Republic of the Philippines

Commission on Higher Education

Region V
School Division of Albay
Daraga Community College
Salvacion , Daraga , Albay
SY. 2021- 2022

EFFECTIVENESS OF MODULAR DISTANCE LEARNING IN TEACHING IN GRADE 7 LEARNERS IN

MAPEH IN THE NEW NORMAL

An Action Research Proposal

Presented to the Research Committee of
Daraga , Community College
Salvacion , Daraga , Albay

Submitted by: Emelrose Ll. Maceda

Shairmaine Miranda
 I. Context and Rationale
The Covid-19 Pandemic has affected the Educational Sector as much as it has
affected the Philippine Economy. With the New Normal of Education mandated
by the Inter-Agency Task Force or IATF, the Department of Education headed by
its Secretary Leonor Briones, has implemented the three Modes of Blended
Learning which are Online learning, Modular Distance Learning and a combination
of the two modes.
As part of the xi implementation of the New Normal of Education, the
department conducted a survey amongst its public schools all over the country
supervised by the respective heads of each School Division and District in every
province. This was conducted in the month of April. Of all the alternative learning
modalities offered by the Department of Education (DepEd) this upcoming school
year, most students prefer to use the “modular” distance learning option. Since
face-to-face classes are not yet allowed, the DepEd will implement
Blended/Distance learning wherein the combination of the various distance
learning modalities such as printed modules, offline digital modules, online, and
TV and Radio-based instruction will be used by students and teachers when
classes formally start on August 24.
Based on the partial results of the Learner Enrollment and Survey Forms (LESFs) distributed
during the enrollment period, it showed 7.2 million enrollees prefer to use modular distance
learning, TV & Radio based instructions and other modalities while only 2 million enrollees
prefer online for school year 2020-2021. Latest data from DepEd showed that 3, 885, 427
learners prefer “modular” wherein modules – either printed or digital – will be used as an
alternative learning option. (Malipot, July, 2020)

Modular Distance Learning. Involves individualized instruction that allows learners to use self-
learning modules (SLMs) in print or digital format/electronic copy, whichever is applicable in
the context of the learner, and other learning resources like Learner’s Materials, textbooks,
activity sheets, study guides and other study materials.

The learners may ask assistance from the teacher via e-mail, telephone, text message/instant
messaging, etc. Where possible, the teacher shall do home visits to learners needing
remediation or assistance. Any member of the family or other stakeholder in the community
needs to serve as para-teachers. Is Distance Learning Effective? For those who are wondering
whether or not

Distance learning is as effective as advertised, it can be difficult to determine because there are
a number of different factors which can affect a person’s performance when they embark on a
course through the Internet. In this article, we are going to look at just some of the key
elements which can affect how productive a person might be when it comes to completing their
qualification, and whether or not these circumstances can be overcome to give a better
performance. Of course, one of the main issues that needs to be thought through is what type
of learner a distance learner is. Sometimes, there can be some learners who perform better
with physical activities, and so they might be de-motivated through distance learning, which
can be text-based from time to time. All in all, it does need to be determined whether or not a
person can realize their potential through this type of medium, and whether or not they will be
able to work in an online environment where they might not be monitored as closely when
compared to a conventional educational setup.

II. Innovation , Intervention , and Strategy

This study aims to prove the effectivity of modular distance learning as a mode of instruction
during the Pandemic.
Distance education has been described by some (Garrison, 1990; Hayes, 1990) as no more than a
hodgepodge of ideas and practices taken from traditional classroom settings and imposed on
learners who just happen to be separated physically from an instructor. 

Traditionally, both theoretical constructs and research studies in distance education have been
considered in the context of an educational enterprise that was entirely separate from the
standard, classroom-based, classical instructional model. In part to justify, and in part to
explain, the phenomenon, theoreticians like Holmberg, Keegan, and Rumble explored the
underlying assumptions of what it is that makes distance education different from traditional
education. With an early vision of what it meant to be a nontraditional learner, these pioneers
in distance education defined the distance learner as one who is physically separated from the
teacher (Rumble, 1986), has a planned and guided learning experience (Holmberg, 1986), and
participates in a two-way structured form of distance education that is distinct from the
traditional form of classroom instruction (Keegan, 1988). In order to justify the importance of
this nontraditional kind of education, early theoretical approaches attempted to define the
important and unique attributes of distance education. Keegan (1986) identifies three historical
approaches to the development of a theory of distance education.
Saba and Shearer (Saba & Shearer, 1994) carry the concept of transactional distance a step
farther by proposing a system dynamics model to examine the relationship between dialogue
and structure in transactional distance. In their study, Saba and Shearer conclude that as
learner control and dialogue increase, transactional distance decreases. It is not location that
determines the effect of instruction but the amount of transaction between learner and
instructor. This concept has implications for traditional classrooms as well as distant ones. The
use of integrated telecommunication systems may permit a greater variety of transactions to
occur, thus improving dialogue to minimize transactional distance. Interaction. A second
theoretical construct of recent interest to distance educators, and one that has received much
attention in the theoretical literature, is that of interaction.

Moore (1989) discusses three types of interaction essential in distance education. Learner
instructor interaction is that component of his model that provides motivation, feedback, and
dialogue between the teacher and student. Learner-content interaction is the method by which
students obtain intellectual information from the material. Learner-learner interaction is the
exchange of information, ideas, and dialogue that occur between students about the course,
whether this happens in a structured or non-structured manner. The concept of interaction is
fundamental to the effectiveness of distance education programs as well as traditional ones.
Hillman, Hills, and Gunawardena (1994) have taken the idea of interaction a step farther and
added a fourth component to the model learner interface interaction.

III. Action Research Question

This study aimed at finding out the effectiveness of modular distance learning in teaching
MAPEH concepts Basically, it sought to answer the following sub-problems:
1. What is the level of effectiveness of the Modular Distant Learning in teaching MAPEH
concepts to the junior high school students?
2. What are the scores of the learners in the assessment test? 2.1 Before the use of Modular
Distant Learning, and 2.2 After the use of Modular Distant Learning in teaching the MAPEH
concepts.
3. Is there significant difference between the scores of the learners before and after the use of
Modular Distant Learning?