20-MINUTE AID DRILL: A REMEDIAL INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE BASIC

NUMERACY SKILLS OF THE GRADE 8 STUDENTS OF

ALANGALANG NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

A Research Proposal
Presented to the Faculty of the
College of Teacher Education, Arts, and Sciences
Visayas State University Alangalang
Alangalang, Leyte, Philippines

Group 3
Bacale, Cesar
Canales, Christine Rose
Rebato, Joel Jr. F.
Valeriano, Sherilyn
Varona, Alexandra
BSED MATH

May 2024
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Nature and Background of the Study

Developing countries are participating in programs to raise students' numeracy

proficiency due to global concern over low mathematics student accomplishment (Sinyosi,

2015).The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2017)

has identified a "learning crisis" affecting 617 million children and adolescents globally, with

66% not meeting minimum competence standards in reading and mathematics. The UNESCO

Institute for Statistics (UIS) reported that six out of ten children and adolescents worldwide

are not learning the minimum in these subjects. With over 387 million primary school

students and 230 teenagers in lower secondary school, 56% of students will not meet

competence requirements by primary school, with 61% being higher among teenagers.

According to a Philippine Daily Inquirer (2021) news article cited by the World Bank,

Filipino students did poorly on all three PISA, TIMSS, and SEA-PLM exams, with over 80%

of them failing to meet the minimal competency standards needed for their respective grades.

The Philippines performed worse than nearly every other participating country on all three

examinations, finishing at or near the bottom of each assessed learning area (De Vera, 2021).

Furthermore, it is reasonable to assume that the pandemic's impact on public health

will exacerbate the Philippines' students' dismal academic performance. The new normal has

been minimal face-to-face connection because of the lockdowns, which has left students

reliant on their study tools to finish their assignments. Low-quality modules and resources for

online learning are widespread as a result, creating a learning crisis. The resources required to

support their education are inaccessible to many of individuals who have been able to finish
their school. Even worse, public spending on education and training has faced budget

reductions as a result of competition with health demands (Villegas, 2021).

Brown and Quinn (2011) emphasize the importance of learning basic mathematics

skills, such as fractions, for preparing students for advanced math and college and the

workforce. Mastering fundamental concepts like fractions is crucial for learning algebra and

other higher-level mathematics. Students struggling with fractions often struggle to construct

algebraic functions and display mistake patterns. Wang (2011) asserts that teaching should be

based on students' mathematical knowledge rather than their current grade level. Mastering

algebra not only predicts a student's ability to learn and comprehend fractions but also

indicates their likelihood of success in college or life.

The study by Machera (2017) produced similar results, demonstrating that learners

may gain from self-management, collaboration, and teamwork when interventions are carried

out well. Not only can students grow independently, but they will also gain from knowing

that their teachers are active. This demonstrates just how important it is to select an efficient

mathematics intervention that would assist the students in enhancing their foundational

knowledge of mathematics and numeracy. Furthermore, academic interventions aim to solve

the academic challenges of various students, as stated by Mathew (2019). Teachers

implemented various academic interventions in the classroom, including peer tutoring,

evaluation, and self-assessment.

Furthermore, although not very well-structured or executed, remedial lessons are

offered by DepEd for both reading and numeracy. That being said, this served as the

foundation for this study's correction. While several corrective techniques are currently

available, researchers are interested in learning about and pursuing more potent techniques

than those that were conventionally employed. The 20-minute aid drill structured remedial

intervention was therefore discovered by the researchers as an organized remedial technique

to help students who were struggling with math learn more effectively. More specifically, the

school has been concerned about the poor math performance of Grade 8 students at

Alangalang National High School. Most pupils do not reach the necessary performance level

to move on to the next grade. It has consequently become evident that this problem needs to

be addressed. Thus, the purpose of this study is to enhance students' basic math knowledge

through the use of the 20-minute aid drill remedial intervention, to report on how well

students perform in math and how effective the remedial intervention is at addressing

learners' difficulties with fundamental math concepts.

Statement of the Problem

This action research aimed to quantitatively improve the Basic Mathematics skills of

the struggling Grade 8 students of Alangalang National High School by using a 20-minute

aid drill remedial intervention.

