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CHAPTER 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE
INTRODUCTION

Rationale

Improving the level of performance, including mathematics, is one of the

urgent and critical needs in attaining quality primary education in the Department

of Education (DepEd). This urgency is in preparation and for the implementation

of the department Revised Performance Monitoring System (RPMS), considered as

a useful tool to assess improvement and to the desired increase of performance

level of the public secondary school teachers and students in the DepEd City of

Naga Division.

With this urgent and critical needs for improving the level of performance of

the teachers and students, particularly in mathematics, DepEd City of Naga

Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Senen P. Paulin stresses that it is essential

and appropriate to have close monitoring, assessment, and supervision of the

teachers and students’ performances, especially in mathematics as one of the tool

subjects in the curriculum. Such move of DepEd division office is to determine any

room for improvement and to set the school division’s benchmark for

improvement. Furthermore, the basis of the assessment should not only results in

the comparison of the school but determine a plan of action that could help
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increase the level of performance of teachers in all required subjects, specifically in

mathematics.

Based on 2012, 2013, and 2014 National Achievement Test (NAT), the

results indicate low and poor student performance in mathematics in the various

public secondary schools in the City of Naga. The results also reflect the overall

performance of the teachers in the area. Furthermore, in the tests conducted by the

National Education Testing and Research Center (NETRC) to the Grade 8

students, the researcher noticed that students have poor background learning in

Grades 6 and 7 mathematics. The researcher also noticed that in the succeeding

years of assessing the learners’ performances, there is still a gap between the level

of performance in mathematics and the desired quality basic education. In the third

year of implementing the K to 12 programs, the researcher noticed that there are

teachers handling mathematics who are really in need of support to increase the

level of their teaching performance in mathematics.

Although the alignment of teachers’ teaching assignment is already

manifested, there is still a need to find ways to fill the gap between mathematics

teaching and the desired quality of basic education. Moreover, the researcher had

noticed that there are teachers who commented that they considered their students'

low performance in the class. They acknowledged their limitations and other

factors affecting the students’ performance in mathematics. As observed further,

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most of the Grade 7 students have difficulty in mathematics, which reflects their

learning in Grade 6 Mathematics Grade 6.

Determining the level of teaching performances of teachers in Grade 7

mathematics and the academic performances of students in Grades 6 & 7

Mathematics in the selected remote public secondary schools of the City of Naga

would shed light in coming up with an appropriate action plan. Hence, this study

was conducted.

Theoretical Background

This study is anchored on Gagne’s conditions of learning theory. Likewise,

this study holds on the reasoned action theory by Ajzen and Fishbein, and the

theory of reciprocal determinism by Bandura.

Conditions of learning theory stipulate that there are several types or levels

of learning. Each type requires different types of instruction. As identified, there

are five significant categories of learning, namely: intellectual skills; cognitive

strategies; verbal information; motor skills; and attitudes. Hence, varying internal

and external conditions are necessary for each learning type. For example, to learn

cognitive strategies, there must be a chance to practice developing new solutions to

problems. Likewise, to learn attitudes, the learner must be exposed to a credible

role model or persuasive arguments. Further, the learning tasks for intellectual

skills can be organized in a hierarchy according to complexity, such as stimulus

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recognition, response generation, procedure following, use of terminology,

discriminations, concept formation, rule application, and problem-solving Gagn ,

1985)

Conditions of learning has shifted the study of learning in the lab to the

study in real-world settings. Students’ failure in learning is thought to be caused by

the gaps in their knowledge of the tasks' sub-components, such as the prerequisite

skills. Teachers should provide their students a set of component tasks and

sequence those tasks to ensure the learners' mastery of each component task and

the optimal transfer of the final task. Likewise, the conditions of learning theory

posited that there are different kinds of learning outcomes. Hence, various internal

and external conditions are necessary to promote learning (Gredler, 1997).

Essential to Gagne's idea of instruction is what he calls “conditions of

learning.” Internal conditions deal with what the learner knows before the teaching.

