IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF GRADE 5 LUNA LEARNERS USING

TEACHER-MADE STRATEGIC INTERVENTION MATERIAL (SIM)

IN TEACHING SCIENCE

RASSEL DALION DULOS

Grade 5-Luna Adviser

Abstract

This study focused on improving the performance of Grade 5 Luna

learners using teacher-made strategic intervention material (SIM) in teaching
Science of Gumalang Elementary School. The lesson about changes in materials
under the application of heat was one of the least learned topics in First Quarter
for the School Year 2022-2023. There were five (5) learners were identified as
respondents who were unable to master the competencies of the said topic.

The study utilized the mean, the mean percentage scores, paired sample t-
test and Eta² to determine the improvement of using SIM as the material for an
intervention activity in teaching changes of matter through the application of
heat. As results of the study using the intervention material could improved the
performance of the learners as evident of the Mean Percentage Score (MPS) from
32% in the pre-test to 85% in the post-test. It is therefore recommended that
using the Strategic Intervention Material for the changes in matter through
application of heat in teacher’s remediation activities be adapted. It is likewise
that any intervention activity not only in Science but in all learning, areas be
conducted using Strategic Intervention Materials.
Introduction and Rationale
Teachers play an essential role in education, most especially in the lives
of the students they teach in the classroom. What defines a teacher is his/her
ability to teach students and a positive influence on them. Generally, the role of
a teacher in education goes beyond teaching. In today’s world, teaching has
different faces, and a teacher has to carry out the part of being an external
parent, counselor, mentor, role, model and so on.

“Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to

investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in
life.” – Marcus Aurelius.

This is a challenge to all teachers teaching science to improve the level of

learning because science is a field that continues to be one of the greatest
collective endeavors in human history. The subject emphasizes a thirst for
knowledge and curiosity that seeks to answer some of the greatest questions
in our environment. On the one hand, understanding science (as content,
inquiry and process skills) is a challenging task for students, as it involves a
construction process, which is complex and iterative—not a linear one—and
which also takes time and effort. An important implication of this construction
process, as constructivist-oriented research in the 1980s and 1990s showed, is
the possibility for students to construct not only a conceptual framework that
lacks the coherence of true scientific knowledge, but to equally construct
alternative ideas that are different from the canonical scientific ones. Other
implications that were discovered is that the construction process is influenced
by several interrelated factors, such as students' prior conceptions and views
on the nature of science (their epistemologies—Kalman, 2008/2017; Matthews,
2015), their interest and motivation, the classroom culture, the opportunities
they have for social interaction, dialogue, and argumentation, the generation of
representations (for the use of modeling and analogies), and also their
opportunities for cognitive dissonance and conceptual change, as well as for
applying new knowledge to new contexts (Resnick, 1983; Hadzigeorgiou,
1997, 1999, 2015; Stefanich and Hadzigeorgiou, 2001; Tytler et al., 2013).
Students who believe that effort enhances ability and school success are
more likely to pursue learning or mastery goals than those students who
attribute success primarily to a static ability trait or to other factors such as
luck (Dweck & Legge«, 1989; Freeman & Schopen, 1997; Lapadat, 2000;
Weiner, 1992). In their striving for mastery, such students tend to adopt
metacognitive learning strategies, resulting in stronger achievement. School
staff can enhance learning goal orientation among students by rewarding effort,
curiosity and improvement rather than emphasizing the product (Ames, 1992;
Covington & Omelich, 1979; Covington & Teel, 1996; Kaplan, Peck, & Kaplan,
1994; Maehr & Anderman, 1993; Raffini, 1993; Stipek, 1993).
Many educators and graduate student researchers have identified several
factors behind the low performance in science of Filipino students. These are:
quality of teachers, the teaching-learning process, the school curriculum,
instructional materials, and administrative support (DOST-SEI, 2006). Studies
reveal that Filipino students have low retention of concepts, have limited
reasoning and analytical skills, and poor communication skills (they cannot
express ideas or explanations of events and phenomena in their own words)
(UP NISMED, 2004). In addition, a large percentage of Grade 6- and fourth-year
students in selected schools cannot apply concepts to real-life problem-solving
situations nor design an investigation to solve a problem (UP NISMED, 2005).
In my personal assessment as Science teacher who search for other new
instructional materials for remediation. I saw the Strategic Intervention
Material (SIM) used by my colleagues so I ask them about it and I also read all
the information’s that I can get from Google and Facebook. I also asked our
school Science coordinator about it and she encouraged me to made my own
Strategic Intervention Material (S.I.M) for my pupils especially those who
struggle in doing Science activities. She said that it is very effective strategy to
make learners more interested in learning Science because of the interesting
activities brought by this intervention material. My curious mind leads me to
make my own material titled “Beat the Heat”. The activities in my S.I.M are
made based on how I teach/remediate my learners.
The researcher applied the S.I.M to five (5) learners of Grade 5 Luna of
Gumalang Elementary School. The scores were subjected statistical treatments
to determine if there’s an increase in their pre-test and post-test.
The S.I.M promotes the effective teaching and learning of critical content
by helping teachers identify and use proven learning and planning tools, as
well as providing students with a set of skills that will help them learn critical
content, or “learn how to learn”. This will serve its purpose to reteach or
remediate learners if we will add love into it.

