FACTOR/S AFFECTING THE SUBMISSION OF PRINTED MODULES OF GRADE 9 STUDENTS

Chapter 1

The Problem and Its Scope

Introduction

Rationale of the Study

The sudden outbreak of the highly contagious COVID 19 immensely brought drastic changes and

modifications to the Philippine Educational System. DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones laid down

the direction for basic education in the coming school year through Basic Education Learning Continuity

Plan (BE-LCP) which provides guidance to the department on how to deliver education in this time of

crisis. The learning delivery modalities that schools can adopt may be one or a combination of face-to-

face and distance learning) depending on the COVID-19 restrictions and the particular context of the

learners in the school or locality.

In Tudela District one of the major towns of Camotes Island which has 2 public and 1 private

schools offering secondary education, distance learning was used. Thus, every school in the area was

given the discretion to conduct survey to identify what particular modality under distance learning is

preferred by both the learners and parents. They were presented with modular distance learning (digital

or printed), online distance learning and blended learning.

Majority of the learners and parents chose the modular distance learning specifically printed

modular learning delivery modality. The shift of the teaching-learning delivery in schools to modular

distance learning made more challenging, on the part of the school personnel, the delivery of basic

quality education. That is why DepEd leaders are always finding avenues to solve the problems and

capacitating its teachers and school heads to become more effective in the field of modular distance

learning (Bagood, 2020).

 Bagood (2020) also added that identified teaching personnel together with the Education

Program Supervisors prepared modules starting in May 2020 in all subjects for all grade/year level

across four quarters in accordance to the “Most Essential Learning Competencies”. These self-learning

modules are already considered learning packages containing pre-test, discussion, and a series of

evaluation/assessment. They are distributed to all learners with the modular learning class schedule.

Indeed, this kind of instructional modality has been followed by public school teachers all over the

Philippines. After preparing the modules, the teachers are tasked to distribute them to the students. To

avoid the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the schools implemented a system of delivery and retrieval.

Collecting the modules is associated with students’ responsibility in complying with all the

requirements specified in their activities. While some students have been actively submitting their

printed modules on time, some students on the other hand, had a hard time completing and submitting

theirs. The failure of students to follow the set schedule for the submission of modules affects the

teacher’s schedule in checking the modules as it consumes time in checking all the outputs of the

students. Teachers find it hard whenever there are students who do not submit any answered module in

a specific quarter. This poses a challenge on teachers’ responsibility in monitoring the student’s

performance.

Theoretical Background

Social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986), a psychological theory of human learning and

development and social learning theory, provided the theoretical foundations for this study.

Social cognitive theory explains that student learning occurs through an interaction of behavior,

cognitive factors, and the environment. Bandura (1986) believed that as students learn they self-direct

or self-regulate their environment depending on their perception of their capability to deal with current

realities or self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the “belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the
courses of action required, producing given attainments” (Bandura, 1997, p. 3). Students who self-

regulate should be able to monitor or keep track of their own behaviors, evaluate their actions for

effectiveness, and respond to their behavior by modifying, rewarding, or discounting it. In educational

environments, students have the ability to choose and direct their own actions. The ability to self-direct

or self-regulate learning depends on motivation set by a student’s internal standards and self-evaluative

reactions to actions (Bandura, 1986). Social cognitive theory explains that students continuously monitor

their learning process and if they require additional instruction on a skill they will seek out a qualified

teacher or alter and adjust their learning environment to enhance their learning.

Social learning theory is increasingly cited as an essential component of sustainable natural

resource management and the promotion of desirable behavioral change. (Muro & Jeffrey 2008). This

theory is based on the idea that we learn from our interactions with others in a social context.

Separately, by observing the behaviors of others, people develop similar behaviors. After observing the

behavior of others, people assimilate and imitate that behavior, especially if their observational

experiences are positive ones or include rewards related to the observed behavior. According to

Bandura, imitation involves the actual reproduction of observed motor activities. (Bandura 1977).