Meanwhile, external conditions deal with the stimuli that are presented to the

learner, such as instructions provided by the teacher. The first step in Gagne's

theory is specifying the kind of outcomes to be achieved. He categorized these

outcomes into five types: verbal information, intellectual skills, cognitive

strategies, attitudes, and motor skills. The second step is to organize appropriate

instructional events, which consist of the following: 1) gaining attention; 2)

informing the learner of the objective; 3) stimulating recall of prerequisite learning;

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4) presenting the stimulus material; 5) providing learning guidance; 6) eliciting the

performance; 7) providing feedback; 8) assessing the performance; and 9)

enhancing retention and transfer (Khadjooi, Rostami, & Ishaq, 2011).

As part of conditions of learning theory, the so-called “Nine Events of

Instruction” provide the framework or guidelines with which to prepare and deliver

instructional content. Course goals and learning objectives should be created

before implementing the nine events. These objectives must then be categorized

into one of the five domains of learning outcomes. Each of the goals must be stated

in performance terms using one of the standard verbs associated with the particular

learning outcome. The instructor then uses the conditions of learning for the

specific learning outcome to determine the conditions necessary for learning. And

finally, the events of instruction required to promote the internal process of

learning are chosen and put into the lesson plan (Gagne & Driscoll, 1988).

Further, this study holds on to the theory of reasoned action (TRA) of

Fishbein and Ajzen (1975). TRA defines the links between beliefs, attitudes,

norms, intentions, and behaviors of individuals. According to this model, a

person’s behavior is determined by its behavioral intention to perform it. TRA

focuses on constructing a system of observation of two groups of variables,

namely: attitudes and subjective norms. As described, attitudes refer to the positive

or negative feeling about an objective's achievement. Meanwhile, subjective norms

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are the representations of the individuals’ perception about reaching those goals

with the product. In this theory, the emphasis is on the importance of intention

more than the reality of usage. TRA also claims that all other factors which

influence the behavior only do so in an indirect way by influencing the attitude or

subjective norms.

The primary objective of TRA is to predict and understand the causes of

behavior. Intention is the direct predictor of behavior and considered as a conative

dimension of the attitude construct. Intention is interpreted as a transition between

the cognitive and evaluative components of attitude and the behavior. Moreover,

intentions are direct functions of both individual and social related variables.

Likewise, intentions mediate the influences of attitudinal variables on behavior

totally so that no direct path from attitude to behavior is hypothesized. Both

attitudes toward the act and subjective norms are based on cognitive information.

The TRA also claims that the motivational components regarding the behavior are

included in the intention construct, so that no particular integrative variable is

needed to account for motivational processes. Hence, the TRA is assumed to be

self-contained and requires no additional variables or relationships for the

explanation of behavior. However, the TRA applies only to behaviors in which no

external or internal impediments exist to prevent performance of a behavior, once

an intention to do so is established (Leone, Perugini, & Ercolani, 1999).

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The TRA is a widely used and strongly supported persuasion theory for

identifying components that predict human behavior. TRA posits a causal model of

the cognitive processes leading to behavioral decisions. In contrast to many

behavior change theories, TRA can be used to guide the content of persuasive

messages or interventions. TRA was developed to explain influences on behaviors

that involve conscious decision making. It excludes explicit actions that are

impulsive, habitual, or scripted. Although a noted limitation of the theory, its focus

on voluntary behaviors is practical when targeting behavioral change interventions.

The outcome of TRA is a prediction of behavior. The model predicts behavior

based on seven causal variables, namely: behavioral intention, attitude, subjective

norm, belief strength, evaluation, normative belief, and motivation to comply.

Behavioral intentions are the most immediate predictor of one’s behavior.

Intentions are not independent but result from underlying attitudes and subjective

norms. An attitude is a general orientation toward an action based on various

beliefs and evaluations. An attitude is determined by identifying a set of relevant

assumptions, measuring the strength, or certainty, of these beliefs, and measuring

their evaluation. Subjective norms are the social component of behavioral

intentions. Subjective norms are composed of normative beliefs and motivation to

comply. Subjective norms and motivation to comply are relative, as a person may
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be more influenced by one group than another (Hale, Householder, & Greene,

2002).

