ABSTRACT
This Action Research was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of MODES in improving the skills in describing seasons in the Philippines competency of grade six pupils of Manaoag Elementary School for this School year 2020-2021. This research utilized the 18 identified Grade 6 learners of which 12 are males and 6 are female. One- Group Pre-test - Post-test Quasi Experimental Research Design was used utilizing the pre-test and post-test as the main source of data. A 20-item teacher-made questionnaire which was quality assured by the School Technical Working Group was utilized. The results of the study showed that there is an increase in the post-test as compared with the pre-test scores. This implies that the intervention used in this study has caused a significant difference in the mean scores. Eta2 value also reveals that the intervention has caused Large Effect in improving the skills of grade 6 pupils in describing seasons of the Philippines. This only shows that the intervention is effective as reflected by the significant difference in the mean post-test score compared to that of the mean pretest. It is therefore recommended that Grade 6 teachers may consider the implementation of the intervention MODES (Match and Observe, Discover and Explore while Studying) in their respective classes to improve their pupils’ performance in describing seasons. School heads may consider the findings of this study in crafting programs in their respective schools.
Keywords: MODES, intervention, manipulative, board games, cards, seasons
I. CONTEXT AND RATIONALE
Teaching Science is about preparing students for the reality of the world. It concerns getting students ready to cope with changes and challenges in their lives especially in this new normal. They should learn science in a meaningful manner where they can apply it in real life. It is indeed very challenging to learn the competencies in science because face-to-face instruction is not yet allowed.
Learning continues with DepEd Order 12, s. 2020 also known as Adoption of the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan for School 2020-2021 in Light of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency which is a package of education interventions that responds to the basic education challenges brought about by COVID-19 and ensures the health, safety and well-being of all learners, teachers, and personnel of the Department. Likewise, DepEd Memorandum (DM-CI-2020-00162) known as Suggested Strategies in Implementing Distance Learning Delivery Modalities (DLDM) for SY 2020-2021, parents, learners and the school have to choose their appropriate Distance Learning Delivery like the Modular Approach.
According to Sewagegn (2019), modular instruction is one of those teaching approaches where the students have to concentrate on one subject at a time and use their own effort at their own pace. This process differs from the traditional where a teacher presents the topic while the students are just listening in order to learn the concepts being discussed. To surpass the difficulties faced by the students in the traditional classroom situation, a modular approach may be a good alternative since it is student-centered, self-paced, and requires no note-taking. However, for the students who cannot learn independently, especially those with a short span of interest in learning, this kind of LDM may affect the performance of these kinds of students which means that there should be something that motivates them like games while doing their SLMs.
Preparing students to understand the concepts and improve the skills in thinking are the main objectives of science education, (Mabruroh and Suhandi, 2017). One form of quality thinking is critical thinking and this can be developed through collaborative learning (Zulfiqar, Zhou, Asmi & Yasin (2018), which can be done with the family as the learners do their learning tasks at home.
In Manaoag Elementary School, the preferred LDM is Modular Distance Learning because most of the learners have limited gadgets and internet connectivity. Even in teaching science, SLMs are being utilized in enhancing science concepts and process skills. One of the competencies in science which the grade 6 pupils always find difficulty as manifested in their performance in summative test and achievement test result for the school year 2019-2020, where 18 out of 20 pupils failed which is very far from the passing rate of 75% and still this school year 2020-2021 out of 18 pupils only 5 got the passing rate and the same competency in describing the seasons of the Philippines. They are often confused when describing the seasons of the Philippines, yet this is important because in real life, they must plan and consider the time of year while arranging their activities. They should be aware of and comprehend the impact of weather changes, as well as how to protect themselves during weather disturbances. Hence, this action research is proposed utilizing the SLMs with supplementary activity called MODES Games (Match and Observe, Discover and Explore while Studying) in order to improve the skills of the grade 6 pupils in describing the seasons of the Philippines. By studying the seasons of the Philippines, pupils and members of the public can better comprehend and prepare for variations in activities as well as avoid illnesses caused by seasonal changes.
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