluation from the group and

boosted popularity. This theory implies that leaders have a choice as whether or
 3

not they can boost their popularity, which indicates that leaders that do not follow

group values will be less popular.

Review of Related Studies

While there are little studies found on the direct relationship between

popularity and leadership skills, there are some studies that have touched upon

the topic.

Mendez-Morse (1992) has defined leadership as providing structure and

considering the needs of others in the situation at hand. In combination with

another article from the Mind Tools Content Team (n.d.), the following

characteristics are shown to be evident of leadership effectiveness: being

confident and optimistic, having vision and motivating others to fulfill it, valuing

and emphasizing with human resources, communicating and listening and taking

risks.

Various studies (Axelrod, Kennedy, and Lease, 2002; Bishop, Cairns,

Estell, Farmer and O’Neal, 2003; Gorman and Schimmelbusch, 2002) have

identified common characteristics of youth that are perceived as popular by their

peers. For youths that have been shown to be well-liked in addition to being

popular, they usually were less socially withdrawn and more in control of social

situations. Those that were more disliked were shown to have similar traits with

more well-liked youths but were more aggressive, less academically inclined and

highly involved in extracurricular activities.

There are mixed results of the relationship between popularity and

leadership. Axelrod et al. (2002) state in their study of common constructs of

 4

popularity, that perceived popularity is associated with leadership, even more so

than sociometric popularity. However, said study does not indicate their definition

of “leadership”, which leaves it ambiguous as to whether popularity is more

related to leadership emergence or effectiveness. On the other hand, Chamorro-

Premuzic (2013) suggests that popularity indicates worse leadership skills. Traits

such as aggressiveness, overconfidence and arrogance in a person are

perceived as indicators of effective leadership, yet they imply the opposite. It is

further stated that traits that do indicate leadership effectiveness are often

ignored, which implies that persons with such traits are seen as less popular.

However, the author does not state what traits do indicate effective leadership,

which makes it difficult to prove their claim.

In summary, the need for a study concerning this topic is made apparent

due to the lack of present studies and the limitations of the preexisting ones.

Most of the studies present here are set in a school or work environment, which

allows the study to be more feasible and apparent in a person’s daily life.

Conceptual Framework

Level of Peer-assessed Level of Self-assessed

Popularity Leadership Skills
 Most Popular  High
 Least Popular  Moderate
 Low
 5

This study aims to assess a relationship between two variables: peer-

assessed popularity and self-assessed leadership skills. While the researchers

hypothesize that there is a significant correlation between the two, it is unknown

whether being popular leads to cultivating better leadership skills or vice versa.

As such, the researchers will use the predictor-criterion model for this paper.
 6

THE PROBLEM

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to assess the relationship between leadership skills and

popularity among Senior High School students of Cebu Doctors’ University AY

2019-2020. To add to that, the specific goals of the study are:

1. determining the level of popularity of certain Senior High School students in

terms of:

1.1. Most Popular

1.2. Moderately Popular

1.3. Least Popular

2. determining the level of leadership skills in terms of:

2.1. High

2.2. Moderate

2.3. Low

3. determining the level of leadership skills when respondents are grouped

according to:

3.1. Most Popular

3.2. Moderately Popular

3.3. Least Popular

4. determining if there is a significant correlation between the level of popularity

and the level of leadership skills.

 7

Significance of the Study

As good leaders bring better results to those working under them, it is

important to identify the factors that indicate better leadership skills. However,

such factors are not easily identifiable, especially if one is not familiar with the

leader in question, and as such, people look for easier ways of determining

leadership. This may or may not mislead people into picking less capable

persons to become leaders. The results of the study will benefit the following:

First, the general voting public will become better in choosing their

leaders. In voting systems around the world, whether it be for the election of

class officers or the president of the country, many candidates are shown

employing tactics that—instead of showing their leadership skills—are meant to

boost their popularity and image (Corbett, Flinder and Wood, 2016). The most

well-known candidates, usually celebrities in the case of the Philippines (Atun

and David, 2015), are often picked as leaders, regardless of the skill they display

in leading those under them. Due to this common occurrence, are the general

public correct to assume those who are popular are great leaders? This study will

answer this question, and makes voters more informed in choosing their leaders.

Those planning, conducting and implementing voting systems will also

benefit from this study, especially if popularity is proven not to be related to

leadership. Because of the inherent bias to vote for more popular persons

regardless of their aptitude for leadership, those who conduct voting processes

can create more effective polls that isolate popularity from leadership. This way,

there will be less bias among candidates due to popularity.

