Chapter I

The Problem

Introduction

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the globe, educational systems around

the world are in crisis mode, with educators attempting to deliver continuous instruction

using a mix of in-person, virtual, and hybrid learning modes. Teachers need the

information to guide classroom-level learning—no matter which instructional mode they

use—and states, school districts, schools, teachers, parents and caregivers, students, and

communities need evidence of how COVID-19 is affecting historically marginalized,

disadvantaged, and underserved students in this uncertain and fluid environment

(National Academy of Education, 2021).

The epidemic has brought to light the importance of various trends, most notably

the authenticity of learning environments. Indeed, in addition to academics, educational

programs, and student evaluation, the most pressing need has emerged to maintain

students' motivation, engagement, and interest, as well as their connection to the school,

especially when schools are closed for extended periods. This necessitates a wide range

of learning activities that are both adaptable and authentic. The actual learning

experiences that resulted from the COVID-19 lockdown could be used to contextualize

student reality during the epidemic in this manner. This provides an opportunity to

reconsider curriculum content and methods (Canadian Commission for UNESCO, 2020).

The Philippines which is geared towards globalization must have an educational

system that conforms to the trends of the outside world and teachers shall provide

classroom situations that are not only limited to memorization of facts but situations that
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train the students to answer the demands of the real world. Burbules et al (2009) stated

that the global context presents a fundamentally different sort of challenge to education.

Different sorts of challenges to education shall be more than just an enlightenment

framework. The importance of enlightenment education remains ephemeral,

compromised by mobility and competition with other sources of affiliation including

what can be termed as “imaginary community”.

Greenhill (2010) opined that the preparation for and involvement in life and not

mere globalization is the educational need in a post-industrial society of the present. To

meet the challenges of accelerated change and uncertainty, learners need to acquire

appropriate knowledge skills, and intellectual capacity. New knowledge and skills are

needed to compete, survive and prosper in the 21 st century, which is the age of the

techno-scientific revolution in order for the learners to be fit in the workplace. The

present traditional pattern of education seems not to answer the need for the future, which

may lead to the most explosive problems of discontent and frustration of graduate

employment. A new learning culture, a culture of lifelong learning for all must be

developed by countries. This culture is essential to help the country and all the people

meet the challenges they now face in the wake of Globalization, Liberalization, and

Privatization.

There were warning indicators of an education crisis in the Philippines even

before the pandemic. The most widely circulated news concerning the situation came

from a 2018 assessment by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and

Development (OECD) Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which

showed Filipino pupils ranked worst among 79 countries in mathematics, science, and
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reading. It is realistic to predict that the public health situation resulting from the

ongoing pandemic will increase Filipino pupils' low performance. Many lockdowns have

resulted in zero face-to-face interaction under the new normal, forcing students to rely on

learning resources to finish their education (Villegas, 2021).

Various studies consulted by the researcher recommended that teachers should

include tasks, which involve students, in order to improve students’ performance. The

researcher had seen an array of different teaching methods studied, which range from

cooperative learning to modular approaches in teaching to improve the way students are

taught and determine their effectiveness. Included in the findings of these researches is

that learning is enhanced when students become actively involved in the learning

processes. Indeed, the need to use student-centered teaching methods is a requirement

that should be considered by teachers in planning their lessons.

Bolivar et al (2004) stated that in order to have effective classroom interaction,

Science teachers must be knowledgeable enough in planning and using non-human

resources. Making teaching meaningful to students can be hard for teachers, especially

since there is no single effective approach to teaching; teachers must be creative and

resourceful. Moreover, Ceperez added that teachers must prioritize the development of

higher cognitive skills, and emphasis on science as a process must be taken into

consideration, making it important that teachers must execute a sound plan and careful

selection of strategies to use.

Authentic learning tasks, which require students to demonstrate skills and

competencies that realistically, represent problems and situation likely to be encountered

in daily life seems to fit the criteria, which can answer the need for globalization.
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Moreover, students may be able to acquire more skills after the instruction can be directly

seen since the students are asked not only to choose from a set of options but to perform

or demonstrate what students had learned.

