Assessing the Self-paced learning to the Academic Achievement in Mathematics of STEM

students of The Mabini Academy

A.Y. 2022-2023

A research presented to the Faculty of Senior High School Department of

The Mabini Academy, Lipa City

By:

Agasino, Jet Zendrick M.

Macalaguim, John Marco B.

Medina, John Alwyn M.

Mitra, Cedric Gimer O.

Rico, Prince Allen M.

Silva, Jose Emmanuel A

Tolentino, Emmanuel M.

Aguila, Natalie Crystel

 Dela Vega, Jaecel Jane R.

Llanes, Angel Baby Ann D.

May 2022

Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

On March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as global

pandemic. The world nation is experiencing a global health crisis, were social distancing became

a policy in the public, and this took a huge toll on the method of education. Technology has

made it possible for rapid advancement, as online learning initiative has gained a surge of

popularity and became the safest method of learning during this rising time of pandemic. Interest

in determining individual characteristics associated with successful learners continue to grow.

Since agencies associated with the Department of Education (DepED) are opening e-learning

opportunities to a wider population and modules are highly used for further helping the students

to succeed in the online class which is critical. Online courses and learning opportunities are

offered as an in-class substitution. However, several universities failed and lacked the

knowledge, experience, and time required to adapt to this kind of learning method and provide

better instruction and assignments. Moreover, the change has been opposed by interested groups
of teachers, health practitioners, parents, and young people, asking the government to postpone

classes to 2021 because of unpreparedness.

As of present day learning methods encourage students to adapt to the epithet of self-

paced learning, which is a good way to sharpen their decision making, and self-regulation.

However, not all students flourish in the online environment, let alone to self-regulated way of

learning, drop-out rate increased over the years in many different countries all over the world,

including the Philippines, which has a 6.38 to 7.82 percent ratio. Every person in the world has

an outside school work/responsibilities, they divide.

Their time by the responsibilities that are waiting for them to accomplish in their daily lives.

Accomplishing the activities given by the teachers after the class may divide the student’s time

that has been dedicated to his/her outside the school responsibilities. This pushes the students to

think for their own, to figure out which tasks has more importance than the rest and how to

handle their school work along with other responsibilities/task outside of school work. This may

bring a lot of stress not only to the students but also for the teachers, and professors because they

are doing their best to help their students, to guide them. Some students may pass performance

tasks or answer quizzes just to be graded even though they didn’t understand the lesson, or some

may not even pass at all.

Self-paced learning has good and bad sides. According to Clotiva Suvin “They become

their own masters. Students define what to do, how to, when to, and how long to study or

whether to re-study. By self-paced learning, students build an immense sense of self-confidence

that helps them deal with all possibilities of their life.” According to the statement, self-paced
learning does have its good sides, because by developing the students’ critical thinking, and self-

confidence, he/she can have more edge and be more successful. Here’s the bad side, not all

students have the mental capacity to handle the stress, and true you may be smart however

learning things by yourself you’ll bear a much heavier pressure because if you’re wrong then

that’s on you. Students who lack motivation may fall behind, as can those with bad study habits.

Students who are used to traditional classroom environments may have a hard time not being a

routine or having an instructor looking over their shoulder; these are some of the many reasons

on why Self-paced learning can be viable or applicable to students but we must remember that

it’s not consistent.

Academic burnout and boredom can also be one of the problems for many students.

Studying alone for a while can cause a lot of itches for diverting your effort to something else,

some students may just play video games, go out with friends, or even get some sleep rather than

just studying modules after modules all day long without having that companionship or social

element with someone, so you can see isolation can really cause trouble for a student. This

research paper was conducted for the sole purpose of knowing if self-paced learning has a

significant relationship to the Academic Achievement in Mathematics among STEM students.

This is to verify if self-paced learning can actually improve a student’s productivity and well-

being, and to also verify on how effective and applicable this method of learning is to a find

better alternative, and evaluate the effect of self-paced learning on STEM students.

Statement of the Problem

 This study aims to assess The Self-paced Learning to the Academic Achievement in

Mathematics of STEM students of The Mabini Academy A.Y. 2022-2023. Specifically, it

answers the following questions:

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

1.1. Age;

1.2. Sex;

1.3. Grade level

1.4. General Weighted Average (First Semester)

2.How do the participants evaluate their self-paced learning in relation to their academic

achievement in mathematics?

3. Is there a significant difference between the profile of STEM students of The Mabini

Academy and the assessed self-paced learning in relation to their academic achievement?

4. What course of action can be undertaken to enhance the academic achievement in

Mathematics of STEM students with regards to assessed self-paced learning?

Hypothesis

The hypothesis of this research is in null form:

H0: There is no significant difference between self-paced learning and Academic

Achievement in mathematics.
 Conceptual framework

The conceptual framework of the study is depicted with the System Approach

Framework which contains Input-Process-Output. The frames show the relationship and the

pattern (IPO Model) used in the study has shown below:

Input Process Output

Profile respondents:

1. Age; Quantitative research

 Descriptive
2. Sex;
Research
3. Grade level;
Slovin’s Formula
4. General Weighted Course of action that can
Average (First Survey undertake to enhance the
Semester) academic achievement in
 Self-made Mathematics of STEM
questionnaire students with regards to
Assessing the Self- Data Analyses assessed self-paced
paced learning to the learning.
Academic  Frequency and
Achievement in Percentage
Mathematics of STEM  Weighted Mean
students of The  Independent T-test
Mabini Academy

Figure 1.1 Research Paradigm

The figure above displays the conceptual framework of the research where the input is

consisting of the title and demographic profile of the respondents which include Age, Sex, Grade

level, and General Weighted Average (First Semester).

