Research Proposal 1

A SWOT ANALYSIS OF UTILIZING THE DISTANCE MODULAR

LEARNING MODALITY IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN
THE THREE DISTRICTS OF SANTA CRUZ

Background of the Problem

The COVID-19 pandemic has driven the fastest changes to educational institutions across

countries. The Philippines not exempted to this, hence, it is also affected by this deadly

pandemic. Consequently, this has led to an almost immediate switch to alternative delivery

modality in all levels of educational institutions, that is from pre-elementary to tertiary level. In

some cases, lucky are those schools who have facilities for a combination of other modalities,

like combinations of the modalities under Distance Learning (eg. online distance learning and

modular distance learning) in which virtual class is possible. Others, used solely the Modular

Distance Learning (printed materials) as the alternative delivery modality.

This is the case of almost all schools in public education and some non-stock corporation

private schools in the Philippines. This is in fact an offshoot of the remote enrollment survey

with the parents, in which majority of the learners had no high end gadgets and other

technological facilities for the online classes. Likewise, strong and stable internet connection is

not possible. Similarly, other places are experiencing frequent power interruption which may

also lead to interrupted online classes. Besides, some schools are also not ready for this set-up,

due to scarcity of resources. Nevertheless, learning is indispensable. DepEd Secretary Leonor

Magtolis Briones said that learning must continue amidst the pandemic situation. In this regard,

the Alternative Delivery Modalities are options to use by the teachers to deliver the instruction.
Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterto also affirmed that Face to Face classes is suspended and

will not be allowed until vaccine is available, yet for limited schools only.

It can be deduced from the statements of the leader of the country and the head of the

educational institution that learning shall continue and shall not suspended. With this, the

teachers have to use all the possible delivery modalities to make continue the students’ learning

in this New Normal for School Year 2020-2021.

Thus, when the classes recently opened on October 5, 2020, the officials, staff, personnel,

and teachers of the Department of Education, each of them complied with the different protocols

mandated by the Department of Health (DOH), the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), the Local

Government Unit in facing the “New Normal” of delivering instruction to the learners.

As part of the “New Normal” delivery of instruction, the DepEd opted to use the Distance

Learning Module as the Alternative Delivery of Modality (ADM) and other alternative

modalities in areas where these are possible. But in majority of the schools opted to use the

Modular Learning as the chosen modality. With this, different preparations were made.

The Schools Division of Marinduque (SDO) chose this modality based on the different

surveys conducted during the remote enrollment. Since majority of the learners had no high end

gadgets and technological facilities for other modalities like Distance Online Learning and

parents were not trained for Home Schooling, the Distance Learning Module is the chosen

modality.

With this, elementary schools in Santa Cruz District, Schools Division of Marinduque

used the Distance Learning Modality as the Alternative Delivery Modality in the New Normal of

delivering instruction. In fact, during the dry run and on the opening of classes, teachers made a
lot of preparations. Such preparations include print materials, print equipment for the

reproduction of the modules, delivery paraphernalia such as storage boxes (bila-bila boxes)

materials for advocacy campaign and mobilization. In like manner, the schools coordinated with

the SDO personnel and Santa Cruz District Officials and tapped Local Government Unit,

Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), and Alumni Association for their help, assistance, and

support for the dry run and opening of classes.

Other matters were also prepared, such as, the school had analyzed its situation, to be
able to see the strengths and weakness, opportunity and threats of catering and delivering
Modular Distance Learning to its enrollees.

With this, the school revisited and reviewed the data of School Report Card focusing on
the performance of the learners. The school aims to offer the same quality instruction although
the modality is in a form of modular distance learning. The ultimate goal of the school is still to
improve the performance of the learners amidst COVID 19. As a result, the school took different
considerations such as creation of School Planning Team and realignment of MOOE for print
materials such as bond papers, ink, printer and others are for safety and hygiene such as
facemasks, face shield, footbath, alcohol, and thermal scanner.

Having this background, the research would like to assess the strengths, weaknesses,

opportunities, and threats of utilizing the Distance Learning Modality as the ADM for the New

Normal of delivering instruction of the elementary schools in the three districts of Santa Cruz.

Statement of the Problem

1. What are the strength, weaknesses, threats and opportunities of utilizing the Distance

Modular Learning Modality among elementary schools in the three districts of Santa Cruz?
 2. How do the weaknesses and threats of utilizing the Distance Modular Learning

Modality in the elementary schools in the three districts of Santa Cruz affect the pupils’

performance?

3. How do the strength and opportunities of utilizing the Distance Modular Learning

Modality among elementary schools in the three districts of Santa Cruz affect the pupils’

performance?

4. What intervention can be proposed?

Conceptual Framework
Performance in schools is increasingly judged on the basis of effective learning

outcomes. Evident in its graduates. Information is critical to knowing whether the school system

is delivering good performance and to providing feedback for improvement in student outcomes.

Thus, it is important to assess and evaluate the status of every educational program (Santiago,

2010).

In this case of Pandemic COVID 19, the set of the education system as well as the

delivery of instruction has changed from the traditional face to face to Distance Learning (one of

the Alternative Delivery Modalities) of the Department of Education.