Specifically, this study sought to answer the question:

• Is there a significant increase in the basic mathematics skills of the students after

integrating a 20-minute aid drill remedial intervention?

Research Hypothesis

The study tested the hypothesis that there is no significant increase in the basic

mathematics skills of the students after integrating a 20-minute aid drill remedial

intervention.

Scope and Delimitation

This action research aimed to determine whether there is an improvement in the basic

mathematics skills of the Grade 8 students. The researcher implemented an intervention that

covers basic Mathematics skills called the “20-Minute Aid Drill”. The “20-Minute Aid
Drill” delved into the different questions containing basic mathematics skills such as whole

numbers (adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing), square and cubes of numbers,

substitution, order of operations, simplifying algebraic expressions, algebraic translations,

and exponents.

The study was conducted among the Grade 8 students of Alangalang National High

School which has a total population of 756 students. The sample was selected by identifying

the struggling students based on the result of the pre-test. This was conducted particularly in

the first quarter of the school year 2023-2024 at Alangalang National High School in Brgy.

San Antonio, Alangalang, Leyte.

Definition of Terms

To have a better understanding of the study, the following terms were defined

conceptually and/or operationally.

Intervention. It refers to an action that will help to prevent a specific problem. In this

study, intervention the 20-minute aid will be used to address the problems regarding the non-

numerate learners and improve their mathematics basic skills.

Remedial. It is intended for school students who need a special time to attain their

deficiency.

20-Minute Aid. This is a structured remedial-based intervention strategy aimed at

improving the basic mathematics skills of the students. Also, as pertains in this study, it is a

form of a session divided into 2 parts consisting of 40 minutes time duration, wherein 20

mins tie durations to answer and 20 minutes to discuss.

 20-Minutes Aid Drill. This is an instrument composed of 1 item per minute consisting

of questions of basic mathematics skills. The 20-minute aid drill is designed to improve the

basic mathematics skills of struggling students in Mathematics subject.

Basic Mathematics Skills. These involve making calculations of amounts, sizes, or

other measurements. Core concepts like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division

provide a foundation for learning and using more advanced math concepts. In this study, the

goal of this occurs is to improve the learning difficulties in mathematics by the learners and

develop their mathematics basic skills.

Proposed Innovation, Intervention, and Strategy

Think-pair-share is a cooperative learning strategy in which students are given a task

or question and given time to consider alone. Then, in pairs, they explain their findings,

discuss their ideas, and improve their work as needed to reach a consensus on the topic or

goal. The class then reconvenes after the pairs have had time to talk, and members of the

various pairs share their opinions with the class (Skinner & Belmont, 1993; Mello, 2010; Chi,

2009; Cazden, 1988; Fassinger, 1995; Howard et al., 1996; Wang & Eccles, 2012). Think-

pair-share facilitates student discussion and the formation and critique of arguments in both

small and large groups. In the present study, the researchers will be incorporating think-pair-

share in teaching to discover whether it will enhance learners’ problem-solving skills in

mathematics. To study think-pair-share and the effect it has on students, the think-pair-share

strategy served as the intervention of the study. It was implemented for one session with the

chosen respondents to the study. For the control group, the students were taught traditionally

for 1 hour. Enhancement exercises were provided to the students through an activity sheet,

and they applied the concepts learned during the discussion. The same activity sheet was

provided to the experimental group. However, the cooperative learning strategy, specifically
think-pair-share, was used while answering the activity. After the implementation of the

intervention, the researchers carried out a post-test that was researcher-made based on the

modules of the respondents. The post-test was utilized to assess the significant effect of

cooperative learning, specifically think-pair-share, on the learner’s mathematics problem-

solving skills.
 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Related Literature

This chapter presents literature and research findings related to the study. Included

and emphasized herein are significant concepts from different researchers that further

elucidate the variables in this study. The results and findings of previous studies enable a

fuller comprehension of the current investigation. Specifically, this chapter presents a review

of related literature and studies related to this research; 20-Minute Aid Drill: A Remedial

Interventions to Improve Basic Mathematics Skills.

