EFFECTS OF BREAKFAST ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 1

Effects of breakfast on the academic performance of Grade 11 students of Theresian

School of Cavite

Gonzales, Ernesto J.

Amoroso, Charlene E.

Johnson, Harley Allen A.

Antonio, Jasmine Victoria C.

Meridor, Kyle B.

Antonio, Risalyn S.

Patay, Christian C.

Bausin, Leah Katrine L.

Theresian School of Cavite

Practical Research 1

April 3, 2019
EFFECTS OF BREAKFAST ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 2

CHAPTER I

The Problem and Literature Review

This chapter is composed of the introduction of the research such as background of the

study, literature review, hypothesis, research problem and also the conceptual framework to be

discussed and visualized.

Background of the Study

Nowadays, a lot of students are skipping their breakfast just to go to school early and

prevent being late. Some students are already used to skip breakfast before going to school. They

often eat a lot on lunch time at school to fulfil their hunger and to regain energy. They don’t have

enough time to prepare their food for breakfast also, their parents are unable to serve breakfast

for them because of some reasons. There are instances that some students tends to sleep late at

night, and that lack of sleep may cause the student to lose their appetite in the morning but there

are still a lot of students who eat breakfast as part of their daily routine without noticing that

there might be some changes on how they perform.

In the present day, students were used to focus on a lot of things after waking up instead

of eating breakfast. This includes using gadgets and doing their unfinished assignments or

projects causing them not to eat breakfast. The researchers noticed the inconsistency of the

student’s performance in class that might be the effect of breakfast.

In this study, the researchers will determine the effects of eating and skipping breakfast to

the academic performance of Grade 11 students of Theresian School of Cavite. The researcher

will interview 4 students who eat breakfast and 4 students who don’t eat breakfast per section
EFFECTS OF BREAKFAST ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 3

with a total of 64 students. Through the help of the interview, the researchers will get to know

what are the effects of breakfast to the participants. By this study, the researchers will verify if

the breakfast has an impact to the performance of students in school. And with that being said,

the researchers decided to determine the effects of eating and skipping breakfast.

As stated by Healthy Food Choices in School (2016), Breakfast is the most important

meal of the day, because it is the first meal a person would eat. This study will help students to

learn more what does happen when having or not having breakfast. This can also help the

students to understand why they perform well or not in class. By this study, the researchers can

determine the reasons behind their performance at school.

This study focuses on the effect of having or not having breakfast in the academic

performance of the Grade 11 students in Theresian School of Cavite.

Literature Review

Breakfast

Breakfast has been suggested to positively affect learning in children in terms of

behaviour, cognitive, and school performance (Adolphus, Lawton, & Dye, 2013).

Breakfast is a crucial part of every child's day. It affects everything from memory to

creativity in the classroom. Children who go hungry are more inclined to become distracted from

learning at school, or give up more easily when faced with challenges. Healthy, well-rounded

breakfasts are best for a child's maximum performance level (Fleck, 2018).

The claim that breakfast is the most important meal of the day has an abundance of sound

science behind it. A brief compiled by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) outlines
EFFECTS OF BREAKFAST ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 4

the correlation between breakfast and school performance among children, based on numerous

research findings. The findings include how eating, and not eating, breakfast affects academics,

brain function, and overall wellness. Children who do not eat breakfast at home or at school were

less able to learn. Hunger can lead to lower math scores, attention problems, and behaviour,

emotional, and academic problems (Healthy Food Choices in School, 2016).

Breakfast eaters tend to be healthier and leaner than breakfast skippers. This may be due

to the fact that breakfast eaters have other healthy lifestyle habits (Bjarnadottir, 2017).

Breakfast is continually suggested to be a critical feature of eating regimens since it is

associated with a healthier intake of nutrients, BMI and lifestyle. Several studies have shown the

importance of having breakfast to the body's performance. Moreover, recent studies have

demonstrated that breakfast enhances intellectual capacity, concentration, attention and academic

performance. However, there is a paucity of studies which examine the relationship between

breakfast consumption and academic performance in the UAE (Taha & Rashed, 2017).

Eating breakfast helps keep your blood sugar steadier throughout the day, whether you

have diabetes or not. For people with normal glucose test results, this might help you avoid

insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes. Drops and spikes in your blood sugar can also

affect your mood, making you more nervous, grumpy, or angry (Newman, 2018).

