TITLE OF ACTION Enhancing Students’ Participation in Virtual

RESEARCH Classroom Format Through Activity-Based

Classroom Instruction
I. INTRODUCTION COVID-19 has caused havoc on the majority of the

world's industries today. In most places around the

world, education is the only industry that has entirely

transitioned to an online method. The shift from

traditional face-to-face schooling to online education is

gaining momentum. Instructors and institutions

throughout the world are recognizing the potential of the

online environment to give high-quality training to

students who would otherwise have limited access to

higher education by using existing technologies. The use

of online educational platforms has become a necessity

and has spread rapidly since 2020, being the only tools

that could be used during the break for online teaching.

Research indicates that participation is central to

learning (Wenger, 1998) and is related to interaction

and a sense of community in online learning (Delahunty,

Verenika, & Jones, 2014). Online interaction often occurs

in synchronous chatrooms, asynchronous discussion

forums, and via email and can be seen as engagement

in a meaningful discussion, with online interaction being

the equivalent of face-to-face tutorial discussions

(Delahunty et al., 2014). Effective online learning relies

on long-term relationships between students and

educators. However, low learner participation is one of

the most significant issues in online education (Hawkins,

Graham, Sudweeks, & Barbour, 2013; Joksimović,

Gašević, Kovanović, Riecke, & Hatala, 2015; Picciano,

2002).

Students may see the Internet as an impediment to

learning. If not comfortable with the instructional

medium, some students may shun classroom activities;

their grades might slip and their educational interest

might vanish. In online learning, the student is

dependent upon access to an unimpeded Internet

connection. If technical problems occur, online students

may not be able to communicate, submit assignments,

or access study material. This problem, in turn, may

frustrate the student, hinder performance, and

discourage learning.

Research shows online students are more likely to

quit class if they do not like the instructor, the format, or

the feedback. Because they work independently, relying

almost wholly upon self-motivation and self-direction,

online learners may be more inclined to withdraw from

class if they do not get immediate results. (Paul, J., &

Jefferson, F., 2019) This is somehow evident to us as

pre-service teachers wherein we noticed a new pattern

in our online classes over the past few months － a

couple of students tend to suddenly leave, and

potentially out, in the virtual classroom. Furthermore,

despite being present on the platform, students are

more likely to listen passively when called.

This could be caused by poorly designed interaction

opportunities for learners. Research has shown that

online learning can be as effective as face-to-face

courses, but only if learners are provided well-designed

interaction activities (Hawkins, Graham, Sudweeks, &

Barbour, 2013; Joksimović et. al., 2015). Croxton (2014)

found that purposefully designed and engaging

interaction tasks played a significant role in learner

persistence in online courses. The value of a classroom's

emphasis on successful learning is critical.

In terms of student retention, teachers must be

adaptable to changing classroom and student demands

so that students enjoy the course and achieve their

objectives.

Concerned with the observed scenario in the

classroom and the compelling need to address the

problem, the researcher developed activity-based

classroom instruction to enhance students’ participation

and foster meaningful interactions with the learners. The

foundation for improving creative and critical thinking

abilities is activity-based classroom instruction. This

strategy, however, will not work if students are not

sufficiently motivated to reach their full potential.

Involving students in interactive activities, which is also

the backbone of activity-based classroom instruction, is

 the most practical and successful way to teach

complicated topics. Students' critical thinking and

creative abilities are strengthened with the use of

various activities in the classroom.

A. Research This main objective of this action research was to

Question
measure the influence of activity-based instruction in a

virtual classroom setup to improve students’

participation. Specifically, it sought to answer the

question, “Does the use of activity-based classroom

instruction improve students’ participation?”

II. BRIEF REVIEW OF We decided to find social networking service to help

RELATED
LITERATURE AND strengthen the student’s learning engagement. From our
STUDIES
experience in using different platforms, we found out

that the most viewed and relevant intervention that we

need to use is the Facebook live.

Social networking service (SNS), has become an

important part of our daily lives during the last decade at

most. Many people used SNS for a variety of purposes

and some teachers have been using SNS in the

classroom. Out of all the SNS platforms, Facebook still

remains the most popular. Over 2.2 billion people

actively use Facebook and 1.45 billion people use

Facebook on a daily basis (Statista Research

Department). Facebook Live was launched on April 6th,

2016, as a means to share live videos (Facebook, 2018).

Facebook Live could be used in the classroom to

encourage students to think of it as a resource that they

can use outside of the classroom.

