Students’ Disinterest on Officership in The Higher Education: Basis For The Enhancement on Students’ Involvement in Campus Leadership

Students’ Disinterest on Officership in the Higher Education: Basis for the Enhancement on Students’ Involvement in Campus Leadership

Allan V. Mandi II, Cazzandra Angela A. Pasaporte, James Nilo J. Robles, Wilter C. Friales, PhD

Notre Dame of Marbel University, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.803153S

Received: 11 June 2024; Accepted: 24 June 2024; Published: 27 July 2024

ABSTRACT                                    

College students need to maximize their journey in tertiary education in order to equip themselves with the skills in order to survive the life after graduating. Involvement in student officership can help them acquire these skills needed such as decision making, time management, and self-confidence. Despite of this, there is still an alarming number of college students who are disinterested in involving themselves in student officership. This research paper aimed to find out their views towards student officership and factors affecting their disinterest using descriptive approach. Data were gathered from 4th year students for A.Y. 2022-2023 without officership since their 1st year of stay in the university. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. From the findings, a proposal on the enhancement of the existing university policies on students’ involvement in the organizations was proposed.

Keywords: disinterest, officership, college students, Notre Dame of Marbel Universtiy, enhanced policy, student involvement, organizations

INTRODUCTION

Student leadership has been an integral part of higher education in most parts of the world. Higher education has always emphasized leadership, and many of the country’s first political, social, and professional leaders came from early higher education. Leading in a dynamic environment is essential. Despite the strong messages about the value of leadership in higher education and society, many colleges still emphasize student leadership due to their educational programs. Due to the tremendous demand for leadership in many situations, there is still no consensus or thorough understanding of what leadership is (Astin, 1984).

Many educators believe that students must develop both skills and attitudes. Student participation serves as a vehicle for students to grow professionally and personally during their college years, a solid basis for intellectual and developmental development (Astin, 1984) Students in higher education are still seen as followers rather than leaders. These student leaders establish an organization’s or cause’s goals and vision. Most colleges and universities offer several student groups and governments that promote group dynamics and collaborative leadership. The problem is that these organizations frequently reflect and promote traditional hierarchical leadership values. The major hurdle is student beliefs, as some students believe they lack the necessary leadership abilities. The university do not value student input. Students are unable to participate due to a lack of time (Astin, 1999).

Students can join organizations that reflect their different interests, improving their chances of involvement. Those who belong to student groups tend to have better interpersonal and intrapersonal skills than those who only go to meetings or don’t belong to any groups (Coressel, 2014). Notre Dame of Marbel University has fifty-one (51) recognizerd clubs and organizations based on the OSAD Clubs and Organizations Directory. These campus and club groups prepare students for leadership and cooperation, provide opportunities to plan and work together, establish camaraderie, and develop personal worth and dedication to building attitudes and transferring ideas. The clubs and organizations’ actions should meet these goals.

Academic life becomes hard due to officership duties and personal studies (Ellis, 2016). There is a lack of support from university management since their ideas are sometimes ignored, and conflict between academic pursuits and duties. College students are exposed to higher amounts of stressors, increasing their susceptibility to stress. Professionalism means balancing personal and professional life; the business world demands 100% professionalism. This leaves student leaders with no time for the Organization meeting. Spending a lot of time for the organization is likewise costly and time-consuming. Student officership and academics are difficult to balance (Casasola, 2014).

Students in student organizations also acquire leadership abilities more than non-members. It is necessary to investigate student officership perspectives and why many do not participate. Many social issues demand collaboration, teamwork, and values-based action rather than a chosen group. Assume that most college or university students learn to be followers. As a result, higher education may fail to train leaders for the future. A remarkable place to start is by asking today’s college students about leadership. There is also a shortage of research on student perceptions of leadership, which this study hopes to fill.

This study aimed to describe the factors influencing students’ perceptions of student officership and their disinterest in it. Those who are currently enrolled as 4th year college students for A.Y 2022-2023 were the target respondents. This will serve as a guide if relevant situations are to happen. It can also be an additional piece of knowledge or additional literature in line with this. Some researchers working on the same topic or idea may use this study as part of their references or guides to answer their research problems.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Disinterest in Student Leadership