SLT has become perhaps the most influential theory of learning and development. It is rooted in

many of the basic concepts of traditional learning theory. This theory has often been called a bridge

between behaviorist learning theories and cognitive learning theories because it encompasses attention,

memory, and motivation. (Muro & Jeffrey 2008). However, on this regards, Bandura believes that direct

reinforcement could not account for all types of learning. For that reason, in his theory he added a social

element, arguing that people can learn new information and behaviors by watching other people.

Statement of the Research Problem

 This study aims to determine and identify the major factor/s affecting the submission of printed

modules of grade 9 students.

Specifically, this study seeks to identify which of the following:

1. Learner’s home environment

 Parents/ Guardian providing modular assistance

 Frequency of parent/guardian’s assistance

 Assigned home task/house chores or other home-related responsibilities

2. Learner’s peer influence

 Group of people the learner spend most his/her time

 Activities/ hobbies they spend most of their time into

 Frequency of peer interaction

3. Learner’s school environment

 Subject area

 Frequency of learner and teacher’s communication

4. Learner’s learning resources

 Mobile phones

 Laptop

 Relevant Books

 Internet Connection

5. Based on the findings, what recommendations and solutions can be made?

 Chapter 2

Review of Related Readings

This chapter presents articles and researches relevant to the study specifically aimed to provide

more information about the main framework to which this study is anchored.

Late assignments submissions are sometimes generalized as procrastination. Procrastination can

be defined as the intentional delay of a task (Nordby, Klingsieck, & Svartdal, 2017). The delay can come

at any point of the action, whether it is at the beginning of the task or at its completion. Several studies

show a correlation between student procrastination and academic performance (Nordby et al., 2017).

Procrastination can lead to missed classes, assignments, and result in lower grades. Additionally, the

quality and accuracy of work can be reduced due to the pressure associated with completing an

assignment on a crunched timeline (Kim & Seo, 2015). In addition, procrastination tendencies are linked

to poor goal achievement and lower achievements (Akran, et al., 2019).

“Research over the past four decades has amply demonstrated that individual factors

significantly contribute to the procrastination problem” (Nordby et al., 2017, p. 493). These factors may

be home, school and peers oriented. Mangle (2007) studied learning from multi-dimensioned

perspective and found students’ aptitude, interest, home environment, peer’s interactions and nature of

learning materials has significant influences on students learning.

Home Environment

There are certain influential factors which influence home environment. It includes nature of

family, authority (head of family), educational status of parents, attitude of parents towards children

and financial position of the family; all these factors are significant for home environment (Codjoe, 2007;

Mukama, 2010; Muola, 2010).

 Since education is no longer held within the school, parents serve as partners of teachers in

education. Parents play a vital role as home facilitators. Their primary role in modular learning is to

establish a connection and guide the child. (FlipScience, 2020). The modular approach situates Filipino

students to learn in the comfort of their homes. Limited contact with teachers will place parents or

guardians as the learners’ model or the “More Knowledgeable Other” (MKO). Psychologist Lev Vygotsky

defines an MKO as “someone who has a better understanding or higher ability level than the learner,

concerning a particular task, process, or concept.” Vygotsky proposed that human learning is a social

process. A learner may or may not learn alone, but will learn better with an MKO. According to the

Department of Education (DepEd), parents and guardians' perform the various roles in Modular Learning

such as Module-ator, Bundy-clock, and as Home Innovator. As a Module-ator, they are the ones to get

and submit the printed Self-Learning Modules (SLMs) from and to schools or barangay halls at the

beginning and end of the week, depending on the agreement between the parents and the school. As a

Bundy-clock, they must check their child's schedule or workweek plan. Because of the number of

subjects or activities to be done, they must see that it is being followed accordingly to avoid cramming

or delays in submission, which may affect the child's performance. Lastly, as a Home Innovator, they

must provide their child with a productive learning environment to help them focus more on Learning. It

must be a well-lighted and well-ventilated space in the house, with little or no distraction.

Parents and guardians will face various challenges in fulfilling their roles as MKOs. The first

challenge lies in the fact that parents and guardians have varying skills, knowledge, and qualifications.

