Impact of Advancement Program of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines on the Professional Career of Eagle Scouts in the Province of Cotabato
IMPACT OF ADVANCEMENT PROGRAM OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF THE PHILIPPINES ON THE PROFESSIONAL CAREER OF EAGLE SCOUTS IN THE PROVINCE OF COTABATO ABSTRACT For over seven decades now, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines has continually produced a special breed of boys known in the Scouting Movement as the Eagle Scouts. They are the Scouts who have gone through the ladder of the advancement program which focuses on character development and citizenship training for them to become useful, peace-loving and productive citizens of the country.
In the light of the negative image of the Philippines today, one may find hope in the Eagle Scouts as a catalyst of change towards a better nation. This forms part of the objectives of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines which aim to the proper upbringing of the country’s youth, a service which the Philippines urgently needs, to wiggle out its dubious reputation as one of the most corrupt in the world.
This study hoped to look into the lives of Eagle Scouts in the Province of Cotabato and find out how they put into practice in their professional career whatever skills and training they obtained from the advancement program of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. Statement of the Problem 1. What is the professional career profile of Eagle Scouts in the Province of Cotabato? 2.
What is the level of impact of the advancement program of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines on the professional career of Eagle Scouts in the Province of Cotabato when analyzed in the leadership, intrapersonal, interpersonal, socio-economic, and spiritual aspects? 3. Are there significant differences in the level of impact of the advancement program of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines when analyzed according to the professional career of Eagle Scouts in the Province of Cotabato? 4.
Are there significant relationships in the level of impact of the advancement program of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines when analyzed according to the professional career of Eagle Scouts in the Province of Cotabato? Method This study made use of the descriptive survey method using a validated self-made questionnaire to determine whether the advancement program of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines has contributed in the development of the leadership, intrapersonal, interpersonal, socio-economic, and spiritual aspects of the Eagle Scouts in their professional career.
Different statistical tools were used by the researcher in the study which included: (a) Percentage and Frequency Count which determined the percent equivalent of the number of respondents; (b) t-test, which was used to find out if a significant difference existed between the advancement program of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines and the level of impact in the professional career of Eagle Scouts; and (c) Pearson r, which was used to find out if a significant relationship existed between the advancement program of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines and the level of impact in the professional career of Eagle Scouts.
Findings The Eagle Scouts in the Province of Cotabato differ in their personal profiles. Considering that half of them are in their 40’s, almost all of them are married and have children. It is interesting to note that all of them have graduated from college and about half have pursued graduate and post graduate studies. Majority of them are Roman Catholics while the rest are Protestants and Moslems. The fields of work which the Eagle Scouts are currently engaged in range from business, to education, and to politics, but have been classified only to education, government service, and others in this study.
Their positions include support, supervisory, managerial, and chief executive officer positions. Surprisingly, only very few of them have pursued higher training in Scouting after attaining the Eagle Scout Rank. There is a high level of impact of the advancement program of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines on the professional career of Eagle Scouts in leadership, intrapersonal, interpersonal, socio-economic, and spiritual aspects.
However, significant difference in the level of impact is only manifested in the leadership and intrapersonal aspects, whereas, the relationships in the level of impact are varied in the different careers which led to either acceptance or rejection of the null hypothesis. Conclusions The advancement program of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines prepared Eagle Scouts to have better opportunities and choices in their professional career as evidenced by the diversity of occupations and the fact that everyone has respectable and decent work.
The program also trained Eagle Scouts to become well-rounded individuals who are productive and law-abiding citizens as manifested by the characteristics and skills they possess in the aspects of leadership, intrapersonal, interpersonal, socio-economic, and spiritual. Moreover, the impact of the advancement program in particular, and the Scouting Movement in general, shall stay in them for a lifetime having consistently put into practice the principles and skills they learned and inherited from it.
Recommendations The BSP Advancement Program should be included in the school curriculum as an effective tool in values formation particularly in character building and citizenship training of the youth. For the effective implementation of the program, BSP Adult Leaders should equip themselves with the necessary trainings while the key leaders of the BSP should continue to improve the quality of Philippine Scouting particularly the Advancement Program and make it available and attractive to every boy.
