Department of Education

National Capital Region

Division of City Schools
Makati City
TIBAGAN HIGH SCHOOL
7th Ave., Brgy. East Rembo, City of Makati
1216 Metro Manila

ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HAPPY POINTS SYSTEM USING CLASSDOJO APP IN

INCREASING THE ON-TASK BEHAVIORS AND CLASS PARTICIPATION OF THE
GRADE SEVEN STUDENTS UNDER THE ONLINE LEARNING APPROACH IN
THE TIBAGAN HIGH SCHOOL

Emmanuel Alcaraz Mamaril

Teacher I

Bonnie Jay Aviles Taguinod

Teacher I

Tibagan High School

The new trend in educational institutions nowadays due to

Context the existence of the pandemic is distance learning. In the
context of the pandemic, this includes the online learning,
1. Focus of the Action blended learning, and/or the modular approach. The
Research (e.g.,
reading literacy, use of Tibagan High School has adopted the use of the blended
ICT) learning modality, which is the combination of both online
2. Theory that supports
the focus
learning and module-based learning, since the opening of
3. DepEd policies and classes in October of this year. In this modality, the school
programs (e.g., Bawat makes use of the Google Classroom as the Learning
Bata Bumabasa)
4. What is the general Management System where teachers and students could
situation/problem/issue have their online classes interaction synchronously and
that makes you asynchronously. For those who do not have Internet
develop your research
Rationale proposal? (Data-based connectivity, they are given the printed self-learning
of the on assessment results modules which they can read and answer. After the first
or observation)
Action 5. General Description of
quarter of using these modalities, the researchers have
Research the Strategy that noted several challenges especially to those who identified
addresses the problem themselves as online learners. One of these challenges is
6. What do you intend to
do? This is the aim of the on-task behavior of the students. On-task behavior is
your study. (Purpose) defined as the student actively or passively attending to
7. What would be the instruction or assigned work (Amato-Zech et al., 2006). One
potential contribution
or insight of my particular behavior that the researchers focused on is the
research? (Desired student compliance with the assigned written works and
Outcome)
performance tasks. Most of the students would either not
submit their tasks on the due date stated in the Google
Classroom or not submit at all. It should, however, be noted
that the teacher-researchers would always put into
consideration what is stipulated in the DepEd Order No. 31,
s. 2020 entitled Interim Guidelines for Assessment and

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Grading in Light of the Basic Education Learning Continuity
Plan which states that learners must be given flexibility in
the accomplishment of the performance tasks to consider
time and resources available to them. Hence, the teacher
would set the due date for the submission of the task one
week after it was given. This amount of time is based on the
professional judgment of the teachers in which students are
expected to finish their tasks. This would serve as a
reminder for them that they have a task to work on and turn
in. Unfortunately, it was observed that most students would
submit their work beyond the set due date. Some would not
even submit their work at all. One problem that has been
caused by this is the number of tasks that has to be
evaluated by the teachers at the end of the quarter due to
bulk submissions.

This has led the researchers to think and make a research

on the possible solutions to this problem. One of them came
up with the strategy that he had been using in his pre-
pandemic classes: the Happy Points system using the
Class Dojo application. The happy points system is a form
of a reward system for the students who show positive
behaviors in class (participating in class recitation, doing
good deeds to others, etc.). The term Happy Points has
been used by one of the researchers to encourage
happiness to those who will receive these. This, in other
words, is a form of extrinsic motivation. According to Serin
(2018), extrinsic motivation is helpful to develop appropriate
behaviors towards learning which means they are engaged
to completing the task in the classroom. However, Marinak
& Gambrell (as cited in Yarborough and Fedesco, 2020)
stated, “When students receive external rewards and
incentives for learning (e.g., prizes, food), they are more
likely to experience high value to complete an activity but
low value to produce quality work.” This has been the
argument in the credibility of the extrinsic motivation in
education, but Serin (2008) also stated that the use of
extrinsic motivation is a good start for students to be
intrinsically motivated or for those who are not excited or
enthusiastic about learning. This has increased the
confidence of the researchers to use the Happy Points
system in giving rewards to the students who will comply
with the classroom tasks on time. Because of this, the
researchers decided to implement the use of Happy Points
system to increase the student compliance with the
classroom tasks posted in the Google Classroom.