Based on the research of Zhang et al, (2020) there are risks that discourage people from being an officer. Image risk, they are reluctant because they do not want their image to be seem like “know it all”. Risk of being blamed, a lot were afraid that if they would be held responsible if the organization fails; afraid to be blamed after the collective failure. Their participant stated that if their work did not go well it would be the officers who will be blamed. Organizations demand the right skill set for the position. Some people do not want to be an officer because they believe that they don’t have the right skill set to be an officer (Loflin, 2016). Most people cannot see themselves perform outside of a particular scope. They only feel comfortable working within a fully articulated role. They are only at ease working in a clearly defined role. They cannot imagine working outside of their organization’s boundaries. When confronted with anything outside their comfort zone, these are the people who say, “That’s not my job.” Some people lack the confidence to be a leader and afraid to fail (Boyd, 2020). Bystander effect refers to the phenomenon in which the greater the number of people present; the less likely people are to help a person in distress. When an emergency situation occurs, observers are more likely to take action if there are few or no other witnesses. Being part of a large crowd makes it so no single person has to take responsibility for an action (Cherry, 2020). We assume someone else will step up and make necessary changes.

Views on Officership

The student viewpoint on student organization officership is required in order to identify and comprehend the reasons why students join student groups. The perspective of students, along with existing evidence on the benefits of student engagement, enriches the learning environment.

In the study of Haines (2019), there are studies regarding the benefits of student involvement in organizations but limited research as to why they choose to participate in a club or organization.

Being an officer, according to Atkinson (2021), is not just about rainbows and smiles, as she explained the repercussions of being a student officer. A student officer is responsible to thousands of students, especially in universities, who have entrusted their votes and officers owe it to the students to be transparent. There can be an enormous amount of work and time required. Even on an officer’s busiest day, students will approach and ask for assistance, and the students must be assisted. One must attend weekly and monthly meetings and provide effort and time to any project that is accessible.

In the study of Coppedge (2019) on the examination of the perception, role and impact of student-led clubs and organizations on student development, engagement and success: his participant noted that friends and mentors are crucial in developing student-led clubs and organizations, according to the student if they were to attend a meeting, they would feel compelled to get their friends to come as well, otherwise, they would not attend. Also stated that they did not see any benefit in joining “academic clubs” and would not consider doing so unless people they knew started. Also influences that makes student participate is they do not want their professor to be disappointed at them.

Student officers are mostly viewed to perform their primary role which is to organize students around the issues of student life and governance. However, they are also expected to take the lead in matters of student social involvement by identifying issues and organizing students around such issues (Bodibe, 2012). This is supported by NASPA (2012) stating that student officers should give service for their fellow students for their progress. These services play an important role in encouraging and establishing open decision-making processes and rational conflict resolution. The process by which policies are developed, decisions are made, and contentious issues are addressed is just as important as the outcomes. According to Strathman (2020) being an officer includes making your own network. This network are your advocates, supporters, colleagues and influence. Networking is a skill that is essential being an officer. Social connection is a tool to navigate through a difficult situation. Student officership build a connection between fellow students and camaraderie within the community. In addition, according to Shoobridge (2020) enhancing trust, pride, and camaraderie in the workplace is the central task of effective leadership in today’s organizations.

A current problem in colleges and universities nationwide sits at a critical impasse. While higher education emphasizes critical thinking across disciplines, many undergraduates cannot effectively utilize this skill (Burbach, 2004). Nonetheless, unlike many traditional academic disciplines, leadership education provides students with a setting in which critical thinking skills and practices can be applied on a daily basis. The underlying philosophy of leadership education is to develop students’ interpersonal skills for leadership in an environment that promotes increased self-awareness, understanding of others, and learning from life experiences, according to the study by Burbach et al., (2004). Through student-centered experiential learning, leadership studies emphasize the development of skills such as critical thinking (Eich et al., 2008). Oke et al. (2010) stated that failing to involve students in decision-making in schools can cause difficulties in planning and implementing school goals, which can lead to inadequacies in terms of human, material, financial, and physical resources. Student representation in university decision-making, according to Mamashela (2013), is one of the primary ways universities engage with students, listen to them, and include them in internal decision-making processes.

Anderson and Lu (2017) also indicated that student officers may increase their study efforts for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they were afraid of being replaced if they performed poorly in class, or perhaps people perform better when others have higher expectations of them a phenomenon known as the Rosenthal effect. Their higher profile in university may also have made it more embarrassing to perform poorly in class. In this case, student officers may not have wanted to disappoint the school body who appointed or elected them, and they may have hoped to achieve future professional appointments. Academic performance is critical because it is linked to the positive outcomes we value. People who are academically effective and have honorary degrees are more likely to be employed, have steady jobs, and have more job openings. Student leadership brings benefits and a bright future for those with experience. It has been demonstrated that student leaders are more likely to become leaders in the workplace than those with no prior leadership experience. This is because they have prior experience leading teams, making it easier for them to take on responsibility for other people. Scholar leadership at universities show students to create credible associations. Scholars get to know credible individuals, professors, heads of school clubs and organizations (Nkaramba et al, 2022).