Everyone benefits greatly from education because it equips them with the knowledge

and abilities needed to make meaningful contributions to society. Education, according to the

World Bank, is one of the most powerful instruments for ending poverty and improving

people's lives. But to establish and preserve a top-notch educational system, the right kind of

funding needs to be allocated (Philippine Institute for Developmental Studies, 2012). The

emphasis on students' competence in subjects like mathematics, which aids in preparing them

for life in the real world, is more crucial.

In addition, Primary and secondary schools in the Philippines both include general

education courses in mathematics. Students should be able to solve problems, think critically,

communicate, reason, make connections, represent ideas, and make decisions in daily life

using the mathematical concepts outlined in the K–12 Basic Education Curriculum.
According to the 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS),

which included 38 participating countries, the Philippines ranked 34th in mathematics.

Blomeke and Delaney (2014) assert that it is an essential and obligatory subject for all

fields of specialization. But there are problems with math. However, proficiency still exists,

not only in the Philippine setting but also in other countries these days. To help students

acquire the consistency and numerical abilities necessary to understand fundamental

mathematical ideas, educational modules are offered in the following order in the Philippine

context. Each module covers a certain subject and includes prerequisites for the teaching

plan. Similarly, the Department of Education (2013) states that mathematics is a topic that is

relevant to all age groups and contexts. Its significance goes beyond the institution and the

classroom. As a result, studying mathematics in school needs to be comprehensive and in-

depth.

Moreover, according to data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress

(2015), two-thirds of eighth-grade pupils demonstrated a basic level of mathematical ability

or below. Furthermore, nearly ninety percent of the eighth-graders performed math at or

below the basic levels. These numbers demonstrate the importance of using efficient teaching

strategies to support math learners and kids whose classmates are having difficulty with

arithmetic (Education Northwest, 2019).

Related Studies

High-drive students do better in the classroom than low-motivation students,

according to Arulmoly and Branavan's (2017) argument. The teacher's enhanced

mathematical proficiency, the student's interest in the subject, and their previously noted

good behavior. The combination of these suitable motivating variables ought to result in

increased achievement in mathematics. Students showed a positive attitude toward

mathematics, a finding corroborated by Capuno, et al. (2019) study. Their degree of

independence, happiness, and enthusiasm for mathematics were also objectively expressed by

them.

According to Biswas' (2015) study, a variety of factors affect students' mathematical

competency as indicated by their grades. The primary focus of this study will be students'

emotional attributes, which highlight their study habits and attitude - also known as their

study orientations. Two of the biggest problems college students face are learning effective

time management skills and creating solid study habits.

Furthermore, student performance in mathematics is influenced by the cultural

backgrounds of the students as well as the teaching and learning methodologies employed.

Many teaching strategies exist, such as teacher-centered, student-centered, and homework

assignment types, per Sitko's (2013) research. Just a few of the instructional techniques

available are group problem-solving exercises and individual assignments from the instructor

or from textbooks. How well students achieve in math may depend on a variety of factors,

including the relationships between teachers and students, the way they are disciplined, and

the amount of homework assigned.

However, students who learn mathematics through problem-solving techniques

outperform those who study it through conventional ways, according to research conducted

by Ali et al. (2010). As students were introduced to accepting responsibility for their acts, the

teacher acted as a facilitator. This illustrates the style of training that is learner-centered. It

held that curricula needed to be tailored to the daily lives of instructors and students, and that

teaching tactics needed to connect students' real lives to practical application. The strategies

encourage teachers to actively involve students in their teaching and learning processes by

allowing students to communicate what they know about the content being covered in class.

Similarly, a study by Tata (2013) discovered that a lack of resources and teachers with

the necessary training, along with students' negative attitudes and fears of arithmetic, were
some of the factors causing them to perform poorly in mathematics. Positive attitudes,

motivation, proper supervision, and access to learning materials can all help students do

better in math.

In addition, Malatjie (2019) asserts that if students build new knowledge from the old,

they may comprehend mathematical concepts, techniques, and relationships for every topic in

mathematics. For learning to occur in mathematics, there must be a connection between

previously held concepts and newly learned ones.

Furthermore, Keane's (2020) linked study found that children's increasing memory

capacity provides a convincing explanation for the age-related changes in cognitive function.

