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Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

1.1 Background of the Study

In 2011, the Department of Education (DepEd) directed a move to a fresh

learning plan — the K to 12 educational program. The curriculum doesn't just

simply add two years to basic education and rehashes kindergarten, it also

suggests the usage of the spiral progression approach to guarantee dominance of

learning and skills after each level. It is said to be DepEd's present way to deal

with improving the educational system in the Philippines. (Estacio, 2015)

DepEd attempts to cover excessively numerous things at one time, without

center and prioritization. This approach requires the teachers to master certain

subjects that are not on their field. With that in mind, teachers in different high

schools who lack the staff members to adjust to the changes DepEd has made,

specifically Marikina Science High School, are forced to deal with this issue in a

way that would likely be straining for the teachers. A spiral approach that deals

with a variety of points on different disciplines requires a lot from any educator.

Due to the lack of teachers in Marikina Science High School, some teachers have

no choice but to teach different grade levels, doing so may have affected the

teachers in a way that we might not know. Like the amount of sleep they get and

the time they most likely to spend for themselves, their family and for their other

loved ones.
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Teaching multilevel was not the way DepEd most likely envisioned the spiral

approach to be handled, but because of the lack of time to prepare, and short

notice given to some schools to address the issue, a solution like this had popped

out. Some teachers might have been pointed out to deal with teaching different

multilevel and some might have even volunteered.

The researchers conducted this study in order to find those possible effects

that the teachers have experienced once they have started teaching multilevel

students. The researchers would like to help, in any way they can, in finding

solutions that may possibly address the currently observed struggles or problems

manifested by teachers of` Marikina Science High School who happen to teach in

multilevel. In doing this, the researchers hope to determine if the possible effects

may have been a positive or negative effect to the teachers who teach in multilevel.

Also, the researchers would like to find possible suggestions and treatments to

other teachers who would undergo the same path, based on the formulated results

of the study.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The main problem of this study is to identify the effects of teaching students

in different grade levels to teachers of Marikina Science High School. The study

also aims to answer the following questions:

1. How does teaching in different grade levels affect the relationship of the

teachers to the students?

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2. What are the benefits experienced by the teachers teaching across grade

levels?

3. What are the challenges experienced by the teachers teaching across

grade levels?

4. How do teachers respond to the challenges they experience in teaching

different grade levels?

1.3 Theoretical Framework

Theory of Teacher-behaviour. David G. Ryan (2011), explained the concept

of teacher behaviour. The theory of teacher-behaviour explains the relationship of

the teacher to the pupils and teachers to the environment. Two postulates were

formulated in order to explain how the variables affect the behaviour of the

teachers. The postulates are as follows:

a) Teacher-behaviour is social in nature. Both the teachers and students

influence each other. In this case, the performance of the teacher depends

on the performance, specifically the effort that pupils exert during classes.

Therefore, it is considered as a social behaviour.

b) Teacher-behaviour is relative. The activities that teachers let his or her

students do are based upon social situations. Teacher’s activities are the

products of social conditions and are related to the cultural settings in which

teacher performs the teaching task. Teacher-behaviour is good or bad,

effective or ineffective, it can be judged with reference to a particular cultural

value system and set of objectives. Therefore, teacher-behaviour is a

relative concept.
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This theory is relevant to the study since the postulates formulated within the

theory supports the study that will be conducted by the researchers. The theory is

related to the study because the stated postulates will contribute greatly to the

possible results of the study. The given postulates has somehow helped the

researchers in formulating additional guide questions for the interview that will be

of great help in obtaining necessary data for the study.

1.4 Scope and Limitation

The general purpose of this study is to show if there are any effects on a

teacher of Marikina Science High School who teaches students in different grade

levels. The study is limited only to the teachers in Marikina Science High School

who have at least taught students from three different grade levels for at least two

years. The researchers will interview four teachers that are qualified for the study.

The researchers aim to conduct the study within the time frame of January 2017 -

March 2017.

1.5 Significance of the Study

This research will be useful to the following people:

Teachers. The study would mostly be significant to teachers since they are the

main subject. Teachers may use this study as a reference in case they are deciding

if they should consider handling classes of different grade levels.

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Students. The data gathered may help students in dealing with teachers who

handle different grade levels, it may as well help the students on understanding

and taking to consideration the behaviour and actions of the teachers.

School Administrators and School Head. This research will be able to help the

school head and school administrators of Marikina Science High School in

determining the possible effects of teaching multilevel to their co-workers who

teach in different grade levels. This research would aid them in providing

necessary measurements that would help in improving the quality of teaching in

the school.