Wiggins (2014) stated that authentic learning strategies always come with authentic

learning assessment tools which require the student to be compelling performers with

acquired knowledge. It presents the student with a full array of tasks that mirror the

priorities and challenges found in the best instructional activities. On the other hand,

traditional assessments tend to reveal only whether the student can recognize or recall or

“plugin” what was learned out of context but unfortunately, the teacher is not yet sure if

the student who passed the paper and pencil test can apply what they had learned to daily

life. According to Guba et.al, in traditional assessments, meaningful application in

complex real-world situations is seen as very indirect by scores in the paper and pencil

test and does not effectively measure students' capabilities. A good assessment shall not

only measure a representative of what the student had learned but should examine

student's collective abilities. We can infer from the foregoing statement that test results

cannot really measure the totality of skills the students acquire in the learning process.

Students are expected to master the skills expected after the lesson, which makes it

imperative that an assessment tool that measures the majority if not the total concepts

learned is a great need.

There is a need for educators to use human-centered design ideas to solve

challenges and encourage students to think outside the box. Strategies like project-based

learning and human-centered design are built on the desire to solve issues since humans

are natural problem solvers. Teachers should create initiatives that appeal to students'
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drive to solve problems, especially when the issues are related to their own personal

experiences (Mathematica, 2022). Moreover, an authentic assessment provides

personalized approaches to develop diverse learners to their maximum. It recognizes and

nurtures all varied human intelligence (eight multiple intelligence—linguistic, logical,

numerical, spatial, bodily, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic intelligence) so

that students could make sense of the subject areas.

The performance of Filipino children in large-scale assessments, such as the

National Achievement Test (NAT) 2018, "gravitates toward low competence levels,"

according to Education Secretary Leonor Briones, particularly in Science, Math, and

English. The National Assessment Test (NAT) is given to students in grades 6, 10, and

12. Aside from the NAT results, the Department of Education also released the latest

results of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD)

Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018, which showed that

Filipino students ranked last out of 79 countries and were near the bottom in science and

math. While the results were disheartening, the Department of Education (DepEd)

recognized a silver lining: they will serve as a wake-up call to all education stakeholders

to work together to achieve one shared goal: quality education for all students (Gonzales,

2019).

The mean scores of Daraga National High School in the National Achievement

Test in Science for the years 2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018 were 39.49, 37.38,

and 40.53, respectively. These scores indicate a fluctuation in performance over the

specified years, with the lowest score recorded in 2016-2017. Considering the overall

trend, it can be concluded that the performance of Daraga National High School in
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Science, as measured by the National Achievement Test scores, has been relatively

inconsistent and below desirable benchmarks during the specified period. Several factors

could potentially contribute to the lower scores. These include issues related to teaching

quality, curriculum alignment, availability of resources and facilities, student engagement

and motivation, socioeconomic factors, and the school environment. However, without

further information and detailed analysis, it is challenging to pinpoint the exact reasons

for the fluctuations in performance.

Additionally, fostering student motivation, engagement, and interest in Science

through interactive teaching methodologies, practical demonstrations, and hands-on

experiments can improve learning outcomes. Collaboration with relevant stakeholders,

such as parents, community organizations, and local industries, can help create additional

learning opportunities and resources for students. By addressing the identified factors and

implementing effective interventions, Daraga National High School can work towards

improving the performance in Science and providing students with a solid foundation in

scientific knowledge and skill.

Schools are the most fundamental learning environments. The gap between real

life and school has been produced by the quality of these environments and the

acquisition of the knowledge and skills needed by societies. What to do to ensure the

connection between real life and education has been one of the key topics of discussion in

educational circles in the twenty-first century (Karakaş-Özür & Duman, 2019).

This research will determine the authentic learning tasks in Earth and Life Science

used by the students, the study's focus is on the authentic learning technique, which tries

to bring real-world subjects and students together. Moreover, this will determine the
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effect of the strategy in terms of conceptual understanding and scientific attitudes and

values. This will also determine the authentic assessment tools which accompany the

authentic learning tasks used by teachers of Daraga, Albay.

Maligalig et al (2008) opined that to measure the quality of education perhaps the

best indicators are those achievement test rates for major achievement tests that were

administered at the secondary level. The results stated above are the indicator of the poor

quality of basic education. The lack of competent teachers who are the primary resource

for Elementary and Secondary students in lieu of books and other learning materials can

be one of the problems. The slight decline in the National Achievement Test results is

alarming to think that one of the missions of education is to produce productive citizens

and being productive can be hard, especially when in school, which is the training ground

of the people, they have not mastered the skills expected to them.

Since we are geared toward globalization, students who will be future citizens of

society must be trained in accordance with what is needed to become productive citizens.

Authentic assessment is one of the methods that seems to answer the need, making it

imperative to study this strategy to know its effectiveness so that teachers have the basis

to facilitate the use of this strategy.

