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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Rationale of the Study

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, many institutions have been affected even in the

field of education which had brought big impact towards the teaching and learning

process. There are certain changes, particularly on the modality or way of teaching and

learning. The teaching and learning environment has embraced several innovations, some

of which involve using technology through blended learning. The introduction of

Blended Learning (combinations of Online and Modular Learning) is part of these

changes and innovations in teaching and learning in San Francisco Javier College.

Blended learning is described as an educational method in which more than one

means is used to transmit knowledge and experience to learners to achieve the best

learning outputs (Freihat, 2017). This learning delivery mode got its root in the 1990s as

an influx of technology made the notion of creating digital learning opportunities

possible. Several studies were conducted to investigate the impacts of blended learning in

connection to the student's achievement. In particular, blended learning has positive and

negative impacts on student’s learning and academic achievement. Since blended

learning or flexible learning happens without the presence of a physical classroom, this

resulted in consequences that learning instruction shifted from teacher-led instruction to

student-led instruction. This kind of learning experience allows students autonomy over

when place, format, and pace in which they interact with classroom content. (Acree et al.,

2017, Kazakoff et al., 2018)).

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Blended learning effectiveness has quite a several underlying factors that pose

challenges. One big challenge is how users can successfully use the technology and

ensuring the learners' commitment given the individual learner characteristics and

encounters with technology (Hofman 2017). Hofman adds that students getting into

difficulties with technology and self-studying may abandon the learning and eventual

failure of technological applications.

Hence, due to the issue concerning the effectiveness of this type of learning

approach, the researchers chose this topic to determine the impact of blended learning on

the academic achievement of Grade 12 - ABM Senior High Students of San Francisco

Javier College. It attempted to provide data in creating an action plan to give educators

and parents awareness of what particular ways and strategies can help the students get

more motivated to learn and attain good academic achievement despite the lack of face-

to-face instruction.

Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to determine the impact of blended learning on the academic

achievement of Grade 12- ABM Senior High students of San Francisco Javier College.

Specifically, it answered the following questions:

1) What is the impact of using blended learning on the student's academic

achievement?

2) What is the academic achievements of the respondents?

3) Is there significant relationship between the impact of using blended learning on

the academic achievement of the respondents?

4) What is action plan?

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Statement of the Null Hypothesis

The null hypothesis was tested at a significance level of 0.01.

1) There is no significant difference between the impact of blended learning

on the academic achievement of the respondents.

Significance of the Study

This study aimed to determine the impact of using blended learning on the

academic achievement of Grade 12 ABM Senior High students in San Francisco Javier

College. Specifically, this research is beneficial to the following:

Students. This study is essential on the part of the students, wherein it will serve

as an awareness and an eye-opener about the scenario on the impacts of blended learning

type of modality.

Parents. This will help them analyze and understand the challenges and impact of

blended learning on their child's learning. This would also give them some ways to

motivate and encourage their child to learn and attain good academic achievement despite

the challenges they face in the absence of a physical classroom.

Teachers. The findings of this study will significantly help teachers know the

impact of blended learning to the academic achievement of the learners. Hence they

could address issues that would arise regarding the learning modality.

School Head. This will give awareness to serve as a basis to devise strategies and

ways to implement the blended learning modality effectively. It would also guide them

on what innovations to be done considering the student's situation in the absence of

classroom instruction.
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Future Researchers. This research study will help them provide a better understanding

of the education path with regards to the impact of blended learning. It would also serve

as a reference for future researchers for another set of findings on the impacts of blended

learning on the student’s academic achievement will be given. Moreover, it can also be

material for analysis and further discussion.

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1

Conceptual Framework

Academic
Blended Learning
Achievement

Action Plan

Figure 1 shows the flow of the study. It consists of two variables, Blended

Learning (Online and Modular Learning) as an independent variable and academic

achievement as the dependent variable. The figure illustrates blended learning,

specifically the use of online and modular learning tools used by the teachers.

This study investigated the impact of blended learning towards the academic achievement

of the Grade 12 ABM Senior High students. It also attempted to provide data in creating

an action plan to give teachers and parents awareness of what particular ways and

strategies that can help the students get more motivated to learn and attain good academic

achievement despite the lack of face-to-face instruction.

Definition of Terms
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The researchers defined the following terms used in the study:

Academic Achievement. It was used by the researcher to refer to the

performance outcomes that indicate the extent to which the Grade 12- ABM Students

have accomplished specific goals that were the focus of activities in instructional

environments, specifically in school.

