Challenges Faces by Elementary Teachers in Assessing Pupil’s Academic Performance

in English at Bactas Elementary School Amidst Pandemic, S.Y. 2020-2021

CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM

INTRODUCTION

Assessment of student’s academic performance is one of the key aspects of the

teaching and learning process. It provides both the teacher and the pupils the knowledge of

how they do well in class. In the teacher’s end, it is used to determine whether the students

have understand the lesson which is in line with the learning outcomes and if the assessment

strategy they are using is effective or not. It is critical to the teachers to assess their students

so as to get feedback of how they will be able to meet the course objectives and for the future

references for curriculum planning. This covers how the teachers assess student progress both

formative and summative assessment. According to Narad and Abdulla (2016) academic

performance is the knowledge gained which is assessed by marks by a teacher and/or

educational goals set by students and teachers to be achieved over a specific period of time. It

measures the student’s knowledge and skills executed in the lessons taught. One of the

academic performances of the students that need to be assessed is the English subject. English

in the K-12 program is one of the most important subjects to be taught in the curriculum. It

deals with language, vocabulary, comprehension, grammar and etc. It is used for learning,

socialising, entertainment and for work as well. It is also the most widely used medium of

communication around the world.

 Due to the recent pandemic, different public or private sectors are forced to adjust to

the sudden situation and follow the safety protocols. Public elementary schools are not an

exception; hence the Philippine education system is now adapting the new mode of learning.

Distance Learning refers to a learning delivery modality, where learning takes place between

the teacher and the learners who are geographically remote from each other during

instruction. This modality has three types: Modular Distance Learning (MDL), Online

Distance Learning (ODL), and TV/Radio-Based Instruction (Quinones, 2020). According to

the Department of Education (DepEd), from their survey conducted, modular learning has the

highest percentage of approach for the school year 2020-20201 from the parents’ perspective.

It is followed by the online learning, then the combination of face-to face with other

modalities, television, and then other modalities and lastly radio-based. For this reason,

public schools adapt the modular learning approach. In the Bactas Elementary School,

modular learning is very preferable since it is located in a rural and remote area. As what

Secretary Leonor Briones said, “Education in the new normal is not only online”, because of

these alternatives, the educational system can now deliver the lesson without compromising

the health of both the teacher and the student. Families who also suffered in their financial

status, no internet connection or signal and pupils who lived very far away from the school

will benefit from this mode of learning.

This pandemic has brought about changes to the education system that impact

teachers in multiple ways. With all these shifts in the education system, there will be

significant changes to the teacher’s working conditions. We can take for example the ever-

changing schooling formats, confusion about the whole ordeal, lack of training, new

protocols for health and safety, as well as significant learning loss and the social and

emotional needs of the students. It is important to have this research in identifying the

challenges teachers face and highlighting the effective practices they have developed in this
environment. With this, it will enable the researchers and the readers to propagate strategies

and to answer whether the educational goals and the learning objectives are being met with

what the respondents are using right now. It is also important to note that this mode of

teaching and learning is new for the teachers and so there is not enough research or study in

this sector.

Assessment is a critical piece in the teaching-learning process. Since this is a newly

implemented mode of learning, there are bound to be adjustments and hardships that the

teaching workforce will face. The key purpose of this research is to identify the challenges

encountered by the elementary teachers at Bactas Elementary School in the assessment of

pupils in the new mode of learning and how these challenges will be addressed and

overcome.

Theoretical Background

This study is based on Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. Vygotsky’s

Constructivist theory views human development as a socially mediated process in which

children acquire their cultural values, beliefs and problem-solving strategies through

collaborative dialogues with more knowledgeable members of society. Vygotsky’s theories

stress the fundamental role of social interaction in the development of cognition (Vygotsky,

1978), as the society plays an important role in the child’s process of “making meaning”.

According to Vygotsky, language and culture play essential roles both in human intellectual

development and in how humans perceive the world. Language and culture are the

frameworks through which humans experience, communicate, and understand reality,

Vygotsky states (1968, 39). This theory is useful in teaching English in today’s mode of

learning in the midst of pandemic, since the teachers, parents, academic approach and

assessment are the one who will play an important role in the child’s studies.
 Furthermore, Vygotsky’s theory assumes cognitive development varies across

cultures and has put great emphasis on social factors. In his theory language also have a huge

impact on the child hence it is very applicable in teaching English. Adults especially the

parents play a significant part in the pupil’s education. Since the pupils answer their modules

at home, parental support and interaction is a must.

According to the theory of social constructivism, social worlds develop out of

individuals’ interactions with their culture and society. Knowledge evolves through the

process of social negotiation and evaluation of the viability of individual understanding.

Basically, every conversation or encounter between two or more people presents an

opportunity for new knowledge to be obtained, or present knowledge expanded. The

exchange of ideas that goes along with human contact is at play here (Lynch, 2016). In order

to apply social constructivism theories in the education arena, teachers must ask pupils

answers, without regard to whether they are right or wrong, to make sure that the pupil has a

good grasp of the concept. Teachers must also ask the pupils to explain the answers they give

and not allow pupils to use words or equations without explanations. They should also

encourage pupils to reflect on their answers.

Constructivist theories of learning describe learning as a process whereby the learners

takes in new ideas, and inserts it into existing schema. The teacher makes sure he/she

understands the pupils conception and guides the activity to address them and then build on

them (Oliver, 2000). Teachers must be well versed in how they prepare and assess their

students. Since the teaching approach is student-centred, the teacher should focus on the

process of teaching and learning and the outcomes that are being produced. According to

Hoic-Bozic (2009), "The constructivist school recognizes the learning as an active process of

constructing meaning. Pupils do not memorize what was said by the teacher. Instead they

construct their own versions of the learning matter". In the creation of modules and learning
materials, the teacher must keep in mind to make activities that will give the students the

opportunity to express their understanding and knowledge about the topic. As a primary goal

sn constructing the knowledge and apply the learning in an immediate and meaningful way in

the real-world. Helland (2004) expands on the idea of social constructivism by stating,

"Individuals make meaning in dialogues and activities about shared problems or tasks".

Pupils are able to comprehend and understand the situation along with their peers at home or

in school, and other experts in the academic community to solve problems. Learning in

community should be created, and then guided through the process of collaboration so that

learning is constructed by the group, rather than just the individual.

The pandemic has brought new challenges to educators throughout the world.

Teachers must adapt intelligently, with sense of sensitivity to the modular format.. Educators

must examine their purposes, establish priorities, and decide what truly most important

(DeWitt, 2020) is. Teachers must also do their best to ensure that all pupils will learn well

and achieve important academic goals despite of this pandemic. Educators must be more

adapting, understanding, and open to learning and work harder than before.
 Constructivist Theory

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

1. Profile of Researcher’s Process: 1. Challenges of

respondents in the
1. Researcher’s
terms: respondents
made
1.1 Age and in assessing
questionnair
1.2 Gender pupil’s
e
1.3 Teaching academic
2. Data Analysis
Experience performance
3. Interpretatio
in English
n
2. Recommenda
4. Statistical
tions
computation

Figure 1. Schematic Presentation of the Theoretical Background of the Study