Participation to International Chemistry Tournament in Russia: A Benchmark for Cavite National Science High School in Teaching Chemistry in the Spiral Progression Approach

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

The implementation of the new K-12 Curriculum since 2012 has greatly challenged the school community. The Science curriculum in Junior High School employs the spiral progression approach. To find out its impact on Cavite National Science High School, participation in the International ChemistryTournament (IChTo) in Moscow, Russia in 2018 was considered. The tournament involved critical thinking, creativity, technology literacy, communication, and collaboration skills. The performance of the team in the IChTo was used to evaluate the performance of Cavite National Science High in Chemistry and to address the issues besetting quality services.

METHODS

This study employed a descriptive method. Purposive sampling was used in the selection of participants, 2 from Grade 10 and 2 from Grade 12. The participants' proposed solutions to the given 12 open-ended problems from the organizer, prepared visual presentations and defended before judges. The Chemistry problems encompass Biology, Physics, Earth Science, and Computer Science. The technical points earned by the team from the scientific concepts and presentation skills were compared to those of other countries using One-way ANOVA.

RESULTS

Out of thirteen teams that competed in IChTo, the team acquired the lowest technical points. One-way ANOVA results showed that the performance of the team was significantly lower than the teams from other countries. The results implied that the school needs to work more to inculcate science concepts, develop creative ability in applying science concepts to solve real-life problems, promote collaboration among team members, and to encourage the use of technology to communicate solutions to problems.

DISCUSSIONS

In light of the findings, the school should review the curriculum, identify the gaps, conduct bridging, and enrich lessons to fix science concepts that are necessary to solve real-life problems. Teacher-subject mismatch should be avoided when possible. Teachers in their field of expertise can better give clear ideas, in-depth discussion, and wider applications of science concepts. The use of science laboratory resources available should be maximized. The coding education and robotics applications should be integrated into the curriculum to equip students with 21st-century skills. Importantly, teamwork among students and teachers be strengthened to optimize productivity.