Apart from providing us with energy, breakfast foods are good sources of important

nutrients such as calcium, iron and B vitamins as well as protein and fibre. The body needs these

essential nutrients and research shows that if these are missed at breakfast, they are less likely to

be compensated for later in the day. Fruit and vegetables are good sources of vitamins and

minerals so try to include a portion of your daily five at breakfast, whether that be a banana or
EFFECTS OF BREAKFAST ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 5

glass of fruit juice. Breakfast can be good for waistline too, research shows those who eat

breakfast are less likely to be overweight and more likely to be within their ideal weight range

compared with breakfast skippers. If you skip breakfast, you're more likely to reach for high

sugar and fatty snacks mid-morning. Breakfast also restores glucose levels, an essential

carbohydrate that is needed for the brain to function. Many breakfast provides energy studies

have shown how eating breakfast can improve memory and concentration levels and it can also

make us happier as it can improve mood and lower stress levels. In studies amongst children,

breakfast can improve attainment, behaviour and has been linked to improved grades. Just like

any other organ in the body, the brain needs energy to work at its best (Agriculture and

Horticulture Development Board, 2016).

Regularly eating a healthy breakfast helps us pay attention, remember, and perform

better. Children and teens concentrate better at school, get higher scores on tests, and are less

likely to be tardy or miss school days (Newman, 2018).

Several past studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of eating breakfast on the

academic performance, behaviour, and psychological function of kids. But most of these studies

were also short-term, small, and therefore not definitive. In fact, some of the largest and best

studies showed no impact. The biggest benefits of breakfast have been noted among

“nutritionally vulnerable” children — that is, kids with the poorest nutrition get the most from

eating breakfast regularly (Shmerling, 2017).

Eating breakfast in the morning to start your day, or even within a few hours of the start

of your day will wake up your metabolism and get it going for the day. Pounder also mentioned
EFFECTS OF BREAKFAST ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 6

that breakfast is important for giving fuel to the body and brain because it will help to improve

concentration in the morning (Pounder, 2018).

Academic Performance

Such studies show that eating breakfast and lunch is vital to student performance. A

student who hasn’t eaten for eight hours is likely to perform at a lower level in class than a

student who has already eaten. A study by Cardiff University in 2015 suggested that compared to

those who start learning on an empty stomach, children who eat breakfast before school are twice

as likely to score highly on tests and assessments (Remond, 2018).

Academic success is important because it is strongly linked to the positive outcomes we

value. Adults who are academically successful and with high levels of education are more likely

to be employed, have stable employment, have more employment opportunities than those with

less education and earn higher salaries, are more likely to have health insurance, are less

dependent on social assistance, are less likely to engage in criminal activity, are more active as

citizens and charitable volunteers and are healthier and happier. Academic success is important

because working people will need higher levels of education to tackle the technologically

demanding occupations of the future. Now a day you need a post-secondary education in order to

get a job (Regier, 2015).

Academic performance describes how well you perform in school courses like social

studies, history, English or ELA, sciences, and maths, but can also include the “specials” or

elective courses in the Arts, music, health, business, and others. Academics are courses that are

graded and retained for school records (Sharrock, 2018).

Academic performance is the measure of how well you do in an educational setting. Your

report card, for example, is an indication of your academic performance in school (King, 2017).

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1. Diagram shows the relationship of the breakfast and the academic

performance.

Academic
Breakfast
Performance

As shown on the conceptual framework, breakfast is the independent variable while the

academic performance is the dependent variable.

Breakfast is the independent variable because it is the one that can affect the academic

performance of students in this study.

Hypothesis

This study is conducted based on the following assumptions:

H0: The students decrease their interest in studying because they didn’t have enough food or they

didn’t eat breakfast.

H1: The students are still interested in studying even though they didn’t eat breakfast.
EFFECTS OF BREAKFAST ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 8

Research Problem

This study aims to determine the effects of breakfast to the academic performance of

Grade 11 students of Theresian School of Cavite.

Specifically, it seeks for the answer to these questions:

a. Why do students eat or don’t eat breakfast?

b. How do students feel if they didn’t eat breakfast?

c. How does breakfast affect the Grade 11 students in learning?

Definition of terms

Academic Performance. How the students perform or act in class.

Breakfast. First meal of the day that can possibly affect the performance of students in class.
EFFECTS OF BREAKFAST ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 9

CHAPTER II

Methodology

This chapter is composed of the study’s research design, sampling and participants, research

instrument, data gathering/collection procedure, data analysis procedure and also the ethical

considerations of the researchers about this study.