The TRA also considers the role of more traditional demographic, economic,

personality, attitudinal, and other individual difference variables. These types of

variables primarily play an indirect role in influencing behavior. These background

factors may or may not affect the behavioral or normative beliefs underlying

attitudes and norms. According to the theory, there is no necessary relation

between background variables and any given behavior. Nevertheless, background

variables such as cultural and personality differences and differences in a wide

range of values may influence underlying beliefs. When they do so, they are also

likely to be associated with the behavior in question (Fishbein, 2008).

This study also holds on to the theory of reciprocal determinism, a central

concept of social learning theory. Reciprocal determinism is a model composed of

three factors that influence behavior: the individual, their environment, and the

behavior itself. In this theory, the good and high-level performances of individuals

matter in how the person perceived and interact with the person himself/herself, his

behavior, and his/her environment that the person (teacher), the environment

program and students), and the person’s behavior itself all interact to produce the

person’s subsequent behavior. Given the same environmental conditions, persons

who have developed skills for accomplishing many options and are adept at
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regulating their own motivation and behavior are more successful in their pursuits

than those who have limited means of personal agency. It is because self-influence

operates deterministically on action that some measure of self-directedness and

freedom is possible (Bandura, 1978).

In reciprocal determinism, students who possess the attitude that either

reflects or promote positive mindsets about the lesson or subject matter engage in a

learning environment. Thus, students’ class achievement is advanced. The

reciprocal determinism model stresses the connections among three factors on

students’ learning. The first factor is the learning environment, including

instructional resources, learning experiences, and the social influences the students

receive from others in the learning climate. The second factor is the personal and

psychological aspects of an individual. The third factor is the behavior that is put

into action by the individual. The assumption of reciprocal determinism is on the

interconnections of the elements, which can be illustrated as a complex network of

links among the experiences that support the specific learning process (Ghee &

Khoury, 2008)

According to reciprocal determinism, the cognitive processes and

environmental factors influence a person's behavior, such as social stimuli. The

environmental component refers to the context in which the action occurs. More

than a person's physical environment, this includes their social environment.

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Specifically, what people are present (or absent) and the attitudes, beliefs, and

ideas these people hold. The individual component includes all the characteristics

that have been rewarded in the past. Personality and cognitive factors play an

essential part in how a person behaves, including all of the individual's

expectations, beliefs, and unique personality characteristics. The reciprocal

determinism theory represented a significant shift from the behavioral perspective

to a more social-cognitive approach to understanding behavior. Furthermore, it

recognized the importance of the bidirectional relationship between individuals,

their actions, and the environment (Bandura, 1978).

In reciprocal determinism theory, the personal attributes, behavioral

experiences, and environmental experiences can be both inputs and outcomes

simultaneously. Reciprocal determinism has implications for external validity. The

extent of the findings of any research conducted can be generalized across

individuals, settings, and variables. However, one should take extra care in making

generalizations because any changes in the learning environment may influence

and are influenced by factors related to the individual’s learning experience. The

extent of certainty in which generalizations concerning students' learning can be

applied across different educational systems is contingent upon evidence from the

given educational settings (Ghee & Khoury, 2008).

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Mathematics learning is acquiring new knowledge, skills, and effects related

to quantity, space, and structure. Its acquisition is considered to be the result of the

complex interplay of various elements: innate, neurobiological systems, as well as

perceptual and action schemes that allow basic quantitative and spatial activities;

preschool and out-of-school activities and experiences related to the number,

space, and patterns; and intentional, explicit, and systematic mathematics learning

in school. One prominent feature of mathematics that makes it significantly

different from other intellectual or scientific domains is its dual nature:

mathematics as a descriptor of a perceived reality and autonomous abstract

construction (Verschaffel, Van Dooren, & De Smedt, 2012).

For teachers, their commitment is vital to the performance of their students.

Teachers who demonstrate a high level of commitment to their profession and

teach effectively would bring out good performances among their students. To

teach mathematics effectively, teachers should employ various strategies such as

precise questioning techniques, creation of an effective climate for learning,

planning for individual student’s interests, being a reflective practitioner,

encourage practical teaching in mathematics and inquiry learning styles (Kiplagat,

Role, & Makewa, 2012).

