Kulturaand Improved Academic Performance on Human Evolution of TVL Students in Maddela Comprehensive High School

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

This study examined the effect of KULTURA, an intervention designed to enhance academic performance on human evolution. The need for improving students' performance on that competency was documented by international researches. The literature is replete with researches that recommend strategies on how to address this concern. However, the intervention used in this study is somewhat different from those because it covers step-by-step classroom procedures from the presentation of the lesson until the evaluation of learning.

METHODS

A mixed-method design was utilized with two TVL sections-AFA and ICT assigned as experimental (n=30) and control (n=30) groups respectively. The quantitative segment of the study employed a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design. The qualitative component included interview data collected after the completion of the pre-test and post-test.

RESULTS

Data analysis revealed that after the implementation of KULTURA, the students in the experimental group got a mean score in the post-test that is higher than what they got in the pre-test. This indicates that the intervention improved their academic performance. Additionally, based on the independent sample t-test conducted, there was a significant difference in post-test scores for students who have undergone the intervention versus students who did not. On top of that, paired-sample t-test exhibited that there was a significant difference in the mean scores of the experimental group before and after the implementation of the intervention. Furthermore, post-interview data showed that many of the participants recognized that the intervention heightened their interest and increased their content knowledge on human evolution. This demonstrates that through the intervention, the students' perceived interest and perceived gain in content knowledge increased significantly. Lastly, it is worth noting that the effect size of KULTURA was large.

DISCUSSIONS

The results of this study demonstrate that the implementation of KULTURA in teaching evolution holds promise for increasing academic performance of students and at the same time increases the students' perceived interest and perceived gain in content knowledge. Therefore, the researcher recommends the implementation of KULTURA in teaching human evolution.