Future Researchers. This research will be useful to other researchers for this

study can be used as a reference by other researchers who are planning to

conduct a similar research. The study will give benefits to other researchers for it

can give information about the topic and it would also help the formulation of new

research topics.

1.6 Definition of Terms

1. DepEd. This term refers to the executive department of the Philippine

government responsible for ensuring access to, promoting equity in, and I

improving the quality of basic education.

2. K12 Program. This term refers to the curriculum that was implemented in the

Philippines that covers kindergarten and 12 years of basic education to

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provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, and prepare

graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment,

and entrepreneurship.

3. Multilevel Teaching. This term refers to teaching students not only of different

ages and abilities but also at different grade levels.

4. Spiral Approach. This term refers to an approach to education that introduces

key concepts to students at a young age and covers these concepts

repeatedly, with increasing degrees of complexity as they go through different

grade levels.

5. Student. This term refers to a learner who is willing to attend an educational

institution to further increase his/her knowledge

6. Teacher. This term refers to a person who gives lectures and lessons to

people who are willing to learn from them.

7. Teacher-Behaviour. The term refers to those acts that the teacher performs

typically in the classroom in order to induce-learning.

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1.7 Research Paradigm

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

 Researchers
will search and
 Effects of  The researchers
interview
teaching assume that the
respondents
students in teachers have
who fit the
different grade adjusted to the
requirements of
levels to stress and new
the study.
teachers of environment
Marikina  Researchers given to them in
Science High will then the time frame
School. analyze the they have been
information and given
data given by
the
respondents to
formulate
results and
conclusion.

Feedback

Figure 1. Research Paradigm

The input part of the paradigm tackles about the effects of teaching students

in different grade levels to teachers of Marikina Science High School. In order to

conduct the study, all the procedures required in doing the study were included in

the second component namely the process part. The Researchers will search and

interview respondents who fit the requirements of the study. An interview will then
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be administered. Basic facts will first obtained, and then the in-depth interview will

follow. Researchers will then analyze the information and data given by the

respondents to formulate results and conclusion. The researchers expect that the

result, based on the yielded information, would be that the teachers have adjusted

to the stress and new environment given to them in the time frame they have been

given.
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Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

The importance of this part of the study is to look for references and other

works cited that may be related to the study and would help in formulating results

and gathering significant results. Some subjects cited at this chapter must be at

least mentioned at the background of the study, or hinted out which would point

that it is involved in the study.

Benefits of teaching across grade levels

The feeling of being able to teach something, being able to sustain and uplift

the confidence of the students and that everyone is looking forward to the next

lesson are the things that keep the teacher dedicated and determined to move

forward to teaching with staunch resolve. (Roberts, 2007). The above mentioned

literature is related to the study conducted by researchers for the literature

presents a positive outcome or result from multilevel teaching not only for the

teachers but also to the students as well.

Challenge in teaching across grade levels

Multilevel teaching can present difficulties to teachers, who need to engage

interest of all the learners in their classes while helping them achieve their diverse

educational goals. The more the teacher is familiarized and thoroughly determined

about the differences each student has, the higher the probability of meeting the

learning needs of the students.

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Planning and teaching in multilevel places a burden on the teacher, who is

obliged to dedicate and allot more time in preparation for the class and extra effort

to classroom management. (Mathews-Aydinli and Van Horne, 2006). This

information is relevant to the study conducted by the researchers since it

exemplifies how teachers who teach in multilevel do their jobs in order to meet the

educational needs of their students.

Ways to cope with the challenges

According to Mulryan-Kyne (2007), competent insight and prowess that are

needed in order to adequately explain single-grade contexts are also related and

necessary for multi-grade teaching. Nevertheless, these abilities would need to be

improved in order to be readily prepared by the teachers who would go multi-grade

teaching. This is relevant to the researchers` study because this helps show what

preparations will be needed in order to adequately ready teachers who might teach

multilevel students. This study might possibly appear on the researchers`

recommendations to teachers. Moreover, (Certain, Guarino, & Greenwald, 2012)

suggests that Broadening (asking “what if” questions), Targeting (directing

questions at specific team members), and Novelty (teaching newly published

information) were the most effective techniques for multilevel teaching, while the

least effective were techniques that taught advanced material unfamiliar to most

students.

