I.

Context and Rationale

The capability to remember or store information is a key factor in learning and
academic performance. Memory retention is vital for students to be able to recall class
lectures and solve problems. Radvansky (2017) defined memory as the mental processes
used to acquire, store, and retrieve information. Wang and Hou (2016) discovered that
sharing memories can help with memory retention. Concentration in the classroom is
necessary for students to be able to memorize; however, even if students are focused,
they will not be able to recall information without memory. Research has found that there
are many factors which can contribute to students' memory retention and its effect on
their academic performance, such as motivational practices and experiences, goal setting
and accomplishments, personalized learning, teaching strategies and learning activities,
and educational resources and learning devices (Pantziara & Philippou, 2015). Therefore,
teachers need to be aware of these factors to ensure that students can retain information.
Today's generation is realistic and looks to acquire skills rather than being forced
to memorize information (Reddy, Singh, Kapoor & Churi, 2020). Consequently,
classroom teaching needs to be creative to keep up with the ever-changing dynamics of
the 21st century. The youth of this era are highly influenced by digital mediums and are
part of virtual communities (Purnama, 2017). Bruyckere, Kirschner & Hulshof (2016)
found that the choice of medium does not affect learning as long as they are used
correctly for instruction. Cannizzaro (2016) noted how internet memes have been
developed by new forms of media. Boa Sorte (2019) further added that internet memes
are embedded in students' daily lives, allowing them to access or create them with a few
taps on their mobile phones. Harshavardhan, D & Kumar (2019) noted how internet
memes can be used in the classroom to make learning more entertaining as well as
educational.
It is a known fact that memes are not new in the academic world. A meme is a
form of cultural transmission that can be seen in nursery rhymes, jokes, catchphrases, and
fashion trends (Aslan, 2018). Today, an internet meme is an expression, image, or video
that is made into an online joke and then circulated. It can be based on a real-life event or
be something new, but its popularity is due to its replication and transition across the web
(Herbert, 2019). Shifman (2014) defines internet memes as digital writings or objects that
are created and shared by many people, all of which possess similar content, shape,
and/or location. Scholars have also begun to recognize internet memes as a type of
“cultural artifact” that can help to spread knowledge or philosophy about certain aspects
of life (Quinal, 2019). Memes have a range of characteristics, such as salience, frequency,
adaptability, argumentativity, sociality, embeddedness, embodiedness, locality, relativity,
emotionality, and dynamicity, which can be used to convey an opinion or true feelings
without feeling coerced (Xie, 2020). Padgett & Swafford (2016) assert that memes are a
creative way to express opinions or true feelings.
 Therefore, the rise and use of social media is the perfect platform for teaching
Araling Panlipunan which is considered a boring subject. Social media platforms such as
Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube are now serving as important communication channels for
Filipinos to transmit, receive and create local and global bits of information. People don’t
even have to walk out of the house to buy a newspaper or stay at home for the news
channel at 8 pm to know what is going on around the world. All you need is a small
digital screen on your palm, and you can have every inch of news at any time. Hence,
innovation in culture and communication occurred along the process of encoding and
decoding the messages (Bernaim, 2018). Internet memes as one of the most successful
and continuous elements of innovation of culture. It is for this reason that action research
is being conducted to determine the utilization of MEMEs (Mentally Enduring Media
Support) in the Araling Panlipunan subject is very much useful and could help affect
retention skills, particularly among the Grade 8 students in Mongolbongol National High
School.

II. Research Questions

This action research attempts to address the following questions:

1. What is the retention skill of the grade 8 students before using MEMES?
2. What is the retention skill of the grade 8 students after using MEMES?
3. Is there a significant difference in the retention skills of the students before
and after utilizing MEMES?
4. How can the MEMES affect the retention skills of the students?
Hypothesis

Ho1: There is no significant difference in the retention skills of the students

before and after utilizing MEMES.

