Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature and Studies

Different Learning Modalities

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused damage to education. As we move closer to

the new normal in the post-COVID-19 age, one must address new normal education in

light of rising opportunities and difficulties from the standpoint of curriculum studies

(Cahapay, 2020). Due to the health protocols and guidelines of the new Philippine

setting, it created a new kind of normal education and a new process of teaching-learning.

With printed modular, electronic modular, and online classes as options, students who

seek education in the middle of a chaotic world enroll themselves on the rocky road of

exceptional quality in an educational capacity.

Printed Modular

Modular courses are being criticized for not supporting effective learning. The

need for teaching "learning-to-learn" tactics before beginning modular courses is

emphasized, as is the importance of assessment to integrate knowledge learned through

modules (Cornford, 1997). Printed modular is the type where the printed modules are

delivered to the students or picked up at designated places within coordinated schedules

for the students who have no internet connection. As a result of the learners' skepticism

and lack of technological advancements for this mode of learning, it resulted in a slower

learning process.

Electronic Modular
 A blended/flexible learning method that blends synchronous and asynchronous

learning modalities produces an environment that uses many technological platforms,

which has resulted in new problems and challenges for learners. The findings indicated

Technological Lapses, which include the educational device's unavailability, as well as

the failure and ineffective implementation of blended learning flexibility due to

inconsistent internet access (Abbacan-Tuguic, 2021). Blended/flexible learning, or most

commonly known as electronic modular learning, is education conducted on online

premises with special coordination between the teacher and the student for the

educational setup of the students without a stable internet connection.

Online Class

The rapid emergence of Covid-19 posed a challenge to the global education

system, forcing educators to switch to an online form of instruction overnight. Many

academic institutions that had previously been hesitant to adapt their traditional

pedagogical methods now have no choice but to fully embrace online teaching and

learning (Dhawan, 2020). The Philippines was among the countries that were caught off

guard by the abrupt shift from face-to-face instruction to online learning.

The advancement of information technology provides a technical foundation for

educational reform as well as chances for educational innovation. The widespread

adoption of online education has ushered in a new normal that paves the way for more

relevant alternatives (Xin Xie et al., 2020). A new mode of education in the Philippines is

an online class that is delivered where the discussion and activities are conducted online

for students with a stable internet connection.

Social Studies

The National Council for the Social Studies (1992) defines social studies as the

integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence with

a primary goal of aiding young people in making informed and reasoned decisions.

Hence, social studies education is of great significance in molding students to be right

and responsible citizens as it can open a wide scope of perspectives and ideas that the

whole community can use in analyzing the social problems and giving solutions to it

(Renso, Naquita, & Tantengco, 2018).

However, the current pandemic created the largest disruption of education

systems in human history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 200 countries,

and closures of schools, institutions, and other learning spaces have impacted more than

94% of the world’s student population (Pokhrel & Chhetri, 2021). Nonetheless, education

must continue despite the difficulties brought by the global health crisis.

Furthermore, Maguth (2020) pointed out two ways that the pandemic influenced

the teaching and learning process: First, the crisis highlighted the importance of social

studies by serving as a refuge for the youth and families to navigate and better this

disaster. Social studies allow youth and families to glean the lessons of history,

geography, economics, government, psychology, and sociology to better understand

current events and the overall human condition (Maguth, 2016). In an instance,

unpacking fake news and teaching learners to be critical consumers of news has been and

must be a vital part of a well-rounded and meaningful social studies education; during a

national emergency, it is paramount (Journell, 2019). Second, the crisis led to the
emergence of curricular innovations that guided informative practices. One of the

innovations is the concept of ‘Maslow before bloom,’ which means prioritizing the

physical and mental well-being of students and their families over academic learning

(Maguth, 2020). Another curricular innovation that emerged was the opportunity to

ground social studies teaching and content in a real-world context (Maguth, 2020).

Moreover, Social Studies as a discipline would require instructional strategies that

are applicable to the distance learning setup. Dwomoh (2020) proposes cooperative

learning and discussions, which can be done virtually. In fact, there are several studies

that expound on classroom environments and universities incorporating virtual learning

where experiences can be shared and practice documented (Armitage, Browne, &

Jenkins, 2001; Browne & Jenkins, 2003; Moron-Garcia, 2004; Weller, 2007).

However, distance learning poses both strengths and challenges to learners. The

study done by Hernandez (2021) revealed that the primary advantages of distance

learning are the following: (1) It saves time to travel to school (2) It offers flexible time.