New strategies and practices such as authentic assessment must be carefully

studied before planning for change. This research seeks to develop instructional material

using authentic learning tasks can be developed to enhance the level of learning of the

student performance in Earth and Life Science among the students of Daraga National

High School. The research will also determine the teachers’ evaluations of the

instructional materials in terms of -a. Consistency of objectives, activities, and

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assessment b. Correctness of Earth and Life science concepts; and c. Motivational value.

Moreover, the present undertaking will present the effect of these authentic learning tasks

in terms of a. Conceptual understanding b. Scientific Attitudes and values and c.

Appreciation of Earth and Life Science.

Daraga National High School is the biggest student population in the Schools

Division of Albay, with at least 8000 students during the school year 2021-2022. From

S.Y. 2018 to 2019 the number of male enrollees increased from 2985 to 3202 and the

number of female enrollees increased from 3316 to 3457. The school has an average

promotion rate of 96.26 percent in the school year 2019-2020 as compared to 95.65

percent in the previous school year. Nothing could be worth mentioning that the award

received by the students for their achievements in the different competitions from the

cluster to the national level. With the current population of more than 8000 and two

hundred fifty-eight (258) teachers, there are still problems to battle. The study will be

conducted in this school to support the Basic Education Continuity plan of the school

brought about by the sudden shift of the education landscape from school to online and

remote learning. The researcher sees the need for pandemic-proof teaching materials that

will support students learning. In the words of the Department of Education Secretary

Leonor Briones, "Education must continue." The situations stated above highlighted the

need to study this strategy to help achieve the mission of most educational institutions,

which is to develop productive citizens.

Daraga National High School constantly prioritizes the welfare of its 8012

students while fulfilling its vision and objective to produce well-rounded individuals who

are engaged agents of global development. Being aware of the troubling results of the
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2018 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), in which the Philippines

performed poorly, and the alarming results of the National Achievement Test; The DNHS

is working harder to produce students who are literate in Science. Through this, Daraga

NHS continues its objective by implementing a number of interventions that will foster

the love for science and a commitment to learning throughout students' lives. Due to the

fact that the majority of learners struggle with scientific literacy and with the blended

learning modality that is utilized in DNHS, the school came up with a variety of

programs and projects to accommodate them. The findings in this research will be

beneficial in guiding the administration in crafting programs that will benefit the

Albayano learners.

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of authentic learning

tasks in enhancing the learning of Earth and Life Science students, as well as their impact

on the significant learning experiences of both students and teachers, as well as the

effects on conceptual understanding, critical thinking, scientific attitudes and values, and

appreciation of Earth and Life Science.

Specifically, the study entitled, “Lessons in Earth and Life Science Using

Authentic Learning Tasks,” sought answers to the following sub-problems:

1. What lessons using authentic learning tasks can be developed to enhance the

learning of the students in Earth and Life Science?

2. What are the significant learning experiences of the students and teachers in the

use of authentic learning tasks?

3. What is the effect of these authentic learning tasks in terms of:

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a. Conceptual understanding

b. Critical thinking

c. Scientific Attitudes and values; and

d. Appreciation of Earth and Life Science?

Scope and Delimitation

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effectiveness of utilizing authentic

learning tasks in order to improve the learning of Earth and Life Science students.

Authentic learning tasks are those that take place in the actual world and connect the

student's education to situations that are both relevant and practical. This project aimed to

investigate the potential improvements to Earth and Life Science education that could

result from the implementation of authentic learning activities. In addition, the research

study investigated the significant learning experiences that were gained by both students

and teachers through the utilization of authentic learning assignments. The results of this

inquiry shed light on the efficiency of these activities in terms of enhancing the

educational experiences of both students and instructors.

In addition, the research investigated the impact that authentic learning tasks have

on a number of important learning outcomes associated with the field of Earth and Life

Science education. Appreciation of Earth and Life science was also included in this

category, along with conceptual knowledge, critical thinking, scientific attitudes and

values, and scientific attitudes and values. The purpose of the inquiry was to determine

the extent to which the utilization of authentic learning activities in Earth and Life

Science education influences the aforementioned learning outcomes.