 8

Student leaders could also benefit from this study by allowing them to

carefully choose their co-candidates for student council elections. If popularity is

found to be related to leadership, said leaders can choose to employ tactics that

improve their image and social standing, which will improve their popularity and

chances of getting elected. If the opposite result is found, leaders can employ

tactics that show off their leadership skills, such as proposing and explaining their

programs or giving assistance to school organizations and the student body prior

to election.

Senior High School students may also benefit from this study. Students

are often hesitant to take up leader positions due to the prevalence of popular

people and the fear that they are not “socially powerful” enough to lead their

peers. The phenomena of “smart-shaming”, the act of making fun of more

academically-inclined individuals in addition to putting less academically-

responsible individuals on a pedestal, also adds to this problem. This study could

help clear up uncertainties on the qualifications to be a good leader for these

students and allow them to make more sound decisions in picking their group

leaders.

Future researchers that will write about similar content as this study could

also be considered as benefactors. This study could shed more light to their own

as to explaining how popularity is related to leadership. The limitations of this

study can serve as ideas for future researchers to tackle upon for their future

studies.
 9

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study focuses on two major variables: popularity, in terms of peer-

assessment, and leadership skills, in terms of self-assessment.

Popularity is concentrated on the area of perceived popularity. While

sociometric popularity of the respondents was identified, it was not included in

our findings and not tested for correlation. Leadership is more focused on the

area of leadership effectiveness, though some areas of leadership emergence

will be identified. Testing for leadership was done through self-assessment due

to the time constraints of the research.

Two sections of Cebu Doctors’ University’s Senior High School

department during AY 2019-2020 were chosen as the respondents of this study.

These sections are only a small part of the whole Senior High School

department, in which each section has varying levels of cohesiveness. As stated

by Theodorson (1957), cohesiveness of the groups matter in finding a

relationship between popularity and leadership skills. Since the researchers did

not test for the level of cohesiveness within each section due to time constraints,

the way said cohesiveness affects the relationship between popularity and

leadership was not assessed.

 10

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The study focuses on assessing if there is a relationship between two

variables: popularity and leadership skills. Data gathering was done at a specific

point in time. Therefore, the research design is correlational and cross-sectional.

Research Environment

The research was located at Cebu Doctors’ University (CDU) and

conducted during the academic year 2019-2020. CDU is an education institution

which currently includes a Senior High School department, where the

researchers gathered data on. Data collection took place during two regular class

days, as it was based on the schedule that selected teachers have volunteered

their class time to us.

Research Respondents

As stated in the research title, the respondents for this study were Senior

High School students of Cebu Doctors’ University AY 2019-2020. Two sections

of Senior High School students were part of our sample, one from Grade 11 and

one from Grade 12. This gave us 66 respondents. Because of data collection

was gathered at one point in time per section, any students that were absent or

not present in their class at the time of the data collection was not considered a

respondent.

Research Instrument

Gathering the necessary data for the study was done through a survey.

This research instrument elicited the following information: student’s self-

 11

assessed leadership skills and popularity among classmates. The survey was

comprised of two parts: one assessed popularity and the other assessed

leadership skills.

The first part was made by the authors of this study and involves writing

down the names of the student’s classmates that match the descriptions given.

All but two of the items are filler items designed to imply a separation of

perceived popularity and sociometric popularity. This was done in order to

minimize misunderstandings of popularity from the respondents. The level of

popularity of each respondent was assessed through the number of times their

name is listed in the surveys of their classmates. If a respondent’s name is listed

as “Most Popular” by at least 25% of their classmates, they will be categorized as

Most Popular. In the same vein, respondents listed as “Least Popular” by 25% or

more of their classmates will be categorized as Least Popular. Those that do not

qualify for the first two groups will be categorized as Moderately Popular. In

addition to this, a popularity score was calculated by subtracting the number of

times a respondent was listed as Most Popular with the number of times they

were listed as Least Popular.

The second part is a self-assessment test for leadership skills, made by

the Mind Tools Content Team of Mind Tools, an online management and

leadership training company. This questionnaire utilizes a Likert Scale, with

scores ranging from 1 to 5. The choices are based on frequency, from “Not at All”

to “Very Often”. Questions are coded as positive or negative. Positive questions

have choices that are closer to “Very Often” score higher, while negative
 12

questions work the opposite way. Scores of each question were added together,

then categorized into one of three: Low (18-34), Moderate (35-52) and High (53-

90).