It is possible to compare intelligence to a computer that has a specific amount of short-term

memory slots. This is the most obvious parallel, however, there are other ways to look at it.

The ability to store and retrieve information increases with age and is referred to as memory

development. An example of this would be learning a set of numbers at a particular event that

mirrored interactions and events that would occur in real life.

As evidenced by the research in the linked literature listed above, more remedial

instruction strategies must be developed in order to help students enhance their foundational

mathematical knowledge. Therefore, the hypothesis behind this action research is that by

incorporating a 20-minute aid drill remedial intervention, it will enhance the students'

foundational math skills.

 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

This section discusses the research design, locale of the study, respondents to the

study, research instruments, research sampling, validation of the instruments, data gathering

procedures, and statistical treatment of the data.

Research Design

Classroom Action Research (CAR) is the research design used in this study.

According to the University of Central Missouri (2021), action research comprises a

systematic procedure for analyzing the information. Research of this type yields valuable,

relevant, and potentially theoretically significant results. Action research is different from

other forms of research in that its findings are valued more for their relevance to the

researcher and local collaborators than for their generalizability.

Quasi-experimental methods were employed in this action study. According to

Thomas (2020), the purpose of this design is to demonstrate the dependent and independent

variables' cause-and-effect relationship. In this study design, participants are not assigned at

random to conditions or sequences of conditions, even in the presence of independent

variable manipulation.
 Accordingly, this design is appropriate for the current study, which aims to determine

whether there is a significant difference between the pre-and post-test results for Grade 8

students at Alangalang National High School, as well as how remedial intervention materials

help students improve their basic mathematical skills.

Research Locale

The study will be conducted at Alangalang National High School, located in Brgy.

San Antonio (Pob) Alangalang, Leyte, wherein the respondents were the selected Grade 8

students, which consists of 18 sections for Grade 8 students with a total of 756 students. The

population of this school is large enough to be the target respondents in this study. The Grade

8 program at this school offers different programs: Science, Technology, and Engineering

(STE), Special Programs in Arts (SPA), Special Programs in Sports (SPS), and Regular.

Figure 1

Locator Map of Alangalang National High School, Leyte.

 Source: Google Map

Research Respondents

The participants of the study were the Grade 8 students enrolled in Alangalang High

National School for the school year 2023–2024. The Grade 8 department at ANHS has 18

sections. The respondents were selected through a stratified sampling method. The population

from which the sample was taken significantly provided relevant and useful data for this

study since they all have math subjects.

Research Sampling

A sample size of 260 was obtained based on the table determining the sample size for

a known population by Krejcie and Morgan (1970). The sampling method for this study is

stratified sampling. All Grade 8 students at Alangalang National High School were divided

into 4 clusters according to their program. For every program, in their respective section,

every respondent was selected in a convenience sampling process.

Research Instrument

The instruments used in this action research were generally a variety of 20-minute

assist drill remedial intervention material and a pre-test and post-test for basic mathematics

skills. Prior to the intervention's therapy, a pretest was performed to determine whether kids

were having difficulty with mathematics and to choose the study participants. This study was

conducted using Remedial Intervention's 20-minute help drill material. Four items each

minute, all using fundamental mathematical concepts, were asked. Also, a post-test was
administered following the intervention to evaluate the student's progress utilizing the 20-

Minute Aid drill.

Instrument Validation and Reliability

The research instrument used in the study was researcher-made. In testing the validity

of the research instrument, the researchers sought guidance from the mathematics teachers at

Alangalang National High School. Specifically, the teachers assessed the extent to which the

content of the instrument covered all relevant parts of the subject it aimed to measure. The

instrument was pilot-tested with Grade 8 students at Granja Kalinawan National High School.

The results of the pilot testing were used to test the reliability of the instrument. Reliability

tests were computed using the SPSS statistical package.

Data Collection Procedure

This study utilized the 4 stages of action research: (1) plan, (2) act, (3) observe, and

(4) reflect. The procedure for this action research was taken from the design proposed by

Kemmis and McTaggart.

