the perception of stem among filipino grades 3 to 12 students

iAppreciating Science: A Project on Perception of Science Among Filipino K3 to K6 Students in the Philippines SAMPLE

THE PERCEPTION OF STEM AMONG FILIPINO

GRADES 3 TO 12 STUDENTS Appreciating Science:

A Project on Perception of Science Among Filipino

K3 to K6 Students in the Philippines

121621 A THREE-YEAR PROJECT ON THE PERCEPTION OF STEM AMONG FILIPINO.indd 1 12/17/2021 10:41:44 AM

ii A Three-Year Project on the Perception of STEM among Filipino Grades 3 to 12 Students in the Philippines (2020 TO 2022)

SAMPLETHE PERCEPTION OF STEM AMONG FILIPINO GRADES 3 TO 12 STUDENTS IN THE PHILIPPINES (2020 TO 2022)

Appreciating Science: A Project on Perception of Science Among Filipino K3 to K6 Students in the Philippines

All rights reserved.© 2021 by the Department of Science and Technology - Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) Manila, Philippines

Suggested Citation:Department of Science and Technology - Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) (2021). A Three-Year Project on the Perception of STEM Among Filipino Grades 3 to 12 Students in the Philippines (2020 to 2022)

Appreciating Science: A Project on Perception of Science Among Filipino K3 to K6 Students in the Philippines (Year 1)

ISBN 978-621-8283-06-0

Published by:Department of Science and Technology - Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI)1st& and 2nd Levels, Science Heritage Building, DOST Compound, Bicutan, General Santos AvenueBicutan, Taguig City, Metro Manila, PhilippinesTel.Nos. (632) 8330-8872, loc.7027,7026www.sei.dost.gov.ph

Request for permission to use any material from this publication or for further informationshould be addresses to the copyright holders.

Printed in Metro Manila, Philipines


iiiAppreciating Science: A Project on Perception of Science Among Filipino K3 to K6 Students in the Philippines SAMPLE

A. Quantitative Method: The Survey1. Research Sites2. Sampling Design3. Survey Instruments4. Variables, concepts, measures, and indicators5. Data processing and analysis

B. Qualitative Methods1. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs)

a. FGD Sitesb. FGD Guide Questionsc. FGD Platformd. Data processing and analysis

2. Key Informant Interviewsa. Informants and Sample Regionsb. Criteria and selection of key informantsc. Interview platform

d. Data processing and analysis

C. Ethical Considerations

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary

I. Introduction

Project Description

II. Study Framework

III. Research Problem and Objectives

IV. Review of Related Literature

V. Research Methods and Procedures

Research Design

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2 A Three-Year Project on the Perception of STEM among Filipino Grades 3 to 12 Students in the Philippines (2020 TO 2022)

SAMPLE

A. Tables B. Research Instruments

B-1: Survey QuestionnaireB-2: Focus Group Discussion GuideB-3: Key informant Interview Guide

C. Documentation Pictures D. Researchers / Project Team / coordinators

VI. Research Findings

VII. Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations

VIII. References

IX. Annexes

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3Appreciating Science: A Project on Perception of Science Among Filipino K3 to K6 Students in the Philippines SAMPLE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYEXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The project spans three years and has an overarching program title of, “A Three- Year Project on the Perception of STEM Among Filipino Grades 3-12 Students in the Philippines (2020-2022)” It is divided into three (3) phases with the first phase (Year 1) focusing on students in the K3 to K6 levels. The second phase (Year 2) will explore how science is perceived by students in the K7 to K10 year levels and finally the third phase (Year 3) will focus on students in the K11 to K12 levels taking the academic track of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

This report covers Year 1, from January 2020 to February 2021. It focused on students in the K3 to

K6 levels; they were specifically selected for the study because of the need to examine their formative years in Science education, which commonly starts on their third year of elementary education in the Philippines. Additionally, it investigated the following aspects:

1. The students’ perception, attitude, awareness, and knowledge in Science;

2. The students’ experiences in learning Science; and

3. The students’ inclination to pursue Science.

Three methods of data collection were implemented for this project; the use of multiple methods or data

This research project examined the growing concern on the Filipi-no students’ poor academic performance in the field of Science. It investigated the observation of a low inclination of Filipino students

in the basic education level to pursue higher studies in Science, as well as to take up a career in Science and Science-related endeavors. In order to address these concerns, it was important to understand how students in the basic education level perceive, learn, and appreciate Science during their childhood education. This research assumes that a student’s perspec-tive of Science may have direct influences to their learning and study be-havior and may influence the quality of science learning.



SAMPLEsources were used for purposes of triangulation that helps in developing a comprehensive understanding of the phenomena. Essentially, approaching the research through triangulation augurs well for the credibility and validity of research findings. The study employed the Survey, Focus Group Discussions, and Key Informant Interviews. These were the chosen methods to be able to get access to the different facets of the phenomenon being studied. Additionally, the sampling schemes utilized in the study were different for each method – for the Survey, simple random sampling was used in determining the schools to be included in the study alongside the selection of the survey participants from grade levels K3 to K6; for the Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and Key Informant Interviews (KII), purposive sampling through maximum variation, criterion, and convenience sampling were used.

For the Survey, the sample was 1,081 K3 to K6 students; a survey questionnaire was prepared based on the variables for the study and the research objectives. For the FGD, six to ten qualified participants were selected upon the recommendation of the school authorities; an FGD guide was formulated for data collection. For the participation of the students, two (2) students from each grade level were included inthe FGD and the research team strived to have anequal distribution of participants based on gender.The following criteria was used in selecting the FGDdiscussants:

A. Public school students1) K3-6 students;2) Have Science subjects;3) Willing to actively participate, and are

able to communicatetheir ideas to a group.

B. Private school students1) K3-6 students;2) Have Science subjects;3) Willing to actively participate, and are

able to communicate their ideas to a group

For the Key Informant Interviews (KII), 16

key informants were selected through purposive sampling through maximum variation, criterion, and convenience sampling. These approaches were deemed useful for the research as it can provide information-rich data for the study. Intensive interviews based on the variables and the objectives of the study were conducted among selected school principals and elementary Science teachers or science coordinators from the areas chosen for this study. The following criteria were used in identifying the participants for the KII:

1) They have played or are playing a significant rolein the administration of the Science education in their respective schools, and

2) They are willing to share opinions and ideas andexperiences regarding Science education.

For the research instruments, Survey questionnaires, FGD, and KII guides, as data collection tools were formulated and pretested to capture the variables, measures, concepts, and indicators under the study.

This report also reflects the challenges faced by the research team. When the research was conceived as early as late 2019, it was envisioned that all methodological procedures of the research would be implemented on an in-person face-to-face manner. This research was greatly affected by the pandemic that has put to a standstill the main participants of the project – the schoolchildren and the schools. A reassessment of strategies had to be made because the project team had to shift to using online platforms in administering the interviewer-administered survey; conducting the FGDs with participating schoolchildren and the conduct of the Key Informant Interviews through online platforms using Google Meet, Zoom, and in some cases through phone calls, instead of the proposed face-to-face survey. However, these were challenges surmounted by the research team despite some delays and problems in getting all participants for the study.

The survey revealed that, generally, the students have neutral to positive perceptions about and attitudes towards Science. They also exhibited neutral



to positive scores on their awareness and knowledge in Science. This illustrates that Filipino K3-K6 students expressed neutral to positive sentiments to the statements measuring their (1) Perception about Science, (2) Attitude on Science, (3) Awareness of Opportunities in Science, (4) Knowledge about Science, (5) Perceived Competency of Science Teachers, (6) Parental Support in Learning Science, and (7) Inclination Towards Scientific Opportunities. There were no statements in the Likert Scale that the students found negative.

Meanwhile, the FGD revealed that, generally, students have a shallow understanding of science. Most of them recalled terms that were taught inside the classroom but did not know how to characterize, explain, and even relate these with one another. Results indicate students’ difficulty in absorbing science concepts and thinking about them in creative and innovative ways. The negative notions about science as a difficult subject are not new issues anymore, but it is important to note how such negativities can be dispelled by effective teaching. In other words, the skill of the teacher can make all the difference. While science is perceived to be a difficult subject, a good teacher can make it enjoyable for students, and amplify student interest.

The KII results show informants’ high appreciation of the new K-12 science curriculum which, aims to develop students’ science literacy, and to understand and relate concepts to everyday life. The new science curriculum is more explicit than the old curriculum where the discovery method is used, and that teaching science in the new curriculum is easier because lessons start with the familiar and experiences of students lead towards concepts or the abstract. This method arouses the interest of students in the lessons because they can relate these to their environment.

Generally, the study reveals a neutral-to-positive attitude, awareness and knowledge relative to the K3 to K6 students’ perception and appreciation of Science. In fact, there is no negative response, at all, to questions or statements about science. The study also divulges important factors, such as, gender, school category, and, in some cases, regional location, that significantly influence the students’ appreciation of science. Students recalled that most of their science information had come from teachers. While such an approach may be appropriate in transmitting concepts and technical information, the science learning process may potentially stop at recall. Furthermore, the results show that parental support and the students’ exposure to specific career fields and occupations play a role in the students’ inclination to pursue Science-related careers. Students recalled that most of their science information had come from teachers. While such an approach may be appropriate in transmitting concepts and technical information, the science learning process may potentially stop at recall. The study indicated that the students’ intention to pursue science is motivated by both internal and external factors. By engaging realities that they directly experience and connecting these to the lessons covered in science class, students are able to redefine the role of science and see the various possibilities it can offer, which may cultivate an interest in the field. n

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



SAMPLEI. INTRODUCTIONI. INTRODUCTION

Republic Act No. 10533 known as “An Act En-hancing the Philippine Basic Education System by Strengthening its Curriculum and Increasing the Number of Years for Basic Education, appropriating funds therefor and for other purposes” gives the as-surance that the State shall “establish, maintain and support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the people, the country and society-at-large (https://www.officialga-zette.gov.ph/2013/05/15/republic-act-no-10533/)”. The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathe-matics (STEM) track of the Philippine K to 12- En-hanced Basic Education Curriculum is designed to produce graduates of secondary level who will take

There is a growing concern about the low number of Science-inclined students and the low availability of Filipino Science practitioners. A vicious cycle of poorly-equipped Science teachers yields poor

academic performance of students in Science both at the elementary and secondary levels. At this stage when the K-12 Program has been operation-al for more than five years, proficiency and literacy in the academic track of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) have steadily remained low. Studies reveal that “Filipino learners have never been noted for excellent numerical ability” (Lee Chua, 2016 in Estonanto, 2017: p. 43).

science, research, mathematics and engineering re-lated courses in tertiary level and thereby a scientific and scholarly workforce of the country. (Estonanto, “Acceptability and Difficulty of the STEM Track Implementation in Senior High School” Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 5, No. 2, May 2017).

However, despite the passing of RA 10533 in May 2013, and the paradigm shift in the country’s educational system that includes innovations in the teaching of Science and other core subjects in the Basic Education Curriculum, there is a cause to worry about how Science is being taught. The K-12

I. INTRODUCTIONI. INTRODUCTION



implementation, as well as the teaching of Science, is relevant to the K-12 graduates as it contributes to the pursuit of a Science degree course at the tertiary level, eventually leading to a career in Science. But ques-tions arise, such as “do we know why there is a low inclination for Science?” This study raises the concern to find out the perception about Science among students in the grades K3 to K6. It is important to note that Science as a core subject in the elementary level starts in grade K3.

An essay published in the FlipScience website laments on the value of Science education in the Philip-pines; it states that:

Science education in our country cannot be considered as a strength. Based on 2014 statistics, the passing rate for the national achievement test (NAT) for grade six pupils is only 69.21%. The passing rate for high school seemed far worse, with a passing rate of only 46.38% from 2010 statistics. Moreover, the Philippines consistently performs abysmally in international surveys (Ambag, 2018 in https://www.flipscience.ph/news/features-news/features/teaching-science-philippines/).

The concern is further aggravated by the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a worldwide study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in member and non-member nations intended to evaluate educational systems by measuring 15-year-old school pupils’ scholastic performance in Mathematics, Science, and Reading. An article published in the Philippine Star online (December 3, 2019) reports that out of 79 countries that participated in PISA, the Philippines scored the lowest in Reading Comprehension and the second-lowest in Mathematics and Sci-ence (San Juan, 2019).

Why do we have such a situation? What conditions or conducive environment would encourage students to take an interest in the Science subject? How do they perceive Science and how have they been experiencing the teaching of Science? The Department of Education stated that it recognizes the urgency of addressing issues and gaps in attaining the quality of basic education in the Philippines. To address the problem of the decreasing number of Science-inclined students and Science practitioners, it is imperative to study the perception of Science and how it can be improved so that Filipino students will take an interest in the said subject and will pursue Science in tertiary education and as a profession.n

I. INTRODUCTION



SAMPLE

The quantitative method used in the study was the survey and the instrument developed for the study was an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Survey questionnaires were administered in each of the four research areas (NCR, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao) which were further divided into administrative regions in each respective area. One (1) public and one (1) private school per region were randomly selected. The number of respondents were equally divided among male and female K3 to K6 students.

For the qualitative aspect, the study employed the Focus-Group Discussion (FGD) participated in by stu-dents from K3 to K6 to draw the students’ perceptions and experiences on Science education and learning. For the FGD, an FGD Guide was formulated. The FGDs were facilitated to address the research questions related to the informants’ attitudes, opinions, behaviors, and experiences. A set of concepts and indicators in the FGD guides was formulated. The FGDs were conducted in pre-selected areas in the Philippines, consisting of students from K3 to K6. Each FGD had six (6) to 10 qualified participants. Two (2) FGDs in each of the four research areas (NCR, Region I, Region VIII and Caraga Administrative Region) or a total of eight (8) FGDs were facilitated by seasoned researchers.

Another qualitative method used for this study was the Key Informants Interview (KII). Intensive interviews were conducted among selected school principals and elementary Science teachers or Science Coordinators from the four areas chosen, namely, National Capital Region (NCR), Region I, Region VIII and Caraga Ad-ministrative Region. A total of 16 key informant interviews (KII) were also organized.n

This project is a perception study that explores the appreciation and relevance of Science among selected K3-6 students in the Philip-pines. It sought to find out their awareness, knowledge, attitudes,

and experiences in studying Science subjects. The study employed a tri-angulation method where both quantitative and qualitative methods and instruments were used. A total of 1,081 students from the K3-K6 levels of public and private schools of 10 regions of the country were studied.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION



II. STUDY FRAMEWORK

Science education aims to develop scientific literacy among learners that will prepare them to be informed and participative citizens who are able to make judgments and decisions regarding applications of scientific knowledge that may have social, health, or environmental impacts. The science curriculum recognizes the place of science and technology in everyday human affairs. It integrates science and technology in the social, economic, personal and ethical aspects of life. The science curriculum promotes a strong link between science and technology, including indigenous technology, thus preserving our country’s cultural heritage. The K to 12 science curriculum will provide learners with a repertoire of competencies important in the world of work and in a knowledge-based society. It envisions the development of scientifically, technologically, and environmentally literate and productive members of society who are critical problem solvers, responsible stewards of nature, innovative and creative citizens, informed decision makers, and effective communicators.

The framework focuses on the three domains of learning science as listed below:1. understanding and applying scientific knowledge in local setting as well as global context whenever possible;2. performing scientific processes and skills; and3. developing and demonstrating scientific attitudes and values

The framework has the end-in-goal of producing scientific, technological, environmental literate and produc-tive members of society who will be able to pursue science and science-related tertiary degrees and take up or engage in science and science-related careers. As such, they will become active contributors to the knowledge

This study adopted the conceptual framework of Science Education prepared by the Department of Education in 2016 (https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Science-CG_with-

tagged-sci-equipment_revised.pdf). It states that:

II. STUDY FRAMEWORK



SAMPLEand innovation-propelled economy of the country. To be able to acquire these domains, five approaches are listed in this framework, and they are;

1. multi/interdisciplinary approach2. science-technology-society approach3. contextual learning4. problem/issue-based learning5. inquiry-based approach

The framework focuses on a spiral curriculum in science education. The concept of a spiral curriculum was propelled by Jerome Bruner in 1960 and the basic idea is that it is a curriculum in which there is an iterative revisiting of topics, subjects or themes throughout the course… not simply the repetition of a topic taught but a deepening of it, with each successive encounter building on the previous one (Harden and Stamper, “What is a spiral curriculum?” in Medical Teacher, Vol. 21, No. 2, 1999, p. 141). Hence, in the K-12 Science Curriculum, starting at grade K3 up to grade K10, the following science topics are taken up at each grading period (1st to fourth quarter) with degree of deepening of each topic as a student progresses. They are:

1. Matter2. Living things and their environment3. Force, Motion, and Energy4. Earth and Space

Based on the framework, the following matrix illustrate the key stage standards at each grade level.

At the end of Grade 3, the learners should have acquired healthful habits and have developed curiosity about self and their environment using basic process skills of observing, communicating, comparing, classifying, measuring, inferring and predicting. This curiosity will help learners value science as an important tool in helping them continue to explore their natural and physical environment. This should also include developing scientific knowledge or concepts.

At the end of Grade 6, the learners should have developed the essential skills of scientific inquiry – designing simple investigations, using appropriate procedure, materials and tools to gather evidence, observing patterns, determining relationships, drawing conclusions based on evidence, and communicating ideas in varied ways to make meaning of the observations and/or changes that occur in the environment. The content and skills learned will be applied to maintain good health, ensure the protection and improvement of the environment, and practice safety measures.

At the end of Grade 10, the learners should have developed scientific, technological, and environmental literacy and can make that would lead to rational choices on issues confronting them. Having been exposed to scientific investigations related to real life, they should recognize that the central feature of an investigation is that if one variable is changed (while controlling all others), the effect of the change on another variable can be measured. The context of the investigation can be problems at the local or national level to allow them to communicate with learners in other parts of the Philippines or even from other countries using appropriate technology. The learners should demonstrate an understanding of science concepts and apply science inquiry skills in addressing real-world problems through scientific investigations.

At the end of Grade 12, the learners should have gained skills in obtaining scientific and technological information from varied sources about global issues that have impact on the country. They should have acquired scientific attitudes that will allow them to innovate and/or create products useful to the community or country. They should be able to process information to get relevant data for a problem at hand. In addition, learners should have made plans related to their interests and expertise, with consideration for the needs of their community and the country — to pursue either employment, entrepreneurship, or higher education.

Kindergarten to K3 K4 to K6 K7 to K10 K11 to K12

Source: https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Science-CG_with-tagged-sci-equipment_revised.pdf



Figure 1 Adopted Conceptual Framework

Effe

ctiv

e Com

municator Critical / Creative Problem Solver

R

esponsible Stewards of N

ature

Innovative / Inventive Thinker

Info

rmed

Dec

isio

n M

aker

Developing andScientific Attitudes

and Values

Multi / Interdisciplinary

Approach

Science- Technology-

Society Approach /

Context Learning

Demonstrating Scientific

Inquiry Skills

Understanding and Applying

Scientific Knowledge

Scientific, Technological and Environmental Literacy

Problem / Issue Based

Learning

Inquiry-Based Approach

Brain-Based Learning

Leaving Style Theory

Social Cognition Learning Model

Constructivism

SOURCE: https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Science-CG_with-tagged-sci-equipment_revised.pdf

ASSESSMENT

MONITORING

II. STUDY FRAMEWORK



SAMPLEIII. RESEARCH PROBLEM AND OBJECTIVESIII. RESEARCH PROBLEM AND OBJECTIVES

Research ProblemHow do K3 to K6 students perceive Science subjects, and in what contexts and academic environment will the

Sciences be appreciated and readily promoted?

General ObjectiveTo determine and inquire into the perception and appreciation of Science by K3 to K6 students

Specific objectives1. To explore the students’ perception, attitude, awareness, and knowledge in Science;

2. To describe the students’ classroom experiences in learning Science in consideration of the following:a. Lesson/Curriculumb. Teacher’s competencyc. Learning/Teaching methods and approachesd. Instructional and learning materialse. Facilitiesf. Parental supportg. School activities/Class schedules and time

3. To find out the reasons and the context behind the low-inclination of students towards Science. n



IV. REVIEW OFRELATED LITERATURE

IV. REVIEW OFRELATED LITERATURE

However, in a study released by the DOST-SEI, there are significant Filipinos who are S&T edu-cated but many of them are much inclined to be employed abroad. In a study released by SWS, 72% of Filipino adults believe that the new (pertaining to K-12) curriculum will prepare students for their college education. It is supported by a student per-ception study on the implementation of the K12 Science program by Professor Darryl Montebon. The study showed that students (Grade 8) generally perceive that the implementation of the new Science curriculum positively affects the way the students learn Science concepts, acquire scientific skills, and develop scientific attitudes and values. Moreover, the students agree that the Science and technology concept being taught to them strongly emphasize application to real life and that the three (3) domains, in the curriculum, as discussed previously, are de-

The study is informed by the following studies. An international study conducted similar to the proposed study is the ROSE Project. It gathered and analyzed information from students to determine

the pertinent factors in learning Science and technology. The insights were used to promote and improve Science education. Promoting Science edu-cation is critical in the country because, as stated by Dr. Ruby Roan-Cris-tobal, the Philippines does not have enough scientists and engineers.

signed to cultivate scientific values attitude among students. The studies mentioned above, all studied the perception of adolescents (Grade 8 students and higher) and adults.