Research Procedure

This part of the paper explains the methods that the researchers used to

carry out their data collection and analysis.

Preliminary Procedures

The researchers made the decision to utilize a survey for

their research, as their intended research design is non-

experimental. It was decided that the data must be collected

through face-to-face interaction, in order to properly implement the

inclusion and exclusion criteria of each respondent and give the

respondents a chance to ask the researchers directly on any

inquiries about the survey and its instructions.

Prior to data collection, the researchers sent a transmittal

letter to the principal of the Senior High School department, Atty.

Roel Hortelano, asking permission to conduct the research. Once

approval was given, the researchers utilized convenience sampling

since they looked for two teachers of the two separate sections to

give time for the students to answer the surveys. Once permission

was be given by those teachers, the time and room of the class

was given for the researchers to walk in and perform the data

collection.
 13

Gathering of Data

The researchers went into classes of two separate sections

of Senior High School students in Cebu Doctors’ University. After

introducing the research, the surveys were given to every student in

the classroom. The survey took approximately twenty minutes for

each student to answer. Once the whole class was done, the

surveys were collected.

Treatment of Data

The only numerical data in the research is the leadership

score. Scores range from Low (18-34), Moderate (35-52) and High

(53-90), and were categorized and coded accordingly. The

researchers looked for names that are mentioned as most or least

popular by 25% of their class, then grouped them accordingly.

Hypothesis testing through the calculation of correlation was used

to see if leadership skills and popularity are dependent on each

other.

Presentation of data was done through the use of bar

graphs. The first two graphs indicated the number of students

grouped under Most Popular and Least Popular, then High,

Moderate and Low leadership skills respectively. Then, the next

three graphs showed the amount of Most Popular people grouped

 14

by level of leadership skills, then with the Moderately Popular and

lastly the Least Popular. The last graph showed a scatter plot

between the leadership skills score as the x-axis and popularity

score as the y-axis.

 15

DEFINITION OF TERMS

The two main variables of this study are popularity in terms of peer-

assessed or perceived popularity and self-assessed leadership skills or

leadership effectiveness.

Popularity is the state of being well-known and acknowledged by

many persons in one’s peer group. It is also defined as being considered more

socially dominant than others in a peer group. In this study, popularity is defined

as perceived popularity or peer-assessed popularity. Perceived popularity is the

state of being seen by peers as popular, regardless of likability and social skills.

This in contrast to sociometric popularity, the other recognized type of popularity,

which is the state of being well-known and likable by peers.

Leadership is the combined set of values that allow a person to be

able to command a group effectively. In this study, leadership is identified as self-

assessed leadership or leadership effectiveness. Leadership effectiveness is

the combined set of traits that make a person more effective in being a leader.

This is in contrast to leadership emergence, which is the set of traits that make a

person more likely to be picked as a leader.

The study indicates that a person is considered Most Popular if

50% or above or the highest frequency of the population wrote their name on the

survey question which asks for the Most Popular persons. This also applies when

identifying the Least Popular person, except the question involved asks for the

Least Popular persons. Those not part of these two groups will be categorized

under Moderately Popular.

 Chapter 2

PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA

The findings of the study are presented, analyzed and interpreted in this

chapter in 4 sections, namely:

1. Level of popularity

2. Level of leadership skills

3. Level of leadership skills when grouped according to popularity

4. Influence: Level of popularity and leadership skills

Level of Popularity

Popularity is the state of being well-known and acknowledged by one’s

peer group. It is measured in three (3) levels – most popular, moderately popular

and least popular. Figure 1.0 presents the distribution of the respondents’ level of

popularity.

Distribution of the Level of Popularity

N=800/n=66

Level of Popularity
60

50

40

30
51
20

10
10
5
0
Most Popular Moderately Popular Least Popular

Figure 1.0
 17

Figure 1.0 shows that most of the respondents were considered

moderately popular, with 55 respondents that are part of this category. Only 10

respondents were categorized under Most Popular and 5 under Least Popular.

This implies that popularity is normally distributed and follows a standard bell

curve. If the researchers were to have chosen a different section other than the

ones that were surveyed, it is likely that the same distribution would be identified.

