CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

The most recent curricular reform in the Philippines – the K

to 12 BEC - is directed to improving science education, both at

the basic and teacher education levels. The Framework for

Philippine Science Teacher Education shows that the quality of

science education in schools is greatly influenced by the quality

of science teachers. Consequently, students’ interest in science

is directly linked to the quality of teaching as well as learning

interactions provided by their science teachers.

K to 12 demonstrates the importance of Science education by

introducing the Science Technology Engineering (STE) strand in

Junior High School. In line with this, RA 10533 (Enhanced Basic

Education Act of 2013), which adds Grades 11 and 12 (Senior High

School) introduced the spiraling of science and mathematics

education from Kindergarten to Grade 12 to ensure that

proficiency in these two learning areas will be improved (DepED,

Ceap.org.ph, 2013). Through the spiral approach, Science

teachers are expected to deliver quality learning in Biology,

Chemistry, Earth Science and Physics. This approach calls for

well-equipped science teachers in terms of specialization and

competencies to encourage more students to take STEM track.

The Philippine government realizes the need for quality

science education and shows support through Republic Act no.

10612 otherwise known as the "Fast-Tracked S&T (Science &

Technology) Scholarship Act of 2013". The act stipulates in Sec.

2 that Science, Technology and Engineering are essential for

national development and progress. The State shall give priority

to research and development, invention, innovation and their

utilization. Priority shall also be given to science and

technology education, training and services.

Dr. Marlene B. Ferido, (2011) Science education specialist V

of National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education

Development, University of the Philippines said that the common

misconception about the spiral progression approach is that it is

associated with the integrated approach in science. The fact is

that the spiral progression approach is a means to teach from the

simplest concepts to the more complex ones through revisiting of

basic foundations as new concepts are tackled (SEI-DOST, 2011).

This transition to the use of spiral progression approach is

deemed to be difficult not only to students but also to teachers

considering that Science is a multidisciplinary subject which

needs not only the breadth but also the depth of other
disciplines. It has been a common observation that more

experienced Science teachers with master’s units and with post

graduate studies from the Junior High School (JHS) are absorbed

in the Senior High School (SHS) which resulted in hiring new less

experienced teachers with congruent specialization background to

fill the gap vacated by these Science teachers.

Likewise, the Mean Percentage Score (MPS) of the DepEd’s

National Achievement Test (NAT) in Science and the Trends

International Science and Mathematics Study (TIMSS) remained low

(SEI-DOST & UP NISMED, (2011). In La Castellana National High

School (LCNHS), despite the fact that there had been increases in

the performance of students in NAT since 2008 to 2017, the

national mean percent score is still below mastery level of 75%.

There is also a decline in the number of JHS students who proceed

to the STEM strand in SHS and a smaller number who take Science

courses in Colleges and Universities. This is not just a local

issue but global as well. It was cited in study conducted by

UNESCO of fifteen years old students in middle school which found

that many students, in considering the senior secondary years

are saying: “Why should I continue studying science subjects when

there are more interactive, interesting, and less difficult ones

to study (Fensham, 2008)?”

 Apparently, there is a need to intensify the professional

advancement training of Science teachers in JHS which focuses on

the understanding of the spiral progression approach that is

needed to address this issue.

The researcher then, as a Science teacher, is strongly

motivated to conduct a study to determine the teaching

competencies of Science teachers for the excellent delivery of

quality Science education. The researcher is convinced that the

result of the study will provide substantial bases to address the

concerns of the spiral approach in Science teaching in La

Castellana National High School-JHS and will improve the MPS of

the National Achievement Test in Science.

It is in this context that the “Science teachers and

Teaching Competencies: Basis for Enhancement” will be conducted.

Statement of the Problem

The main aim of the study is to determine the Science

teachers and their teaching competencies in (LCNHS-JHS), school

year 2017-2018 as basis for enhancement.

Specifically, it will find answers to the following

questions:
1) What is the demographic profile of Science teachers when

grouped according to age, years of experience, and

educational qualifications?

2) What is the level of the teaching competencies of Science

teachers in terms of their National Competencies Based

Teachers’ Standards (NCBTS)?

a. Demonstrates mastery of the subject.

b. Communicate clear learning goals for the lessons that are

appropriate for learners.

c. Make good use of allotted instructional time.

d. Select teaching methods, learning activities, and the

instructional materials.

e. Recognizes general learning processes as well as unique

processes of individual learners.

f. Promotes purposive study.

g. Demonstrates skills in the use of ICT in teaching and

learning

3) What are the challenges and opportunities of the Science

teachers?

4) What is the level of the teachers’ Science teaching

performance and instructional delivery in reference to their

Individual Performance Commitment Review Form (IPCRF) and

Instructional Delivery Observation (IDO) respectively?

