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CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The COVID-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption of education

systems in human history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 200
countries. Closures of schools, institutions and other learning spaces have impacted
more than 94% of the world’s student population. This has brought far-reaching
changes in all aspects of our lives. Social distancing and restrictive movement policies
have significantly disturbed traditional educational practices. Reopening of schools
after relaxation of restriction is another challenge with many new standard operating
procedures put in place.

Within a short span of the COVID-19 pandemic, many researchers have

shared their works on teaching and learning in different ways. Several schools,
colleges and universities have discontinued face-to-face teachings. There is a fear of
losing 2020 academic year or even more in the coming future. The need of the hour is
to innovate and implement alternative educational system and assessment strategies.
The COVID-19 pandemic has provided us with an opportunity to pave the way for
introducing digital learning. This article aims to provide a comprehensive report on
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on online teaching and learning of various
papers and indicate the way forward.

The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has spread worldwide,

affecting almost all countries and territories. The outbreak was first identified in
December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The countries around the world cautioned the
public to take responsive care. The public care strategies have included handwashing,
wearing face masks, physical distancing, and avoiding mass gathering and assemblies.
Lockdown and staying home strategies have been put in place as the needed action to
flatten the curve and control the transmission of the disease (Sintema, 2020).
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Bhutan first declared closing of schools and institutions and reduction of

business hours during the second week of March 2020 (Kuensel, 2020, 6 March). The
complete nationwide lockdown was implemented from 1 August 2020 (Palden, 2020).
In between, movements were allowed, offices began functioning, schools and college
reopened for selected levels and continued with online class for others. More than
170,000 children in Bhutan from classes PP–XII are, today, affected by the school
closure. The impact is far reaching and has affected learning during this academic
year or even more in the coming days. Several schools, colleges and universities have
discontinued face-to-face teaching. There is a pressing need to innovate and
implement alternative educational and assessment strategies. The COVID-19
pandemic has provided us with an opportunity to pave the way for introducing digital
learning (Dhawan, 2020).

Research highlights certain dearth such as the weakness of online teaching

infrastructure, the limited exposure of teachers to online teaching, the information
gap, non-conducive environment for learning at home, equity and academic
excellence in terms of higher education. This article evaluates the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning process across the world. The
challenges and opportunities of online and continuing education during the COVID-
19 pandemic is summarized and way forward suggested.

Lockdown and social distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic

have led to closures of schools, training institutes and higher education facilities in
most countries. There is a paradigm shift in the way educators deliver quality
education—through various online platforms. The online learning, distance and
continuing education have become a panacea for this unprecedented global pandemic,
despite the challenges posed to both educators and the learners. Transitioning from
traditional face-to-face learning to online learning can be an entirely different
experience for the learners and the educators, which they must adapt to with little or
no other alternatives available. The education system and the educators have adopted
“Education in Emergency” through various online platforms and are compelled to
adopt a system that they are not prepared for.

E-learning tools have played a crucial role during this pandemic, helping
schools and universities facilitate student learning during the closure of universities
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and schools (Subedi et al., 2020). While adapting to the new changes, staff and
student readiness needs to be gauged and supported accordingly. The learners with a
fixed mindset find it difficult to adapt and adjust, whereas the learners with a growth
mindset quickly adapt to a new learning environment. There is no one-size-fits-all
pedagogy for online learning. There are a variety of subjects with varying needs.
Different subjects and age groups require different approaches to online learning
(Doucet et al., 2020).

As schools have been closed to cope with the global pandemic, students,
parents and educators around the globe have felt the unexpected ripple effect of the
COVID-19 pandemic. While governments, frontline workers and health officials are
doing their best slowing down the outbreak, education systems are trying to continue
imparting quality education for all during these difficult times.

