ABSTRACT
"The best way of learning about anything is by doing" -- this statement from Richard Branson simply implies that to reach an optimum level of learning, one should experience the knowledge. Learning by doing, as expounded by John Dewey, holds that learners must interact with their environment in order to adapt and learn. Active involvement and collaboration of learners in the teaching and learning process results in a great deal of learning and retention of concepts.
Furthermore, learners learn differently based on their preferences and styles. Some learn through visuals, but they learn best through experience. Simulations have been utilized in an educational environment for decades, and they allow hands-on learning and the practice of applying knowledge in a real-world setting. A well-developed and organized simulation can enhance critical thinking skills and decision-making abilities and can contribute to the learning process by transferring the theoretical framework into practical applications. Simulations also encourage active learning and provide a change from a traditional classroom into a positive learning environment where learners are actively involved and engaged in the learning process, resulting in the attainment of objectives, competencies, and a high level of understanding.
This led the researcher to develop simulation teaching material in the form of manipulatives to provide learning support while enhancing learners’ performance. The study covered the least-mastered competencies of general chemistry. This includes concepts focused on chemical formula and naming compounds. This study involved fifty (50) Grade 12 General Academics Strand (GAS) learners from Bignay National High School, Division of Valenzuela City, for the school year 2019–2020. The grade 12 learners were given a pretest prior to the study and a posttest after the implementation of the developed manipulative simulation material. Also, the perceptions of the assistant principal, science subject group head/master teacher, and science teacher were taken into consideration in the evaluation of the developed manipulative simulation material. The research designs used were descriptive and quasi-experimental to gather the necessary data for the study.
Furthermore, the result in determining the significant difference between the pre-test and the post-test result using the t-test for one group shows that the result on the scores obtained on the post-test is higher than the pre-test. The computed t-value is remarkably higher than the critical t-value, at a level of significance of 0.05 and a degree of freedom of 49. Therefore, the null hypothesis is rejected. This implies that there is a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores and thereby shows improvement in the performance of the learner-respondents.
More so, based on the assessment of the developed manipulative simulation material based on the LRMDS evaluation tool, the material has passed the criteria set for content quality, other findings, and additional requirements for manipulative. The scores obtained for each criterion were all within the required number of points, and the overall score obtained was 79 out of the 80 points set. This reflects that the developed material is accepted.
However, there are challenges encountered in the use of developed manipulative simulation material, as observed by the researcher and learner-respondents. The developed material's "no clear instructions", "provides low cognitive enhancement", "activities are not engaging and "requires a lot of time to complete" are the topmost encountered problems, while the "developed material is hard to manipulate", "activities are self-directed," and "developed material is not durable" are the least encountered problems.