THESIS WRITING 1

PRESENTATION OF THREE CONCEPT PAPERS

Submitted by:

JANIE-LYN A. PRIETO

Teacher 1
Talisay City National High School

September 14, 2021

Title 1: Evaluating the Quality, Usability and The Effectiveness of the Self-Learning
Modules for English Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the first nationwide extended educational

disruption, resulting in many challenges for teachers as they were forced to a distance
teaching and learning model. Educators modified curricular content, delivery, and
assessment methods from standard subject textbooks to self-contained ‘modules’ to
accommodate and engage learners and maintain academic expectations while at the
same time attempting to mitigate undue stress for their students. Teachers met this task
with little to no adaptive expertise to draw from, as few had previous experience with
distance teaching.

This poses many challenges to the language teachers, particularly Filipino and
English teachers, as they strive to develop communicative skills among learners. The
self-learning modules, being a ‘self-contained’ learning material should not only cover the
objectives set by the MELCs of the Department of Education but also take into
consideration factors like student interest, student level of learning and technology.

Through a lens of adaptive expertise, this study aims to understand the

effectiveness of the English modules used in this modular approach to learning. It seeks

a) To explain how the content, delivery and assessment methods of modules were
modified;
b) To examine what parts immerses communicative skills;
c) To examines what parts do not develop communicative skills; and
d) How it can be revised to be able to achieve the objectives set in the module at the
same time allowing learners to interact with the module.

The study will anchor on the ADDIE Model of Instructional Design, which provides
guidelines to organizing appropriate pedagogical scenarios as a guide into creating
effective instructional experiences for the learners.

Aside from the ADDIE Model, the System Approach model of Dick and Carrey,
which is a more detailed approach to ADDIE, will also be adapted in evaluating the
effectiveness of the modules.

As a researcher, this is study is quite relevant to me because I am currently working

as an English teacher at TALISAY CITY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL adapting printed
self-learning modules as lessons given to learners. I have observed some inefficiencies
in reproducing the modules and how the modules were created by teachers who has little
or no training in instructional design.
References

Hanson, D., Maushak, N. J., Schlosser, C. A., Anderson, M. L., Sorenson, C., &
Simonson, M. (1997). Distance education: Review of the literature (2nd Ed.). Washington,
DC: Association for Educational Communications and Technology

Moore, M. G. (1983). The individual adult learner. In M. Tight (Ed.), Adult learning and
education. London: Croom Helm

Chaudry, M., Rahman, F. (2010) A Critical Review of Instructional Design Process of

Distance Learning. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education. Vol. 11, Number 3,
Article 11.

Hofman, B. and Ritchie, D. (2001). An Instructional Design-Based Approach to

Developing Online Learning Environments. In B. Kahn (Ed.), Web-based Training (pp.
213-218). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.
Title 2: Learner’s Interaction Experiences with Self-Learning Modules (SLMs) in
Distance Learning: A Phenomenological Study

As the COVID-19 pandemic has affected all sphere of human life and the schools across
the country are closed due to the risk of spreading the virus, modular teaching has
become a major alternative pedagogical strategy, especially in public schools. This holds
true in the Department of Education, wherein this the second school year that
asynchronous teaching and learning are implemented. However, this style of education
has been met with reduced enthusiasm as there are many factors that influences the
effectiveness of the self-learning modules. In particular, learners are not used to
independent learning or may lack the skills to do so that they rely much on adults at home
to guide them in answering the modules. The adults, who are parents or any family
member, are also struggling in guiding their children due to internal (lack of knowledge)
and external (parents working full time) forces.

This study aims to understand the experiences of Junior High School learners,
particularly in Grade 10, in transitioning lesson delivery from a traditional classroom
setting to that of self-learning modules (SLMs). Understanding how the learners interact
with the module and their triumphs and struggles in dealing with the learning material will
guide instructional designers to create a more relatable, personal and effective modules.

This study will be based broadly on a phenomenological design, focusing on the

meaning the participants make from their lived experience of modular distance learning
in the face of COVID-19 pandemic. In this way, the lived meaning of the experiential
moment of the student’s learning will be drawn during the research process (Adams &
van Manen, 2018).

The study is anchored on Moore’s Transactional Distance theory considered as a

theoretical framework. Moore (1983) developed this theory of distance learning programs
to investigate two variables: students’ autonomy and the distance between students and
teachers (Hanson et al., 1997).