Research Design

The research study used Qualitative – Descriptive study design. The researchers simply

record the information through conducting interviews that will be observed in different samples

regarding to the topic. Thus, this design will provide deep analysis of the information from the

students. In addition, this design will be valuable to the researchers in assessing the effects of

breakfast in the academic performance of the Grade 11 students in Theresian School of Cavite.

Sampling and Participant

Grade 11 students currently enrolled in Theresian School of Cavite will be the respondents

needed to fulfil this research. The sampling method that will be used in the research study is

convenience sampling technique. The researchers will interview some chosen students for the

researcher to gather data. With the convenience sampling technique, the researchers were more

likely to get the information and data needed from the chosen population.

Research Instrument

The researchers will gather data through the use of Interview. There are questions provided

by the researchers that will be asked to the students who will be chosen to participate in the
EFFECTS OF BREAKFAST ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 10

study. Through the use of interviewing, the researchers will get information and some opinions

from the selected Grade 11 students in each sections of Theresian School of Cavite for the study.

Data Gathering/Collection Procedure

The researchers will interview the chosen participant to gather some data. The questions that

the researchers will ask will be answered by the participants based on their opinions and

perspective. In this procedure, the answers of the participants will be the basis of the results of

the study. By this procedure the researchers will be able to know the insights of the participants

based on their own opinions and experiences. This will be conducted on Grade 11 students who

are currently enrolled in Theresian School of Cavite.

Figure 2. Data Gathering/Collection Procedure

• First, the researchers will choose the convenient participants for the study.
PHASE
1

• Next, the researchers will ask the participants if they can have their time for
the interview.
PHASE
2

• Then, researchers will now be able to ask the participants and get their
PHASE opinions and perspective about the study.
3

• After that, the researchers will thank the participants for giving their time and
effort.
PHASE
4
EFFECTS OF BREAKFAST ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 11

Data Analysis Procedure

After the researchers interviewed the chosen grade 11 students, the researchers, then,

listen to the recordings of the interview that they conducted and categorize all of the data

according to the answers of the respondents. With the categorized answers in hand, the

researchers will analyze it to determine which answer is the most frequent.

To determine the most frequent answer to the questions, the researchers used the central

tendency as the guide for the data analysis.

Ethical Consideration

 Honest

The researcher needs to be honest to avoided biases and to make this research

strong and reliable.

 Care

The researchers must care about the participants because they are the one who is

responsible for what will happen to the participants.

 Integrity

The researchers must be held accountable for the research they are conducting.

 Respect for intellectual property

The researchers must consider the intellectual property of their respondents.

 Confidentiality

The researchers must know their limits when asking questions to their

respondents.
EFFECTS OF BREAKFAST ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 12

 Responsible for mentoring

The researchers should inform the respondents about their study they are going to

conduct.

 Respect for colleagues

The researchers must consider other researcher’s opinions and suggestions to

come up with much better ideas.

 Openness

The researchers must respect the answers they gathered from their respondents.
EFFECTS OF BREAKFAST ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 13

Reference Lists

Adolphus, K., Lawton, C., & Dye, L. (2013). The effects of breakfast on behaviour and academic

performance in children and adolescents. Retrieved from:

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-effects-of-breakfast-on-behavior-and-

academic-Adolphus-Lawton/64a3b713e72b084d1e967724f57690275a1ab4fe DOI:

10.3389/fnhum.2013.00425

Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (2016). Why is breakfast important?. Retrieved

from: http://www.shakeupyourwakeup.com/why-is-breakfast-important

Bjarnadottir, A. (2017). Is skipping breakfast bad for you? The Surprising truth. Retrieved from:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-skipping-breakfast-bad

Fleck, A. (2018). Does eating breakfast affect children's learning?. Retrieved from:

https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/eating-breakfast-affect-childrens-learning-5275.html

Healthy Food Choices in School (2016). Breakfast and the brain: How eating breakfast impacts

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impacts-school-performance
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King, P. (2017). What is academic performance?. Retrieved from:

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Newman, D. (2018). The Benefits of Eating Breakfast. Retrieved from:

https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/many-benefits-breakfast#1

Regier, J. (2015). Why is academic success important?. Retrieved from:

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Sharrock, D. (2018). What is academic performance?. Retrieved from:

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performance?fbclid=IwAR0lu42ycygGEZGfk4jonlype2gaOBRnAkMKsvcF10d4G967L

3CgZiYiygQ

Shrmeling, R. (2017). Confession of a breakfast skipper. Retrieved from:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/confessions-of-a-breakfast-skipper-2017020911073

Zainab, Z., & Rashed, A. (2017). The Effect of breakfast on academic performance among high

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10.18502/ajne.v2i1.1243