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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE & STUDIES

This chapter presents the review of related literature and related studies which

contribute significantly in this study.

Conceptual Literature

Role of Contextualization in Facilitating Learning

In academic context or education as a whole, contextualization speaks its

relevance by connecting the instruction or even assessment to the student’s real-world

frames. Schools' high literacy goals are best met in real-world, and culturally relevant

situations. Students' existing knowledge and abilities are used as a basis for new

knowledge in contextualization. This method promotes pride and self-assurance, as well

as improved academic performance. Understanding the context of the learners means

connecting new learning to previous knowledge. Assisting students in making these

connections reinforces newly learned knowledge and increases student participation in

learning activities. School learning is made meaningful by tying it to students' personal,

family, and community experiences, according to schema theorists, cognitive scientists,

behaviorists, and psychological anthropologists. Effective education teaches students how

to apply school abstractions to the real world. Collaboration with parents and

communities may reveal suitable patterns of engagement, dialogue, knowledge, and

interests for all students, making reading, numeracy, and science meaningful ("CREDE

National", 2021).

According to Krause, et al. (2016), a key feature of the pedagogy is

contextualization. This provides how cognitive processes act to achieve learning through
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conceptual change based on three major principles, which include the following: identify

students' prior knowledge to inform instruction: engage students to promote conceptual

change so they can construct deep knowledge; and encourage metacognition to build

habits of expert learners who define their learning goals and monitor their progress.

Continuously, contextualization can be accomplished by creating learning

activities that focus on the learners' interests and surroundings. It allows teachers to use

authentic resources and to ground their instruction in the lives of their students. It helps

students relates and adapts learning content specified in the curriculum and the process of

teaching and learning to local condition, environment, and resources to meet local needs,

address a particular teaching style or learning style, to adapt to a different grade level, to

adapt for a different discipline, to adjust to a different learning environment, to address

diversity needs, to address a cultural preference, to support a specific pedagogical need,

and to address either a school or a district's standardized curriculum (Torres, 2015).

Contextualized Instruction across Disciplines

Even in the conventional or traditional means of teaching and learning process,

contextualization was used across disciplines such as mathematics, science,

communication, and other subject areas. The study of Pescuela, & Goyena (2020) argues

about the Interdisciplinary Contextualized (ICon) lessons that the learners can gain

abilities that are necessary for operating in our society in this new period by using the

topic from the content functions and their graphs in General Mathematics. Many teachers

had emphasized student-centered techniques that incorporate the learners' real-life

experiences, as seen by the educational trend. “They found that there are five features of

the Interdisciplinary Contextualization Approach in teaching: theme, use of local context,

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problem-based, inquiry-based, and collaborative learning. All of these characteristics

work together to create a learner-centered classroom environment that improves kids'

academic understanding and helps them build the skills they'll need as they go through

life. Furthermore, students not only worked on academic projects during the execution of

the lectures, but they also learned about their culture.”

Also, a study about improving students’ writing ability through contextualization,

stated that “Contextualization is providing an intermediate setting that surrounds the

communication. It is useful to make tasks meaningful to students. Contexts that were

familiar and relevant to students' real lives and centered on the goal employed to increase

students' writing abilities. The students were engaged in the lesson because

contextualization was used in teaching writing, which was linked with group work.

Furthermore, by including contextualization, students and teachers perceived the teaching

and learning process to be more meaningful, and their writing skills increased. They were

able to articulate themselves and develop their views so that they were related to the topic

and supporting sentences. Their grammatical errors were also reduced (Maristy &

Margana, 2020).

Every child and adolescent should have access to scientific literacy as part of their

right to a good education. Unfortunately, many science textbooks give facts and examples

that are only familiar to pupils from affluent countries' mainstream cultural backgrounds.

