Chapter-1.docx

Chapter 1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING Introduction Today’s generation is characterized by the communication media virtually dominating every major human activity – from play to leisure, family relations to schooling, socialization to education. Subsequently, media have become so powerful that they can shape and influence the individual’s attitudes, beliefs, values and lifestyles. No longer should pupils sit passively in the classroom while the teacher lectures. For decades, children’s media use was essentially limited to watching television or listening to music. The communication media landscape for today’s children includes print, radio, television, video games, computers and the on-line technology of e-mail and various Internet applications. Due to the rapid expansiveness of technology and its wide array of uses, the incorporation of technology in learning has become a viable and inexpensive option. Information technology (IT) is rapidly changing and being integrated into many areas of human life (www.raisingchildren.net.au). Children in the 21st Century are considered by many to be the digital generation. They use IT frequently and in a variety of ways, to wit: as a source of information, entertainment and social communication. As IT continues to embed itself within

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homes and schools, how children use and access computers and the internet is of interest to parents, government policy makers and the broader community. In a recent research by Common Sense Media, it was revealed that 97% of teens (12-17) play computer, web, portable, or console games, and 27% of teens (12-17) play games with people they do not know online (Lehart, 2008). In another research, it was found out that in a typical day, children consume just over three hours of media which includes computer use, cell phone use, tablet use, music, and reading. Of these three hours, two thirds is spent with screen media, namely, television, computers, the Internet, among others, while reading is less than 20 minutes per day. Compared to watching television, playing video games starts later, but nearly half of all two to four year olds have played video games. This increases dramatically just a few years later – 81% have played video game console games and 90% use computers. By age eight, 96% of children have watched TV, 90% have used a computer, 81% have played console video games, and 60% have played games or used applications on a portable device such as cellular phone, handheld gaming system, iPod, or tablet (Conrad, n.d.). In

the

Philippines,

the

findings

of

the

2006

McCann-Erickson

Intergenerational Youth Study cited in the Survey on Internet Access and Use by Filipino Schoolchildren (2010) corroborated the increased popularity among the youth of activities relating to virtual connectivity. In addition, the study found that top leisure activities for teens after school remain to be traditional media that is, watching TV and listening to the radio. However, there is an emerging

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prominence of technology-related activities like use of cellular phones and Internet, indicating greater interest and participation in the so-called technocentric life. In addition to the aforementioned data, the 4As Media Factbook (2004) found out that computer ownership among households in Metro Manila was 17 percent and only seven percent in Urban Philippines. In 2004, the International Data Corporation estimated that there were 11.8 million Internet users in the Philippines. As of 2006, there were 408 Internet Service Providers and an estimated

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million

Internet

subscribers

(National

Telecommunications

Commission, 2006). As of March 2011, there are only about one in five adult Filipinos who use the Internet. Nowadays in the teaching-learning process, various media like computer, multimedia, radio, television, and other similar technological tools are used. Among all of them, computer plays tremendous role in teaching–learning process because it provides a dynamic interaction between computer and learners (Capper and Copple, 2005:84-86). A primary application of the interactive multimedia for instruction is in an instructional situation where the learner is given control so that he may review the material at his own pace and in keeping with his own individual interests, needs, and cognitive processes. The progress in multimedia capture, analysis, and delivery, combined with the rapid adoption of broadband communication, has resulted in educational multimedia systems that have advanced traditional forms of

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teaching and learning (Knipping, 2007:1).However, the basic objective of interactive multimedia material is not to replace the teacher. Although there are still questions about the real impact of multimedia materials in education, multimedia tools support and enhance learning. As such, multimedia must be extremely well-designed and sophisticated enough to resemble the best teacher, by combining in its design the various elements of the cognitive processes and the best quality of the technology. One of the teaching-learning aspects whereby multi-media may have the greatest impact is in the pupils’ academic achievement – a measure of the learning outcomes in school. The 2007 results of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an assessment tool used to determine the pupils’ academic achievement. The TIMSS results reiterated earlier findings that pupils who spoke the language of test at home had higher mathematics and science achievement. Achievement was highest among schools where the language of test was 90 percent or more in the students’ home language. This implies that these pupils who spoke the language of test at home have effective learning acquired in English. In Catbalogan City, there is as yet no database as regard the direct impact of multi-media presentations on the academic achievement in English of elementary pupils. It is for this reason that the researchers were motivated to conduct the present research which determined the effect of multi-media presentations on the academic achievement in English of pupils.