 On the other hand, the process being used is through descriptive-correlational research

design and document analysis. Lastly, the output is the course of action.

Theoretical framework

This study was once conducted in accordance with the Cyclical Process theory by Zimmerman

(2002), were he proposed there are four major parts of self-paced learning in where thorough

details are expressed on how self-paced learning actually work. The first one is called

“Comprehending phase”, this parts is where thoughts, ideas, and knowledge as such are being

learned, understand and fathom with. The second part is the “Planning phase”, this part defines

the action and process that you will take in order to set a goal over a period of time. Following

that is the third stage of the process the “Strategizing”, this phase shows the person/persons

taking time to rehearse so to speak and determining what kind of action they will take. Lastly

“Manifesting”, this part of self-paced learning according to Zimmerman is the phase were the

actions and understanding are showed by the learner, it also indicates the overall result or

assumption if self-paced learning is effective to said learner. This four major phase according to

Zimmerman tells the process on how knowledge and information are worked on using self-paced

learning.

Comprehending phase

Self-paced
Evaluating learning
Planning phase
 Strategizing

Scope and Delimitation

This study was focused on assessing on how students take advantage of self-paced

learning to advance their studies and achieve academic success in Mathematics of STEM

students of The Mabini Academy, the target respondents of this study are Senior high School

students in STEM of the Mabini Academy. This study was conducted at The Mabini Academy,

Lipa City, and Batangas. The study is estimated to be completed from May 2022 to May 2023.

Significance of the study

It was a fact that self-paced learning was important for learning during this pandemic.

We are convinced that self-paced learning was an important factor in the Academic Achievement

of STEM students. Consequently, this study primarily focuses on examining the impact of self-

paced learning assessments on the academic achievement of mathematics students in STEM

programs at The Mabini Academy. Thus, this study helped and benefited the following sectors:

(1) Administration; (2) Teachers; (3) Academic students; (4) Future researchers.

To the administrations, STEM students, and teachers, this study helped them to have some

insight and how can it affect the way of learning and productivity of both students, and teachers.

As for the STEM students, this study helped them learn more about the pros and cons of

“self-paced learning”, and how to adapt to the changes brought by the pandemic COVID-19
 The administration and teachers can also get a better view on how effective “Self-paced

learning” really was from the experience and perspective of the students.

As for the future researchers, this study served as their starting point. With this research

they finished what we had started, and perhaps they may even learn more about the true essence

of “self-paced learning” and what are its advantages, disadvantages, mental and physical effects,

with this they would further our understanding of knowledge in this subject, and this contributed

greatly to the generations to come.

Definition of Terms

For clearer understanding of the study, some of the unfamiliar words were defined

conceptually and operationally in the study:

Academic achievement. Academic achievement or academic performance is the extent to which

a student, teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goals.

Academic burnout. Is a feeling that happens when your academic work and your home life

seem overwhelming and you think you can't cope anymore. You might feel tired, anxious and

like you can't focus on anything.

Biofeedback research. Biofeedback is a technique you can use to learn to control some of your

body's functions, such as your heart rate. During biofeedback, you're connected to electrical

sensors that help you receive information about your body.

Coronavirus Disease. According to the World Health Organization (2021), Coronavirus disease

(COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Department of Education (DepED). DepED or Department of Education is the executive

department of the Philippine government responsible for ensuring access to, promoting

Descriptive-correlational research design and document analysis. Descriptive correlational

studies describe the variables and the relationships that occur naturally between and among them.

Intrinsic motives. Intrinsic motivation is defined as the doing of an activity for its inherent

satisfaction rather than for some separable consequence. When intrinsically motivated, a person

is moved to act for the fun or challenge entailed rather than because of external products,

pressures, or rewards.

Self-Directed learning. self-directed learning describes a process by which individuals take the

initiative, with or without the assistance of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating

learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and

implementing appropriate learning method.

Self-paced Learning. A way of learning method in which the learner is able to control the

amount of material they consume as well as the duration of time they need to learn the new

information properly.

WHO. Or World Health Organization is an organization responsible for providing leadership on

global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards,

articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and

monitoring and assessing health trends.

Bibliography
Massive alternative work-study (Tharoor, 2020), formulate innovative methods and provide

better instruction and assignments (Schleicher, 2020). From

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349053700_PERCEIVED_UTILIZATION_OF_SELF-

PACED_LEARNING_SPL_IN_LITERATURE

Ability to guide one's own learning activities effectively (e.g., Finley, Tullis, & Benjamin, 2009;

Metcalfe, 2009), important implications for the effectiveness of their learning efforts and

achievement in education (Dunlosky & Theide, 1998), beneficial effects of allowing subjects

choice about which items to re-study (Kornell & Metcalfe, 2006; Nelson, Dunlosky, Graf, &

Narens, 1994) and how to schedule re-study (Benjamin & Bird, 2006; Son, 2004; Toppino,

Cohen, Davis, & Moors, 2009), From.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3079256/

Students who are not self-directed learners have a greater risk of failure (Abar & Loken, 2010;

Brooks, Gallagher, & Nolan, 1997).

