24

Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature

This chapter provides literature and the results of

other related researches to which the present proposed study

was related or has some similarity or implication. This was

provided the researcher sufficient background in

understanding the study.

Chapter 2 is divided into four (4) parts namely: (1)

Strategic Intervention Material (2) Self-Learning Modules

(3) Mathematics Performance and (4) Synthesis.

Part 1, Strategic Intervention Material, presents the

use of Strategic Intervention Material, its advantages,

limitations and applications. It also cites literature and

studies, local and foreign, about the effects of Strategic

Intervention Material on the Mathematics performance of

students.

Part 2, Self-Learning Modules cites literature and

studies in both local and foreign settings about the

traditional strategies.

Part 3, Mathematics Performance, presents the result of

studies both local and international.

Part 4, Synthesis, summarizes the literature included

in the study.
 25

Strategic Intervention Material

Intervention materials

Kautzman (2012) as presented in the NCTM standards

stated that early and appropriate identification is

important for students at all levels of achievement. Any

student may require intervention as he or she works with

mathematics. Even those students who are excellent in one

topic may require the support of intervention in other

topics. When students are struggling, teachers should use

various assessments to spot areas of need, and that they

should use the information that they obtain to decide on

interventions that may help the learners move in targeted

and structured ways to greater and brighter success with

important concepts and mathematical ideas.

Kautzman (2012) added that interventions have many

models and are flexible in nature. They can be carried out

in the classroom setting as well as in tutoring or tiered

support sessions conducted by tutors or mentors. Regardless

of the model, intervention should put premium on supporting

students' understanding through explicit instruction

anchored on diagnostic assessments. Intervention should

strengthen conceptual and procedural knowledge to close an

existing gap so students can move smoothly to and make

connections with other mathematics. The long-term goal of

 26

intervention should be to assist students gain independent

strategies and take responsibility for his or her own

learning. This approach to intervention ends up with an

emphasis on bigger ideas in mathematics and their

applications so important skills do not become trivial,

isolated, or fragmented. Moreover, every intervention model

relies on teachers' knowledge of mathematics content and

evidence-based teaching strategies, ensuring that people who

deliver interventions can take advantage of students' prior

mathematics knowledge. An educator who uses multiple models

and ways of sequencing or structuring topics can present

rich adaptations of the mathematics content to support

students' needs effectively (nctm.org, 2011).

Strategic intervention materials

According to (Bunagan, 2012) intervention materials

tries to increase and deepen skills, knowledge and

understanding from concrete to what is more abstract. It

gave students the chance to explore their understanding and

add up of those new ideas. Furthermore, an intervention

material meant to recall the concepts and skills to assist

and help the learners master a competency-based skill which

they were not able to develop during classroom discussion.

Dy (2011) also defined Strategic Intervention Material

(SIM) as a teaching aid Strategic intervention material: A

 27

tool in enhancing grade nine students’ mathematical

performance International Journal of Research Studies in

Education 65 introduced into the teaching methods to

stimulate the activity of the students and thereby increase

their level of understanding.

The Department of Education prescribed the use of

Strategic Intervention Material (SIM) to boost students’

achievements and reduce least mastered skills in Mathematics

subjects. Different studies have shown that the utilization

of SIM successfully decreased the least mastered skills in

Mathematics subject; thus, poor performance is addressed.

Furthermore, SIM is an instructional material

prescribed by the Department of Education (DepEd) to boost

students’ performance in Mathematics subjects. To promote

successful learning within the field of Science and

Technology subjects in both elementary and secondary among

public schools, DepEd provided the teachers with training

and workshop on how to prepare this intervention material.

To promote and encourage teachers to use and develop

intervention materials, SIM making for Math teachers was

included by the Department of Education in the annual

Mathematics Fair as one of the contests in in the school,

division, region, and national level competitions.