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Statement of the Problem This study determined the effects of multi-media presentation on the academic achievement in English of Grade V pupils in Catbalogan V Central Elementary School, during the school year 2014-2015. Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions: 1. What is the profile of the pupil-respondents as regard to their: 1.1 age; 1.2 sex; 1.3 average family monthly income; and 1.4 class section? 2. What are the multi-media presentations used in English classes in Catbalogan V Central Elementary School? 3. What is the academic achievement of the pupil-respondents based on a 30-item diagnostic test in English V in terms of their: 3.1 pre-test mean scores; and 3.2 post-test mean scores? 4. Is there a significant difference between the pre-test mean scores of the experimental and control group in the diagnostic test in English V? 5. Is there a significant difference between the post-test mean scores of the experimental and control group in the diagnostic test in English V? 6. Is there a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the:

6.1 experimental group; and 6.2 control group?

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Hypotheses The following hypotheses were tested in this study: 1. There is no significant difference between the pre-test mean scores of the experimental and control group in the diagnostic test in English V. 2. There is no significant difference between the post-test mean scores of the experimental and control group in the diagnostic test in English V. 3. There is no significant difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the: 3.1 experimental group; and 3.2 control group.

Theoretical Framework This study was primarily based on the ideas espoused by Siemens (2004:15) in his article “Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age”. For Siemens, behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism are the three broad learning theories most often utilized in the creation of instructional environments which were developed in a time when learning was not impacted through technology. Over the last twenty years, however, technology has reorganized how humanity lives, how people communicate, and how people learn. Learning needs and theories that describe learning principles and processes should be reflective of underlying social environments. He emphasized that learning must be a way of being – an ongoing set of attitudes and actions by individuals and

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groups that they employ to try to keep abreast of the surprising, novel, messy, obtrusive, recurring events brought about by technology. Before, learners would complete the required schooling and enter a career that would often last a lifetime and knowledge was measured in decades. Today, knowledge is growing exponentially. As of the present era, the significant trends in learning include (a) many learners will move into a variety of different, possibly unrelated fields over the course of their lifetime; (b) informal learning is a significant aspect of the learning experience, formal education no longer comprises the majority of learning, learning now occurs in a variety of ways – through communities of practice, personal networks, and through completion of work-related tasks; (c) learning is a continual process, lasting for a lifetime; (d) technology is altering (rewiring) people’s brains, the tools people use define and shape their thinking; and (e) many of the processes previously handled by learning theories (especially in cognitive information processing) can now be offloaded to, or supported by, technology. Thus, connectivism presents a model of learning that acknowledges the tectonic shifts in society where learning is no longer an internal, individualistic activity. How people work and function is altered when new tools are utilized. Connectivism provides insight into learning skills and tasks needed for learners to flourish in a digital era. Hence, with the use of multi-media presentations in teaching English among elementary pupils, learning among them adjusts to the digital reality of the times. As a result, their achievement in English is already

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dependent on how the teachers incorporate tools of the digital era in the content of the subject itself. In support of the aforementioned theory, a learning theory proposed by Gagne, as cited by Dowling (2001), strengthened and justified the conduct of this study. According to Gagne, learning occurs in a series of learning events. Each learning event must be accomplished before the next in order for learning to take place. He also proposed that instructional events should mirror the learning events. These include: (a) gaining attention – which stresses that the teacher gives the learners a stimulus before they can start to process any new information; (b) informing learners of objectives – whereby the teacher tells the learner what they will be able to do because of the instruction; (c) stimulating recall of prior learning; (d) presenting the stimulus – whereby the teacher gives emphasis to distinctive features of the instruction; (e) providing learning guidance – wherein which the teacher helps the students in understanding semantic encoding by providing organization and relevance; (f) eliciting performance – which allows the teacher to ask the learners to respond and to demonstrating learning; (g) providing feedback; (h) assessing performance; and (i) enhancing retention and transfer. The main focus for instructional design of the aforementioned theory was how instruction and learning could be systematically connected to the design of instruction. It emphasized the design principles and procedures that need to take place for effective teaching and learning.