According to Dr. Jessica Alvarado, an academ-ic program director at the National University in the United States, early childhood education is important because it is the time in the children’s lives wherein they first learn how to interact with others, including peers, teachers, and parents, and also, begin to develop interests that will stay with them throughout their lives. Child development ex-perts indicate it is during these years that children develop linguistic, cognitive, social, emotional, and regulatory skills that predict their later functioning in many domains (Trawick-Smith, 2014; Woolfolk & Perry, 2012). Moreover, Dr. Alvarado claimed



SAMPLEthat studies have looked at everything, from the broad social benefits of early childhood education, to something as specific as STEM learning outcomes (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and how introducing children to these topics early on can have a lasting impact.

Another study by Bakken, Brown, and Downing (2015) on the long-term effects of early childhood ed-ucation supports Dr. Alvarado’s claim. The students were tested through standardized state assessment exams. The results revealed that the students who re-ceived high-quality childhood education demonstrat-ed higher scores in areas of mathematics and reading examinations in comparison with the control group.

Students are powerful determiners of the learning that occurs in their classrooms. Understanding why they learn well or poorly is predicated upon clearly un-derstanding their perspectives on learning (Gentilucci, 2004). However, in most cases, students are mostly not involved in the design process of their learning environ-ment (Cook-Sather, 2001, 2006). In fact, students are often seen as “consumers” of teaching practices that others set up for them. However, human-factor engi-neering stresses that designers’ and users’ interpretation of any system or design has to be more or less the same to eventually reach the designers’ intentions (Norman, 1986, 1988); otherwise, a decline in effectiveness is to be expected (Bartholomew, Parcel, Kok, & Gottlieb, 2001). Thus, if communication with students about the learning environment is absent or suboptimal , 17

their unconscious perceptions are likely to stay unno-ticed but nevertheless undermine the effectiveness of the learning environment. More congruence between the perspectives of designers, teachers, and students is supposed to improve the effectiveness of the learning environment. Cooperation and providing feedback to each other are needed to account for the different view-points of stakeholders and to achieve better alignment between perspectives.

However, research shows that teachers have their own perspective on education, which is influenced

by their conceptions of learning and teaching (Pratt, 1992; Trigwell, Prosser, & Waterhouse, 1999). They implement the designs of innovative learning envi-ronments produced by educational designers. How-ever, since communication and cooperation between designers and teachers are often lacking (e.g., Keys & Bryan, 2001; Pedersen & Liu, 2003; Staub, 2004), it is likely that discrepancies exist between perspectives of teachers and designers. In addition, students also have their own perspective on a learning environ-ment. This perspective is the result of the interaction between the environment and the student who has certain learning-related characteristics (Luyten, Lowyck, & Tuerlinckx, 2001; Wierstra & Beerends, 1996), like a particular motivational orientation, con-ception of learning, and affective processing strategy.

A study (Shirazi, 2017) on the relationship of the students’ experience of school Science and the students’ decision to pursue Science in their higher education revealed that there is much-documented evidence for the possible reasons for this loss of in-terest in Science, such as the association between the cost of studying and the dropout rate (Van Langen & Dekker, 2005); the relationship between school selectivity and Science uptake (Smithers & Rob-inson, 2007); the availability of separate Sciences at GCSE level (Gill, Vidal Rodeiro, & Bell, 2009); well-qualified and enthusiastic teachers (Smithers & Robinson, 2007), and opportunities to experience Science-related careers (Bennett, Lubben, & Hamp-den-Thompson, 2013).

In addition to this, a large number of studies have identified individual factors influencing deci-sions to take up Science, such as gender (Murphy & Whitelegg, 2006), perceived usefulness of the subject (Jenkins & Nelson, 2005), enjoyment (Lyons, 2006), and perceptions of their ability (Vidal Rodeiro, 2007). Rutter, Maughan, Mortimore, and Ouston (1979) in their seminal work on the role of school on children’s development highlight that children spend as much as 15,000 hours at school during which schools and teachers have an impact on their development. A few studies have focused on various aspects of student



experiences of school Science, such as curriculum (Osborne, Simon, & Collins, 2003), teacher influence (Urdan & Schoenfelder, 2006; Woolnough, 1994) and school composition factors (Bennett et al., 2013). Literature from other countries highlights that perceptions of school Science influence the decision to take Science later (Lindahl, 2007; Lyons, 2006; Maltese & Tai, 2010).

Aside from the students’ experiences, Science curriculum, teacher influence, individual influences, gender, self-efficacy, and interest and motivation were identified as critical influences for the students to pursue Science in higher education and ultimately, their careers. A considerable amount of literature spanning many decades highlights the impact of taught curriculum on students’ decision to take Science (e.g., Krapp & Prenzel, 2011; Pritchard, 1935; Woolnough, 1994). From year 2000 onwards, much has been written par-ticularly about the relevance of the Science curriculum to students’ lives (e.g., Lord & Jones,2006) and that students regard the Science taught in schools to be overloaded with content and not generally relevant to working life--giving the sense that “students were being frog-marched across the scientific landscape, from one feature to another, with no time to stand and stare, or absorb what it was that they had just learned” (Osborne & Collins, 2001, p. 450).

On the other hand, the availability of enthusiastic and well-qualified teachers has been identified as one of the most effective factors that influence young peoples’ perceptions of Science (e.g., Bevins, Brodie, & Thompson, 2008; Hattie, 2003; Rowe, 2003; Wai Yung, Zhu, Wong, Cheng, & Lo, 2011). Osborne and Col-lins (2001) claim that students’ interest is engaged and sustained by teachers who make lessons fun either through their methods of presentation of the material or the organization of the work. This is substantiated by Rowe (2003) who argues that the quality of teaching and learning provision is the most important influence on students’ experiences and outcomes of schooling; a view upheld by Urdan and Schoenfelder (2006) who argue that the way teachers regulate the academic environment including materials covered, approaches to learning and communication with students, play an important role on student attitude to school.

Given the studies above, it only proves that it is imperative to know the perception and experiences of the students in taking up Science subjects under early childhood education. To reiterate, the student perspec-tive on a learning environment is of crucial importance, because it directly influences learning and study behavior and thus the quality of learning (Entwistle & Tait, 1990). As concluded by Dr. Gentilucci (2004), “as long as research continues to ignore or marginalize the student perspective and remains focused on issues outside the walls of the classroom and beyond the control of schools and teachers, the prospects for developing truly effective learning interventions and reforms may remain dim” (p.143).n

IV. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE



SAMPLEI. INTRODUCTIONI. INTRODUCTION

A. Quantitative Method: The SurveyTo determine the perception of K3 to K6 students on Science education and learning, an interviewer-ad-

ministered survey was conducted among students from pre- selected schools nationwide.

1. Research SitesThe research sites were: Regions 1, 3, 5, 6, 7,8,9,11, Region 12 and NCR. One (1) public and one (1) private

school per region were randomly selected. The number of respondents were equally divided among male and female K3 to K6 students.

2. Sampling DesignWhile the research team invited 1,200 respondents (or 300 respondents per region to account for the

fallouts), the pandemic and all of its repercussions, such as schedule of classes, suspension of face-to-face meetings, lack of internet connection, did not allow the team to complete the desired respondents on the given project timetable. Also, some chosen schools did not have the required number of students, while some respondent’s parents hesitated to give informed consent. Explaining the project online to them was challenging due to intermittent internet connection.

Because of the difficulty in contacting schools, especially private schools, one school from NCR had to be replaced with a school in Cavite (Region 4A). Another challenge the researchers faced was getting the needed number of respondents per school per region. Some schools, mostly the private schools, revealed that their number of enrollees has been affected by the global pandemic, which in turn lowered their admission rates. Hence, they could not invite at least 50 students for the survey, which was the case for the schools in Region 8. The researchers then coordinated with other schools in these regions to invite more students. However, faced with the same difficulties, the other schools in the area declined the invitation.

This research is descriptive in nature and used both quantitative as well as qualitative research methods to generate the needed data. Triangulation was employed to provide a general and in-depth per-

spective of the study context.

V. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURESV. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES



V. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES

Table 1 Sample, Sample Size

REGION

TOTAL SAMPLE SIZE: n=1200

PRIVATE SCHOOLPUBLIC SCHOOL

GRADE LEVEL MALE FEMALE GRADE

LEVEL MALE FEMALE

7 77 7 Grade 3Grade 3

NCR Quezon City

NCR Manila

NCR Municipality

of Pateros

Region 1Ilocos Region
















Region 3Central Luzon

Region 5Bicol Region











SAMPLE


Region 6Western Visayas

Region 7Central Visayas

Region 8Eastern Visayas

Region 9Zamboanga

Peninsula
















Region 11Davao Region

Region 12SOCCSKSARGEN









REGION




LEVEL MALE FEMALE



Because of the cited challenges. the study was able to get a total of 1,081 respondents from K3 to K6 students, from the target of 1,200 students. Please see Table 2 for the distribution of respondents according region/province, public and private schools, and gender.


Table 2 Distribution of Survey Respondents

REGIONPUBLIC SCHOOL

GRADE LEVEL

MALE FEMALE GRADE LEVEL

MALE FEMALESCHOOLSCHOOL

PRIVATE

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

Culiat Elementary

SchoolGRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

13

9

5

3

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

13

8

11

10

La Trinidad Academy

(4A)

Amado V. Hernandez Elementary

School

Private Schools in

Pateros, Pasig, and

Manila

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

Aguho Elementary

SchoolGRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

0

6

1

4

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

3

4

6

2

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

Bacnotan Central School

BHCEducational Institution

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

BUGAElementary

School

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

6

2

3

5

7

6

6

6

3

2

6

6

7

6

6

6

5

5

6

4

7

6

6

6

3

3

6

5

BUDFIDreamBuds

Learning Center

MandurriaoElementary

School

Great ThoughtsLearning

Center

NCR+4A

REGION 1

REGION 5

REGION 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

SacsacElementary

School

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

Divine GraceInternational

SchoolREGION 7



SAMPLE

Survey InstrumentThe survey questionnaire consists of eight (8) demographic profiling questions and 61 statements pertaining to the seven (7) variables discussed in the study:

1) Perception about Science; 2) Attitude on Science; 3) Awareness of Opportunities in Science; 4) Knowledge about Science; 5) Perceived Competency of Science Teachers; 6) Parental Support in Learning Science; and 7) Inclination Towards Scientific Opportunities

REGIONPUBLIC SCHOOL

GRADE LEVEL



PRIVATE

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

Western Mindanao

State University

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

5

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

7

6

6

7

6

6

6

Ateneo de Zamboanga

University

Talomo Central School

Heartworks Learning

Center

GRADE 3

Upper Labay Elementary

SchoolGRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

0

6

1

4

3

4

6

2

REGION 9

REGION 11

REGION 12

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

Holy Trinity College

TOTAL (n= 1,081)

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

4

6

7

5

2

3

3

7

1

0

6

2

5

1

6

Universityof Eastern

PhilippinesLab

Elementary School

AsianDevelopmentFoundation

College

REGION 8




Table 3 Distribution of Questions in the Survey Questionnaire

The survey questionnaire was subjected to a face and content validity test by the Project Team leaders who are also seasoned researchers themselves. Upon pre-testing, the instrument was subjected to a reliability test which yielded a Cronbach’s alpha value of α = 0.817. This means that the scale used for the instrument has a ‘high’ and acceptable internal reliability or consistency, and the items in the survey questionnaire are closely correlated. The survey questionnaire followed a Likert-type scale with the following legends shown in Table 4.

To aid in getting the student’s response, an animated cue card was also designed and shown to the students to guide them in answering. Below is a photo of the cue card used in the study as shown in Figure 2 below:

Table 4 Employed Likert Scale Legend

Question Type Order in the Questionnaire Number of Questions

Demographic Questions

Perception about Science

Attitude on Science

Awareness of Opportunities in Science

Knowledge about Science

Perceived Competency of Science Teachers

Parental Support in Learning Science

Inclination Towards Scientific Opportunities

TOTAL

1-8

9-16

17-30

31-35

36-45

46-55

56-61

62-69

8

8

14

5

10

10

6

8

69

Value0

Response

1

2

3

4

5

Don’t know

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree



SAMPLEFigure 2. Survey Cue Cards

Table 5 Study Variables and Concepts

3. Variables, Concepts, Measures and Indicators

The concepts, variables and measures by objectives that guided the study are shown in Table 5

Objective 1: To explore the students’ perception, attitude, awareness, and knowledge in Science;

Variables/Concepts Measures / Indicators Research Method

Perception l Perceived value of Science in everyday life

l Perceived importance for students of Science as a subject

l Perceived importance of scientistsin the Philippines and the world

l Perceived usefulness of Science

l Survey / Likert Scalel Focus Group Discussion

Attitude l COGNITIVEl Familiarity with scientific terms or conceptsl Comprehension of scientific conceptsl Perceived difficulty of Science as a subjectl Comprehension of the language of instructionl Perceived credibility of Science sources and materials






l BEHAVIORALl Interest to learn new scientific conceptsl Interest to participate in scientific experiments and engage in scientific activitiesl Interest to self-study and learn more about Sciencel Interest in accomplishing Sciencehomeworks and assignments

l AFFECTIVEl Interest in Science as a subjectl Excitement when discussing

scientific concepts/participating in scientific activities

l Fondness and admiration of students for Scientists

Awareness l Survey/Likert Scalel Focus Groups Discussion

l Awareness of students regardingScience as a field and as a career

Knowledge l Survey/Likert Scalel Focus Group Discussions

l Students’ perceived extent of scientific knowledge

l Students’ knowledge of Filipinoscientists and their works



SAMPLE

School activities/Class schedules and time

l Survey / Likert Scalel Focus Group Discussionsl KII

l Number of school activities related to Science

l Presence of Science lesson plans/curriculum available for students K3-6

l Presence of instructional and learning materials

l Presence of facilities

Objective 3: To Find out the reasons and context behand the low-inclination of students toward Science


Inclination l Survey / Likert Scalel Focus Group Discussionsl KII

l Interest of students in careers in the scientific field in the future

l Activeness in class discussionsl Articulation of what they

want to be in the future

Objective 2: To describe the students’ classroom experiences in learning Science in consideration of the following:


l Teacher’s Competencyl Learning/Teaching

methods and approaches


l Students’ perceived competency of Science teachers

l In explaining scientific conceptsl Engaging their students; andl In using appropriate teaching

methods and materials

Parental Support l Survey / Likert Scalel Focus Group Discussionsl KII

l Students’ perceived level of supportin studying Science that they receive from their parentss



4. Data Processing and AnalysisFilled questionnaires were encoded in the software IBM SPSS, a program commonly used for the quan-

titative analyses for the social Sciences. Scores for perception, attitude, awareness knowledge on Science, teacher’s competency, parental support, and inclination to pursue Science-related career, were computed and descriptive statistics, such as measures of central tendency, were run through the program to determine a general overview of the variables.

Statistics such as two-tailed tests , correlations were also conducted. Correlations between variables, such as Science perception, school category, Science awareness, Science teacher competencies as perceived by students were also determined. Answers to the open-ended questions: “What do you want to be in the future?” and “What is your favorite subject?” were also analyzed.

B. Qualitative Method: The Focus GroupDiscussion (FGD) and Key Informant Interview (KII)

Hinged to this research’s focus on audience reception, qualitative research methods were employed to draw the selected students’ perceptions and experiences on Science education and learning in the Philip-pines. In doing so, the study was able to document and analyze the discourses of the students that pertain to Science as a subject, Science education and learning.

1. Focus Group Discussions (FGD)FGDs were facilitated to address the research questions related to the informants’ attitudes, opinions,

behaviors, and experiences. A set of concepts and indicators in the FGD guides was formulated. FGDs were conducted in pre-selected areas in the Philippines, consisting of students from K3 to K6. Each FGD had six (6) to 10 qualified participants.

FGD sitesTwo (2) FGDs in each of the four research areas (NCR, Region I, Region VIII and CARAGA) or a total of

eight (8) FGDs were facilitated by seasoned researchers. Based on the results of the Programme for Inter-national Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 research, Regions I, VIII, and CARAGA were the regions with lowest scores for scientific literacy for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. In each area, one (1) FGD with public grade school students and one (1) FGD with private school students were conducted, or a total of eight (8) FGDs for all the FGD research sites

A type of hypothesis testing run to determine whether a claim is true or not, given a population parameter. A two-tailed test is done to show whether the mean of a sample is significantly greater than and significantly less than the mean of a population. (Investopedia, n.d.)

Correlation test is done to evaluate the association between two or more variables. (Statistical tools for high-throughput data analysis, n.d.)

ParticipantsThe FGD participants were selected upon the recommendation of the school officials. There was an at-

tempt to have an equal number of boys and girls in every FGD session to capture any gender difference in perception of Science.




SAMPLEThe following were the criteria used in selecting the discussants:

1) K3-6 students;2) Have Science subjects;3) Willing to actively participate, and are able to communicate their ideas to a groupIn each group, six to 10 students from K3 to K6 grade levels were invited (and were able) to participate,

with the exception of Region 8’s private school group, which had produced only four participants due to the difficulty (encountered) in recruiting participants. Also, to ensure gender representation, male and female participants comprised each group to determine possible gender differences in perception and experience. Table 6 summarizes the study sample:

Focus Groups

Table 6 Distribution of FGD Participants by Region and Gender

Male Female

NCR Public

8 3

NCR Private

3 3

Region 1 Public

2 4

Region 1 Private

3 4

Region 8 Public

4 4

Region 8 Private

2 2

Region 12 Public 4 4

Region 12 Private 4 2

Total 30 26




FGD Guide QuestionsEach focus group discussion was semi-structured,

which means that a guide was used, to accommodate the participants’ unique insights and perspectives. The guide aimed to surface the participants’ psychographics (perception, attitude, awareness, and knowledge of science) and learning experiences (perceived teacher’s competency, learning approaches and materials used in class, parental support, and inclination towards science).

FGD PlatformThe focus group discussions were conducted online

through Google Meet and Facebook Messenger from December 2020 to the first week of February 2021. An informed consent was obtained from the parents/legal guardians of the FGD participants. The necessary informed consent forms were secured from the parents of the students.

Data Processing and AnalysisAll the recorded discussions were transcribed, and

examined using thematic analysis.

2. Key Informant Interviews (KII)Informants and Sample regions

Key informant interviews with principals and science teachers or science coordinators in the sample private and public schools were conducted. There was a total of sixteen (16) interviews from four (4) sample regions, namely, NCR and Regions 1, 8, and 12 consisting of eight (8) principals and eight (8) science teachers/co-ordinators from each of the four sample public schools and four sample private schools.

Criteria for the Selection of Key InformantsThe criteria for the selection of Key Informants are the following:

A) they have played or are playing a significant role in the administration of the Science education in their respective schools; andB) they are willing to share opinions and ideas and experiences regarding Science education.

Interview PlatformConnectivity varied from region to region; thus, the

field coordinators had to ask the interviewees which platform they prefer based on the efficiency of mobile providers and availability of internet facilities in their respective areas so that the interviewers would know what connection to use for the interviews. Among the platforms used were: Facebook Messenger, Zoom, and mobile phones.

Data Processing and AnalysisQDA Miner was used to organize the interviews. It

is a qualitative data analysis software developed by Provalis Research to organize, encode, and annotate, not only documents, but, also pictures and other visual documents (https://provalisresearch.com/products/qualitative-data-analysis-software/). Thematic analysis was employed for the interviews.

C. Ethical ConsiderationsThe identities and personal information of all respon-

dents/informants who were surveyed/interviewed for this study were protected in strict compliance with the implementing rules and regulations of the Data Privacy Act of 2012 or Republic Act No. 10173, Series of 2012. Respondents’/Informants’ names were not and will not be used in any report that will be published. The inter-views and discussions were kept strictly confidential. An informed consent was obtained from both the students and the parents. Other ethical measures observed were:l Participants’ identities were kept anonymous

throughout the study. No individually-identifying piec-es of information (i.e., exact names or addresses) were included in the processing of data for analysis.l Any recording of personal information on the mate-

rial form (i.e., printed surveys or transcriptions of inter-views/discussions), shall be destroyed within thirty (30) days after the project implementation period has lapsed.l Any recording of personal information uploaded to

a machine (laptop or desktop) or to an online storage facility will be encrypted and password protected. Only key research personnel (i.e., Project Leader, and Pre-Test, Monitoring, and Evaluation Specialists) were given access to encryption keys and passwords. n



SAMPLE

I. Administration of Schools

A. Daily Routine of Principals

Public SchoolsEach of the four public school principals’ daily

routine, prior to the pandemic, was similar to one another. The principals would start the day by going around the schools and inspecting the rooms and oth-er facilities. They would check on the cleanliness of the rooms, including comfort rooms, and other facilities.

The National Capital Region (NCR) principal related that building inspection was necessary, especially if there was an ongoing construction. For instance, a new building had not been turned-over to the school because of its serious defects.

“Palpak ang pagkakalagay ng…eto nga nung bagyong Ulysses, bumagsak po yong ceiling ng fourth

This section describes the context in which the K3 to K6 students are situated: the administration of the private and public schools, the Science curriculum, instruction, and the focus of this research,

the students themselves. Triangulation of survey results, focus group dis-cussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) was made in present-ing the obtained data.

VI. RESEARCH FINDINGSVI. RESEARCH FINDINGS

floor. Buti na lang po walang bata, walang klase.Hin-di pa nga namin pinagagamit. Talaga po totally na bumagsak ang buong kisame nung isang classroom. [installment of the ceiling was defective. During ty-phoon Ulysses, the whole ceiling of the fourth floor collapsed. It good there were no children, no class. We have not started using it. It’s true the whole ceiling of a classroom collapsed.]”

In doing the rounds, the principals could also find out, from outside of the classrooms, if the teachers were present, and what the students were doing. Prin-cipals could no longer just enter the classrooms to ob-serve the teachers. Such observations were scheduled once every quarter with the consent of the teachers. Then the principals would discuss their observations with the teachers. After the building inspection, the principals would attend to administrative matters: papers to be signed, requests to be made, and reports to be written.



