Academic Profile and College Preparedness of K-12 Graduates: The Case of the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in the Northern Philippines

The indigenous peoples (IPs) are recognized as one of the disadvantaged social groups constituting Philippine minorities. While there have been several studies seeking to explain issues relating to IPs’ participation in education, these have not adequately provided baseline data on the their academic profile and college preparedness, which are essential in understanding their effective transition from basic to tertiary education. Using descriptive-correlational design, this study investigated the association of academic profile and college preparedness of 1,860 IPs enrolled in a public university in the northern Philippines. The results revealed that the majority of respondents were college unprepared. Moreover, the level of preparedness differed significantly in terms of the type of senior high school (SHS) where they graduated, as well as the SHS track and strand they had taken. Kendall's tau-b statistic results showed that IPs who had higher SHS grade point average (GPA), more academic and nonacademic awards, greater participation in organizations and more involvement in cocurricular activities tended to be more college prepared. In regard to educational practice, improving college preparedness with due consideration of the academic profile facilitates an increased ability for IPs to be admitted to college and to succeed without remediation in college foundation courses.