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PHILIPPINE NORMAL UNIVERSITY

The National Center for Teacher Education

Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

1.1 Introduction

Filipinos are known to be competitive in the international community. However,

our past educational system hinders us from becoming even more competitive. The poor

quality of basic education is reflected in the low achievement scores of Filipino students.

In addition, the skills acquired by the Filipino college graduates did not match with the

demands in the labor and educational markets and they are not recognized as

professionals abroad (Orlanda, 2013).

Before the implementation of the K-12 program, the Philippines was the last

country in Asia and one of only three countries worldwide with a 10-year pre-university

cycle (Angola and Djibouti are the other two). According to a presentation made by the

Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMO-INNOTECH) on

Additional Years in Philippine Basic Education (2010), the comparative data on duration

of Basic and Pre-University Education in Asia shows that the Philippines allots 10 years

not just for the basic education cycle but also for the pre-university education while all

other countries have either 11 or 12 years in their basic education cycle. Moreover, the

World Bank Philippines Skills Report in 2009 revealed that there were serious gaps in

critical skills of graduates such as problem solving, initiative and creativity, and, to a

lesser extent, gaps in job specific technical skills. Through these


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The National Center for Teacher Education

problems, the K-12 Curriculum was implemented to improve the quality of basic and

secondary education curriculum in the country by adding two more years in the

secondary level, making kindergarten to be compulsory before the child enrolls in

elementary (Grades 1-6) and secondary education to be divided into two-junior high

school (Grades 7-10) for 4 years and senior high school (Grades 11-12) for 2 years.

The implementation of K-12 in the Philippines will be the key to the nation’s

development though the government will face many problems in the long run of the

implementation of this program such as lack of government budget, classrooms and

school supplies as well as teachers. But if the government will focus on the long term

effect of K-12, the quality of education in the country will be improved which would later

translate to a strong economy in the country (Abueva, 2015).

Some of the good reasons for the implementation of K-12 in the country are

appropriate instructional time for the students to do subject related tasks which make

them more prepared and well-trained on the subject area and graduates of this program

are more prepared to enter the labor force. Moreover, it is very evident that high school

graduates of the old curriculum are not yet employable for the reason that they are not yet

equipped with the skills needed in the workplace and their ages are below the legal age

required to enter into a job. Since Filipino college graduates are also not recognized as

professionals abroad, through K-12 program they will be acknowledged because the

system of education is designed based on the international standards.


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PHILIPPINE NORMAL UNIVERSITY


The National Center for Teacher Education

The implementation of K-12 in the Philippines, particularly in Mathematics

curriculum has twin goals such as critical thinking and problem solving skills. It requires

change not only in how mathematics is viewed by the Filipinos’ but also in how

Mathematics is taught and learned and how learners’ actions demonstrate propensity to

think mathematically. According to Cai and Moyer (2011) learning Mathematics include

tasks that measure learners’ high level thinking skills as well as their routine problem

solving skills.

Everyone needs mathematics regardless of sex, culture, socio-economic status,

religion or educational background, all people have, one way or another, needed to apply

some form of mathematical knowledge in dealing with their day-to-day activities. One

cannot deny the practical uses of mathematics in, for example, making wise purchases,

measuring distances, finding locations, estimating expenses and anticipating future

problems to find solutions early enough, to name a few (Ogena and Tan, 2006).

Mathematics more than just a set of isolated facts and concepts, provides us with

“ways of knowing”, thinking and understanding (Bernardo, 1998). Doing so requires

logical thought and trains students to think both critically and creatively. In school,

students usually encounter specific problems that apply to the topic at hand, in addition,

the thought process that goes into understanding the problem, differentiating what is

essential from what is not, being able to make connections among the given information

to generate a solution and verifying its accuracy is surely something that students can

apply even in non-mathematical settings.


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The National Center for Teacher Education

Through these, Mathematics provides students with the essential skills in

reasoning, decision-making and problem solving which help them make sense of many

aspects of our rapidly changing world (FAPE, 1988). Further, it promotes self-reflection

and develops one’s ability to face life’s problems (Manuel, 1979). In short, mathematics

is a means of empowerment and understanding that everyone is entitled to.

Meanwhile, Mathematics has been considered as one of the difficult subjects in

school, and the abrupt change in the educational system had caused problems in schools

and its staffs especially those who are not capable enough to adapt to the transition.