VI. RESEARCH FINDINGS

Private SchoolsThe four private school principals had similar rou-

tines to those of the public school principals’. They began their day with an ocular inspection of the daily operations of their schools. They would spend an ample amount of time checking their school grounds and the staff who worked on campus. The principals would conduct ocular inspections of the classrooms and the faculty rooms to know if everything was spic and span. The Region XII private school principal elaborates:

“My daily routine would include observations, ocular, the whole of operations of the school, from the work of the maintenance staff, to what else, even those going at the gate, the guard, at the canteen, at the playground, so, I constitute my morning routine in ocular inspection, checking on teachers, are they around are they not late, are they in their classrooms.”

She adds that, almost every day, she deals with parents’ concerns:

“Of the people that we often cater everyday are the parents, and mas makukulit po sila, especially in the basic-Ed in the private school, so, medyo makukulit po ang parents. So that normally forms part of my routines also, entertaining parents, attending to their concerns. [of the people that we often cater everyday are the parents, they are more insistent, especially in the basic-Ed in the private school, so, the parents are persistent. So that normally forms part of my routines also, entertaining parents, attending to their concerns.]”

The principals would also check the performance of the tasks of their teachers. This ensures them that the subjects were being taught properly. The principals would check the lesson plans, examinations, and other forms of assessments. Because of the pandemic, where there are no face-to-face classes, the principals had less one task to perform, that is, making their rounds of the schools. As the Region VIII principal says:

“Ngayon, nawala na ‘yung pag-rounds ko sa room, pag-monitor ng bata sa mga teachers. Ang monitor-

ing ko na lang ‘yung pag gawa nila ng modules, at saka kung namo-monitor ng bawat adviser na teach-er ‘yung students nila. [Now, I don’t have to make round of the rooms, monitor children and teachers. What I do now is monitor how they do modules, and if the teacher-adviser monitor their students.]”

B. Desired Qualities of Science Teachers

Public SchoolsThe four public school principals shared the specific

qualities that science teachers should have. According to them, interest in science was an important charac-teristic of a science teacher because, as one principal had pointed out, elementary teachers did not have a specialization, unlike high school teachers. Concep-tual knowledge would enable the teacher to apply the knowledge in preparing materials and relating the subject matter to everyday life.

Dedication and resourcefulness were also cited as important characteristics of a science teacher because, just like in any other subject, the teacher should look for supplementary materials and other teaching aids or references that would make instruction interesting to the students. Also mentioned as specific qualities were commitment and love of teaching. The principal from Region VIII shared that, in the university, a master’s degree and specialization in science were required for an applicant to be accepted as a teacher. She adds:

“…tapos, nag-undergo dito sa lab school ng in-cam-pus teaching. Seldom lang naman kami nag-a-ac-cept ng hind cum laude. Kasi college pa lang sila, we know kung sino ang maabilidad kasi nakikita kaagad naming dito sa lab school. […then undergoes in-campus training here at the lab school. We seldom accept [applicants] who did not graduate cum laude. We already know since their college days here at the lab school who have the ability (to teach)].”

Other characteristics that the principal had identi-fied, aside from being knowledgeable, were patience, perseverance and general attitude. She would rate



SAMPLEgeneral attitude as fifty percent (50%), and academic performance as fifty percent (50%).

Private SchoolsWhen each principal was asked about the qualities s/

he was looking for in a science teacher, the principals invariably mentioned competence. This implies being knowledgeable in explaining and doing scientific re-search. Competence in explaining concepts means that the teacher is the doer of the experiments. Liveliness and resourcefulness are also qualities that a science teacher should have. On this, the principal from Region XII says:

“Para sa akin kailangan ginagawa niya yung itinu-turo niya, yung nagre-research din siya hindi lang siya nakatutok sa books, kasi minsan kulang so kailangan nag-re-research din siya tungkol doon sa tinuturo niya then kung mayroon kailangan ng sample, kailangan siya mismo ang gagawa sa harap ng mga bata, tapos kailangan, masigla siya lagi. [For me, s/he should not be bookish in what s/he teaches. S/he should do research on what she teaches and do experiments in front of the students, and s/he should always be lively].”

The science teacher from Region I said that compe-tence of a science teacher should not depend on gadgets. However, during the pandemic, s/he had to know how to use the appropriate technologies for online teaching. She says that;

“The competence of a teacher cannot be replaced by a certain amount of gadgets, a certain amount of facilities. So first of all, the teacher must be competent knowledgeable enough in the subject matter”.

Students’ Perception of Science Teacher Competence

In describing the participants’ learning experiences, the FGD participants were asked about their percep-tions of their teachers, and their accounts of the process they went through as they learned about science inside and outside the classroom.

The participants shared a general positive, albeit

normative response with regard to the competence of their science teachers. Discussions revealed two distinct qualities that made their science teacher ‘competent.’ These were:

A. Ability to explain the subject matter well

Students mentioned that their teachers were able to define and describe scientific concepts. They also stated that their teachers provided examples so that they could vividly understand the concepts. There was an agree-ment that teachers demonstrated expert knowledge on the subject matter based on their recollection of how teachers lecture.

“Yes po [magaling si teacher], kasi lahat po ng concepts sa science pinagtutuunan niya ng pansin and marami po siyang things na nirerelate para mas maintindihan po ng madali yung subject o yung con-cept ng pinagaaralan namin, and many students po said that she’s the one of the best teachers na nagtuturo ng science sa grade level po and ‘yung mga students po matataas po yung scores namin kasi naiintindihan po ‘yung concepts ‘pag nagtuturo po siya, like yung mga concept na one of mahihirap po sa students.” (Female, 10, NCR)

B. Efficiency to use traditional and technology-aided teaching materials

Students commented that science teachers were equipped with employing traditional methods of teach-ing such as the “chalk-talk” approach; question and answers via white board-based activities; and the use of visual aid, such as, manila papers and cartolinas.

There were students from private schools who men-tioned that their teachers allowed them to use science equipment, specifically, the flasks, test tubes, and the microscope. Teachers were also able to incorporate tech-nology-aided materials such as video-based lectures, PowerPoint presentations, and web-based materials.



II. Science Curriculum

A. Teachers’ Perception of the old and new curriculum Public Schools

In the old, as well as the new curriculum, public school teachers were given guidelines on the competencies that have to be developed in the students per grade level. The teachers then based their lessons according to those competencies. The teacher from NCR disclosed that there was a shift in the medium of instruction in Grade 3 - from the native tongue to English. The concerned students were having difficulty in reading and compre-hending English. She says:

“Dapat ang science, start din nila at an early age, hindi lang sa grade 3 para at least yong introduction ng mga bata, kasi yon din ang reklamo ng mga grade 3 teachers pag nagmi-meeting kami… Tapos pagdating ng grade 4 hirap sila. Yon ang problema ng mga bata, hirap silang umintindi pag English. [Science should be taught at an early age, not only in grade 3, to serve as an introduction. That is the complaint of teachers when we have meetings. The students have a difficulty when they reach grade 4 because the medium of instruction is English.]”

There were changes in the new curriculum relative to competencies that students should develop. Some were dropped, while new ones were introduced. Thus, some lessons were merged. However, the students during the pandemic found it difficult to comprehend the lessons. Public schools used modules, instead of online classes. This became more problematic for parents, who were technology-deficient, or science literacy-challenged. An-other teacher disclosed that, during the pandemic, she, and her fellow teachers themselves, could not explain certain topics, which the students did not understand.

According to the science teacher from Region VIII, teaching science today was easier because presenting a subject matter was more explicit. The teachers are the ones who build concepts in the new curriculum. In con-trast, teaching under the old curriculum utilized more

of the discovery method, whereby students were being taught concepts instead. The science teacher claimed that the students had a hard time understanding con-cepts in the old curriculum.

Meanwhile, the other science teachers said that their K3 students were having a hard time understanding lessons. In the new curriculum, apparently, science was being taught, starting in K3 only, whereas, in the old curriculum, it was being taught earlier, starting in Grade 1, together with English and Math.

Private SchoolsThe Department of Education (DepEd) also gave the

K-12 curriculum guide to the private schools, but the latter needed to modify the guide. The teacher from Region I shared that, in her experience, teaching science in the new curriculum was harder to do because of the lack of time to cover the topics.

The teacher from Region VIII explained that the previ-ous curriculum focused more on theory, unlike the new curriculum, which was more experiential. According to the teacher in Region XII, the new curriculum had an advantage in being ladderized, unlike the former curriculum.

“In my experience kasi before,e nung Science natin sa traditional, pagdating ng grade three ganito iyung certain topic or focus nung Science, pag dating ng grade four iba na naman iyung focus. So maganda iyung curriculum sa Science spiral sya kasi continuous. yung learning. [In my experience, the focus in Grade 4 is dif-ferent from that of Grade 3. The new curriculum is nice because it is spiral, learning is continuous].”

B. Preference of teachers Public Schools

The teachers admitted that they preferred the old curriculum, but clarified that, in terms of teaching, particularly the class activities, it was almost the same as the new curriculum. Also, more time was being spent in the new curriculum, in terms of preparation. However, the key informant from Region VIII found




SAMPLEit easier to teach science using the new curriculum because it was “ladderized” and explicit. According to her, there were teachers who would say that explicit teaching was spoon-feeding. She counters that:

“Mas effective po kasi sa learners na ganoon ang ginagawa ko na pine-present ko muna halimbawa yong video o kung ano yong mga concept na ituturo ko, then may question ako mas interesada sila, mas nakaka-build sila ng mga own ideas nila about the lesson…[It is more effective for learners if I first show a video or concept that I will teach, then I ask them questions. They become more interested, and can build their own ideas about the lesson].”

Private SchoolsPrivate schools, too, were given guidelines for the

new curriculum.There was an expressed hesitancy to adjust to the new curriculum because it covered a broad range of topics that might not be relevant to the context of their students. The principal in Region XII said that their school had modified what DepEd had given them. And she cites specifics:

“We are requiring the teachers to really like write some of the essential questions that they will be asking, this is so that, we are guided as well as the teachers are guided as to what are really to ask from students, and if they are aligned with the objectives of the lesson, we also add a portion on the remarks, remarks portion, teachers remarks, where in they will be noting if they were able to achieve the objectives of the day, objectives of the lesson and even the ref-erences part, although there is that coming from the DepEd but we, we add things like the reference book.”

The science teacher in NCR preferred the new curriculum, but clarified that only topics which were relevant should be included, and that activities should be those that could be done by students in rural ar-eas. He noted that the new curriculum appeared to be meant for students in the cities. He elaborates:

“What I want to be done is stick with the new cur-riculum, then select only those who really matters, the

topics which are really relevant, and also the activities should be inclusive, it shouldn’t be patterned only with the students here in NCR because that’s a fact, there are students in rural areas, in the mountains, you need to cross the sea just to see those students. It should be inclusive enough, the activities should be inclusive enough because this is my personal opin-ion, when I read the curriculum, it’s only for those students na of course living in the cities ‘diba? So I want it to be more inclusive and also provide more time for teachers to prepare and teach and lessen the paper works because teachers are like zombies, we do not sleep.”

III. Instruction

A. Lesson Plan Public Schools

According to the science teacher from Region VIII, she had constructed a syllabus where there was a learning plan for every lesson. However, graduating students of the university doing practicum at the laboratory school did the detailed lesson plan based on the set objectives and activities. She elaborates:

“Yong learning plan na lang po for the lesson yong parang tinitingnan ng teacher, parang talaga na the night before, magsulat ka na ng questions mo para maging systematic din yong pagtuturo kasi wala na po yong daily lesson plan. [The teacher only looks at the learning plan for the lesson. You write questions the night before to make your teaching systematic because there is no lesson plan anymore].”

She added that, from her experience in working at DepEd before she transferred to the laboratory school, writing the daily lesson plan was time-consuming. She says:

“Minsan pag che-chekan na ng principal yong lesson plan for one month or two months, mag-ka-cramming na yong iba kasi siempre …hindi na magtuturo. Pababasahin na lang yong mga bata ng books and then sulat nang sulat ang teacher. Yon po ang epekto pag daily lessons plan, so mas magan-



da po ang syllabus. [Sometimes when the principal checks the lesson plans for one or two months, others cram…They don’t teach. They just let the children read books and then they write (their lesson plan). That is the effect if there is daily lesson plans. Having syllabus is better.]”

The teacher from NCR said that K-12 teachers had a seminar-workshop in Tagaytay to develop lesson plans. The procedure was that they would follow the curriculum guide: unpack it, discuss it in their respective divisions, and schedule when the topics should be discussed in the school year. The other DepED science teachers, too, followed the curriculum guide of DepED regarding competencies that should be developed by the children. Of DepEd guidelines, a teacher says:

“Meron po kaming planner na binibigay ng DepEd sa office namin dito…kung ano yong competencies na ituturo namin for the day or within the week. So may planner na kaming sinusunod. So kami po, kailangan simple at maparaan kung paano naming mapapadali [ang lesson]. [DepEd gave our office a planner… of what competencies we should teach for the day or within the week. So we simplify and look for ways to make the lessons easier].”

According to the science teacher in Region I, she used the 5E-model: engagement, explanation, explo-ration, enforcement of application, and evaluation. New lessons, for instance, were introduced through group activity. Motivation could be made through a discussion of the past lesson, or through video, which was a springboard to explore the topic. The results of the activities were presented to the class and ques-tions of other class members were answered. In that way, according to the teacher, “There is interaction between the pupils or learners and the teacher”. There was also an application of what the pupils had learned, followed by an evaluation, in terms of a formative test. Those who could not catch up were given extra work.

The teacher from Region XII said that the lesson plan was already downloaded from [DepEd website]

and all the teachers had to unpack and study it. However, there were examples contained therein that needed to be simplified in order for the pupils to un-derstand the topics under the Daily Lesson Lab (DLL).

Private SchoolsAccording to the teacher in Region I, the school

did not use a lesson plan, but rather, a learning guide which the teachers prepared quarterly. The school still used the curriculum guide given by DepEd in terms of the competencies that should be developed by students. Meanwhile, in the Region XII private school, the teachers prepared the lesson plans for the whole year, but these were modified if, and depending on how, the objectives were attained.

In Region VIII, however, the lesson plans were done weekly. The teacher would start with the objectives for the topics, and depending on the topics, he would use the deductive method. He would then include indi-vidual and group activities appropriate to the topics. Included were assessments through assignments.

B. Class Duration

The public school teachers revealed that the class duration of each of the Grade 3 science and other subjects was 40 minutes, which is 10 minutes less than the 50-minute class duration of every subject in Grades 4 and 5. This class duration scheme was the standard for all private and public schools.

C. Daily Routine of Science Teachers

Public Schools

During pre-pandemic timesThe science teachers’ daily routine would start a day,

or night, before the actual class. They would look for materials, especially, videos, to show to their students the following day. The teacher from Region VIII would also prepare pertinent questions based on the video presentation’s contents. Thus, she says:




SAMPLE“I check the video first, then list some questions.

The way I construct questions are, I envision it as more of what the students already know about the topic because, from my experience, the students or learners can relate well if the questions are from the experiences that they have already learned from their everyday living. I list those as motivational questions.”

The science teacher used explicit strategy, where she would give the students all the materials, and allowed them to watch the video presentation. She said that the students would show lack of interest if she used the discovery method, where she would first present things that they did not know. On the other hand, they would be motivated to learn more when they knew the subject matter and could relate to it because of their experience. She adds:

“I let them ask questions to me or I ask questions to their classmates. I also let them discuss among themselves. I also provide reviewer… If the materials are not available. I choose to use videos from YouTube and ipapanood sa kanila before ako mag-discuss ng lesson [and I show the videos to them before I discuss the lesson].”

The DepEd teachers followed the same routine in conducting their classes. They would prepare teaching materials, such as, videos and useful items from the laboratory. They started their classes with the roll call, followed it up with motivations and, finally, the lesson proper.

Rules were established first for activities that re-quired experiments. And, If there were group activi-ties, the pupils would explain the results and answer questions from their teachers and classmates.

During the pandemic The Covid-19 has affected all aspects of people’s

lives world-wide. With the threat of contacting the virus, all schools have had to adjust to synchronous and asynchronous online classes, blended learning, or purely modular, depending on the availability of internet connection, tablets, laptops and others.

In the NCR school, for instance, there were 2,098 tablets for the students. These were given by DepEd, the Alpha-Basa Foundation, and the city government. The principal explained that, if there were more than one student in the family, the tablet would be named - and given - to the youngest student-member. The latter’s elder siblings could also use the gadget, but s/he would have the first priority in using it. And, in case the student intended to transfer to another school, the tablet would be surrendered to the original school.

For schools that did not have an internet connec-tion, and/or where the students did not have laptops or tablets, the concerned schools would use modules as the mode of instruction. There were reading mate-rials, and question sheets for the students to answer, and a schedule for the submission of the answer sheets to the teachers. However, there was no way for the teachers to know whether or not the students them-selves had answered the question sheets.

Private SchoolsIn Region I, the science teacher’s daily class rou-

tine would start with the preparation of activities for the day’s topics, which should be of interest to the students. Meanwhile, in his conduct of the class, the Region VIII science teacher would always start with a question - to initiate the discussion or introduce the topic for the day. He elaborates:

“I always start with a question ‘How about if we are going to run out of water, what will happen to us?’ So parang sasagot po sila doon [They will answer the question] and I’m going to try to collect the ideas of my pupils to know what they know about, and after that I introduce the topic. And then since we lack things or equipment or materials, I try to post pictures. I try to present videos of the topic…I try to do the experiment or kung di po, kung ano yung gamit na nandiyan sa classroom po yun po yung ginagamit ko as an exam-ple [or else I use whatever is in the classroom as an example].”

Starting and ending the class with a prayer was part



of the NCR teacher’s routine because, as the teacher says, “…with Divine Providence, they can learn any-thing they want to”. Through the use of games, he would be able to know whether or not the students had retained and learned the previous day’s lesson. He expressed concern about the students’ restlessness without the games. He says:

“Whenever they sit in front of you listening with the concepts being taught to them, they get bored, no matter how interesting the topic is. if they do not move, if they do not manipulate something, they become restless. I make it to the point that I always check my students progress whether be it the lesson, project, or an output to be submitted.”

The Region XII school would make the class prepa-rations from Mondays to Wednesdays, and give the assessments or quizzes on Thursdays and Fridays. It would conduct the experiments and other activ-ities in science based on textbooks. Teaching was student-centered rather than teacher-centered, and, therefore, the school would encourage students to share their ideas.

The science teacher said that he would show videos related to the day’s topics because the students got easily bored. He observed that, when students were interested in the lesson, they would even request for the class period to be extended.

D. Textbooks and Reference Materials Public Schools

The Region VIII laboratory school used textbooks from Rex Bookstore, which parents bought for their children because the textbooks contained worksheets which the teachers checked. The teacher shares her observations:

“Mas advantageous po kasi sa lab school. Mas maganda po talaga yong performance ng mga bata kasi may kanya-kanyang book, then dun sila suma-sagot. Yon din po yong kung ikukumpara sa DepEd na schools kasi hindi naman kanila… hinihiram lang ang mga books then hindi po lahat ng bata napap-

ahiram ng books kasi kulang ang textbooks. [Lab school is more advantageous. Children’s performance Is good because they have their own books and they write their answers there, unlike in DepEd schools where books are just borrowed (from the school), and not all children are lent books because there is a lack of text-books].”

On the other hand, DepEd science teachers used the prescribed textbooks which DepEd had provid-ed. The textbooks were shipped from the main office in Manila and distributed through channels to all the public schools nationwide. However, one of the teachers lamented that not all children had loaned books and had to share with classmates. There was also the problem of timely availability of the books, which made instruction difficult for the teachers. The science teacher from NCR claimed that DepEd had not released Grade 6 textbooks as of the interview on September 19, 2020. She also lamented that the books contained very few pages. She says:

“Yong isang topic na ilang buwan mongituturo,pa-rangdalawang page lang. Ano’ng kwenta ng libro? At saka kulang-kulang ang impormasyon. So kail-angan talaga mag-research bukod sa mga librong nahihiram namin, yong mga ginagamit sa private school. [There are only two pages for a topic that you will teach for a few months. What use is the book? Information is incomplete, so there is a need to do research aside from borrowing books being used in private school.]”

Regarding reference materials, the teacher from NCR revealed that she just borrowed and asked for reference materials being used in private schools.The science teacher in Region IX found another solution, and that was to go to the city and use an Internet café to download reference materials for science other subjects. An alternative was buying wi-fi load for her to connect to the Internet and download materials to her USB or laptop. According to her, the city’s DepEd Division gave a Php200-allowance per month per teacher to pay for Internet access. Apparently, her school’s Internet connection was weak. This was




SAMPLEvalidated with the teacher during the pre-interview conversation with the study’s interviewer. She said that she had to look for a place where a mobile phone signal was strong. In the course of that short conver-sation using the mobile phone, the line was discon-nected and it took the interviewer several attempts to reconnect.

Private SchoolsClearly, there was a common notion among private

school teachers and administrators that DepEd ma-terials lacked the substance and relevance that their students needed. Such a mindset led to the procure-ment of reference materials outside DepEd’s own recommended sources.

According to the science teacher from Region I, the science teachers had reviewed the books, whether textbooks or references, made their recommenda-tions, and, eventually, used these books in their science classes. They preferred books with attractive illustrations and good readability appropriate to the particular grade level.

