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STUDENTS’ NONCOMPLIANCE TO SCIENCE SELF- LEARNING

Aleza Angela F. Bendoy

Introduction

The Coronavirus-19 pandemic drastically changed everything not only here in our

country but globally. This pandemic seemed to worsen from time to time, leading to the

implementation of a new normal educational system. The Department of Education shifted the

traditional to distance learning modality, allowing students to use self-learning modules that

contain assessment tasks that serve as a basis for the teachers to gauge students' learning

progress. In this modality, teachers, students, and parents have had to adapt quickly to ensure

that they are continually engaged in learning. However, this new educational system somehow

created doubt at first as it defies common practice. The self-learning modules are released and

retrieved at a specific schedule following the schools' implementation. However, some students

take self-assessment tasks for granted, resulting in a failure submission that now contributed

problems among teachers.

A study conducted by higher education institutions in Ethiopia on implementing a

modular approach found that the teaching process was below expectation under the modular

program. It also found that students play the role of the receiver and do not actively participate

in the construction of information (Melesse & Belay, 2020). In addition, another study in

Indonesia reveals that, as students switched to modular or online learning, thousands of

students seemingly disappeared because they are not completing their assignments or failing to

communicate from the schools. While some of these students were absent due to a lack of

internet access, some had lost connection with schools for various reasons, including behavioral

and environmental issues. With students no longer receiving needed services in person,

schools must reach out and engage with students and their families through other avenues
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(Rahiem, 2020). Further, a study in Australia found that the control group on Science conceptual

problems and science thinking problems outperformed the students in a modular section. In the

large university, modular section students also outperformed their peers on the first midterm

exam in the subsequent exam in the course organic chemistry (Gutwill-Wise, 2001).

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, a study conducted by Flores and Romero (2020) reveals

that Self-Learning Modules (SLMs) with the alternative learning delivery modalities provided for

diverse learners across the Philippines at least 40 percent of children from poor households

said they needed assistance with their schoolwork. Still, there is no one to assist them. The

Save the Children Philippines, led by a former DepEd undersecretary, added that their global

report represents the plight of millions of Filipino children from poor households, including those

with disabilities and residing in marginalized areas. Moreover, accomplished activity sheets in

the modules will be received and retrieved by teachers from parents. They will have to submit

the answer sheets to teachers in the classroom or section where they belong. This kind of

setup, however, poses risks. Due to fears of contracting the coronavirus, teachers and parents

expressed concerns about using the modular learning approach. Thus, this may be why

students are non-compliant with assessment tasks in the self-learning modules (Magsambol,

2020).

Further, based on my firsthand observation, some public-school students in modular

learning modalities in the Division of Davao del Norte did not comply with modular assessment

tasks given by them. This is specifically true in science subjects. Based on the initial interview,

it is difficult for them to learn alone without anyone there to guide them. What becomes

depressing is when students lose interest in reading the learning content in the modules; thus,

limiting them from identifying the solutions to the science learning modules' problems.

During my literature reading, it shows that there were similar studies conducted about

modules. A study from Nardo (2017) shows that modules foster self-directed learning. It
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employs instruction that students develop greater self-learning skills. Moreover, Sequeira (2012)

stated that self-learning modules are designed with the learner, allowing them to choose what

they want to learn, how they want to learn, when they want to learn, and where they want to

learn. It helps students develop a habit of learning independently and enhances important skills

for the future. However, I have not come across any study which delves into the noncompliance

to assessment tasks found in self-learning modules. Also, the recency of the issue is

contributory to the absence of literature in both the national and local context. Thus, I become

more motivated to carry out the investigation.

The conduct of the study is urgent since the modular approach is the one used today;

thus, it is vital to immediately address issues related to its implementation, including problems

regarding assessment. This study gave information to DepEd about students' struggles in

complying with assessment tasks, which DepEd can use to improve their

administration/implementation of the modular approach. The experiences of the participants in

this study may provide ideas of how to cope with all the tasks they need to accomplish in a

science module. Their insights regarding the self-learning tasks may become a way to improve

the modular approach in our recent educational system.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this phenomenological inquiry is to understand the reasons behind the

non-compliance of some students to the assessment tasks found in Science self-learning

modules and describe how teachers deal with this noncompliance of students in some schools

in some schools Davao del Norte Division. Further, this study aims to generate findings that

may guide the teachers in designing appropriate interventions for the noncompliance students

to the assessment tasks in the self-learning modules.

At this stage in research, noncompliance to assessment tasks is generally defined as

students' deliberate refusal to comply with the assessment tasks that are parts of their learning

modules which they are required to accomplish.

Research Questions

1. What are the reasons behind students' noncompliance to assessment tasks in their

science self-learning modules?

2. What interventions are done by the Science teachers to address students' noncompliance

to their assessment tasks?

3. What insights can the participants draw from their experiences?

Theoretical Lens

This study adopted the interactive theories of development, primarily those of Dewey

(1999) and Vygotsky (1978), as its theoretical lens. The most critical aspect of evaluation for this

school of thought is that it can be conducted in a socially context-rich setting. According to

Suizzo (2000), children's success on a given cognitive task varies depending on the amount of

social help they receive. This possible variance indicates that teachers must perform valid

assessment tasks in a socially supportive environment since students may perform at their

optimal level with instructor modeling or memory reminding. Still, they will only perform at their

'functional' level without that help and shows no sign of competence at the higher level (Suizzo,

2000).

These ideas focus on the development of the students in relation to their social

interactions. Since self-learning modules limit social interaction, especially between a student

and teachers, students' performance level on assessment might be affected. Students may

resort to non-compliance if the effect is worse.

Also, this study was anchored on Bruner's Constructivism Theory. Bruner (2018)

proposes that learners create their knowledge using a coding framework to organize and
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categorize the content. Bruner believed that discovering a coding system rather than being told

by the teacher is the most effective way. Students construct their knowledge for themselves,

according to their concept of discovery learning.

As championed by Bruner's theory, this study explored students' experiences in a

learning environment dominated by self-learning, which implies independent and active learning

reflecting a constructivist approach. Moreover, constructivist learning emphasizes the role of the

teacher as the facilitator in the learning process who devises lessons that will assist learners in

discovering relationships between pieces of information acquired. Hence, this study described

the teacher's role in self-learning of students based on the students' experiences, most

especially in complying with assessment tasks in a science self-learning module.

The study also anchored on the propositions of Overton and Sullivan (2008), showing

that in the democratic setting, non-compliant behavior did not occur at all times. Lack of

motivation to participate or engage in classroom activities, power struggles, and conflict

disrupting work were among the reasons given by the students for their non-compliant conduct.

It suggests that when the students engaged in non-compliant behavior, the teacher shared less

power over the students, and the students lacked a clear, meaningful purpose for their activities

and learning. Furthermore, non-compliance levels were not constant but rather complex and

affected by a variety of factors.

Definition of Terms

For a clearer and better understanding of the study, the following terms used were

defined operationally.

Noncompliance to Assessment Tasks. In this study, this is defined as the

nonfulfillment of students to the assessment tasks that are parts of their learning modules which

they are required to accomplish.

Reasons for Noncompliance. In this study, the term pertains to the underlying causes

of students' failure to comply with the assessment tasks provided for them in their Science self-

learning modules.

Interventions. In this study, the term pertains to the activities done by the teacher in

order to address students' noncompliance of the assessment tasks in their learning modules.

Modular Approach. In this study, the term pertains to the learning approach that is

being used in this academic year 2020-2021. It is a mode of delivering instruction by giving

students printed learning materials that contain lessons, activities, and assessment tasks that

need to be accomplished by students at home.