The use of suitable and relevant pedagogy for online education may depend on
the expertise and exposure to information and communications technology (ICT) for
both educators and the learners. Some of the online platforms used so far include
unified communication and collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Google
Classroom, Canvas and Blackboard, which allow the teachers to create educational
courses, training and skill development programmes (Petrie, 2020). They include
options of workplace chat, video meeting and file storage that keep classes organized
and easy to work. They usually support the sharing of a variety of content like Word,
PDF, Excel file, audio, videos and many more. These also allow the tracking of
student learning and assessment by using quizzes and the rubric-based assessment of
submitted assignments.

RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Related Literature

Filipino culture places a high cost on education. For the majority of the Filipinos,
the only best thing for a child to acquire and secure a better future is through
education however everything undergoes in an unexpected change.

At the University of the Philippines-Open University (UPOU) the time period

‘Open and distance e-learning’ (0Del) has been coined to refer to the new mode of
learning or Web-based distance education. More specifically,0Del refers to ‘forms of
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training provision that use contemporary applied sciences to allow different mixtures
of synchronous and asynchronous verbal exchange amongst inexperienced persons
and educators who are physically separated from one another for part or all of the
educational experience’ (Alfonso,2012,n.p.).

The Manila Times ask students from one of a kind universities on how they cope
up with the new mode of learning, according to Jana a UST senior high school
graduating student, ’For our strand, which is Humanities and Social Sciences
(HUMMS),I would say it’s a lot easier to cope, since we don’t have laboratory
subjects and other practical subjects, so most of our tasks and lectures are more on
feadings, so that is more practical online learning, ’Jana said, ‘whereas in other
strands (science, technology, engineering and mathematics or STEM, and Health
allied), they have laboratory subjects and also, for Arts and Design, I think they had a
hard time with their supplies, and the same goes with the Physical Education strand,
as they need training.’

‘Learning the basics in science, technology, engineering and mathematics or

STEM is considered essential in that it acts as the pillars for processing more complex
concepts in later years of education;, says Dr. JoselleBiyo, Director of DOST-SEI.

DOST-SIE is developing supplementary education services that will enable

students and teachers to enrich their STEM learning and to ensure that the learning of
students is not hindered by the current national health salvation.

Online studying can be exact as or even higher than in-person school room
learning. Research has shown that college students in online studying performed
higher than those receiving face-to-face instruction, but it has to be performed right.
The high-quality online learning combines elements where students go at their own
pace, on their personal time, and are set-up to think deeply and critically about topics
blended with factors were students go on line at the same time, interacting with
different students, their teacher, and content, and getting feedback (Dr.
Greenhow,20180).

Related Studies

One of the basic problems seen by Karsekar (2020) is the conduct of classes. As
the face to face classes pose higher risk of ,the most viable solution is through online
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teaching and learning. This platform challenges both teachers and the students as it
occurs something new to them.

The platform challenges both the teachers and the students as it occurs
something new to them. This calls for an ‘adopt quikly’ response to the new normal in
teaching and learning amidst the pandemic (Tanhueco-Tumapon, 2020).

The shift to online learning was to sudden at a very short notice but academic
institutions have to strategize and accelerate new forms of teaching pedagogy. The
question of how ready the schools are in terms of how ready the schools are in terms
of technical infrastructure is still left unanswered. Reopening of the schools at this
stage is really expensive (Felter & Maizland, 2020).

Online learning also allows physically challenged students with more freedom
to participate in learning in the virtual environment, requiring limited movement
(Basilaia & Kvavadze, 2020).

Many students at home/living space have undergone psychological and

emotional distress and have been unable to engage productively. The best practices
for online homeschooling are yet to be explored (Petrie, 2020).

Broadly identified challenges with e-learning are accessibility, affordability,

flexibility, learning pedagogy, life-long learning and educational policy (Murgatrotd,
2020)

The level of academic performance of the students is likely to drop for the
classes held for both year-end examination and internal examination due to reduced
contact hour for learners and lack of consultation with teachers when facing
difficulties in learning/understanding (Sintema, 2020).

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study attempts to determine the Students' Academic Performance in

Mathematics under the New Normal Set-up. Specifically the researchers sought to
find answer for the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of :

1.1 Age;
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1.2 Sex/Gender;

2. What are the factors affecting students’ Performance In Mathematics

under the New Normal Set-up?