 28

DepEd Memo No. 225, s. 2009 enclosure No. 2, there are

criteria and areas to be considered in making Strategic

Intervention Materials in Mathematics. The parts of the SIM

are title card, guide card, activity card, enrichment card,

assessment card, and reference card. In a Strategic

Intervention Material (SIM), alignment of activities with

the tasks/objectives is ensured and guaranteed. Activities

are kept short and simple for the learners to easily work

independently; variety of activities are provided as well to

cater to the diverse learners of different intelligences and

leaning styles; and a number of activities are also provided

so that the learner can have enough practice and time in

developing the skill and focus on the least mastered skills.

Each intervention material has five parts such as the guide

card, activity card, assessment card, enrichment card and

reference card.

The overview of the lesson, learning competency and

subtasks about the entire SIM are found in the guide card;

activities to concretize learning competencies and to

develop the mastery of the least-mastered skill are provided

in the activity card; the assessment card provides exercises

that will assess and check the level of mastery of the skill

upon the completion of the activities and tasks given; the

enrichment card provides activities that reinforce the

 29

content of the lesson to make learning meaningful; and the

reference card lists resources found in the whole material

or card that the learner may refer for further reading and

learning. Furthermore, the topics used in a Strategic

Intervention Materials (SIM) should be competency-based

specifically least mastered competencies as identified

during assessments and it should follow the Bloom’s taxonomy

guidelines especially in checking for the level of

comprehension – may it be remembering, understanding,

applying, analyzing, evaluating or creating. Activities,

content and skills must be aligned at all time to get the

desired result. It should be validated before using it in

the class and it should be easy to copy. Materials used must

improve mastery level as it is its main purpose in order to

increase students’ academic achievement in learning

Mathematics and in other subject areas as well.

Effectiveness of strategic intervention materials

There are numerous studies conducted on the effectiveness of

strategic intervention materials in mastering the

competencies set by the Department of Education. Alboruto

(2017) in her study on Beating the Numbers through Strategic

Intervention Materials (SIMs): Innovative Science Teaching

for Large Classes, found out that the use of SIMs

significantly contributed to the mastery of science concepts

 30

and also to the development of science process skills. She

used experimental research design where students were

grouped into two – the control and experimental group.

Similar to the method being used in this research, the

experimental group was given the Strategic Intervention

Materials as an aid for learning. She also concluded that

the project [strategic intervention material] is effective

in improving student performance. Villonez (2018) also

concluded that the employment of SIM was better and

effective than the use of traditional method in teaching

some topic in science. In addition, Salviejo et al. (2014)

in their study on Strategic Intervention Material-Based

Instruction, Learning Approach and Students’ Performance in

Chemistry also found out that the use of SIM-BI is effective

to Arpilleda, A. J. 66 Consortia Academia Publishing (A

partner of Network of Professional Researchers and

Educators) improve students’ performance and learning

approach. A descriptive-experimental design was used in

their study where the students were grouped into deep and

surface learners using the Chemistry Learning Approach

Inventory. Dumigsi and Cabrella (2019) in their study on

Effectiveness of Strategic Intervention Material in

Mathematics as Remediation for Grade 9 Students in Solving

Problems Involving Quadratic Functions also found out that

 31

the Strategic Intervention Material was effective as a

remediation tool for Grade 9 students in solving problems

involving quadratic functions. Quasi-experimental design was

used where the two groups took pre-test and post-test. SIM

can also be very acceptable, applicable, and useful to the

potential users. Regarding the use of SIM in Mathematics IV

for the fourth year students, Herrera & Soriano (2016)

revealed that the students easily mastered the least learned

topics. Furthermore, Blalock (2010) described SIM as a

competency-based academic support approach which will help

students in upper elementary, middle high school, and higher

education become independent and successful learner.

Self-Learning Modules

The plan of reproducing the self-leaning modules as

learning material to be distributed to students to continue

learning despite of pandemic seems to be flawed from the

start. Not all members of the family are knowledgeable

enough to assist the learning of the student. In line with

that, students will definitely have difficulty in

understanding the concepts as well as the subject matter.

