Annie Mercolita Cirera

I. CONTEXT/ RATIONALE The scope of 21st century learning system and the Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum (EBEC) promotes the transfer of knowledge from the classroom to the real life experiences of learners. This can be achieved through a teaching-learning process that allows the learners to develop their higher cognitive skills or critical thinking with the application of concepts in their real life situations. In a learner-centered classroom environment, a teacher has to give prior attention to the characteristics of the learners so as to provide optimum instruction. One must know the appropriate teaching and learning approaches or strategies that he can apply to certain group of students (Dy, 2014). For instance, in teaching Science, a huge emphasis must be placed on it as a process in a manner that it offers the students a chance to develop their thinking skills and apply what they learned in their actual life experiences. Teaching Science even in elementary has become part of the wide concerns of educational enthusiasts nowadays. Like other learning areas, the subject comprises vast aspects that are very useful in the learners’ lives. For the elementary level, for example, learning science exposes them to activities that widen their knowledge on healthy life practices, body parts, system of living and even disaster preparedness. These are all very essential as they explore the verities of life. However, this subject is often disliked by other learners that caused them to earn low scores on exams and even fail to apply what they learned in actual situations. With the mentioned problems, the teacher cannot expect much from the students in terms of the application of concepts. This may even be the reason for obtaining low scores in science examinations, as in the case of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) examination where the Philippines ranked 36th in the Science test among the thirty-eight participating countries (Tan,1999). Dy (2014) mentioned in her study on the use of SIM in Teaching Science IV that according to the result of TIMSS, Filipino students have difficulty in answering the test for 1) they have not mastered the concepts needed to answer the items; (2) they do not understand the problem; and (3) the content related to some items is not formally taken up in the curriculum (Tandong, 2000). This implies that students do not master the concepts and lack conceptual understanding regarding the topics already covered. Enough content is covered but not much learning takes place. For instance, in Grade 6 Science, a lot of information are imparted regarding a specific competency, specifically in disaster preparedness and to be more particular- the safety practices during earthquake as well as the effects of it. However, it is observed that during the occurrence of such natural calamity, learners failed to apply what they’ve acquired. During tests, the students likewise manifest low comprehension of what were taught to them. Moreover, in its continuing effort to raise the quality of education in the country, the Department of Education (DepEd) continuously implements innovations particularly in Science. The focus of the Science Education Program of the Basic Education Curriculum is to make learning meaningful for students, in order to improve their achievement. In fact, most of the seminars, trainings and scholarships sponsored by the DepEd and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for teachers teaching science subjects have the objectives of furthering the enhancement of their knowledge and skills in delivering goods to the students. An example of this is the National Training on Strategic Intervention Materials (SIM) Development in Summer 2005. The training workshop aimed to enhance teachers’ skill in test analysis and interpretation and capacitate them in developing various intervention materials for remediation and enrichment of learning (DepED Memorandum No.117 s. 2005). With the above premises, this study is conceived wherein the researcher considered the utilization of strategic intervention material (SIM) in teaching Grade 6 learners during remedial instruction regarding earthquake, its effect and types as well as the safety practices to be observed during the calamity so as to boost their awareness. This sought to investigate the impact of the use of strategic intervention material for remedial instruction on the Grade 6 students’ performance in Science particularly the lesson on Earthquake. II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE, THEORIES AND STUDIES The conduct of this research is basically inspired by the ideas that are emphasized in the following sub-sections: Strategic Intervention Material (SIM) Instructional material plays a very important role in the teaching learning process. It enhances the memory level of the students and makes the teaching – learning process interesting (Nicholls, 2000; Raw, 2003). This simply accentuates that teachers should therefore give importance on the use of instructional materials. Salveijo, Aranes, and Espinosa (2014) cited in their study that in the Philippine education system, intervention materials are highly regarded as tools for remediating poor achievements of the learners. Strategic Intervention Material (SIM) refers to a teaching aid introduced into the teaching methods to stimulate the activity of the students and thereby increased their level of understanding (Dy, 2011). It is strategically prepared and designed for teaching remediation for low achievers in the subject. It is given after the regular classroom instruction to students who were not able