STRATEGIC INTERVENTION MATERIALS (SIM) IN ACADEMIC PROGRESS

OF NINTH GRADE ECONOMICS CLASSROOM IN DINADIAWAN NATIONAL

HIGH SCHOOL

A Research Paper Submitted to

FELICIANA P. JACOBA, Ph.D.
II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE & STUDIES

In connection with the research conducted, various excerpts or important notes

have been collected and analyzed in order to provide a clear and detailed explanation

that will defend the validity of the study.

Social Studies (Economics)

According to Adeyemi (2000) also cited in the research by Pasion (2019) entitled

“The Efficacy of Strategic Intervention Materials (SIMS) in Teaching Social Studies

Among Third Year High School Students”, to achieve the purpose in teaching Social

Studies, the main focus was on the integration of the concepts and orientations of all

social science subjects and humanities in the content, making the child center in the

educational process by placing more emphasis on the development of skills and

attitudes. There is no denying that Social Studies is vital for the intellectual outlook of

the present time, although there is a general tendency among the people to be much

less conscious of the value of the subject than they are about that of Science. For a

significant number of thinking,

Social Studies is just a course of memorization; to pass the subject means

memorizing a bulk of dates, events, personages, and others (Pasion, 2019). Some miss

realizing that Social Studies is the medium to make an inquiry, to investigate and

understand society. With the appropriate teaching strategy, Social Studies makes

students realize the why’s and how’s of the society they are in and eventually identify

their real nature as a human being and as a race. According to the article by Arthur,
et al. (2017), as the best educators know, teaching is all about tackling and solving

problems through study, experimentation, refinement, re-study, and so on.

Journell (2010) notes that, the Social Studies teacher has a responsibility to

include controversial issues and current events in the curriculum. Dube (2009) says

exposing students to controversial issues in their studies enables them to develop the

capacity for ethical and moral reasoning so that they become critically reflective

thinkers. The Social Studies classroom should, therefore, focus on using instructional

materials which will help mold students to develop a democratic character.

Reading is an important key in understanding various concepts in Economics.

Skills in Economics cannot be attained without the student’s ability to comprehend

the information written in the text. Besides, teachers need to integrate reading skills in

their lesson to help the learners not only to understand the information but also to

interpret and evaluate it.

Reading

Reading involves simultaneous mental operations that allow readers to decode

printed symbols in order to comprehend the meaning of a text (Aguilera, 2014).

According to Anderson (2003) also cited by Sun and Zhang (2004) in their article,

reading is in line with two theories: Top-Down and Bottom-Up. In the first theory, the

words of the reader are processed and linked to their previous knowledge to form a

conclusion and accept or subvert such conclusion after understanding the whole text.
On the other hand, the second theory covers technical, grammatical and structural

processing of words.

According to Hung at Tzeng (2001) also cited in Romea’s (2015) research,

reading is a very important skill that helps people to learn from other people’s

knowledge and experience. Through reading, knowledge can greatly contribute to the

development of humanity.

Reading is also the fastest way to raise people’s education level. It is like

opening the door to understanding the past of humanity that will serve as a mirror of

our present. Reading also activates our brain cells, develops language skills, improves

organizing ability, exercises self-control, and provides strength to combat sadness. In

other words, reading is a powerful way to bring new experiences and perspectives into

people’s lives. Reading allows individuals to acquire knowledge and obtain

information; a crucial skill which facilitates the integration of individuals into society.

Reading is regarded as “a unified process that is adjusted flexibly in response to

reader purpose, reader proficiency level, and possible contextual constraints” (Grabe,

2008, p. 13). According to a report by the National Reading Panel (2000), five major

factors should be developed in reading – phonology, phonetics, pronunciation,

vocabulary and comprehension. It is a challenge then and now for all teachers to

maintain a high level of student readiness, especially in addition to the difficulty in

learning to read high cases of students’ drop-outs and difficulties (Irwin, 2002).

