Effective Basic Calculus DAMATH Strategy (EBCDS) and the Academic

Performance of Grade 12 STEM Students

A Quantitative Research

Presented to the Faculty of Senior High School Department

ORIENTAL MINDORO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Calapan City

Magsino, Pauline Mae

Tamayo, Hannah Beatrice

Rubio, Mark Daniel

Malicsi, Mike David

De Leon, Aegio

Bolaños, Jessica

July 2018
 CHAPTER I

PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

INTRODUCTION

A large number of students in the Philippines struggle with Mathematics and the

concepts behind it. A downward trend has been displayed by 4th year high school students

in Mathematics from school year 2013-2014 to school year 2014-2015 with a discrepancy

of 2.7% based on National Achievement Tests. (Rodriguez, 2016)

Games and other innovative learning activities have been an excellent way in

teaching content, creating a stimulating environment, and enhancing students’ critical

thinking abilities. They also promote active, student-centered learning as students interact

freely to solve problems.

Learning has always been essential to the growth of an individual. People learn

through strategic teaching and immersive experiences. Despite the efforts exerted by

numerous instructors, students still struggle in their subjects and face predicaments that

result in poor academic performance.

Challenges mainly revolve in the difficulty of academic subjects. Frequently,

students can’t perform well on subjects that they find relatively difficult. Both internal and

external factors play a role in the performance of an individual. These may include lack

of interest, insufficient number of activities, pace of transition in discussions, etc.. The root

of the cause varies from one person to another and may result to different outcomes.
Mathematics appears to be one of the most difficult subjects in the history of man. It has

been the source of various predicaments that the students painstakingly face every day

in an academic year. A large percentage of individuals seem to “despise” the very idea of

solving and answering Math problems. It has been perceived as difficult even when one

lays his/her eyes on different concepts and variables for the first time.

Recent articles (Givvin et al., 2011; Stigler et al., 2010) report a string of shocking

findings where students are asked a set of questions regarding their perception of

Mathematics. One of the most enlightening questions the students were asked was not a

Math problem. They were asked (Givvin et al., 2011) what it means to be good at

Mathematics. Here are some of their responses (quoting Richland et al., 2012): “Math is

just all these steps.”; “In math, sometimes you have to just accept that that’s the way it is

and there’s no reason behind it.”; “I don’t think [being good at math] has anything to do

with reasoning. It’s all memorization.”

In all, 77% of the students seemed to believe that Math was not something that

could be figured out, or that made sense. It was just a set of procedures and rules to be

memorized. This is, of course, exactly the opposite of true. (Nate Kornell, 2012)

Grade 12 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students

take up Basic Calculus in the first semester as one of the specialized subjects under the

K-12 Curriculum. Generally, it includes Limits and Continuity, Derivatives, and Integration.

The subject description specifically states that at the end of the course, the students must

know how to determine the limit of a function, differentiate, and integrate algebraic,

exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions in one variable, and to formulate and
solve problems involving continuity, extreme values, related rates, population models,

and areas of plane regions. Basic Calculus covers only a few topics but involves a lot of

learning competencies that the students need to acquire and cope with.

Game environments have great potential to support immersive learning

experiences. Games meet tests for effective learning environments: they are active

experiences, and they have the capacity to provide intrinsic motivation. In a traditional

instructional design practice, motivation is often considered as a preliminary step in the

instructional process. Intrinsic motivation, however, focuses on the development of

motivation throughout the entire instructional process.

To learn, students need to be motivated, and an appropriate level of challenge

combined with a clear and attainable goal is highly motivating. Learning environments

have been limited to the classroom model: the teacher stands in front of a class and

transmits knowledge to a listening group of students. To support a flow state, a learning

environment must closely match each student’s skill level and provide tasks with clear

goals and immediate individual feedback.

A stimulating environment should be prioritized in order to ensure a smooth flow

of information and proper discussion. Students must find learning fun and interesting,

specifically in subjects with intense difficulty like Basic Calculus. It is for this reason that

the researchers have conducted the study, Effective Basic Calculus Damath Strategy and

the Academic Performance of Grade 12 STEM Students.