Facebook's and live-streaming video's popularity

among university students is well-known (Al-Dheleai and

Tasir, 2017). Videos have been used successfully in

schools, but social media, notably Facebook Live videos,

provide extra advantages over other platforms used in

online class session.  Lederer (2012) stated, “as an

educational tool, social media enriches the learning

experience by allowing students and teachers to connect

and interact in new, exciting ways.

By offering both real-time experiences and the

opportunity to go back and replay recordings to acquire

extra information, Facebook Live allows students to

connect and communicate in new ways. Students can

either see the videos live and interact with them via

messages, or they can just listen. This results in a very

real listening experience. If a student misses something,

they can go back and replay the video later to double-

check their understanding. This feature enables

Facebook Live to combine the advantages of traditional

video, such as the ability to replay, with the advantages

of live streaming video, such as real-time interaction and

authenticity.

In the study of Kobylinski (2018), Facebook Live's

interactive nature offers a classroom environment that

encourages active listening. If students want to interact

with the speaker, they must also examine and think

about the information. This is a feature that only a live

video can provide. Using Facebook Live also allows

teachers a chance to help students to use it outside of

the classroom. Prensky (2005) argued that technology’s

sole role should be to support students teaching

themselves. Facebook Live offers teachers the chance to

show their students how to listen to and to respond to

videos in class, and to then use the resources outside of

class on their own. Wu (2016) contends that Facebook,

as a learning tool, can be integrated in to the students‟

daily life and allow students to access resources that

meet their needs. If students learn to view Facebook

Live as a learning tool inside the classroom, they might

be more likely to use it outside the classroom. Many

virtual classroom teachers are limited on time, and

Facebook Live allows students to interact with people

and topics that they are interested in outside of the

classroom.

Lastly, because it is widely available, free, and

combines the greatest parts of conventional videos with

the new interactive aspects of live streaming video,

Facebook Live is a unique tool in the teacher's

resources. Furthermore, many students can use

Facebook Live outside of the classroom as a significant

supplement to their learning engagement development

and a key tool in enhancing their academic performance

 for real-world competency.

III. SCOPE AND This study was conducted to determine the impact of
LIMITATIONS
activity-based classroom instruction in enhancing

students’ participation enrolled in Teacher Education

Program, particularly the freshmen students of Bachelor

of Secondary Education-Major in English S.Y. 2021-2022.

This study was limited only on utilizing activity-based

classroom instruction in enhancing students’

participation. The study was conducted at Southern

Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School

of Technology. The researchers constructed a 10-item

descriptive questionnaire known as “Assessing the

Impact of Activity-Based Instruction in Virtual Classroom

Setup to Enhance Students’ Participation” which mainly

investigated the indicators of class participation with the

utilization of activity-based instruction as an intervention

to enhance students’ participation.

IV. METHODOLOGY Researcher Design

The researcher utilized the descriptive method to

determine students’ participation on the intervention

made. Likert Scale (5 point), was used to determine

students’ participation with the employment of activity-

based classroom instruction in virtual classroom setup.

The researchers took into consideration the data of

information required to satisfy the query raised in the

research question. The data and observations gathered

were systematically checked, computed, tabulated and

interpreted.

Research Locale

This study was conducted in the tertiary school of

Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and

Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST) located at the

municipality of Malita, Barangay Poblacion along the

coastal area of Davao Gulf. This school is the sole state

university in the province of Davao Occidental.

Population and Sample

The study administered purposive sampling to

randomly select participants from a population in order

to get the most relevant information on the

characteristic of interest. Purposive sampling was also

chosen because we believe it is the most significant type

of non-probability sampling for identifying primary

participants. Purposive sampling is best for our study

since only people who meet our requirements will be

considered participants.

Sixty-two (62) college students of Southern

Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School

of Technology were chosen to become the participants

of the study. These 62 students were observed to exhibit

characteristics of not being engaged in virtual class. In

the virtual classroom, students tend to frequently leave

and potentially exit the call during discussion most

especially when their names are called for participation.

Students are also more likely to listen passively, despite

being present on the platform.

Research Instrument

In this study, a descriptive questionnaire was

used as research instrument to determine the influence

of activity-based instruction on the participants in virtual

classroom. The instrument known as “Assessing the

Impact of Activity-Based Instruction in Virtual Classroom

Setup to Enhance Students’ Participation” mainly

investigated the indicators of class participation during

pre-observation and post-observation with the utilization

of activity-based instruction as an intervention to

enhance students’ participation. The researcher rated

each statement using a 5-point Likert scale from 5 being

the highest (strongly agree) and 1 being the lowest

(strongly disagree). Hence, the instrument provided the

ample data in order to achieve the objectives of this

study.