5) What is the level of student’s academic performance in

reference to their Science 1st, 2nd, and 3rd

quarter final grades?

6) Is there a significant difference on the teaching

competencies of teachers when grouped according to age,

years of teaching experience, and educational

qualifications?

7) Is there a significant relationship between the teachers’

teaching competencies and their Science teaching

performance?

8) Is there a significant relationship between the teachers’

Science teaching performance and their students’ academic

performance?

9) Based on the finding of the study, what program can be

developed to enhance teachers’ competencies in Science such

as in-service training, seminars, workshops, research

development, graduate studies?

Hypotheses

1. There is no significant difference on the teaching

competencies of teachers when grouped according to age,

years of teaching experience, and educational

qualifications.
 2. There is no significant relationship between the

teachers’ teaching competencies and their Science

teaching performance.

3. There is no significant relationship between the

teacher’s Science teaching performance and their

student’s academic performance.

Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework of the study will rely on teaching

competencies associated with the profile characteristics of

Science teachers; the challenges and opportunities that they may

encounter in their chosen profession; their teaching performance

grounded on instructional delivery; its relation to students’

academic performance and ultimately the development of an

enhancement program.

The researcher believes that the National policies of the

government such as RA NO. 10612, or the “Fast-tracked S&T

Scholarship Act of 2013” which mandated the spiraling of Science

education as embodied in Chapter 1.1 and 1.2 and the enactment of

RA No. 10533 otherwise known as the “Enhanced Basic Education Act

of 2013” are all geared in improving Science learning and ensure

the delivery of quality Science education in the Philippines.

 The spiral approach in teaching Science is new considering

that this was implemented in 2013 in relation to the K to 12 BEC.

Although there are many existing studies related to the spiral

approach in Science, majority of it comes from other countries.

In the Philippines, studies about this topic are far from common

as a focal point of a research area.

Moreover, the impact of the transition from the 10-year BEC

to K to 12 BEC is deemed significant to the global economic

competition and is expected to perk up Philippine economy in the

future. The same principle will apply to almost all tracks,

strands and programs of Junior High School (JHS) and Senior High

School (SHS). Gaps in the literature of these studies can be

found not only in Science but also in other subjects of JHS.

The study will aim to determine the Science teachers and their

teaching competencies in LCNHS-JHS in order to find a basis for

an enhancement program that will aid Science teachers to achieve

the goals of education. In view of this, nine specific problems

will be formulated. Independent variables such as one, finding

the demographic profile of Science teachers in terms of age,

educational qualifications and years of teaching experience; two,

their teaching competencies which will come from the NCBTS

curriculum domain including its 7 strands and corresponding

indicators, and the challenges and opportunities encountered by

the Science teachers in the classroom which the researcher will

determine through a focus group discussion. Dependent variables

will be the Science teaching performance which will be taken from

the IPCRF and IDO as well as the students’ academic performance

which will be taken from their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarter grades in

Science.

Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework of this study will be anchored on

Attraction – Selection – Attrition Theory (ASA) developed by

Schneider 1987). Tolman’s (1948) Cognitive Theory of Learning and

the Human Capital Theory proposed by Gary Becker and Samuel

Bowles will support the study’s theoretical framework.

One of the issues in this study is the migration of quality

Science teachers – with Master’s units, Master’s Degree, and

sufficient teaching experience - from Junior High School to

Senior High School leaving vacancies to the newly hired teachers.

The researcher will align this with Attraction – Selection –

Attrition (ASA) Theory by Benjamin Schneider (1987).

ASA states that in Attraction, people search environments

that fit by their personality and that people would like to

obtain their outcomes by selecting a specific organization.

Theoretically, people are differently attracted to careers as a

function of their own interests and personality (Holland, and

Vroom (1966). It must be taken into account then that the

migration is a choice of other teachers. Newly hired teachers

then will work hard to gain teaching experience and focus into

professional advancement. The researcher believes that this

process will enhance teaching competencies.

ASA second theory is selection. It states that organizations

select people who they think are compatible for many different

kinds of jobs. In that way organizations end up choosing people

who share many common personal attributes, although they may not

share common competencies. The researcher definitely relates this

to hiring new Science teachers to tackle the Spiral Approach. For

instance, the school hired a graduate of BS Medical Technology to

teach Physics or a Registered Nurse to teach Earth Science.

Theoretically, the competencies learned in their course may be

different from the BSED GENSCI, but they have a common attribute

of teaching students to the best of their ability. The researcher

asks this question: Will it not affect the Science teaching

performance particularly the instructional delivery and as a

result affect the students’ academic performance?

The 3rd ASA theory is Attrition. It is the opposite side of

attraction. When people do not fit an environment, they tend to

leave it. When people leave the environment a more homogenous

group stays than those were initially attracted to the

organization. This may be the case in other organizations. But in

education, the implication of attrition lies in fact that the

rationale to deliver quality Science education to the students

suffer as in the below par MPS in Science at the National

Achievement Test.

