Effectiveness of Contextualized Learning Module for Grade 5 Mathematics

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Pursuant to Republic Act 10533, Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, Section 10 of paragraphs d and h, the curriculum shall be contextualized and global and shall be flexible enough to enable and allow schools to localize, indigenize, and enhance the same based on their respective educational and social contexts. In the school where the researcher recently teaches, the students manifested varied types of difficulties in the different learning areas in Mathematics which prompted the researcher to conduct a study on the learning difficulties of the Grade 5 students from which might be designed a contextualized learning material that would enhance Mathematics instruction through minimizing the students' learning difficulties.

METHODS

The quasi-experimental research design was utilized. Two heterogeneous classes were used and they underwent a proportional random sampling technique. There are students exposed to teaching mathematics with the aid of contextualized learning module (experimental) and students exposed to conventional learning material (comparison). The data gathered from pretest, summative tests and posttest of the respondents were treated using mean, standard deviation, independent and paired t-test.

RESULTS

Based on the result of summative tests, experimental performed better than comparison; the posttest performance of the two groups significantly different from each other, the experimental performed better than comparison; both learning materials yielded a significant improvement on mathematics performance of the students. In spite of this, the higher mean gain score of the experimental than the comparison confirmed that the students who were subjected to contextualize learning module in teaching mathematics perform better than with those subjected to the conventional learning material.

DISCUSSIONS

The better performance of the experimental group could have been the result of an increase in motivation and decrease inhibitions while learning since modular instruction presents students with real-world scenarios that allow them to practice what they know and gain valuable hands-on experience. The success of the use of contextualized learning module in increasing student achievement may have resulted from the application of the principle “Learning by Doing” and what has been called local knowledge. Further study on contextualization to learning to test the effectiveness using a bigger sample or different grade level to verify the result of this study and may be done in other settings.