Blended Learning. It was used by the researchers to refer to educational method

in which more than one means is used for transmitting knowledge and experience to

learners to achieve the best of the learning outputs. Mainly, the online and modular

learning modality were used in San Francisco Javier College.

Impact. In this study, it was used by the researchers to refer on the significant/

major effect of blended learning modality to the academic achievement of the

respondents.

Modular Learning. It was used by the researchers to refer to the type of learning

approach which uses learning modules that facilitate student learning by themselves. It is

one of the learning modality used by the teachers in San Francisco Javier College to

deliver the content and achieve the desired competencies.

Online Learning. In this study, it was used by the researchers to refer to the type

of learning approach that takes place over the Internet. It is another type of learning

modality blended with the modular learning used by the teachers in San Francisco Javier

College.

Review of Related Literature and Studies

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The following related literature and studies are from foreign and local studies conducted

relative to the present study.

Year 2020, after the pandemic was announced, teachers and students alike were

shocked by the potential impact on teaching and learning. Digital and online delivery

modes, mixed or versatile delivery modes, synchronous or asynchronous delivery modes,

or a mixture of all these alternative delivery modes of teaching have largely replaced

conventional face-to-face training. As a result, the combination of the online interactive

method and modular learning has been used from the start. The issues surfaced about a

month after it was introduced. The students became aware of the financial costs

associated with the holding online or virtual classes, such as the need to purchase a

laptop/desktop, or an Android phone that is WIFI compatible, as well as a good internet

connection, in order to fulfill the requirements for virtual or online classes. Teachers are

affected by the difficulties that the students are facing. It is also evident that the pandemic

has an effect on teachers' and students' teaching and+ learning practices. Regardless of

the problems the whole country is facing, classes in -San Francisco Javier College

resumed. Various unceasing students' concerns and teachers' apprehensions emerged

because of the struggles in teaching and learning in the new normal education.

Undeniably, education among the sectors changed so drastically by the COVID-19

pandemic. Schools nationwide were forced to close when physical classes were

considered too risky to hold as SARS Cov2, the virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly

from human to human, and whether vaccines would be available remained uncertain.

Confronted with this, the Department of Education (DepEd) turned to what is now known

as blended learning for the school year 2020-2021 and even up today. The DepEd
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solution required schools to shift from conventional to hybrid learning because it

involved a mix of distant online learning and modules delivered to students' doorsteps or

picked up from DepEd sites. Electronic media delivered by the internet, radio, and TV

broadcasts to mobile devices, computers, TV, and radio sets became a necessary

component of blended, or hybrid, learning. The DepEd announcement of the shift to

blended learning questions arouse including its effectiveness. Doubts were also raised

about the country's preparedness for the major shift in learning. (Montemayor, M.T.

2020).

Blended learning, as defined by DepEd, refers to "face-to-face with any or a

mix of online distance learning, modular distance learning, and TV/Radio-based

Instruction" (Kaplan , G. 2021). Blended learning (BL), or the integration of distance

learning and online instruction, is widely adopted across higher education, with some

scholars referring to it as the "new traditional model" (Ross and Gage 2018, p. 167) or the

"new normal" in course delivery (Norberg et al. 2017, p. 207). However, tracking the

accurate extent of its growth has been challenging because of definitional ambiguity

(Oliver and Trigwell  2017), combined with institutions' inability to track an innovative

practice that, in many instances, has emerged organically. 

The term Blended Learning has its origin in work done by Clayton Christensen

and his colleagues at the Harvard Business School in the 1990s and early 2000s. They

coined the term Disruptive Innovation, a coinage that has seeped into the nooks crannies

and of discourse in many fields. One of those fields is education. This kind of learning

delivery involves technology in the classroom. More specifically, it refers to the use of

online sites and apps to deliver a portion of the curriculum while the teacher facilitates
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instruction (Kaplan, 2021). In an early review of blended learning, Garrison and Kanuka

(2017) defined blended learning as more than just adding-in technology but providing a

"thoughtful integration of classroom face-to-face learning experiences with online

learning experiences (p. 96)." The key difference, according to Garrison and Kanuka, is

that teachers cannot just repackage old material and throw it online. Instead, teachers

must rethink how to deliver and receive content in order to encourage students to think

more creatively and more critically. Instead of a classroom that is taught purely by a

likely face-to-face teacher or purely in an online setting, blended learning combines

online content with face- to face instruction strategy and guidance. The intention is to

allow students to get help from the expert, the teacher, while working on applying the

concepts that they are learning via online apps and educational websites.