But according to the Department of Education Secretary

Leonora Briones, the Self-Learning Modules (SLMs) and other

alternative learning delivery modalities are in place to

 32

address the needs, situations, and resources of each and

every student and will cover all the bases in ensuring that

basic education will accessible amid the present crisis

posed by COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

The use of modules encourages independent study. One of

the benefits of using modules for instruction is the

acquisition of better self-study or learning skills among

 33

students. Students engage themselves in learning the

concepts presented in the module. They develop a sense of

responsibility in accomplishing the tasks provided in the

module. With little or no assistance from others, the

learners progress on their own. They are learning how to

learn; they are empowered (Nardo, M.T.B, 2017 as cited by

Dangle and Sumaoang, 2020). Other advantages of modular

instruction include more choice and self-pacing for

students; more variety and flexibility for teachers and

staff; and increased adaptability of instructional

materials.

According to theory of constructivism, the way in which

students accept and retain the knowledge is fundamental base

to their learning. Individuals "construct" meaning from the

world around them. Constructivism is not a teaching strategy

based on a specific curriculum; it is a flexible classroom

environment consistently focusing on engaging students in

active learning. The role of the teacher is to create this

active environment. Constructivism is a teaching activity in

which students grasp the content material by actually facing

the situations that require them to solve problems. By

constructing upon the way they already know. The teacher

provides stimulated problem based situation and tells them

to solve it by using their previous experiences. Students

 34

are motivated to provide their own solution. In order for

this to occur, students need to seek information, form

opinions, make decisions about relevant and irrelevant

information, and apply concepts to new situations. Students

are empowered to "construct" their own knowledge instead of

accepting information passively (Kaur et al., 2017).

In the study of Kaur et al. (2017), revealed that

constructivist approach was more effective than self-

learning module in teaching of social science. The academic

performance of students of experimental group-B which was

taught by using constructivist approach was higher than the

students of experimental group-A which was taught through

self-learning module. Students enjoyed learning when they

were taught by using constructivist approach.

In the study of Padmapriya (2015) about the

effectiveness of self-learning modules, it was concluded

that the students treated with modular approach achieved

higher mean scores than those students taught through

activity oriented method. The study reveals the

effectiveness of self-instructional module on achievement

among secondaryschool students and the administrators must

take necessary steps to give special training to teachers in

developing modular packages.

 35

According to Maile and Cooper (2018), a self-paced

learning module is an orderly set of instructions designed

to facilitate the learner’s mastery of a body of knowledge

or a procedure. When combined with other modules, learners

can master a comprehensive body of knowledge or a complex

process. A self-paced learning module can be in digital or

print form. For example, the digital modules or lessons

offered via a school’s learning management system (LMS) are

examples of self-paced learning modules. In the days before

digital learning, a paper-based form of the self-paced

learning module was the learning activity packet, or LAP.

Learners will realize the benefits of competency-based

education, whether they use digital or print self-paced

learning modules. In fact, the paper-based form is a

convenient step for teachers to take along the road to

digital delivery. Once the paper-based modules are

developed, used, and improved, they can become the blueprint

for a digital equivalent such as an online course. Self-

paced learning modules are useful for more than one purpose.

For example, they can facilitate learning for individualized

or self-paced instruction. They can also supplement

traditional instruction in order to provide more thorough

and/or additional training.

 36

Flexible self-directed learning modules add an extra

dimension of choice to self-directed learning both from the

perspective of pacing and the type and frequency of support

offered. The extra analysis provided by a diagnostic and the

focused, prioritised goal setting that emerge undoubtedly

stimulate inner dialogue and raise awareness of targeted

learning. From this stage, the design and implementation of

a self-directed learning plan comes from the learner with

support when requested. This cycle passes ownership of

learning back to the learner without pushing the learners

into unsupported autonomy if they choose to ask for

guidance. Contact with LAs is available in a variety of ways

whether for reassurance, guidance or to celebrate success.

Although this article focuses on IELTS, the principles are

relevant to any type of exam where sample exam papers and

marking schemes are available. The approach, stages and

cycles described can be adapted for use with a class of

students, applied to a distance learning exam preparation

course, or kept as an optional module delivered through a

self-access centre to individual learners who request it

(Morrison, B.R. 2011).