The study will need to find the significant relationship of

Science teaching performance of Science teachers to the students’

academic performance. Will it prove true that the higher IPCRF

rating the teacher get, the higher student academic performance

will be generated? The researcher will anchor this issue on the

Cognitive Learning Theory by Edward Tolman (1948) who proposed

that people and animals have active information processes and not

passive learners as behaviorism had suggested.

Tolman also worked on latent learning, defined as learning

which is not apparent in the learner's behavior at the time of

learning, but which manifests later when a suitable motivation

and circumstances appear. The researcher believes that this

theory will help clear the issue on the question mentioned above

and will aid in describing an enhancement program based on the

result of the study.

Human Capital Theory (HCT) (Becker, ) refers to the abilities

and qualities of people that make them productive. Knowledge is

 the most important of these, but other factors, from a sense of

punctuality to the state of someone’s health, also matter.

Investment in human capital thus mainly refers to education but

it also includes other things such as the inculcation of values

by parents, say, or a healthy diet. As far back as Adam Smith in

the 18th century, economists had noted that production depended

not just on equipment or land but also on peoples’ abilities. But

before the 1950s, when Becker first examined links between

education and incomes, little thought was given to how such

abilities fit with economic theory or public policy.

Becker observed that people do acquire general human

capital, but they often do so at their own expense, rather than

that of employers. This is true of university, when students take

on debts to pay for education before entering the workforce

(https://www.economist.com, 2017).

The researcher believes that HCT will motivate Science

teachers in pursuing an enhancement program such as in-set,

seminars, workshops, that will help in empowering students in the

future.

Profile of Science Teachers

 Age
 Educational
Qualifications
 Years of Teaching Science Teaching Performance
Experience
 Individual Performance
Commitment Review Enhancement Program
Form (IPCRF)
 In-set
 Teaching Competencies

 NCBTS
 Curriculum

Student Academic
Performance

 Last 3 quarters

Challenges and Opportunities

 Focus Group

Figure 1: The Schematic Diagram

Significance of the Study

The result of the study will benefit the following:

 The Department of Education - the result of the study will

serve as basis to intensify the grant funding for research and

professional development of public school teacher in JHS and

SHS.

The Division of Negros Occidental - the result of this study

will serve as basis to give further support to Science teachers

through capability building programs.

The La Castellana National High School (JHS &SHS) – the

result of this study will serve as a basis for hiring Science

teachers that will fit the spiral progression approach.

The Science Teachers – the result of this study will

encourage more Science teachers to increase the NAT MPS in

Science through revisiting the simple to complex strategy of

the spiral approach.

The Students – the result of this study will encourage more

students to take the STEM strand in SHS and eventually will

inspire these students to get Science Courses in the

future.

Other Researchers – the result of this study will serve as

literature for studies with similar topic.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study will deal with finding the teaching competencies

of Science teachers at La Castellana National High School JHS and

its Cabagnaan Annex school year 2017 – 2018. Since there is an

inadequate local and national literature in finding the

challenges and opportunities of Science teachers, a focus group

discussion will be employed. Due to the inability of the

researcher to reach other public and private secondary school in

La Castellana, the researcher chooses to study the entire

population of Science teachers in LCNHS Junior High School and

its Cabagnaan Annex. Due to time constraint, the study will be

started on the 3rd quarter of the school year 2017 - 2018 and

will be finished on the last quarter of the same school year.

Operational Definition of Terms

The terms in this study will be taken from the variables and

will be defined operationally for clearer understanding of the

researcher as well as the reader.

Age: The term age will refer to the age of Science teachers

in this study which will be described as young (20 to 29),

middle age (30 to 45), and old age (46 and above) in order to

determine the effect of aging to Science teaching.

 Challenges and Opportunities. Operationally, the term

challenges will refer to difficulties that a teacher may

encounter in teaching Science in the classroom. The term

opportunities will refer to the economic, intellectual, and

professional advancement of teachers ( Kaptan & Timurlenk, 2012)

and to the prospects of self-advancement which will be determined

through the results of the focus group.

Educational Qualifications. Operationally, the term

educational qualifications will refer to the Bachelor’s Degree

and Major, acquired by Science teachers of LCNHS-JHS such as BSED

Gen Sci, Physics, Chemistry, etc. The term will also refer to

professional titles such as MA and PHD, that an individual has

acquired.

Focus Group Discussion (FGD). Operationally, the term refers

to the qualitative method to collect data through personal

interviews which will be conducted between the researcher and the

respondents to find the opportunities and challenges of Science

teachers in the classroom. Focus group will also provide the

opportunity to analyze the strength with which a person holds an

opinion. The best-known methods of qualitative research are in-

depth interviews, participant observation, written records and

discussion group analysis (Vermeire et al, 2002).