Teachers will be ill-prepared to educate the next generation of citizens who can

effectively respond to challenges such as climate change, public health, and sustainable

agriculture if they do not see examples of how to make science relevant for children and

adolescents of all ethnic and language backgrounds, socioeconomic status, and

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nationalities (Tapia, 2020). Likewise, Härtig et al. (2020) further substantiate that to

prepare students for the challenges of a world increasingly permeated by science and

technology, students are expected to develop an integrated knowledge about science –

knowledge about the relationships between science ideas together with the ability to use

this knowledge to solve real-world problems Contextualization and assessment of science

education outcomes have become increasingly relevant as a result of this development.

Contextualization is one of the keys to engaging the students in the teaching-learning

process wherein the students can relate their situations to their lesson. It makes the lesson

meaningful and relevant to the students’ lives by relating the students’ context to the

subject’s content taught in school. Lessons delivered effectively and efficiently if the

teachers used available materials or information in the surrounding which created a better

understanding of the concepts. Context on students’ lives made the class lively and

engaging where the students construct their meaning (Reyes et.al, 2019). This is

supported by Dunton (2017) “In teaching science, contextualization is a big help for

learners so they can easily understand, appreciate and relate science in real-life situations.

This could be done now by applying the concept of contextualization.”

Contextualized Language Teaching and Learning

Substantial data have presented that contextualization across disciplines or subject

areas. In this section, literature validates According to the British Council,

“Contextualization is putting language items into a meaningful and real context rather

than being treated as isolated items of language for language manipulation practice only.

Contextualizing language tries to give real communicative value to the language that

learners meet. The context can help learners remember the language and recall it at a later
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date. Learners can use natural learning strategies to help them understand contextualized

language, such as guessing meaning from context. Contextualization can be as simple as

providing an example sentence that uses a new word or as complex as preparing a

telephone to role-play to practice functional language” (“BritishCouncil”, n.d.). Also,

Policarpio (2020) stated that “The use of localized instructional materials appears to be

an effective tool in teaching English grammar. Consequently, the study recommends

developing authentic, contextualized, and localized instructional materials in English

subjects to enhance the English language skills of the students”.

On the other hand, Labiste (2019) emphasized the incorporation of cultures in

designing the instructional materials “culture is embedded in the second language

education in coastal communities in the Philippines, with three main docks: the primacy

of student needs, the importance of maritime culture immersion, and the repertoire of

techniques to incorporate the local culture. Teachers find contextualization as key to the

development of students' language skills while incorporating a culture ensures a

meaningful language experience both for the teachers and the students. Integrating local

culture in the design of language materials and the preparation of language assessment is

recommended. Navigating local culture in language classes and understanding the

relationships and the complex factors that facilitate learning among students with varied

experiences dictated by local culture are implied.

The majority of educators believed that a teacher needs a variety of teaching

methods and approaches at their disposal in order to assist students in improving their

academic performance. Educators went on to say that in the teaching of language,

especially reading comprehension, a one-size-fits-all approach is not suggested.

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Academic practitioners, on the other hand, have urged teachers and instructors to seek out

ideas, tactics, and strategies that can help students improve their academic competence.

As a result, the study concludes that adopting contextualized teaching and learning to

improve learners' reading comprehension has a considerable impact (Bonganciso, 2016).

New Normal Teaching and Learning Environment

In the new educational context, all changes for the sudden shift and inevitable

problems are concerned as well as the flexibility of individuals is being tested. Fajardo &

Mendoza (2021) concluded that in the new normal, teachers frequently employ relevant

pedagogical practices. They frequently make use of their basic computer literacy,

capacity to back up files, online work experience, creativity nurturing abilities, and social

networks. Furthermore, printed materials, cellphones, the internet, television, and email

are the most commonly used instructional materials for remote learning. These

substantiate the objective mandates on how the context of education should be. However,

this situation may vary jibe to numerous reasons.