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349053700_PERCEIVED_UTILIZATION_OF_SELF-

PACED_LEARNING_SPL_IN_LITERATURE

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus,

according to WHO (World Health Organization) from.

https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1
Clotiva Suvin “They become their own masters. Students define what to do, how to when to, and

how long to study or whether to re-study. By self-paced learning, students build an immense

sense of self-confidence that helps them deal with all possibilities of their life.”

https://www.creatrixcampus.com/blog/top-10-benefits-self-paced-learning-you-were-not-aware

Chapter II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Review of related literature is a text of a scholarly paper, which includes the
current knowledge including substantive findings, as well as theoretical and
methodological contributions to a particular topic. This also includes conceptual and research
literature, synthesis, conceptual framework, and definition of terms.

Conceptual Literature
The following conceptual literature provide the researchers related information that
will help in achieving the answers to the problems in the study. Problems such as how important
knowing the history of self-paced learning and many other things related to this topic, knowing
this information and supporting details can pave way to better knowing about this subject.
To ensure academic development, self-paced learning is one of the most appealing
distance learning qualities however, according to (Southard. 2015; Daymont & Blau, 2008) the
downside of It is that Aging has a large effect on learning as students become older their
physical such as memorization degration etc.
According to (Brookfield, 2009). It is possible that Age is often associated with a decline
in cognitive abilities that are important for maintaining functional independence, such as learning
new skills this goes the same for students to have the ability to implement successfully self-
paced learning through academic achievements. Many forms of motor learning also appear to be
relatively well preserved with age, while learning tasks that involve associative binding tend to
be negatively affected.
Age also shows the differences in the experiences and maturation of older students
involve a relatively better performance in academic settings, which is known as the relative age
effect according to (Pedro Olivares, 2011).
According to (Finley 2010) Students choose what to study, how to study, when to study,
and how long to study; these self-regulated aspects of learning have important implications for
the effectiveness of their learning efforts and achievement in education this evidently show as
learners grow more mature and ore complex in how they tackle each lessons.
In some other cases Grade level does show its effects on academic achievement
especially in mathematics, this is supported by (Richard Stiggins, 2008), it is shown and
mentioned in his studies and research that the higher the grade level the more complex the
academic achievements attain by the students. It also show in his studies that academic
achievement varies in many different grade levels.
Other researchers/professors such as (De Leon et al. 2011) suggested that self-directed
learning enhances student’s ability to do critical thinking, and for the past years has shown a
decrease but also an increase in the (GWA) General Weighted Average of past learners and
graduatee alike.

As it also shows self-paced learning affects the General weighted average to the
academic achievements of students, because this method of learning enhances the students’
ability to think on the spot and learn on the spot, According to (J Mem Lang) because of this
nature of Self-paced learning it significantly improves memory performance compared to a
control condition in which the same overall study time was used but time was not differentially
allocated across items. By choosing how to distribute study time, subjects outperformed others
who spent the same total time studying the material.
(O'Shea, 2003) suggests that few of his past conducted studies found small differences
with boys being slightly better at math especially when learning on their own pace, but on the
other hand girls are much better than boys when it comes into literature.
Given that almost 90% of Filipino students are calling for an academic freeze, DepEd has
announced that the total number of enrolees from kindergarten to Senior High school is nearly
close to 24 million. (Manila Bulletin). There is a massive difference between face-to-face and
online learning, but DepEd initiates alternative learning delivery modalities through "distance
education as well as blended learning." (Malipot, 2020). Online learning has evolved; students
and instructors, especially in the Philippines, have faced different teaching and learning
way through various mediums such as modular, synchronous, and asynchronous, either purely
online or blended. Another format, known as the self-paced online course, is also a relatively
new and rare online course variation within the traditional university forum. (Southard. et al.,
2015; Rhode, 2009).
 According to (Fine et al, 2013), exposure to self-paced learning enables the learner to
his/her dive into learning activities that contains a non-adjacent dependency from the teacher,
furthermore self-paced learning does help improve students characteristic and behaviour in an
academic way it also has its own toll, self-paced learning can be hard for other students who
doesn’t have the drive or motivation to learn (Fine et al, 2013).
According to (Rawson, 2000; Giese, 2006; Fredriksson & Hoskins, 2007; Hofmann,
2008), in education there’s a factor that is important as it is hard to instill to a student and that is
learning how to learn. With a lifelong of learning, individuals can become aware of their own
learning needs and they can decide how they want to reach knowledge. At the same time, they
can understand the nature of knowledge instead of memorizing it.
Previous studies show that self-directed learning is related to attending graduate
education and sustained learning (Fox, 2011; Acar, 2014; Sarmasogl +u & Görgülü, 2014),
there is also no significant difference found between students' self-paced learning skills
according to their level of education.
However research shows that a learner-cantered environment promotes high levels of
motivation, learning, and achievement. (McCombs & Vakili, 2005), this means that in some
ways self-paced learning is not always necessary however it is an option or a last resort analyze,
synthesize and do critical thinking.
Moreover some are still unclear whether opportunity to self-regulate in a word-learning
tasks afford any advantages over an academic custom in which normatively difficult items are
allotted greater study time. There are strong reasons to suspect that such normative allotment of
study time may be superior, and also one of the many reasons on why some education based
department in the government of other countries are hesitant or wary of encouraging self-paced
learning because it can cause both positive and negative effects.
Research Literature
The following research literatures help the researchers to strengthen the study.
Self-paced learning focuses on aspects of encouraging students to learn, adapt, and make
decisions for themselves, this also contribute for them to develop a learning experience to their
individual needs. It also shows confidence in enabling them to develop their own learning,
provides them a sense of personal responsibility for their education, builds confidence in
their decisions, and encourages the teachers to give each student clearly, direct feedback.
The learners in self-paced become motivated to engage themselves in learning study this causes
them to be somewhat independent of the teachers.
According to Thornton (2010), there are four aspects of learning process that self-paced
learners are generally understood to navigate: planning, implementing, monitoring, and
evaluating; with these factors students develop and acquire traits and confidence to develop
specific strategies for different learning tasks, encouraging reflection and self-analysis.
 Zimmerman’s Model of Self-Regulated Learning Strategy (Zimmerman, 1999). The
model is observed in a cyclical nature that involves planning, practice and evaluation. Multiple
opportunities abound the student-learners to gather and effectively use learning feedbacks to
improve his performance. During the planning phase, students learn to accurately assess their
academic situation and choose strategies that best address a specific learning challenge. They
also set achievable short-and-long-term goals by recalling and analysing his previous learning
schema and performances. This develops an inner drive that motivates the student to do his/her
learning tasks better.
Furthermore according to (Schifter, 2014), self-paced learning in now known, since distance
education has become a mainstream component of traditional institutions of higher education.
Moreover it offers flexibility and convenience to the students’ self-paced learning allows the
learners to customize their way of learning to meet their personal and educational preference
(Southard. et al., 2015; Daymont & Blau, 2008).
Additionally according to (Magulod, 2018 &; Van, 2009) In learning Literature, self-paced
learning adequately allows students to develop empathy, self-awareness, and
comprehension; it also provides a crucial part of education because it leads students to construct
meaningful contexts composed of descriptive language analysis and compelling characters.
The freedom to encourage students to work at their own pace is also one of its more
significant characteristics that is rarely implemented to other ways of learning (McGraw Hill,
2016).
Encouraging self-guided earners to enhance their performance; metacognitive monitoring
and control must be efficient and precise (Tullis & Benjamin, 2011) and;
According to (Schraw, 2002), the tendency of people to evaluate metacognitive growth
somewhat conceptually without taking concrete measures is due to at least three factors: (a)
confusion as to what to look for; (b) lack of meaningful, cost-effective assessment strategies; and
(c) lack of significant conceptual instructions.
According to Butler (2002) clarified that the motivation component used in this learning
prototype includes both self-efficacy which is a degree to which one individual is confident that
he/she can perform a task or accomplish a goal and epistemological beliefs which is a kind of
mentality or beliefs about the origin and nature of knowledge.
Students need to be focused and attentive in hoping to succeed in passing and
understanding lessons with using a self-paced learning method, there are many chances that this
can backfire because of this students also need to have contextual knowledge; and
insufficient guidance may lead to being astray, with this piece in mind knowing the advantages
and disadvantages of self-paced learning provides a lot of safety percussions and solutions to
dealing with negative side-effects of this king of learning method.