Mathematics Performance
 37

Mathematics is a relevant subject in the modern

education of the youth. It is of vital significant as it

permeates the daily lives of people around the world. It

serves as the basis of modern inventions, scientific

discoveries and research studies. Mathematics education can

play an important part in developing students’ general

decision making and problem solving skills. Learning

mathematics is the need for students to use the subject as

an important means of discovering truth. The discipline

clearly and precisely presents aspects of knowledge which

are helpful in finding out truth about the structure and

patterns of the environment (http://www.eirjc.com/

journals/journal1/dwcv-08-09-7.pdt).

Mathematics has been considered a necessary part of

general education and has become a required subject in the

curriculum across instructional levels. Likewise, it also

contributes to more specialized education of various

professionals like scientists, accountants, statisticians,

engineers and other professions which rely heavily on

accurate measurements and quantification.

As a tool in almost all discipline, Mathematics is also

considered as a functional tool in solving an individual’s

everyday problem. It is an important element of such

development because solving mathematical problems help

 38

students developed ability, the ability to understand and

apply to find out something they wanted to know. Mathematics

explain things that needs to be known that help everyone

understand and enjoy the world they are existing. It also

plays as the core of modern culture because basic

understanding of mathematics is the key for scientific

literacy. To acquire this literacy, students should consider

mathematics as a part of scientific activities, understand

mathematical problems and become aware of mathematical

concepts and skills.

The declining popularity of Mathematics among students

and poor mathematical performance of students are not only a

national but also a global concern for the past years.

Report by HakiElimu (2013), identified general performance

of the year 2009 that about 27.5% of the students scored

division zero, in the year 2010 failure increased to 49.6%,

in the year 2011 failure was 46.4% and 60.5% in the year

2012. In West Africa, the Daily Trust of Wednesday, August

25, 2010 as cited by Sa’ad and Usman (2014) reported that

“seventy-five per cent of candidates who sat for May/June

WAEC 2010 examinations failed to meet the minimum entry

requirement into tertiary institutions. Again, the Daily

Trust of 21st August, 2014 released WAEC results indicated

that over seventy percent fail in November/December results.

 39

86,612 candidates, representing 29.17 percent of the total

number of candidates who sat for the Nov/Dec examinations of

West African Examination Council (WAEC), obtained credits in

five subjects and above, including Mathematics and English

language. Again, the WAEC has released its May/June 2014

WASSCE results, recording mass failure in mathematics and

English language.

According to Sangcap (2015), this declining status of

mathematics and poor mathematical performance among students

had been a worldwide concern for the past years as indicated

in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

Report 2010. In concurrence, the 2010 Trends in

International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) reported

low achievement scores for Mathematics (and Science) of

Filipino students in Grade 4 and Grade 8 (2nd year high

school).

The study of Go Silk (2015) revealed that the

interaction of cognition and metacognition influence one’s

ability to solve word problems in Mathematics. This,

however, is overshadowed by the more observable cognitive

skills and the surreptitious nature of metacognition that

they are not consciously and overtly observed or described.

It was thus recommended that the teaching of Mathematics in

general must not just be focused on the acquisition and

 40

mastery of cognitive skills, but must also cover the

development of the regulatory and control skills to be able

to appropriately apply cognitive skills.

In the study of Moreno-Guerrero et al (2020) on the “E-

Learning in the Teaching of Mathematics: An Educational

Experience in Adult High School”. The results show that the

use of the e-learning method has a positive influence on

motivation, autonomy, participation, mathematical concepts,

results and grades. It can be concluded that the e-learning

method leads to improvement in adult students who are

studying the mathematical subject in the educational stage

of high school, provided that it is compared with the

expository method. Therefore, this method is considered

effective for its implementation in adults.

In the study of Valderama (2015), found that the

deterioration in the achievement level of the low math

ability group exposed to online and modular instruction.