Mathematics learning is difficult due to its abstractness. The hierarchical

nature of mathematics heightened its difficulty for students to learn. In

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mathematics learning, students have to build their mathematical skill from

previously learned skills. Likewise, students have to learn new concepts based on

previously learned concepts. Mathematics learning involves problem solving and

reasoning. Students need to determine the reasons of a mathematical process in

order to support conclusion. Mathematical reasoning is a cognitive process of

looking for reasons and looking for conclusions (Stacey, 2010).

In teaching mathematics, teachers can use prediction to promote

understanding and reasoning among students. Students can attain conceptual

understanding and mathematical reasoning when teachers give attention to the

explicit connections of previously acquired mathematical ideas. Through making

predictions, students had an opportunity to relate what they already knew with the

mathematics of a new problem. In other words, prompting students by posing

prediction questions at the launch of a lesson would engage them in learning

effectively (Kasmer & Kim, 2011).

Teachers’ qualifications and experience in mathematics teaching

significantly influence their ability to create and manage a classroom environment

that facilitates the quality of students’ learning. Likewise, teachers should possess

the ability to manage classroom discourse, assume his or her role effectively as

facilitators of classroom discussion, and maintain the dynamics group work and

whole class teaching, while still ensuring the learners’ cognitive development.
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Moreover, the emphasis of the activity should be placed on both constructive

processes and the mathematical content (Naroth, 2010).

For mathematics teachers to be successful in instilling critical thinking skills

among their students, they should think that their students are users of information

and not just a mere receiver of information. Hence, teachers should provide a

learning environment that would actively engage the students in applying their

knowledge in solving problems. Students may initially resist instructional

techniques and struggles in the assessment but needed skills can be achieved

through guided training, practice and patience. Teacher encouragement throughout

the process would help the students to develop the necessary skills (Peter, 2012).

There are varied and competing perspectives on the goals of teaching school

among students. Likewise, there are different ways of delineating the mathematics

actions in which students can be encouraged to engage. However, to be effective in

teaching mathematics to students, practical mathematics should be emphasized in

the early years of schooling to prepare the students for work and living in a

technological society (Sullivan, 2011).

In mathematics teaching, teachers are encouraged to provide their students

with varied approaches in solving word problems to prevent them from thinking

that there is a specific procedure or formula for each problem. Likewise, teachers

are encouraged to use word problems that would yield more than one answer. Such
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a strategy would prevent the student from believing that there is always one answer

for each mathematics problem. Although it required the teachers more effort in

creating challenging but relevant real-life math problems, the result is very

beneficial for students, particularly in nurturing their metacognitive ability (Nool,

2012).

Students’ attitude towards mathematics is an important factor to look upon

in implementing the curriculum. To learn effectively the concepts of mathematics,

students must have positive attitude towards the lesson. Traditionally, test scores

are considered the sole determinant of students’ performance. However, life-long

learning becomes a prominent goal of educators in recent years. As a result,

educators considered positive attitude as more essential than getting high scores

during examinations. Students’ positive attitude towards mathematics would

motivate them to learn more even they completed their education at school (Leung,

2014).

In the study of Nenty (2010), it was found that the mathematics performance

pattern significantly relates to the students’ seating arrangement in the classroom

during classes lesson. A student who prefers who prefer a sear father away exhibits

undesirable performance. Furthermore, students who attribute their performance to

luck were found to avoid the front seats and choose the back seats. As suggested,

mathematics teachers should utilize this knowledge to empower them to enhance

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students’ learning in mathematics by manipulating classroom seating

arrangements.

In a particular school, Oundo (2013) revealed that students attributed their

low achievement in mathematics to their teachers’ swift pace in teaching

mathematical concepts and the lecture method's constant use. In contrast, the

mathematics teachers are saddened by their students’ disinterest in the lessons and

activities. Furthermore, the mathematics syllabus was vast and unfriendly to

students of average and below-average ability. Likewise, the regular use of

discussion and discovery teaching methods is impossible considering the broad

content to be covered. Hence, there is a conflict between students’ learning and

teaching techniques.

Guven and Cabakcor (2013) explained that students' problem-solving

achievement is affected by many factors. Direct factors include affective factors

and students' academic success, while indirect factors include students' gender and

families' educational levels. Likewise, students' self-efficacy and beliefs related to

mathematics and problem-solving affect their problem-solving achievement.