Blended learning in the Philippines is still considered new and young. However,

this growing demand for blended learning possesses problems and challenges that are

noteworthy to investigate, specifically in emerging higher education institutions, which

hinder effective and efficient delivery of teaching and learning. While many people have

promoted the idea of blended learning as a magical cure that will fix education, there is a

definite need for a comprehensive look at what actual studies are finding. The literature

on blended learning is quite diverse. Still, the majority of literature reviews, to date, have

focused on blended learning at the college or graduate school level or solely on the effect

on achievement. A U.S. Department of Education (2018) meta-analysis of blended

learning found that blended learning does provide higher student outcomes. Still, it noted

that most of the research it reviewed had occurred at the college and graduate level, not at

the K-12 level. It recommended an increase in studies done at the K-12 level.
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According to the study done by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ),

13 percent of respondents did not have laptops or computers. Out of the 87 percent of

learners in the Philippines who had gadgets, only 41 percent had internet connections.

The survey also found that 49 percent had mobile phone signals but no internet

connections in their households. At least 10 percent didn't have both. Students feel the

difficulties in accessing information communication technology (ICT) most. Children

from impoverished areas were likely to be disadvantaged at the start of classes. That's the

reason why some students are not attending the online class.

Meanwhile, in terms of modular learning, the Philippine Center for Investigative

Journalism stated that the use of modular learning encourages independent study. A

survey was made to 100 students. It found out that almost students prefer getting and

relying on answers on the internet than studying the reference. Like all learning models,

distance learning has inherent problems, especially in isolation, support, technology, and

discipline (Doctor, 2017). Despite the promises and obvious advantages to distance

learning, some problems must be resolved. These problems include the quality of

instruction, hidden costs, misuse of technology, and the attitudes of instructors, students,

and administrators. Each one of these has an effect on the overall quality of distance

learning as a product. In many ways relate to the others (Valentine, 2002). Pe Dangle &

Sumaoang (2020) also identified the disadvantages of modular instruction, including

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.

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Doctor’s study (2017) also named some common problems of distance education. These

problems were lack of support, feelings of isolation, and academic discipline. Obviously,

there are major challenges the students will meet: self-studying, poor internet connection,

lack of sleep and time to answer all the modules due to the great number of activities,

distractions, and lack of focus. They added that distance learning could be an incredible

experience for students, but distance learning is only as effective as the student is. From a

study made by Pe Dangle & Sumaoang( 2020) on the implementation of Modular

Distance Learning in Balbalayang National High School (BNHS) and Baguio City

National High School (BCNHS) during the School Year 2020-2021, they found out that

the main challenges that emerged were lack of school funding in the production and

delivery of modules; students struggle with self-studying, and parents' lack of knowledge

to academically guide their child/children.

Research shows that high motivation among online learners leads to persistence

in their courses (Menager-Beeley, 2018). Sankaran and Bui (2019) indicated that less

motivated learners performed poorly in knowledge tests while those with high learning

motivation demonstrated high academic performance (Green, Nelson, Martin, &

Marsh, 2018). Moreover, Lim and Kim (2019) indicated that learner interest as a

motivation factor promotes learner involvement in learning, and this could lead to

learning effectiveness in blended learning.

Studies comparing blended learning with traditional face-to-face have indicated

that learners perform equally well in blended learning, and their performance is

unaffected by the delivery method (Kwak, Menezes, & Sherwood, 2018). In another

study, learning experience and performance are known to improve when traditional
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course delivery is integrated with online learning (Stacey & Gerbic, 2018). Such

improvement, as noted, may be an indicator of blended learning effectiveness. Our study,

however, explores the improved performance but seeks to establish the potential of

blended learning effectiveness by considering grades obtained in a blended learning

experiment.