Time constraints for a student leader are intensified by involvement in student groups/clubs and time-consuming leadership roles in those student groups. When leadership roles are added to the typical student workload, the student becomes busier. According to the research of Anderson (1999), leaders with a strong sense of self-control and persistence are more likely to be diligent and engaged in their work. The ability to resist impulses, maintain focus, and see projects through to completion is referred to as self-discipline. It is defined by a leader’s perseverance and willpower in devoting their full attention to a task until it is satisfactorily completed. Leaders with a strong sense of self-discipline are not easily distracted. They can maintain concentration in the face of competing demands for their attention (Karp, 2015).

Factors Affecting Disinterest in Officership

As a result, questions arose regarding the amount of time left to complete additional jobs (Mahoney et al., 2006). In addition, theories regarding the negative impacts of extracurricular involvement were cited in the study by Koehler (2014), these were: (1) some argue that balancing voluntary extracurricular activities with considered necessary obligations, such as academic tasks and responsibilities at home, causes stress, which can hinder family dynamics and thus, adjustment (Fredricks, 2012); (2) some argue that extracurricular activities promote values that are directly opposed to academic interests and divert time from academic pursuits (Black, 2002); (3) extracurricular activities can not only distract from academics, but they can also diminish the amount of time available to teens for leisure and relaxation (Melman et al., 2008); (4) lastly, the motive for participating has been questioned, with some claiming that pressure from parents or resume building are more important motivators than true personal interest.

Students may have difficulties as a result of juggling responsibilities: researchers have discovered a negative link between participation and academic achievement and learning (Pascarella &Terenzini, 1998). College students who were involved in student clubs and other groups performed worse on objective learning assessments than those who were not participated, in terms of grades and overall GPA. Koehler (2014) stated that students continue to schedule activities without regard for their time and space constraints, sometimes scheduling meetings across campus at the same time, negatively impacting their attendance and opportunities to contribute meaningfully to both activities and academics.

Reasons affecting student officership

In the study of Haines (2019), student organizations are one of the most important factors in developing a sense of belonging to an institution, thus supporting an institution’s retention efforts. Many students are not even aware of their restricting views. External activities such as disengagement from campus life, passive learning in the classroom, and students’ self-selecting out of leadership possibilities might result from these views. Students in conventional leadership roles may currently be the only ones who hold empowering views.

In the study of Shucker (1987) despite the fact that extracurricular activity has been linked to perseverance, there is a negative relationship between involvement and both projected and actual GPAs. This is supported by Yin & Lei (2007) agreeing that undergraduates who were actively involved in campus activities had lower GPAs. In addition, their study found that higher GPA students were likewise less likely to suggest clubs and activities to their peers since they were dissatisfied with campus activities. Athletic activities and campus group activities were also listed as barriers to academic success. The perceived workload and both campus organization activities have substantial relationships.

Aside from the academics, there was also a negative correlation between the health of the student and taking responsibility for student involvement in school clubs and organizations. According to Thacher (2008), students’ pressures, such as sports team commitments and extracurricular activities may impact the utilization of all-nighters, or a single night of total sleep deprivation. Lower GPA has been demonstrated to be negatively associated with all-nighters. Those students who are over-committed during the day may be forced to pull all-nighters and suffer the repercussions. All-nighters can sometimes lead to a downward spiral; trying to catch up the next day and losing behind, necessitating more all-nighters those students who consistently fill all of their day-time and many of their night-times with academic activities. This tendency is more likely to occur during hours when a student has responsibilities in their club or organization.In addition, trying to get everything done as an overworked student, such as an officer, can lead to high levels of stress and anxiety. An example is one over-involved student who said that she had never been more worried than when she was in college, juggling her involvement in numerous activities, her course load, and her social life Gardner et al., (2010). Juggling academics, involvement, and social connections can add to a student’s subjective workload Jacobs & Dobb, (2003) Subjective workload differs from objective workload; subjective workload refers to a sensation that one’s burden is too heavy; whereas, objective workload looks at the real amount of work, extracurricular activities, and academics. Burnout and tiredness can result from either type of workload. Burnout, as defined by Freudenberger (1974) is the tendency to fail, to wear out, or to become fatigued by placing excessive demands on one’s energy, strength, or resources. However, to the workload handled by students, it has recently broadened its scope to include college students (Jacobs & Dobb, 2003).