After identifying the problems on student compliance with

the classroom tasks and a possible solution to this (happy
points) the researchers decided to use the ClassDojo
Application in giving the happy points. This is a technology-
based classroom application that is used to increase
positive behaviors and decrease negative behaviors of
students in class. Many studies have proven its
effectiveness in managing classroom behavior. One of
these is the study conducted by Saeger (2017). She
concluded that students showed an increase in positive

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 behaviors and a reduction in their undesired behavior. In
addition, when the students were asked about their opinions
on the application, their responses showed positive
viewpoints of the students about ClassDojo and its use in
the classroom. Another feature of the ClassDojo is that it
uses fun and colorful avatars that represent each student.
This may also add to the students’ engagement in task
compliance. It is important, however, to note that this study
intends to use the ClassDojo points for positive behaviors
only and excludes its other features like the ClassDojo
points for negative behaviors, among others.

As hopeful as one can be for the country to be back to its

pre-pandemic state, the health status of everybody and the
government will still have the final say about this. In the
meantime, the researchers are confident that in the online
set-up of today’s education, this strategy of giving a reward
system through happy points using the Class Dojo App can
help increase the students’ compliance with the tasks
posted in their Google Classroom. However, the
researchers are also not taking for granted the possibility of
using this strategy in an on-site set-up.

Proposed This paper seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of using the

Intervention, Happy Points system through ClassDojo Application in the
Innovation, and Grade Seven students who are using the online modality of
Strategy learning in the Tibagan High School for the Academic Year
2020-2021.

“Happy Points” is a self-made term by one of the

researchers. He had been using this in his classes even
before the pandemic occurred. Based on his observation,
giving happy points to students as a result of their positive
behaviors (including recitation, team work, punctuality,
cleanliness, compliance with the task, and many more) has
truly increased the frequency of these behaviors and has
decreased the frequency of unnecessary behaviors in class.
This method of a classroom reward system is rooted from
the extrinsic motivation theory. Tohidi & Jabbari (as cited in
Souders, 2020) stated that “extrinsic motivation describes
activities students engage in while anticipating rewards, be
it in the form of good grades or recognition, or out of
compulsion and fear of punishment.” As experience has
taught the researchers, most grade seven students, due to
the age group where they belong, are still into receiving
rewards for their good deeds. This helps further increase
the times they do these good deeds. As a form of extrinsic
motivation, giving happy points to students is thought to
increase the number of those who will submit their tasks on
the given amount of time (one week from the date the task
is posted). The researchers decided to use the ClassDojo
app in giving the happy points. This will let them see and
monitor the number of happy points they are receiving
during their synchronous and asynchronous class. The
researchers also believe that the colorful avatars of this app
will increase the students’ engagement in the study.

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 In this study, the teacher-researcher will first introduce the
concept of Happy Points system to his student-participants.
The plan is to give five happy points for every student who
will turn in their work within the due date set by the teacher.
The due date will be set one week after the task is posted.
Those who will submit beyond the said due date will not
receive a happy point. It is important to note, however, that
those who will submit beyond the due date will not receive
any deductions in their grades as leniency is clearly
advocated in the DepEd Order No. 31 s. 2020. Happy
points will also be given to those who participate in class
recitation during their synchronous classes. Those who will
receive at least thirty happy points at the end of the quarter
will be given a certificate of recognition for their compliance.
Based on Olinger (2018), research shows that giving
recognition for the effort and success of students improves
their motivation and encourages their participation in class.

This study looks into whether the Happy Points system with
the use of ClassDojo application improves the on-task
behaviors and class participation of Seventh Grade
students in the Tibagan High School. Specifically, this study
Action Research Questions aims to answer the following questions:
1. How does the Happy Points system using the
ClassDojo App affect the on-task behavior of the Grade
Seven students?
2. How does the Happy Points system using the
ClassDojo App improve student participation during their
synchronous class?

The Grade Seven students in the Science class in the

Tibagan High School will serve as the subjects of this study.
Using the purposive sampling method, one of the grade
Action Participants and seven classes handled by one of the researchers will serve
Research Sources of Data as the respondents of this study. The class is met by the
Methods teacher synchronously every Thursday, from 8:20 A.M. to
9:20 A.M, and asynchronously every Wednesday and
Friday at the same time. This class is currently identified to
have low levels of on-task behaviors and class participation
during their synchronous sessions. To further support this
observation, the researchers plan to get the average
number of students who submitted their tasks on or before
the due date set by the teacher during the first quarter.
Class participation during the said quarter will then be
based on the observation of the teacher-researcher. These
will then be compared to the new set of data after the
implementation of the intervention.

Data Gathering This study will use the triangulation design. Based on
Methods Creswell (2006), the triangulation design is a one-phase
design in which researchers implement the quantitative and
qualitative methods during the same timeframe and with
equal weight. It is a type of mixed method design that will
use data from quantitative and qualitative sources.

For the quantitative sources of data, the one-group pretest-

posttest design will be used. In this design, the dependent

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 variable which the average number of students who
submitted their tasks on or before the due date set by the
teacher-researcher will be measured once before the
treatment is implemented (data after the first quarter) and
once after it is implemented (after the second quarter) will
be collected and compared. Together with this is the
quantitative survey results that will be collected at the end of
the implementation of the intervention.