According to Ross (2006), children who read well are more successful in school

especially in their adulthood, but for this to happen, a child needs careful training.

Failure to master reading skills will lead to slower job performance (Davis, 2014).
However, according to Manring (2013), finding a way to develop students’ reading

skills is a daunting task.

Reading instruction begins at an early age. J.D. Worthington (2013) explained

that, “Children need lots of opportunities to build spoken language by talking and

listening, learn about print and books, learn about the sounds of spoken language,

identify the letters of the alphabet, and listen to books read aloud” (p.2).

According to the article by Beers (2003), anyone may be struggling with the text

they are given but the difficulty in the text being read cannot be considered a major

problem but what the student has done to understand this text. Language is not the

root of the problem but rather the way the reader understands this language. As for

Irwin (2002) also cited in Oakley’s (2011) research, reading problems may also be

problematic for students’ lack of time to understand what they are reading.

Meanwhile, Tovani (2000) offers two types of students with reading problems –

those who do not read and those who read but do not understand. Learning to read is

a sequential process where each new skill builds on the mastery of a secure skill

already obtained.

In a study conducted by Saenz and Fucs (2002) among 111 secondary school

students, it is expected that students will develop critical thinking, communication

skills, literature interest, and ability to adapt to the changing world. In order for

students to be successful in the current form of society, they must read well (Dussling,

2008).

Learning to read is probably one of the most important skills that students

obtain. Students need to learn to read so they can learn about different subjects and
be able to function well in society. Reading is a fundamental skill needed to be

successful in life (Jones, 2011).

Comprehension

“Comprehension is the process of simultaneously extracting and constructing

meaning through interaction and involvement with written language” (RAND Reading

Study Group, 2001, p.11). The purpose of reading is to gain an understanding known

as comprehension. Comprehension is the reason for reading. Based on Collins’s (2002)

study, reading comprehension is the definition of the text read by linking its message

to our prior knowledge. According to Alverman and Earle (2003) also cited in the

article by Gayo, et al.(2014), a student may be considered to be having a

comprehension problem if he or she has reached the secondary level but for some

reason still does not adhere to the reading standards set by the curriculum.

According to Berger at Gun (2003) also mentioned by Vejerano (2018) in his

study, this problem may have been rooted during their elementary school years and

continued through secondary schooling especially the absence of high quality

teaching, early childhood reading will significantly affect the later stages of his

education.

Comprehension enables readers to interact with the text in a meaningful way. It

is a bridge from passive to active reading, and from letters or words to context.

Comprehension is the link to effective reading – a powerful factor for one’s success

(http://www.learningrx.com/reading-comprehension.htm).
 According to Rosenshine et al. (2009) also cited in the research by Lumogdang

(2015), intervention studies in which students have been taught to generate questions

as a means of improving their comprehension. Overall, teaching students the cognitive

strategy of generating questions about the material they had read resulted in gains in

comprehension, as measured by tests given at the end of the intervention.

According to Pressley (2000), the three most important factors that are

primarily responsible for comprehension development are word-level skills,

background knowledge, and comprehension strategies.

According to Tracy (2013), while reading, two types of comprehension occur,

literally and deeply. Literal refers to what the reader has learned explicitly in the text

while the depth is to those they have learned through analysis.

This is supported by Logsdon’s statement also cited by Dakin (2013) who says

that deep-rootedness responds to the conclusion or view of the hidden meaning of the

text being read. It integrates the reader’s previous knowledge with the textual message

to create a new meaning. In these two types of comprehension, readers should develop

mental processing skills that will help them gain new information, identify it and

categorize it, relate it to prior knowledge and react to this information.

According to the research by Simmons (2015) entitled “The Impact of

Differentiated Instruction on Student Reading Level Throughout the Response to

Intervention Model”, to increase student performance, providing comprehension

activities that require students to think before reading the text, while they read the

text, and after they read the text increased a student’s ability to comprehend what

they read.
 According to Oberholzer (2001), reading is trivial if students do not understand

what they are reading. It means that reading should not only focus on mechanical

skills but on the comprehension or refinement of the message of the text being read.