 Individual Performance Commitment Review Form (IPCRF) –

operationally, the term refers to the tool for the evaluation

teaching and non- teaching employees of the school. This rating

scale is based on the Civil Service Commission Memorandum

Circular No. 06, series of 2012 that sets the guidelines on the

establishment and implementation of the Strategic Performance

Management System (SPMS) in all government agencies. The term

will also determine the science teaching performance of the

respondents and find its significant relation to the students’

academic performance in science.

Teaching Competencies – Operationally, the term will refer

to the National Competency Based Teacher Standard (NCBTS).

NCBTS is an integrated theoretical framework that defines the

different dimensions of effective teaching, where effective

teaching means being able to help all types of students learn

the different learning goals in the curriculum (N.C.B.T.S.

2013).

National Competency-Based Teacher's Standard - refers to the

integrated theoretical framework that defines the different

dimensions of effective teaching, where effective teaching means

being able to help all types of students learn the different

learning goals in the curriculum. The Philippine NCBTS has

defined what Effective Teaching is. It has clearly stated the

strategic and indispensable role of the teacher in the learning

process of the students. The term will be also used to determine

the teaching competencies of Science teachers.

Science Teaching Performance – Operationally, the term will

refer to Individual Performance Commitment and Review Form

(IPCRF) that the teacher accomplishes at the end of school year.

This will be validated by the department head and reviewed by the

school principal if the rating is Outstanding.

Students’ Academic Performance - Operationally, the term

will refer to the 2 quarters of students’ grade in Science school

year 2017-2018 at La Castellana National High School - JHS. The

academic performance of students will help determine the

significant relationship of the teachers’ competence to their

teaching performance.

Years of Teaching Experience - operationally, the term will refer

to the years a teacher spent in the classroom. This will be

described as novice (0 to 4 years) and experienced (5 years

and above).
 CHAPTER 2

RELATED LITERATURE

This study will determine the teaching competencies of

science teachers in LCNHS-JHS. The researcher believes that the

result of the study will aid to form a concrete basis for the

development of an enhancement program in teaching Science.

In view of this, an extensive literature review will be

organized thematically as follows: (1) Profile of Science

Teachers in LCNHS – JHS; (2) Teaching Competencies; (3)

Challenges and Opportunities (4) Science Teaching Performance;

(5) Student Academic Performance; (6) Enhancement Program; and

(7) Legal Bases and Theoretical Concepts

Demographic Profile of Science Teachers in LCNHS-JHS

The demographic profile of science teachers will include

age, years of teaching experience, and educational

qualifications.

Considering age, Butucha (2013) found in his study that

majority of beginning teachers come from the young age group of

26 and below. This is apparent because it is an expected age

range at which many young people complete their undergraduate

studies and enter into the profession. He cited Hanlon (1983)who

reported that “older workers were indeed more committed to their

jobs than were their younger counterparts.” This finding is

echoed by Gerald (2011) where younger teachers were found to be

more committed than older ones. These studies implied that

younger teachers feel more obligated to the teaching profession

than older teachers (Kurso Gude Butucha, 2013).

In considering the advanced degrees and years of teaching

Science; Zhang, Danhui (2008) found in her study that advanced

degrees in science or education and years of teaching science

were significantly associated with end of year student science

achievement; that teaching behaviors were significantly

associated with end of year student science achievement; and that

advanced degrees in science or education and years of teaching

science were significantly associated with teaching behaviors in

general. Based on these three findings, it could be concluded

that an advanced degree in science or education and years of

teaching science influenced student achievement in science

through affecting teaching behaviors as an intermediary variable.

While possessing an advanced degree in science or education had a

positive relationship with teaching behaviors, years of teaching

experience had a negative relationship.

Zhang theorized that the possible explanations for this

finding are that teachers with advanced degrees in science or

education not only possess more subject knowledge, but have also
likely developed more advanced teaching skills and strategies,

enabling them to demonstrate more effective teaching behaviors in

the classroom. In turn, because of their better classroom

management and instructional strategies, teachers are more likely

to help their students succeed in learning science-related

concepts (Zhang, Danhui 2008).

Teaching Competencies

This topic will include the National Competencies Based

Teachers’ Standards (NCBTS) that is currently used by all DepEd

teachers in the Philippines.

National Competency-Based Teacher's Standard (2013) is an

integrated theoretical framework that defines the different

dimensions of effective teaching, where effective teaching means

being able to help all types of students learn the different

learning goals in the curriculum. The Philippine NCBTS has

defined what Effective Teaching is. It has clearly stated the

strategic and indispensable role of the Teacher in the learning

process of the students.