to grasp the concepts of the subject matter. Bunagan (2012) vouched the significance of SIM in teaching –learning process if the aim is to allow the learners learn at their own level where they are given a chance to develop their cognitive, motor and affective domains as he defined Strategic Intervention Material as meant to re-teach the concepts and skills that are least mastered. It is a material given to students to help them master competency – based skills which they were not able to develop during a regular classroom teaching. It is a multifaceted approach to help students to become independent and successful learners. This intervention material focuses on the skill not mastered by the students during regular class. SIM increases and deepens students‘ skills in manipulation, knowledge or thinking, understanding (Togonon, 2011). The viewpoints of the above authors underscore the significance of SIM as an aid to improve the learners’ understanding of their lessons, which can even be given during remedial instructions. Thus, the current study considers this as its springboard while this seeks to determine its real effect. Teaching and Learning Science Teaching Science, like handling other subject areas, is in fact challenging. Researchers in Science teaching are trying to find out how science can be taught in such a way that children will learn the fundamental concepts of both physical and biological science (Dy, 2014). According to Town (2000), experiential learning theory uses personal experience as the focal point for learning because it gives meaning to abstract concepts. It characterizes learning as continuous process grounded in experience. Concepts are derived from and continuously modified by experience throughout life. Learning requires both perceiving and transforming an experience. Perception alone is not enough because something must be done so that experience brings about learning. The realization of this concept can be aided using self-learning kit or intervention material. The reviewed literature and studies are related to the present study since they are focused on the development and validation of instructional materials for science subject, but of different groups of students. The present study is likewise focused on the Strategic Intervention Materials (SIM) development, validation and identification of its effect. The mentioned literature and studies are likewise connected to the current endeavor because these give emphasis on the use of the comprehensive instructional materials which is the central focus of this study to determine its effect on the learners performance and level of awareness. Gap Addressed by the Recent Study The presented literature and studies stress the significance of the instructional materials and strategic intervention material in teaching Science as it is already applied in teaching Chemistry or Physics. However, as it is mentioned that this is very useful in remediation, very rare studies have covered it as a tool in remedial instruction especially for Grade 6 Science. It is from this point that the researcher utilized the SIM for Grade 6 Science in an experimental pursuit of identifying its effect on the learners’ performance and level of awareness regarding Earthquake. Theoretical Framework This study is anchored on Novak’s Theory of Human Constructivism as mentioned by Bretz (2001) in his study, which states that “a meaningful learning underlies the constructive integration of thinking, feeling, and acting, leading to human empowerment for commitment and responsibility”. Meaningful learning will only occur when education provides experience that requires students to connect knowledge across the three domains either cognitive, affective, or psychomotor domain. The use of SIM in teaching apparently applies the context. Likewise, this study relates to Constructivist Theory of Learning of Dewey and Vygotsky. However, there are other theories found to be applicable in this study, such as the Conversational Theory which fit into the constructivist framework. The emphasis is on the learner as an active “maker of meanings”. The Behavioral theory of Watson is also found to be applicable since its premise is on the change in the behavior of an organism as product of learning. Since the Strategic Intervention Materials (SIM) used by the students involved several parts wherein the students worked on, it is in this context that learner-teacher dialogue was observed. It follows from this; constructivists maintain that learners need to be empowered and to have control over the learning process. So the teacher relinquishes a great deal of authority and becomes a facilitator. The context in the theories mentioned relate to the recent study because these suggest the development of learners based on what they acquired and the application of such in real life instances. This can be achieved using a strategic intervention material that apparently serves the purpose. The experimental design or conceptual framework of the study is illustrated through the flow diagram below. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Figure 2. Conceptual Framework of the Study III. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM & RESEARCH QUESTIONS The study is basically aimed at investigating the effect of the use of strategic intervention material on the learners’ performance in Science 6, specifically in the lesson on Earthquake. Specifically, this will seek to answer the following questions: 1. What is the mean pretest and posttest achievement of the learners taught in remedial instruction: 1.1. With the use of the strategic intervention material? 