A possible reason why most students were considered Moderately

Popular was due to the patterns of the respondents’ answers. Popularity is

decided through what the majority believes; if a person is considered popular by

the majority of their peer group, then they are most certainly popular. During data

gathering, those considered Most Popular were so often mentioned in survey

results that most exceeded the required amount by more than 25% percent. As

there is a limited number of names a respondent can write down, writing down

names of respondents who already passed the threshold limits the number of

new names one can mention. The respondents have no idea of their classmates’

answers since they are confidential, so there is no ideal way to stop the

respondents from writing down names that are mentioned too often. This leads to

a select few respondents who are most often mentioned as Most Popular, with a

select few who barely surpass the requirement threshold.

A possible explanation for the small number of Least Popular respondents

was due to the kindness of the respondents. It is part of the culture of Filipinos to

be unwilling to say anything negative about their peers, so it is likely that the

respondents did not write a lot of names as Least Popular (insert citation).
 18

Throughout data collection, it was observed that most respondents listen less

than three names in the Least Popular section, which supports this speculation.

Level of Leadership Skills

Leadership skills refers to set of traits that indicate the ability to command

group effectively. It is measured in 3 levels – high, moderate and low. Figure 2.0

presents the distribution of the respondents’ level of leadership skills.

Distribution of the Level of Leadership Skills

N=800/n=66

Level of Leadership Skills

70

60

50

40

30 60

20

10

6 0
0
High Leadership Skills Moderate Leadership Skills Low Leadership Skills

Figure 2.0

Figure 2.0 shows that most of the respondents exhibited high leadership

skills and no respondent exhibited low leadership skills. Only 6 respondents

exhibited moderate leadership skills. This implies that most of the population

exhibits high leadership skills, meaning that most have the potential or traits to be

good leaders. Interestingly, it does not follow a normal distribution, as the highest

category of leadership skills is the most highly represented, rather than the
 19

middle category. This implies that most senior high students have high

leadership skills. If the researchers were to survey different sections, it is

hypothesized that a similar pattern will emerge.

As the questionnaire for leadership skills is self-assessed, there could be

an element of bias from the respondent in their results, as they may overplay or

downplay certain traits of theirs. This may explain why most seem to have high

leadership skills. A peer-assessed method of determining leadership skills may

change the results.

Level of Leadership Skills According to Level of Popularity

In figuring out if leadership skills are affected by popularity, the

researchers needed to see how many respondents in the Most Popular and

Least Popular categories display high leadership skills. As such, finding the

amount of those with high and low leadership skills within the two popularity

groups was another process in the data analysis process.

Distribution of the Level of Leadership Skills among the Most Popular

n=10

Level of Leadership Skills among the Most Popular

12

10

6
10
4

0 0
0
High Leadership Skills Moderate Leadership Skills Low Leadership Skills

Figure 3.1
 20

Figure 3.1 below shows the distribution of the level of leadership skills

among those considered Most Popular. All respondents that were considered

Most Popular were shown to have high leadership skills, which implies that most

popular persons have high leadership skills. This is consistent with Theodorson’s

(1957) theory of the relationship between leadership skills and popularity in

cohesive groups. However, as his theory states that leadership skills influences

popularity rather than the other way around, combined with the fact that there are

several people that have high leadership skills but are not considered popular,

these findings are not enough to prove that leadership skills influence popularity.

There are also a small number of Most Popular people, which might not be a

complete indicator of the whole Most Popular population. If more people who

were considered Most Popular were to take the survey, more people with

moderate leadership skills may be found.

Distribution of the Level of Leadership Skills

among the Moderately Popular
n=51

Level of Leadership Skills among the Moderately Popular

50
45
40
35
30
25
46
20
15
10
5
5 0
0
High Leadership Skills Moderate Leadership Skills Low Leadership Skills

Figure 3.2
 21

Figure 3.2 below shows the distribution of the Level of Leadership Skills

among those of the Moderately Popular group. The figure above indicates that

within the Moderately Popular, high leadership skills are the most highly

represented group. However, unlike in the Most Popular group, there is a

percentage of respondents who have moderate leadership skills. This implies

that the Most Popular people would rarely have moderate to low leadership skills,

though this idea could be refuted due to the small number of Most Popular

people found in the study. If the leadership scores of more Most Popular people

can be discerned, then the findings may change.