Statement of the Problem

This study described the students’ disinterest on officership in student organizations in the higher education institution. Specifically, this study did the following:

1. Describe the views of the respondents on officership.
2. Describe the factors that affect their disinterest in student officership.
3. Propose a policy on students’ involvement in the student organizations based on the findings of the study.

METHOD

This study used descriptive research design with a mixed method in data gathering. Descriptive research design is used in order to describe the respondents, their views, and the factors affecting their disinterest towards student officership.  Phase 1 of the research process included respondents’ selection based on the given criteria and subjected to answering the survey questionnaire. The researchers chose a validated researcher-made survey questionnaire for the respondents who met the criteria because they believe that it will best serve to answer the questions and the purposes of the study. The findings of the quantitative data analysis were interpreted and clarified and followed up with an in-depth interview. The qualitative data acquired during the interview in Phase 2 are beneficial in expounding the findings from the first phase of the study. The participants in the in-depth interview, would only be one per college, which attained the highest frequency based on the results of the survey. The study is conducted at Notre Dame of Marbel University (locally known as NDMU), a Catholic educational institution in Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines.

For the survey questionnaire, the respondents of this study are all fourth-year students enrolled in the first semester of A.Y. 2022-2023 who have never been an officer in any club or organization since their first year in college. Among the respondents, 254 are male, 307 female. When categorized into their respective college, 225 from CAS, 21 from CED, 124 from CET, and 191 from CBA.

The participants in the in-depth interview, involve one representative per college, which attained the highest frequency in the factors affecting disinterest based on the results of the survey. For example, Factor A received the highest frequency in the results of the quantitative data, therefore, the respondent who has given Factor A the highest frequency will be the respondent for phase 2 which is the interview.

This research used a validated researcher-made survey questionnaire for the first phase of the data gathering procedure. The questionnaire is divided into two parts. The first part is for the views of the respondents, which is categorized into five aspects, namely the social, mental, emotional, academic, and self-discipline, and the second part includes the factors influencing their disinterest towards student officership. The choices in the questionnaire were drawn out from the concepts found in the review of the related literature and will serve as an indicator in analyzing the data. The questionnaire answered questions for the SOP 2 and 3, with choices provided for the respondents which are taken from the concepts. For the second phase, an in-depth interview with open-ended questions is used in order to further explain the findings from the first phase. The questions on the interview guide have been checked by the thesis adviser.

For this study, the researchers used a quantitative and qualitative in data gathering. For the quantitative data gathering, the researchers identified the number of fourth-year students enrolled for the first semester of A.Y. 2022-2023 who has never been an officer in any institutional club or organization registered in the Office of the Student Affairs for their whole tenure at the university. They are the respondents of this research and answered a researcher-made survey questionnaire which was verified by the questionnaire validator. The method of data collection that was utilized is a written questionnaire – allowing a large sample size without major expense, produced quantitative data that was analyzed by statistical method or statistical computer programs. The gathering of the data for the questionnaire was conducted both face-to-face with the printed questionnaires, and online using Google Forms. The data were then collected and analyzed. After the analysis and interpretation of the quantitative data, the results are used in order to identify the participant per college who answered to the survey questionnaire that matched the results. For the qualitative part of the data gathering procedure, an in-depth interview was conducted. The interview was conducted face-to-face and also virtually in order to adjust with the participants’ availability. The questions for the in-depth interview are based on the results of the quantitative data and used to further deepen their answers on the survey. Furthermore, the questions are designed in order to accumulate enough information that pertains to the factors affecting their disinterest in student officership. The answers of the participants were transcribed, analyzed, and placed into a thematic analysis table in order to draw out concepts and themes.

The researchers counted the number of responses for every indicators and determined the highest and lowest number of responses. To get the weighted mean, the scores or total/sum of the scores were added, then divided by the total number of respondents. The calculated mean per category was arranged from highest to lowest. After computing the mean in getting the range, the researchers interpreted the data using scale values and used the criteria below for interpretation:

The data taken through the survey questionnaire is placed in a frequency table to see which among the choices has the highest frequency. The range and table of interpretation below is used to analyze the data. Frequency will be used to scale the responses in the survey questionnaire to analyze the rating using a scale of 1 to 4 to determine the factor with the highest frequency.