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In general, the results of this research study provided insightful and helpful

information regarding the efficiency of utilizing real learning tasks in order to improve

Earth and Life Science teaching. The findings of the study could be used to inform the

creation of instructional strategies and learning materials that make use of the benefits

that real learning tasks provide in order to improve Earth and Life Science education. The

researcher included only 3 sections among the twenty-six (26) grade 11 sections that the

school has. Other schools found in Daraga, Albay would not be included. Moreover,

other students taking up science subjects such as Chemistry and Physics are excluded

from this study.

The researcher employed descriptive methods of research, which on its own has

weaknesses; this undertaking will not cover other teaching strategies.

Significance of the Study

This study will not only be of help to quench the researcher’s curiosity this will

also help the following:

Students. The real-world experience that the teachers will provide shall make

them an individual who does not just store information, passive learner, but somebody

who is deeply involved in the learning process, making them ready for the challenges of

the real world

Teachers. This study may inspire them to improve the way they teach the

students and can provide a sound basis for them to see the relevance of such a method in

improving students’ performance. Moreover, the findings of this study can be used as a

guide in facilitating their teaching as they reach the goal of producing productive citizens.

The resource materials that can be devised by the researcher can be used by the teachers
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to determine for themselves the effectiveness of the method being studied.

Master in Educational Leadership and Management students can acquire an

understanding of the efficacy of using authentic learning tasks to improve Earth and Life

Science education. The study would give the students a foundation for understanding the

significance of incorporating practical and relevant contexts into teaching and learning

processes. This information would be beneficial for designing and implementing

educational programs that adhere to the principles of authentic learning. The findings of

this study on the influence of authentic learning tasks on learning outcomes such as

critical thinking, scientific attitudes and values, and appreciation of Earth and Life

Science can guide MAELM students in the design and implementation of effective

assessment and evaluation strategies. The master students can also use the findings to

evaluate the efficacy of educational programs and interventions and to make decisions

based on evidence to enhance the educational outcomes at their institutions.

Community. A community that has carefully and critically trained individuals

will be able to have a productive environment. Students in the school, who are well-

trained, shall be the stewards in achieving a well-developed community.

Department of Education. This will inspire them to revise the curriculum by

incorporating authentic learning tasks if this strategy is found to be an effective teaching

method.

Researchers. Since the nature of their work is more on providing information,

they can use the findings and other parts of this study, which they found relevant in

whatever purpose this study will serve the need.

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Notes

Burbules, R. (2009). The New Trends in Education. Philippines: National Book Store.

Canadian Commission for UNESCO. (2020, September 14). Education and COVID-19:

Challenges and opportunities. Retrieved from

https://en.ccunesco.ca/idealab/education-and-covid-19-challenges-and-

opportunities

Denzin, N., & Lincoln, Y. (2008). The qualitative inquiry reader.

doi:10.4135/9781412986267

Greenhill, V. (2010). 21st century knowledge and skills in educator preparation.

Karakaş-Özür, N., & Duman, N. (2019). The trends in authentic learning studies and the

role of authentic learning in geography education. International Education

Studies, 12(12), 28. doi:10.5539/ies.v12n12p28

Maligalig, D. A., & Albert, J. R. (2008). Measures for Assessing Basic Education in the

Philippines: Discussion Paper Series No. 2008-16 (2008-16). Daraga,

Philippines: Philippine Institute for Development (PIDS).

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Mathematica. (2022). Instruction in the age of COVID-19: Exploring the evidence on

remote learning. Retrieved from https://www.mathematica.org/blogs/instruction-

in-the-age-of-covid-19-exploring-the-evidence-on-remote-learning

National Academy of Education. (2021). Educational Assessments on COVID 19-era

and beyond. Retrieved from

https://naeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Educational-Assessments-

in-the-COVID-19-Era-and-Beyond.pdf

National education testing and research Center (NETRC). (2012, October 20). Caraga

region tops students? achievement test. Retrieved from

https://www.mindanews.com/c3-news/2007/05/caraga-region-tops-students-

achievement-test/

North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. (2004). Approaches to Authentic

Assessment. Retrieved from https://www.ncrel.org/

Villegas, B. M. (2021, June 29). Addressing the Philippine education crisis. Retrieved

from https://www.bworldonline.com/opinion/2021/06/29/379015/addressing-the-

philippine-education-crisis-2/

Wiggins, G. (2014). The case for authentic assessment. Retrieved from

https://ctal.udel.edu/resources/the-case-for-authentic-assessment/

Wiggins, G. (2021). Authentic evaluation and authentic leadership in

education. Authentic Assessment and Evaluation Approaches and Practices in a

Digital Era, 367-385. doi:10.1163/9789004501577_017