However, comprehension skills remain a challenge for students (Ness, 2011).

However, according to Elliot (2005), the fact that students read words cannot be

obscured but not everyone understands what they are reading. Juel, et al. (1996) also

emphasized that if it is not resolved immediately, it will only be rooted in another

problem that teachers and students will face.

Meanwhile, according to Worthy, et al. (1999) also cited in research by Ivey and

Broaddus (2001), teachers, particularly those under the Social Studies subject, are

controlled by the high expectations they must meet.

On the other hand, students’ expectations are especially high in the 21 st

century. Students are expected to understand all the text they read especially when

they are in secondary school.

Strategic Intervention Material (SIM)

According to the research by Dacumos (2016) entitled “Perspective of Secondary

Teachers in the Utilization of Science Strategic Intervention Material (SIM) in

Increasing Learning Proficiency of Students in Science Education”, that deficiency of

educational facilities (Salem Alamarat, 2011) and instructional materials (Ogbu,

2015), large class size (Eison, 2010), poor instruction (Eison, 2010), and n0n-
differentiated instructional methodologies and curriculum (Weselby, 2014) are

problems that threaten education process.

The unavailability of instructional materials and also teachers’ lack of

knowledge on material development become prevalent and lingering problems among

educational institutions (Cubillas, 2018). Lumogdang (2015) stated in her research

entitled “The Effects of Strategic Intervention Material in Commercial Cooking to

Students’ Academic Performance in Technology and Livelihood Education”, that

without modules and other instructional materials, student’s learning is negatively

affected and their learning level becomes dense resulting to least learned competency.

Teacher’s initiative in crafting and utilizing instructional materials (Dy, 2011) bridges

those gaps towards the achievement of the educational goals: learning the concepts

and mastering the skills.

Strategic Intervention Material, an instructional material for remediation

purposes is one of the solutions employed by the Department of Education to enhance

academic achievements of students performing low in the field of Social Studies and

other subjects. SIM aims to develop mastery on the least learned concepts in the

learning competency.

DepEd Memo No. 117, series of 2005 entitled “Training Workshop on Strategic

Intervention Materials (SIMs) for Successful Learning” provided secondary teachers the

training in the preparation of SIMs. According to Nicholls (2000) and Raw (2003)

which is also mentioned by Salviejo (2014) on the research entitled “Strategic

Intervention Material-Based Instruction, Learning Approach and Students’

Performance in Chemistry”, that instructional material plays a very important role in

the teaching-learning process. It enhances the memory level of the students and make
the teaching-learning process interesting. At present, in the Philippine education

system, intervention materials are highly regarded as tools for remediating poor

achievements of the learner. SIM refers to a teaching aid introduced into the teaching

methods to stimulate the activity of the students and thereby increased their level of

understanding (Dy, 2011). However, Bunagan (2012) defined SIM as meant to re-teach

the concepts and skills (least mastered). He also added that it is a multifaceted

approach to help students to become independent and successful learners.

The difference of the strategic intervention materials to other instructional

materials is that the SIM focuses on the skills not mastered by the students during

the regular class and it is intended for remediation. As stated by Shuttleworth (2010),

the use of intervention is a medium used for students who do not interact with other

students. It is a remedy to promptly resolve their fall in a subject area. Intervention

can be defined as the systematic and explicit instruction provided to accelerate growth

in an area of identified need (Kaggwa, 2003).