Students' motivation and self-regulation play important roles during the early

middle school years. Additionally, students' attitudes towards problem solving

affected their problem-solving achievement in a positive sense, while mathematics

anxiety affected their achievement in a moderate and negative manner.

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As revealed by Oh (2013), parents’ academic background and family income

are closely correlated with students’ mathematics achievement. Furthermore,

students from urban areas are performing better than those from rural areas. He

also revealed that in his country, private education has little impact on the

improvement of achievement scores among students with a higher level of

achievement that spend more time and money on taking private lessons than those

low performing students.

Azina and Halimah (2012) revealed that gender, educational resources,

students’ attitude, homework and school environment have significant positive

effect on mathematics performance. However, students’ age and the language

spoken at home have opposite effect on mathematics performance. Meanwhile, Al-

Agili et al. (2012) stressed that teachers’ attribution and students' attitude towards

mathematics were the highest and lowest factors influencing the students’

achievement. Moreover, there was a high relationship between teaching practices

and teacher attribution. In general, good correlations were found among the

specified factors and on student’s achievement in mathematics.

As revealed by Ihendinihu 2013), students’ academic performance is highly

influenced by the instruction method or teaching strategy used by the teachers.

Specifically, the conventional approach in teaching mathematics is found to be

deficient in improving the students' academic performances. An alternative method

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called mastery learning strategy is found helpful in improving the classroom

performances of the students in mathematics.

To improve students' achievement in mathematics, Lai, Cheng, and Lu,

(2013) suggested that school administrators should employ support mechanisms to

promote learning motivation among students. Furthermore, school administrators

may support various mathematics activities like competitions to engage the

students to learn effectively. Likewise, parents belonging from low to middle

socioeconomic status can be involved in educational activities that would empower

them to assist their children's learning tasks.

Abe (2014) stated that the students’ academic performance, specifically in

mathematics, is highly affected by their teachers’ professional qualification. As

explained by him, mathematics teachers need to improve their qualification for

teaching the course effectively by attending in-service training and enhancement

courses.

In the Philippines, Andaya (2014) revealed that four significant factors affect

students’ achievement in mathematics negatively; namely: a) individual (student),

b) instructional (teacher), c) classroom management, and d) evaluation factors. She

suggested that mathematics teachers may revisit the instructional programs and

make plans that would suit the levels of the students.

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As explained by Sangcap (2010), Filipino students believed that effort could

increase one’s mathematical ability, and mathematics is helpful. Unfortunately,

they thought that all mathematical problems could be solved by routine procedure

and word problems are not necessary for mathematics. The positive beliefs such as

effort and value of mathematics do not translate into positive thoughts that word

problems are essential. There are word problems that cannot be solved by simple

step-by-step procedures. Moreover, an effort that is a critical belief factor and

usefulness must be taken into an advantage to change maladaptive problem-

solving-related beliefs.

Abad (2010) stated that in the Philippines, mathematics teachers use code-

switching in teaching mathematics. Code-switching is a play of complementary

roles of two languages because it facilitates the breaking down of complex or

complicated English texts to comprehensible input. As revealed in her study, code-

switching in the classroom has beneficial effects on students’ learning. She

explained further that code-switching is a bilingual skill of teachers, which is not a

detriment for students to learn mathematical concepts. She stressed that code-

switching is a language that one has to reckon with since it facilitates

communication skills, promotes understanding of complex concepts, and gets

learning objectives achieved.

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Alpacion et al. (2014) explained that learning mathematics had been a

challenge for students, as evidenced by their low performances. Hence, they

suggested that educators need to revisit the curriculum, teaching methods, and

students’ attitudes in mathematics. As revealed in their study, they found that

students’ attitude significantly affects their academic performance. They encourage

the mathematics teachers to find ways to let their students develop a positive

attitude towards mathematics.

Ganal and Guiab (2014) revealed that several factors cause students’ poor

mathematics achievement. These factors include personal, psychological,

instructional, family, school adjustment, peer and co-curricular activity problems.