However, Alvarez (2020) stated, based on the findings emerged in “The

phenomenon of learning at a distance through emergency remote teaching amidst the

pandemic crisis”, experiences from the perspectives of learners showed a glimpse that

continued learning amid the COVID-19 phenomenon needs in-depth understanding,

support, and compassion. Likewise, a sudden shift from a fully traditional learning

environment to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) is considered to be challenging and

suicidal. Undoubtedly perceived that prior to this surprising change, the existence of

concerns on accessibility and affordability has been a huge and main problem. Therefore,

immersing learners in a culturally face-to-face design together with impending issues on

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reliable internet coverage, the high cost of technological devices, and financial

constraints can cause learning disruptions. This is one of the reasons that connecting to

the frames of students is crucial to facilitate effective teaching and learning process.

Moreover, COVID-19 affected the conventional learning method of academic

institutions across the globe. The administrations of schools, colleges, and universities

opted for online lectures/classes as an alternative means to resume education. However,

online learning is proving helpful in safeguarding students’ and faculty’s health amid the

COVID-19 pandemic, it is not as effective as conventional learning. In undeveloped

nations, where the vast majority of students are unable to use the internet due to technical

and financial barriers, online learning will not yield the desired results. Adnan (2020)

examined the effectiveness of online versus traditional classes especially for students of

higher education. As per this study, 73% of students had proper internet facility and

71.4% students felt that they were well qualified to use a computer/laptop for online

classes even then 78.6% of respondents felt that conventional classes were more effective

as compared to online learning (Adnan, 2020).

While advocating numerous responses to the new normal, some obstacles and

issues were raised. As a result, schools at all levels must address these issues and

thoroughly assess plans and procedures for implementing the new normal. In these trying

times, the most important thing is to work together (Tria, 2020). All sectors in the

academic institution have valuable experiences in the new normal, and this needs action

to combat the existing phenomenon.

Related Studies
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Researchers suggested that for further development of quality supplementary

materials that promote independent learning and holistic development of critical thinking,

it is highly recommended to contextualize or even localize the concepts. Contextualized

learning modules can be used in the conduct of different academic remediation such as

bridging courses, remote learning in times of unwanted circumstances such as pandemic

(e. g. COVID-19), and others. It is also highly recommended to test the effectiveness of

the use of contextualized learning modules to the student learning outcomes (Madrazo &

Dio, 2020). Likewise, as a factor to consider, the student's environment helps the teachers

to contextualized lessons based on the interests and experiences of the students. As a

means of contextualization, pedagogy stressed classroom management and engaging

students in self-analysis of their experiences and interests, as well as the development of

skills in assessing community problems and generating solutions. Teachers created

contextualized materials for themes included in the required K-12 course outlines for

disciplinary content. Cultural diversity is a tool for contextualizing learner differences,

planning classes using a variety of activities and approaches, and instilling values in

students (Espiritu & Ogerio, 2020).

At the end of the contextualized instruction, a significant increase was observed.

Respondents expressed a positively moderate level of engagement implying that their

attitude, interest, and behavior towards the lesson were enhanced by the approach.

Generally, the approach is highly commendable for science instruction, particularly

genetics concepts, because students find the lesson relevant to them through various

parameters of contextualized instruction (Tabotabo-Picardal & & Paño, 2018)

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Korkmaz & Korkmaz (2013) specified that “Language cannot be acquired or

learned through de-contextualized practice. The significance of contextualization was

esteemed by most of the participants and they were able to use different techniques of

creating context when teaching during their practicum. Moreover, the participants

reported that more samples of different contexts for teaching different subjects should be

provided to them to plan and teach more effective lessons. Moghaddas (2013) conducted

a study entitled “The Effect of Contextualization on the Iranian EFL Learners’

Performance in Reading Tasks”, the findings revealed that the contextualization teaching

framework significantly improved learners' performance and knowledge of English in

grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing. It was also discovered that

professors, scholars, and language instructors can use this framework as an influential

strategy in English lessons.

A mixed-methods study gathered a broad range of triangulated data, combining

individual interviews, material analysis, and observations coded using a novel task-

focused version of the scheme ‘Communicative Orientation of Language Teaching’.