Distribution of the Level of Leadership Skills among the Least Popular

n=5

Level of Leadership Skills among the Least Popular

5

2 4

1
0
0
High Leadership Skills Moderate Leadership Skills Low Leadership Skills

Figure 3.3

Figure 3.3 below shows the distribution of the Level of Leadership Skills

among those of the Least Popular group. As shown in the figure, 4 of the least

popular respondents had high leadership skills, while only 1 respondent had
 22

moderate leadership skills. While the percentage of respondents with high

leadership skills is smaller than with the Most Popular group, and larger than the

Moderately Popular group, those with high leadership skills are still the most

highly represented group. This follows Chamorro-Premuzic’s (2013) claim that

less popular people have higher leadership skills than more popular ones. This

contradicts the prior findings and of the final figure, which implies popularity might

not affect leadership skills at all.

Influence: Level of Popularity and Leadership Skills

The relationship between the level of popularity and leadership skills was

determined by calculating the correlation between the two variables. Figure 4.2

presents the scatter plot of the interaction between the two (2) variables –

popularity and leadership skills.

Scatter Plot: Level of Popularity and Leadership Skills

40

30

20
Popularity Score

10

0
45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80
-10

-20

-30
Leadership Skills Score

Figure 4.0

Figure 4.0 shows the graph between the leadership skills score and

popularity score of every respondent. The leadership skills scores comes from
 23

the raw score from the second part of the questionnaire, while the popularity

score is the difference between the number of times a respondent was

mentioned was Most Popular and the number of times they were listed as Least

Popular. No discernable slope that can be found in the graph, which implies that

there is little relationship between popularity and leadership skills.

Values Obtained for the Correlation Calculation between

Popularity and Leadership Skills
Popularity Scores Leadership Scores

n 66 66
∑x 3862 100
∑ x2 228000 4474
∑ xy 6319
r 0.1584
t 1.2836
a 0.05
df 64
CV 1.9977
Table 4.0

Table 4.0 presents the values used for the calculation of correlation, which

includes the test value of the graph (t=1.2836). Compared to the critical value

(CV=1.9977; a=0.05), it is significantly lower (1.2836<1.9977). This indicates that

popularity and leadership skills are not related to each other. However, as the t

value is close to the CV, this finding may change with a larger sample size.
 Chapter 3

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The summary of findings, conclusions and recommendations of the study

are presented in this chapter. To summarize the data gathering and analysis, the

researchers sought to determine if popularity is related to leadership skills, as

well as categorizing respondents according to levels of popularity and leadership

skills. They did this through giving out surveys to two Senior High School classes

chosen by convenience, one from Grade 11 and one from Grade 12. This lead to

66 responses out of the total population, which is estimated to be 800. Data

analysis was done through the use of graphs, as well as calculating the

correlation between the two variables.

Summary of Findings

Based on the data presented, interpreted and analyzed in Chapter Two

(2), the following findings are found out:

The level of popularity among students follows normal distribution, with

most respondents being categorized under the Moderately Popular category. 10

respondents were found be considered Most Popular, while 5 were considered

Least Popular.

In terms of leadership skills, most of the respondents had high leadership

skills. Only 6 had moderate leadership skills, while none were found to have had

low leadership skills.

All respondents in the Most Popular group had high leadership skills.

However, all except one respondent in the Least Popular group were also shown
 25

to have high leadership skills. The Moderately Popular group also had a high

percentage of those with high leadership skills.

The scatter plot of the survey results had no discernable slope and

calculating the correlation between the two variables lead to a t value of 0.8078

and a CV of 1.9977. As the t value is smaller than the CV, it can be inferred that

popularity and leadership skills have little to no relationship with each other.

Conclusions

Based on the findings, the following statements of conclusions are made:

1. Popularity and leadership skills have little to no relationship with each

other.

2. Most Senior High School students have high leadership skills, but are

more likely to be moderately popular.

Recommendations

Based on the findings, the researchers would like to recommend the

following:

1. As popularity is not related to leadership skills, the general voting public

should be more wary of voting for candidates that look popular or only

conduct campaigns that serve to bring more attention to them. Instead, the

public should look for signs of leadership skills, rather than use popularity

as an indicator of such.

2. Those conducting and facilitating voting systems should implement

measures to minimize the influence of popularity on voting.

 26

3. Student leaders and other aspiring candidates should choose their co-

candidates more carefully. Rather than picking persons that are well-

known among the student body or public to guarantee votes, candidates

should choose people that can effectively carry the intended programs for

the party and work together with one another. A more powerful and

effective party can be made if one choose their members based on

leadership skills rather than popularity.