There is a huge difference between teaching different age groups. Each

group has their own learning style, completely different reasons for being in a
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class, and a drastically different level of self-motivation and discipline. This means

that each age group requires a certain teaching style tailored to their needs. (Long,

2015). This study is relevant to the study of the researchers since it suggests that

difference in age groups require various teaching strategies. This can as well be

supported by another study conducted by (Felder, 2006) in which he stated that

students’ performance vary for students possess different levels of motivation,

different attitudes regarding teaching and learning, and different responses to

specific environments and instructional practices.

After reviewing all the related literature and studies used in this chapter, the

researchers were able to note important key points that could help in conducting

the study. The researchers have considered the suggestion that different age

group, require different teaching styles. In order for the teacher who teach in

multilevel to become an effective educator, he or she is required to determine how

these age groups differ in different aspects such as the level of motivation, attitude

towards learning, and responses to the environment they move in. In this case,

teachers who teach in multilevel are believed to dedicate more time and effort in

preparing and planning their lessons since they handle and interact with different

grade levels.
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Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

The main purpose of this chapter is to describe the methods applied in

conducting this study. The case study approach has been chosen to determine the

effects of teaching multilevel students to teachers of Marikina Science High

School. Moreover, this chapter shows the research locale, research respondents,

research design, and the instrument of data collection.

3.1 Research Design

The research design that the researchers would make would be descriptive

mainly because the method of collecting data from the respondents would be in

the form of case study. Salkind (2007) suggested that descriptive research

provides a detailed account of a social setting, a group of people, a community, a

situation, or some other phenomenon. There are three main types of descriptive

methods: survey method, observational method and case-study method. This

study will be using the case study method. According to Hale (2011), case study

involves an in-depth study of an individual or group of individuals. Case studies

often lead to testable hypotheses and allow people to study rare phenomena. The

case study approach is a highly appropriate method for determining the effects of

teaching multilevel students to teachers of Marikina Science High School.

3.2 Research Locale

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The study will be conducted at Marikina Science High School. The school

offers basic and secondary education where in basic education only covers 7th and

8th grade. Since Marikina Science High School is a science high school, the school

gives priority to the quality of education, most especially in the subjects: Science

and Mathematics, which students may acquire throughout the school year. Due to

the implementation of K-12 curriculum in the Philippines, which does not only add

2 years to basic education, but also suggests the use of spiral approach, teachers

of Marikina Science High school were required to teach subjects that are not within

their field of specialization. Teachers are obliged to teach their branch of expertise

to different grade levels in order to follow the implemented instruction required for

the curriculum and at the same time meet the learning needs of the students. Thus

Marikina Science High school is most likely the school that could provide the

necessary answers that can help the researchers in conducting the study.

3.3 Sampling

Purposive sampling will be used in this study. According to Crossman (2016),

a purposive sample is a non-probability sample that is selected based on

characteristics of a population and the objective of the study. The study will be

conducted to determine the effects of teaching multilevel students to teachers of

Marikina Science High School, and that being said, the researchers will get the

sample from the population of teachers in Marikina Science High School. This will

help the researchers in getting relevant information and avoiding wasting time

taking samples that have nothing to do with the research topic. The researchers
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will set a standard that will determine if a certain teacher is fit for the study that will

help in gathering more accurate and precise data.

3.4. Research Respondents

At least 4 participants will be involved in the gathering of data to to answer the

questions the researchers made about the effects of teaching different grade levels

to students. The participants that would be included in the study would be teachers

on Marikina Science High School of school year 2016-2017 who are teaching at

least 3 different grade levels on Marikina Science High School. They also should

at least have 2 years of experience of teaching different grade levels.

3.5 Method and Instruments of Data Collection

The researchers will interview their respondents, doing so would help the

researchers gather as much information necessary to accurately get the results, it

is also safe to use because there is not that much people to interview and it only

requires a small sample size. Boyce and Neale (2006) said that interviewing is a

qualitative social research method that involves “conducting intensive individual

interviews with a small number of respondents to explore their perspectives on a

particular idea, program, or situation” (p.3).

The researchers will also use an interview guide, this will serve as a guide for

the researchers on what to ask their respondents in order to ask the same

questions on to every respondents or to simply keep consistency and avoid the

misinterpretation and misunderstandings.

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The researchers will use a voice recorder in order to accurately gather the

information the respondents would give to the researchers while doing the

interview, the researchers would also use it in order to record and show progress

on their research.

3.6 Research Procedure

Identification of the Problem

Formulating an interview guide given by the researchers

to the teachers

Interviewing the teachers

Gathering and interpreting the data

Analyzing the results

Figure 2. Research Procedure

1. Identification of the problem

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The study will be based on knowing the possible effects of multilevel teaching

to teachers on Marikina Science High School by gathering respondents who would

fit the requirements that the researchers have given out. The researchers can use

this gathered information in order to help other teachers who might also teach in

different grade levels. The researchers would then formulate possible questions to

be given by teachers who are multilevel teaching.