(FlipScience, 2020). Researchers generally agree that a constellation of familial factors exert significant

influence on the educational aspirations and academic achievements of children (e.g. Garg, Kauppi,

Lewko,&Urjnik, 2002; Garg, Melanson& Levin, 2007; Sanchez, Reyes, & Singh, 2006; Teachman,

&Paasch, 1998). Considerable research evidence suggests that parent‟s behaviors with their children-
stimulation;consistency, moderation, and responsiveness influence the children‟s cognitive and social

development (Clarke-Stewart 1983.)

Peer Influence

Peer group play a large role in the social, emotional and academic development of students. Allen

in Steinberg (2005) maintains that peer group influence begins at an early age and increases through the

teenage years. Thus, understanding the prospects and challenges of peer group is crucial for the

productivity of educational processes and the organizational design of school systems in order to

improve student’s academic performance. There should be an interrelated relationship between peer

group and academic performance. It was believed that student’s academic performance correlates with

the group he or she belongs. Peer Influence can be either positive or negative. If a student is influenced

negatively by peer, it affects his or her academic performance. Nevertheless, stronger student do have

an impact on their peers and actually help improve their overall academic performance. Conversely,

positive peer influence on academic performance depends on person’s self-identity, self-esteem and

self-reliance. Peer influence can as well inspire student’s academic vigor and motivation for achievement

(Lashbrook, 2000).

Learner’s Teacher and Subject Matter

The teacher takes the responsibility of monitoring the progress of the learners. The learners

may ask assistance from the teacher via e-mail, telephone, text message/instant messaging among

others. Where possible, the teacher shall do home visits to learners needing remediation or assistance

(Llego, n.d.). When the work is marked conscientiously by the teacher, and is given relevant feedback,

the students will find meaning with what they do because they know that their effort is not wasted.
 Garg and Parakh (2005) rightly observed that the role of a teacher in distance education

system is considerably different from that of a teacher in the conventional system. A clear perception of

this difference is very essential to understand the range of functions performed by teachers in distance

education system.

Good and effective communication can help well trained teacher to develop good relation with

students (Richmond, 1990). Thus, there is more positive relation between teachers and students

(Baruch, Hershkovitz & P. Ang, 2015). Unavailability of teachers and poor communication by teachers

are the major factors that have led students to abandon their study at a certain level (Dinu, 2015). Davis

(2001) proved that the self-confidence and self-ability of students helps to build their relationship with

their teachers by nonverbal communication. Khan, et al. (2017) stated that the success of students is

directly related to the effective communication of the teacher. Liberante (2012) opined that students

and teacher relation have unlimited effect on learning, and it is very necessary for teachers to

understand their students.

Learner’s Learning Resources

Utilization of gadgets in learning at school plays an important role as a source of learning and

support the process of learning to be comfortable, so that the creation of learning process that is

effective and efficient to improve student learning outcomes. There are various educational benefits of

mobile phone technologies that are most often cited as; easily accessing content, integrating a broad

range of educational activities, supporting independent study and student organization, encouraging

student enthusiasm, supporting classroom-based collaboration and interaction as well as supporting

inquiry- based instruction and learning (Roschelle, 2003). More sophisticated mobile phones, also

known as smartphones, can be used to assist students in accessing information from the web,
transforming it, transferring it, collaborating with students and also creating a more media-rich

approach to instruction (Ferry, 2009).

Recent advances in ICT have significantly increased the possibilities of mobile phones being used as

instructional tools, because of their increasing processing power, memory and connectivity which have

made these technologies drastically more interactive (Pea & Maldonado, 2006). Additionally, Vavolua

(2005) suggests that these technologies can be used in science during field trips, where students gather

scientific data for future analysis in the laboratory.

Technology has played a vital role in educational innovations, providing both teachers and

students with more options and flexibility in their teaching and learning practice. With the internet and

computer technology availability, technology becomes increasingly indispensable in the field of

communication education (Keane, 2012).

The edited book by Oxford and Oxford (2009) describes empirical studies art tools, offering

pedagogical ideas, effective strategies and useful suggestion on how these technologies could be applied

to enhance language teaching and learning also. Educational technology usage in practice teaching can

make instruction to be much more interesting and enjoyable. The changing images and use of special

effects among others can reduce boredom on the part of learners. Further, classroom interaction can be

interactive. Technology can promote student-interaction, student teacher interaction and teacher-

student interaction if pre- instructional planning incorporates interaction (Wainer, 2009).

