"Bokasyon o Edukasyon": Work Motivation and Employment Satisfaction of Selected college dropouts Aleph Geremy A. Abarcar, Jamaica Rose P. Cornelio, Laurie Jeanne P. Flores, Jhon Paulo A. Latumbo, and Kristine Dior R. Sioson

Thesis Bachelor of Science in Psychology University of Rizal System Pililla, Rizal

This study primarily aimed to assess the extent of the work motivation and determine the extent of employment satisfaction of selected college dropouts in the province of Rizal. The researchers used the descriptive mixed method of research. The respondents of this study were the thirty (30) selected college dropouts who were employees since they decided to drop-out to find a suitable job. The respondents were chosen based on the following criteria: male or female, currently employed, dropped-out or out of school youth, single or married, resides in the Province of Rizal, agreed to be part of this study and trusted the researchers. The major instrument used in this study were adopted and modified questionnaire-checklist and structured interview which underwent face and content validation by experts in the field of Psychology and one language critic. From the analysis of the data, findings were presented as follows: with regards to the profile of the respondents in terms of age, those aged 21 to 24 ranked first, and those aged 20 and below ranked last. In terms of sex, males ranked first and females ranked last. In terms of type of job, non-production jobs ranked first, and production jobs ranked last. In terms of municipality, Pililla ranked first and Antipolo ranked last. Moreover, in terms of own monthly income, 10,000 below ranked first and 15,000 above ranked last. Results showed that with respect to extent of work motivation, organizational climate ranked the highest. Hence, the reward system ranked the lowest. With respect to employment satisfaction, roles within the organization ranked the highest. However, pay and benefits ranked the lowest. With regard to the factors that influenced college dropouts to work instead of studying, the majority of college dropouts stated that financial problems were the main reason. With respect to the participants' plans for continuing their education, the majority of college dropouts are willing to pursue their education. Nine out of ten of the participants believe that a college diploma has implications for their work. In terms of the problems that the participants encountered while looking for a job, primarily the college dropouts had problems with regards to a lack of credentials. With regards to the piece of advice to work without a college diploma, the majority of the participants agreed that continuing studies was the better option. With respect to the kind of work that the participant dreamed of before dropping out, the majority of the participants wanted a production job. In conclusion, the selected college dropouts are mainly in the early adulthood stage, male, and reside in Pililla with a non-production job and low income. Moreover, work motivation and employment satisfaction are dependent on each other. It suggests that there is a strong linear relationship between work motivation and employment satisfaction. Respondents' reason for dropping out is financial problem, but they are persistent about getting back to college by saving enough money to sustain their needs since they believe that a college diploma has implications for getting highly paid and more satisfying work. On top of that, respondents encountered problems in applying for a job, like lack of credentials, which led to work that was not in line with their dream job.