Synthesis
 The cited literature and studies provided researchers with pertinent information about self-
paced learning and the advantages it gives the learners. More importantly, reviewed research
literature gave substance to this study.
Students choose what to study, how to study, when to study, and how long to study; these
self-regulated aspects of learning have important implications for the effectiveness of their
learning efforts and achievement in education (Dunlosky & Theide, 1998). Recent research on
the effectiveness of self-controlled study has revealed beneficial effects of allowing subjects
choice about which items to re-study (Kornell & Metcalfe, 2006; Nelson, Dunlosky, Graf, &
Narens, 1994) and how to schedule re-study (Benjamin & Bird, 2006; Son, 2004; Toppino,
Cohen, Davis, & Moors, 2009). Here we consider the effectiveness of allowing learners control
over the allocation of study time across a heterogeneously difficult set of items. In addition, we
investigate how individual differences in allocation policy affect the benefits of according
control to learners.
In previous experiments presented here, we directly compare the effects of self-control
over study time with control conditions in which total study time is equated and items are either
allocated equivalent study time.
A survey was conveyed which showed one of the most fundamental aspects of self-
regulated learning is deciding how to allocate study time across items. Learners usually devote
more time to items they judge to be difficult, at least when no time constraints exist. A meta-
analysis by Son and Metcalfe (2000) revealed that, out of 46 published conditions examining the
relationship between difficulty and study time, 35 revealed a preference to devote more study
time to material judged to be difficult. Individual differences in the degree to which subjects
modulate their study time across items have also been noted.
According to (Dunning, Johnson, Ehrlinger, & Kruger, 2003) in self-paced learning
memory assessments are prone to inaccuracies, sometimes dramatically so. For example, poor
students overestimate performance by up to an astonishing 30% of their actual test score,
(Dunning, Johnson, Ehrlinger, & Kruger, 2003) also stated Judgments concerning levels of
learning and states of knowledge exhibit poor resolution under many condition and often do not
appropriately reflect the influence of variables that affect performance considerably.
The analysis of the difference between academic success and self-paced learning skills
showed no significant differences of level of academic success. Students with higher academic
success were found to have significantly higher self-directed learning skills. Self-paced learners
are individuals who can identify their own learning needs, also they can utilize different learning
strategies, methods and techniques, manage their learning processes, plan their time effectively,
evaluate their learning outcomes, and identify and amend their learning deficiencies. These skills
are also related to academic success showed a significant relationship between time management
and academic success.
According to Edmondson et al. (2012), students who use self-directed learning effectively
are more successful. (Ilhan-Beyaztaş ;2014) also states that successful students recommended the
following to become effective learners: identifying goals and planning to achieve them;
organizing study environments in line with their goals, doing research, accepting help from
others when necessary, and monitoring their own learning. These recommendations overlap with
the characteristics of self-directed learners. According to this, self-directed learning skills are
expected from individuals of a certain success level admitted at universities.