 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

With the use of BACAL Traditional Teaching Strategy

DAMATH Strategy *Pre-Test
l
*Pre-Test *Post-Test
*Post-Test

Hypothesized relation between the independent variables

This figure represents the difference between the independent variables.

The independent variables are the determination of the scores in the pre-test and post-

test of the students with and without the use of the BACAL Damath Strategy.

Statement of The Problem

This study aims to answer the following questions:

1. What is the level of Academic Performance of the respondents during pre-test using

traditional teaching strategy?

2. What is the level of Academic Performance of the respondents during post-test using

traditional teaching strategy?

3. What is the level of Academic Performance of the respondents during pre-test using

BACAL Damath Strategy?

4. What is the level of Academic Performance of the respondents during post-test using

BACAL Damath Strategy?

5. Is there a significant difference between the pre-test of Traditional Teaching Strategy

and BACAL Damath Strategy?

6. Is there a significant difference between the post-test of Traditional Teaching Strategy

and BACAL Damath Strategy?

7. Is there a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test of Traditional

Teaching Strategy?

8. Is there a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test of BACAL Damath

Strategy?

9. Is there a significant difference between the BACAL Damath Strategy and Traditional

Teaching Strategy?

Statement of the Hypothesis

1. There is no significant difference between the pre-test of Traditional teaching Strategy

and BACAL Damath Strategy.

2. There is no significant difference between the post-test of Traditional teaching Strategy

BACAL Damath Strategy.

3. There is no significant difference between the pre-test and post-test of Traditional

teaching Strategy.

4. There is no significant difference between the pre-test and post-test of BACAL Damath

Strategy.

5. There is no significant difference between the Traditional teaching Strategy and BACAL

Damath Strategy.

Significance Of The Study

This is mostly beneficial to STEM Students for this will serve as a technique in

coping up and enhancing skills in Basic Calculus.

Educators will be guided by the study in making adjustments in a traditional

teaching strategy and transition to an effective BACAL Damath Strategy that aligns with

the demands on learning competency and develops good quality educators.

Scope and Delimitation

This study focuses on comparing and determining the scores of pre-test and post-

test of the students with the use of Traditional Teaching System and BaCal Damath

Strategy.
 It is only limited to Grade 12 STEM Students of OMNHS who are currently taking

up Basic Calculus.

This study covers the results obtained by the researchers after the students’

completion of pre-test and post-test using Traditional Teaching Strategy and BACAL

Damath Strategy.

Definition of Terms

Traditional Teaching Strategy: used by the respondent, serves as the basis of the

researchers in determining if the BACAL Damath Strategy has a significant difference

from the strategy used by the respondent

Pre-Test: a preliminary test administered to determine a student's baseline knowledge or

preparedness for an educational experience or course of study. A test taken for practice.

The advance testing of something, such as a questionnaire, product, or idea.

Post-Test: a test given to students after completion of an instructional program or

segment and often used in conjunction with a pretest to measure their achievement and

the effectiveness of the program

BACAL Damath Strategy: the strategy what will be used by the students to improve their

skills in BASIC CALCULUS

 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Teaching styles have changed significantly over the years. Traditional teaching

methods are one of the few teaching styles that are still being adapted today. The

traditional way of teaching mainly revolved in several recitations and memorization

techniques.

The back-to-basics traditional education method, also known as conventional

education, is still widely used in schools. The old-fashioned way of teaching was all about

recitation. For example, students would sit in silence, while one student after another

would take turns in reciting the lesson. The way in which traditional methods was taught

ensured that students were rewarded .for their efforts, used class periods efficiently and

exercised clear rules to manage students’ behavior. They were based on established

customs that had been used successfully in schools over many years. The teachers

communicated the knowledge and enforced standards of behavior. (Cambridge Centre

for Sixth-form Studies, 2017)

Schools need to put more effort into evaluating what makes effective teaching, and

ensure that discredited practices are rooted out from classrooms, according to a new

study published by the Sutton Trust and Durham University (2014). The study suggests

that some schools and teachers should continue using methods that cause little or no

improvement in student progress, and rely on anecdotal evidence to back fashionable

techniques such as “discovery learning,” where pupils are meant to uncover key ideas for

themselves, or “learning styles”. Several traditional styles that reward effort, use class
time efficiently and insist on clear rules to manage pupil behavior, are more likely to

succeed, according to the report. The research suggests that teachers with a command

of their subject, allied with high-quality instruction techniques such as effective

questioning and assessment, are the most likely to impart the best learning to their pupils.