They suggested the restructuring of the learning environment in a way that can

foster and nurtures the unique capabilities of students. Furthermore, teachers need

to exert more effort to meet the needs, abilities, and interests of the low achieving

students.

As revealed by Imam, Mastura, and Jamil (2013), students who perform

poorly in mathematics were also deficient in reading comprehension skills. They

found that private school students were doing better in mathematics and reading

comprehension than their counterparts from the public schools. They stressed that

reading comprehension could be the leading cause of public school students’ poor

performance in mathematics. However, they also stressed that the reading

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comprehension of the students from the private's school has no bearing on their

mathematics performance.

In the study of Calinawan (2013), he concluded that young students are

inspired to create pictorial representations in class to help them interpret abstract

concepts. The 4-step Strategy of George Polya significantly improves students’

problem-solving abilities in mathematics. Meanwhile, Jumadla (2013) stated that

students' grade results are not the only predictors of mathematical success. Internal

motivators and self-beliefs in mastering tasks for self-determined goals are much

more important to students.

According to Ermac (2012), students with a lower level of conceptual

comprehension require more practice to learn procedural skills. She concluded that

gaps in their knowledge of the prerequisite skills, which Gagne believes must be

learned before higher-level skills can be attained, cause their inability to achieve

higher-level proficiency. Additionally, Nemenzo (2012) stated that the cognitive

growth of students affects their math performance. If their abilities do not fall

within their zone of proximal development, they would not be able to comprehend

or perform a mathematical task on their own.

Suan (2010) revealed that students' success in mathematics is directly

influenced by meta-cognitive variables such as study patterns, attitudes, and

desires toward mathematics, as well as time management. Teacher and

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environmental variables, on the other hand, have little impact on students'

mathematics results. Furthermore, Salceda (2012) stated that students' success in

mathematics is influenced by their study patterns, interests, and resources.

Likewise, there is a strong connection between the students' metacognitive factors

and their mathematics results.

In light of the anchor theory, supporting theories, related literature, and

related studies presented herein, the researcher conducted this study to establish

concrete evidence regarding the status of the mathematics teaching and students'

learning in the six (6) remote public secondary schools in the three (3) districts of

the City of Naga in Cebu Province. The gathered information and findings served

as bases of the proposed action plan.

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THE PROBLEM

Statement of the Problem

The study assessed the performance of teachers in Grade 7 Mathematics in

selected public secondary schools, City of Naga, Cebu, SY 2014-2015. The

findings served as the basis of the proposed action plan.

Specifically, the study will seek answers for the following sub-problems:

1. What is the profile of the teacher participants in terms of:

1.1 age;

1.2 gender;

1.3 educational attainment,

1.4 teaching experience ,

1.5 trainings attended?

2. What is the level of performance of teacher-participants?

3. What is the performance of student-participants in terms of:

3.1 final grade in Grade 6 Mathematics; and

4.2 second grading grade in Grade 7 mathematics?

4. Is there a significant relationship between the student-participants’ final

grade in Grade 6 Mathematics and second grading grade in Grade 7

Mathematics?
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5. Is there a significant difference among the second grading grades in

Grade 7 Mathematics?

6. Based on the findings, what action plan can be proposed ?

Statement of the Null Hypothesis

The following null hypothesis will be tested at 0.05 level of significance:

Ho1: There is no significant relationship between the student-participants’

final grade in Grade 6 Mathematics and second grading grade in Grade 7

Mathematics.

Ho2: There is no significant difference among the second grading grades in

Grade 7 Mathematics.

Significance of the Study

The results of the study would benefit the following entities:

Students. The result of this study will help the Grade 7 students

improve their quality of learning mathematics.

Teachers. The result of this study can be a good means of the

adjusting or aligning the further mastery of the teachers in their field. This

can be a good guide in innovating tools for teaching and learning activities of the

public secondary mathematics teacher especially to non-mathematics major who

are handling the Grade 7 mathematics subject.

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Parents. The result of the study will be beneficial to the parents in the

terms of better understanding on the importance of the mathematics performance

of their children in attaining the quality basic education.

Administrators. The findings of this study will be of great help for the

success of the school operation in terms of school performance. At the same time,

this study can be used as a guide in formulating a teachers’ assignment such as the

subject loads and the better class plans preparation.