Mayer, Griffith, Jurkowitz, and Rothman, 2008 according to them technology devices may affect

the learning performance of the students in negative result if they failed to use properly those devices in

a right way.
 Chapter 3

Research Methodology

This study includes research methods employed in the study. It discusses the data gathering processing

and analyzes tools utilized.

Research Method

This study utilizes the survey design in determining and identifying the major factors/s affecting

the submission of printed modules of grade 9 students and descriptive design in identifying the different

solutions to these factors.

Research Participants/ Respondents

Research participants are grade 9 students from the Immaculate Conception Institute of Tudela

Inc. A total of 30 participants- fifteen (15) male, and Fifteen (15) female, were chosen as key informants

through purposive and quota sampling. The age bracket of the student-participants ranges from 14-16,

heterogeneous, living in different barangay.

Research Environment

The researcher conducted the study in the Immaculate Conception Institute of Tudela Inc. , a

private school located in Southerm Poblacion, Tudela, Cebu. The Immaculate Conception Institute of

Tudela Inc. is managed by the DST sisters. It has a total of 13 teaching, 3 non-teaching staff and 1 school

head. As of the school year 2020-2021, it has a total enrollment of 213.

Research Instrument

The instrument that will be used in this study is a modified survey questionnaire.

Research Procedures

Permissions from proper authorities, DST school management, principal and consents from the

participants will be sought to conduct the research.

Gathering of Data

Due to physical limitations, the researcher utilizes the use emails, google forms, and social media in

the distribution of questionnaires and retrieval of data. The questions used in the questionnaire are

localized.

Treatment of Data

The data pertaining to the research will be gathered, tabulated, analyzed and interpreted. Frequency,

mean and simple percentage will be used to determine and identify which among the factors has a

major contribution of delayed submission of modules of grade 9 students.

 Survey Questionnaire

To the selected grade 9 students:

Kindly answer the questionnaire below by checking the appropriate answer to the question. The

purpose of this survey is to evaluate your views and opinions on the Factor/S Affecting the Submission

of Printed Modules of Grade 9 Students.

Thank you in advance for your active participation in this study. Rest assured that your

perceptions will be handled with utmost confidentiality.

CHRISTENE O. BAGASLAO

Name: (optional) ____________________________ Gender: ________________ Age: ________

Learner’s Home Environment

Questions Always Sometimes Never

1. How often do your parents stay at home?
2. How often do you converse with each other?
3. How often do you ask for your parents’ assistance in
answering your modules?
4. How often do they assist in answering modules?
5. Do your parent/ guardians’ assistance affect your manner
of answering modules?

Questions Always Sometimes Never

1. How often do you participate in household chores?
2. How often are you given difficult responsibilities at home?
3. How often do you do household chores alone?
4. How often are you given help (from your siblings or other
 household members)?
5. Do these household chores affect your manner of
answering modules?

Learner’s Peer Influence

Questions Always Sometimes Never

1. How often do you hang out with your peers?
2. How often do you have group studies?
3. How often are you given help (from your peers) in

answering modules?
4. How often do you find their assistance helpful in
answering modules?
5. Do your peers affect your manner of answering modules?

Learner’s Teacher and Subject Factor

Questions Always Sometimes Never

1. How often do you find a particular subject difficult?
2. How often do you approach your teacher regarding the
matter mentioned on the previous question?
3. How often do they respond to your concerns?
4. How often are you given help (from teachers) in answering
modules?
5. How often do you find their assistance helpful in
answering modules?
6. Does your communication with your teacher and the
difficulty of your subjects affect your manner of answering
modules?

Learner’s Learning Resources

Questions Always Sometimes Never

1. How often do you use your gadgets for educational
purposes?
2. How often does it help you with your studies?
3. How often are those gadgets accessible?
4. How often do you encounter problems in using those
gadgets?
5. Does your learning resources affect your manner of
answering modules?