To support the quantitative data, qualitative data will be

collected and analyzed. These will include the observation
of the researchers on the class participation of the student-
participants and a focus group discussion before and after
the implementation of the intervention will be collected.

Data Analysis Upon identifying the sources for the quantitative data, the
researchers plan to use statistical analysis for these. For the
quantitative data from the one-group pretest-posttest
design, the paired sample t-test will be used to determine
whether there will be an improvement in the students on
time compliance with the task. For the data collected from
the survey, descriptive analysis method will then be utilized.
These are expected to be supported and validated by the
results of the analysis of qualitative data from focus group
discussion and the teacher’s observations and reflection
notes.

These analyses from the given sources of data will be used

to answer the research questions: (1) How does the Happy
Points system using the ClassDojo App affect the on-task
behavior of the Grade Seven students? And (2) How does
the Happy Points system using the ClassDojo App improve
student participation during their synchronous class?

Action Research Work Plan and Timelines

Research Activities Start End Duration

Pre-intervention
 Development of Research Proposal Dec. 1, 2020 Dec. 5, 2020 5 days

 Securing a letter of permission to Dec. 7, 2020 1 day

the principals to conduct a research
study

 Securing a letter of approval from the Dec. 9, 2020 1 day

parents or guardians to conduct an
action research

 Collection of Baseline Data from the Dec. 12, 2020 Dec. 18, 2020 6 days
First Quarter

 Preparation of Weekly Home Learning Jan. 4, 2021 Jan. 8, 2021 5 days

Plan, lesson presentations, and class
tasks for the second quarter

 Students orientation regarding the

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 Happy Points system. Jan. 4, 2021 1 day

 Validation of the researcher-made

Survey questionnaire Jan. 6, 2021

Intervention
 Implementation of intervention during Jan. 2021 March 2021 2–3
the Second Quarter months
(subject to adjustments on the
school calendar)

 Data gathering Jan. 2021 March 2021 2–3

months

Post-intervention March 2021 1 week

 Data analysis
Writing of Paper March - April 3 weeks
2021
Cost Estimates This study presents different deliverables to accomplish the
objectives of each research activity. Research cost in
reproduction of research materials, reading tests, and other data
collection instruments was summarized in the table.

Research Activity Deliverables Total Cost

Development/printing of Research materials 5,000
research materials (weekly (Weekly Home Learning Plan,
home learning plan, Activity Sheets, Observation
activity sheets, observation Guides)
guides)

Pilot testing of four weekly Research materials 500

home learning plan, lesson (Weekly Home Learning Plan,
presentations and class Observation Note and Guide)
task
Collection of Baseline Data Research Materials 5,000
(First Quarter) (Activity Sheets)

Intervention/Treatment Data gathering methods and 5,000

(Second Grading Period) instruments
(Weekly Home Learning Plan,
Activity Sheets, Observation
Guides and Notes, Reflection
Notes)
Writing of Research Paper Hard Copies of Research Paper 5,000
Subject/Research 42 Grade Six Pupils
Participants Second Quarter

Total P20,500

References

Amato‐Zech, N.A., Hoff, K.E. and Doepke, K.J. (2006), Increasing on‐task behavior in the
classroom: Extension of self‐monitoring strategies. Psychol. Schs., 43: 211-
221. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20137

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Serin, Hamdi. (2018). The Use of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivations to Enhance Student
Achievement in Educational Settings. International Journal of Social Sciences &
Educational Studies. 5. 10.23918/ijsses.v5i1p191.

Yarborough, C. B., & Fedesco, H. N. (2020). Motivating students. Vanderbilt University Center
for Teaching. Retrieved [December 1, 2020] from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu//cft/guides-
sub-pages/motivating-students/.

Department of Education. 2020. Interim Guidelines for Assessment and Grading in Light of the
Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (DepEd Order No. 31 s. 2020).

Saeger, Abigail Marquis, "Using ClassDojo to promote positive behaviors and decrease
negative behaviors in the classroom" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 2443.
https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/2443

Souders, B. (2020, December 11). Motivation in education: what it takes to motivate our
kids. PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/motivation-education/

Olinger, M. (2018, August 29). Importance of student awards and recognition. Suburban
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student-awards-recognition/

Aramo-Immonen H. (2013) Mixed Methods Research Design. In: Lytras M.D., Ruan D.,
Tennyson R.D., Ordonez De Pablos P., García Peñalvo F.J., Rusu L. (eds) Information
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Creswell. (2006, May 16). Choosing a Mixed Method Design.

https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/10982_Chapter_4.pdf