1.2. Without the use of the strategic intervention material? 2. What is the mean gain achievement of the learners in the two groups? 3. Is there a difference in the mean achievement of the learners in the two groups? 4. Is there a difference in the mean gain achievement of the learners in the two groups? Null Hypothesis IV. There is no significant difference between the mean achievement of the learners in the two groups. V. There is no significant difference in the mean gain achievement of the learners in the two groups. IV. SCOPE AND LIMITATION The study will cover the identification of the impact of strategic intervention material (SIM) on the learners’ academic performance as it will be used in remedial instruction. The coverage of the SIM will be the lessons or competencies in Science 6 aligned with Earthquake since this is where the learners have manifested poor performance as evinced by their score in the 3rd quarter test, thus considered as one of the least-learned skills. V. METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH DESIGN This section presents the essential elements of the research process and procedures in the study. This includes research method and design, sampling, research instruments, data gathering procedure, ethical issues and plan for statistical treatment of data. Research Method and Design This study will be an experimental research that will encompass a randomized pretest-posttest control group design. Two groups will be used to determine the effect of the utilization of the strategic intervention material (SIM) in Science 6. Both of which will be formed by random assignment to ensure that the two groups are equivalent with respect to the average grade in Science in the third quarter. Both groups will be tested twice with the pretest as the first measurement and the posttest as the second. The measurements were collected at the same time for both groups. The conduct of the pretest gave the researcher a means of checking whether or not the groups are similar – that is whether random assignment succeeded in making the groups equivalent. Sampling or Respondents The study will utilize the Grade VI students enrolled in school year 2016 – 2017 of Barugohay Elementary School – Carigara I District, Carigara, Leyte. The target population of the study will be taken from a one-grouped class of 27 (16 males; 11 females). Out of the mentioned number of learners, the participants will be selected through a randomized matching according to the learner’s average grade in Science 6 in the third quarter. Given that not all will be selected, the researcher shall request the non-participants not to attend the remediation class during the experimental period to avoid bias on the outcome of the study with the permission of the school head. Research Instrument The instrument that will be used in this study is an Achievement test in Grade 6 Science that will be submitted for validation by the Science teachers in the district. It will be a 30-item multiple choice items to be prepared by the researcher. The details of the competencies are shown in Appendix A. Data Gathering Procedure In the conduct of the study, the experimental group will be exposed to remediation with the strategic intervention material while the control group will be taught using the traditional remediation procedure. The experimentation will be conducted for two weeks, that has to start from January to February 2016. The control and experimental groups shall undergo remediation with and without the strategic intervention material (SIM) respectively. On the conduct of the study, the respondents will be asked to answer the 30 – item test before and after the experimental period. The data will be tabulated, analyzed and statistically treated to answer the research problem. Ethical Issues Prior to the conduct of the study, the researcher will secure the necessary permission from the respective principal. Upon approval, arrangements are to be made with the principal regarding the set-up of the study. The respondents will be also informed that they will have to undergo remedial instruction. Then parents’ approval will also be taken. Since the learners will be taking an achievement test as base line and determinant of their progress, results shall be held confidential under the custody of the subject teacher unless necessary for evaluation purposes. Statistical Treatment and Tools to be Used for Data Analysis The results gathered will be analyzed via t-test. This is a parametric statistical test used to see whether a difference between the means of two sample is significant. The study shall utilize 0.05 level of significance of a two-tailed test which means that if it is reached, the researcher customarily rejects the null hypothesis and concludes that a real difference exists. Below is the t-test formula to be used in order to answer the problems and hypotheses where X1 and X2 = means for the two groups S12 and S22 = variances of the two groups N1 and N2 = number of participants in each of the two groups The t-test between means for independent samples above was used to test the significant difference between the performances of the pupils on the pretest, posttest and gain scores in the control and experimental groups. The degree of freedom was computed as follows at 0.05 level is Df = n1 + n2 - 2. The following are the key terms to be used as statistical tools: Mean. This is used to determine where most of the scores of the students clustered. Since the number of students in each group was less than 30, then the ungrouped data was used. This was done by adding all the scores of the students and the sum was divided by their number. Standard Deviation. This is