Personnel Officer. This result can guide the human resource officer

to make alignment in the hiring procedures of teachers which is appropriate to

the field of study.

Public Secondary Schools .The result of this study is an important guide to

the school management in the preparation of the training design and teachers’

training need and assessment.

DepEd City of Naga .The result of the study can be a tool to update

monitoring, supervision and the assessment of the teachers performance and to the

improvement of the students’ performance as well.

The Researcher. The result of this study will benefit the researcher to be

able to share experiences and information to teachers’ assignment and as public

secondary school mathematics teacher in assisting other mathematics teachers in

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the delivery of the lessons more effectively and efficiently knowing the

students interest in the mathematics subject.

Future Researchers. The result of the study will guide the future

researchers to identify specific means that also beneficial and useful to their own

research study and in order also to improve their own Style of teaching – learning

process , and to attain the level of performance.

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The study used the descriptive–correlation method with the use of

secondary data from the selected public high schools located in the mountain

barangays of the City of Naga, Province of Cebu. Figure 1 shows the flow of the

study.

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

 Descriptive–
 Profile of the Correlational
teacher- using
participants; Secondary
data;
 Level of
performance  Gathering of Proposed
of teacher- Data;
participants; Action
and  Treatment of
Data; Plan
 Mathematics
performance  Analysis; and
of student-
participants  Interpretation
of Data

Figure 1
Flow of the Study
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Research Environment

The study was conducted in the six (6) remote public secondary

schools in the three (3) districts of City of Naga, Cebu; namely: Naga I

comprising Alpaco National High School and Lanas National High School; Naga

II comprising Tagjaguimit National High School and Mayana National High

School ; and in Cogon National High School and Lutac National High School for

Naga district III.

Alpaco National High School is located in Barangay Alpaco, City of Naga,

Province of Cebu. The school is situated in a mountain barangay which is 13.1 km

from Shell Gasoline Station at the junction of Naga-Uling Road and N. Bacalso

Avenue (South Express Way). One can reach the school in 23 minutes when riding

a private vehicle.

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

Lanas National High School is located along Naga-Toledo Road, City of

Naga, Province of Cebu. The school is situated in a mountain barangay which is

12.9 km from Shell Gasoline Station at the junction of Naga-Uling Road and N.

Bacalso Avenue (South Express Way). One can reach the school in 19 minutes

when riding a private vehicle.

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

Tagjaguimit National High School is located in Barangay Tagjaguimit, City

of Naga, Province of Cebu. The school is situated in a mountain barangay which is

18.4 km from Shell Gasoline Station at the junction of Naga-Uling Road and N.

Bacalso Avenue (South Express Way). One can reach the school in 36 minutes

when riding a private vehicle.

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

Mayana National High School is located in Barangay Mayana, City of Naga,

Province of Cebu. The school is situated in a mountain barangay which is 20.8 km

from Shell Gasoline Station at the junction of Naga-Uling Road and N. Bacalso

Avenue (South Express Way). One can reach the school in 34 minutes when riding

a private vehicle.

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
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Cogon National High School is located in Barangay Cogon, City of Naga,

Province of Cebu. The school is situated in a mountain barangay which is 12.3 km

from Shell Gasoline Station at the junction of Naga-Uling Road and N. Bacalso

Avenue (South Express Way). One can reach the school in 23 minutes when riding

a private vehicle.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxx.

Lutac National High School is located in Barangay Lutac, City of Naga,

Province of Cebu. The school is situated in a mountain barangay which is 7.9 km

from Shell Gasoline Station at the junction of Naga-Uling Road and N. Bacalso

Avenue (South Express Way). One can reach the school in 11 minutes when riding

a private vehicle.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

Research Respondents

There are two-types of respondnts in this study; namely: teacher-

participants and student-participants. There is only one mathematics teacher for

each of the selected public high schools located in the mountain barangays of the
 30

City of Naga, Province of Cebu. Hence, there are six (6) teacher-participants

involved in this study. Furthermore, the student-participants of the study were the

Grade 7 students of the six (6) selected public secondary schools. A total of 203

students were involved in the study.