In treating the qualitative data, themes are identified and clustered. Colaizi’s seven-step method is used as a guide for the data analysis: (1) interview transcripts will be read several times, (2) significant statements on disinterest on student officership were extracted, (3) meanings were formulated for important statements, (4) formulated meanings were categorized into clusters of themes, (5) findings were integrated into comprehensive descriptions of disinterest on student officership, (6) comprehensive descriptions were authenticated by obtaining participants’ feedback, and (7) feedback was incorporated into the final descriptions of disinterest on student officership.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This section is simply focused on the summary, insight and implications of the quantitative and qualitative data formulated by the researchers on the factors affecting the disinterest on student officership.

Views on Student Officership

Views on Student Officership under Social Aspect

With a mean of 3.48, the respondents strongly agreed that they view student officership as helpful in boosting student’s self-confidence. According to Smith (2015) students who were involved in co-curricular campus organizations develop leadership traits of confidence, honesty, optimism, persistence, and responsibility. In addition, Stark (2014) also stated that confidence is a component of officership to become decisive, a good communicator, coach, and to hold members accountable. Confidence separates great leaders from average leaders. Without it, decision making, leading meetings with authority, persuading others to communicate, and be open to a constructive feedback or criticisms will be difficult.

Most people in the organizations want and need to work together more effectively and productively. As Hamid and Kumari (2014) stated that individuals want to be part of a bigger picture that connects them to a larger purpose. This is what most of the leaders expect to accomplish. It is also the aim of most of the leaders to interact with others especially to those who they are serving, for them to be able to express themselves as well as it can motivate them to strive harder on making their responsibilities. Their daily interactions with other people also serve as a way of reaching out their services more effectively and efficiently in order to make them satisfied within themselves. Working with others can develop their sense of belongingness and make them to feel that they are worthy of their positions, which can boost their confidence.

College students in general really need self-confidence in order to participate actively in class discussions. Students who have self-confidence are more likely to participate in class more actively, enjoy learning, have less exam anxiety, be more motivated to pursue their goals, and feel more at ease among their professors (Akbari, O., Sahibzada, J., 2020). Through involvement in student officership, a student will be given opportunities to boost its self-confidence. For example, aside from planning and organizing programs and activities, student officers at NDMU are provided with enrichment activities such as strategic plannings, seminars, and leadership trainings in order to further develop their self-confidence. Student participation can also serve as a vehicle for students to grow professionally and personally during their college years, a solid basis for intellectual and developmental development (Astin, 1984) and student officership can aid in developing this.

Views on Student Officership under Mental Aspect

Under student officership, a student can develop skills such as speaking up, sharing decision-making, and implementation of action, as mentioned in the paper of Black, R., Walsh, L., Magee, J., Hutchins, L., Berman, N., & Groundwater-Smith, S. (2014) entitled Student Leadership: A Review of Effective Practice. Under the views towards student officership on the mental aspect, a mean of 3.51 participants strongly agreed that as a student officer, it can help in developing decision-making skills. The capacity to solve problems is a multifaceted capability that draws on other abilities as an officer such as planning and organizing. Every step made by an officer requires decision making as programs and activities are carefully planned out. For example, in conducting activities at NDMU, club officers need to decide for the date, venue, theme, and even until the little details such as decorations and seating arrangements in order to make sure the smooth flow of the program or activity.

It is crucial to have decision making skills as an officer. Everyone should be able to think critically and solve issues since these abilities boost confidence and make people more resilient. As supported by American Psychological Association (2022), officers are constantly under pressure, juggling additional demands on their time, attention, and focus, whether in business, nonprofits, or government. Effective leaders learn to make decisions while under stress and pressure.

Officers with a decision-making aptitude can successfully identify, analyze, and resolve issues. Using good decision-making methods will help them avoid confrontation with others at school and in their private life, (Gutierrez, 2012). Additionally, it will aid in the early development of children’s empathy skills and teach them to attribute better motives to others. For success in school and in life, one needs to be able to make decisions well.

Views on Student Officership under Emotional Aspect

The indicator helpful in handling stress positively was the most strongly agreed by the participants, with a mean of 3.46. This result can be supported by a study done by Caraig, C.J., Manibo, J., Masangcay, H.J., & Villanueva, K. (2020) entitled Self-Regulation, Leadership and Level of Stress among Senior High School Students. It showed that student leaders have a positive outlook on life and a strong sense of duty of the university clinicians, 5.9% ranked stress as the fourth-most common mental health problem among college students during the school year 2018–2019. To handle stress positively is a skill that is helpful to college students, and respondents from the four colleges agree that student officership can help in acquiring this. They are also likely to find coping mechanisms for various circumstances.