(3) It encourages support from parents. (4) It saves for daily allowance. (5) It gives a

sense of security at home. (6) It provides different learning platforms. (7) It emphasizes

the importance of education. (8) It is accessible. (9) It promotes multitasking. (10) It

develops independence. (11) In times of illness, there is no need to go to school to learn.

On the other hand, the study of Hernandez (2021) enumerated the following

disadvantages of distance learning: (1) It is an additional expense to the family. (2)

Limited learning opportunities. (3) It does not promote social development. (4)

Unavailability during online classes. (5) The technology may be misused. (6) Dishonesty
is due to the answer key page in the modules. (7) Hassle to parents during weekly

retrieval and returning of modules. (8) No available space for privacy. (9) For working

parents do not possess the subject competence, insufficient guidance, and assistance of a

parent.

In addition, the problems of the learners are also shared by the teachers. The

teachers are not totally ready on self-blended approaches with online activities and self-

blended features with traditional approaches. Moreover, the teachers are not that skillful

in accessing/downloading online materials and resources needed during distance/remote

learning (Calimlim, Guzman, & Villalobos, 2021). In fact, Social Studies teachers

strongly agreed that they preferred to be supported on Alternative Learning Delivery

Modalities (ALDMs) primarily on technological infrastructures and training and seminars

because they aimed and needed to be more familiar with the guidelines of blended

learning utilization inside the classroom and the need to be supplied with sufficient,

strong and stable Internet bandwidth or speed (Calimlim, Guzman, & Villalobos, 2021).

Thus, it is necessary for schools to look at different solutions involving educational

resources, materials, and technology, as this would undoubtedly help them continue with

learning delivery and help educators guide their students through this difficult time

(Calimlim, Guzman, & Villalobos, 2021). By doing so, the quality of learning of the

students can still be delivered efficiently and effectively despite the mentioned

challenges.

Quality of Learning
 The current education system in the Philippines consists of six years of

elementary school, four years of junior high school, and two years of senior high school.

In the past, the Philippines served as a model for neighboring Southeast Asian countries

in terms of education. However, this is no longer the case. The quality of education in the

Philippines continues to deteriorate, which has become a challenge and source of concern

in the country.

According to the Trends and International Mathematics and Science Study

(2019), an international assessment of mathematics and science for fourth-grade students,

students in the Philippines ranked low compared to the other participating countries. As

per the Trends and International Mathematics and Science Study, only 19% of students in

the Philippines were on the low benchmark in mathematics and 13% in science,

indicating that the students only have the basic knowledge. While the remaining students

did not even meet the low benchmark level. The Philippines also ranked low in reading,

math, and science in the Programme for International Student Assessment (2018). Even

the National Achievement Test (NAT) and the National Career Assessment Education

(NCAE) show a drop in student performance. The results of the international and even

the national assessments reveal a serious crisis in our educational system. The dismal

result of these assessments should serve as a wake-up call (Gathchalian, 2021).

However, because of the pandemic, providing quality education has become more

challenging. Schools across the country have been forced to close, and learning has

shifted to distance education. Students were required to continue their education using

online platforms or printed resources, limiting their interaction with the teacher. Due to

the pandemic, people have witnessed the gaps in our educational system. There has also
been an alarming increase in the dropout rate, and the social cleavage in education has

become more apparent.

The transition from traditional face-to-face classes to distance education has not

been a smooth sailing process. Accessibility, affordability, flexibility, learning pedagogy,

life-long learning, and educational policy are some of the challenges in distance

education that have contributed to the ongoing decline in student performance

(Murgatrotd, 2020). Unreliable internet connections and a lack of a conducive learning

environment have also significantly impacted students' learning quality in the Philippines.

As stated in Sumitra Pokhrel and Rashan Chhetri's (2021) study, internet bandwidth in

many developing countries is relatively low, and data packages are expensive, making

accessibility and affordability inadequate. Sumitra Pokhel and Rashan Chhetri (2021)

believe that to improve the situation, policy intervention is required.

The requirement for technical support and teacher training in using these online

tools is critical to improving the quality of education in this new normal (Lachgar et al.,

2020). Educational institutions must also help the national government by designing

curriculum methods that are more receptive to students' needs outside of traditional face-

to-face classes (Toquero, 2020). Despite the lockdown and community quarantine, the

Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education are expected to

continue to deliver and maintain the highest possible educational standards for Filipino

students (Tria, 2020).