While it discovered neither improvement nor decline in

mathematics achievement on the high math ability group of

students. As a result, the experimental methodology in

teaching mathematics is not advisable for use to low math

ability groups. However, it could be adopted in teaching

students with high math ability especially when teachers

 41

need to attend other functions and could not attend the

class.

Based on the study conducted by Piansay (2016), found

that Grade six pupils have similarly “poor” mathematics

performance in the pretests both in the control and

experimental group. While after the intervention, pupils

have “excellent” mathematics performance in both the control

and experimental groups. There is no significant difference

in the mathematics performance of Grade six pupils in the

pretests of the control and experimental groups. There is

significant difference in mathematics performance of the

Grade six pupils in the pretest and posttest of the control

group. There is a significant difference in the mathematics

performance of the Grade six pupils in the pretests and

posttests of the experimental group. There is no significant

difference in the mathematics performance of the Grade six

pupils in the posttests of the control and experimental

group. Also the result conforms to the findings of Al-

Mansour (2012) found that that the difference between the

achievement of students in the pretests of the experimental

and the control group was not statistically significant at .

05 at the outset of the study on the effect of computer-

assisted visual aids on the mathematics performance of

students.
 42

The study of Nagtalon (2016), found that there was

significant difference in the mathematics performance of the

Grade-6 pupils in the pretest and posttest of the control

group. Furthermore, the result also conforms to the study of

Falcis (2017), found that there is significant difference in

mathematics performance of the Senior High School students

in the pretest and posttest of the control group.

According to the study of Consolacion (2018), found

that Grade 10 students have both “Did not meet expectations”

in their mathematics performance in the pretests both in the

control and experimental group. While after the

intervention, students had “Satisfactory” mathematics

performance in both the control and experimental groups.

There was no significant difference between the pretests of

the control and experimental groups. There was a significant

difference between the pretests and posttests of the control

group and experimental groups. There was no significant

difference between the posttests of the control and

experimental groups.

In a research conducted by Cabahug and Ladot (as cited

by Palmes, 2018), the University of the Philippines’

greatest failure is in mathematics. It is also said that

repetition in mathematics is common among UP students that

almost one out of three repeat a mathematics course. Cabahug

 43

and Ladot (in Palmes, 2018) also said that the faculty of

the UP Cebu Natural Science and Mathematics Division or NSMD

have felt the declining performance of students in basic

mathematics. It is also stated that the attitude towards

mathematics and achievement in mathematics have always been

a great concern.

In the study conducted by Sewala (2013), fourth year

students of Estefania Montemayor National High School who

were in the experimental group have “poor” word problem

solving performance in Algebra before the conduct of the

study but after the intervention has been applied, they

showed a “very good” word problem solving performance.

Fourth year students who were in the control group have

“poor” word problem solving performance after he study was

conducted. The study showed further that there was no

significant difference in the word problem solving

performance in Algebra in the pretests of the experimental

and control groups. However, results show that there was a

significant difference in the word problem solving

performance in Algebra in the pretest and posttest of the

control and experimental groups, thus also showing a

significant difference in the problem solving performance in

Algebra in the posttests of the experimental and control

groups.
 44

To buttress this fact, The Sun News reported that

Nigeria recorded its worst results in mathematics in the

last three years. According to The Sun News (Outrage trails

students poor performance, 2014), out of 1.6 million

students that took the 2014 May/June West Africa Senior

School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), only a little more

than half a million (31.28%) passed with the minimum

requirement for admission into tertiary institutions. Based

on such facts, the purpose of this study is to explore the

various external factors affecting high school mathematics

performance in Lagos, Nigeria.

Mathematics teachers had on several accounts been

judged as the main determinant in the success or failure of

students in the subject. This is true for many reasons;

according to Idowu (2015), they are the main custodians of

students, the way and manner they perform this role is

important. Because of this, mathematics teachers are

expected to have the required knowledge necessary for

teaching as well as the ablility to disseminate such

knowledge appropriately that will result in learning.