Recent research has shown that people behave more defensively, make less wise decisions, and literally lose their “executive” function when under stress. Due to the fact that they set the tone for their organizations, officers are particularly affected by this. People around them frequently react in a confused, defensive, or other unproductive manner as a result of their moods, which also have an impact on how others think and act (Paul & Stroh, 2015).

According to Anderson (2019), most officers need emotional regulation as a competence to successfully manage their workforce. In times of upheaval and change, workers frequently seek to leaders for guidance on how to act. Therefore, officers must get ready to put on a composed, logical front. Officers are viewed as more pleasant, moral, and committed to the goals of the organization when they have strong emotional control. Being in control of one’s emotions entails remaining composed under pressure, in unknown situations, or when facing conflict or disagreement. This does not imply that all emotions should be repressed, but rather that we should be aware of which feelings are suitable in any particular circumstance and refrain from expressing strong or unpleasant emotions under stress. When coping with challenging employee situations or organizational transformation, emotional control is crucial.

Views on Student Officership under Academic Aspect

With a mean of 3.51, the indicator helpful in enhancing self-confidence in participating in the class interaction is the most strongly agreed. According to Positive Action staff (2021), students should take initiative to be an active participant, it includes but not limited to asking and answering questions, completing class assignments, and upholding the classroom norms. Students should always recognize that they are part of the learning community.Betty Edwards (2018) found that student officership can bring a positive effect to school climate, her research showed that students can improve their performance in academics, social and emotional aspects when they are meaningfully engaged and are contributing members of a school that has a positive and caring outlook. When student officers are being trusted and involved, they improve efforts from the beginning and has a great effect in school climate. Student participation serves as a vehicle for students to grow professionally and personally during their college years, a solid basis for intellectual and developmental development (Astin, 1984)

Views on Student Officership under the Aspect of Self-discipline

For the aspect of self-discipline, the choice helpful in developing time management skills was the most strongly agreed with a total mean of 3.48. According to Cartier (2018), as a student officer of a specific council, they need to balance school, student council, and personal life, therefore, being an officer needs time management skill. They should be well aware of how to set their priorities and manage their time. Furthermore, the student officers are in charge of almost the entire school. They organize events, raise funds, and organize fun activities for the students. They do a lot for the entire school community.

An officer has a lot of priorities not only in organizations, but also in their personal life like family obligations, academics, and other extracurricular activities. Good time management saves a person the time and energy to achieve more. Officers have priorities, not only in their organization but also in their personal lives, including their families, their education, and their extracurricular interests. Effective time management frees up time and energy so they can accomplish more. In addition, according to William Knause (1977), a psychologist, 90% of college students procrastinate, 25 % of them develop a habit of procrastinating, including many who drop out of college.

Factors Affecting Disinterest on Student Officership

Based on the results shown on Table 4, the five highest ranked by the respondents are the following: it hinders family time, it gives additional workload, I cannot handle the subjective workload, it gives additional problems, and I lack self-confidence.

The indicator it hinders family time got the highest percentage which is 47.21. Theories addressing the negative impacts of extracurricular involvement were cited in Koehler’s study (2014). Some claim that extracurricular activities promote values that are directly at odds with academic interests and divert time from academic pursuits (Black, 2002; Brint& Cantwell, 2010; Coleman, 1961; Marsh 1992; Ma); others assert that juggling voluntary extracurricular activities with obligations that are viewed as necessary, like academic tasks and household responsibilities, causes stress, which can be detrimental to family dynamics. In the in-depth-interview conducted, participant 2 stated:

“Syempre may arana man ko sang wife kung magsulodpako sang pagka officer madulaan nagid ko sang time, may studies, business, kagpagiging athlete ko kung isulod ko pa pagiging officer ko paano ko tunga-tungaonsarili ko.”

Furthermore, participant 3 stated:

“In my case I have to magbantaysatindahan may responsibility ko dirisabalay so kung idugang ko pa nasiyamgahirimuon ko di ko gihaponnasiyamatutokan, Ang time ko is kulang kay kailangan ko pa magtabangdiri kay nila mama.”

Last but not least, the motivation for joining has been called into question. Some believe that pressure from parents or the need to improve one’s resume are more essential drivers of
participation than genuine personal interest (Luthar& Sexton, 2004; Mahoney et al., 2006, as cited in Koehler, 2014). As an officer, one has obligations to both the fellow students and the school, which will limit the time for leisure and family time. Officership entails more than just being in charge; that is management, which encompasses a variety of duties.