The science teacher from NCR admitted that he did not use the references that were being used in the public schools because the DepEd database on online references were difficult to access. He added that “there are a lot of problems in terms of books being used by public schools.” He claimed that he would rather use his old books and access reliable internet sources. He says:

“Students are advanced, some of them are really advanced like I was just to discuss this topic today and “Teacher I already saw that in a video on Youtube. ’Yung Crash Course Kids ata ‘yun sa Youtube’”. ‘Yun yung isa sa mga gusto ko sanang innovation din na mangyari like online references na reliable because as of the moment, to tell you honestly, our online refer-ences are like puzzle pieces, cannot read it effectively.”

In his Region VIII school, the science teacher looked for ways and means to access materials for his science class. He tapped online and other sources, like his

friends and relatives, who owned science books. The teacher in Region XII described the school’s proce-dures in selecting reference materials. He said that it was the subject teacher who would identify the refer-ence materials and submit a list of these materials to the coordinator. The latter, in turn, would then check if the items on the list could be used as reference materials. He elaborates:

“So ginagawa namin if you want to put reference you should put also the pages okay kung saang page makikita in that certain reference? If website naman put the link talaga ng website so ang job ng subject coordinator i-recheck nya na iba-validate talaga if okay this topic is nandito talaga sa certain refer-ence materials. So ilalagay iyung page, pag website naman iki-click pa namin yan, io-open namin if talagang about yan sa topic na iyan or talagang nilagay lang yan para lang may malagay something like that. So dadaan muna sa amin before dadaan sa principal, so iyung principal sya na iyung parang final talaga if may mga error pa doon sa ginawa namin na materials or curriculum map.”

In Region I, according to teacher-informant, the science teachers got to see the books and references materials supplied by book companies. They them-selves selected the items to be ordered from the par-ticular publishing company. They had to select many reference materials for their classes.

E. Medium of Instruction Public SchoolsIn the public schools, the medium of instruction

from kinder to K2 are Filipino and the mother tongue of the province or region. From K4 onwards, the me-dium of instruction is English.

According to the teachers, the children had dif-ficulty understanding science lessons because they were not proficient in English. The pupils’ reading comprehension was low and, thus, the teachers had to translate the lessons from English to Tagalog, and at times, to the mother tongue. In the Region XII school for indigenous peoples, the teacher says: “Pa-rang useless yong libro sa English kasi hindi naman



naiintindihan ng mga bata [The textbook in English is useless because the children do not understand English].”

According to the principal in NCR, even K6 students in her school had poor English comprehension. This situation obliged teachers to translate their lessons to Filipino, even if there was a remedial session in reading. The principal added that, unfortunately, there were students who could not cope with their classmates, and that, although the school had a big population, only a few had the potential to learn. The morning session accommodated more than 2,000 students. And so with the afternoon session, which had the same number of students. Outdoor space was cramped, especially on Mondays when there was a general assembly for the flag ceremony.

There are teachers who perceived some of their students as slow learners. They knew this because the students did not know how to answer their questions. The teachers had to repeat the explanations of certain concepts. The teachers also said that students were so timid in expressing their insights. Teachers attributed this to their students’ lack of communication skills.

Private SchoolsThe primary medium of instruction in the private

schools is English, but there are subjects being taught in Filipino and the mother tongue. The teach-ers claimed that they had to translate, or explain, concepts and terms in Filipino, or the mother tongue, because of the students’ low comprehension and lack of communication skills.

F. How science is taught to students From the point of view of students, they learned

science in class through a teacher-centered approach, wherein the teacher served as an expert in the subject being taught to them. According to the FGD partici-pants, teachers employed this method through:

A. Explanations: Participants commended their teachers’ ability to

explain scientific concepts in a comprehensive and comprehensible manner. There were also accounts from several students about teachers who would repeat lessons that the class found difficult to grasp, namely, lessons on homogenous and heterogenous mixtures, flowering and non-flowering plants, parts of the nose, and technology. There were also teachers who would devote extra time to tutor students who struggled with the lessons.

“Because, I feel like she knows everything and I, I understand.” (Female, 10, Region 8)

“He [te teacher[ handles students professionally and teaches the topics professionally and [when] we can’t understand the topic or the lesson, we can just reach out to him and then he makes, he makes the learning fun.” (Female, 12, Region 1)

B. Examples: Relatable examples enabled students to visualize

the concepts taught in science classes. In some in-stances, teachers brought materials and other objects to demonstrate the lessons. Videos and animations also enabled students to visualize scientific concepts.

“Not only [does] he explain it clearly, he does it with the help of animations and animations, so we can further understand it and he is very approachable.” (Male, 11, Region 1)

C. Experiments: Experiments made science learning more enjoy-

able for the students, and students felt like they learned best through this method. These activities also played a huge role in the students’ interest in the subject; most students tended to get excited about new lessons because of the prospect of working on new experiments. Experiments allowed students to discover new things.

“Opo [sumasali ako sa experiments], kasi meron akong natututunang bago.” (Female, 8, Region 8)

However, not all students were able to experience these activities. According to a student, teachers




SAMPLEwould only ask for a student volunteer - one with whom they could demonstrate or conduct an exper-iment. This meant that not all students were able to experience such activities.

In other schools, handling laboratory equipment was highly limited, and teachers had to find al-ternative ways of doing experiments that utilized readily available materials. Some students recalled experiments involving the use of drinking glasses, cardboard paper to scoop out water, and papaya stems in producing bubbles.

The traditional approach to teaching science helped students recall concepts and terminologies taught in class. What was evident, however, was the lack of interaction between students and their teachers in the process of learning. What could be gleaned from their accounts was an image of a traditional school lecturer, who mostly used the blackboard and chalk in teaching the subject. Teachers would do most of the talking in class, and interaction would only take place when teachers would ask students if they un-derstood the topic.

G. Science activities

Public SchoolsAll public schools have science activities as pre-

scribed in their curriculum. There are also the DOST sponsored activities.

In Region I, the regular science activities consisted of tree planting, coastal cleanup, and school clean-up drive. The students were also being taught the Five Rs: recycle, reuse, reduce, restore and recover. If there would be community activities, the school coordinated with barangay officials and students with parental consent and waivers. Science teachers and officers of the school government council and parents-teachers association accompanied the chil-dren. In addition, the Region I school was operating a Community Learning Center in barangays where teachers would go to hold classes for out-of-school youth. The latter could not attend regular classes

because they had no transportation money and/or were working.

The Region XII school had the YES-O (Youth for Environment in Schools Organization) in response to DepEd Order No. 52 of 2011 issued by then Secretary Armin Luistro, directing private and public schools “to intensify environmental education and pushed for the creation of student-led environmental awareness groups in schools. The order was in compliance with Republic Act 9512 or “An Act to Promote Environ-mental Education and for other Purposes.”.

Every year, the teacher in Region XII school said, the DepEd local division required the submission of the schools’ calendar of annual proposed activities (CAPA) by virtue of DepEd Order No. 13 series of 2013. She added that the clean-up drive of the river had ceased because a student drowned during one of those activities and the body had not been recovered as yet. The school’s alternative to fieldtrips was the showing of videos prior to making students do experiments.

The teacher from NCR shared that, before Memo-randum 47, the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) students used to bring the NCR students to the plane-tarium. That activity was one of the ADMU’s outreach programs. She added that, now, science teachers had to make do with on-campus science activities. There was a low participation in after-school activities because of family responsibilities, like looking after younger siblings or earning money to contribute to the family income.

In Region VIII, students conducted mini-fieldtrips about plants, small animals and insects. The teacher says:

“They [the students] are more interested basta sa living things about biology. Example, we are having a mini-fieldtrip lang about yong mga plants, the features of plants, why is that there are leaves that are shiny. Mas gusto nila sa labas sila and then ino-observe nila ang mga plants and insects or mga small animals. (They prefer outdoors and then they observe plants



and insects or small animals).”

In addition, the teacher in Region VIII taught the students (how) to segregate wastes and to make eco-bricks, which they could use in their gardens to fence their plants. According to the Region VIII teacher, there was also the Quipper School every grading pe-riod, wherein students would be answering questions online. She explained that It was actually a module, which she had found in Facebook. She enrolled her students and gave them the username and password. There were learning materials there that the students should read and, at the end of every lesson, answer 10 questions. They earned points for correct answers and used said points to play online games.

Private SchoolsBefore the pandemic, private schools featured

built-in co-curricular and extracurricular activities in their science curricula. These were seen as necessary events that would extend the students’ engagement with science. These events were aimed at retaining concepts and making students realize the practical value of science.

Such was the Region XII school before the pandemic times. It used to hold a Science and Math Week where the science activities focused on health. The students went from room-to-room to discuss proper handwash-ing and waste management. They also recycled waste materials like plastic cups.

The teacher from NCR said that the school was following DepEd’s mandate that activities or co-cur-ricular activities, such as, a science week to be cel-ebrated through a maximum of three days without cancellation of classes. He adds:

“So last year, despite the constraints of time and also with the mandate of DepEd, we were able to pull off a science fair where the students participated. Each section presented an output, a science invention then a representative presented them to us. And then we have a science fact contest na the students in the elementary level should always make sure that their

classroom has a scientific trivia outside posted and the teachers in science that includes me, we checked everyday kung nag-post ba sila, sino nag-post and it was assigned by the advisers to each and every stu-dent, then aside from that, we had a science marathon, it’s like Minute to Win It and the elementary students also enjoyed that.”

The teacher in Region I shared that she allowed students to use laboratory equipment for experiments, and gave an example of the science activities of her classes:

“Halimbawa nasa sa Science skills kami, kapag nasa measuring kami, we will let them measure some objects, gano’n. We let them manipulate ‘yung mga measuring instruments para alam nila kung paano gamitin, ano ‘yung gamit, ‘yung mga units ganon. [For example, we are covering Science skills, if we are on measuring, we let them measure some objects. We let them manipulate the measuring instruments so they know how to use it.]”

H. Classroom and Laboratory Facilities

1. Existing Facilities Public SchoolsThe school in Region I had a Learning Resource

Center, which housed educational materials and equipment. If the students had experiments to con-duct, they would get the laboratory equipment and supplies from the Center and bring these to their classroom. Other classes shared in the use of the equipment. According to the principal, the school had 12 computers and 50 tablets, which Grades 4, 5 and 6 students used, based on a schedule, especially for their teaching and learning experience in science. All the classrooms had television sets, which parents had donated to the school. These were used for showing videos to enhance instruction in different subjects. As the teacher says:

“Ang dream science classroom ko is yong kumpleto lang yong laboratory equipment… and space for ex-periments. So if possible, every grade level, sari-sa-




SAMPLEriling equipment. Puede rin po sa regular classroom pero may laboratory equipment. Makakatulong yon sa aming pagtuturo kasi hindi kami ang mag-poprovide. [My dream classroom is one which has complete laboratory equipment, every grade level has its own equipment and space for experiments. Perhaps regular classroom will do but with laboratory equipment. It will help us because we will not be the ones to prove them].”

In the Region XII school, the laboratory equipment and materials were also being shared by other science classes. The teacher enumerated some of the school’s laboratory materials: one small and one big model of the human torso and reproductive organ; four mag-nifying glasses; five pieces measuring cups, and five pieces of square-type measuring cups.

Math classes also used some laboratory materials, like the measuring cups. The teacher added that there was a science corner, or English corner, in every classroom. She says: “Sa science corner, lahat ng mga bahagi ng katawan ng tao…pinakamadali lang talaga namin na magagawa ay yong mga charts. (In the science corner [there is a chart of] all the parts of the human body…It is the easiest we can do).

The NCR principal asked the school’s property custodian for the list of the materials and equipment in the school’s two laboratories. Among these were bar magnets; first-aid kit; magnifying lens; human models; beakers and double-pile balance.

The teacher in NCR mentioned that the par-ents-teachers association (PTA) had donated to the school’s laboratory a television set, which she would carry to her science class whenever she intended to show a video to the students as part of their science lesson. She saved the pre-selected videos in her USB flash drive. She further said that having two laborato-ries in the school would greatly help science teachers.

According to the Region VIII teacher, there should be science laboratory rooms complete with equip-ment, materials and facilities, such as, chemicals and a safe storage for these. And sinks, too.

Private Schools It was a common situation or practice in the sample

private schools that laboratory facilities were being shared with other classes and grade levels, and in some cases, with high school classes.

The teacher in Region XII lamented that aside from sharing facilities, the school did not have enough mate-rials for experiments. On the other hand, the Region I, school has a laboratory with models and instruments, but, according to the teacher, there are instruments that are no longer functioning. There is also a lack of scientific instruments.

The teacher in NCR shared that the school had internet connection and a computer laboratory. With students having smartphones, there was no problem in teaching science. But, he adds:

“Siguro ang problema ko lang when it comes to this environment in Metro Manila is that, we have so much to teach that we don’t have enough time to prepare for each activity. There’s lots of paper works that is not teaching related. We have to prepare a lot of paper works, that’s why despite the fact that I really want to like for example, in a week I want to have an experiment in the science laboratory but the science laboratory could not cater a lot of students and there are many grades, from grades 3 to 10 are using even the senior high school are using the science laboratory, so the schedule wouldn’t allow us to use it.”

Desired facilitiesAlmost all of the key informants described an ideal

classroom where a fullyequipped laboratory existed. An ideal classroom for them was also a technology- aided learning space. One of the informants went beyond the characterization of the physical space. He mentioned that an ideal classroom environment was a venue for fun and enjoyment.

“I like science to be enjoyable and fun for the kids es-pecially. They will really have to explore. Uh kung pwede nga lang, as early as they have, we go out most of the time. Most of the time to visit and integrate the lessons.”



The Region VIII teacher gave a more detailed descrip-tion of his ideal science classroom.

“Gusto ko sana na sa isang corner, meron po akong kahit iilan na apparatuses, ng mga materials for the experiment. Tapos sa isang corner naman, gusto ko meron din yung yung projector or sabihin nating yung TV na lang or at saka speakers. Tapos gusto ko sana ng malaking space sa gitna para freely lang na maka-ka-move yung mga bata during experiment. And then dito naman po sa isang corner naman, gusto ko sana ng mayroon na mga building blocks. Gusto ko sana may mga toys na kung saan mapopromote yung kanilang initiative for creativity. Sa isang corner gusto ko sana yung mga books about Science, mgsa kahit iilang mga iilang modules lang ng mga Science projects, Science inventions, kahit mga miniature lang.”

I. Challenges

Public SchoolsThe teachers revealed in the interviews that their

major challenge is the textbook(s), which are not delivered to the schools on time. Also, as mentioned earlier, the textbooks contained few pages and lacked information, such that the teachers would have to do further research, or borrow books that were being used in private schools. Furthermore, because of no - or poor - internet connectivity, the teachers had to go elsewhere to download materials.

Other major challenges identified were the students’ poor reading skills and weak comprehension, especial-ly in English, that necessitated translation of lessons from English to Filipino and/or the mother tongue of the particular area. Related to this was the parents’ inability, due to their own semi- or total illiteracy, to guide their children.

In February 2017, a bus on a field trip crashed in Rizal province, killing 13 students, a teacher and the bus driver. The accident spurred the Department of Education Order to repeal DepEd Memorandum No. 47 series of 2017, which provided a moratorium on ed-ucational fieldtrips and similar activities. As a result,


teachers could not bring their students on a fieldtrip, which would enrich classroom instruction on science.

Another challenge was the holding of classes during the pandemic. The mode of Instruction shifted to the use of modules because there were areas outside of NCR where classes could not be held online, synchro-nous or asynchronous. The teachers admitted that they did not have a way of checking whether or not the pertinent worksheets had actually been answered by the students themselves.

Private Schools The pandemic resulted in multifarious problems es-

pecially for teachers. The teacher in Region I lamented that she could not see if and how the students were doing the science experiments. The NCR teacher pointed out that, before the pandemic, they would prepare lessons for the whole school year. During the pandemic, however, they were doing a weekly log of the subject since the topic was discussed only once a week. It was in the log that the teacher would write remarks and achievement of goals.

The principal from Region XII revealed that the educational background of elementary teachers cat-egorized them as “generalists”. She elaborates:

“Those who are teaching in the elementary are basically, generalists, you know there are no more particular major fields when you take up BAEd - Ele-mentary Education, so generalists, so that’s actually one challenge that the school has to face because, since teachers are generalists, so we do not expect really to sometimes give their best, because especially with Science concepts which are of higher level.”

The principal in Region I cited the training of science teachers as a challenge because the school’s K1 1 to K2 teachers were only in their second year of teaching. They could only focus on the content of the lessons, but have not developed techniques or strat-egies to teach effectively.

The teacher in the same region revealed that there



SAMPLEhad been instances when the students were slow performers because they did not understand the terms being used because they were not proficient (or incompetent) in English.

IV. The StudentsAs explained in Methods and Procedures, survey and focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted

among sample K3-K6 public and public students in the sample regions. They are beneficiaries of the Science curriculum, quality of instruction and school facilities, and qualifications and capabilities of Science teach-ers. Added to these but not lesser in importance are parental, community, and local government support.

A. Profile

1. Survey Respondents Respondents were K3 to K6 private and public school students from NCR, Region 1, 3, 4A, 5 ,6, 7, 8, 9,

11, and 12. The K3 to K6 student’s age ranged from 8-14 years old, with almost equal distribution between male and female students (male=532; female=549). There were 549 respondents from public schools, while 532 of the respondents were from private schools. Table 7 shows the distribution of respondents among the research areas of the study.


REGIONPUBLIC SCHOOL

GRADE LEVEL



PRIVATE

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

Culiat Elementary

SchoolGRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

13

9

5

3

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

13

8

11

10

La Trinidad Academy

(4A)


School

Private Schools in

Pateros, Pasig, and

Manila

GRADE 3

Aguho Elementary

SchoolGRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

0

6

1

4

3

4

6

2

NCR+4A




GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6



GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

BUGAElementary

School

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

6

2

3

5

7

6

6

6

3

2

6

6

7

6

6

6

5

5

6

4

7

6

6

6

3

3

6

5

BUDFIDreamBuds

Learning Center


School


Center

REGION 1

REGION 5

REGION 6

REGIONPUBLIC SCHOOL

GRADE LEVEL



PRIVATE

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

SacsacElementary

School

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6


SchoolREGION 7

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

4

6

7

5

2

3

3

7

1

0

6

2

5

1

6


PhilippinesLab

Elementary School


College

REGION 8

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

Western Mindanao

State University

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

5

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

7

6

6

7

6

6

6

Ateneo de Zamboanga

University


Heartworks Learning

Center

GRADE 3


SchoolGRADE 4

GRADE 5

0

6

1

4

3

4

6

2

REGION 9

REGION 11

REGION 12

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6


TOTAL (n= 1,081)

GRADE 3GRADE 3 7 77 7



SAMPLE

2. FGD ParticipantsA total of 56 students participated in eight focus group discussions. These students came from various

public and private elementary schools from four regions in the Philippines, namely, the National Capital Region (NCR), Region 1, Region 8, and Region 12.

The total number of students from the public elementary schools is 33 where 18 were males and 15, females. The students’ ages ranged from eight to 12 years old. Eleven (11) participants came from the National Capital Region (NCR), six (6) from Region 1, eight from Region 8, and another eight students from Region 12. There were nine (9) students in K 3, six in K4, nine (9) in K5 and seven (7) in K6.

A total of twenty-three (23) students came from private schools, where twelve (12) were males and eleven (11), females. The participants’ ages ranged from eight (8) to 12 years old. Six (6) of the participants were from the NCR, seven (7) from Region 1, four (4) from Region 8, and six (6) from Region 12. n

GRADE 6GRADE 5GRADE 4GRADE 3GRADE 3GenderNo. of StudentsRegion

NCR + 4A

Luzon

Visayas

Mindanao

248

300

233

300

Male

Female

532

549

303 255 258 265



B. Students’ Preferences

1. Students’ Favorite and Least Liked SubjectsAs part of the demographic questions, the researchers asked the survey respondents what their favorite

and least favorite subjects are, to gain a little more insight about their attitudes on their current subjects. Based on the findings, It is interesting to note that an almost equal number of respondents consider Math (20.4%) and Science (20%) as their favorite subject. However, a fourth (25%) of the students also consider Mathematics as least liked, while a small number (5.9%) consider Science as the least liked subject. Also considered least liked is Araling Panlipunan (14.1%).

The science teachers who were key informants observed in their students a distinct curiosity to know what science is and how it is seen in their day-to-day life. They observed such a curiosity whenever the students would ask questions. The teachers also observed that the students were motivated and paid more attention in class when there were experiments.

The teacher in Region VIII asserted that providing the students with more information gave them more “push,” thus, a good internet connection had become essential. Visuals and, most especially, videos aroused the students’ interest, such that, according to the teacher in Region XII, the students did not get bored when there were PowerPoint presentations and videos.

2. Inclination to pursue career in scienceOn the question of what they want to be in the future, most survey respondents 25% wish to become a

doctor while 14% wish to pursue a career in Education in the future. On the other hand, 18% of the students consider having a career in the fields of the Sciences and Engineering.

Table 8 FGD Distribution of Participants


Focus Groups Male Female

NCR Public 8 3NCR Private 3 3

Region 1 Public 2 4Region 1 Private 3 4Region 8 Public 4 4Region 8 Private 2 2

Region 12 Public 4 4Region 12 Private

Total from Public SchoolsTotal from Private Schools

4 2

Total 30 26

3323



SAMPLE

In the key informant interviews, teachers claimed that students’ articulation of their desired careers in the future is a way for teachers to gauge interest and inclination towards science. The teacher in Region I shared that she was able to know the career aspirations of children through their parents, such as, this feedback from one parent:

“Teacher, nagpapabili na ng book ng ganito ‘yung anak ko, gusto nila ‘yung ganito daw . ‘yung mga gusto nilang zoologist gusto nilang maging ganon. Mga veterinarian daw kasi mga sakit ng animals …(Teacher, my child wanted a book like this, zoologists they want to be like. Veterinarians [deal with sick animals].”