In this note, this study would like to explore how their personal provide insight into
the reality of the so-called technological remedies to learning loss in the crisis times of
COVID-19. The key questions are as follows:

1. How are student’s experience of answering the modules?

2. What complexities and challenges do they face while switching from the face-to-face
to printed modules?

3. What interventions schemes and curriculum adjustments that can be done?

 I would like to investigate the phenomenon by interviewing students on their lived
experience in dealing with the printed modules during the times of the pandemic with the
hope to synthesize, analyze, and organize their significant experiences into clustered
themes to describe the phenomenon.

References

Hanson, D., Maushak, N. J., Schlosser, C. A., Anderson, M. L., Sorenson, C., &
Simonson, M. (1997). Distance education: Review of the literature (2nd Ed.). Washington,
DC: Association for Educational Communications and Technology

Moore, M. G. (1983). The individual adult learner. In M. Tight (Ed.), Adult learning and
education. London: Croom Helm

Distance Learner’s Experiences on Learning Delivery Modality through Modular and

Online Learning in a Science High School: A Phenomenological Study. Retrieved from

https://www.academia.edu/46931029/Title_Distance_Learners_Experiences_on_Learning_Deliv
ery_Modality_through_Modular_and_Online_Distance_Learning_in_a_Science_High_School_A
_Phenomenological_Study
Title 3: Exploring Arab EFL Learners’ Experience of Foreign Language Learning: A
Phenomenological Study

Over recent decades, Arab nations, in view of the growing importance of English as a
lingua franca within the globalised knowledge economy (Kirkpatrick and Barnawi, 2017),
has invested heavily in EFL provision and reforms within the educational settings to
enable Arab learners to participate effectively in the global workplace and society (Mitchell
and Alfurai, 2016). However, despite this investment on the part of the government,
literature suggests that the reforms have not been as successful as envisioned, with a
possible constraint being the attitudes of the Arab EFL learners towards learning English
(Alrabai, 2016). This study would like to focus on the experiences of Arab EFL learners
in selecting and using Language Learning Strategies and the meanings these learners
make of their own experiences.

Language learning strategy research and cognitive theory will constitute the conceptual
framework for this study and they will be used as a lens to analyze the data. Language
learning strategies are defined as “steps or actions taken by learners to improve the
development of their language skills” (Oxford & Cohen, 1992, p. 1). These strategies have
the power to: (a) increase attention essential for learning a language; (b) enhance
rehearsal that allows linkages to be strongly forged; (c) improve the encoding and
integration of language material, and (d) increase retrieval of information when needed
for use (Mayer, 1988; Oxford, 1990a). Also, the cognitive model of learning indicates that
learning is an active, dynamic process in which learners select information from their
environment, organize the information, relate it to what they already know, retain what
they consider to be important, use the information in appropriate contexts, and reflect on
the success of their learning efforts (Gagne, 1985).

The primary research question for this study was:

What are the experiences of Arab learners in using Language Learning Strategies?
Subsidiary questions will include the following:

1. What insights about their experience in selecting LLS do Arab learners reveal?

2. What the strategies do that Arab learners employed in learning English?

To facilitate the study, semi-structured interviews and a focus group interview, will be
conducted, transcribed, and analyzed to selected Arab EFL learners to investigate their
lived experience in utilizing English Language Learning strategies during their EFL
classes.

As a researcher, this is quite relevant to me because I used to teach Arab learners and I
noticed that they employed interesting language learning strategies which are very vital
towards their language proficiency. In this note, I would like to delve in deeper to describe
the phenomenon in my study.

References

Gagne, E. D. (1985). The cognitive psychology of school learning. Boston: Little, Brown.

Kirkpatrick, R and O.Z. Barnawi. (2017). Introduction: English education policy in MENA.
In R. Kirkpatrick (Ed.), English language education policy in the Middle East and North
Africa (1-8). Springer

Mitchell, B. & Alfuraih, A. (2016). The Tensioned Nature of Curriculum Reform: What the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Can Learn from the Experience of Others? Journal of
Educational and Social Research, 6(3), 93.

Oxford, R. L., & Cohen, A. D. (1992). Language learning strategies: Crucial issues in
concept and definition. Applied Language Learning, 3, 1-35.