Ranked two indicator with a percentage of 43.8 was  it gives additional workload.Students avoid student officership due to the additional workload. This can be supported by a study by Shucker (1987, as cited in Koehler, 2014), extracurricular involvement has been associated with resilience, however, there is a bad correlation between anticipated and actual GPAs and involvement. This is corroborated by Yin & Lei’s (2007, as quoted in Koehler, 2014) findings, which concur that undergraduates who participated in campus activities heavily had lower GPAs. As stated by participant 3:

“Average lang ko tapos nag sulodsulodpakodirapaano ang criticism ngamadawat ko kung mag mali-malipakodira mag apektonasaakon kay mag nubolaloakonnga grade kay isipon ko pa sila.”

Furthermore, according to participant 4:

“For example, thesis, it demands a lot of time to work. You will be going to revised and to work some part of it another problem you need to do your job as an officer it’s difficult to balance it.”

Participant 4 gave an example on the heaviness of academic task, plus adding the responsibilities of being an officer. Additionally, because they were unsatisfied with campus activities, higher GPA students were also less inclined to recommend clubs and activities to their peers, according to study. The participation in university clubs and athletics was also mentioned
as a hindrance to academic progress. There are also strong connections between the perceived workload and both campus organization activities. Attaining 42.6% of responses, the indicator I cannot handle the subjective workload was the third highest factor affecting disinterest on student officership. This demonstrates how officers’ increased workloads, which have a significant negative impact on them personally and professionally, are one reasons contributing to participant disinterest on officership. Debilitating stress, emotional disorders, and sickness can all be negative impact. Burnout can result from having limited control over an overwhelmingly heavy task. Furthermore, participant 4 stated:

“I am not really into taking thing at the same time. I prefer only 3 work or activities during a week beyond that it’s heavy for me.”

This can be supported by a study by Jacobs & Dobb (2003) as cited in Koehler (2014). According to their study, burnout is a result of both subjective and objective workload. With both academics and extracurricular activities as  student officers, they are prone to burnouts. In addition, it has been established that adolescents are more likely to experience depressive symptoms, peer victimization, and loneliness (Garber, Keiley, & Martin, 2002; Horowitz & Garber, 2006; Mahon, Yarcheski, Yarcheski, Cannella, & Hanks, 2006; Storch &Ledley, 2005), as cited in Koehler (2014). Qualitative study has shown that striving to complete everything as a stressed-out student or officer might result in high levels of tension and anxiety. One overly involved student gave the statement that she had never felt more anxious than while she was balancing her involvement in several activities, her course load, and her social life while in college as an example (Gardner et al., 2010, as cited in Koehler, 2014).

In addition, as stated by participant 1:

“I am bad at time management and I don’t want to be stressed.”

According to Dowd (2020), work overload has a significant negative impact on one’s emotional health and mood, which has an impact on one’s ability to perform at work. Relationships with coworkers, friends, and family can suffer due to moodiness. Worrying excessively about your workload exacerbates anxiety and raises your level of workplace unhappiness. Concerns about not keeping up can result in low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy, especially if the employer mentions pushing up the pace. The top stressor is having an overwhelming workload and working long hours. Workplace stress within the organization contributes to a variety of additional issues, including a tight working atmosphere, rivalry among co-officers, and a sense of being on edge.

Next, the indicator it gives additional problem with 42.25% is considered as one of the factors affecting disinterest on student officership. This shows that having additional problems caused by being a student officer discourages students to be a student leader. As stated by participant 1:

“More deadlines mean more stress I don’t want to be stressed because I don’t do well addressing stressful stuffs, If I was a leader I would be constantly stressed, might end up taking a visit to a psychiatrist.”

In addition, participant 4 also stated:

“I know someone that was an officer and it gives a negative impact on his physical and mental health because of all of the problems he encountered at the same time. He lost weight and he lacks sleep, and he committed suicide.”