Related Literature
The science curriculum aims to help children develop basic
scientific ideas and understanding about the biological and physical aspects of
the world, and the processes through which they develop this knowledge and
understanding. The curriculum also aims to foster positive attitudes toward
science, and to encourage children to examine and appreciate how science and
technology affect their lives and the environment.

The curriculum is designed to provide students with two key types of skill—
working scientifically, and designing and making—and reflects a constructivist
and collaborative approach. The curriculum emphasizes the importance of
starting with children’s own ideas and learning through interactions with
objects and materials, and their classmates. Children “create” new knowledge
and learn about scientific concepts. Working scientifically involves:

 Observing and constructing hypotheses

 Predicting
 Planning and carrying out investigations, with an emphasis on fair
testing
 Recording and analyzing results
 Sharing and discussing findings
 Extending thinking to accommodate new findings
 The Department of Education (DepEd) introduced the use of Strategic
Intervention Materials (SIM) as a form of remediation to increase the academic
achievement of low-performing learners in addressing this problem in schools.
DepEd Memorandum No. 117 s. 2005, "Strategic Intervention Materials (SIM)
Training Workshop for Successful Learning," paved the way for teachers to
develop and use of SIM in classrooms. Individual needs are addressed by
instructions and interventions. DepEd also issued Department Order 08 s.
2015 or the Classroom Assessment Policy Guidelines. It states, "There must be
sufficient and appropriate instructional interventions to ensure that learners
are ready before summative tests," and "There must be an intervention by
remediation and extra lessons from that student's subject teacher to a student
who receives a grade below 75 in any subject in any quarter." This policy
guideline outlines the need to arrest academic underachievement by giving the
learners adequate intervention. It also emphasizes inclusive learning. As such,
there will be no learners left behind as appropriate instructions and
interventions are given to meet individual needs.

The major problem in underachievement in many countries has been

identified since 1990. Warrington and Younger, et. al (2005) investigated boys’
underachievement in United Kingdom and recognized the legitimate concern of
underachievement of some boys in schooling. Lynn Arthur Steen in an article
from Issues in Science and Mathematics (2003) discussed the growing concern
of United States in the stagnation of learners’ performance in Mathematics and
Science. The report clearly explains this issue of the underachieving
curriculum of that time. The National Achievement Test (NAT) results in our
country give a rough estimate of student performance in schools. The low mean
percentage scores (MPS) tell us that there are learners who are being tested
with low mastery of concepts. In standardized testing, learners tend not to
reach their full potential and underperform. The NAT in Caloocan City showed
little progress in Science subject. NAT scores in Science show low performance
of learners in Manuel Luis Quezon High School with scores showing "not
mastered" with MPS of 38.87 (2012), 44.10 (2014), 39.58 (2015). The Grade 9
Science First Quarter Examination MPS from SY 2015-2018 also have low
performance with scores 51.35, 53.26, 48.60, and 53.09 respectively. This
shows the lack of content mastery of the lessons and indicates academic
underachievement.

Barredo (2014) conducted a study on the effectiveness of the student’s

academic performance in science using Strategic intervention material. An
experimental research study was conducted using the comparison of the
results of the pre-test and post-test. The SIM focusing on the least mastered
skills was employed. Sometimes SIM mistakenly defined as a module. They
have different purpose and use. Modules differ in a way that the SIM focuses
only on the particular competency intended for remediation while module
contains different competencies in a chapter intended for regular classroom
teaching (Batomalaque 2009).