The NCBTS Framework is divided in 7 Domains: 1) Social Regard for

Learning; 2) Learning Environment; 3) Diversity of Learners; 4)

Curriculum; 5) Planning, Assessing, Reporting; 6) Community

Linkages; and 7) Personal growth and Professionalism.

According to the Framework “This will allow teachers to

self-assess their own performance against the Competency

Standards in order to identify areas of strength as well as areas

that need to be developed further in order for them to function

more effectively as facilitators of learning.”

Domain 1. Social Regard for Learning (SRFL)

The SRFL domain focuses on the ideal that teachers serve as

positive and powerful role models of the value in the pursuit of

different efforts to learn. The teacher’s action, statements, and

different types of social interactions with students exemplify

this ideal.

Domain 2. Learning Environment (LE)

This domain focuses on importance of providing a social,

psychological and physical environment within which all students,

regardless of their individual differences in learning, can

engage in the different learning activities and work towards

attaining high standards of learning.

Domain 3. Diversity of Learners (DOL)

The DOL domain emphasizes the ideal that teachers can facilitate

the learning process even with diverse learners, by recognizing

and respecting individual differences and by using knowledge

about their differences to design diverse sets of learning

activities to ensure that all learners can attain the desired

learning goals.

Domain 4. Curriculum (Curr.)

The curriculum domain refers to all elements of the teaching-

learning process that work in convergence to help students

understand the curricular goals and objectives, and to attain

high standards of learning defined in the curriculum. These

elements include the teacher’s knowledge of subject matter and

the learning process, teaching-learning approaches and

activities, instructional materials and learning resources.

Domain 5. Planning, Assessing & Reporting (PAR)

This domain refers to the alignment of assessment and planning

activities. In particular, the PAR focuses on the (1) use of

assessment data to plan and revise teaching-learning plans;

(2) integration of assessment procedures in the plan and

implementation of teaching-learning activities, and (3) reporting

of the learners’ actual achievement and behavior.

Domain 6. Community Linkages (CL)

The LC domain refers to the ideal that classroom activities are

meaningfully linked to the experiences and aspirations of the

learners in their homes and communities. Thus, this domain

focuses on teachers’ efforts directed at strengthening the links

between schools and communities to help in the attainment of the

curricular goals.

Domain 7. Personal Growth & Professional Development (PGPD)

The PGPD domain emphasizes the ideal that teachers value

having a high personal regard for the teaching profession,

concern for professional development, and continuous improvement

as teachers.

NCBTS is needed to provide a single framework that defines

effective teaching in all aspects of a teacher’s professional

life & in all phases of teacher development. The framework will

also minimize confusion about what effective teaching is and

provide a better guide for all teacher development programs

(wordpress.com 2009).

Challenges and Opportunities

This topic will include the challenges and opportunities

that science teachers will encounter in the course of their

teaching careers. Since this calls for a qualitative research

method a literature regarding the focus group will also be

incorporated.

Focus Group

Focus group is a qualitative method that collects data

through personal interviews. It may be conducted individually or

in groups. Focus group provides the opportunity to analyze the

strength with which an individual holds an opinion.

Marzack & Sewell (n. d.) wrote that Focus groups were

originally called "focused interviews" or "group depth

interviews". They cited (Stewart & Shamdasani, 1990) who said

that the technique was developed after World War II to evaluate

audience response to radio programs.

In a similar historical note, Hardwick, Nancy (2014)

reported that the history of focus groups started in 1937 at the

Princeton University Office of Radio Research. The original

research focused on media and messages, like the war propaganda

films. Specifically, during World War II, the U.S. government

used focus groups to study how Americans were impacted by the

military propaganda films. The goal of the research was for the

U.S. government to discover what messages were most effective in

increasing support for the war.

 Today, focus groups are still used to evaluate messaging and

advertising. They also provide insight on people’s motivations,

behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge. New techniques, such as

projective, have been added to the traditional “focused

interview” to uncover hidden emotions and thoughts. Since then

social scientists and program evaluators have found focus groups

to be useful in understanding how or why people hold certain

beliefs about a topic or program of interest.

Vermeire et al (2002) said that qualitative research

involves the collection, analysis and interpretation of data that

are not easily reduced to numbers. These data relate to the

social world and the concepts and behaviors of people within it.’

The best known methods of qualitative research are in-depth

interviews, participant observation, written records and

discussion group analysis.

O’hEocha, Conby, & Wang (2010) found in their study that

Focus groups are suitable for exploratory, descriptive and

explanatory research. It is also particularly suited where the

researcher wants to focus on specific topics while leveraging

group interaction. The method has also been advocated for

“formative evaluation, for program improvement” citing (Patton

1990) which matches the use in this study (Hines 2000). Focus

groups could be considered to lie between dyadic interviews and

direct observation: while allowing the researcher to direct

attention to specific topics as allowed by interviews, they also

facilitate group discussion as per observation. A significant

benefit of focus groups is the ability to get a lot of data from

a group in a short amount of time citing (Morgan 1997; Stewart,

Shamdasani et al. 2007).