4. Senior High School students should be less hesitant to take up leadership

positions if they want to. However, they should also take care to be

perceptive of their peers and choose their leaders more carefully. The

criteria that students should look for in a leader must not be based on how

popular the person is, at the very least.

5. The phenomena of “smart-shaming” should be criticized openly, as this

practice only adds to the hesitation of students to become leaders.

In the interest of future studies, the researcher would like to the

recommend the following:

1. As our sample was very small compared to the population, a study with a

larger sample size would give stronger results and findings compared to

what is found here.

2. As this particular study focused more on perceived popularity, studies that

focus on the sociometric side of popularity and how it affects popularity

can also be made.

 27

3. The leadership skills tested in the study were more indicative of leadership

effectiveness. Future researchers can conduct a correlation study which

utilizes leadership emergence instead, as the two are aspects of

leadership but are significantly different from one another.

4. Determining a respondent’s leadership skills through self-assessment

does not align with the peer-assessment method used to determine

popularity. As such, future studies should remedy this limitation by finding

ways to assess leadership skills using peer-assessment methods.

5. Cohesiveness between groups may also be assessed, as Theodorson

(1957) states that the cohesiveness between groups affects the

relationship between popularity and leadership skills.

 28

REFERENCES

Atun, J. M. & David, C. (2015). Celebrity politics: Correlates of voting for

celebrities in philippine presidential elections. Social Science Diliman,

11(2), 1-23. Retrieved from https://web.a.ebscohost.com

Axelrod, J. L., Kennedy, C. A. & Lease, A. M. (2002). Children’s social

constructions of popularity. Social Development, 11(1). doi:

10.1111/1467-9507.00188

Bishop, J. L., Cairns, B. D., Estell, D. B., Farmer, T. W. & O’Neal, K. K. (2003).

Rejected bullies or popular leaders? The social relations of aggressive

subtypes of rural african american early adolescents. Development

Psychology, 39(6), 992-1004. doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.39.6.992

Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2013). Why do so many incompetent men become

leaders? Retrieved from https://hrb.org

Corbett, J., Flinder, M. & Wood, M. (2016). Just like us: Everyday celebrity

politicians and the pursuit of popularity in an age of anti-politics. The

British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 18(3), 581-598. doi:

10.1177/1369148116632182

Gorman, A. H. & Schimmelbusch, A. (2002). The attributes adolescents

associate with peer popularity and teacher preference. Journal of School

Psychology, 40(2), 143-165. doi: 10.1016/S0022-4405(02)00092-4

Mendez-Morse, S. (1992). Leadership characteristics that facilitate school

change. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov

 29

Mind Tools Content Team. (n.d.). How good are your leadership skills? Retrieved

from https://www.mindtools.com

Theodorson, G. A. (1957). The relationship between leadership and popularity

roles in small groups. American Sociological Review, 22(1), 58–67. doi:

10.2307/2088766

Turk, H. (1961). Instrumental values and the popularity of instrumental

leaders. Social Forces, 39(3), 252–260. doi: 10.2307/2573217

 30

Appendix A

TRANSMITTAL LETTER

CEBU DOCTORS’ UNIVERSITY

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
September 10, 2019
ATTY. ROEL S. HORTELANO
Principal
Senior High School

Dear Atty. Hortelano,

As a partial fulfillment of the requirement for our subject Practical Research 2,
we, grade 12 senior high school students of Cebu Doctors’ University are
conducting a study entitled “Relationship between Popularity and Leadership
Skills among Senior High School Students of Cebu Doctors’ University AY 2019-
2020”

In line with this, we seek your consent to allow us to conduct our study among
students under your department, particularly the grade 11 and 12 students
enrolling under the Science and Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and
the Humanities and Social Sciences strands for this first semester of A.Y. 2019-
2020 in Cebu Doctors’ University. Rest assured that the data gathered in this
study will be treated with utmost confidentiality.

We are hoping for your positive response

Thank you and God Bless.

Respectively yours,
JODENE VAEDA Z. DECAL
Group Leader

Endorsed by:

Ria M. Alcantara
Research-2 Instructor

Approved by:

Atty. Roel S. Hortelano

Principal, Senior High School
 31

Appendix B

Informed Consent Form

Title of Research Study: Relationship between Popularity and Leadership Skills among
Senior High School students of Cebu Doctors’ University AY 2019 - 2020

Investigators:
Jodene Vaeda Z. Decal, Pierre Angeli C. Francia, Christine Kate P. Lavajo,
Jillian Marie A. Quiamco, Jessica Marei Vallente

Purpose and Background: You are being asked to take part in a research study. Before
you decide to participate in this study, it is important that you understand why the
research is being done and what it will involve. Please read the following information
carefully. Please ask the researcher if there is anything that is not clear or if you need
more information.