In this regard, the researcher believed that knowing the utilization of Distance Learning

Modality and conducting a SWOT analysis can be of great help for the elementary schools’

administrators, teachers, and parents to see the bigger perspective and potentials of the schools

on how to better the utilization of the modality until such time that face to face classes will be

allowed so that learners would feel that despite the pandemic situation, they are receiving the

same quality education in the usual setting. Consequently, they can think of adequate and
concrete solutions to address whatever problems (weakness and threats) they may come across in

the years ahead, as this set up continues until allowed by the government.

Input Process Output

Strength, weaknesses, threats and Survey on Strength,

opportunities of utilizing the weaknesses, threats and
Distance Modular Learning Modality opportunities of utilizing the
among elementary schools in the Distance Modular Learning
three districts of Santa Cruz Modality among elementary
schools in the three districts of
Weaknesses and threats of utilizing
Santa Cruz
the Distance Modular Learning
Modality and its effect on pupils’ A SWOT Analysis through
performance FGD Proposed Intervention
Program
Strength and opportunities of Focus Group Discussion to
utilizing the Distance Modular deepen the discussion
Learning Modality among Strength and Opportunities,
elementary schools and its effect on Weaknesses and threats of
pupils’ performance utilizing the Distance Modular
Learning Modality and its effect
on pupils’ performance with the
school heads, teachers, and
parents

Feedback

Figure 1. The Research Paradigm

This research conceptualized the working paradigm using the IPO pattern illustrated in

Figure 1. It consists of three frames, the input, process, and the output. The input of the study

encompasses the strength, weaknesses, threats and opportunities of utilizing the Distance
Modular Learning Modality among elementary schools in the three districts of Santa Cruz, the

weaknesses and threats of utilizing the Distance Modular Learning Modality and its effect on

pupils’ performance and the strength and opportunities of utilizing the Distance Modular

Learning Modality among elementary schools and its effect on pupils’ performance.

In knowing the strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of utilizing the

Distance Modular Learning, a survey will be administered. In addition, Focus Group Discussion

will be conducted among school heads, teachers, and parents to deeply examine the internal and

external factors that affecting the over-all utilization of the Distance Learning Modality and its

effect to pupils’ performance so that proper intervention may be given.

Significance
Primordial to any program implementation in the curriculum, including the utilization of

Alternative Delivery Modality (ADM) in times of Pandemic COVID 19, a regular monitoring and

assessment of the chosen ADM is paramount to order to meet the expectations of the clienteles such as

the learners and their parents.

Thus, to measure the level of success of the utilization of the Distance Learning Modality as the

Alternative Delivery Modality, it is essential to conduct a SWOT analysis so that enhancement and proper

intervention may be given.

Specifically, this study would give significance to the following groups of individuals:

To the Curriculum Makers, the study may contribute to be able to see the loopholes

which are needed to patch in utilizing the Distance Learning Module. Likewise, it may serve as

basis to continuously enhance the level of instruction, adaptation of different innovation in

teaching, despite the Pandemic Situation, like transition program specifically for the
Kindergarten and Primary Levels who may not be capable of independent learning or Home

School so that similar quality education just like the face to face setting may be catered to the

learners.

To the Supervisors and School Heads, findings of this study may help them in giving

technical assistance on how to better utilize the printed distance learning module in terms of

monitoring of learning, tracking of learning progress, and assessment of learning.

For the Learning Resource Management and Development System (LRMDS), the

results of this study could be their basis for adapting the developed Division of Marinduque

Module and endorse in the division or region as approved resource materials for learners’ use

and instructional support materials for teachers. As such, content of the module would also be

helpful to educators new to the content or to the experience of teaching the learning

competencies.

To the Teachers, results of this study may aid teachers to see the advantages and

disadvantages of using this distance modular learning, so they can make necessary intervention,

adjustment, and modification as how this will suit to the needs of their learners. It may also serve

as challenge to them as to how they facilitate the instruction, hence, this distance learning

method is a self-paced learning or independent learning. Hence, despite of the distance that

separates the teachers from the learners, they could still reach their learners through any possible

means of learning, such as distance online asynchronous or synchronous which can be blend to

the distance learning module.

To the Parents, they may become more supportive to the studies of their children. In this

time of crisis that the education system is facing, their guidance and support to the studies of
their children are much needed. They are their children’s learning buddies towards understanding

the content of the learning module.

To the pupils, they are primary beneficiaries of the study, it is hoped that in times of the

pandemic situation, in which face to face is suspended which prevent them from being physically

present in the classroom and to have physical interaction with their teachers and classmates, they

will become more serious in their studies. Hence, in this time, it is most essential that they pay

particular attention to their lessons, because their teachers are not physically present to guide

them.

To the future researchers, every part of the manuscript could be helpful to them as they

conduct similar study treated here. They can adapt or modify the researcher-made instrument.

The findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the research could serve as review for them

as they wish to conduct follow up study.

Research Design
This study will make use of the descriptive survey method to characteristically collect a

great deal of numerical information and data about the problem at hand and the qualitative

method. The researcher will collect data through Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and SWOT

Analysis among elementary school heads, teachers, and parents. Data will be processed

separately and interpretation will be based on a combination data to be collected from the survey,

FGD and SWOT analysis.