Helping students understand better in the classroom is one of the primary

concerns of every teacher. Teachers need to motivate students how to learn.
According to Phil Schlecty (1994), students who understand the lesson tend to
be more engaged and show different characteristics such as they are attracted
to do work, persist in the work despite challenges and obstacles, and take
visible delight in accomplishing their work. In developing students'
understanding to learn important concepts, teacher may use a variety of
teaching strategies that would work best for her/his students. Furthermore,
teachers need to vary teaching styles and techniques so as not to cause
boredom to the students in the classroom. Seeking greater insight into how
children learn from the way teachers discuss and handle the lesson in the
classroom and teach students the life skills they need, could be one of the
greatest achievements in the teaching process.
 According to Brock (1976), Cashin (1979) and Lucas (1990), it is necessary
for teachers to work from students' strengths and interests by finding out why
students are in your class and what are their expectations. Therefore, it is
important to take into consideration students' needs and interests so as to
focus instruction that is applicable to different groups of students with
different levels.

Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to improve the performance of the Grade five (5) Luna
using the teacher-made Strategic Intervention Material titled “Beat the Heat” to
remediate poor performance of five (5) learners in learning changes in material
under the application of heat.
The problems of this research are as follows:
1. How can I improve the performance of my five (5) learners in learning the
changes in materials under the application of heat?
2. What is the pre-test score of the respondents before and after applying
the Strategic Intervention Material?
3. Is using the Strategic Intervention Material in the remediation activity on
the changes in materials under the application of heat effective?

Hypothesis
The research investigation addressed the following null hypothesis:
1. There is significant difference between the pre-test and the post-test
using strategic intervention material.

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework

This study is primarily based from Constructivist Learning Theory of
Piaget and Vygotsky. Learning is a social activity. Interacting with others is
vital to constructing knowledge. Group work, discussions, conversations, and
interactions are all important to creating understanding. When we reflect on
our past experiences, we can see how our relationship with others is directly
connected to the information learned.
This action research is primarily addressed the learning needs of the five
(5) learners of Grade 5 Luna of Gumalang Elementary School. To improve their
mastery on the least learned competency pertaining to the changes of materials
under the application of heat. The improvement of the performance of the
Grade 5 Luna using teacher-made Strategic Intervention Material (SIM) being
used as remediation to addressed pupils learning gap.

Variables of the Study

Independent Dependent Variable

Variable
Post-test Pre-test

Strategic Intervention Strategic Intervention

Material Material

Methods
To determine the improvement of the performance of the Grade five (5)
Luna using the teacher-made Strategic Intervention Material was the focus of
this study. The mean percentage scores of the pre-test and post-test were
analyzed and compared to identity the significance difference on the scores of
five (5) learners of Grade 5 Luna of Gumalang Elementary School, Baguio
District, Davao City, School Year 2022-2023. This concretized the level of
effectiveness of the SIM guided by the principle of descriptive method of
research as being utilized in this study. According to Cook and Wong (2008)
pre-test and post-test views this method as descriptive studies can be purely in
nature (Siedlecki 2020) which consist of quantitative data.
Instruments
1.Strategic Intervention Materials
Conceptualized and designed to aid the teacher provide the
pupils the needed support to make progress in studies. These will increase
and deepen the skills, knowledge and understanding of the child in
various subject areas not only in science and math but also including
various learning areas in the curriculum. SIM can give the opportunity to
explore various ideas and concepts that would enrich their
understanding of varied subject matters that sharpen their competencies.

Each intervention material has five parts such as the guide card, activity
card, assessment card, enrichment card and reference card.
The guide card stimulated the student’s interest on the topic discussed
and gave a preview on what they would learn. It presented the skills focus that
mentioned the competency, the three subtasks or activities and the concrete
outcome or product students are expected to demonstrate or produce. This
cited the activities and challenged the learner in performing the task s which
were competency-oriented and can be done individually or per group.
The activity card defines the task(s) that the learner should undertake
in order to develop a skill. The task is competency-oriented and maybe an
individual or group work. The purpose of the task(s) is to provide enough
practice for the learner so that he can perform the skill automatically.
The assessment card helps the learner measure his/her level of mastery
of the skill upon completion of the task(s). the result of the assessment
identifies the knowledge/skill(s) that the learner may need to enhance or
develop further.
 The enrichment card extends learning by providing additional exercises
for further application of knowledge. It provides opportunity to apply learned
concept in a new context.
The reference card provides the additional content to the coverage in the
textbooks. It may also list the resources of the learner may refer to for further
reading.

2.Pre-test and Post-test

They were 15-item teacher made tests which were designed to measure
the mastery level of the students of the lesson chosen by the researcher. The
items in the tests were analyzed and the difficulty/discrimination indices were
taken to discard or reject the item. The pre-test was given before the conduct of
the intervention using the SIM and the post-test was administered right after
entire remediation activity.