used to determine the variability of the students’ abilities or scores. The mean was subtracted from the students’ scores. The difference was squared after which the summation was obtained. t-test. This is used to find out whether the students who used the Strategic Intervention Materials performed well and achieved better than those who did not. VI. WORK PLAN Activities Time Frame Expected Output Persons Involved Crafting of Research Proposal 4th week of October 2016 to 1st week of November 2017 Copy of Research Proposal Researcher Submission of Research Proposal for Approval November 2016 Approved Research Proposal Researcher, School Head, District Research Committee Conduct of Pretest with the respondents 1st week of December 2016 Pretest Result Researcher, students Crafting of strategic intervention material (SIM) in Science 6 focused on the topic “Earthquake” December 2016 Copy of SIM Researcher, Other Teachers concerned Validation and try out to test the acceptability of SIM 1st week of January 2017 Result of the validation Researcher, concerned teachers Reproduction of the SIM to be used in remedial instruction 4th week of June 2017 Copies of SIM Researcher Research Proper 3nd week of 2017-2nd week of February 2017 Learners’ Output Researcher & students Conduct of posttest and result analysis 3rd week of February 2017 Analyzed Result Researcher VII. COST ESTIMATES This part reflects the expected expenses that will be incurred during the conduct of the study. Activity Budget Reproduction of pretest and posttest questionnaires 300 Crafting and reproduction of SIM in Science 6 4000 Other related expenses (printing, binding, bond papers, transportation expenses for the validation of the SIM) 700 Total 5,000 VIII. Action Plan This section displays as to how the result of the study will be disseminated and utilized once the outcome is favorable. Objective Activity Person’s Involved Time Frame Success Indicator Orient co-teachers as to the process of making the SIM and its significance in teaching-learning process Conduct learning action cell (LAC) sessions or INSET School Head, Teachers March 2017 SIM made by teachers Produce SIM to be used in remedial instruction Craft/reproduce SIM Teachers April-May 2017 Reproduced SIMs Improve learners’ performance in specific learning areas Conduct remedial instructions using SIM in specific subjects School Head, Teachers, learners School year- Improved learners’ academic achievement level Attain 75% and above MPS in quarterly exams Use SIM as teaching aid to facilitate understanding and learning Teachers and learners School year- Reached 75% and above MPS in quarterly exams IX . List of References A. BOOKS Acero, V. O. et al. (2000). Principles and strategies of teaching (1st ed.). Manila: Rex Book Store, Inc. Calderon, Jose F. and Gonzales, E.C. (1993). Methods of research and thesis writing. Manila: National Book Store. Lardizabal, A. et al. (1996). Principles and methods of teaching. (3rd ed.) Quezon City, QC: Phoenix Publishing House, Inc. Salandanan, G. et al. (1996). The teaching of science (Teaching Strategies). Manila: Katha Publishing Co., Inc. B. JOURNALS, PERIODICALS, MANUALS Bretz, Stacey L. 2001. Journal of Chemical Education Online Symposium. JChemEd.Chem.wise.edu., August. Bunagan F. (2012) http://www.slideshare.net/felixbunagan/strategic-intervention- http://-/learning-and-teaching-theory-guide/deep-and-surface- approaches-learning.html. Cortez. Josefina R. “A Research-Based Teacher Education Reform for the Philippines”. PAGE Journal. DepEd Memorandum No.117 s.2005 Dy, J. (2014). Strategic intervention materials (sim) in teaching Science IV (physics): Its Effectiveness. https://hubpages.com/education/Sample-of-a-Brief-Full-Version-of-a- Research-Study-Strategic-Intervention-Materials-SIM Dy, L. (2011) http://jhody.hubpages.com/hub/TEACHING-PHYSICS-THROUGH- STRATEGIC-INTERVENTION-MATERIALS-SIM Escoreal, A. (2012). Strategic Intervention Material A Tool to Reduce Least Learned Skills in Grade Four Science. Nicholls, G (2000), Learning to Teach, pp 356 – 360, Bell and Bain Ltd. Glasgow. Raw, V. (2003), ―Quality Teaching‖, APH Publishing Corp. Ansari Road, New Delhi Salviejo, E.I. et al. (2014). Strategic intervention material-based instruction, learning approach and students‘ performance in Chemistry . International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 91-123, February 2014 . https://www.slideshare.net/neoyen/strategic-intervention-material Tan, Merle C. 1999. ”Why Philippines Ranked 36th in TIMSS 1999”. National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development, University of the Philippines. (UP NISMED) Town, M. H. (2001). “Kolb for Chemists: David A Kolb and Experiential Learning Theory”. Journal of Chemical Education Online Symposium. JChemEd. Chem. Wise.edu.August. C. UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS Aranes, F. (1998). Illustrated laboratory procedures in Chemistry: Effects on the achievement of surface and deep learners. Unpublished Master’s Thesis. De La Salle University, Philippines. Caculitan, Edith P. 2000 ”A college resource book in Earth Science: Its utilization and effectiveness.” Doctoral Dissertation, University of Saint Anthony, City of Iriga. Togonon, I. (2011). Development and evaluation of project – based SIM (PB – SIM) in teaching high school Chemistry. Unpublished Masters Thesis. Technological University of the Philippines. Espinosa, A. (2012). Career – oriented performance tasks: Effects on students‘ critical thinking, process skills and interest in Chemistry. Unpublished Master‘s Thesis. University of the Philippines Diliman. D. 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