On a similar note, traditional teaching has been around for thousands of years, shaping

the minds of so many scholars, workers and ordinary men and women. At a young age,

a person is expected to attend a formal education, which involves a teacher and a set of

students convening in a classroom. Through formal education using traditional teaching

methods, students learn what they needed to succeed in the real world. The advantage

of obtaining an education in a classroom setting is that a student receives formal

education and learns to focus on the subject at hand. (Arzel Online, 2013)

Despite the usual familiarity emerging from a traditional teaching system,

traditional teaching methods lack in imposing interest among the students. The discussion

is quite monotonous and extremely systematic. According to Jaebi (n.d.), traditional

classroom training displays many drawbacks. For one, it inherently places the most

value on standards, curriculum and passing tests as opposed to student -focused

learning. Student-focused learning places value on the student and builds the

curriculum around the questions young people need answered in order to

understand the material. Constructivist learning builds on the knowledge

students already have allowing them to form concrete associations to new

information, which improves retention. Traditional classroom training does not

encourage critical thinking skills, the ability to apply information gained through

experience and reasoning. Instead, traditional training emphasizes the role of

teachers as knowledge dispensers and students as repositories. This style o f

learning does not allow students to acquire deeper levels of understanding

required for complex concepts and lifelong learning. Moreover, it emphasizes

passing tests, whether or not students are under testing material. The learning

process is thus devalued, and students are not encouraged to understand the

methods, techniques and skills required to find answers. Constructivist learning

holds the process as important as the results because it stimulates skills

important long after schooling. Traditional training emphasizes individual student

work and projects and is poor preparation for a student's future endeavors, which

are likely to include working on teams and collaborating with colleagues. Under

this training model, students receive few opportunities t o practice group

dynamics and teamwork.

The claims presented for the disadvantages of Traditional Teaching were most

persuasive and reliable since the dilemma already exists. A traditional teaching system

puts the greatest value on technicalities and word per word memorization of data instead

of active learning and application. Standardized tests and well-determined curriculum

guides cloud the traditional setting and discourage critical thinking and interactivity.

With the main objective of weighing the bounds of traditional teaching strategies,

the researchers found the literature tied to the current study in the course of highlighting

the need to strategize and devise a new strategy that will create a stimulating environment

for the students. Anchored on evidences and existing facts, the findings proved reliable

to the desired topic. The study mainly revolves on understanding the relevance of a new

teaching method through understanding the flaws of a traditional teaching system.

 Games are a ubiquitous part of life in our culture, and experts suggest they will

become even more deeply embedded in the coming years. Games help people develop

a disposition toward collaboration, problem solving, communication, experimentation, and

exploration of identities, all attributes that promote success in a rapidly changing,

information-based culture. The study also revealed that simply playing board games in

the classroom or on family game night helps brain development. It also suggests that

board games can be helpful in building social skills and self-esteem, as well as teach kids

about rules, competition, fair play, and values. (Horizon Report, 2011)

Persistence in didactic games allows students to overcome problems, see them

as effort on their way to success. It increases motivation and optimism concerning

learning new things, rules and dependencies. Therefore, participants of games are not

discouraged by difficulties and learn from their failures. Such an attitude allows them to

develop another competence, which is readiness to cope with risk and running risk.

(Catapano, Teaching Strategies: What Students Might Learn from Playing Board Games,

2017).