Krueger, Richard (2002) suggested some tips in conducting a

focus group. Use open-ended questions like What did you think of

the program? How did you feel about the conference? Where do you

get new information? What do you like best about the proposed

program? The author cautioned researchers in using phrases such

as "how satisfied" or "to what extent" and to avoid dichotomous

questions that can be can be answered with a "yes" or “no”.

Instead ask about attributes and/or influences. Attributes are

characteristics or features of the topic while influences are

things that prompt or cause action. The author also encourages

the use of "think back" question, that is, taking people back to

an experience and not forward to the future.

Science Teaching Performance

 The literature of Science teaching performance will deal

with the Individual Performance Commitment Review Form (IPCRF)

and the Instructional Delivery Observation (IDO).

Llego, (2016) IPCRF is for the evaluation teaching and non-

teaching employees of the school. This rating scale is based on

the Civil Service Commission Memorandum Circular No. 06, series

of 2012 that sets the guidelines on the establishment and

implementation of the Strategic Performance Management System

(SPMS) in all government agencies.

The IPCRF shows what the teacher has done for the whole

school year. The key result areas (KRAS) is where the individual

performance is being measured. It is consist of paper works,

pictures, tests, results, computed grades, seminars/workshops,

and other related evidence.

For teachers, the key result areas are:

1. The Teaching Learning Process with the following objectives:

a) Develop daily lesson plans/learning logs and instructional

materials to adapt the curriculum to the needs of

learners.

b) Provided both individualized and group instruction in all

classes assigned as teaching load for the current school

year.
 c) Facilitated three engaging lessons with the help of ICT

every quarter (a total of 12 ICT lessons for the whole

year).

d) Held demonstration lessons in class once a year. Lesson

observation focusing on higher order thinking skills, note

taking skills, study skills and retention skills.

2. Pupils/Students Outcomes the objectives of which are:

a) Administered group teacher made and standardized tests set

by the region/division/school for the current school year,

b) Monitored and evaluated student progress for every quiz

and activity and encourage the class for their own and

each other’s learning.

c) Conducted regular remediation to improve scores of low

performing students.

d) Increased the general average scores of students by 2% at

the end of the school year.(https://depedtambayan.ph/2017)

Student Academic Performance

The literature of student academic performance in Science

will include their relationship with teachers Science teaching

performance.

In the “Framework for Philippine Science Teacher Education”

published by SEI-DOST in 2011, it was found that the lack of

qualified science teachers in many schools lead to the practice

of assigning teachers to teach science subjects despite their

limited background. This situation is true for both elementary

and secondary schools. UP NISMED studied the profile of

participants in their training programs through the years and

found out that many teachers handling science subjects are non-

science majors. When asked what topics do they find difficult to

teach or students have difficulty understanding the concepts,

they included electricity, chemical changes and reactions,

weather, plate tectonics, and movement of heavenly bodies. These

topics require a lot of visualization and use of models because

the concepts are abstract. Lacking in confidence to teach these

science subjects, teachers tend to focus or linger on topics they

are familiar with (usually biological) and leave out the

difficult ones. One probable effect of this practice is the low

performance of students in international and national assessment

studies. The results of the Trends International Science and

Mathematics Study (TIMSS, 1999 and 2003) and the National

Achievement Test (Department of Education, 2003-2008) support

this observation. Although there had been increases in the

performance of students in NAT 2007 and 2008, the national mean

percent score is still below mastery level. Most alarming is the

result of the analysis of the TIMSS tests given to teachers of

students who took the test in 2003. It was discovered that, on

the average, the highest scoring students fared better than the

teacher. The tests also revealed that many science teachers and

students are incapable of assessing items that fall under

conceptual understanding and analysis/reasoning, especially items

under the constructed-response type. The 2003 TIMSS test covered

concepts in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Sciences,

Environmental Science, and the Nature of Science while the

teachers who took the test were teaching Grade 4 Science in

elementary school and Biology in secondary school.

King’Aru, JM (2014) found in his study that students fail

science subjects due to lack of competent science teachers.

Teachers are by far the biggest resource in schools citing

(Sutton, 2011). A teacher is the most important factor within

schools that policy makers can directly affect to improve

students’ achievement. The author also found that schools which

have text books, laboratory equipment and other necessary

resources perform much better than schools which do not have

these resources citing (Ambogo 2010, Cyril & Lucas 2010) the

schools which do not have these resources were found to be

performing poorer than the schools which had the resources in

place. The teachers and students strongly agreed that if provided

with the necessary materials and equipment they require they will
definitely post good results in the national examinations in

science subjects.