Chapter III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research design
This chapter contains and discusses all about Assessing Self-paced learning and how it
generally affects the learning of students. The purpose of this research is what self-paced
learning means and how it can affect a student. This type of research design is applicable to our
topic because it asks the question of how self-paced learning influence a student’s way of
learning. It also gives us an insight on how other students who do not choose self-paced learning
learn.

From the many different types of Quantitative research, the researchers used the descriptive
method to analyse the variables, and the respondents’ profile.
 According to Sandra Siedlecki (2020), she believes that descriptive study aims to
adequately describe events as they occurred in their natural settings. This type of research design
does not allow the researchers to manipulate the variables but only describes them and the
sample.

Subject of the Study

The subject of this study were the 572 grade 11 students and 570 grade 12 students of The
Mabini Academy S.Y. 2022-2023, with the age ranging from 15-19years old. The researchers
used Yamane’s formula to determine the minimum number of respondents. We the researchers
applied non-probability sampling method in choosing the subject of the study. This sampling
method relies on his or her own judgement when choosing member of population to participate
in the study. And the researchers have chosen the eleventh and twelfth grade of The Mabini
Academy often experience authoritative parenting due to exposure of children to a new
environment. And based on our research they need the guidance of their parents.
Research Instrument
The researchers made questionnaire is the main data collection tool used by the researcher.
The researchers provide the responders with a set of specially created questions in order to get
the data needed for the study. Because it enabled the researcher to measure variables and acquire
data for the study, this instrument is the ideal choice for gathering accurate data.
The research instrument consisted of two components. The respondents' name, sex, age, and
grade level make up the first section of the survey. While the second section consists of 5–10
item statements regarding evaluating the self-paced learning to the academic achievement in
mathematics of STEM students at The Mabini Academy. The Mabini Academy's STEM students
in Grades 11 and 12 will be provided a link to the Google Forms research questionnaires. The
researchers got accurate responses to the provided equipment. This survey's structure used a
scale with verbal interpretation to make it simple for respondents to respond.

Scale Numerical Verbal

Rating Interpretation

4 3.25-4.00 Strongly Agree

3 2.50-3.24 Agree
2 1.75-2.49 Disagree
1 1.00-1.74 Strongly Disagree
Data gathering procedure
First off the researchers discussed and approved on a subject and it’s tittle in order to present
questionnaires for their research paper. After that the researchers presented a letter of approval to
the Faculty of Senior High School Department to ask permission to conduct a study. Inside the
survey is a list of questions that was required to answer by the respondents. This question
included the profile of the respondents some of these are their Grades, sex, and their personal
view on how they agree or disagree with the effects or the effectiveness of Self-paced learning to
the academic achievements in math of STEM students.
After securing the permit and discussing on what is to be contained in the survey, the
questionnaire was distributed to the respondents. The copies of the approved questionnaire were
distributed to the STEM students of The Mabini Academy in order to gather the relevant data.
The researchers had given the respondents enough time to answer the said questionnaire. After
the data had been successfully collected, it’s statistically treated, analysed and interpreted by the
researchers.

Statistical Treatment of Data

Frequency and Percentage. This was used by the researchers to determine the distribution of
the respondents according to their profile, it includes age, sex, and grade in mathematics.
Weighted Mean. This was intended to assess the academic achievement in mathematics of
STEM students at The Mabini Academy through self-paced learning.

Independent T-test. This was used to find out the significant difference of the respondents
profile and to assess the effects of Self-paced learning to the Academic Achievement in
Mathematics of STEM students of The Mabini Academy.
 Chapter IV

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter discussed the data collected, the results from the statistical
analysis and interpretation of the acquired data from the responses of the
distributed questionnaires. The data presented in a tabular form are organized
in a sequential manner in line with the order of presentation of the specific
problems posed in Chapter 1.

1. Profile of the Respondents

 This part of the study dealt with the profile of the respondents. This
includes their age, gender, grade level, and general weighted average (First
Semester). The data were gathered and analysed to have an accurate
description of the respondents. The frequency distribution of the profile to
respondents is shown on the following table.

1.1 Age

Age is the period of time over which a being or thing has existed; it also
refers to the length of a person's life or existence to the time that has been
mentioned or referred to. Human life is measured in years starting at birth and
is typically characterized by a particular stage or degree of mental or physical
development as well as the acquisition of legal responsibility and capacity.

Table 1: Distribution of Respondents According to Age

Age Frequency Percentage (%)

15 years old and below 0 0

16 years old 18 16.7

17 years old 61 56.5

18 years old and above 29 26.9

Total 108 100

The total number and percentage of the 108 respondents' ages were displayed
in Table 1. According to the table below, 0 or 0% of respondents were aged 15
or younger, while 18 or 16.7% were aged 16 years old, another 61 or 58.5 were
aged 17 years old, and the final 29 or 26.9% were aged 18 years old and above.
It merely suggests that the majority of survey respondents are Mabini Academy
Senior High School students between the ages of 15 below and 18 above.

1.2 Sex

Sex refers to physical differences between males and females. A person's

sex is usually assigned at birth based on physiological traits such as genitalia
and chromosomal composition.

Table 2: Distribution of the Respondents According to Sex

 Sex Frequency Percentage (%)

Male 57 52.8
Female 51 47.2

Total 108 100

The table I had displayed the total number and proportion of male and female
respondents from The Mabini Academy senior high school STEM students.
According to the table below, 51 or 47.2 percent of respondents were female,
whereas 57 or 52.8 percent of respondents were male respondents, totalling 108
or 100 percent of the respondents. According to the data, male respondents
outweighed females. This revealed that the male population of The Mabini
Academy's Senior High School STEM students were larger than the female
population.

