Bongabon Senior High School

Sinipit, Bongabon, Nueva Ecija

An Assessment: Learning Modality of Grade-12 Humanities and

Social Sciences students
of Bongabon Senior High School

Sarah Jane M. Rolloda

Exequile C. Agustin
Jean R. Bautista
Marianne Jade B. Bibat
Mark James S. Dela Cruz
Liza Aileen M. Gregorio
Shane Ivy Claire Naparan
Jayrald Orata

May 2021
 CHAPTER I
The Problem and Its Setting

Face to face learning engagement of students and teachers

within the school has been suspended due to the COVID-19
pandemic. This pandemic has paved the way to the implementation
of Modular Distance Learning as an urgent response to ensure
continuity of education. The Philippines is in the process of
adapting to the new normal form of education at present, and
continuous innovations of educators and active involvement of
other stakeholders are the driving force for its success.

The outbreak of the new coronavirus infection known as

COVID-19 has first occurred at Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan
city of China in December 2019 (Wikipedia, 2020), and within a
couple of months it has turned out to be a global health
emergency. It has rapidly affected thousands of people, who are
sick or being killed due to the spread of this disease. The
COVID-19 pandemic also resulted in a widespread disruption such
as travel restrictions, closure of schools and global economic
recession.

Most countries around the world have temporarily closed

educational institutions to contain the spread of the virus and
reduce infections (Tria, 2020). Face to face engagement of
students and teachers within the school has also been suspended.
The Philippines is in the process of adapting to the new normal
form of education at present, and continuous innovations of
educators and active involvement of other stakeholders are the
driving force for its success. For the continuity of education
and for every school to still attain its mission and vision which
is to provide quality education to every Filipino learner, the
Department of Education implemented the Modular Distance
Learning.

Distance Learning refers to a learning delivery modality,

where learning takes place between the teacher and the learners
who are geographically remote from each other during instruction.
This modality has three types: Modular Distance Learning (MDL),
Online Distance Learning (ODL), and TV/Radio-Based Instruction.
(Quinones, 2020)
 Modular learning is the most popular type of Distance
Learning. In the Philippines, this learning modality is currently
used by all public schools because according to a survey
conducted by the Department of Education (DepEd), learning
through printed and digital modules emerged as the most preferred
distance learning method of parents with children who are
enrolled this academic year (Bernardo, J). This is also in
consideration of the learners in rural areas where internet is
not accessible for online learning.

The teacher takes the responsibility of monitoring the

progress of the learners. The learners may ask assistance from
the teacher via e-mail, telephone, text message/instant
messaging, among others. Where possible, the teacher shall do
home visits to learners needing remediation or assistance (Llego,
n.d.). Printed Modules will be delivered to students, parents or
guardians by the teachers or through the Local Government
Officials.
Since education is no longer held within the school, parents
serve as partners of teachers in education. Parents play a vital
role as home facilitators. Their primary role in modular learning
is to establish a connection and guide the child. (FlipScience,
2020.

According to the Department of Education (DepEd), parents

and guardians' perform the various roles in Modular Learning such
as Module-ator, Bundy-clock, and as Home Innovator. As a Module-
ator, they are the ones to get and submit the printed Self-
Learning Modules (SLMs) from and to schools or barangay halls at
the beginning and end of the week, depending on the agreement
between the parents and the school. As a Bundy-clock, they must
check their child's schedule or workweek plan. Because of the
number of subjects or activities to be done, they must see that
it is being followed accordingly to avoid cramming or delays in
submission, which may affect the child's performance. Lastly, as
a Home Innovator, they must provide their child with a productive
learning environment to help them focus more on Learning. It must
be a well-lighted and well-ventilated space in the house, with
little or no distraction.
 The use of modules encourages independent study. One of the
benefits of using modules for instruction is the acquisition of
better self-study or learning skills among students. Students
engage themselves in learning the concepts presented in the
module. They develop a sense of responsibility in accomplishing
the tasks provided in the module. With little or no assistance
from others, the learners progress on their own. They are
learning how to learn; they are empowered (Nardo, M.T.B, 2017).
Other advantages of modular instruction include more choice and
self-pacing for students; more variety and flexibility for
teachers and staff; and increased adaptability of instructional
materials.

The disadvantages include greater self-discipline and self-

motivation required for students, increased preparation time and
lack of concrete rewards for teachers and staff, and greater
administrative resources needed to track students and operate
multiple modules.