Legal Bases/Theoretical Concepts

This topic will include the legal bases that will be

employed in this study. Likewise, the theoretical concepts on

which this study will be anchored is also covered.

REPUBLIC ACT NO.10612, Chapter 1, Sec. 1 and 2

AN ACT EXPANDING THE COVERAGE OF THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (S&T)

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM AND STRENGTHENING THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE AND

MATHEMATICS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES Section

1. stipulates that this Act shall be known as the "Fast-Tracked

S&T Scholarship Act of 2013".Section 2. Declaration of Policy. –

Science, technology and engineering are essential for national

development and progress. The State shall give priority to

research and development, invention, innovation and their

utilization. Priority shall also be given to science and

technology education.

Republic Act No. 10533

An act enhancing the Philippine Basic Education System by

strengthening its curriculum and increasing the number of years

for basic education, appropriating funds therefor and for other

purposes. Sec. 1. This Act shall be known as the "Enhanced Basic

Education Act of 2013″. The declaration of policy in this act

stipulates that the State shall establish, maintain and support a

complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant

to the needs of the people, the country and society-at-large.

Likewise, it is hereby declared policy of the State that

every graduate of basic education shall be an empowered

individual who has learned, through a program that is rooted on

sound educational principles and geared towards excellence, the

foundations for learning throughout life, the competence to

engage in work and be productive, the ability to coexist in

fruitful harmony with local and global communities, the

capability to engage in autonomous, creative, and critical

thinking, and the capacity and willingness to transform others

and one’s self.

Theoretical Concepts

Attraction – Selection – Attrition (ASA) Theory was

developed by Benjamin Schneider (1987). In Attraction, people

search environments that fit by their personality and that people

would like to obtain their outcomes by selecting a specific

organization. Theoretically, people are differentially attracted

to careers as a function of their own interests and personality

(Holland, and Vroom (1966). In Selection, it states that

organizations select people who they think are compatible for

many different kinds of jobs. In that way organizations end up

choosing people who share many common personal attributes,

although they may not share common competencies. Finally, in

Attrition, which is the opposite side of attraction, the theory

states that when people do not fit an environment they tend to

leave it. When people leave the environment a more homogenous

group stays than those were initially attracted to the

organization.

The Cognitive Learning Theory by Edward Tolman (1948) was

also used as a theoretical framework of the study. The theory

proposed that people and animals have active information

processes and not passive learners as behaviorism had suggested.

Tolman also worked on latent learning, defined as learning

which is not apparent in the learner's behavior at the time of

learning, but which manifests later when a suitable motivation

and circumstances appear (http://businessjargons.com/)

 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

The methodology of the study will focus on the research

design, research methodology, locale, respondents, sampling, data

gathering instrument, validity, reliability, data gathering

procedure, and statistical analysis.

Research Design

Polit and Hungler (1999) describe the research design as a

blueprint, or outline, for conducting the study in such a way

that maximum control will be exercised over factors that could

interfere with the validity of the research results. This study

shall use a descriptive design employing both quantitative and

qualitative techniques to identify, analyze and describe Science

teachers and their teaching competencies and which will form as

basis of enhancement program.

Locale of the Study

This research will be conducted in La Castellana National

High School-JHS and Cabagnaan Annex, a public secondary school in

La Castellana, Negros Occidental, Philippines. The rationale for

choosing LCNHS-JHS is that it is a performing school and

specifically the main public high school in town where the

population of students (4,114) and teachers (132) are highly

concentrated. The locale of the study is also in close proximity

with the researcher.

Respondents of the Study

The respondents of this study are all Science teachers of

LCNHS-JHS and Cabagnaan Annex with a total number of 20. These

teachers are teaching Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth

Science using the Spiral Approach. Although the number of Science

teachers may seem typically small, their diversity can provide

substantial collection of data needed in this study.

Sampling Procedure

Making decision in selecting participants to be included in

a sample differs from study to study. It is a commonly accepted

belief among researchers that working with a large sample size

reduces sampling errors and at the same time improves the

reliability of the results (deVaus, 1995; Kline, 2005; Newman &

McNeil, 1998). Fowler (2009) specifically points to increasing

sample size as one way to increase the reliability of survey

estimates.

In this study the focal point of interest to the researcher

is the entire group of Science teachers in LCNHS-JHS.

Accordingly, total enumeration will be utilized in which case a

total of 20 Science teachers will be represented by variable (N).

To get the student’s population, a systematic sampling or the Nth

name selection technique will be employed, in which the tenth

name will be selected from the list of the population members (N)

of all the students of LCNHS-JHS. The result of the systematic

sampling will represent the sample size of student population

(n). On the other hand, to get reliable qualitative data, a focus

group discussion (FGD) will be conducted between the researcher

and with all the teacher participants of LCNHS-JHS using open

ended questions.