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With Gagne’s theory, there was a shift from the idea that learning is a single, uniform process to an alternative view that different learners require different learning strategies. Hence, understanding and designing instruction should be based on the learners’ learning style. Furthermore, instructional designers must understand the characteristics and functions of short term and long-term memory to facilitate meaningful learning. This idea encouraged instructional designers to include cognitive needs from a top-down instructional approach. Using the aforementioned theory, the utilization of multimedia technology enables the learners to manipulate the text or content of a textbook through an electronic device which holds the potential for them to work with the media thereby allowing a more exciting method compared to standard note taking. Multimedia technology has the potential and functionality to hold enjoyment for users compared to that of a standard textbook. Any learning or teaching should be associated with feelings of pleasure and enjoyment instead of boredom or fear (Freeman, 2006:75-85). This study also rested on the Experiential Learning Theory of Kolb (2000). The said theory shifts the focus from the teacher to the pupils by engaging the latter at a more personal level by addressing their needs and wants. The teacher's role, then, is that of a facilitator who immerses participants totally in the learning situation, allowing them to gain new knowledge from their peers and the environment created and stimulates the imagination, keeping participants

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hooked on the experience. On the part of the pupils, experiential learning requires qualities such as self-initiative and self-evaluation. It is vital that the learners are encouraged to be directly involved in the experience, in order that they gain a better understanding of the new knowledge and retain the information for a longer time (Itin, 2009). The use of multi-media technology is, in a sense, creating an experiential learning situation to both teachers and pupils since said technology allows the learners to manipulate the text or content of a textbook through an electronic device. The teachers, as the facilitators of learning, have to possess not only the academic skills needed to provide learning to their pupils but also the vast experience of the realities of learning using multi-media presentations. This vast experience will, in turn, allow both teachers and pupils localize learning for better understanding of pupils.

Conceptual Framework Figure 1 presents the conceptual framework of the study. It illustrates the process whereby this research was conducted, including the research environment, respondents involved, variates studied and the objective of this study.

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Improved Academic Achievement in English of Pupils

Findings/Recommendations

Pre-Test Mean Scores

Teaching English using Multi-Media Presentations

Post-Test Mean Scores F E E D B A C K

F E E D B A C K

Pre-Test Mean Scores

Teaching English using Traditional Method

PUPILS Catbalogan V Central Elementary School

Figure 1. The Conceptual Framework of the Study

Post-Test Mean Scores

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At the base of the schema are the respondents of the study – the Grade V pupils of Catbalogan V Central Elementary School, Catbalogan City, which served as the research environment of this study. The base frame is connected to the bigger frame by a single-directional arrow. The bigger frame contains the research process which described that the study was quasi-experimental in nature. As it is shown, the study determined the effect of multi-media presentations to the academic achievement in English of Grade V pupils, as shown at the upper and lower left and right parts of the bigger frame, respectively. The results of this study would serve as bases for much needed curricular redirection in terms of improving the pupils’ academic achievement in English through using multi-media presentations in teaching said subject, as seen in the third and uppermost frames of Figure 1.