This study will identify if the is a relationship between popularity and leadership skills.
The purpose of this study is to see if popularity is a good indicator for leadership

Benefits: The benefits of this study includes:

 Helping the general public in choosing better leaders

 Helping voters be more mindful of tactics politicians/candidates do that
only serve to make them popular (not show off their leader skills)
 Helping people who make voting systems (like polls or ballots) into
making them more favorable for those who do show good leadership skills

Risks: Risks may include leakage of information if ever papers are lost. We will do our
best to minimize such risks. We will take full responsibility if such an unfortunate
outcome happens to you. You may decline to answer any or all questions and you may
terminate your involvement at any time if you choose.

Confidentiality: Your responses to this survey will be anonymous to everybody except

the researchers alone. Every effort will be made by the researcher to preserve your
confidentiality. Participant data will be kept confidential except in cases where the
researcher is legally obligated to report specific incidents. These incidents include, but
may not be limited to, incidents of abuse and suicide risk.

Questions: Decal, the researcher leader, has discussed this information with me and
offered to answer our questions. If you have further questions, you can contact her at
(0920) 271 9820.

Right to Refuse or Withdraw: Your participation in this study is voluntary. It is up to

you to decide whether or not to take part in this study. If you decide to take part in this
study, you will be asked to sign a consent form. After you sign the consent form, you are
 32

still free to withdraw at any time and without giving a reason. Withdrawing from this
study will not affect the relationship you have, if any, with the researcher. If you
withdraw from the study before data collection is completed, your data will be returned to
you or destroyed.

Consent: I have read and I understand the provided information and have had the
opportunity to ask questions. I understand that my participation is voluntary and that I am
free to withdraw at any time, without giving a reason and without cost. I understand that I
will be given a copy of this consent form. I voluntarily agree to take part in this study.

Signature of Participant:

______________________________

Date Signed:

_______________________________

Signature of Investigators:

JODENE VAEDA Z. DECAL PIERRE ANGELI C. FRANCIA

CHRISTINE KATE P. LAVAJO JILLIAN MARIE A. QUIAMCO

JESSICA MAREI M. VALLENTE

 33

Appendix C–1

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

PEER-ASSESSED POPULARITY QUESTIONNAIRE

Questionnaire
Authored by Jodene Decal

Name: _____________________ Grade Level and Section: ___________

Instructions: For every number, write down one to five names of the people present in
your class right now that fit the description given above. Do NOT write your own name.
Note: In the case of having classmates with the same first or last name, write down the
full name for both classmates.

1) Most Popular: 4) Most well-liked:

___________ ____________ ___________ ____________

___________ ____________ ___________ ____________

_____________ _____________

2) Least well-liked: 5) Least likely to be a leader:

___________ ____________ ___________ ____________

___________ ____________ ___________ ____________

_____________ _____________

3) Most likely to be a leader 6) Least Popular:

___________ ____________ ___________ ____________

___________ ____________ ___________ ____________

_____________ _____________
 34

Appendix C-2

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

LEADERSHIP SKILLS QUESTIONNAIRE

Authored by the Mind Tools Content Team

Instructions: For each statement, check the button in the column that best
describes you. Please answer questions as you actually are (rather than how you
think you should be).

Not Some Very

Rare Ofte
18 Statements to Answer at - Ofte
ly n
All times n

1 When assigning tasks, I

consider people's skills and
interests.

2 I doubt myself and my ability

to succeed.

3 I expect nothing less than top-

notch results from people.

4 I expect my people to work

harder than I do.

5 When someone is upset, I try

to understand how he or she is
feeling.

6 When circumstances change, I

can struggle to know what to do.

7 I think that personal feelings

shouldn't be allowed to get in
the way of performance and
productivity.
 35

Not Some Very

Rare Ofte
18 Statements to Answer at - Ofte
ly n
All times n

8 I am highly motivated because

I know I have what it takes to be
successful.

9 Time spent worrying about

team morale is time that's
wasted.

10 I get upset and worried quite

often in the workplace.

11 My actions show people what

I want from them.