Bunagan (2012), also cited in the research by Saclao (2016), defined SIM as

meant to re-teach the concepts and least mastered skills. He also added that it is a

material given to students to help them master competency-based skills which they

were not able to develop during a regular classroom teaching. The role of developing

instructional and intervention materials in the teaching-learning process should not

be undermined. It plays an integral role (Salviejo, Aranes & Espinosa, 2014) toward

the achievement of a successful interplay of teaching and learning. Section 2 Article IV

of the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers mandates that every teacher shall

make the best preparation for the career of teaching. Hence, appropriate learning or

instructional material may be utilized during their classroom instruction (Diaz, 2017).
Instructional material is a learning tool that helps the learners to learn faster and

better.

According to the research by Diaz & Dr. Dio (2017) entitled “Effectiveness of Tri-

In-1 Strategic Intervention Materials for Grade 9 Students Through Solomon Four-

Group Design”, SIM is a type of instructional material that deepens students’ skills in

manipulation, thinking, understanding and observing. Moreoften than not, it’s a user-

friendly instructional material that can be used inside the four corners of the

classroom or it can be given as a take home activity of students.

The versatility and effectiveness of strategic intervention materials without

manipulatives were already been proven by a number of studies (Diaz & Dr. Dio,

2017). The study of Escoreal (2012) on Strategic Intervention Material as a tool to

reduce least mastered skills in Grade 4 Science, concluded that SIM provides baseline

information and should be implemented to avoid marginalization of pupils. Her study

also indicated that there is a significant reduction in the pupils’ mean number of least

mastered skills after SIM implementation.

Soberano (2010), also cited in the research by Saclao (2016) entitled

“Development and Impact of SIM-MOD (Strategic Intervention Material and Module

Combined) on Students’ Academic Achievement in Mathematics at the 8 th Grade

Level”, mentioned that SIM were effective in mastering the competency based skills in

Chemistry based on the mean gain scores in the post-tests of the experimental and

control groups.

Based on the research made by Marimla & Dr. Dimalanta (2015) entitled

“Development and Evaluation of Strategic Intervention Material in Science V”, there

was an improvement in the post-test scores of the pupils. It was concluded that
Strategic Intervention Material is useful in order to reduce the least learned topics and

at the same time to improve the performance of the pupils.

Alboruto (2017) stated in his article entitled “Beating the numbers through

strategic intervention materials (SIMs): Innovative Science teaching for large classes”,

that the use of strategic intervention materials in managing large classes is effective in

terms of improving science process skills and mastery of science concepts. He also

stated that the project is effective in improving student performance.

Based on the statement by Pappas (2014) also cited in the research by Facelo

(2018) entitled “Strategic Intervention Materials (SIM) sa Pagtuturo ng Asignaturang

Pagbasa at Pagsusuri ng Iba’t Ibang Teksto Tungo sa Pananaliksik”, the basic idea

behind individual learning such as the use of student intervention is the concept

whereby they not only understand the equipment presented to them but also retain

the information that it holds. Students who understand short-term teaching can now

move on to the next lesson but those students who have difficulty understanding the

lessons can move forward in a slower way so that they can fully understand and

analyze the lessons.

As a result, students are provided with in-depth and effective learning tools.

Reducing the teacher’s speaking time to the forefront and instead, encouraging

students to study the equipment themselves. The use of intervention is also an

effective way especially in classes that have large numbers of students who do not

meet the number of teachers. Strategic Intervention Material (SIM) refers to teaching

aid introduced to stimulate the activity of the students to increase their level of

understanding.
 A study conducted by Barredo, entitled “Development on the Academic

Performance in Science using Strategic Intervention Material”, showed that there is a

development in the academic performance in Science of Elementary School pupils

after using strategic intervention materials. It was noted that pupils are able to

remember the lessons over a longer period of time after using the SIMs.

According to Raw (2005) also mentioned in the research conducted by Paña

(2016), instructional material plays a very important role in the teaching learning

process. It enhances the memory level of the students and makes the teaching-

learning process interesting. Paña (2016) stated in his research that SIM can be a

good tool among the many varieties of strategic material that will help the students in

performing better in school and classroom setting.