Reflect Plan

Observe Act

A. PLAN
 In this section, the researcher produced letters for distribution, conducted a

pre-test to help select study participants, administered the research intervention

namely the 20-minute aid drill, and used the post-test to assess whether the

intervention was effective.

a. Letter Distribution

The researchers sent a letter seeking permission to conduct the research to the

school principal, Mr. Vernon M. Barazza Jr., of Alangalang National High School.

After the approval, the researchers also sent letters to the advisers of four sections of

Grade 8 students. Afterward, a letter was sent to each respondent who was part of the

study. The consent contained statements that ensured that all the data gathered was

treated ethically.

b. Pre-test

The researchers administered a pre-test among the 18 sections of Grade 8 to identify

the respondents needed for the study. It contained mathematics basic skills questions as it will

be conducted to measure the mathematics basic skills of the respondents. The students were

given 20 minutes to answer the instrument. Each respondent who participated in the study

was given a letter approved by the School Principal and the adviser. Statements in the consent

form guaranteed that all data collection was done ethically.

c. 20-Minute Aid Drill

The 20-Minute Aid Drill was a study intervention aimed at improving basic

mathematics skills. It was implemented for four sessions, divided into two parts. The

first three sessions consisted of 20-minute math drills, followed by a 10-minute

discussion by researchers. The respondents had 40 minutes to answer the drills and 20
 minutes for the discussion. The last session had only 6 minutes of the drills, followed

by 20 minutes of the intervention and 20 minutes for discussion by researchers. The

remaining 15 minutes were used for respondents' reflection on their learning from the

four sessions, assessing their understanding of each math skill and how the

intervention improved their understanding. The study aimed to assess the

effectiveness of the intervention in improving students' understanding and learning of

mathematics skills.

d. Post-test

The researchers conducted a 20-minute post-test following the intervention's

execution. This post-test tool was used to assess the student's response to the

intervention. The data will be analyzed using a paired t-test and the arithmetic mean.

B. ACT

The study will be conducted in seven days, starting with letters to school

principals, advisers, and students. A 20-minute pre-test instrument will used to

identify struggling students in mathematics. The first 20-minute aid drill was

introduced, followed by two parts with simultaneous four-minute math drills. The

researchers then discussed the answers with the respondents for 10 minutes. The

process continued on the fourth and fifth days. The final session, the sixth, was a six-

minute math aid drill, with 20 minutes for the respondents and 20 minutes for the

researchers. The remaining 15 minutes were used for the respondents' reflections on

their learning from the four sessions. The researchers then administered a 20-minute

post-test to evaluate the intervention's success.

C. OBSERVE

Documenting and acquiring data on any components or occurrences that took

place will be done through observation. During the action, an observation was made.

The researchers of this study thus assisted in supporting the respondents' learnings

and monitored the execution of the 20-minute aid drill.

The researchers will use a Post-test instrument to obtain the data to assess the students

after the implementation of the 20-minute aid drill. Afterward, the scores of the

respondents on the post-test were been assessed by using the descriptors, grading

scale, and remarks derived from the DepEd Grading System. This was used upon

checking the scores of the respondents on the pre-test and post-test.

DepEd Grading Scale

DESCRIPTOR GRADING SCALE REMARKS

Outstanding 90-100 Passed

Very Satisfactory 85-89 Passed

Satisfactory 80-84 Passed

Fairly Satisfactory 75-79 Passed

Did Not Meet Below 75 Failed

Expectations

D. REFLECT

In this section, the researchers will reflect on and analyze the results to

determine whether the intervention was done successfully or not to improve the basic

mathematics skills of the students. The researchers will compare the results from the

pre-test and post-test to know if there is a significant difference between using the 20-

minute aid drill. Moreover, in analyzing the data using a paired t-test statistical tool,

the SPSS statistical package was used.

Data Analysis

The Paired T-test was used to evaluate the data. One technique to determine if the

mean difference between two sets of measurements is zero or not is the paired t-test (JMP

Statistical Discover, 2022). Boston University (2016) states that when comparing two

variables for the same subject, the paired t-test is employed. The paired t-test was utilized to

examine the data to determine whether there was a significant change because this study

employed the pre-test and post-test design, in which variables were measured both before and

after an intervention. Additionally, the statistical software SPSS was used to analyze the data

using the paired t-test.