12 When working with a team, I

encourage everyone to work
toward the same overall
objectives.

13 I make exceptions to my
rules and expectations. It's
easier than being the enforcer all
the time!

14 I enjoy planning for the

future.

15 I feel threatened when

someone criticizes me.

16 I make time to learn what

people need from me, so that
they can be successful.

17 I'm optimistic about life, and I

can see beyond temporary
setbacks and problems.
 36

Not Some Very

Rare Ofte
18 Statements to Answer at - Ofte
ly n
All times n

18 I think that teams perform

best when individuals keep doing
the same tasks and perfecting
them, instead of learning new
skills and challenging
themselves.
 37

Appendix D

TIMETABLE OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

July Aug Sept Oct Nov

Research Activities
2019 2019 2019 2019 2019

Research Title Screening

Paper Proposal Development

Paper Proposal Hearing

Paper Proposal Revision Making

Data Collection

Data Processing and Analysis

Final Report Writing

Oral Defense

Submission of Research Final

Requirements
 38

Appendix E

RESEARCH BUDGET

Expenses Units Cost per unit Total Cost

Research Equipment

Cellphones 4

Laptop Computer 3

Mobile Internet modern 1 120 pesos 120 pesos

Toner for printer 1 360 pesos 360 pesos

Color Printer 1 360 pesos 360 pesos

Research Materials

Cell Phone Usage Charges 10 20 pesos 200 pesos

Cost for weekly mobile Internet 5 50 pesos 250 pesos

service

Photocopies 100 1 peso 100 pesos

Papers, Pens, Staples, Markers 1 500 pesos 500 pesos

Total Expenses 1,890 pesos

 39

CURRICULUM VITAE

Personal Background

Name : Jodene Vaeda Zamora Decal

Address : 1037 J. Zamora Compound, Aguila Village,

Basak, Cebu City

Contact No. : (+63) 920 271 9820

Email Address: jodenevzdecal@gmail.com

Educational Background

2008 – 2014
Elementary level
Sacred Heart School – Hijas de Jesus
Cebu City

2014 – 2018
Junior High School
Sacred Heart School – Hijas de Jesus
Cebu City

2018 – Present
Senior High School
Cebu Doctors’ University
Mandaue City
 40

CURRICULUM VITAE

Personal Background

Name: Pierre Angeli C. Francia

Address: No. 17 Ilang-Ilang Street, Cammella Homes, Lapu-Lapu

City

Contact No. : (+63) 910 995 1712

Email Address: yellow052401@gmail.com

Educational Background

2008 – 2014
Elementary
Saint Michael College
Cantilan, Surigao del Sur

2014 – 2018
Junior High School
Saint Michael College
Cantilan, Surigao del Sur

2018 – Present
Senior High School
Cebu Doctors’ University
Mandaue City
 41

CURRICULUM VITAE

Personal Background

Name: Christine Kate P. Lavajo

Address: F.Cabahug St. Kasambagan Mabolo, Cebu City

Contact No. : (+63) 967 204 0947

Email Address: Christinekatelavajo0930@gmail.com

Educational Background

2008 – 2014
Elementary
Saint Catherine’s College
Carcar, Cebu City

2014 – 2018
Junior High School
Saint Catherine’s College
Carcar, Cebu City

2018 – Present
Senior High School
Cebu Doctors’ University
Mandaue City
 42

CURRICULUM VITAE

Personal Background

Name : Jillian Marie Alkuino Quiamco

Address : The Midlands, Lot 22 Casa Rosita Subd. Arcenas

Estate, R Deterte Street, Banawa, Cebu City, 6000

Contact No. : (+63) 921 816 3717

Email Address: jillianquiamco180@gmail.com

Educational Background

2008 – 2014
Elementary level
PAREF Southcrest Inc.
Cebu City

2014 – 2018
Junior High School
PAREF Southcrest Inc.
Cebu City

2018 – Present
Senior High School
Cebu Doctors’ University
Mandaue City
 43

CURRICULUM VITAE

Personal Background

Name: Jessica Marei M. Vallente

Address: Cebu Doctor's Dormitory, Mandaue, Cebu City

Contact No. : (+63) 967 294 1390

Email Address: marievallente_jessica@yahoo.com

Educational Background

2008 – 2014
Elementary
Barili Central School
Barili City

2014 – 2018
Barili Central School
Barili City

2018 – Present
Senior High School
Cebu Doctors’ University
Mandaue City