The key purpose of this research is to find out the

challenges encountered by the teachers, parents, and students in
the implementation of Modular Distance Learning in the Philippine
public secondary schools. Also, this study aims to ascertain the
methods, interventions or solutions of every educational
institution as well as the government in helping students,
parents and teachers who are having difficulty in this new
learning modality.

Review of Related Literature and Studies

Foreign
There are many methods in order to assess learning styles.
The method used in this study defines the preference in learning
style based on the sensory modality in which a student prefers to
take in new information. Learning modalities can also be
described as learners’ relatively permanent preferences about
perceiving information (ùimúek, 2002). The three main sensory
modalities are; visual (V), aural (A), and kinaesthetic (K),
collectively known as VAK (Wehrwein, Lujan, Di Carlo, 2007).
Visual learners like to learn via visual channel (Gholomi &
Bagheri, 2013). The visual preference includes forms of symbols,
diagrams, charts, maps that people use to represent ideas rather
than using words (Stowe & Clinebell, 2015). Aural modality
describes a preference for information that is heard or spoken.
Kinaesthetic modality refers to perceptual preference related to
the use of experience and practice.
Blended learning (BL), or the integration of face-to-face
and online instruction (Graham 2013), is widely adopted across
higher education with some scholars referring to it as the “new
traditional model” (Ross and Gage 2006, p. 167) or the “new
normal” in course delivery (Norberg et al. 2011, p. 207).
However, tracking the accurate extent of its growth has been
challenging because of definitional ambiguity (Oliver and
Trigwell 2005), combined with institutions’ inability to track an
innovative practice, that in many instances has emerged
organically. One early nationwide study sponsored by the Sloan
Consortium (now the Online Learning Consortium) found that 65.2%
of participating institutions of higher education (IHEs) offered
blended (also termed hybrid) courses (Allen and Seaman 2003). A
2008 study, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education to
explore distance education in the U.S., defined BL as “a
combination of online and in-class instruction with reduced in-
class seat time for students” (Lewis and Parsad 2008, p. 1,
emphasis added). Using this definition, the study found that 35%
of higher education institutions offered blended courses, and
that 12% of the 12.2 million documented distance education
enrollments were in blended courses.

The 2017 New Media Consortium Horizon Report found that

blended learning designs were one of the short term forces
driving technology adoption in higher education in the next 1–
2 years (Adams Becker et al. 2017). Also, blended learning is one
of the key issues in teaching and learning in the EDUCAUSE
Learning Initiative’s 2017 annual survey of higher education
(EDUCAUSE 2017). As institutions begin to examine BL instruction,
there is a growing research interest in exploring the
implications for both faculty and students. This modality is
creating a community of practice built on a singular and
pervasive research question, “How is blended learning impacting
the teaching and learning environment?” That question continues
to gain traction as investigators study the complexities of how
BL interacts with cognitive, affective, and behavioral components
of student behavior, and examine its transformation potential for
the academy. Those issues are so compelling that several volumes
have been dedicated to assembling the research on how blended
learning can be better understood (Dziuban et al. 2016; Picciano
et al. 2014; Picciano and Dziuban 2007; Bonk and Graham 2007;
Kitchenham 2011; Jean-François 2013; Garrison and Vaughan 2013)
and at least one organization, the Online Learning Consortium,
sponsored an annual conference solely dedicated to blended
learning at all levels of education and training (2004–2015).
These initiatives address blended learning in a wide variety of
situations. For instance, the contexts range over K-12 education,
industrial and military training, conceptual frameworks,
transformational potential, authentic assessment, and new
research models. Further, many of these resources address
students’ access, success, withdrawal, and perception of the
degree to which blended learning provides an effective learning
environment.

Currently the United States faces a widening educational gap

between our underserved student population and those communities
with greater financial and technological resources
(Williams 2016). Equal access to education is a critical need,
one that is particularly important for those in our underserved
communities. Can blended learning help increase access thereby
alleviating some of the issues faced by our lower income students
while resulting in improved educational equality? Although most
indicators suggest “yes” (Dziuban et al. 2004), it seems that, at
the moment, the answer is still “to be determined.” Quality
education presents a challenge, evidenced by many definitions of
what constitutes its fundamental components (Pirsig 1974; Arum et
al. 2016). Although progress has been made by initiatives, such
as, Quality Matters (2016), the OLC OSCQR Course Design Review
Scorecard developed by Open SUNY (Open SUNY n.d.), the Quality
Scorecard for Blended Learning Programs (Online Learning
Consortium n.d.), and SERVQUAL (Alhabeeb 2015), the issue is by
no means resolved. Generally, we still make quality education a
perceptual phenomenon where we ascribe that attribute to a
course, educational program, or idea, but struggle with precisely
why we reached that decision. Searle (2015), summarizes the
problem concisely arguing that quality does not exist
independently, but is entirely observer dependent. Pirsig (1974)
in his iconic volume on the nature of quality frames the context
this way,

