ENHANCING STUDENTS’ RETENTION LEVEL THROUGH INTERACTIVE E-

BOOK

I. Context and Rationale

Rapid advancements in technology have caused an extensive change in

the educational setting. Investigating how technology might be used to improve

learning experiences is crucial as we enter a more digital world, especially in

fields like science. Traditionally, science instruction has frequently depended on

passive learning strategies like textbooks and lectures. Despite their advantages,

these methods may not be enough to fully engage all students or promote in-

depth comprehension. In order to fulfill the gaps presented by the conventional

teaching materials, teachers may build customized, immersive, and interactive

learning environments that accommodate a variety of learning styles by

integrating technology into scientific lessons.

The use of e-books in science education is one possible way to

incorporate technology. When compared to traditional textbooks, e-books have

many benefits, such as interactive features, portability, and accessibility. This

interactive e-book allows learners to become immersed in content and to think

outside the traditional instructional format. By the use of these interactive e-

books, learners will have access to lessons discussed and perform activities

and/or quizzes in the comfort of their hand-held devices like laptops, mobile

phones, tablets, and personal computers at home. These e-books will serve as

supplementary learning materials for both learners and teachers.

 DepEd Order No. 16, s. 2023, or the Revised Guideline on the

Implementation of the Department of Education Computerization Program,

emphasizes that learners ICT competencies shall be upgraded and strengthened

through the utilization of ICT infrastructures and systems. In order to achieve ICT

competencies, DepEd has implemented programs in order to strengthen ICT

competencies of both learners and teachers. One of which is the DepEd

Commons, which is an online platform that provides free learning materials for all

grade levels, which include e-books.

Widespread application of technology means modern students are

accustomed to electronic information and audiovisual stimulation and are ready

to adapt their learning styles and needs to the digital age. E-books are

particularly attractive to the learners because they offer the advantage of

multimedia audio and visual effects. (L. Sun, Pn. C.E, 2021) E-books, when used

as part of the teaching-learning process, can widen the learning window of the

students due to the interaction of sense of the learners. Such interactions can

help learners understand and establish the concepts and information being

taught.

E-books as learning media plays an integral role in increasing a learner’s

productivity. It allows unlimited references, so teachers’ resources are not limited

to one. E-books also ease the conveyance of information. This happens because

the information presented in the e-book is more contextual so that students can

learn how to take responsibility for their own learning. This can improve 21st

century skills consisting of critical thinking skills, creativity, collaboration, and

communication. E-books can also be a tool in increasing the effectiveness of

distance learning because of its accessibility.

Table 1: Results of the First Quarter Examination

Grade Level Mean Performance Level

Grade 7 21.8 43.6%

Grade 8 16.6 33.2%

Grade 9 36 60%

Grade 10 28.8 57.6%

The data presented in Table 1 reveals a concerning trend in the

performance of students across different grade levels. Despite the higher

performance of Grade 9 among others, it still indicated a very low performance.

Grade 7, Grade 8 and Grade 10, with performance levels of 43.6%, 33.2%, and

57.6% respectively, indicate a need for improvement in their understanding and

application of science concepts. This data proves that the retention level of the

students affects the performance of the students. During the field study 1 and 2,

the researchers observed that most of the students lack retention. After

discussing a topic for the day, the students tend to forget the lessons in the

following days. This results in lower performance as shown in the table.

 With this, the researchers would like to address this issue, by integrating

interactive e-books into science education. Using digital copies of Self-Learning

Modules (interactive e-book) via kotobee reader application promotes

satisfactory academic achievement among students. Additionally, this might be

one of the educational tools utilized to promote positive changes in students'

learning and experience as shown in the study by Lordson Q. Siano and Joel D.

Potane in 2022. By providing students with opportunities to actively engage with

the content, e-books can significantly improve their retention of information.

Furthermore, e-books can be personalized to cater to individual learning

styles and paces. Students can access the content at their own convenience,

revisit challenging concepts, and reinforce their understanding through interactive

exercises. This personalized approach can significantly enhance students'

learning experience and boost their retention of scientific knowledge.

The study will be conducted during the researcher's second internship with

Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9, and Grade 10 students from Polangui General

Comprehensive High School (PGCHS) and Oas Polytechnic High School (OPS)

as participants. The focus of the study is to determine the effectiveness of

enhancing students' performance and retention through interactive e-book.

II. Action Research Questions

This action research will seek to document the effect of Interactive E-book

in enhancing the performance and retention of Science learners in Polangui

General Comprehensive High School (PGCHS) and Oas Polytechnic School

(OPS) for the school year 2024-2025.

Specifically, this study will seek to answer the following questions:

1. What is the level of performance of learners before and after the

intervention?

2. How effective is the intervention in enhancing the performance and

retention of learners?

III. Proposed Innovation, Intervention, and Strategy

The study will focus on the effectiveness of enhancing students'

performance and retention through the use of an interactive e-book. The

material will be specifically designed to address the needs of learners

while considering the school's resources and the accessibility of

technology for both teachers and students. The interactive e-book aligns

with the third-quarter learning competencies for Grades 7, 8, 9, and 10.

The interactive e-book is divided into four distinct sections, each

serving a specific purpose to provide a seamless and engaging learning

experience. The structure is as follows:

Cover Page. Provides the first impression of the e-book, featuring

an engaging title, graphics, and relevant information such as the grade

level and subject matter. It sets the tone for the interactive experience and

includes navigation elements to help users get started.

 Table of Contents. acts as the roadmap for the e-book. It presents

a well-organized, clickable table of contents, allowing users to easily

navigate to specific chapters or sections. Each item in the table of

contents is hyperlinked for convenience, ensuring a user-friendly

experience that saves time and encourages focused learning.

Introduction. Introduces the e-book’s purpose, objectives, and

intended outcomes. It provides a brief overview of the content.

Content. The core of the e-book is where the main lessons and

topics are presented, designed to cater to diverse learning styles. It

incorporates clear and concise textual content, visual aids such as

graphics, diagrams, and charts to enhance understanding, and multimedia

elements like recorded voiceovers, videos, and animations to make the

learning experience more engaging. Additionally, personalized themes are

included to create a more tailored and interactive user experience.

Assessment. Focuses on evaluating the learner’s understanding of

the material through interactive quizzes integrated into the e-book. These

assessments include multiple-choice, multiple-choice with multiple

answers, true/false, essays, and short answers, providing instant

feedback to enhance learning.

Incorporating multimedia features such as graphics, videos, and

interactive quizzes, the e-book aims to engage learners and provide an

immersive learning experience. It is designed to support conceptual

 understanding and content retention by presenting lessons in a visually

engaging and user-friendly format.

IV. Action Research Method

The study will use a pre-experimental research design for the

purpose of identifying the effectiveness of interactive e-books in

enhancing the retention of science students.

This type of research design is appropriate in this study since only

one group of respondents will be studied before and after the intervention.

The pre-assessment will be administered first before giving the treatment.

After administering the treatment, a post-assessment will be conducted.

Figure 1. Procedure in measuring the student’s performance

A. Participant/Other sources of Data and Information

In identifying the respondents, the researchers will make use of purposive

sampling. Purposive sampling is a sampling technique where participants

are chosen deliberately, to align with specific study objectives. The

researchers will select the respondents for Grades 7,8,9, and 10. The

researchers will focus on the sections who performed low in the subject

during their first quarterly exam.

 Grade and Section No. of Participants

Grade 7 - Kindness 36

Grade 8 - Mangosteen 34

Grade 9 - Mapagresiklo 36

Grade 10 - Burgos 37

TOTAL 143
Table 1. The Participants of the Research

The following instruments will be used in gathering the data needed to

substantiate the posed problems in this study.

a. Pre-assessment and post-assessment. This is a 50-item test covering

the topics to be covered by the proposed interventions. It will be employed

through a google form. The result of this will determine the effectiveness of

the said intervention or treatment in enhancing the performance of the

students.

b. E-book. This refers to the resource materials to be developed and used by

the researchers to enhance the retention of the students. This serves as the
 treatment in this study. The e-book that the researchers will administer will

be validated by experts in the teaching field.

B. Data Gathering Methods

This study will assess the effectiveness of the use of interactive e-books in

enhancing the performance and the retention of the students in Science. The

researchers will first administer the pretest to the students. The researchers will

develop the interventions to be given weekly to the students. The developed e-

books will be validated by experts. Next, the researchers will teach the lessons

using the electronic books created. After that, the researchers will administer the

post test. The data gathering procedure is illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Procedure of Data Gathering

C. Plan for Data Analysis

The researchers will use the following statistical tools to treat the data to be

gathered:
Mean. Mean is the average of the given numbers and is calculated by

dividing the sum of given numbers by the total number of numbers. The

mean is a measure of central tendency that represents the average or

central value of a set of numbers. It's used to describe a whole set of data

or distribution with a single value.

Performance Level. A performance level is a label used to describe

students’ performance when instructed on grade-level skills and concepts. It

will be used to determine the performance of the respondents before and

after the intervention.

T-test. A t-test is used to determine whether there is a significant difference

between the means of the two groups. This will be used to identify if the

intervention changes the retention level of the students in Science.

The identified statistical tools will be employed for easy analysis and

interpretation of data to determine the effectiveness of using the e-books

on the performance of the students.

V. Action Research Work Plans and Timelines

Table 3. Work plan and timeline

Activities Target Date Status of Implementation

1. Preparation of Action research November 4 to Done

Proposal December 4, 2024

2. Seek approval for December 5, 2024 To be implemented

implementation

3. Preparation E-book December 9 to To be implemented

January 13, 2025

4. Evaluation of E-book by experts January 20, 2024 To be implemented

5. Administer the Pre-Test January 31, 2025 To be implemented

6. Administer the Treatment February 3 to To be implemented

March 29, 2025

7. Administer the Post-Test April 1, 2025 To be implemented

8. Analysis of Data Second week of To be implemented

April

9. Preparation and Submission of Last week of April To be implemented

completion report
VI. Cost Estimates

A detailed breakdown of items with their corresponding costs is furnished.

The items and costs reasonably reflect the funding needs of the action research.

Table 4. Financial Costing

Particular Quantity Unit Unit Price Total Cost

COMMUNICATION EXPENSES

Internet Expenses for the 1,500.00

Preparation of E-Book and other
Online Materials

TRAVEL EXPENSES

Transportation Expenses 500.00

PRINTING AND PUBLICATION

EXPENSES

Binding Cost of Completed Report 800.00

TOTAL 2, 800.00

VII. Plans for Dissemination and Utilization

The results of this study will be disseminated through the school

curriculum. Likewise, we will collaborate with educational institutions to

integrate interactive e-books into their curriculum. The intervention would

be for the teachers after proving effective in enhancing the students

performance and retention in Science subject. Additionally, a copy of

these results can be forwarded to the Schools’ Division Office for a

possible implementation.
 The result of this action research “Enhancing Students’

Performance and Retention Through Interactive E-book” will be reported

after its completion at the end of the school year 2024-2025 as a

reference basis for future researchers.

VIII. References

DepEd. (2023, July 18). DepEd Order No. 16, s. 2023. deped.gov.ph.

https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/DO_s2023_016.pdf

Sun, L., & Pn, C. E. (2021). Effects of the Application of Information

Technology to E-Book Learning on Learning Motivation and Effectiveness.

Frontiers in Psychology.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.202

1.752303

Sari, S. Y. (2022). The importance of e-books in improving students’ skills

in physics learning in the 21st century: a literature review. Journal of

Physics: Conference Series, 0(0), 8.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/2309/1/012061/pdf

Department of Education. (n.d.). Evaluation Rating Sheet for Non-Print Materials.

LRMS Portal. Retrieved December 2, 2024, from

https://sites.google.com/deped.gov.ph/lrmsreg10/login-page/lr-evaluation-

tools

Bisht, R. (2024, January 30). What is Purposive Sampling? Methods,

Techniques, and Examples. Researcher.Life. Retrieved December 3,

2024, from https://researcher.life/blog/article/what-is-purposive-sampling-

methods-techniques-and-examples/