III.Innovation, Intervention, and Strategy

Production. This action research will develop a MEME-based approach for

teaching particular lessons in Araling Panlipunan. Referred to as MENTALLY
ENDURING MEDIA SUPPORT in this study, this approach is based on the belief that
using memes in the subject may help strengthen the memory retention abilities of the
lesson, particularly Grade 8 Araling Panlipunan which focuses on world history,
necessitating students to be associated with the major events of the past. Given that
learners in the 21st century have numerous options for learning, utilizing social media
through mobile phones or other gadgets can provide a way for education to take place.
Memes are widely used today not only by adults but largely by Gen Z. They are defined
as captioned pictures intended to be amusing and humorous and are shared and
commented on globally through social sites (Viriya, 2015). There is a potential for memes
to affect the psychological state of the youth. Social media provides a platform for people
to communicate, post and share content. Memes are becoming increasingly popular on
these sites, humorous content filled with sarcasm that people share worldwide. In terms
of this study, MEMES will be employed in the classroom as a strategy to improve the
retention skills of Grade 8 learners in studying significant lessons from the Araling
Panlipunan subject. Utilizing memes in studying can help in the learning process by
providing a more interactive and enjoyable way for students to retain, practice and
understand the concepts and events in the past.
The innovation in this study is based on the belief that every child is a potential
learner. According to Howard Garner, it's a crime to say that a child is ignorant. In other
words, no child is not capable of learning; hence, it is in need to know their learning style
for them to learn of retain bits of information being imparted to them by their teachers.
Memes, which refer to humorous images, videos, or texts that spread rapidly across the
internet, have been increasingly used as a teaching strategy because they leverage the
motivational and emotional aspects of humor to engage learners and facilitate memory
encoding and retrieval. Several studies have provided empirical support for the
effectiveness of using internet memes as a teaching tool. Similarly, Leeming et al. (2019)
found that using internet memes in an online educational video improved students'
retention of information and willingness to participate in discussions. Wang and Chen
(2019) suggest that internet memes can be most effective in reinforcing or illustrating
specific concepts, rather than as a primary instructional method. Additionally, the
appropriateness and sensitivity of the content and humor should be carefully evaluated to
avoid perpetuating stereotypes or offending learners.
Utilization. Two sets of instruments will be utilized in this study which aims to
determine the retention skills of the grade 8 students in Mongolbongol National High
School: the Self-Assessment Retention Scale and the MEME-based materials designed
for the lessons in Araling Panlipunan specifically on the topic “Paglakas ng Europa” at
Paglawak ng “Kapangyarihan ng Europa”. The administration of the Self-Assessment
Retention Scale shall be taken before and after the implementation of the MEME-based
approach.
Specifically, the following processes shall be done:

1. The teachers will prepare and administer the Self-Assessment Retention Scale
to the identified participants to identify their level of retention skill before the
implementation of the MEME-based approach to teaching.
2. The teachers will creatively design two MEMEs for the two lessons:
“Paglakas ng Europa” at Paglawak ng “Kapangyarihan ng Europa” which
shall be taken for 2 weeks during the 3rd quarter of the school year.
3. MEMEs can be presented as a video or an image and should be humorous to
capture the attention of viewers. It is important not to include any sarcastic
 statements, as this could lead to an atmosphere that encourages unethical
conduct among students.
4. During the lesson, it shall be presented as part of the activity and analysis in
the Daily Lesson Log (DLL). It shall be implemented for two consecutive
weeks for 3rd quarter of the school year.
5. Such MEMES may be posted on the Facebook, Tiktok, or Youtube account of
the teacher so that learners connected to them may view the content and relate
it to their lessons.
6. After a week, the teacher will administer again the Self-Assessment Retention
Scale to determine if the retention skill of the learners improved or not.

Validation. The instruments used in the action research must be validated for both
face and content validity. Concerning the Self-Assessment Retention Scale
Questionnaire, the English critics and other research enthusiasts from San Vicente
District will review the content, including grammar, coherence, and organization, to
ensure validity. The reliability of the questionnaire will be tested with grade 8
students at San Vicente School of Fisheries, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient will be
used to determine which items need to be kept, modified, or deleted. The MEMES
designed for the research will be reviewed by an IT expert in the Division of Northern
Samar to ensure that they do not infringe on people's rights or contain inappropriate
content.

IV. Methodology

Research Design
This study will use qualitative research methods to examine the effect of the
MEMES-based approach among grade 8 students. The research instrument is an in-
depth interview. This research method can understand deeply the MEMES usage
among grade 8 students and their opinions on its innovation. A qualitative research
method is rated as one of the most efficient research methods in collecting primary
data as it can find out details of the participants’ experience on a particular subject
(Showkat & Parveen, 2017). The interview questions will be set to answer the two
research questions which are 1. What are the effects of memes on Grade 8 students?
2. Are memes a reliable source of improving the retention skills of students?
Participants

The participants of the study will be the selected grade 8 students in

Mongolbongol National High School who are identified to have obtained below
mastery level in Araling Panlipunan 8 subject during the 2 nd quarter of the school.
Below mastery level means that these learners were not able to achieve the desired
competencies expected of them.
 Sampling Procedure

Purposive sampling technique shall be used as the sampling procedure as it

purposely identified those participants who did not meet the expectations and who
obtained below mastery level during the 2nd quarter examinations.