In a study conducted by Avong (2013), shortage of

qualified mathematics was judged to be the most contributing

factor to poor performance by her participants in a study

conducted in a remote in Kaduna state. Teacher’s attitudes

 45

had also been linked to student’s poor performance in a

study conducted by Osunde and Izevbigie (cited by Palmes,

2018). In this study, 400 Nigerian post primary school

teachers’ attitudes toward the teaching profession were

sorted. They discovered that issues like delay in payment of

salaries and poor financial remuneration contributed to a

low attitude of teachers in the teaching profession.

A student-teacher ratio of 40:1 may be considered

adequate, but according to Umameh (2011) some schools in

Nigeria are noted to have a 100:1 ratio, a situation that

will never lead to any meaningful learning of mathematics no

matter how capable the mathematics teacher may be. According

to Asikhai (2010), the government recommendation for

student-teacher ratio was 50:1, but it is obvious that this

ratio can never be met with the astronomical increase in

population experiencing currently.

Mathematical performance, for PISA, measures the

mathematical literacy of a 15-year-old to formulate, employ

and interpret mathematics in a variety of contexts to

describe, predict and explain phenomena, recognizing the

role that mathematics plays in the world. The mean score is

the measure. A mathematically literate student recognizes

the role that mathematics plays in the world in order to

 46

make well-founded judgments and decisions needed by

constructive, engaged and reflective citizens.

Campos (2015) discovered that children who came from

low, average and high income families had a satisfactory

performance in mathematics.

Bautista (2016), in his study found no significant

differences in the level of mathematical literacy of sixth-

grade pupils when classified as to sex, parents’ educational

background and parents’ family income but differed

significantly when classified as to home location, in favor

of the pupils who are living within the city. Sex and

mothers’ educational background and parents’ income came out

to be significant predictors of the sixth-grade pupils

mathematics literacy. However, Almanon (2015) contends that

no significant differences are obtained in the numerical

ability of students in terms of sex, home location, parents’

educational attainment and estimated monthly income but

there is a significant difference in terms of age. There was

also a significant positive relationship between such

variables like abstract reasoning ability, verbal ability,

numerical ability and students’ performance in Algebra.

Dela Torre (2016) found that high school students were

very fluent in addition, subtraction, and division but not

fluent when classified as to sex, year level and section,

 47

family income, educational background, and place of

residence. There was also a significant relationship between

basic math facts fluency – addition, subtraction,

multiplication and division and mathematics performance

differed significantly when classified as to their sex,

section and year level. Girls performed better than boys and

the third year level showed favourable performance.

Synthesis

Every teacher aims to make every learner understand and

apply the lessons learned from the class to their daily

lives, but, this may not be met if students themselves find

it hard to understand the lessons in Mathematics. Many

students these days seem to struggle more and more with

math, it could be the standards are growing in difficulty,

and there are more requirements for the students. Math

intervention strategies are needed and used to help students

who are struggling or having difficulty succeed for whatever

reason. When students are struggling, teachers should use

various assessments to identify areas of need, and they

should use the data that they obtain to choose

interventions. These interventions can help the students

achieve and master the competencies in targeted and

structured ways. To help them achieve success in learning,

one of the ways found to be effective is through the use of

 48

a strategic intervention material (SIM). Strategic

intervention materials aid learning and are used for the

mastery of the least-learned competencies. These materials

consist of activities and simple interactive discussions

where students can study and explore on their own. With

these features and uses of the strategic intervention

material, the researcher is prompted to conduct this study

to determine its effectiveness in enhancing the mathematical

performance of the students.

The mathematics performance of Filipino students is

lower compares to students in many other countries. One-

factor attributes this poor mathematics performance is the

ten-year elementary and secondary schooling age. But since

K-12 has been implemented, and learners nowadays focus on

gadgets rather than their thick books; learning module is

one way for the learners to even take a look with what their

lesson is all about. The researcher reviewed learning module

will improve the academic performance of the students in

mathematics, since it will serve as their guide for the next

lesson and their reviewer for the past lesson.

The present study is different from foreign and local

literature cited in terms of research objectives, variables,

respondents, research instruments, locality and statistical

tools used to analyse data.

49