One of the open-ended questions in the survey questionnaire pertained to what the students wanted to become in the future. Answers bared that the greatest number of students (25%) wanted to pursue careers in the field of medicine and healthcare. This was followed by careers in armed forces and military, and Science and engineering.

With a mean score of 3.67, sd=0.63, students generally have a positive inclination to pursue Science. A big majority of the students agreed that they would be interested in taking a job in the field of Science (63%) and focus more on their Science education when they grow up (63.5%). Moreover, almost 20% of the students included their Science subject in their list of favorite subjects.

As revealed in the students’ FGD sessions, this inclination could be attributed to internal and external motivations. The students’ internal motivations were particularly driven by their exposure to the various Science-related careers of their family members and relatives. This was also observed during the survey interview where some students briefly explained why they had chosen their dream job. Some students, although unprompted, divulged that they wished to pursue careers in the field of medicine to help others, or to be like someone they knew closely.

Table 9 Summary of Student’s Career Field Ambition

CHOSEN CAREER / INDUSTRY FIELD Male

25%

18%

18%

Education 14%

Food and Service Industry 10%

Arts and Entertainment 6%

Skilled Industry 5%

Business and Entrepreneurship

Law

Don’t know

3%

Total 100%

2%

Medical and Healthcare

Armed Force and Military

Science and Engineering



When subjected to independent-samples t-test, results showed that there was no significant difference between school category (t1029=2.31, p=0.021) of the students and their total Science inclination. Con-versely, there was a significant difference between males and females and their total Science inclination (t1029=0.95, p=0.343).

These results suggest that male students (x̄=3.69, sd=0.66) expressed more inclination towards pur-suing tracks and opportunities in science and science related courses than the female students (x̄=3.65, sd=0.60) did. Further research may be conducted to examine the drivers for these findings.

Although students across grade levels reported a positive inclination to pursue Science, the comparison of means by grade level shows a declining trend, albeit statistically insignificant, in their inclination towards Science as they advance in grade level. This may not necessarily mean that the students do not want to pursue careers in the field of Science as they grow older. Rather, it can mean that, as the students’ advance in their education, they are also exposed to numerous career field and paths.

It is noteworthy to share that, as the students advance in grade level, their chosen careers become more specific (e.g., doctor to cardiologist, scientist to paleontologist, and teacher to math and Science teacher).

The FGD participants have internal and external motivations that shape their inclination to pursue science-related careers. These are:

A. Internal motivations: An innate interest in science and the topics it covers are considered as factors in pursuing a science-related career and vice-versa. To illustrate, interest in animals pushed one student to dream of becoming a veterinarian. At the same time, there were also students who considered science as their favorite subject because it would help them achieve their science-related goals (e.g., science teaching, engineering, and medicine).

They were also inspired by their family members who were practicing science- related careers. For instance, a student said that she wanted to pursue a career as a doctor because members of her family were in the medical field. As an 11-year old female FGD participant articulated:

*Enclosed in the parentheses beside the mean is the highest possible score to indicate inclination.


Table 10 Total Science Inclination of Students per Grade Level

Grade Level Science Inclination Mean Score

3.71 (5)

3.70 (5)

3.65 (5)

Grade 6 3.61 (5)

Grade 3Grade 4

Grade 5



SAMPLE“Science actually is one of my favorite subjects,because I am so interested in the medical aspectbecause I want to become a doctor someday, sincemy family is in the medical field.” (Female, 11 Region 1)

B. External motivations: Students want to venture into science becausethey are exposed to people who work in science-related fields. To illustrate, one student mentioned that she dreamt of becoming a pediatrician, as inspired by her own pediatrician.

“And as of now I want to be a Pediatrician inspired by my Pediatrician in the hospital, she handles her patients very like professionally, and then she makes her patients safe and healthy always”. (Female, 12, Region 1)

The students’ social realities also shaped their inclination to science. National and local crime news enabled students to become more determined to pursue a career in science. They believed that knowing and applying science concepts would have an impact on the deterrence of crimes.

There were participants who also said that science could help them understand and fight the COVID-19 pandemic. They mentioned that the solution to this health concern will be provided by science.

“I want to be a scientist to learn about chemistry… and find a vaccine like in this pandemic” (Male, 9, NCR)

Another student had this to say:“Akin po gusto ko po mag-study ng science kasi gusto ko po maka-cure ng sakit taposmakagawa ng better technology kaysa sa ngayon na technology.” (Male, 9, Region 12)

C. Region-specific Findings on career aspirations

National Capital RegionUnique to the participants in this research area was

the diversity of career aspirations that they declared

during the discussion. While there were participants who were intent on pursuing careers related to science (e.g., medicine and engineering), several other participants were clear about pursuing careers that only became a viable option because of digital media. These careers included being a gamer and becoming an online content creator.

A closer look at the responses of these individuals also revealed a generally low interest in science. These students did not self-study nor enjoy doing science homework; they did not recall any scientists and, instead, admitted that they did not see themselves in science-related careers.

Region 1Compared to participants from other research

areas, participants from Region 1 were able to demonstrate a higher level of knowledge in science, as they recalled more specific and advanced topics discussed in class; foreign and local scientists, and an extensive list of science-related careers. Participants in this region, particularly those from private schools, were also clear about their science-related dreams and aspirations, and their motivations to pursue such careers. They were able to provide specific, unique and more definitive reasons for their dreams.

Region 8The students generally preferred math over science,

but they enjoyed the latter nonetheless. Some students expressed that math was more practical compared to science, admitting however that science was also involved in math, thus making science a close-second favorite subject.

Practicality seemed to be the priority of students in this Region as manifested in the way they identified the uses of science. For them, science was useful in traveling because it would help them identify weather patterns, as well as cooking and survival because it would inform them of the food that could be consumed. Participants also added that science was useful in helping one understand and utilize technology.



3. Perceptions of ScienceBased on survey results, K3 to K6 students have neutral to positive perception about Science. This means

that in terms of their level of agreement to the statements about their perception, they expressed “Neutral,” “Agree,” or “Strongly Agree”. In fact, majority (55.6%) of the students strongly agreed that Science is useful in their everyday lives. Moreover, a big majority (67.9%) of the students recognized that Science is important for students to study and learn. However, it is also important to note that almost one (1) out of four (4) students (24.4%) find Science difficult to understand.

Also, comparing the mean scores of public (x̄ ̄=3.16) and private (x̄=2.99) school students on their perception about the difficulty of Science, results show that this sentiment is more evident among public school students. Conversely, in terms of their overall perception about Science, public school students expressed a slightly more positive perception about Science (x̄=3.89) than private school students (x̄ ̄=3.81). (Figure 3). This may suggest that even though public school students find Science difficult, this difficulty did not greatly impact their overall perception of Science.

Interestingly, the data aligned with Bernardo et. al’s (2008) finding that there was a significant difference


Figure 3 Total Science Perception Mean Scores Per School Category

in the Science perception between females and males (t1079=0.944, p>0.05). This shows that female students (x̄=3.86) expressed a significantly more positive Science perception versus male students (x̄=3.83).

It is also important to note that the students from all grade levels expressed relatively positive perception about Science (see Figure 4). This suggests that in their early years of Science education, the students have relatively positive opinions about Science, specifically relatively high levels of agreement on: the usefulness of Science in their everyday lives inside and outside the school, its importance to everyone, especially students, and its ease of understanding. Also, the general trend shows that the positive perception tends to slightly increase in the higher grade levels. This may suggest that the students in the higher grade levels

3.89 3.81

Public Schools

Perception about Science - Mean Scores Per School Category

MEA

N S

CORE

Private SchoolsSchool Category



SAMPLEhave more positive perceptions about Science and its importance as they gain more knowledge about it. It suggests that getting more information or higher studies on science can lead to greater appreciation and positive perceptions.

There was a stark contrast between how private and public school student participants perceived science. On one hand, those from private schools described science based on their engagements with the teachers and the subject matter. As such, students had a more vivid perception and a more positive view of science. Students had an easier way of describing science because of their knowledge and facility of the English/Science language.

On the other hand, participants from the public schools defined science based on a loose recollection of words that had been mentioned in the classroom. They also experienced difficulty in recalling scientific words, which were not in their mother tongue.

A. PsychographicsThere is low awareness on the names and accomplishments of Western scientists. Most participants from

public schools have difficulty mentioning the names of scientists. Participants from private schools were able to name Western scientists, namely, Albert Einstein, Galileo Galilei, Charles Babbage, the Wright Brothers, Marie Curie, Elon Musk, and Stephen Hawking. However, participants did not articulate much on these scientists’ works and accomplishments.

Similarly, there was little awareness among the students about the names and nature of accomplishments of Filipino scientists. Only five out of the 56 FGD participants were able to mention a Filipino scientist, namely Dr. Fe Del Mundo, Dr. Lourdes Cruz, Dr. Gavino Trono, Dr. Gregorio Zara, Dr. Angel Alcala, and Mr. Roberto del Rosario. There is, however, a huge interest among the participants to know more about

Figure 4 Mean of Total Science Perception by Grade Level

3.84 3.82

Grade 3 Grade 4

Perception about Science - Mean Scores Per Grade Level

MEA

N S

CORE

Grade Level

3.86 3.88

Grade 5 Grade 6




our national and local scientists as they consider them as heroes.

“Para malaman din namin sinong iba’t-ibang scientist sa Pilipinas at saka masabi namin sa future sino.” (Male, 10, Region 12)

Another student said that:“Para malalaman natin ‘yung mga Filipino Scientist, parehas ng Filipino Heroes, si Jose Rizal.” (Male, 8, Region 12)

To understand the participants’ psychographics, the study through the FGDs inquired into their thoughts about science as a subject; the topics and scientists whom they know and remember, and their (degree of) excitement about learning new topics. Insights gleaned from the discussion of this aspect of science learning can be categorized as follows: a) positive perceptions of science, and b) its negative notions.

B. Positive PerceptionsScience is perceived as a conceptual subject. This

can be seen in the way students recall scientific terms and concepts, as well as how these concepts manifest in their real life experiences. Based on the particular responses of the participants, they have defined science thematically as:

A subject about the self and the world: This is apparent in the way the students, when asked about the words they associate with ‘science,’ brought up topics about the parts of the body, the different organ systems, and the different senses. For students, topics covered in the subject helped them understand themselves better.

Students were also able to learn about the world around them whenever science lessons covered topics about plants, animals, different types of matter and mixtures, planetary systems, and various ecological systems and relationships. Through these topics, students gained an understanding of what was happening around them. Below are English

translations of two of the FGD participants’ reasons for liking science:

“Science plays an important role in our life, so that we can be knowledgeable, whatever happens in our environment.” (Female, 11, Region 1)

Another student said that:“It is my 2nd favorite subject because about science, things about the world is (sic) created by science and humans. It helps us in any way about how to live our life.” (Female, 11, NCR)

This definition of science is the most pronounced view of science among the students, based on the words and concepts they have associated with science. These are as follows:

1. A systematic way of discovering knowledge: This is linked to their association of experimentsand the scientific method with the word ‘science.’ Students shared the experiments they did in class, and expressed how they were able to learn new things through these types of activities.

At least one student in every research area mentioned the phrase, ‘body of knowledge,’ when asked about what they remembered whenever they heard the word, science. For students, it was through science that inventions were created and discoveries made, which could help people in their daily lives.

During discussions, students brought up the COVID-19 pandemic and explained how vaccines and cures could be discovered through science.

“Ang naiisip ko po pag naririnig ang salitang science is about discovering a lot of things.” (Male, 9, Region 12)

2. A field composed of multiple disciplines: This definition of science is evident in the constantmention by the students of



SAMPLEthe different disciplines of science, such as Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. As one student shared:

“[I like science] because there’s so much to learn about in it, not only that there are branches of Science that I really like. Like ecology, becauseit studies animals and what kind of their roles in life.” (Male, 12, Region 1)

3. Science is also practical: For students, science is a subject that has real-world applications, with outputs that can help society as a whole. Studying science enables individuals to develop new technologies and discover new knowledge that can be used to solve problems, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The students’ perception regarding the practicality of the subject is also manifested in the way they associate science with day-to-day activities, such as cooking, gardening, and eating. For students, science enables them to make decisions about what food to select in cooking and eating, and how to grow and take care of plants. These real-world examples serve as immediate manifestations or applications of the abstract concepts they learn in class.

“It [science] can be used in survival to when we don’t know what’s good for us or we don’t know what is the right to eat, and what to drink the mineral we want to” (Female, 8, Region 8)

c. Negative Notions about Science1). Science is perceived as a difficult subject. This sentiment is evident particularly among the FGD participants from public schools. Aside from the difficulty of the subject, the students also have to face another barrier: they do not have a good command of the English language.

Apparently, science is written in English, so the students need time to learn the language while

learning the concepts. For instance, students from Region 12 expressed that they found lessons on the parts of the nose and technology difficult because the terms were difficult to translate. They and their teachers had to explain the science concepts in either Taglish or their region’s language. This was verbalized by the following students:

“Sometimes [it is hard] but since my teacher explains very clearly, I understand it properly.” (Female, 11, Region 1)

Another student said:“Of course [it is difficult to learn]. Because science is not easy to learn, it has many processes to learn about something.” (Male, 11, NCR)

Private school students recognize the difficulty, too, but certain factors make the learning easy: their teachers handle the course well and the students have a good command of the language of science.

4. Awareness of Opportunities in ScienceThe K3 to K6 students scored a mean of

3.51 (sd=0.70) in their awareness of Scientific opportunities. Consistent, although lower, with their Science appreciation and attitude, results show a neutral to positive awareness and knowledge of Science. When zoomed in to their awareness of Filipino and Western scientists, results show that they have little awareness on the scientist’s names and nature of accomplishments, especially Filipino scientists. Although, the greatest number of respondents (30.2%) agreed that they have discussed famous scientists and their contributions to the world, there is a need to increase their awareness on famous scientists.

On the other hand, when asked if they believe that their Science education can help them land a job someday, almost half (48.5%) of the students strongly agreed that their Scientific learnings can help them, while only 1.3% of them disagreed. Then, when probed about whether Science made them




aware of new and exciting jobs in said field, a majority (33.2%) of the students strongly agreed that Science has opened their eyes to these jobs, while only 1.6% of them strongly disagreed. Also, comparing the mean scores of public (x̄=3.43) and private (x̄=3.6) school students in terms of their overall perceived awareness of Scientific opportunities, private school students scored higher than public schools. (Figure 7)

This suggests that Filipino K3-K6 students are aware of the opportunities that Science offers, specifically the career paths that it opens. However, there is little awareness of those Scientists who succeeded in the field and their respective works and accomplishments.

5. Knowledge about ScienceThe researchers inquired into the Science curriculum of K3-K6 students. This informed the items in the

survey questionnaire that probed into the general knowledge of the students. The questionnaire items covered topics in the curriculum and the researchers ensured that general topics from each grade level were included.

Using independent sample t-test between the public and private school students and their scientific knowledge scores, results show that there is a significant difference in the Science knowledge score of private (x̄=3.64, sd=0.57) and public schools (x̄=3.38, sd=0.62); t1029=7.05, p=0.00. This means that there is a statistically significant difference between private and public schools in terms of their level of agreement. This suggests that the students in private schools believe that they know a lot more topics in Science, in comparison with public school students.

Unlike previous variables, results show that gender has no significant difference in the student’s knowledge on Science (t1029=1.27, p=0.20). The data also shows that Region 6 – Western Visayas students has the highest mean score in terms of their perceived knowledge in Science.

Figure 5 Total Science Awareness Mean Scores Per School Category

3.43 3.6

Public Schools

Attitude on Science - Mean Scores Per School Category

MEA

N S

CORE




SAMPLE

The student’s learning experiences were also included in the knowledge section of the questionnaire. When asked, results confirmed the researchers’ hypothesis that the greatest number of students who agreed (30.7%) to the statement “I have visited a Science Center or Science museum” come from the National Capital Region (NCR) and are studying in private schools. (Table 6) This suggests that Science centers and museums are more prevalent and accessible in the NCR compared to other regions. These centers and museums also often require admission fees and are accessible through public or private transportation. Hence, this finding may be attributed to the limited number of Science centers and museums outside NCR, if there are any, and the costs in transportation and admission fees are deterrent and make visits inaccessible to other students, especially those who attend public schools outside of NCR.

3.45 3.66 3.61 3.51 3.72 3.65 3.633.63 3.66

REGION

Figure 6 Mean of Total Science Knowledge by Region

Knowledge in Science - MeanScore per Region

Table 11 Student’s School Category and Region and their agreement to the statement “I have visited a Science Center or a Science Museum”.

Region Private School

NCR + 4ARegion 9Region 5Region 8Region 3

Region 11

Region 1Region 6

Region 7Region 12

Total

Public School

532320151614

178

196

1614

391414161115

813

136

51

Total PercentageSchool Category

923734312729

2521

332

2115

28%11%10%9%8%9%

8%6%

100%

6%5%




6. Attitude towards Science

The K3 to K6 students scored a mean of 3.78 (sd=0.59), showing that they have neutral to positive attitudes towards Science and their Science education. This means that in terms of their level of agreement to the statements about their attitudes, they expressed “Neutral,” “Agree,” or “Strongly Agree.” Almost half (49.1%) of the students strongly agree that they find Science as an exciting subject and 39.1% of the students expressed that they always participate in discussions during their Science classes. This enthusiasm, as unearthed during the FGD sessions of the students, may stem from the exciting activities in their Science classes, especially, fun experiments and projects that the students conduct.

In the independent t-test conducted between private and public schools, results show that private school students have significantly higher attitude scores in comparison with public school students (t1077=1.904, p=0.4). This may suggest that, as also mentioned in the FGD sessions with the students, not all students get to experience such activities (e.g., experiments, projects, Science field trips, laboratory activities, etc.) mainly because of the lack of resources.n

Based on the figures, the students from all grade levels expressed relatively positive attitudes towards Science (see Figure 6). This suggests that in grade school, students generally find Science exciting as a subject and their lessons interesting, they are engaged during discussions and activities, they would be interested to join Science competitions, and that they believe in their Scientific abilities.

The independent t-test compares the means between two unrelated groups on the same continuous, dependent variable. For example, t-tests are used to understand whether perception about Science differed based on gender. (Laerd Statistics, n.d.)

3.75 3.81

Public Schools

Attitude on Science - Mean Scores Per School Category

MEA

N S

CORE


Figure 7 Total Science Attitude Mean Scores Per School Category



SAMPLE

3.73.77

Grade 3 Grade 4

Attitude on Science – Mean Scores Per Grade Level

MEA

N S

CORE

Grade Level

Figure 8 Total Science Attitude Mean Scores Per Grade Level

3.83 3.83

Grade 5 Grade 6

7. Perceived Competence of Science Teachers

To capture the students’ learning experience in Science, the respondents were asked how they perceive their Science teachers, their interactions, and how Science is being taught to them by their teachers.

Students generally agree that their teachers are competent in teaching Science (x̄=3.86, sd=0.74). To further analyze this, results of independent t-test show that there is a significant difference between the perception of private school students in comparison with public school students (t1029=5.89, p=0.009). Mean score for per-ceived Science teacher competency is higher for private school students (x̄=4.00) than public school students (x̄=3.74), which suggest that more private school students perceive their teachers as competent than public school students. This result may be attributed to the fact that public school teachers handle significantly more students than private school teachers , thereby making it difficult for the teachers to focus on the progress of each student.

Survey results also show a trend wherein the students in higher grade levels perceive their Science teachers as more competent (See Figure 9). This may be attributed to the increased complexity of Science concepts, skills, and lessons being taught to them by their Science teachers as they advance in their education. The more intricacies in the lessons, the more teachers are perceived to be more knowledgeable on the subject.n

According to the Department of Education, there were more than 12 million public elementary school enrollees and more than 1 million private elementary school enrollees for School Year 2019-2020. (Liego, n.d.) Hence, the larger number of students the public school teachers have to handle per class




3.63.8

Grade 3 Grade 4

Perceived Competency of ScienceTeachers - Mean Scores Per Grade Level

MEA

N S

CORE

Grade Level

Figure 9 Mean Score for Total Perceived Science Teacher Competency per Grade Level

3.9 3.9

Grade 5 Grade 6

C. Schools’ Science Performance

1. Public SchoolAll the public schools conduct an assessment of their particular school’s overall performance. In Region

IX, the teachers themselves encoded the students’ grades per quarter and, based on these quarterly grades, the teachers obtained their overall standing per subject at the end of the year.

The science teacher said that there was a platform, which they had used for determining their performance. She claimed that, in the last school year (2018-2019), the average school performance was 78%-82% - an improvement over the previous year’s average of 75%. He says:

“Dati, lumampas lang kami ng 75%. Hindi kami masyadong gumamit ng mga gadgets na maka-enhance ng learning ng mga bata inside the classroom. Lately kasi mayroon na kaming mga projector, tapos yong mga teacher na-orient na rin sa paggamit ng powerpoint presentation. At saka yong sa science, meron kaming tinatawag na EDTELA (Enhanced Teaching and Learning Activities).[Before, we just obtain over 75%. We didn’t use gadgets very much that could enhance children’s learning in the classroom. We now have projector and teachers were oriented to do Powerpoint presentation. And in science there is what we call EDTELA (Enhanced Teaching and Learning Activities)].”

In Region I, the assessment was usually done by the DepEd Division through its visits, and the monitor-ing, by the local government, either every semester or once a year. The Division would be given feedback about the results. The Region I students participated in science contests among the barangays and, so far, they led everyone in terms of performance.However, the teacher lamented that the private schools had an edge over the public schools because of the former’s relatively small class size.