Data Collection
This study shall observe the triangulation mode of data collection. First,
observation shall be done among the grade 8 students as to their reactions to the
implementation of the MEMES-based approach. Such observation shall be recorded
by the teacher-researcher so that it can add to the validity of the results of the study.
Second, an interview shall be conducted among the participants as to their opinions
and feelings in the implementation process of the innovation. Such interviews shall
also be recorded so that they could catch valuable insights into the study and turned
into transcripts to ease the data analysis process. Each session will take an average of
10-15 minutes. And third, the administration of the Self-Assessment Retention Scale
Questionnaire which shall be done before and after the implementation.
Data Analysis

To analyze the data taken from Self-Assessment Retention Scale, a t-test will be
used to test whether there is a significant difference in the retention skills of the grade
8 students before and after the implementation of the MEMES-based approach. On
the other hand, thematic analysis will be carried out to determine the effectiveness of
the MEMES-based approach. Responses from participants will be coded
appropriately and analyzed thematically.

V. ACTION RESEARCH PLAN AND TIMELINES

The table below shows the research work plan and timelines for the research
procedures.

Research Processes Months of SY 2023-2024

A S O N D J F M A M J J
1. Identifying the problem
2. Writing the Research Proposal
3. Formulating the Research Plan
4. Creating and Preparation of Memes
5. Collecting and Gathering of data
6. Analysis and interpretation of data
7. Formulating Conclusions and
Recommendations
8. Submission of Completed Action Research
9. Implementation of Action Research
 COST ESTIMATES
The table below presents the detailed research cost, broken per research task and
activities employed.
Research Processes Persons Time Costs MOV’s
Involved Frame
1. Identifying the problem Researcher September None None
2. Writing the Research Researcher September 500 Research
Proposal Proposal
3. Formulating the Research Researcher September 500 Research
Plan Instruments
4. Creating and Preparation of Researcher Oct-Dec 2000 Research
Memes Instruments
5. Collecting and Gathering Researcher Dec-Feb 1000 Research
of data Instruments
6. Analysis and interpretation Researcher March 500 Result of
of data the Data
Analysis
7. Formulating Conclusions Researcher March 500 Copy of the
and Recommendations complete
Action
Research
8. Submission of Completed Researcher March 1000 completed
Action Research Action
Research
9. Implementation of Action Researcher March- 1000 Pictures
Research July and Memos
Total 7000.00

PLANS FOR DISSEMINATION AND UTILIZATION

The researchers plan to present the findings of the study to the Mongolbongol
National teachers to disseminate the research findings for immediate intervention to
integrate the use of a MEMES-based approach on retaining bits of information to the
learners. This research will also be deliberated with the different school heads of the
Schools District of San Vicente so that the findings can be broadly circulated. If the
results and findings are deemed effective, the researcher will present them to the Schools
Division of Northern Samar as well as seek permission from the concerned authority to
allow the school to use the MEMES-based approach in retaining knowledge being
imparted to the learners effectively.

References
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Benaim, M. (2018). From symbolic values to symbolic innovation: Internet-memes and
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Cultures. Educação & Formação Revista do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Edu
cacao da Universidade Estadual do Ceará (UECE), 51-66.
Bruyckere, P. K. (2016). Technology in Education: What Teacher Shouas internet signs: A
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Chandler, K. (2018). Memes in the Classroom: Instructors' Perspectives on the
Pedagogical Value of Internet Memes. Journal of Political Science Education,
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Harshavardhan, V. D. (2019). Humour Discourse in Internet Memes: An Aid in ESL
Classrooms. Sage Journals, 41-53.
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Learning and Participation in Student-Generated Discussions: Results from a Pilot
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doi:10.14434/josotl.v19i2.23623
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Xie, C. (2020). Internet memes we live by (and die by). John Benjamins Publishing
Company, pp. 145-173.

Interview Questions

1. How do you feel about the MEMES?

2. Of what importance are memes as a content that attracts you to social media?
3. What effects do MEMES have on you as a student?
4. How does MEMES influence your opinion on certain issues in your community
or in the Philippines as a whole?
5. Internet memes have grown into a new form of communication because it carries
message from sender to receiver. So, how reliable do you think memes as a form
of teaching approach?