Quantitative and qualitative findings revealed positive beliefs about Task-Based

Language Teaching principles in general, reflecting strong institutional support for

communicative teaching. However, the study found out that there is a mark in variability

between beliefs and practices in using tasks, especially with beginner-level learners. Most

teachers demonstrated an intrinsic lack of confidence in using tasks as more than a

communicative ‘add-on’ to standard form-focused teaching. The researchers argue that

this demonstrates a need for building teacher autonomy, in implementing TBLT, even in
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supportive settings, to support successful authentic contextualizing TBLT principles in

different EFL contexts (Chen & Wright, 2017).

Arikan’s (2009) language study emphasized that “English grammar is

contextualized through environmental peace education activities to raise students’

awareness of global issues.” The findings from his study indicated that learning English

grammar in relation to environmental peace education is an effective strategy that can be

used in foreign language teaching.

Synthesis

The afore-mentioned literature and studies related to the topic of this study dealt

with the concept of contextualization in the teaching process during conventional or

traditional academic context, contextualized instruction in general, contextualized social

studies teaching, and some related literature dealt on the new normal teaching

environment.

Specifically, on the concept of contextualization in the teaching-learning process

in the traditional setting, the Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence

(CREDE National) stated that contextualization promotes pride and self-assurance, as

well as improved academic performance for it assisted students in making connections to

their real-world, and culturally relevant situation and it is supported by Torres (2015, who

emphasized that contextualization is effective for it is accomplished by creating learning

activities that focus on the learners’ interest and surroundings. Krause, et al. (2016) found

that contextualization is the key feature of pedagogy. On the other hand, some studies

explored the contextualization of specific subject areas such as mathematics, science,

etc., Pescuela & Goyena (2020) explored the Interdisciplinary Contextualization

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Approach in teaching General Mathematics, Margana (2020) provides data concerning

improving students’ writing ability through contextualization. Furthermore, Tapia (2020),

Härtig et al. (2020), Reyes, et al. (2019), and Dunton (2017) supported that teaching

science subjects through a contextualization approach helps in facilitating students’

meaningful learning, and effective teaching process. In teaching language, British

Council (n.d), Policarpio (2020), Labiste (2019), and Bonganciso (2016) substantiated

that that contextualization provides meaningful language teaching, improves learners’

reading comprehension and performance, and it played a crucial role in learners’

language acquisition and language skills development. Localized instructional materials

in teaching social studies to specify is significant for it incorporated the cultures of

students. Lastly, literature emerged on the field of teaching-learning in the new normal.

Mendoza (2020) concluded that in the new normal, teachers frequently employ relevant

pedagogical practices which shows flexibility as a teacher. Alvarez (2020), Adnan

(2020), Tria (2020), stated the struggles in education in the new normal context.

Similarly, related studies provided relevant data concerning contextualization in

the field of education. Madrazo and Dio (2020), Espiritu & Ogerio (2020) recommended

that contextualized content areas are necessary amid pandemic or any phenomenon.

Tabotabo-Picardal & & Paño, (2018), Korkmaz & Korkmaz (2013), and Moghaddas

(2013) emphasized that contextualization is commendable in teaching any subject areas.

Chen & Wright (2017) mixed-method study, dealt on the language teaching stated that in

learning, contextualization is significant and necessary to promote effective absorbance

of new knowledge, but teachers demonstrated an intrinsic lack of confidence in using

tasks, Arikan’s (2009) language study emphasized that “English grammar is

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contextualized through environmental peace education activities to raise students’

awareness of global issues”.

Jibing to the presentation of related literature and studies, this study differs from

the existing body of knowledge for literature concerning contextualization, emerged on

how contextualization promotes effective learning during the conventional means of

teaching until the present, and researchers substantiated the topic across disciplines. In

this study, the researchers will describe the process and action of teachers how they

contextualized their lessons/contents in social studies teaching. This study will also

examine the stories of teachers concerning contextualized social studies teaching in this

new normal teaching-learning context.

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