“Buti sa mga private kasi the class size ay isa pong malaking pressure dito sa mga public school. Dahil



SAMPLEdito po, karamihan ng mga supposed to be mga 25 to 30 in a room lang sana, eh meron po kaming 45 to 50. Ito rin siguro ang dahilan kung bakit sa mga core subjects ay medyo nasa average lang. [It is better is private schools because class size is a lot of pressure here in public schools. There are supposed to be about 25-30 in a room, but we have 45 to 50. Perhaps it is the reason why [students are] only av-erage in the core subjects].”

She added that some students’ academic perfor-mance was fluctuating from year to year and they were struggling with the core subjects, Science and Math.

The principal in NCR said that students had joined division and regional science contests sponsored by DOST and that they had been winning in the past years. She added that the teaching (method) and the teacher’s attitude were the key factors in the students’ good, if not excellent, performance.

2. Private SchoolsThe eight informants gave the same observation

- that most of their students had been performing well in co-curricular and extracurricular activities. For them, performance was gauged on the bases of a) obtained grades per period; b) attained ranking in interschool academic competitions, and c) ac-complished third-party assessments. Furthermore, the informants linked learning performance to the students’ use of technology.

According to the Region XII science teacher, his school’s performance assessment was “average” - based on the the Center for Educational Measure-ment (CEM). He says:

“We also join some competitions in other schools. We joined the ISAAL. So association ng mga private schools within this area, in this strict of time so we compete and we are glad kasi bihira po kaming hindi masama. Nakakasama po kami sa winners in 1 to 20 yung kukunin nila. Kasama kami. […we are glad because we are almost always invited [to compete]. We are included in the 20 that are included.]”

D. Support

Parental Support in Learning ScienceThere are numerous studies on the influences of

the children’s family on their academic engagement or achievement (Cheung & Pomerantz, 2012; Fan, Williams, & Wolters, 2012; Hill & Taylor, 2004; Raftery, Grolnick, & Flamm, 2012; Urdan, Solek, & Schoenfelder, 2007). This is now more evident be-cause of the shift from face to face to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Generally, students responded and agreed that they receive either or a combination of the following support from their parents: 1) information, 2) moti-vation, and 3) resources. Informational support, as defined in the survey, includes helping the students with their lessons and/or homework and providing guidance in Science-related activities/experiments that needs to be conducted. Motivational support, on the other hand, is described as the parent’s en-couragement to the students to study Science and accomplish homework and activities and to explore it as a career option. Lastly, resource support is characterized by the provision of activity materials and financial means by the parents to their children.

Results show that among private school students, perceived informational and resource parental sup-port were higher at index 101 and 104, respectively, compared to public school students. This may be attributed to the fact that parents of public school students have low educational attainment themselves and their priority is to sustain their family through their livelihood. This reason was verbalized in the key informant interviews with public Science school teachers and principals.

To further analyze the perceived parental support of the students, the results of independent-samples t-test show that there is a significant difference be-tween the resource support given to females than male students (t1029=1.82, p=0.070). This is also consistent with the results of Bernardo et al. (2008), showing that female students perceive higher levels



of supportive environment for self-learning and effort. Meanwhile, parental motivational support of public school students is at par with private school students at index 99. The following table shows the mean scores for each type of parental support per school category.

It was gleaned from the interviews with teachers that generally, parents participate in school activi-ties, like the clean-up drive, but there are also some parents, who do not participate because of work or other family responsibilities. In particular, parents’ guidance or supervision in their children’s homework has been a perennial problem, since many parents, unfortunately, have a low educational attainment. And, oftentimes, they are preoccupied with work. The teacher from Quezon City shares:

“May mga magulang na cooperative. Mostly yang kasi cooperative ang magulang, sila din yong magag-aling yong mga anak, yong mga honors. Sila yong andyan lagi. Pero yong mga need talaga ng tutok, sila din yong wala yong nanay, walang pakialam. Yon ang problema sa kanila. [There are cooperative parents. Most of their children are the ones who have hon-ors, But, those who need close supervision are those whose mothers do not come, do not care].”

She was also asked how parents could be motivated to be cooperative in their children’s activities and studies. The teacher replied that she could not do anything, especially if the parents’ reason concerned family matters, like the parents’ need for the children to help them with their livelihood either by selling or looking after their younger siblings.

The laboratory school in Region VIII showed an entirely different scenario. Parents of learners were being supportive and showed the teachers that they were part of their children’s education. The teacher says:

“Pag may pinapadala na mga materials, minsan sila pa ang nagdadala, sila pa po ang nagpo-provide ng materials. Papapasuking ang bata sa oras, 7 a.m.,

tapos sasabihin ng learner na ‘Teacher, mamaya na lang daw sabi ni Mama or sabi ni Papa siya na lang daw ang maghahatid ng materials… Sa DepEd, mahi-rap talaga kasi hindi naman lahat nakaka-provide ng mga kailangan ng mga anak nila so ma-effort talaga sa teacher kung paano ang gagawin para maituro pa rin nang maayos and science concepts. [Sometimes parents themselves bring the materials needed to school. They provide the materials. They bring the child to school on time, 7 a.m., and then the learners tells the teacher ‘Mama or papa said s/he will bring the materials to school… With DepEd, it is difficult because not all can provide the needs of their children so the teacher has to make the extra effort on how to teach science concepts effectively]”

The private schools duly recognize the parents’ help to the students. The types of support that are deemed necessary are of the emotional and material kinds. The emotional support is usually characterized by the parents encouraging their children to be good students. Along with encouragement, the parents also provide their children material support - in the form of science books, experiment materials, and other resources.

The Region VIII teacher revealed that, in case the materials that students were supposed to bring for their class experiments or projects were not avail-able, the students would text her about a possible substitute.

The NCR teacher noted that students, who belonged to the middle class and whose parents provided them with internet and materials for school activities, tended to perform well. The teacher also noted that there were students whose family problems were adversely affecting their school performance. The case of the economically-challenged students was different. And, he explains:

“They are smart, no doubt, no question to that but because of constraints, they go to school without eating breakfast, they are thinking of ways to earn money before going to school. Of course their atten-




SAMPLEtion is not fully focused in your lessons. I believe in every student kasi, they can really do, they can really achieve whatever hindrance is their as long as there is good support. I certainly believe every student, even yung mga may learning disabilities, I also believe na kaya nila.”

The Region XII teacher lamented that, when it came to experiments that the students were expected to do at home with their parents, or anyone in the household, on Saturdays, not everyone would be able to pass his or her assignments. The teacher also noted that parents would complain why there were such assignments, considering that the parents were already burdened with their own work.

2. Community and LGU Support

In Region I, the principal said that the school and its science activities had been receiving various donations and support from certain reputable universities and the local government unit. For instance, the Don Mariano Marcos State University (DMMSU) donated some trees and plants and conducted trainings and workshops on composting and other activities regarding the environment. The Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), likewise, held a training for the school’s teachers.

Not to be outdone, the local government donated a library in support of the school’s reading program.

Table 12 summary of Parental Support by School Category

School Category of Students Informational Support

Resource Support

Private School x̄=4.32 sd=0.71Public School x̄=4.27 sd=0.78

x̄=4.27 sd=0.70x̄=4.24 sd=0.79

x̄=4.11 sd=0.86x̄=3.94 sd=0.97

Motivational Support

Variable Standard deviation (s)

Perception about Science 0.60Attitude on Science 0.59

Awareness of Opportunities in Science 0.70Knowledge about Science 0.61

Perceived Competency of Science Teachers 0.75Parental Support in Learning Science 0.66


Mean (x̄)

3.85 (5)3.78 (5)3.51 (5)3.50 (5)3.86 (5)4.19 (5)

3.67 (5) 0.63



The DepEd and the local government signed a joint memorandum of agreement, which paved the way for the school’s teachers to go to the barangays every Saturday for the school’s reading program. In this regard, the science teachers took turns with the English teachers in going to the barangays to promote reading among the children.

According to the principal, the local mayor, vice-mayor and the Sangguniang Bayan supported reading literacy. The school had already won second place in the National Literacy Contest. Eventually, the municipality created the Learning Journey, which aims to make all of its citizens, young and old alike, literate. She shares:

“Isa ako dun sa Technical Working Group ng munisipyo, naglalaban para sa reading program and other programs of LGU Bacnotan. Mga school heads po kami. Fully supported din naman po kami ng LGU. Special Education funds, pina-plano din po naming kasama ang lahat ng school heads, si mayor at vice-mayor at saka mga department heads sa local government. Priority project naming yong mga schools. [I am a member of the Technical Working Group of the municipality pushing for the reading program and other programs of LGU Bacnotan. We are school heads. We are fully supported by the LGU. We, together with the school heads, the mayor, vice-mayor and local government department heads, plan for special education funds. Schools are our priority.]”

The principal added that the school was now also implementing the following activities: a) Alternative Learning System (ALS), b) Special Education Center (SPED), and c) the Busog-Lusog-Talino (BLT) Kitchen. The latter activity involved the Jollibee Foundation, Dep-Ed and the local government, as well as parents, who volunteered to cook at the BLT Kitchen.

Finally, in another gesture of support for the school, the LGU built a music center where the school choir could practice.n




SAMPLEVII. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

A. Summary

Administration of SchoolsThe administration of the schools, both public and private does not vary as far as daily routine is concerned.

It involves doing rounds and inspecting schools’ facilities, checking of faculty attendance, and performing tasks such as doing paper work on requisitions, coordination with DepEd, meeting with and monitoring of teachers.

Public school principals shared that the qualities they look for in science teachers are: interest in science, conceptual knowledge which will enable them to prepare materials for their science classes, a master’s degree, patience, perseverance and general attitude. On the other hand, the private school principals mentioned competence, perseverance, and resourcefulness.

In the FGDs, the student-participants shared what they think are distinct qualities that make teachers competent. These are the ability to explain the subject matter well and efficiency in using traditional and technology-aided teaching materials

This research yielded 1,081 respondents from 11 regions of the coun-try. The targetted 1200 respondents among public and private school students fell short because of the pandemic and mobility re-

strictions, among others, caused by it. Focus group discussions among stu-dents provided important insights on the survey results. In addition, the key informant interviews (KII) with public and private school principals and science teachers/coordinators gave the perspective of administrators, science curriculum and instruction. Thus, the triangulation of the survey, FGDs, and KIIs provided the context of the study.

VII. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS



The CurriculumPublic and private school teachers differ in this aspect because public schools follow the science curriculum

prescribed by DepEd, specifically on the competencies that are to be developed per year level. On the other hand, private schools have to leeway in modifying the curriculum. There were changes in the new curriculum relative to competencies that students should develop. Some were dropped, while new ones were introduced. Teachers are the ones who build concepts in the new curriculum. On the other hand, teaching under the old curriculum utilized more of the discovery method, where students were taught concepts instead. Another science teacher claimed that the students have a hard time understanding concepts in the old curriculum. In the new curriculum, science is being taught starting in K3 only, whereas in the old curriculum, it was being taught starting in Grade 1 together with English and Math.

Private school principals and science teachers feel the need to modify the nature and contents of the DepEd curriculum. The contemplated modifications include changes in reference materials and the rearrangement of topics. The informants also mentioned that the reasons for proposing said modifications emanate from their cherished academic freedom to choose what, and how, to teach the particular topics and their contents. Furthermore, the teachers consider the topics’ relevance to their students, who may opt to use science in their everyday life.

Private school teachers observe both the positive and negative aspects of their students’ competencies, which they gauge on the basis of their day-to-day interactions with the students, and the latter’s performance in quizzes and exams. Among the private schools’ informants, there is a consensus that most of their students perform well in co-curricular and extracurricular activities. It should be noted that learning performance is closely linked with the students’ technology-use. Meanwhile, the teachers’ own performance is based on the following:

a) the final grades per period;

b) the attained ranking in inter-school academic competitions, and

c) the accomplished third-party assessments.

Regarding their basic training on their particular role as science teachers, the principals and teachers think that the generalist nature of the country’s basic education program hinders them from becoming highly competent and effective science teachers. The lack of specialization, or training, in science leads to a lot of difficulties for supposed science teachers, whose own interests may actually be dwelling in other fields.

InstructionTeachers in both public and private schools follow a daily routine: pre-preparation of materials and visuals

for their classes, and doing their lesson plans. Public school teachers follow the lesson plans/guidelines developed in a Tagaytay workshop conducted by DepEd, but they differ in the preparation of materials. The teachers in general develop questions on the subject matter as springboard for class or group discussions.

In terms of science facilities, private schools have an edge over public schools. Because of budgetary constraints in public schools, equipment in laboratories are not complete, and students have to share the same facilities with other classes and grade levels. Teachers in private schools also mentioned such




SAMPLEa constraint because funding for equipment or upgrading of facilities come from tuition fees, especially if there are no donors.

The pandemic changed the conduct of classes on all levels for the safety of students, teachers and the community as a whole. Instead, synchronous and asynchronous online classes, blended learning, or purely modular, depending on the availability of internet connection, tablets, laptops and mobile phones, were and are still being used. According to the teachers, especially those teaching in public schools, there are disadvantages to such arrangement because they cannot explain the lessons to the students, and they do not know if the students are really the ones answering the worksheets. Further, students from economically-challenged families could not be tutored or guided by parents because they are busy earning a living. The same can be said of students whose parents, for some reason, cannot or do not supervise them.

Connectivity is a major problem in instruction during the pandemic. There are provinces or areas where there is weak or no internet and network signal. In addition, there are public schools in the provinces where the textbooks and worksheets do not arrive on time for classes. These situations add to the challenges in science (as well as other subjects’) instruction. Public school teachers in the sample areas in Mindanao claimed that they receive Php200 load allowance to be able to download reference materials from the internet. Other teachers borrow books from private school teachers because the DepEd books/worksheets are incomplete and have few pages.

Lack of English proficiency sets back students’ understanding of the lessons. As a result, teachers have to do translations from English to Filipino or the dialect/language of the province. This also affects the rate at which topics are supposed to be covered for the day.

In the FGDs, students shared that their science

classes are teacher-centered, where their science teachers used explanations and repetitions of the explanations are made. Examples of the lessons are given through visual aids, videos and other materials related to the lessons. Experiments increase students’ interest in science, but not all students get to do experiments perhaps due to lack of facilities. Instead, teachers ask volunteers to do the experiments while the rest of the class just watch, and the procedures and results are made the focus of class discussions after.

Science Activities All private and public schools have science

activities as prescribed in their curriculum, and the DOST sponsored activities. In Region I, the regular science activities consisted of tree planting, coastal cleanup, and school clean-up drive. The students were also being taught the Five Rs: recycle, reuse, reduce, restore and recover. If there would be community activities, the school coordinated with barangay officials and students with parental consent and waivers

The Region XII school had the YES-O (Youth for Environment in Schools Organization) in response to DepEd Order No. 52 of 2011 issued by then Secretary Armin Luistro in compliance with Republic Act 9512 or “An Act to Promote Environmental Education and for other Purposes.”. Every year, according to the public school teacher in Region XII school, the DepEd local division required the submission of the schools’ calendar of annual proposed activities (CAPA) by virtue of DepEd Order No. 13 series of 2013.

Before the pandemic, the schools in Region VIII had mini-field trips about plants, small animals and insects. Likewise, in NCR, Ateneo de Manila University students regularly brought the public school students to the planetarium in Quezon City as part of its outreach program but it stopped when DepEd issued a memorandum disallowing fieldtrips of students to avoid accidents involving students and teachers.

Private and public schools observed the Science



and Math Week every year before the pandemic. The teacher in Region XII said that health was the focus of the celebration. Students went to all the classrooms urging others to practice good health habits like proper washing of hands, and to recycle wastes.

Students’ Favorite SubjectsIt is interesting to note that an almost equal number

of respondents consider Math (20.4%) and Science (20%) as their favorite subject. However, a fourth (25%) of the students also consider Mathematics as least liked, and a small number (5.9%) consider Science as the least liked subject. Also considered least liked is Araling Panlipunan (14.1%).

Career AspirationsThe responses of students to the question on

what they want to be in the future show that an equal number want to enter the armed forces (18%), and take up science and engineering (18%). Those who want to be teachers comprise 14%. Food service is the choice of 10%. Small numbers want to be in the arts/entertainment, law, business/entrepreneurship. Feedback from the interviewed science teachers confirmed that the most common responses of students when asked what they want to be in the future are teacher and policeman, perhaps because they are the ones who are most visible in the community. There were others who expressed desire to take up science courses in college, but said that those courses are expensive.

There is a perception among students that scientists cannot go home because of their work. When asked what they wanted to be, the children mentioned the particular careers or professions of persons whom they often saw and admired in their community, like policemen and teachers.

Looking at regional data, the students in NCR generally exhibited low interest in science. In contrast FGD participants from Region 1 were able to demonstrate a higher level of knowledge in science, as they recalled more specific and advanced topics

discussed in class; foreign and local scientists, and an extensive list of science-related careers. Those from private schools were able to give reasons for their career choices.

In Region VIII, students’ choice was primarily Math over Science, though they see the practicality of science like the use of weather forecasts, cooking and survival.

Students’ Perceptions of ScienceThe survey data shows that K3 to K6 students

have neutral to positive perception about Science as indicated by their level of agreement to the statements. In fact, majority (55.6%) of the students strongly agreed that Science is useful in their everyday lives. It is important to note that the students from all grade levels expressed relatively positive perception about Science. The general trend shows that the positive perception tends to slightly increase in the higher grade levels. This may suggest that the students in the higher grade levels have more positive perceptions about Science and its importance as they gain more knowledge about it.

There was a stark contrast between how private and public school student participants perceive science. On one hand, private school students described science based on their engagements with the teachers and the subject matter. As such, students had a more vivid perception and a more positive view of science. They were also articulate in English and thus were able to express their ideas clearly and with ease. On the other hand, participants from the public schools defined science-based on a loose recollection of words that had been mentioned in the classroom. They also experienced difficulty in recalling scientific words, which were not in their mother tongue.

It was evident that the students in general, were not familiar with names of Filipino scientists. Those in private schools only mentioned the names of western scientists such as Albert Einstein, Galileo Galilei, Charles Babbage, the Wright Brothers, Marie Curie, Elon Musk. They expressed interest in knowing more about Filipino scientists because they are also




SAMPLEconsidered as heroes.

The students’ definition of science is that it is a systematic way of discovering knowledge. This is closely related to experiments that they do in class and other exercises that lead to an understanding of scientific principles; that it is multi-disciplinary; and has practical applications. However, the students perceive science as difficult. Science teachers attributed this to the students’ lack of English proficiency wherein they have to translate the lesson to Filipino or the mother tongue of the province/region.

Students in rural and class D and E areas before the pandemic are at a disadvantage when it comes to facilities that would enhance their knowledge and interest in science, such as museums and science centers. Costs that will have to be incurred for trips to such facilities (if there are any in the area) are payment of admission and transportation fees and other incidental expenses. Also, a few years ago, DepEd issued a memorandum disallowing field trips due to accidents in some areas that resulted in death of some students and their teachers.

Awareness of Opportunities in ScienceAlmost half of the students (48.5%) strongly agreed

that their Scientific learnings can help them get a job someday. A third (33.2%) admitted that they learned about possible careers through their science class and in this aspect, private school students’ garnered higher scores than those in public schools. As mentioned earlier, though students have interest in taking up science courses or having careers in science later, the economic aspect is not lost to them, that is, taking science courses like medicine, nursing, engineering and others, is expensive. Not one mentioned studying hard to get scholarhips for the science course they are interested in. It is in this respect that parents and students be made aware of such scholarships so that the students would not take courses which they are not interested in.

Attitude Toward Science During the FGDs, the students exhibited enthusiasm

for science especially for the activities in their classes like the experiments they perform. In the survey, almost half (49.1%) of the students strongly agree that they find Science as an exciting subject and 39.1% of the students expressed that they always participate in discussions during their Science classes. In the independent t-test conducted on private and public schools’ scores, private school students have significantly higher attitude scores. This may be due to the lack of facilities in public schools and economic status of students’ parents.

Support of Parents, Local Government and Community

In general, the students agreed that they receive support from their parents in terms of information, motivation and resources. Informational support, as defined in the survey, includes helping the students with their lessons and/or homework and providing guidance in Science-related activities/experiments that needs to be conducted. Motivational support, on the other hand, is described as the parent’s encouragement to the students to study Science and accomplish homework and activities and to explore it as a career option. Support in terms of resource is the provision of activity materials and financial means by the parents. Results show that informational and resource support among private school students has a higher index at 101 and 104, respectively, than that of public school students. This may be attributed to the generally low educational attainment of parents of public school students and their economic status. Interestingly there, the results of independent samples t-test show that there is a significant difference between the resource support given to females than male students (t1029=1.82, p=0.070).

It is worthwhile to note that local government and non-LGU support is an important factor in the quality of science instruction, arousing the interest of students to take science courses and in other



endeavors that benefit them and their community. Such is exhibited in the case of the sample school in Region I (La Union) where the Don Mariano Marcos State University (DMMSU) donated trees and plants, and conducted trainings and workshops on composting and other activities regarding the environment. The Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), likewise, held a training for the school’s teachers. the local government donated a library in support of the school’s reading program. DepEd and the local government signed a joint memorandum of agreement, which paved the way for the school’s teachers to go to the barangays every Saturday for the school’s reading program. In this regard, the science teachers took turns with the English teachers in going to the barangays to promote reading among the children. According to the principal, the local mayor, vice-mayor and the Sangguniang Bayan supported reading literacy. the local government donated a library in support of the school’s reading program. DepEd and the local government signed a joint memorandum of agreement, which paved the way for the school’s teachers to go to the barangays every Saturday for the school’s reading program. In this regard, the science teachers took turns with the English teachers in going to the barangays to promote reading among the children. According to the principal, the local mayor, vice-mayor and the Sangguniang Bayan supported reading literacy and other activities.