Table 1a: Population of the Respondents and Subjects Taught

Subject N %
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Earth Science
TOTAL 20 100
 Table 1b. Distribution of Students of LCNHS-JHS School year

2017-2018

Grade Level No.of (N) % (n) %

Section

7 22 1 233 30 92 25

8 21 1 029 25 91 25

9 19 979 24 90 25

10 16 873 21 89 25

TOTAL 78 4 114 100 362 100

Slovin’s Formula

N
n =
1+( Ne 2)

Data Gathering Instrument

The study will utilize an instrument adopted from NCBTS

(cite source) to gather teaching competencies. Specifically, it

was taken from Domain 4 of the Curriculum that includes Strand

4.1 to Strand 4.7. The rating scale will be….. Another instrument

will be used to find the demographic profile of respondents, the

Individual Performance Commitment Review Form (IPCRF), and the

Instructional Delivery Observation (IDO) rating of respondents.

Qualitative data collected from the FGD to find the challenges

and opportunities of the participants will be transcribed

carefully. Ethical issues regarding the responses of the

respondents will be treated with utmost confidentiality.

Validity of the Instrument

An instrument is said to be valid if it measures for a

specific purpose with a specific group of people. Validity is

specific to the appropriateness of the interpretations we wish to

make with the scores (Del Siegle, n.d.).

In this study, the researcher used a standardized instrument

to collect data -NCBTS. Because of this, there is no need in

subjecting the instrument to validation.

Reliability of the Instrument

David (2005) defined reliability of data as the consistency

of the responses obtained by an individual in a research

instrument if used for the second time and yielded the same

result as it did the first time.

In this study, the standardized instrument will be tested

first to all Secondary Science teachers of Cabacungan National

High School after the approval of the Principal of said school.

The Cronbach Alpha test will determine the reliability

coefficient. The resulting alpha, ∝ obtained will signify the

internal consistency of the instrument.

Data Gathering Procedure

In this study, the data gathering procedure will be the

following:

Formal letters will be written and sent to the Schools

Division Superintendent of the Division of Negros Occidental for

permission to conduct the study. After the permission is granted,

a letter will be sent to the Principal of La Castellana National

High School asking permission to conduct the study in the said

school.

The researcher will then administer the instrument

personally to all Science teachers in LCNHS and its Cabagnaan

Annex giving due respect to the approved schedule by the school

Principal.

All participants will be given ample time to consider their

responses to the instrument. Lucid directions will be observed as

well as keeping the identity of the participant and their answers

in strict confidentiality. Instruments will be gathered after the

allotted time has elapsed.

 To gather pertinent school data, such as the students’

academic performance in Science for the last 2 quarters of school

year 2017-2018, the researcher requested the participants to

submit the Science grades of all their students.

The researcher formulated open ended questions necessary for

the Focus Group Discussion (FGD). Participants to the FGD will be

informed of the schedule and of the topics to be discussed.

Likewise, the researcher will inform and ask permission from the

participants that a recording gadget, i.e. cellphone, will be set

up to take their verbal responses. The result of FGD will be

later transcribed to find the challenges and opportunities of

Science teachers in teaching Science.

Data gathered from the FGD will be subjected to thematic

analysis. In order to protect the identity of the participant who

responded to the questions and voiced their opinions, a pseudonym

for each will be devised.

Statistical Analysis

The study will employ the following statistical tools for

statistical analysis of the problems. A descriptive research

method will be employed as follows: to identify the independent

variables, the mean will be utilized. To find the significant

difference, the mean of means will be used. Finally, to find the

significant relationship, the t-test will be employed.

To determine the demographic profile of Science teachers

when grouped according to age, years of experience, and

educational qualifications; the descriptive statistics of mean

will be utilized.

The level of the teaching competencies of Science teachers

in terms of their National Competencies Based Teachers’ Standards

(NCBTS); shall be measured using the mean.

To find the challenges and opportunities of the Science

teachers; thematic analysis will be used.

To determine the level of the teachers’ Science teaching

performance and instructional delivery in reference to their

Individual Performance Commitment Review Form (IPCRF) and

Instructional Delivery Observation (IDO) respectively; the mean

will be used.

The level of student’s academic performance in reference to

their Science 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarter final grades; will be

ascertained by employing the mean of means and standard

deviation.

To find the significant difference on the teaching

competencies of teachers when grouped according to age, years of

teaching experience, and educational qualifications; the t-test

will be employed.

To find the significant relationship between the teachers’

teaching competencies and their Science teaching performance; the

t-test for independent means will be utilized.

The significant relationship between the teachers’ Science

teaching performance and their students’ academic performance,

will be treated with t-test the Pearson’s r will be used.

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