According to Schwartz (2013), playing in school can be a problem. You either

change the games, or make it school-related games. Like in this study, the researchers

come up to make a strategic material that can help the students in studying their Basic

Calculus subject. Schwartz adds, “Games allow us to measure learning in ways we

couldn’t do before.” In this study, the researcher will measure the results they will be get

from the pre-test and post-test of the respondents. The researcher also wants to know

how the students enjoy playing while studying. Like McKay said, “Knowledge is not the

outcome we want; we want students to learn how to make choices.” Interactive games
are very useful in studying or in the learning process because it makes studying more fun

and active. In support to this statement, according to the panelists at Stanford “Games

help us develop non cognitive skills, which are as fundamental as cognitive skills in

explaining how we learn and if we succeed”. This style of learning allow students to

acquire deeper levels of understanding required for complex concepts and

lifelong learning. Moreover, it emphasizes passing tests, whether or not students

are under testing materials.

After all the given points wherein games are considered as a part of learning those

competencies, there is still something we can contradict on. According to an associate

professor of digital media at University of Wisdom-Madison, “…it turns out games are

hard”, where people think that this thing is like a cog in a machine or having a specific

system to follow than to have an interactive environment, free and “let-them-wander-

around” aura. This system requires a higher worth of memorization and active learning

and application of those techniques to solve and finish the game.

Having the process of assessing the bounds of interactive game strategies, the

researchers found the literature tied to the current study in the course of highlighting the

need to manipulate and develop a game strategy that will create a collaborative endeavor

in learning, especially in Mathematics. Anchored on evidences and existing facts, the

findings proved reliable to the desired topic. The study mainly revolves on understanding

the relevance of a new teaching method through understanding the flaws of a traditional

teaching system.
 CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The study employed descriptive-comparative methods of research. According to

Walter (2005), descriptive research, also known as statistical research, describes data

and characteristics about the population phenomenon being studied.

This design will be appropriate because the intention is to describe the relevance

of a creative teaching strategy. Comparisons are made between traditional teaching

strategy and Basic Calculus DAMATH strategy to determine if the DAMATH strategy has

actual impact to the results of the post-test.

Research Locale

The study were conducted in two (2) selected sections of Grade 12 STEM

Students in OMNHS. The Oriental Mindoro National High School is the flagship campus

and the largest public high school in Oriental Mindoro. It was established in 1921 and is

located in San Vicente East, Calapan City. It offers Junior and Senior High School. The

school is headed by Dr. Nimrod Bantigue. It was formerly named Oriental Mindoro High

School and Jose J. Leido,Jr. Memorial National High School.

Respondents

The respondents were composed of 74 students of Grade 12 STEM, 38 students

from STEM Euclid and 46 students from STEM Euler. They were selected from the total

population of 667 Grade 12 students in OMNHS.

Sampling Technique

Purposive sampling was used to determine the respondents of this study. The

basic principle behind this sampling method is to determine a very specific group of

students for reasons of feasibility or efficiency. This can help the researcher identify very

specific eligibility criteria that are evident across the sample.

Research Instrument

The main instrument of the study was in a form of pre-test and post-test provided

by the Basic Calculus subject teacher.

PRE-TEST POST-TEST

Traditional Teaching Strategy Traditional Teaching Strategy

BACAL DAMATH Strategy BACAL DAMATH Strategy

Statistical Treatment of Data

The data gathered were treated statistically using the comparative statistics such

frequency, percentage and arithmetic mean. The following formulas were used:

Frequencies and Percentage

Formula: Where:

𝑛
Percentage = × 100 𝑛 = number of respondents per category
𝑁

𝑁 = total number of respondents

Arithmetic Mean

Formula: Where:

∑fx
x̅ = 𝑥 = Arithmetic mean
N

𝑁 = Total number of respondents

∑ 𝑓𝑥 = Summation of function of x

T-test
Formula:

Where:
x1¯x1¯ = Mean of first set of values
x2¯x2¯ = Mean of second set of values
S1 = Standard deviation of first set of values
nd
S2 = Standard deviation of 2 set of values

n1 = Total number of values in first set

n2 = Total number of values in second set.

 CHAPTER IV

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In this section, the results of the data are presented. The data were collected and then processes in
response to the problems posed in chapter 1 of this study. Two fundamental goals have drove the
collection of the data and the subsequent data analysis. Those goals were to
_______________________________________________________________________. These
objectives were accomplished. The findings presented in this chapter demonstrates the potential for
merging theory and practice.