Significance of the Study Among those who would benefit from this study are the grade V pupils, English teachers, school administrators and future researchers. Pupils. The results of this study would prove beneficial to the pupils in terms of gaining in-depth understanding of the different tools which are multidimensional which could be used in the teaching and learning English. In addition, they would be able to realize the full potential of technological tools which are now accessible such as laptop computers, netbooks, iPads, and other

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mobile phones with educational applications. More importantly, this study would help the pupils improve their academic achievement in English through the utilization of multi-media presentations in teaching the content in the said subject. Teachers. The use of multi-media presentations in teaching English in classrooms would optimize the roles of teachers as facilitators of learning. Using multi-media presentations, teachers would not be exerting all efforts in transmitting lessons in English to their pupils. Also, the results of this study would offer alternative techniques/strategies in teaching the subject matter in English among pupils making learning more enjoyable and realistic. Consequently, the teachers would be spending lesser time on lecture-discussion method. School Administrators. The findings of this study could provide information to school administrators relative to the benefits of educational technology tools which could be incorporated into the teaching and learning of English among Grade VI pupils. With the said information, they would be encouraged to send their faculty to trainings on the use of educational technology tools such as multi-media presentations in improving pupils’ learning outcomes in English. On a long-term and larger scale, the use of multimedia presentations could mean optimizing pupils’ learning despite shortage of school buildings and classroom, textbooks and other reference materials, and qualified and competent teachers. Thus, this study would provide school

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administrators a venue to lobby for the implementation of full use of multimedia presentations in teaching English. Future Researchers. The results of this study would inspire future researchers to validate the results of this study in terms of validating the effects of multi-media presentations on the academic achievement of pupils in other learning areas. Scope and Delimitation Using the quasi-experimental method of research, this study determined the effect of multi-media presentations on the academic achievement in English of Grade V pupils in Catbalogan V Central Elementary School, during the school year 2013-2014. This involved 60 Grade V pupils as respondents who were selected through stratified random sampling. This further used a diagnostic test in English VI and a questionnaire to gather the needed data of this study. Descriptive as well as inferential statistical tools were used in order to compute, analyze and interpret the data. These included frequency count, percentage, mean, weighted mean, standard deviation, t-test for independent samples and One-Way Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA).

Definition of Terms For better understanding of this study, the following terms are defined. These terms are defined both conceptually and operationally so as to give their meanings in the manner they were used in this study.

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Academic achievement. It is conceptually defined as the outcome of education — the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals – which is commonly measured by examinations or continuous assessment (Ward, Stoker and Murray-Ward, 2006:2-5). This term was used in this study as it was defined in the foregoing statement, except that it referred specifically to the pupil-respondents’ achievement based on their scores in the Diagnostic Test in English V. Control group. It is conceptually defined as a group of subjects closely resembling the treatment group in many demographic variables but not receiving the active factor under study and thereby serving as a comparison group when the treatment results are evaluated (Collins English Dictionary, 2009). In this study, the term referred to the same context as in the foregoing statement, except that it specifically referred to the group of Grade V pupils who were subjected to the traditional instruction or the lecture/discussion method in teaching English. Experimental group. This term refers to a group that receives the treatment (or method) of special interest in the study; this group is exposed to the conditions of the experiment or to the independent variable being tested and the changes observed and recorded (Sanchez, 1997). In this study, the term referred to the same context as in the foregoing statement, except that it specifically referred to the group of Grade V pupils who were subjected to multimedia presentations in teaching English.

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Multi-media presentations. The term multi-media presentations pertain to content that uses a combination of different content forms, include a combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video, or interactivity content forms; usually recorded and played, displayed, or accessed by information content processing devices, such as computerized and electronic devices, but can also be part of a live performance (Vaughan, 2003:3). The term multi-media presentations were used in the manner by which it was defined in the foregoing statement. Post-test. It is the test given after a lesson or a period of instruction to determine what the pupils have learned; it aims to evaluate the pupils’ achievements through the total application of skills and knowledge that have been sequenced for the module (The American Heritage Dictionary, 2009). In this study, the term referred to the same context as defined above, except that it specifically referred to the diagnostic test in English V given to the pupilrespondents to evaluate their academic achievement in English. Pre-test. It is conceptually defined as a preliminary test administered to determine the pupil’s baseline knowledge or preparedness for an educational experience or course of study (The American Heritage Dictionary, 2007). It was operationally defined in the same context, except that it referred to the diagnostic test in English V which was administered to the pupil-respondents to evaluate their academic achievement in English.

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