Other countries had also experienced these difficulties during the implementation

of their K-12 program. In Mongolia, the students that enrolled had fluctuated (Jouku

Sarvi, et al. (2015). The transition to the 12-year system was expected to increase total

student enrollment by about 9%, and to place additional demands on teachers,

classrooms, and other school facilities but in actuality, the number of schools increased

by only 2, from 754 to 756, and the number of students fell from 537,546 to 497,022 due

in part to a decline in school-age population and partly due to an increase in enrollments

in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programs.

In Poland the difficulties they encountered during the implementation of their K-

12 program, was teacher shortage and at present there are still insufficient numbers of

candidates for the teaching profession to meet the demand (Jouku Sarvi, et al. 2015).
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The National Center for Teacher Education

Furthermore, Turkey’s difficulties in implementation on K-12 program (Jouku

Sarvi, et al. (2015) was high absenteeism and dropout rates. At the secondary level, there

is an 8.2% dropout rate, and about 45% of students are absent more than 20 days a year.

Also, prior to the 2012 restructuring, 75% of secondary students who dropped out did so

in 9th grade. As of September 2012, 12-year compulsory education is the standard in all

levels of education. Early indications are that more children transition from 8th to 9th

grade under the new system.

As what had mentioned above, the implementation of K-12 had also caused

difficulties not only in the Philippines but also in other countries. Thus, the researchers

make this study to know the perception of the Grade VI Mathematics teachers on the

fourth year implementation of K-12 Curriculum in the field of Mathematics in their

school. Furthermore, Grade VI teachers in District 4 at San Francisco, Agusan Del Sur

will be the subject for this study.

1.2 Theoretical and Conceptual Framework

This study is anchored on the theories reflected in the Curriculum Guide of K-12

Grade-VI Mathematics such as: experiential and situated learning, reflective learning,

constructivism, cooperative learning and discovery and inquiry-based learning.

Mathematics curriculum is grounded in these theories. Experiential learning as advocated

by David Kolb, is learning that occurs by making sense of direct everyday experiences.

This theory defines learning as "the process whereby knowledge is created through the
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PHILIPPINE NORMAL UNIVERSITY


The National Center for Teacher Education

transformation and renovation of experience”. Knowledge results from the combination

of grasping and transforming.

Moreover, situated learning as theorized by Lave and Wenger is learning in the

same context on which concepts and theories are applied while reflective learning refers

to learning that is facilitated by reflective thinking. It is not enough that learners

encounter real-life situations. Deeper learning occurs when learners are able to think

deeply about their experiences and processing these allows them the opportunity to make

sense and find meaning of their experiences. On the other hand, constructivism is the

theory that argues that knowledge is constructed when the learner is able to draw ideas

from his own experiences and connects them to new ideas that are encountered.

Moreover, cooperative learning puts premium on active learning achieved by working.

Furthermore, discovery and inquiry-based learning by Bruner (1961) support the idea

that students learn when they make use of personal experiences to discover facts,

relationships, concepts, and by asking relevant questions to learn more ideas.

Since this study is all about the curriculum change, specifically the

implementation of Grade 6 Mathematics under the K-12 program, this study is anchored

further on the Theory of Readiness to Change. This theory emphasized that readiness is a

shared psychological state in which members feel committed in implementing change

and confident in their collective abilities to do so. This way of thinking about readiness is
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The National Center for Teacher Education

necessary in order to effectively implement the change and, in some instances, for the

change to produce anticipated benefits (Weiner, 2009).

In this study, the researcher will explore the teachers’ perception of Grade-VI

Mathematics in the rationale of the K-12 Mathematics curriculum which consists of

content, pedagogy and learning modules. Furthermore, problems encountered by the

Grade-VI Mathematics teachers will also include. Additionally, propose solutions will

also consider. The need to know these concerns is necessary so that problems

encountered in the implementation of the K-12 Grade-VI Mathematics Curriculum will

be resolved. Please see Figure 1, Research Paradigm.


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PHILIPPINE NORMAL UNIVERSITY


The National Center for Teacher Education

Perception of the Grade 6


Mathematics Teachers in
the rationale of the K-12
Mathematics in the
following:;

 Curriculum
 Content
 Pedagogy
 Assessment
 Learning Modules
Profile of Grade 6
Mathematics
Teachers in Terms
of:

 Gender Recommended
 Educational solutions to the
Background
problem
 Number of Years
in teaching
Mathematics
teaching Problems encountered by
Grade 6 Mathematics
Teachers in terms of:

 Content
 Pedagogy
 Assessment
 Learning Module

Figure 1.Research Paradigm


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PHILIPPINE NORMAL UNIVERSITY


The National Center for Teacher Education

1.3 Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to describe the implementation of K-12 Curriculum in Grade VI

Mathematics in the Elementary Schools in selected schools in Prosperidad, Agusan Del

Sur.

Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of Grade VI Mathematics teachers in selected school in

Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur in terms of:

1.1 sex;

1.2 educational background;

1.3 number of years in teaching Mathematics; and

2. What are the perceptions of the Grade VI Mathematics teachers in the following:

2.1 content;

2.2 pedagogy;

2.3 assessment; and

2. 4 learning modules?

3. What problems were encountered by the Grade VI Mathematics teachers in terms

of :

1.1 content;
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The National Center for Teacher Education

1.2 assessment; and

1.3 learning modules?

4. Is there a significant difference in the perceptions of the teachers when grouped

according to their profile?

5. Based on the identified problems, what solutions can be recommended by the

teachers?

1.4 Statement of Hypothesis

Based on the foregoing problems, the hypothesis was formulated.

There is no significant difference in the perception of the teachers when grouped

according to their profile.

1.5 Significance of the Study

As this study tried to look into perceptions of teachers in the implementation of

K-12 Curriculum in Grade VI Mathematics, the researchers believe that the following

will benefit from this study:

Students. Awareness of the teachers, school heads and DepEd supervisors on the

results of this study is of great help for the students since their academic needs will be
DepEd Supervisors. The result of this study will serve as basis of DepEd supervisors in

developing policies in the implementation of K-12 Curriculum not only in

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The National Center for Teacher Education

the field of Mathematics but also in different subject areas. This would also serve as their

guide in developing an in-service training program for teachers and even school heads

School Heads. As leaders of the institution, this study will lay a foundation on

how to manage the faculty and staff in performing their duties and responsibilities in the

implementation of the K-12 program. Results of this study will serve as basis in sending

the faculty to trainings which would later translate to the improved performance of the

students.

Teachers. Results of this investigation can help teachers to reflect their teaching

styles and practices employed in their classroom as to its effectiveness to address further

the needs of their learners. In the latter part, this would help to create new strategies and

techniques in teaching Mathematics.

Parents. As direct responsible persons in leading the children towards success,

findings of this study is a good avenue for the parents to know on what to do to help their

children be ready in school, and along the way, to facilitate the learning process of their

children.

Students. Awareness of the teachers, school heads and DepEd supervisors on the

results of this study is of great help for the students since their academic needs will be
catered by these authorities wherein it will helps them to become globally competitive

individuals.

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The National Center for Teacher Education

Local Government Unit officials. Upon knowing the result of this study, the

concerned LGU officials will be guided in their duties and responsibilities especially in

1.6 Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The focus of this study is to get the perceptions of the Grade VI Mathematics

teachers on the fourth year implementation of Grade VI Mathematics under the K-12

Curriculum. Specifically, this study includes teachers’ perceptions in the rationale of the

K-12 Mathematics Curriculum in terms of content, pedagogy and assessment.

Furthermore, this study also includes the problems encountered by the teachers and the

propose solutions to the identified problems. In this investigation, there will be 15

expected Grade-VI Mathematics teachers during the school year 2017-2018 from District

4 in San Francisco, Agusan Del Sur that will be include as respondents.

1.7 Definition of Terms

For a better understanding of the terminologies used in this study, important terms

are defined operationally.


Assessment. It pertains to the evaluation about what the teachers know and can

demonstrate by their performance encompassing the entire content area based on the k-12

Mathematics curriculum.

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PHILIPPINE NORMAL UNIVERSITY


The National Center for Teacher Education

Content. The term refers to the learning competencies based on the K-12

Curriculum in the field of Mathematics as reflected in the curriculum guide.

Implementation. The term refers to the realization or execution of plans, ideas

and standards set by the authorities of the Department of Education in relation to K-12

curriculum.

K-12 Curriculum. This refers to the current curriculum system implemented by

the Department of Education throughout the Philippines. This curriculum includes

Kindergarten, six years in elementary education (Grade 1-Grade 6), 4 years in junior high

(Grade 7-Grade 10) and 2 years in senior high school.

Learning Module. This refers to the instructional material used by the teachers in

which it contains topics or competencies with corresponding activities to be learned by

them.

Pedagogy. This means the teaching strategy of the Grade VI Mathematics

Teachers in teaching the different contents based on the K-12 Curriculum in the field of

Mathematics.

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Perception. The term refers to the understanding of the teachers of k- 12

Curriculum particularly on the rationale, content, pedagogy, assessment and learning

module.

Teachers. This includes the Grade VI Mathematics teachers during the school

year 2017-2018 from the District 4 of San Francisco, Agusan Del Sur.

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