1.3 Grade level

The term “Grade Level” refers to the grade in which a child is placed and
what their expectations are for that level.

Table 3: Distribution of the Respondents According to Grade level

Grade level Frequency Percentage (%)

Grade 11 70 64.8

Grade 12 38 35.2

Total 108 100

Based on the table shown, 38 or 35.2% of the respondents are from Grade 11
STEM students while the other 70 or 64.8% are from Grade 12 STEM students.
Base on the distribution of the answers we collected, it implies that the
majority of the students who have answered our survey are from Grade 12
while the Grade 11 is the minority.

1.4 General weighted average (First Semester)

 GWA or General weighted average is a typical averaging system used in
the Philippines to grade a student. It is the average of all the grades of a student
in a particular semester or academic year.

Table 5: Distribution of the Respondents According to the General

Weighted Average (GWA)
General weighted average
Frequency Percentage
(GWA)
70-75 1 0.9
76-80 9 8.3

81-85 51 47.2

86-90 31 28.7

91-95 16 14.8

96-100 0 0

Total 108 100

As shown in the Table 5, 1 out of 108 STEM students with the percentage of
0.9% got a GWA of 70-75. 9 out of 108 STEM students had a 76-80 GWA
with a percentage of 8.3%, 51 out of 108 STEM students were able to achieve
81-85 GWA with the percentage of 47.2%. 31 out of 108 STEM students
attained a GWA of 86-90 with the percentage of 28.7%, 16 out of 108 students
reached a GWA of 91-95 with the percentage of 14.8%, and lastly none out of
the 108 STEM students achieved a GWA of 96-100.

2. Self-paced learning Assessment to the Academic Achievement of STEM

students of The Mabini Academy

This section of the study aims to determine the assessment of self-paced

learning assessment to the academic achievement of STEM students. This was
measured through the use of weighted mean and interpreted using a four point
Likert Scale: four (4) being the highest, and one (1) being the lowest.

Table 5: Assessment of Self-paced Learning and its Effects on Academic

Achievement

Item statement Ranking Weighted Verbal

Interpretatio
 Mean n
3
1. I have the authority and opportunities 3.04 Agree
to use various resources that help me to
learn more concepts in Mathematics.

2. I can answer problem-solving 8 2.83 Agree

questions correctly because I am free to
discover my way of solving them.
3. I can finish all mathematics-related 7 2.92 Agree
activities since I made a time plan in
which I worked.
4. I can practice more drills that 4
enhance my cognitive skills in solving 2.98 Agree
math-related problems (viz. Pre-Cal &
General Mathematics)
5. It gives me more concentration to 6 2.94 Agree
analyse the complex math problems.
6. I am more confident in calculating 10
problems that need logical analysis and 2.71 Agree
reasoning such as proving theorems and
logarithmic-related topics.
7. I can easily memorize the formulas 9 2.75 Agree
and their application since there’s no
one that bothers me to learn.
8. I have time to revisit previously 1 3.34 Agree
studied concepts that I forgot to
improve my analytical thinking skills.
9. It gives me a clear picture of the 5
applications of various concepts in 2.97 Agree
Math that I can apply in the teaching-
learning process
10. I can devise my own strategy and 2 3.05 Agree
techniques on how to deal with various
tasks in Math.
2.65
Composite Mean Agree

Based on the result seen on the table above, the statement “I have time to
revisit previously studied concepts that I forgot to improve my analytical
thinking skills”, got the highest weighted mean of 3.34 with a verbal
interpretation of Agree. This statement was backed up by Professor Dustin
Tingley who emphasized that data is a ubiquitous and elusive substance and
essence of the mind, and according to some of his past researches analytical
skill proves to be an excellent medium in analysing data and organizing your
need in a properly and structured manner. Furthermore according to (Wissman,
Rawson, & Pyc) 2012, the repeated use of flashcards for practice to their
students suggest an increase in critical and analysis thinking amongst said
students.

Apart from that, Statement 10 which states that “I can devise my own
strategy and techniques on how to deal with various tasks in Math”
accumulated a weighted mean of 3.05 which is the second highest amongst the
other item statements with a verbal interpretation of Agree. This statement is
solidified by an article published by Ashley Crowe which states that math,
unlike other subjects, math builds on itself and can only be taken on with
different strategies that are able to capitalize in working together. This is
further supported by (Wilson, Fernandez and Hadaway, 2011), were they state
that Problem-solving has a special importance in the study of mathematics and
the main goal in teaching mathematical problem-solving is for the students to
develop a generic ability in solving real-life problems and to apply
mathematics in real life situations. It can also be used, as a teaching method,
for a deeper understanding of concepts. Successful mathematical problem-
solving depends upon many factors and skills with different characteristics.

Next to that was the Statement 1 “I have the authority and opportunities
to use various resources that help me to learn more concepts in Mathematics”,
which got a weighted mean of 3.04 and has a verbal interpretation of Agree.
According to Groves Young children learn from watching and listening and
engaging with the world around them. New skills and understandings can
emerge through demonstration, modelling and problem-solving. In early year’s
settings, educators enrich learning activities by using mathematical language
that helps children to explore, describe and understand the world around them
and builds strong foundations for future learning in mathematics. Additional
information provided by Ben-Hur (2006) in where he states that there needs to
be varied and balanced attention of instructional time spent on exercising and
drilling procedural skills and time spent on discussion of concepts in order to
fully absorb mathematical lessons.