“There is such thing as Quality, but that as soon as you try to

define it, something goes haywire. You can’t do it” (p. 91).
Therefore, attempting to formulate a semantic definition of
quality education with syntax-based metrics results in what
O’Neil (O'Neil 2017) terms surrogate models that are rough
approximations and oversimplified. Further, the derived metrics
tend to morph into goals or benchmarks, losing their original
measurement properties (Goodhart 1975).

A number of investigators have assembled a comprehensive

agenda of transformative and innovative research issues for
blended learning that have the potential to enhance effectiveness
(Garrison and Kanuka 2004; Picciano 2009). Generally, research
has found that BL results in improvement in student success and
satisfaction, (Dziuban and Moskal 2011; Dziuban et al. 2011;
Means et al. 2013) as well as an improvement in students’ sense
of community (Rovai and Jordan 2004) when compared with face-to-
face courses. Those who have been most successful at blended
learning initiatives stress the importance of institutional
support for course redesign and planning (Moskal et al. 2013;
Dringus and Seagull 2015; Picciano 2009; Tynan et al. 2015). The
evolving research questions found in the literature are long and
demanding, with varied definitions of what constitutes “blended
learning,” facilitating the need for continued and in-depth
research on instructional models and support needed to maximize
achievement and success (Dringus and Seagull 2015; Bloemer and
Swan 2015).

Local
The Philippines is in the process of adapting to the new
normal form of education at present, and continuous innovations
of educators and active involvement of other stakeholders are the
driving force for its success. For the continuity of education
and for every school to still attain its mission and vision which
is to provide quality education to every Filipino learner, the
Department of Education implemented the Modular Distance
Learning.
Distance Learning refers to a learning delivery modality,
where learning takes place between the teacher and the learners
who are geographically remote from each other during instruction.
This modality has three types: Modular Distance Learning (MDL),
Online Distance Learning (ODL), and TV/Radio-Based Instruction.
(Quinones, 2020)
Modular learning is the most popular type of Distance
Learning. In the Philippines, this learning modality is currently
used by all public schools because according to a survey
conducted by the Department of Education (DepEd), learning
through printed and digital modules emerged as the most preferred
distance learning method of parents with children who are
enrolled this academic year (Bernardo, J). This is also in
consideration of the learners in rural areas where internet is
not accessible for online learning.
The teacher takes the responsibility of monitoring the
progress of the learners. The learners may ask assistance from
the teacher via e-mail, telephone, text message/instant messaging
among others. Where possible, the teacher shall do home visits to
learners needing remediation or assistance (Llego, n.d.). Printed
Modules will be delivered to students, parents or guardians by
the teachers or through the Local Government Officials.
Since education is no longer held within the school, parents
serve as partners of teachers in education. Parents play a vital
role as home facilitators. Their primary role in modular learning
is to establish a connection and guide the child. (FlipScience,
2020).
According to the Department of Education (DepEd), parents
and guardians' perform the various roles in Modular Learning such
as Module-ator, Bundy-clock, and as Home Innovator. As a Module-
ator, they are the ones to get and submit the printed Self-
Learning Modules (SLMs) from and to schools or barangay halls at
the beginning and end of the week, depending on the agreement
between the parents and the school. As a Bundy-clock, they must
check their child's schedule or workweek plan. Because of the
number of subjects or activities to be done, they must see that
it is being followed accordingly to avoid cramming or delays in
submission, which may affect the child's performance. Lastly, as
a Home Innovator, they must provide their child with a productive
learning environment to help them focus more on Learning. It must
be a well-lighted and well-ventilated space in the house, with
little or no distraction.
The use of modules encourages independent study. One of the
benefits of using modules for instruction is the acquisition of
better self-study or learning skills among students. Students
engage themselves in learning the concepts presented in the
module. They develop a sense of responsibility in accomplishing
the tasks provided in the module. With little or no assistance
from others, the learners progress on their own. They are
learning how to learn; they are empowered (Nardo, M.T.B, 2017).
Other advantages of modular instruction include more choice and
self-pacing for students; more variety and flexibility for
teachers and staff; and increased adaptability of instructional
materials.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK