Activity-Based Remediation in Improving the Performance on Signed Numbers among Select Grade 10 Students of Quezon National High School

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

The challenge for the 21st-century mathematics educators is to yield a practice that does more than the measurement of an individual's mind and then provides treatment. Many students have spent their junior high school level with poor concepts and skills in Mathematics. One of the basic foundational knowledge and skills is the integers, a vital concept for solving equations and inequalities, as well as real-life word problems that extend not only to the world of Algebra but to other fields in Mathematics. When students do hands-on and minds-on activities, they can attain better. Thus, this study is aimed for improving the students' skills and performance through activity-based remediation on integers.

METHODS

Grade 10 respondents were chosen using convenience sampling. A questionnaire for pre-test and posttest was then developed. The activity-based remediation is a game where rules were patterned based on the famous android game Clash of Clans (COC). Blocks that served as their base were created a few days before the start of the clan war. Attacking clans was visible by giving mathematical expressions involving operations on integers. Trophies and other power-ups were also visible in the study. The game was conducted every Friday for one hour during the Third Quarter of the school year 2015 -2016. Before the end of the quarter, the post-test was administered to compare with the pre-test scores. The T-test was employed to determine if there is a significant difference between the pre-and post-test scores.

RESULTS

There is a poor foundation on the concept of integer before the activity-based remediation and improved scores were released after the intervention. Therefore, there is a significant difference between the scores of the students before and after the activity-based remediation on signed numbers. It shows that the activity-based remediation, when applied to integers, is effective for grade 10 students in improving their skills on the operations on integers.

DISCUSSIONS

Evidence shows that when students are engaged in activity-based remediation, a positive learning experience takes place and students achieve a better and active understanding of the idea. Therefore, activity-based remediation, integrated by the teacher, can improve students' skills in integers. These were consistent in expressing the significance of the use of activities and strategies in improving academic achievement in Mathematics.