Meanwhile Statement 4 expressed “I can practice more drills that

enhance my cognitive skills in solving math-related problems (viz. Pre-Cal &
General Mathematics)”, which got a weighted mean of 2.94, ranked fourth and
with a verbal interpretation of Agree. That was followed by Statement 9 that
states “It gives me a clear picture of the applications of various concepts in
Math that I can apply in the teaching-learning process”, which got the fifth
highest weighted mean of 2.97 and with a verbal interpretation of Agree.
Alongside was Statement 5 which states “It gives me more concentration to
analyse the complex math problems”, that had a weighted mean of 2.94, ranked
sixth with a verbal interpretation of Agree. Additionally, Statement 3 “I can
finish all mathematics-related activities since I made a time plan in which I
worked to” followed close behind with a weighted mean of 2.92 and a verbal
interpretation of Agree. Furthermore Statement 2 “I can answer problem-
solving questions correctly because I am free to discover my way of solving
them”, which accumulated a weighted mean of 2.83, ranked eighth place and
got a verbal interpretation of Agree.

On the other hand the Statement 7 asserted “I can easily memorize the
formulas and their application since there’s no one that bothers me to learn”
which ranked 9th with a weighted mean and verbal interpretation of 2.75 and
Agree respectively. https://www.mathnasium.com/blog/tips-for-memorizing-
mathematical-formulas-526402527?
fbclid=IwAR0uHfKvWUsbPdvRAwqVm24OlwA6JmlBwyGo62iY1v740XE6
Cmktpak91_w
supported this statement and indicated that knowing the reason or the process
behind a certain formula makes it easier for us to remember it. Furthermore it
also stated that Full concentration is required to memorize things, so avoid
surfing the internet, listening to music, or messaging while studying. Many
factors can distract you from learning. So it is best to remove all distractions
and maintain concentration will help you give a productive result.

And lastly Statement 6 which ranked last averred that “I am more confident in
calculating problems that need logical analysis and reasoning such as proving
theorem and logarithmic-related topics” with a weighted mean of 2.71 and a
verbal interpretation of Agree was supported by “Frames of Mind: The Theory
of Multiple Intelligences'' by (Gardner) and stated your child’s ability to reason,
solve problems, and learn using numbers, using abstract visual information,
and analysis of cause-and-effect relationships. This is further supported by
(Phelivan A, and Durgut M) by stating Logical-mathematical learners would
find a statistical study more appealing than reading fictional literature or
keeping a journal, your child may also like to create graphs, charts, and
timelines, as well as analyse data. They could be drawn to games like chess or
science kits that encourage experimentation.

Our composite mean in the survey reached 2.65 with a verbal

interpretation of Agree. This proves that self-paced learning affects the
academic achievement of STEM students in The Mabini Academy
Analysis on the Difference of Assessed Self-Paced Learning to the Academic
Achievement in Mathematics of STEM Students of The Mabini Academy

Profile T − value P − value Decision (Ho) Interpretation

Age 0.56 0.121 Accept Not significant
Sex 6.87 0.273 Accept Not significant
Grade level -21.62 0.198 Accept Not significant
st
GWA (1 Semester) 3.27 0.001 Reject Significant
The table shows the difference between the respondents profile and the
assessed self-paced learning to the academic achievement in mathematics of
STEM students of the The Mabini Academy. Based on the result age of the
tabular value (T-value) which is greater that the P-value of 0.121 at 0.05 of
significance, therefore the null hypothesis is accepted and there is no
significant difference between the profile and the assessed self-paced learning
to the academic achievement in mathematics of STEM students of the The
Mabini Academy.
In terms of the respondents’ sex the tabular value of 6.87 is greater than
0.273 at 0.05 level of significance, therefore the null hypothesis is accepted and
there is no significant difference between the profile and the assessed self-
paced learning to the academic achievement in mathematics of STEM students
of the The Mabini Academy.
The respondents’ Grade level with the tabular value of -21.62 is greater
than 0.198 at 0.05 level of significance, therefore the null hypothesis is
accepted and there is no significant difference between the profile and the
assessed self-paced learning to the academic achievement in mathematics of
STEM students of the The Mabini Academy.
The respondents’ GWA (1st Semester) with the tabular value of 3.27
which is greater than 0.001 that was less than 0.05 level of significance,
resulting to the reject of the null hypothesis. Therefore there’s a significant
difference between GWA and the assessed self-paced learning to the academic
achievement in mathematics of STEM students of the The Mabini Academy.
According to (Aaron Benjamin, 2012), although self-paced learning contributes
to the academic achievement of students, studies show that it doesn’t have the
 same potency when it comes to effects on the general weighted average, reason
to these is that even though self-paced learning can have negative side effects it
is still up to the student to have the determination and confidence to pass.
According to (Kerby Cuevillas, 2019), a student’s GWA plays a big factor in
his/her preparation for different college applications. If a student has a low
GWA, he/ she might be unmotivated to prepare and according to (Khursid and
Chaudhry, 2018), students that are unmotivated are also distracted students.
They are out of focus which results for their inability to give importance to the
tasks assigned to them. So this study shows that the general weighted average
are mostly determined by emotion and not just the student’s way of learning.