The experience of participant 4, in which he knew someone who used to be a leader which was not able to handle the additional problems brought by being a student officer resulted to their death. As well as in the experience of participant 1, in which he avoids being an officer in order to avoid stress. Extracurricular activities, can have both harmful and beneficial effects on students, but despite these positive effects, Whitla (1981, as cited in Koehler, 2014) discovered that students who spent the majority of their time on non-academic activities reaped lower rewards than those who are involved minimally. Student organization officers are the busiest of those active in student activities (Wall, 2004, as cited in Koehler, 2014), and as a result, they are more likely to get too involved. Juggling academics, involvement, and social connections can add to a student’s subjective workload (Jacobs & Dobb, 2003, as cited in Koehler, 2014). Subjective workload differs from objective workload; subjective workload refers to a sensation that one’s burden is too heavy; whereas, objective workload looks at the real amount of work, extracurricular activities, and academics (Jacobs & Dobb, 2003). Burnout and tiredness can result from either type of workload.

Lastly, the fifth highest factor affecting disinterest on student officership is I lack self-confidence, with 38.15%. According to Boyd (2020), some people lack the confidence to be a leader and are afraid of failure. It is in the hearts of student leaders to actually interact with people from different walks of life. They can use their skill in socializing through speaking up the insights of the ones they lead. Participant 1 stated that:

“I have a problem with my self-confidence, hindi ko makaya mag-face samgatao because I get anxious, especially

considering the number of students at NDMU that you need to be in charge of.”

Spark (2021) stated that one of the most important qualities an officer can have is self-confidence. A self-assured leader is not required to constantly demonstrate this quality to others. Instead, they can use their confidence to face challenges and to instill confidence in others. Having an optimistic attitude despite of difficult situation is the best quality an officer could have. Being an officer does not require a negative attitude because thinking negatively is having a step-back on making the job done.  In the case of participant 1, his lack of self-confidence in facing the large number of students at NDMU influences his disinterest. Participant 1 also added that:

“It’s best to give the job to other people there are lot of competent students who will be a very good leader.”

On the other hand, for participant 2:

“Wala nadaan ko self-confidence, hindi ko gusto ang criticism sang other person dako gid ngaepektosakonkapag may criticism namabatian.”

This also shows that the role of a student officer corresponds both in clubs and classrooms because they are still a student enrolled to their respective course having a responsibility to excel inside the classroom is every student should do.

Proposed Enhancement on the Policy in the Campus Organizations in Schools.

1. To provide quality service to everyone, Additional clubs and organizations, which will cater the thestudents’ diverse interest will be created (e.g. debate club, theatre club, artists’ club, etc.)
2. All students, throughout their tenure at Notre Dame of Marbel University, from the first year until their graduation, are required to take officership of any position in any club or organization, may it be academic, socio-cultural, or athletic.
3. This is one of the requirements under the Office of Student Affairs during the signing of the Exit Clearance.

SUMMARY

The summary of findings of the researchers concludes that there are different factors affecting a student’s views on officership and the factors affecting his/her disinterest. It is revealed that they have a positive view regarding student officership, and that they are aware of its positive impacts to the life of a college students such as vision to help fellow students, boosting self-confidence, handle stress and emotions positively, enhanced self-confidence in participating in class interactions, and helpful in developing decision making skills and time management skills. Despite of the positive impacts of student officership, it was revealed that the factors affecting their disinterest weighs more. They revealed that they are disinterested because for them, it gives additional workload, additional problems, and hinders time with their family. This shows that there is indeed a problem in the university regarding students who sees student officership as a problem rather as an opportunity.

Insights

Involvement in student officership can elevate different advantages when it comes to competency and it is the ultimate factor for the leaders to motivate, to promote guidance to others in realizing the vision, objectives, mission as well as it promotes to be creative innovative and creates new ideas for the betterment of an organization as well as to adopt changes.In conducting this research study, the researches learned that despite the positive effects of student officership, students see it as an additional problem rather as an opportunity. For them, being an officer can help you but it is still outweighed by the negative impacts. In their four years of stay as a college student, they were never interested in student officership for they see it as a distraction from personal time and academics. Moreover, the researchers have learned that students view student officers as stressed, problematic, and always busy due to the number of workloads being given. For them, being a student officer means your emotions should be always in control in order to surpass the challenges and problems. Since they did not experience being a student officer in their tenure at NDMU, the results imply that their views and factors are influenced by their observations to those who has been a student officer.

Implications

This research study implies that the analysis responds to the study’s research questions and help to achieve its goal which is to identify the views and factors affecting the disinterest of the students towards officership. Based on the results, the factors lack of self-confidence, it gives additional problems, cannot handle the subjective workload, it gives additional workload, it hinders time for my family are the most prevalent in influencing the disinterest towards student officership. The existing policies are already published in the University Student Manual under the Office of the Student Affairs and Development but focuses on the organizations, clubs and activities rather than the officers.

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