3. How does the New Normal Set-up affects the Academic Performance of
the Students in Mathematics?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study assessed the Students’ Academic Performance in Mathematics

under the New Normal Set-up. The result of the study will benefit the following:

To the administrators. The result of this study could serve as a baseline data
to improve programs for school advancement involving student’s skill on problem
solving.

To the teachers. This study will serve as a baseline data to improve and
innovate instructional materials and teaching strategies involving student’s
improvement on problem solving.

To the parents. This study will increased parent involvement in the

education of their children considering school performance in mathematics problem
solving.

To the students. This study will help students to develop their interest and
improve their problem solving skills and also to appreciate the importance of
Mathematics in real life.

This study aims to determine the

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

For the purposes of this study, a sample of convenience was used to select the
sample of participants. Therefore, the sampling method chosen and the small sample
size restricted the results from being generalized to a larger group of students.
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The research questions and instruments ignore various other influencing

factors that may impact math problem skills and achievement. They do not take into
account parental influences, socioeconomic factors, ethnic/racial considerations, and
previous experiences with mathematics in high school. Ignoring such factors can
prove to limit the scope of the results and create gaps in the research. Because
students are aware of the low stakes nature of the test, some may not take the time to
answer the questions or may not care about the results. Thus, these achievement
marks may not have been a true indication of their math achievement and could
consequently be invalid.

It was assumed that the students completed the questionnaires honestly and
took the time to read and understand the items in the instruments to the best of their
ability. Also, it was assumed that they understood the instructions and language used
in the questions. Each student’s level of understanding may be different and thus may
have influenced how they respond to the questions.

The respondents of this study consist of Grade 10 students’ classes enrolled in

Padapada National High school SY 2019-2020. Forty (40) students are randomly
selected as respondents, the researchers decided to choose forty (40) randomly
selected students from all the sections of Grade 10.

Chapter 2

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH DESIGN

The descriptive method of research was used in determining the “Students’

Academic Performance in Mathematics Under the New Normal Set-up.”

The researchers used survey questionnaire in determining the Students’

Academic Performance in Mathematics Under the New Normal Set-up.

RESPONDENTS OF THE STUDY

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The focus of the study is the Students’ Academic Performance in Mathematics

Under the New Normal Set-up of Padapada National High school S.Y. 2020-2021.
The respondents of this study are forty (40) students from the Grade 10 students.
Forty (40) of the respondents are randomly selected from all the Sections of Grade 10.

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

In this study survey questionnaire was used by the researchers to gather data.
The survey questionnaire was composed of fifteen (15) statements in which we use
five (5) scale format that has five (5) option response in which respondents will
choose the option that best support their opinion. The options are Strongly Agree
(SA), Agree (A), Moderately Agree (MA), Disagree (D), and Strongly Disagree (SD).

DATA GATHERING PROCEDURE

In the conduct of the study, the researchers solicited the support of the Grade
10 students. The researchers asked permission to the students to allow them to use
some of their time to let their students read and answer the survey questionnaire. The
result of the survey was recorded by the researchers to have a valid and reliable
information. The data were tallied, analyzed, and interpret according to the specific
problems set forth.

STATISTICAL TREATMENT

The following was used in the analysis and interpretation of data.

The weighed mean was utilized to assess the Factors Affecting the Problem
Solving Skills of the respondents. Frequency distribution was also used to facilitate
the analysis of data. Percentage distribution was also utilized in distribution of profile
of the respondents. There are fifteen (15) items in the survey questionnaire. In the
Factors Affecting the Problem Solving Skills of the respondents the most positive
response was given five (5) points and the score decreases as the response goes
negative.

For the interpretation of respondents’ score, the following categories we’re used:
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SCORE RANGE INTERPRETATION

4.50-5.00 Strongly Agree

3.50-4.49 Agree

2.50-3.49 Moderately Agree

1.50-2.49 Disagree

1.00-1.49 Strongly Disagree