2. Formulating an interview guide given by the researchers to the teachers

The researchers will make an interview guide that will serve as the

questions that will be given to the researcher`s respondents.

3. Interviewing the teachers

The researchers will arrange a date on when they would interview all the

teachers. Due to the small amount of respondents, the researchers can possibly

interview all of the respondents in a single day, given that the maximum time

allotment for each interview will be around 20 minutes. If such instances happen

that a teacher would have an urgent meeting or emergency on the day of the

interview. The day of the interview for that respondent would be moved until he/she

is finally free.

4. Gathering and interpreting the data

The researchers would then gather all the data given by the respondents

and interpret the results given to them. When all the data has been interpreted, the

researchers would make a draft result that would further be explained in the
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formulation of results. This rough draft would serve as a guide for the researchers

to formulate the results much easier.

5. Analyzing the results

The researchers would formulate the final results that is based from the data

gathered. The results gathered would help people who are concerned in our

subject so that they know what people who are teaching in different grade levels

would experience when they are going to teach in different grade levels.
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INTERVIEW GUIDE

1. What is your idea about the spiral progression of K12 Curriculum?

2. How did you react or feel when you were informed that you will be teaching

multilevel?

3. How will you compare single level teaching to multilevel teaching in terms of:

3.1. Time allotted for preparation of the lesson?

3.2. Effort in handling and managing the over-all class behavior?

3.3 Accuracy in giving grades?

4. How do you feel regarding those who question your credibility in giving grades

to students?

5. How do you feel when students compare your performance and method of

teaching to other teachers?

6. On your first year in teaching multilevel, how did the transition from teaching

in single level to multilevel affect you?

6.1. How did it affect your schedule and amount of time allotted for eating?

6.2. How did it affect your quality time spent for your family and other significant

people in your life?

6.3. What difficulty or struggle did you encounter while you were adjusting to

the new schedule?

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6.4. What coping mechanism did you use in order to let yourself adapt to the

new teaching style?

7. Do you treat students of different grade levels the same? If yes, why?

7.1. If no, describe how you treat your students in each grade level.

8. Do you think multilevel teaching is a good strategy in improving the quality of

education in Marikina Science High School? Why?

9. What advice can you give to your old self who was then adjusting to multilevel

teaching?

10. How did your perspective regarding teacher-student interaction change when

you started teaching in multilevel?

11. If you were given the chance to back out from teaching in multilevel, would you

do so?
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References

Estacio, M. (2015). K to 12 milestone. All set for k to 12 implementation.

Retrieved from http://www.deped.gov.ph/regions/region-xi/regional-

press-releases/all-set-k- 12-implementation

Aydinili, J.M., & Van Horne, R. (2006). Promoting success of multilevel ESL

classes: What teachers and administrators can do. Washington, DC: Center

for Adult English Language Acquisition.

Brent, R. & Felder, R. M. (2005). Understanding student differences

[Abstract].Journal of Engineering Education, 94 (1), 57-72.

Boyce, C. & Neale, P. (2006), A Guide for Designing and Conducting In-Depth

Interviews for Evaluation Input. USA: Pathfinder International.

Crossman, A. (2016). Understanding Purposive Sampling. Retrieved from:

http://sociology.about.com/od/Types-of-Samples/a/Purposive-Sample.htm.

Hale, J. (2011). The 3 Basic Types of Descriptive Research Methods. Psych

Central. Retrieved on February 23, 2017, from

https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/09/27/the-3-basic-types-of-

descriptive-research-methods/

Long, S. (2015, January 7). Self-motivation and classroom management. [Web log

comment]. Retrieved from

http://www.reachtoteachrecruiting.com/blog/teaching-adults-vs-kids
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Mulryan-Kyne, C. (2007). Teaching is often more difficult in multigrade classrooms.

K-12 Classrooms: Research review of multigrade multiage and combination

classrooms. Retrieved from http://www.work-learning.com/2010/11/k-12-

classrooms-research-review-of-multigrade-multiage-combination-

classrooms.html.

Roberts, M. (2007). Teaching in the Multilevel Classroom. Retrieved from

http://www.pearsonlongman.com/ae/download/adulted/multilevel_monogr

aph

Salkind, N. J. (2007). Encyclopedia of measurement and statistics : SAGE

Publications. doi: 10.4135/9781412952644