Research Instrument

The researcher will utilize a secondary data taken from the records at the

office of the principals of the selected public secondary school located in the

mountain barangay of the City of Naga, Province of Cebu. For the teacher-

participants, the researcher gathered the profile of the six (6) math teachers in

terms of age, gender, highest educational attainment, number of years in teaching,

and the relevant trainings they attended. Likewise, the researcher gathered the data

on the teacher-participants’ level of performance in the Performance Appraisal

System for Teachers (PAST) of the Department of Education (DepEd). For the

student-participants, the researcher gathered the data on students’ final grade in

Grade 6 mathematics and their second grading grade in Grade 7 mathematics.

Research Procedures

This section presents the data gathering and statistical treatment of the study.

Gathering Data. Before the data gathering, the researcher asked permission

from the DepEd City of Naga Division through the schools division

superintendent and the assigned school heads /principals of the six (6) selected
 31

public secondary schools. After getting the approval, the researcher personally

made appointments to visit the schools. On separate dates and time, the researcher

went to each public secondary school and browsed the records of the teacher-

participants and student-participants. After all the data are gathered, the researcher

consulted his statistician on how to enter the data in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

After all the data are entered in the spreadsheet, the researcher submitted it to his

statistician for tabulation and statistical computation. Once the tabulation and

computation are done, the researcher will analyze and interpret the data.

Treatment Data. The following statistical tools were used in the study:

Frequency Count and Per Cent will be used to summarize, analyze and

interpret the profile of the teacher-participants. Likewise, these statistical tools

were used also for the student-participants’ final grade in Grade 6 mathematics and

second grading grade in Grade 7 mathematics.

Weighted Mean will be used to summarize, analyze and interpret the

teacher-participants’ level of performance in the Performance Appraisal System for

Teachers (PAST) of the Department of Education (DepEd).

Chi-square will be used to determine the significance of the relationships

between the student-participants’ final grade in Grade 6 mathematics and second

grading grade in Grade 7 mathematics.

 32

The t-Test and Analysis of Variance will be used to determine the

significance of the difference among the student-participants’ second grading grade

in Grade 7 mathematics when grouped by school.

 33

DEFINITION OF TERMS

The following terms are operationally defined for better understanding:

Level of Performance of Teacher-Participants. This term refers to the

average rating received by the teacher-participants based on the Performance

Appraisal System for Teachers (PAST) of the Department of Education (DepEd)..

Performance of Student-Participants. This term refers to the student-

participants’ final grade in Grade 6 Mathematics and second grading grade in

Grade 7 mathematics.

Profile of the Teacher-Participants. This term refers to the age, gender,

highest educational attainment, teaching experience, trainings attended.

Proposed Action Plan. This term refers to the set of actions to be

implemented to improve the performance of the level of performance of the Grade

7 mathematics teachers.
 34

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Appendix A

TRANSMITTAL LETTER
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Appendix B

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT
40
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Appendix C

LOCATION MAP
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CURRICULUM VITAE

Personal Background

Name : Andres M. Nuñez

Civil Status : Married

Date of Birth : February 29, 1972

Place of Birth : Tina-an, Naga, Cebu

Nationality : Filipino

Religion : Roman Catholic

Permanent Address : Tinaan, City of Naga, Cebu

Educational Background

Graduate : University of Cebu, MST - Mathematics

Undergraduate : University of Cebu, BSEd - Mathematics

 43

Secondary : Naga Provincial High School

Elementary : Cepoc Central School

Work Experiences

Secondary School Teacher : Uling National High School

: Uling, City of Naga, Cebu

: January 5, 2012 to present

Secondary School Teacher : Balirong National High School

: Balirong, City of Naga, Cebu

: Sept. 10, 2009 to Jan. 4, 2012

Secondary School Teacher : Guindaruhan National High School

: Guindaruhan, Minglanilla, Cebu

: Aug. 12, 2005 to Sept. 9, 2009

Secondary School Teacher : Uling National High School

: Uling, City of Naga, Cebu

: Sept. 11, 1994 to Aug. 11, 2005

 44

Secondary School Teacher : Union National High School

: Union, San Francisco, Camotes, Cebu

: Jan. 22, 1993 to Jun

Trainings Attended:

Etc…