Background of the Study

According to research by Landivar in 2013, about 46% of those majoring in

life sciences-related fields choose to enter professions in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or STEM-related fields. These career paths
encompass roles in research, engineering, management, and healthcare.
Undergraduates who study biology have a diverse array of career opportunities to
explore.

Given that most college students and the general public cite achieving career
success as their main reason for enrolling in college (as supported by studies from Pew
Research Center in 2016, Twenge and Donnelly in 2016, and Strada Education
Network in 2018), it is logical to conclude that undergraduate biology programs should
encompass skills and abilities that empower students to excel in their post-college
endeavors, whether they are within or outside the field of STEM.

Core Competencies in biology are sets of intellectual, personal, social, and

emotional proficiencies that all students need to develop in order to engage in deep
learning. (CamBioc Teaching. (2022, January 5).

According to the Teaching Guide for Senior High School, published by the
Commission on Higher Education in 2016, in order for the competencies to be maximize
in the field of biology, learners should go on a journey geared toward the deeper
understanding and appreciation of life processes at the cellular and molecular levels
previously introduced in Grades 7-10. General Biology I course at the senior high school
level is subject to numerous challenges with mastery of content among educators
tapped to facilitate learning and a lack of resources to deliver the necessary content and
develop skills and attitudes in the learners, being foremost among these.

In support of the SHS for SHS framework developed by CHED, biologists

and biology educators in partnership with educators from focus groups all over the
Philippines crafted and redefined the guides to provide opportunities to develop the
following:
1. Through meaningful, updated, and context-specific content that highlights important
points and common misconceptions so that learners can connect to their real-world
experiences and future careers;

2. Through diverse learning experiences that can be implemented in a resource-poor

classroom or makeshift laboratory that tap cognitive, affective, and psychomotor
domains are accompanied by field-tested teaching tips that aid in facilitating discovery
and development of higher-order thinking skills; and

3. Through flexible and relevant content and performance standards allow learners the
freedom to innovate, make their own decisions, and initiate activities to fully develop
their academic and personal potential.

Biology education contributes a significant impact in the society because

this will define the core competencies of every individual in a particular community in
terms of scientific concepts, ideas, and principles. Educating every learner to higher
standards of performance has been a perennial challenge for the teachers, specifically
in providing the students the needed competencies to become more globally
competitive and functionality literate, especially in biological disciplines.

Globally, the Philippines lags behind other countries in the quality of

education, particularly in a science subject (Millanes et al., 2017; Rogayan Jr & Dollete,
2019). The Philippines ranked 70th out of 144 participating countries in terms of the
quality of mathematics and science education, according to the World Economic Forum
by Schwab and Sala-i-Martín (2016). This was likewise reflected in the Trends in
International Mathematics and Science Study (Foy et al., 2013).

One common problem faced by science students is their low mastery in

content knowledge in science, most specifically in biology. This is supported by the
study of Großschedl et al. (2014) which stated that the most challenging part for
educators is to assist learners to development their knowledge in subject matter such as
in biology. They cited that these difficulties are affected by different factors such as
students' background knowledge, intelligence, and motivation.
 In teaching and learning process, biology is a branch of science that
provides explanations about natural phenomena such as living things and the process
of life. The biology topics are diverse, some of them can be explained by observing
nature directly, but others cannot be explained without technology/media. Besides, in
learning biology, students are demanded to have biology skills. Clemmons et al. (2020)
state that biology skills refer to a set of competencies developed from the Vision and
Change core competency framework, consisting of 6 competencies:

• Ability to apply the process of science: have a process of science, i.e., formulating a
question, interpreting data.

• Ability to use quantitative reasoning: interpret logic, math including performing a basic
calculation.

• Ability to use modeling and simulation: use the model to express or communicate
ideas with others.

• Ability to tap into the interdisciplinary nature of science: understand that concept of
science is interdisciplinary- it includes other fields of science.

• Ability to communicate and collaborate with other disciplines: can work and share with
others regardless of their expertise.

• Ability to understand the relationship between science and society: understand that
science, environment, and lives are constantly influenced by each other.

According to Buckley (2018) the main view of studying Biology is to know

about humans and nature. That is why Biology is taught in every school to learn the
essence of life and, in addition, to connect the common learnings and new learnings
and suggest methods to incorporate it in the formal learning system of formal education
(Ardan et al., 2015). Study indicates that out of all science topics, learners enjoy and
have a high interest in Biology (Awan et al., 2011; Baram & Yarden, 2005; Osborne &
Collins, 2000; Prokop et al., 2007). However, despite the popularity of Biology among
students, conceptual understanding and performance are still low (Çimer, 2004).
 According to SEI-DOST (2011) reported that learners from the Philippines
have poor communication skills and analytical abilities, low reasoning, poor retention of
concepts, and cannot explain and express ideas in their own words. Similarly, a local
study by Lawsin and Garcia (2017) revealed that Mendelian and non-Mendelian
genetics, mitosis and meiosis, and endocrine system are the top three topics where the
students have low conceptual understanding and least mastered competencies as
indicated by biology in-service teachers of National Capital Region.

Since biology is one of the components of science subject in the K to 12

curriculums, understanding the difficulties of the learners in this area will provide
insights and directions to teachers to better design pedagogical plans. The current
curriculum, which uses spiral progression approach, provided a range of competencies
to the learners in a knowledge-based society (Antipolo & Danilo, 2021). So far, there are
only a few studies that discuss the mapping of low mastery competencies in the field of
Biology, especially in senior high schools. The study likewise investigated the different
reasons which affect the learners from achieving the standard competencies and
classified the different areas in Biology where the students mostly experience
difficulties. In the future, this research can be used as a reference source for similar
research on the competencies in the field of Biology.