Based on the research conducted by Plenos (2015), entitled “Effectiveness of the

Teacher-Made Science Strategic Intervention Material in Increasing the Performance

Level of Grade Six Pupils of Bacongco Elementary School in the Specified

Competency”, the teacher-made Science Strategic Intervention Material increase the

performance level of the Grade Six pupils of Bacongco Elementary School in the

specified competency as shown by the f-test results and there is a 100% increase in

the passing rate of all pupils who used the Science SIM. The action research that was

conducted lately found out that the knowledge of the learners who were exposed to

Strategic Intervention Material was significantly enhanced.

According to the research conducted by Facelo (2018), entitled “Strategic

Intervention Materials (SIM) sa Pagtuturo ng Asignaturang Pagbasa at Pagsusuri ng

Iba’t Ibang Teksto Tungo sa Pananaliksik”, the use of strategic intervention material

has a positive effect and is effective for developing student reading skills. Facelo (2018)
also said that without the presence and guidance of the teacher, student learning can

move on by using SIM in the experimental group and in the control group which is

proven in their final assessment. Barredo (2010) said that intervention materials help

teachers provide the students the needed support to make progress. It increased and

deepen the skills, knowledge and understanding of the learners. Barredo (2010) also

enumerated the importance of intervention materials in improving students’

competence.

Based on the research of Gultiano (2012), entitled “Effects of Strategic

Intervention Materials (SIM) on the Academic Achievement in Chemistry of Public High

School Students”, intervention materials contributed to better learning of the concepts

among students. Posttests and maintenance tests indicated that students who were

taught with material employing the causal style of discourse had significantly better

retention of facts and concepts and were superior in applying this knowledge in

problem-solving exercises. Gultiano (2012) also concluded that the strategic

intervention materials were effective in teaching competency-based skills.

According to Dy (2014), based on her research entitled “Strategic Intervention

Materials (SIM) in Teaching Science IV (Physics): Its Effectiveness”, the achievement of

the students in the experimental group who were exposed to the SIM is higher and

better compared to the students taught in the control group in first grading period.

There is a significant difference in the achievement of the students in the control

group and experimental group. This suggests that the SIM be adopted as instructional

materials for teaching Science to facilitate and improve performance.

Furthermore, future researchers could work and prepare the same materials on

other learning areas. Effective teachers are able to envision instructional goals for
their students, especially those who need special attention in their learning, then draw

upon their knowledge and training to help students achieve success. However, many

teachers have poor knowledge on the preparation of the material or at least crafting

SIM that is effective for their learners (Dacumos, 2016).

Based on the research by Alboruto (2017), he recommended that teachers

should use or adopt the SIMs to improve their students’ perfeormance. She said that

training-workshop on developing SIMs must be conducted to help teachers develop

SIMs to be used in their classes. She also added that school administrators must

allocate funds for the development and reproduction of SIMs to be used by the

students in their school.

Cruz (2016), also noted by Facelo (2018) in his research, when teaching tools

such as intervention materials used well in the classroom can be the most effective

way to capture interest and students’ understanding and lead to better teaching. In

addition to Nicholls (2000) and Raw (2003), teaching tools play a major role in the

teaching and learning process. Intervention material therefore means student learning

guides that are usually associated with books that contain exercises, activities,

instructions to follow, and a way to study and review completed tasks. According to

Beers (2003), the development of interventions that help the development of reading

skills is essential and should be pursued by the teachers and other school factors.

Learners are an important factor for developing an intervention especially when

using it, they themselves make decisions for their response. It also increases the

students’ self-confidence because they give teachers the opportunity to control their

own learning. Instead of relying on students’ learning to compel rigorous teaching,

they themselves develop self-assessments of their behavior while learning that can
lead to positive changes in their behavior. One as the environment that focuses on

personal forecasts is also a safe environment because they are in control of the

situation themselves. Richards and Renandya (2002) also emphasized that should

recognize students’ need for teachers to be effective developers of various strategies.