Table 5

Proposed programs to enhance Academic achievements through self-paced

learning
Proposed Activities Target Date Beneficiaries Goal/Objectives Outcomes/Result

1.Incorporating a Once every Once every The goal of a he outcome of a

weekly quiz into your week week weekly quiz is to weekly quiz can be
self-paced learning assess improved
routine can provide understanding, understanding,
valuable insights into provide feedback increased
your understanding of and track progress, motivation, better
the material and identify areas for retention,
improvement, and identification of
measure the
enhance the self- areas for
effectiveness of your
paced learning improvement, and
self-study efforts in
experience. enhanced education.
enhancing your
education

The action plan on Table 5 is based on the two lowest weighted mean in the
item statements, these activities can help STEM students in assessment of self-
paced learning to the academic achievement in mathematics.
 Chapter 5
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATION
This chapter shows the following: a summary of the finding of the study,
the conclusion which discussed an adequate amount of findings, and the
recommendations proposed as realized from the collected results.

Summary of the findings

The study discusses the Assessment of Self-paced learning to the

Academic Achievement in Mathematics of STEM students of The Mabini
Academy. After the deliberate calculation, statistical treatment, analysis, and
interpretation of data, the following findings suggested that:

1. DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS

The total of 108 senior high school STEM students from the
population of Senior High School students in The Mabini Academy to become
the respondents of the study. Base on the total number of respondents in the
actual survey the researchers found out the highest and lowest percentage of
profiles of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 Age
 A total of 56.5% of the total respondents were 17 years old which
took the highest percentage of the distribution, 0% of the total respondents
were 15 years olds which was the lowest percentage of the distribution
followed by 16 years old respondents that reached 16.7% percentage of the
distribution.

1.2 Sex
Majority of the respondents were male owning 52.8% of the
percentage distribution, while the remaining 47.2% belonged to female
respondents

1.3 Grade level

The total percentage distribution conveys the majority of the
respondents were grade 12 STEM students which had 64.8% while the
minority belonged to the grade 11 STEM students which attained a 35.2% of
the total percentage distribution.

1.4 General Weighted Average (GWA)

The 81-85 GWA dominated the percentage distribution having
reached 47.2% while 70-75 GWA received the lowest rank having only
reached 0.9% of the percentage distribution.

2. How do the respondents assess the self-paced learning to the

Academic Achievement in Mathematics?
The researchers calculated the weighted mean of each item statement
and were able to determine how the respondents Assess the Self-paced
Learning to the Academic Achievement in Mathematics A.Y. 2022-2023
Assessment of Self-paced Learning and its Effects on Academic
Achievement . The statement “I have time to revisit previously studied
concepts that I forgot to improve my analytical thinking skills” got the highest
weighted mean of 3.34 and a verbal interpretation of Agree. While on the other
hand the item statement “I am more confident in calculating problems that
need logical analysis and reasoning such as proving theorem and logarithmic-
related topics” got the lowest weighted mean of 2.71 and a verbal
interpretation of Agree.
3. Is there a significant difference between the profile of STEM students of The Mabini Academy

and the assessed self-paced learning in relation to their academic achievement?

Analysis on the Difference of Assessed Self-Paced Learning to the Academic Achievement in

Mathematics of STEM Students of The Mabini Academy.

Usage to Writing Skills

Profile T − value P − value Decision (Ho) Interpretation
Age 0.56 0.121 Accept Not significant
Sex 6.87 0.273 Accept Not significant
Grade level -21.62 0.198 Accept Not significant
st
GWA (1 Semester) 3.27 0.001 Reject Significant
There is a significant difference between the profile of STEM students of The Mabini Academy

and the assessed self-paced learning in relation to their academic achievement.

4. What are the programs of enhancements that will improve the academic
achievement in mathematics of STEM students using self-paced learning?
On account of the result of the study the researchers provided an action
plan in order to assess on how to enhance academic achievements through
self-paced learning. Based on the results of Assessment of Self-paced
learning to the Academic Achievements in Mathematics of STEM students of
The Mabini Academy A.Y. 2022-2023, the researchers proposed certain
activities for the students that will serve as their guide in enhancing their
academic achievements through self-paced learning.

Conclusion
This was to assess the self-paced learning to the academic achievement in mathematics
of STEM students at The Mabini Academy. By means of the data gathered from the self-made
questionnaires.
1. The majority of respondents in this study were male students with the age of 17 years
old grade 12 STEM students with the GWA 96 to 100.
2. The results based on the assessed self-paced learning to the academical
achievement of STEM students at the Mabini Academy indicated that the students had time to
revisit previously studied concepts that they forgot to improve their analytical thinking skills
which earned the highest weighted mean.
 3. Results revealed that there was a significant difference on the assessed self-paced
learning to the academical achievement of STEM students at the Mabini Academy when they
are grouped up according to their GWA’s.
4. Based on the results of the assessment of self-paced learning to the academical
achievement of STEM students at the Mabini Academy, the researchers compose a course of
action that could be undertaken to enhance the academic achievement on mathematics of
STEM students with regards to assessed self-paced learning

Recommendations

The following recommendations are suggested by the researchers

based on the findings of the study.
The sole purpose of the study is to assess Self-paced learning to the
Academic Achievements in Mathematics of STEM students of The Mabini
Academy A.Y. 2022-2023. Therefore here are few suggestions provided by
the researchers that will help the learners

1.1 For the STEM students, students should find and discover strategies on
self-paced learning to increase their knowledge and academic achievement.
1.2 The Teachers should be open in exploring and testing new and enticing
ways of learning.
1.3 For the future researchers, they should widen their reach in order to
accumulate more data to further enhance the accuracy of the study
1.4 Lastly, the Administration should develop an adaptive nature in
accordance of learning strategies like self-paced learning