B. Conclusions

Generally, the survey reveals a neutral-to-positive attitude, awareness and knowledge relative to the K3 to K6 students’ perception and appreciation of Science. In fact, there is no negative response, at all, to questions or statements about science. The study also divulges important factors, such as, gender, school category, and, in some cases, regional location, that significantly influence the students’ appreciation of science. In terms of the science-learning process or performance, the students in both the public and the private schools exhibit different, or diverse, qualities. After all, the schools themselves are different in their characteristics or categories as “public” and “private”.

The first type, the public school, is basically created and funded by government; the second type, the private school, is mainly established and supported by the private sector, including business and religious entities, as financial investors. Nonetheless, whatever the school-type, one can see the importance of having adequate materials, equipment, and science facilities in the promotion and pursuit of children’s science education.

The FGD findings present a clearer view of the students’ appreciation of science. Unfortunately, we can generally conclude from the FGD results that the students possess a shallow understanding of science. While most of the students could recall terms used, or taught, inside the classroom, they did not know, however, how to characterize, explain and relate these with one another. They experienced difficulty in absorbing science concepts, and in thinking about these concepts in creative and innovative ways.

The negative notions about science being a difficult

subject are not new issues anymore. However, it is important to note how such unfavorable perceptions can be rectified by effective teaching. In other words, the teacher’s skill can practically “make all the difference,” as one would say. A good (science) teacher can even make it enjoyable for the (interested) students, but, first, s/he should stir and amplify student interest. One could attribute to the teacher-centric mode of instruction the real cause for the lack of a deep understanding of science among K3 to K6 students.

Students recalled that most of their science information had come from teachers. While such an approach may be appropriate in transmitting concepts and technical information, the science learning process may potentially stop at recall. Such a linear manner of teaching does not facilitate engagement with the subject matter and may, in fact, stifle students’ initiative, inquisitiveness and ingenuity. Students do not get to ask questions, and opportunities for discovery and creativity become available only during experiments. The bulk of the




SAMPLElearning experience happens in lectures, while hands-on activities, where students claim to learn better - if not in the best way - are highly limited. Furthermore, in some cases, school policies on the limited use of laboratory equipment pose a constraint to the students’ learning process or performance. School policies may as well include teachers prioritizing who gets to participate.

The survey showed that the students’ preference for the K-12 curriculum over that of the traditional one apparently privileges a certain mode of instruction, which utilizes the learner-centered approach. However, instead of manifesting the students’ supposed preference for the K-12 curriculum, the study’s FGD sessions actually disclosed that the mode of instruction remained teacher-centric, especially in public schools. This may be attributed to the 105 disproportional number of students vis-à-vis the number of teachers. Further aggravated by the limited resources in public schools, hands-on activities and student-focused strategies were barely present instead of being the standard. In a remote learning set-up, where science teachers produce modules that instruct students the “whats” and “hows” of science, the students’ limited role and participation in the learning process become even more pronounced. Curiosity, which lies at the core of scientific thinking, is lost/stifled. Both survey and FGD results confirm that motivation and inclination of the students to pursue Science are not limited to the classroom.

Parental support and the students’ exposure to specific career fields and occupations play a role in the students’ inclination to pursue Science-related careers. This includes exploring more opportunities for the students to be acquainted with Filipino scientists and their contribution to the advancement of Science. This can become a push factor to help them better appreciate and visualize possible Science-related careers. Focus group discussants find science primarily associated with medicine and technology (i.e., gadgets and computers), and while this may be true, there are other areas where the contributions of science need to be underscored. Situating science to current realities can help expand the way students understand the role of the field. The COVID-19 pandemic is a good example of how science is able to explain and offer solutions to realities immediately experienced by the students. But there are also unique regional issues and experiences that can also be cited or engaged by teachers in their lessons.

As shown in the testimonies of the participants, their intention to pursue science is motivated by both internal and external factors. By engaging realities that they directly experience and connecting these to the lessons covered in science class, students are able to redefine the role of science and see the various possibilities it can offer, which may cultivate an interest in the field. Key informants expressed knowledge of what effective science teaching is, but innate problems from the educational system, such as, the lack of budget to acquire and enhance facilities and buy equipment, hinder them from efficiently teaching science. They also prefer a combination of traditional and technology-based resource materials and teaching aides to sustain interest in teaching science. They are glad that there is exercise of academic freedom to modify or enhance DepEd-recommended curricula works, particularly for private schools.

The administrators and teachers are given the opportunity to design a curriculum, and, in effect, lesson plans that are contextual to the needs of their students.

C. Recommendations l Investments must be made in providing an enabling environment for science education. Schools should provide opportunities for training and advanced education. Likewise, infrastructure development is an important component of a working learning environment.

l There is a need to recalibrate the approaches in the teaching of the subject matter. It is recommended




that the schools must better equip the teachers in creating an enabling environment for learning.

l Monitoring and evaluation processes should be continued to ensure efficiency in science teaching and learning.

l Higher education institutions may consider offering Bachelor of Education programs with subject specializations and concentrations. As mentioned by some informants, basic education teachers who are trained in a generalist BEEd do not have enough knowledge and appreciation of scientific concepts and processes.

l More opportunities should be explored for the students to be acquainted with Filipino scientists and their contribution to the advancement of Science.

l Interactive approaches to teaching are encouraged, especially during face-to-face modes. It is also recommended that students are encouraged to ask questions every 107 so often to develop curiosity at an early age. Instead of asking for clarifications about the lesson, teachers can push students to think of the applications of the concepts taught in class outside what is written in textbooks.

l On top of doing lectures, teachers can integrate activities that will lead students to ask more questions,which they can discuss among their peers, or even their parents. This is not to say that teachers should abandon the lecture; rather, teachers should reimagine the ways they could teach science to engage students better and instill curiosity among them. l Science should also be taught in the context of the community so students understand the field’s role in the different aspects of society. l Schools should be able to work with teachers, parents, and other stakeholders in the community to increase effectiveness in teaching science.n



SAMPLEVIII. REFERENCESVIII. REFERENCES

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5. Cook-Sather, A. (2001). Unrolling roles in techno-pedagogy: Toward new forms of collaboration in traditional college settings. Innovative Higher Education, 26, 121-139.

6. Cook-Sather, A. (2006). Sound, presence, and power: “Student” in educational research and reform. Curriculum Inquiry, 36, 359-390.

7. Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013. s.2. (Ph.).

8. Entwistle, N. J. (1991). Approaches to learning and perceptions of the learning environment. Higher Education, 22, 201-204.

9. Entwistle, N., & Tait, H. (1990). Approaches to learning, evaluationsof teaching, and preferences for contrasting academic environments. Higher Education, 19, 169-194.

10. Estonanto, Aldrin John Jao, “Acceptability and Difficulty of the STEM Track Implementation in Senior High School” in Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Vol. 5 No.2, 43-50 May 2017



11. Harden and Stamper, “What is a spiral curriculum?” in MedicalTeacher, Vol. 21, No. 2, 1999, p. 141

12. Hayes, A. (2020). Two-tailed Test. Investopedia.Retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/two-tailed- test.asp#:~:text=A%20testing%20that%20is%20programmed,by%20the%20probability %20distribution%20involved.

13. K to 12 Curriculum Guide Science (Grade 3 to 10) [PDF]. (August 2016). Retrieved from https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Science-CG_with-tagged-sci- equipment_revised.pdf

14. Laerd Statistics. (n.d.). Independent t-test using SPSS Statistics.Laerd Statistics. Retrieved from https://statistics.laerd.com/spss-tutorials/independent-t-test-using-spss- statistics.php

15. Llego, M. A. (n.d.). DepEd Basic Education Statistics for School Year2019-2020. TEACHERPH. Retrieved from https://www.teacherph.com/deped-basic-education- statistics-school-year-2019-2020/

16. Montebon, D. R. (2014). K12 Science Program in the Philippines:Student Perception of its Implementation. International Journal of Education and Research, 2(12), 153-157.

17. Norman, D. A. (1986). Cognitive engineering. In D. A. Norman & S. W. Draper (Eds.), New perspectives on human-computerinteraction (pp. 31-62). Hillsdale NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

18. Norman, D. A. (1988). The psychology of everyday things. New York: Basic Books.

19. Ocampo, D.S. (2014). The K to 12 Curriculum [PPT Presentation].Retrieved from https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Science-CG_with-tagged-sci- equipment_revised.pdf.

20. Organization of American States. (2020). Knowledge-basedSociety. Retrieved from http://www.oas.org/en/topics/knowledge_society.asp

21. Programme for International Student Assessment. (2019).Retrieved January 26, 2020, from https:Programme_for_International_Student_Assessment//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

22. RA 10533 in https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2013/05/15/republic-act-no-10533/



SAMPLE23. San Juan, R. (2019, December 4). DepEd welcomes PISA results,

recognizes ‘gaps’ in education quality. Philstar Global. Retrieved from https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/12/04/1974229/deped-welcomes-pisa-results- recognizes-gaps-education-quality.

24. Science Curriculum Framework in https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Science-CG_with-tagged-sci-equipment_revised.pdf

25. Shaista, S. (2017) Student experience of school Science,International Journal of Science Education, 39(14), 1891-1912, DOI: 10.1080/09500693.2017.1356943

26. Stages of Development. (n.d.). Harvard Institute for Strategy andDevelopment. Retrieved from https://www.isc.hbs.edu/competitiveness-economic-development/frameworks-and- key-concepts/Pages/shapes-of-development.aspx

27. Statistical tools for high-throughput data analysis. (n.d.) Correlation Test Between Two Variables in R. STDHA. Retrieved from http://www.sthda.com/english/wiki/correlation- test-between-two-variables-in-r

28. Te Kete Ipurangi. (n.d.). Mean, median, and standard deviation.Te Kete Ipurangi. Retrieved from https://assessment.tki.org.nz/Using-evidence-for-learning/Working-with- data/Concepts/Mean-median-and-standard-deviation

29. Trawick-Smith, J. (2014). Early childhood development (6th ed.).Boston, MA: Pearson.

30. Woolfolk, A., & Perry, N. E. (2012). Child and adolescentdevelopment. Boston, MA: Pearson.



IX. ANNEXESIX. ANNEXES

A. Tables

B. Research InstrumentsSurvey QuestionnaireFocus Group Discussion GuideKey Informant Interview Guide

C. Qualitative DataFGD Write-upsKII Write upsa. Principalsb. Teachers

D. Documentation PicturesE. Researchers/Project Team



SAMPLEANNEX A: TABLES

REGION




LEVEL MALE FEMALE


NCR Quezon City

NCR Manila

NCR Municipality

of Pateros

Region 1Ilocos Region
















Region 3Central Luzon

Region 5Bicol Region









Table 1 Sample, Sample Size



ANNEX A: TABLES


Region 6Western Visayas

Region 7Central Visayas

Region 8Eastern Visayas

Region 9Zamboanga

Peninsula
















Region 11Davao Region

Region 12SOCCSKSARGEN









REGION




LEVEL MALE FEMALE



SAMPLETable 1 Sample, Sample Size

REGIONPUBLIC SCHOOL

GRADE LEVEL



PRIVATE

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

Culiat Elementary

SchoolGRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

13

9

5

3

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

13

8

11

10

La Trinidad Academy

(4A)


School

Private Schools in

Pateros, Pasig, and

Manila

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

Aguho Elementary

SchoolGRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

0

6

1

4

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

3

4

6

2

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6



GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

BUGAElementary

School

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

6

2

3

5

7

6

6

6

3

2

6

6

7

6

6

6

5

5

6

4

7

6

6

6

3

3

6

5

BUDFIDreamBuds

Learning Center


School


Center

NCR+4A

REGION 1

REGION 5

REGION 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

SacsacElementary

School

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

7

4

6

7

7

6

6

6

5

2

3

3

7

6

6

6

7

1

0

6

7

6

6

6

2

5

1

6


School


PhilippinesLab

Elementary School


College

REGION 7

REGION 8



ANNEX A: TABLES

REGIONPUBLIC SCHOOL

GRADE LEVEL



PRIVATE

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

Western Mindanao

State University

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

5

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

7

6

6

7

6

6

6

Ateneo de Zamboanga

University


Heartworks Learning

Center

GRADE 3


SchoolGRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

0

6

1

4

3

4

6

2

REGION 9

REGION 11

REGION 12

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6


TOTAL (n= 1,081)

Table 3 Distribution of Questions in the Survey Questionnaire

Question Type Order in the Questionnaire Number of Questions

Demographic Questions

Perception about Science

Attitude on Science

Awareness of Opportunities in Science

Knowledge about Science

Perceived Competency of Science Teachers

Parental Support in Learning Science


TOTAL

1-8

9-16

17-30

31-35

36-45

46-55

56-61

62-69

8

8

14

5

10

10

6

8

69




SAMPLETable 4 Employed Likert Scale Legend

Table 5 Study Variables and Concepts

Objective 1: To explore the students’ perception, attitude, awareness, and knowledge in Science;


Perception l Perceived value of Science in everyday life

l Perceived importance for students of Science as a subject

l Perceived importance of scientistsin the Philippines and the world

l Perceived usefulness of Science


Attitude l COGNITIVEl Familiarity with scientific terms or conceptsl Comprehension of scientific conceptsl Perceived difficulty of Science as a subjectl Comprehension of the language of instructionl Perceived credibility of Science sources and materials

l BEHAVIORALl Interest to learn new scientific conceptsl Interest to participate in scientific experiments and engage in scientific activitiesl Interest to self-study and learn more about Sciencel Interest in accomplishing Science


Value0

Response

1

2

3

4

5

Don’t know

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree



ANNEX A: TABLES


homeworks and assignments

l AFFECTIVEl Interest in Science as a subjectl Excitement when discussing

scientific concepts/participating in scientific activities

l Fondness and admiration of students for Scientists

Awareness l Survey/Likert Scalel Focus Groups Discussion

l Awareness of students regardingScience as a field and as a career

Knowledge l Survey/Likert Scalel Focus Group Discussions

l Students’ perceived extent of scientific knowledge

l Students’ knowledge of Filipinoscientists and their works

Objective 2: To describe the students’ classroom experiences in learning Science in consideration of the following:


l Teacher’s Competencyl Learning/Teaching

methods and approaches


l Students’ perceived competency of Science teachers

l In explaining scientific conceptsl Engaging their students; andl In using appropriate teaching

methods and materials

Parental Support l Survey / Likert Scalel Focus Group Discussionsl KII

l Students’ perceived level of supportin studying Science that they receive from their parentss

School activities/Class schedules and time


l Number of school activities related to Science

l Presence of Science lesson plans/curriculum available for students K3-6

l Presence of instructional and learning materials

l Presence of facilities



SAMPLEObjective 3: To Find out the reasons and context behand the low-inclination of students toward Science


Inclination

Focus Groups


l Interest of students in careers in the scientific field in the future

l Activeness in class discussionsl Articulation of what they

want to be in the future

Table 6 Distribution of FGD Participants by Region and Gender

Male Female

NCR Public 8 3

NCR Private 3 3

Region 1 Public 2 4


Region 8 Public 4 4


Region 12 Public 4 4


Total 30 26




REGIONPUBLIC SCHOOL

GRADE LEVEL



PRIVATE

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

Culiat Elementary

SchoolGRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

13

9

5

3

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

13

8

11

10

La Trinidad Academy

(4A)


School

Private Schools in

Pateros, Pasig, and

Manila

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

Aguho Elementary

SchoolGRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

0

6

1

4

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

3

4

6

2

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6



GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

BUGAElementary

School

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

6

2

3

5

7

6

6

6

3

2

6

6

7

6

6

6

5

5

6

4

7

6

6

6

3

3

6

5

BUDFIDreamBuds

Learning Center


School


Center

NCR+4A

REGION 1

REGION 5

REGION 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

SacsacElementary

School

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

7

4

6

7

7

6

6

6

5

2

3

3

7

6

6

6

7

1

0

6

7

6

6

6

2

5

1

6


School


PhilippinesLab

Elementary School


College

REGION 7

REGION 8

ANNEX A: TABLES



SAMPLEREGION

PUBLIC SCHOOL

GRADE LEVEL



PRIVATE

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

Western Mindanao

State University

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

5

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

7

6

6

7

6

6

6

Ateneo de Zamboanga

University


Heartworks Learning

Center

GRADE 3


SchoolGRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

0

6

1

4

3

4

6

2

REGION 9

REGION 11

REGION 12

GRADE 3

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

7

6

6

6

7

6

6

6


TOTAL (n= 1,081)

GRADE 5GRADE 4GRADE 3GRADE 3GenderNo. of StudentsRegion

NCR + 4A

Luzon

Visayas

Mindanao

248

300

233

300

Male

Female

532

549

303 255 258 265

Table 8 FGD Distribution of Participants

Focus Groups Male Female

NCR Public 8 3NCR Private 3 3

Region 1 Public 2 4Region 1 Private 3 4Region 8 Public 4 4Region 8 Private 2 2

Region 12 Public 4 4Region 12 Private

Total from Public SchoolsTotal from Private Schools

4 2

Total 30 26

3323



Table 9 Summary of Student’s Career Field Ambition

CHOSEN CAREER / INDUSTRY FIELD Male

25%

18%

18%

Education 14%

Food and Service Industry 10%

Arts and Entertainment 6%

Skilled Industry 5%

Business and Entrepreneurship

Law

Don’t know

3%

Total 100%

2%

Medical and Healthcare

Armed Force and Military

Science and Engineering

Table 10 Total Science Inclination of Students per Grade Level

Grade Level Science Inclination Mean Score

3.71 (5)

3.70 (5)

3.65 (5)

Grade 6 3.61 (5)

Grade 3Grade 4

Grade 5

Table 11 Student’s School Category and Region and their agreement to the statement “I have visited a Science Center or a Science Museum”.

Region Private School

NCR + 4ARegion 9Region 5Region 8Region 3

Region 11

Region 1Region 6

Region 7Region 12

Total

Public School

532320151614

178

196

1614

391414161115

813

136

51

Total PercentageSchool Category

923734312729

2521

332

2115

28%11%10%9%8%9%

8%6%

100%

6%5%

ANNEX A: TABLES



SAMPLETable 12 summary of Parental Support by School Category

School Category of Students Informational Support

Resource Support

Private School x̄=4.32 sd=0.71Public School x̄=4.27 sd=0.78

x̄=4.27 sd=0.70x̄=4.24 sd=0.79

x̄=4.11 sd=0.86x̄=3.94 sd=0.97

Motivational Support

Variable Standard deviation (s)

Perception about Science 0.60Attitude on Science 0.59

Awareness of Opportunities in Science 0.70Knowledge about Science 0.61

Perceived Competency of Science Teachers 0.75Parental Support in Learning Science 0.66


Mean (x̄)

3.85 (5)3.78 (5)3.51 (5)3.50 (5)3.86 (5)4.19 (5)

3.67 (5) 0.63



B1. Survey Questionnaire (English)

A Survey on the Perception of Science among K3 to K6 Students in the Philippines

A Project of the Department of Science and Technology - Science Education Institute and University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication Foundation Inc.

Questionnaire #

INTERVIEW DETAILS

Interviewer’s name:

Interviewee’s name (optional):

Date of interview: Time started:

Province:

Time ended

Region:

Interviewee’s school/university:

City/Municipality:




SAMPLEINTRODUCTION

[INTRODUCTION FOR THE TARGET RESPONDENT]Good day, I am [interviewer], and I am conducting a survey for a study on the appreciation of Sci-

ence by grade school students. You have been randomly chosen as a sample to take part in the study.In this study, we want to know how K3 to K6 students view Science and how much they appreciate

it. We also want to look into their knowledge of and experiences with Science.Thank you for your time! We are grateful for your participation in the study. This interview will

only take 5 to 10 minutes. Your answers will be kept confidential and will solely be used for purposes of this study.

[INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEWER]Before proceeding, find out if the person you are interviewing is qualified to be a respondent by

asking the following questions:

1. Do you want to be a part of our study? m Yesm No (Terminate the interview)

2. Have you taken any Science subject yet? m Yes (Proceed to Part I)m No (Terminate the interview)

I. Demographics

3. What is your gender? m Male m Female

4. How old are you? _____ years old

5. What grade were you in last school year?

6. What is your most liked subject?

7. What is your least liked subject?

8. What do you want to be in the future?

m K3 m K4 m K5 m K6

II. Survey Questions

TO THE INTERVIEWER: This section is to be answered only by respondents who have taken a Science subject yet, in reference to question #2. Otherwise, wrap-up the interview.

For this part, we want to know more about your experiences as a student taking up Science subjects. For every statement, please tell us how much you agree or disagree. You may choose your answer from the following choices:

(Show cue card #1) 5 - Strongly agree 4 - Agree3 - Neither agree nor disagree2 - Disagree1 - Strongly disagree0 - I don’t know Remember, there are no right or wrong answers.

TO THE INTERVIEWER: Encircle the option chosen by the respondent




9. Science is useful in my everyday life.

10. It is important for students to study and learn about Science.

A. Perception DKSDNASA D

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11. Science cannot be applied and used outside of the classroom.

12. The Scientific Method helps me solve problems in my everyday life.

13. I am fine without Science as a subject.

14. Everyone should study about Science.

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15. We should always trust what scientists have to say.