Data Gathering Procedure

After the given approval, the study conducted the pre-

observation on the participants. The researchers held six

class sessions to obtain reliable data. On the first two

sessions, the researchers elicit observations with regards

to students’ participation. After the observation,

through the use of research instrument, the researchers

 found out that students manifested low participation to

the class. Then, the researchers formulated an

intervention to address the problem. Hence, on the

subsequent class sessions, the activity-based classroom

teaching was administered with the goal to enhance

students’ participation. After the third session, the

action-based classroom instruction was further

established in the fourth and fifth session. Ultimately, on

the last session, the researchers observed for the

present manifestation of the indicators of students’

participation if it has improved with the use of the same

research instrument. Lastly, the pre and post

observations were compared for its significant

difference.

V. RESULTS AND This section presents the results and discussion of

DISCUSSION
the data from students’ response questionnaire in the

form of survey. These data were completely gathered

after the conduct of the 1-month intervention aimed

towards enhancing students’ participation through the

implementation of activity-based classroom instruction.

The results and discussions on the findings relative to

the study are shown on the table.

Students Participation During Pre-observation

Table 1 presents the findings on the observed

students’ participation throughout the discussion without

the utilization of activity-based classroom instruction. It

revealed that the pre-observation acquired a mean of

1.8 which is qualitatively described as low. This implies

that students manifest low overt participation when

engaged to a poorly designed instruction. As shown in

the table, its overall mean is 3.79, described as “High.”

This means that the students agree that the intervention

was effective. The mean value of all the indicators

ranges from 3.60 to 4.20 which connotes high result.

The highest mean of 4.20 is the indicator “Facebook Live

is helpful in my learning.” It implies that the students

agree that Facebook Live is helpful to their learning. The

second highest mean of 3.95 is indicator “Facebook Live

for learning activities is convenient.” It entails that the

students agree that Facebook Live is convenient for

learning activities. The lowest mean of 3.60 is particular

“I found Facebook Live easy to deal with and learn

from.” It reveals that the students agree that Facebook

Live easy to deal with and learn from.

It can be inferred that students favored the use of

Facebook Live as a strategy to enhance their learning

engagement. Specifically, students expressed their high

agreement in using Facebook Live every virtual class

session. Hence, there is positive outcome that use of

Facebook Live session enhance college students’

learning engagement in the blended learning setting.

Table 1. Mean, Description, and Interpretation During

Pre-observation

Indicators Mean Description Interpretation

1. Increased
number of
1.5
student
participants

2. Students
volunteer when
1.5
questions are
being raised

3. Students 1.5
respond when
called

4. Students
answer
frequently 2
when questions
are raised

5. Students
construct their
2
answers
deliberately

6. Students
share their
personal
experiences 1.5
related to the
points
presented

7. Students are
responsive
during the 2.5
process of
discussion

8. Students
follow the flow
2.5
of discussion
attentively

9. Students 1
raise questions
and
 clarifications

10. Students
shows
2
noticeable high
score marks

OVERALL
1.8
MEAN

Table 2. Mean, Description, and Interpretation During

Post-observation

Indicators Mean Description Interpretation

1. Increased
number of
1.5
student
participants

2. Students
volunteer when
1.5
questions are
being raised

3. Students
respond when 1.5
called

4. Students 2
answer
frequently
when questions
are raised

5. Students
construct their
2
answers
deliberately

6. Students
share their
personal
experiences 1.5
related to the
points
presented

7. Students are
responsive
during the 2.5
process of
discussion

8. Students
follow the flow
2.5
of discussion
attentively

9. Students
raise questions
1
and
clarifications

10. Students
shows
2
noticeable high
score marks
 OVERALL
1.8
MEAN

VI. RECOMMENDATIO With the salient results from this action research,
NS
the following recommendations were offered:

1. Since it has been apparent that BSEd students

was able enhance their learning engagement through

Facebook Live, instructors in the different institute may

utilize the said platform in virtual class session

2. Considering that some students were not able

to join the virtual class discussion as there are limited

participants in the Google Meet platform it is suggested

to used Facebook Live learners while conducting virtual

class session in Google Meet platform so that the

students may able to review their class discussion.

3. Since students find the intervention effective,

teachers may perhaps think, devise, and use other

asynchronous learning platforms that promote the

enhancement of student’s learning engagement.

 4. The positive outcomes seen on the utilization

of Facebook Live in virtual class discussion can be

maximized by extending it to other subject areas, or

instructors in other disciplines may consider the use of

this online learning platform as a teaching strategy

especially in this blended learning setting.