There are several critical ways that are implementing blended learning enriches

classrooms. Aside from it improved student engagement, it is also easier for

differentiated instruction. It allows for multiple ways to reach educational goals. Blended

learning not only provides for a variety of instructional methods but it also frees up

teacher time through the use of automated instruction and other technology tools. This

will enable teachers to focus their time on providing instruction to smaller groups or

individual students. In a 2017 meta-analysis report, certain evidence-based studies

indicated that student achievement was considered higher in blended learning compared to

full-time online and offline teaching. Blended learning is known to improve theoretical

coherence by disseminating information pragmatically. A few examples of blended or

hybrid learning would be instructor-delivered content, E-learning, webinars, conference

calls, and live or online sessions with students. Other informal examples will be the use of

events for interaction, social media-driven education, and awareness programs. It

increases the scope of delivering personalized education to a diverse range of learners by

integrating the use of technology and classroom teaching. It has been noticed that the use

of communication and information technology in collaboration has increased student

participation in learning. This has subsequently helped students develop a positive attitude

towards academics. The basic idea behind blended learning is that it promotes a coalition
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of self-learning- driven activities and collaborative learning. This significantly enhances

their social and emotional development through the use of interactive mediums for sharing

information. In this way, students gain a greater degree of understanding of the text by

researching the material themselves and presenting their queries in a series of interactions

with the teacher.

The above literature and studies are relevant to the study the researchers are

investigating.
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CHAPTER II

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This section provides the research design, research environment, respondents of

the study, research instrument, data collection procedure and how collected data was

analyzed.

Research Design

This study used the descriptive research design with the survey as the primary

data gathering tool. Using a descriptive study, the researchers tried to describe certain

characteristics or phenomena. Descriptive research was used in this study because it is

devoted to gathering of information about prevailing conditions or situations for the

purpose of description and interpretation. It is not simply amassing and tabulating facts

but includes proper analyses, interpretation, comparisons, and identification of trends and

relationships.

Research Environment

The locale of this study was in San Francisco Javier College, which is located in

Lapu- Lapu Street, Narra, Palawan. It is the first and only Catholic educational

institution in Narra, managed by the Augustinian Recollect Sisters, established in 957,

which molds Christ-centered learners. It gears stakeholders towards fortified leadership

and professional growth and development with an intensive Augustinian Recollect

Spirituality. The researchers conducted the research survey in this institution,

particularly the Grade 12- ABM Senior high students.

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Research Respondents

The respondents of this study was composed of the total enumeration of eighteen

(18) Grade 12- ABM Senior High School Students of San Francisco Javier College

(SFJC). The researchers selected these target respondents because they are the ones who

experience blended learning type of teaching delivery who can give reliable data to

answer the problems posed in our study.

Research Instrument

The survey questionnaire was used as the primary data gathering instrument in

this study. A 4-point Modified Likert Scale was adapted from Kintu, Zhu, & Kagambe

(2017). The questionnaire contains twenty-eight (28) questions about the impact of

blended learning on the academic achievement of Grade 12 ABM Senior High School

Students.

The data gathering instrument was structured as a scale ranging from 1-4.

Wherein;

1 Strongly disagree

2 Disagree

3 Agree

4 Strongly agree

Data Collection Procedures

The researchers sent a letter to the Dean of San Francisco Javier College to

obtain the approval of validating the questionnaire to the Class Advisers of the
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respondents. Once the request is approved, validation was conducted. The researchers

conducted a dry-run testing of 10 Grade 12- STEM Senior High Students who are not

included in the research. After gathering the data from the dry-run test, the researchers,

through the office of the Dean, sought the assistance of the teachers to ask the

respondents to answer the questionnaire through Google form. Moreover, the researchers

also sent a letter of request to the Registrar’s Office for the copy of the grades of Grade

12- ABM Senior High Students.

Data Analysis Procedures

After the data was collected, the researchers tallied and interpreted the data.

Descriptive and inferential statistics was used to analyze the data obtained from the

respondents.

For research question 1, which is the impact of blended learning on the academic

performance of the respondents, weighted mean was used to process the data. The

weighted mean is a calculation that takes into account the varying degrees of importance

of the numbers in a data set. In calculating the weighted average, each number in the data

set is multiplied by a predetermined weight before the final calculation is made.

X = f1 x1 +f2 x2 +f3 x3 +f4 x4

N1+N2+N3+N4

For research question 2, which is the academic achievement of the students. The

researchers used documentary analysis to treat the data taken from the Registrar’s Office.
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To answer the question no.3, Pearson Product- Moment Coefficient of Correlation

was used to determine the relationship between the impact of blended learning on the

academic achievement of students.

To test the null hypothesis, the researchers used the formula z test for two sample

mean with a level of significance of 0.01.