Needs of the Students

Cognitive Needs
 According to Bloom (1956), the domain of the cognitive process is the

acquisition of new knowledge and understanding through mental processes to

develop intellectual skills. An individuals' traits for processing and thinking such

as remembering, reasoning, and problem-solving, is called cognitive learning

(Liu, 1999). Piaget (1964) suggests that learning is effective when learners are

active in the process of learning and is present in the learning environment.

However, the crises of Covid-19 have caused a lot of universities and colleges to

close and implement distance learning to resume education, and that changes the

learning environment to online (Gurajena et al., 2021). Hence, distance learning

could affect the students' academic performance (Hashemi, 2021).

According to Sattar (2017), learners gain knowledge through interacting in

an online environment, just like they do in traditional classrooms. One of the

advantages of online learning is that it promotes the students' self-direction since

they learn autonomously (Muktar et al., 2020). However, there are also limitations

to online learning in terms of assessing the cognitive needs of the students. The

author adds that because of online learning, the students had a short attention span

and had difficulties with their resource strategies because of too much cognitive

load.

In a study conducted by Said (2021), the student's academic performance

did not change significantly with the online learning modality implemented at the

time of the pandemic. Contrary to that, a study conducted by Hashemi (2021) on

Afghan students revealed that COVID-19 has lowered the academic performance

of students and were dissatisfied with online learning. Chakraborty et al. (2020)
surveyed undergraduate students about their perceptions of online education. The

findings of their study revealed that the majority of the students prefer traditional

face-to-face classes to distance learning because they learn significantly.

Social Needs

Learning is successful with the presence of peers and mentors because it is

more effective with the presence of other people who can support and evaluate the

progress of an individual (Zhu, 2006). Henri (1995) suggested that collaboration

of students to students and teacher to students supports the process of significant

learning through collaborating. Learners can generate knowledge through their

observations as well as from their previous experiences (Ustati and Hassan,

2013).

According to Henri (1995), part of the challenge in implementing distance

education is the remoteness of the learners from their peers and instructors. He

also identified two traps to distance learning (a) the teaching practice, (b) passive

participation. In distance learning, there is a low level of interaction between

teachers and learners; as a result, there is little dynamic in student participation.

The learners are physically isolated from their peers and instructors; hence there is

no physical interaction with their peers and instructors.

There is a need for more studies on how to improve the quality of the

online learning experience, specifically in terms of designing the curriculum and

teaching methods in order to develop a greater feeling of community and learning

(Rovai, 2002). Silalahi & Hutauruk (2020) suggested that creativity in teaching is
needed to design collaborative learning. They added that cooperative learning

could make students absorb knowledge and learn significantly through

collaborating with their peers.

Emotional Needs

School closure in the COVID-19 pandemic era has directly impacted

today’s young learners. Although more than two-thirds of the countries have

introduced a platform for distance learning, this program was not successful in

underdeveloped countries compared to developed ones, with almost 30% of them

being able to run a similar program. Even before the pandemic, almost 30% of the

world’s young population did not have access to digital educational programs,

which has only gotten worse during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, this is not the first incidence of school closure. During the

pandemic of the H1N1 Influenza, US health officials suggested temporary school

closures. A study during this period and regarding the impact of school closure on

students reported that students’ activities, with respect to their grades, didn’t

decline during this time period; however, their interactions with other classmates

remarkably decreased. (Miller et al., 2010).

The absence from the academic and educational environment can affect

the students’ behavior and emotions towards education and school attendance.

(Khodabakhshi-koolaee, 2020). Therefore, it can be stated that students’ emotion

is influenced by public health emergencies which necessitate adequate devotion

and support from authorities. It is proposed that schools should collaborate in

managing these situations by providing crisis-oriented psychological support and

facilities for their students. (Pragholapati, 2020).

Physical Needs

Decreased transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has been found to be associated

with the conduction of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), including school

closure (Li, Y. et al., 2021). However, closing schools may also have downsides.

Evidence suggested that student’s connection with classmates and opportunities

for physical activity might greatly reduce by the enforced isolation and school

closure. (Rundle et al., 2020).

Insufficient physical activity might affect the growth and development of

children and adolescents, leading to several adverse consequences such as

elevated insulin and blood lipids levels, (Piercy, K. et al.,2018), obesity (Giroir,

2018), coronary heart disease, and cancers (Hallal et al., 2014), or mental

outcomes such as poor social behaviors (Hapala et al., 2014) and depression

(Korczak, 2017). Thus, maintaining regular physical activity in a safe

environment needs to be promoted for healthy living during the crisis (Chen et al.,

2020)