16. Only the intelligent students will understand Science.

17. I believe that the concepts we discuss in our Science class are true.

18. I always participate in discussions during our Science class.

B. Attitude DKSDNASA D

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19. I find Science exciting as a subject

20. I always try my best to understand our Science lessons.

21. Our Science lessons are not interesting.

22. I am not very good in Science.

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23. I like the activities in my Science class.

24. Our Science lessons are difficult for me to understand.

18. I always participate in discussions during our Science class.

19. I find Science exciting as a subject

20. I always try my best to understand our Science lessons.

21. Our Science lessons are not interesting.

22. I am not very good in Science.

23. I like the activities in my Science class.

24. Our Science lessons are difficult for me to understand.

25. I am interested in joining a Science competition.

26. I always ask questions during class when I don’t understand our Science lessons.

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SAMPLE27. I get bored during our Science class.

28. I like reading Science books.

B. Attitude DKSDNASA D

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29. I like my Science teacher.

30. I do not understand my Science teacher.

31. I am not familiar with any Filipino Scientists.

32. I have studied about famous Scientists in the world and what they have achieved.

C. Awareness DKSDNASA D

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33. What I learn in my Science class can help me find a job someday.

34. I am familiar with the jobs that use a lot of Science.

35. Science has opened my eyes to new and exciting jobs. 01345 2

36. I know the Scientific Method and how to use it.

37. I am familiar with the different branches of Science.

D. Knowledge DKSDNASA D

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38. Science has made me more curious about my surroundings.

39. Science has taught me how to take care of nature and other living things.

40. I learned how to classify things into solid, liquid, or gas. 01345 2

41. I do not know how to design and conduct simple experiments.

42. I have visited a Science centre or Science museum.

43. I am familiar with the different forms of energy

44. I have learned how to take care of myself and my health.

45. I know who invented the incandescent light bulb.

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46. My Science teacher always makes sure we understand our lessons.

47. It’s okay to ask my teacher for help if there are things I don’t understand.

E. Teacher’s Competency DKSDNASA D

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48. My Science teacher does not connect our new lessons to our past lessons.

49. My Science teacher always gives examples to help us understand better.

50. My Science teacher tries to make our discussions fun and exciting. 01345 2

51. My Science teacher connects our Science lessons to our other subjects.

52. My Science teacher does not guide us during experiments

53. My Science teacher does not care if I don’t listen to the lessons

54. My Science teacher uses teaching materials that are easy to understand.

55. My Science teacher takes time to mentor me when I do not understand a lesson.

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56. I can always ask parent/s or guardian/s when I don’t understand my lessons or homeworks.

57. My parent/s or guardian/s encourage me to study Science and finish my assignments at home.

F. Parental Support DKSDNASA D

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58. My parent/s or guardian/s want me to study more about Science and Technology when I grow up.

59. My parent/s or guardian/s help me do fun science activities / experiments.

01345 260. My parent/s or guardian/s permit me to go to science activities outside the school e.g. science camp, go to field trips, etc..

61. My parents give me money and other materials for my Science subjects.

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B1. Survey Questionnaire (English)B1. Survey Questionnaire (English)



SAMPLE62. Scientists inspire me to study Science more

63. I want to use my Scientific learnings to help others in the future

G. Inclination DKSDNASA D

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64. I am not interested in learning more Scientific ideas outside the classroom.

65. When I grow up, I want to take a job that uses a lot of science.

66. I want to focus more on Science when I grow up. 01345 2

67. I do not want to be a Scientist in the future.

68. When I read something about Science, I want to read more.

69. I have a collection of Science books or magazines.

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Our survey on the perception of Science ends here. Do you have anything you want to ask? If none, thank you so much for your time and help.



B2. Focus Group Discussion Guide (English)

I. FOR THE MODERATOR: BEFORE THE START OF THE FGD

l Double check if all the PIS have been accomplished and arrangements for recording are in place.l The documentor or support staff shall take care of registration forms, name tags, PIS Forml Seating arrangement should be circular (if FGD is face to face)

l INTRODUCTION (OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY AND THE FGD GROUND RULES)

Once all the participants are settled, open the session with a short introduction of yourself and the other FGD Team members conducting the FGD with you. Brief the participants on the scope and purpose of the FGD and the objectives of the study. Inform them about the ground rules to keep the discussion running smoothly.

Good morning/afternoon. I am__________, from__________. Thank you for joining our FGD. We are currently doing a study regarding the perception of K3 to K6 students on Science and in what contexts and academic environment will Science be readily promoted.

The discussion will run for 60-90 minutes. It will be recorded, and my companionwill be taking down notes and pictures (ask for permission).

1. Please speak clearly and one at a time, to ensure that our discussion will be recorded properly.2. We want this discussion to be like a group conversation. We are on a first-name basis here,

and let us treat each other as peers and equals with respect. We would like all of you to participate in the discussion, and to give others a chance to also share their views about the things that we will discuss.

3. My role as moderator is to guide the discussion. However, this is not a question-and- answer type of discussion; as such, feel free to speak up any time you would like to do so.

4. There are no right and wrong answers, and all opinions are welcome and respected.5. It will be greatly appreciated if we refrain from using our mobile phones during the discussion.

Put them in silent mode.6. We assure you that whatever transpires during the discussion will be kept confidential and

will not be shared with other people.

II. INTRODUCTION OF PARTICIPANTS

l To begin the discussion and to establish rapport with and among the participants, ask the participants to introduce themselves

Before we start the FGD, let’s introduce ourselves one by one. Please state your name and age. Let’s start with (point to anyone)




SAMPLEl After introduction of informants, notetaker and assistant moderator introduce themselves.

Last to introduce is the moderator.

Again, I am _____________

III. DISCUSSION PROPER - SURVEY ON SURVEYS

The discussion is meant to elicit the informants’ thoughts and insights regarding Science. The main points to be covered are:

l Perceptionl Attitudel Awarenessl Knowledgel Competencyl Parental Supportl Inclination

1. PERCEPTIONm What comes to your mind when you hear the word Science?m Do you think you should study Science? Why?m Do you think Science is helpful to our everyday lives? Why?m Is Science your favorite subject? Why or why not?

2. ATTITUDEA. Cognitivel Are you familiar with scientific terms or concepts? Can you give me examples?l Do you have a hard time understanding scientific terms? How so?l Do you think Science is a difficult subject for grade school students such as yourselves? Why?l What language does your teacher use when teaching Science?l Which language do you prefer? Why?l What materials/handouts does your teacher use when teaching?

Probe if powerpoint presentations or presentations in cartolina/manila paper. Do you think these are helpful?

1. If no: Do you think it is helpful for you if they use materials?l Probe on other methods such as use of microscopes, periscopes, and other experiments.

B. Behaviorall If an informant said earlier it was hard to learn terms: How interested

are you to learn new scientific concepts?l Are you willing to participate in scientific experiments and engage in scientific activities? Why?l Would you self-study and learn more about Science by yourself? Why or why not?l How much effort do you exert in accomplishing Science homeworks and assignments?



C. Affectivel Do you like the subject? Why?l Do you feel excited when your teacher is discussing scientific concepts? Why?l Do you feel excited when participating in scientific activities? Why?l Do you know any scientists? How about Filipino scientists? Do you admire them? Why or why not?

3. AWARENESSl Do you know any careers or jobs if you pursue Science? What are these?l Do you see yourself in that job soon? Why?

4. KNOWLEDGEl Would you say that you are knowledgeable on Science?l If an informant mentioned a Filipino scientist earlier:

Do you know their works? How did you learn about them?l Do you think Filipino scientists should be more discussed to you?

5. COMPETENCYl What can you say about your Science teacher? Is s/he good in discussing and teaching you?

Why do you say so?l How good is he/she in explaining scientific concepts?l Does s/he ask questions and let you and your classmates answer? Or is s/he likely to talk the whole period?l Does she use materials such as handouts, powerpoint presentations and/or cartolina/manila paper?

6. PARENTAL SUPPORTl When you have homework/assignments or upcoming exams/quizzes, do you ask help from your parents?l How helpful are they whenever you’re studying Science?l How much do you think they support you?

7. INCLINATIONl What do you want to be when you grow up?l Who here wants to have a job in a scientific field in the future? Why or why not?l During science classes, do you listen attentively or do you get bored?

IV. CLOSURE

Our discussion ends here. Do you have anything you want to add? Or do you have anything you want to ask?

If none, our FGD ends here. Thank you so much for your participation and for the information you shared with us. Before we go, let’s have some snacks/merienda first. (Or give tokens)




SAMPLEB3. Key Informant Interview Guide (English)

Key Informant Interview (KII) Guide for Elementary Science Teachers

FOR THE INTERVIEWER: BEFORE THE START OF THE INTERVIEWl Double-check if all the PIS have been accomplished and arrangements for recording are in place.l The documentor or support staff shall take care of registration forms, name tags, PIS Form

Make the opening statement professional and also make sure to slightly brief your informant about the topic for him or her to have a general idea of what the interview will be about. Make the atmosphere light and conversational in order to establish a better rapport with the informant.

If there are questions, entertain them

If there is none, proceed with the interview

Discuss the preferred teaching method of the teacher (how s/he conducts his/her class)

Question 1: Please bring us to your typical day teaching Science at your school. What does it look like? What do you do?

l Good morning/afternoon. Thank you for agreeing to be part of this study..

l I am ___________ from _________, and I will be interviewing you today. We are currently doing a study on the perception of K3 to K6 students of Science, and in what contexts and academic environments will Science be readily appreciated and promoted in the Philippines. Today, we are going to talk with you about your extensive experience as a Science teacher and explore your perspective and insights on Science as a subject in the context of your classes. Your inputs will be very valuable in informing our study.

l Please do not hesitate to tell us your story and provide more details if necessary. There are no right or wrong answers. Also, please feel free to ask questions, if you have any, at any point during the interview.

l Please be reminded that everything you will share with us during this interview will be kept confidential and will only be used for the purposes of the study. Hence, we are hoping that you will be honest and open in answering our questions.

l The discussion will only take about 30 to 40 minutes. Please be informed that this interview will be recorded and my companion________will be taking down notes and pictures. (Ask permission)

l Do you have any questions before we start?

Notes for the Interviewer Series of Questions




Take note of the activities mentioned by the teachers. Encourage them to tell stories about their students doing these activities.

Question 2: Picture your usual classroom in teaching Science. (If s/he did not mention activities, please probe: Are activities part of your Science teaching? If so, what are those?)


Give an idea about what problems mean in the question but be careful as to not pre-empt the teachers’ answers.Encourage the teachers to tell stories regarding their experience.

Question 3: Can you tell us how your students participate in those activities? Did you ever have problems in doing the activities? (Lack of materials, students are not participating, etc.,)

This question aims to determine the ideal teaching materials and facilities Science teachers would want in their disposition in order to teach Science effectively.

Question 4: Do your students express ___________ in learning more lessons on the topic of Science?

a. Desireb. Initiative

c. Admiration

Take note of the professions the students intend to pursue in the future.

Question 5: Have you encountered students openly expressing their intent to pursue science- related professions? If not, what professions do you think they intend to pursue in the future?Why do you think that is?

Take note of the ideal facilities and materials mentioned

Question 6: Please picture your ideal classroom, or even a school, for teaching Science. What do you see? Could you share what facilities are present? What teaching materials are available in your ideal classroom/school for you to be able to teach Science effectively?

Take note of the available facilities and materials at their disposal and how he/she thinks they can be improved

Question 7: Now, from your ideal classroom/school, how close is it to the actual classroom/school you use in teaching Science? (Probe: what can be improved? What are the best practices they have experienced in teaching Science? How do they make do if there is a lack of resources?)

Take note of how the facilities and materials can help him/her in teaching Science

Question 8: For you, is it important to have the facilities and the teaching materials you mentioned earlier in teaching Science? If so, how do you think having those facilities will help you teach Science?

Transition the questions on teaching materials and facilities to questions on the Science lessons / curriculum

Question 9: How long have you been teaching Science?



SAMPLEIf the teacher reached the transition from the old curriculum to the curriculum used in K12 c. 2016, ask this question. If not, please skip and proceed to the next questions on Lessons/Curriculum

Question 9.1: In your opinion, how different, in terms of implementation, is the new curriculum for teaching Science in elementary (especially K3 to K6) compared to the old curriculum? How so? Which one do you prefer?


Please ask the details e.g., frequency of adjustment/revisions on the lesson plans

Question 10: Please bring us to the usual day when you prepare your lesson plans for teaching Science. Can you give us a walkthrough on how you prepare your lesson plans? (Probe on how open their lesson plans are to changes/revisions)

Remind the informant that his/her answers will be treated confidentially and will only be accessible to the research team and its study commissioner

Question 11: The DepEd released a K to 12 Curriculum Guide on Science. This contains the topics to be discussed on each grade level per grade quarter. How close do you follow this guide in preparing your lesson plan?

Take note of the references mentioned, if there are any

Question 12: Are you using other references for your lesson plan?

Question 12.1: If yes, what are those references? Why did you choose these references?

Take note of the challenges mentioned, if there are any

Question 13: What challenges did you encounter in preparing your lesson plan?

These series of questions refer to the school activities regarding Science (if there are any)

Question 14: What can you say about the science-related activities of your school?

Question 14.1: Probe: What are those? What do you think of them?

Question 14.2: If none, do you have any insights or ideas on what school activities to initiate to promote Science learning? Could you share your ideas briefly?

This is the last series of question that will discuss the students learning of Science and parental support (if there’s any)

Question 15: For______ years/months that you have been teaching Science (refer to the answer in Q7), what do you think of your students’ performance in Science?

Encourage the teacher to tell how their students behave in the subject e.g., are they interested/bored in the subject etc.,

Question 16: In your experience as a Science teacher for students in K3 to K6, how do the students respond to the subject? Do they seem interested/uninterested? Why do you think that is?



Question 17: What can you say about parental support in the Science learning of your students? For example: parents helping their children do simple science experiments/activities for fun etc.,

Question 17.1: Probe if they think it is helpful or not, and in what ways?


Question 18: Based on your experience/opinion, is parental support important in the Science learning of K3 to K6 students? How so?

Debrief informant if needed. Emphasize that information will only be used for the purposes of the study and that their identities will not be disclosed.If there are questions, entertain them

If there are no more questions, thank the informant and end the interview

l Before we end, do you have any questions or comments for us?

l If none, we would like to thank you for your time and participation. Rest assured that all of the things you said will only be used for the purposes of the study. Thank you very much and have a great day!

Make the opening statement professional and also make sure to slightly brief your informant about the topic for him or her to have a general idea of what the interview will be about. Make the atmosphere light and conversational in order to establish a better rapport with the informant.

If there are questions, entertain them

If there is none, proceed with the interview

l Good morning/afternoon. Thank you for agreeing to be part of this study..

l I am ______ from ______ , and I will be interviewing you today. We are currently doing a study on the perception of K3 to K6 students of Science, and in what contexts and academic environments will Science be readily appreciated and promoted in the Philippines. Today, we are going to talk with you about your extensive experience as a school principal and explore your perspective and insights on Science as a subject in the context of your school. Your inputs will be very valuable in informing our study.

l Please do not hesitate to tell us your story and provide more details if necessary. There are no right or wrong answers. Also, please feel free to ask questions, if you have any, at any point during the interview.

l Please be reminded that everything you will share with us during this interview will be kept confidential and will only be used for the purposes of the study. Hence, we are hoping that you will be honest and open


Key Informant Interview (KII) Guide for Principals1

Take note of the kinds of help extended by the parents, if there are any




SAMPLENotes for the Interviewer Series of Questions

in answering our questions.

l The discussion will only take about 30 to 40 minutes. Please be informed that this interview will be recorded and my companion will be taking down notes and pictures. (Ask permission)

Do you have any questions before we start?

Discuss the daily activities and responsibilities of the principal

Question 1: Please bring us to your typical day at your school. What do you do? What keeps you busy?

The questions for the principals will mainly revolve on the performance of the school on Science.

Question 1: As a principal, what do you think of your school’s performance on science subjects?

Question 2.1: Do you think you have fared well in Science in comparison to other schools?

Discuss the strong and weak points of the students in terms of their performance on Science

Question 3: Can you give us a walkthrough on your K3 to K6 students’ performance on Science?

These series of questions refer to the school activities regarding Science (if there’s any)

Question 4: Does your school have activities that aim to promote Science?

Question 4.1: If yes, what are those and could you share how those started?

Question 4.2: If no, do you want to initiate school activities to promote Science learning? Could you share your ideas briefly?

These series of questions discusses the students performance on the subject

Question 6: In your _______ years/months being a principal at this school. Have you faced any challenges regarding your student’s science learning? For example: students are not participating in science activities, having not enough materials and facilities for Science learning etc.

Question 6.1: We have discussed earlier the performance of your students on Science. Do you think any of these challenges contribute to your students’ performance? How so?

Take note of the informant’s answer Question 5: How long have you been a principal at this school?

Take note of the concerns raised by the teachers, if there are any

Question 7: In your experience, have Science teachers raised concerns regarding your student’s science learning?




Discuss the daily activities and responsibilities of the principal

Question 7.1: If yes, what are those? Can you tell us about these briefly?

These questions refer to the characteristics of the science teachers of the school

Question 8: Could you name some characteristics/traits that you think are needed by a teacher to teach Science effectively?

Take note of the informant’s answer Question 9: Now, could you describe to me the characteristics of your science teachers? What are their strongest or weakest points?

Question 9.1: Do you think they have the characteristics to teach Science effectively? What else can they improve on?

Remind the informant that his/her answers will be treated confidentially and will only be accessible to the research team and its study commissioner

Question 10: In your opinion, what are some improvements your school needs in order to teach Science more effectively? How do you think they can be provided or addressed?

Debrief informant if needed. Emphasize that information will only be used for the purposes of the study and that their identities will not be disclosed.If there are questions, entertain them

If there are no more questions, thank the informant and end the interview

l Before we end, do you have any questions or comments for us?

l If none, we would like to thank you for your time and participation. Rest assured that all of the things you said will only be used for the purposes of the study. Thank you very much and have a great day!




SAMPLE

Focus Group DiscussionDecember 1, 2020

(8:00 AM - 10:00 AM) via Messenger Group CallRegion 8, Private School,

Asian DevelopmentFoundation College

Focus Group Discussion with NCR Students (Private)

December 12, 2020, St. Theodore

Perpetual School

C. DOCUMENTATION PICTURES

1. FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS

Focus Group DiscussionDecember 8, 2020 (8:00 AM - 10:00pm) via Messenger Group CallNCR, Tandang Sora Elementary School



Project MonitoringMeeting, September 2,

2020 (10:30 AM -11:30pm) via Google Meet

Project MonitoringMeeting, November 19,2020 (3:00 PM -4:00pm)

via Google Meet


2. MONITORING MEETINGS

Project MonitoringMeeting, October21, 2020 (3:30 PM- 4:30pm) viaGoogle Meet



SAMPLE

Project MonitoringMeeting with Regional

Coordinators September 9, 2020

(10:00 AM -11:30pm) via Google Meet

3. PROJECT MONITORING WITH REGIONAL COORDINATORS




Orientation forCoordinators and

Facilitators Meeting with August 5, 2020

(2:00 PM - 4:00pm) via Google Meet

4. ORIENTATION FOR CORODINATORS AND FACILITATORS



SAMPLE5. FIELDWORK

Discussion with the Principals of Upper Labay Elementary School & Upper Labay High School & the Science Coordinator of Upper Labay Elementary School on the preparations for the the online FGD. ULES will shepherd the students to the ULHS, strictly observing protocols. ULHS will provide the internet connection, individual laptop for the FGD pax, IT staff support, and ensure health protocols.



D. RESEARCH/PROJECT TEAM

DOST STEM Year 1 Project Team

Dr. Arminda V. SantiagoDr. Lourdes M. PortusMs. Ma. Isabel P. SilvestreMs. Katrina Mae RamosMs. Gina VillegasMs. Diane Alvarez – Granado Ms. Naomi Czar B. Quiaochon Ms. Charmaine Ann B. Padilla Ms. Gwyneth Dana Mariz LozadaDr. Fernando DLC Paragas Atty. Victor C. Avecilla Ms. Mary Jane Gomez Dr. Jonalou S. Labor Asst. Prof. Jon Benedik A. Bunquin Dr. Aleli A. Quirante Mr. Christian Jaycee Samonte Ms. Allyjah Vienne Ogad Ms. Annabelle O. Galang Prof. Adrian Aguilar Ms. Clarisse Faith G. Buday Ms. Myla June T. Patron Dr. Julienne Baldo-Cubelo Dr. Leah Usman Dr. Aleli A. Quirante Dr. Mario Aguja Ms. Fraulein Oclarit Ms. Angelle Rose BraganzaMr. Arjay Torno

Project LeaderChief Research SpecialistProject AssociateProject Officer Budget Officer Administrative Staff (conceptualization phase)Research Assistant, Coordinator and Enumerator NCRResearch Assistant, Coordinator and Enumerator NCRResearch Assistant, Coordinator and Enumerator NCRResearch Consultant (conceptualization phase)Legal Consultant (conceptualization phase)LiasonFGD Facilitator, Analysis and WriteupFGD Facilitator, Analysis and WriteupKII Interviewer, Analysis and WriteupKII Interviewer, Analysis and WriteupCoordinator, Region 1 Coordinator, Region 3Coordinator, Region 5 Coordinator, Region 6Coordinator, Region 7Coordinator, Region 8 Coordinator, Region 9Coordinator, Region 11 Coordinator, Region 12 - PublicCoordinator, Region 12 - PrivateEnumeratorEnumerator

Name Position / Title



SAMPLE


the perception of stem among filipino grades 3 to 12 students

Documents

Transcript of the perception of stem among filipino grades 3 to 12 students