VII. LIST OF AL-DHELEAI Y. & TASIR, (2017). Using Facebook for

REFERENCES the Purpose of Students’ Interaction and its
Correlation with Students’ Academic Performance
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ANGGORO, K., & RUEANGRONG, P. (2020).

Facebook: An alternative learning platform for
online English as a foreign language instruction in
the time of COVID-19. Journal of Education
Naresuan University, 23(1), 413-423.
https://so06.tcithaijo.org/index.php/
edujournal_nu/article/view/244419 .

DEWITT P. (2020). 6 Reasons Students Aren’t Showing

Up for Virtual Learning
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-6-
reasons-students-arent-showing-up-for-virtual-
learning/2020/04

GIANNIKAS, C. (2020). Facebook in tertiary education:

The impact of social media in e-Learning, Journal
of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 17(1),
3. https://doi.org/10.53761/1.17.1.3.
 GHOUNANE, N. (2020). Moodle or Social Networks:
What Alternative Refuge is Appropriate to
Algerian EFL Students to Learn during Covid-19
Pandemic. Arab World English Journal, 11 (3) 21-
41 . DOI:
https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no3.2

KOBYLINSKI, C. (2018). The Benefits of Using

Facebook Live for Listening Activities in A Korean
University EFL Classroom. International Journal of
Educational Technology and Learning, 4(2), 40–
45. https://doi.org/10.20448/2003.42.40.45

LEDERER, K. (2012). Pros and cons of social media in

the classroom. Campus Technology, 25(5), 1-2.

MCMURTRIE (2022). Course Catalog and Student

Handbook
https://www.noc.edu/assets/uploads/sites/740.

PRENSKY, M. (2005). Listen to the natives. Educational

Leadership, 63(4), 8-13.

SCRITTER T. (2022). How to Participate in Class and

Why It’s Important
https://collegesofdistinction.com.

WU, S. (2016). A study on the English teaching model

in the Facebook environment. Theory and Practice
in Language Studies, 6(9), 1791-1796.

VIII. APPENDICES

APPENDIX A

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE
This survey-questionnaire mainly asked about student’s personal stance and
feelings about the use of Facebook Live as a strategy to enhance their learning

engagement. They rated each statement using a 5-point Likert scale from 5 being

the highest (strongly agree) and 1 being the lowest (strongly disagree). The 8-item

close-ended questions enables to elaborate their perception on how the Facebook

Live helped their learning engagement and increased their academic experience.

Strongly Agree Moderate Disagree Strongly

Questions Agree ly Agree Disagree
(3) (2)
(5) (4) (1)
1. Facebook Live is
helpful in my learning.

2. Facebook Live for

learning activities is
convenient.

3. Facebook Live
reinforced my
academic experience

4. Facebook Live
allows me to manage
my time effectively.

5. Google Meet and

Facebook Live is more
effective in the class
discussion than
Google Meet alone.

6. I found Facebook
Live easy to deal with
and learn from.

7. Reviewing the class

discussion in
Facebook Live allows
me to understand well
the lessons being
discussed.

8. Facebook Live
could be introduced in
more subject areas.

APPENDIX B

Work Plan/Budgetary Requirements

 ACTIVITIES/
ESTIMATED
AREA OF TIME
OBJECTIVES METHODS OR RESOURCES
FOCUS FRAME COST
STRATEGIES

To prepare Researching,
Preparati
the materials checking and
on of the
and resources encoding in the
materials Personal March
needed for Google Form of Php. 350.00
/ Fund 20212
the conduct of survey
resource
the questionnaires to
s needed
intervention be distributed

To seek
Explaining the
permission
points that the
Asking from ITEIT
students need to Personal
permissi Dean and the April 2022 Php. 150.00
know as Fund
on respondents
participants of
to conduct
the study
study

Administering
To administer
Administ the Facebook
the weekly
ration of Live for 4 weeks.
virtual class
the The virtual class Php.
discussion Personal March –
weekly discussion in
with the use Fund April 2022 400.00
intervent Google Meet
of Facebook
ion platform was
Live for 1
activity streamed live via
month
Facebook Live.

A week after the

intervention, the
Student
Response
Conduct To gather the Questionnaire
of the end line data will be
student of students’ distributed to the Personal
April 2022 Php. 200.00
response responses participants by Fund
question about the sending the
naire intervention Google Form link
through direct
messaging in the
___________________________________________________________

SIGNATURE OVER PRINTED NAME OF THE RESEARCHER