Results and Discussion

This section deals with the presentation, analysis and interpretation of
the data gathered.
There were five (5) learners as subjects of this study. They were observed
before and during the implementation of the intervention. The pre-test was
given before the conduct of the intervention using the SIM. Then the post-test
composing of the same test items that of the pre-test was administered after
the whole remediation period. These two (2) tests provided the researcher
secondary data that were analyzed and interpreted as to the purpose of these
study.
The following data are presented and interpreted based on how the
learner’s scores improved.
Table 1-Test scores of the learners Before and After the Utilization of Strategic
intervention Material.
Learners Pre-Test score Post-Test score
15 Items (Before the 15 Items (After the
Implementation) Implementation)
1 4 12
2 7 13
3 5 13
4 3 14
5 5 12
Mean 4.8 12.8

Table 1 shows the mean difference between the test scores of the
learners before and after the material utilized. As shown in the table the pre-
test scores of the learners before the implementation of SIM generated a mean
of 4.8. Almost all of the five (5) learners got low scores before the
implementation of the intervention material. However, post-test scores
generated a mean of 12.8 after the implementation of the material. The result
implied an increased in their performance.
Table 2 -Mean and Mean Percentage Before and After the Implementation
Mean Mean Percentage
Before the 4.8 32%
Implementation
After the 12.8 85%
Implementation

Table 2 shows the mean percentage of the five (5) learners before and
after the implementation of the strategic intervention material. Before the
implementation revealed that learners got a mean of 4.8 with an equivalent of
mean percentage of 32%. As compared to the mean after the implementation
which is 12.8 with the mean percentage of 85%.
 This shows that there was an increased in the level of performance of the
learners for particular least learned competency in Science Grade 5. During the
implementation I found out that learners learns best when they are free to
used the materials they needed in learning. Aside from that I noticed that they
are eager to learn when they are the ones who manipulate the materials in the
activities.

Table 3. Paired Sample T-test

Test N Mean SD df t-value p-value Decision
Pre-test 5 8.00000 1.87083 4 -9.562 .001 Significan
and Post-
t
test

Presented on table 3 is the paired sample t-test on the use of the

strategic intervention material; Beat the Heat in teaching the changes of
materials under the application of heat in Science 5. It shows that the paired
sample t-test generated a mean of -8.00000, an SD of 1.87083 and a p value of
001. This implies that there is a significant difference on the scores before and
after the implementation of strategic intervention material; Beat the Heat.
This can be supported in the study of Barredo (2014) that strategic
intervention materials are intervention material which are designed to help
teachers provide the learners a needed support to make progress. They have
the students what they know and understand from the teacher to formalized
their thinking.

Table 4 Effect of the Strategic Intervention Material in Science 5: Beat

the Heat
N t-value Eta² Descriptive
Interpretation
5 -9.562 .820 Large Effect
 Table 4 shows the effect size using the strategic intervention material:
Beat the Heat. It produced an Eta² value of .820 which signifies large effect.
This proves that the use of the strategic intervention material: Beat the Heat
om teaching Science is effective.
This can be supported in the study of Batomalaque (2009) that the SIM
helps the learners to develop competencies that they did not master during
regular class. They have different purpose and use.
Based on my results, all of my findings in this study gained positive
outcome especially in my Grade five (5) Luna in responding using the
intervention material.

Findings
This study successfully surfaced the unique perspectives of teachers and
learners in terms of the SIM utilization and integration, impact to educational
practice and barriers in the use of the material. The overall perspectives were
summarized through the continuum which presents the general themes that
emerged from the varied responses of the science teachers and as well as the
learners.
The study came up with the following findings:
1. There was significant difference between the performance of the learners in
the pre-test and the post-test.
2. The strategic intervention materials were effective tool to addressed the
learning gaps of the learners learning science lessons.
3. Science teachers should develop and adopt the strategy to make learning
more interesting.
4. Seminars and in-service trainings should be conducted in the district level
and as well as in school level regarding the implementation and
development of the strategic intervention material.
5. Science teachers can use the strategic intervention materials made by the
researcher to reteach the concepts and skills to help learner master the
competency-based skills.

Recommendation
Since the use of Strategic Intervention Material (SIM) is very effective to
the learner as an intervention to their learning gaps, the teacher should adopt
and recommend the SIM as one of the interventions in teaching science and
other subjects. Hopefully teachers and students will see the value of SIM
utilization as this enhances learning capabilities of students and may
reverberate in the improvement of students’ performance in national and
international assessments.

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IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF GRADE 5 LUNA LEARNERS USING
TEACHER-MADE STRATEGIC INTERVENTION MATERIAL (SIM)
IN TEACHING SCIENCE
 DepEd Baguio District
Division of Davao City

RASSEL D. DULOS
Gumalang Elementary School
May, 2023