Enhancing the Academic Performance in Science of Grade 6 Pupilsthrough Strategic Intervention Materials

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Teachers spend much time in thinking ways and strategies in teaching Science. However, there are still problems that arise in the academic performance of the pupils. Based on the result of the quarterly test, low academic performance in Grade 6 Science has been observed in Bayanan Elementary School.

With this situation, Strategic Intervention Materials (SIM) has been selected as a form of intervention for the purpose of enhancing pupils academic performance which has been used as a teaching aid and in the teaching methods to stimulate the mind of the learners while doing activities and also to increase their level of understanding.

In this study, the researcher aims to determine the effectiveness of the teacher-made Strategic Intervention Materials in enhancing the academic performance of Grade 6 pupils in Science in the specified competency.

METHODS

Descriptive and comparative research methods were used in this study. The pupils took the test twice as pretest and posttest. In the pretest, pupils did not use SIM as review exercises before taking the test and in the posttest, pupils used SIM as review exercises before taking the test. A test with 10 items was accomplished by the respondents. The test consisted easy, average, and difficult questions.

RESULTS

Pupils got least mastered in classifying vertebrate animals’ competency with 47.38% or 34 out of71 pupils in pretest. After using SIM as an exercise, pupils mastered the competency with 91.54% or 65 out of 71 pupils in the posttest. Pupils find it interesting, enjoyable, and have contributed positive attitude towards Science. The findings revealed that Strategic Intervention Materials were not only for the teachers’ convenience but also for the learners. Through Strategic Intervention Materials (SIM), the pupils' academic performance in Science improved.

DISCUSSIONS

Based on the result of the test, it showed a slight improvement on the pupils’ ability. Pupils exposed to SIM performed better in the posttest than the pretest. The result of observation implied that the employment of Strategic Intervention Materials gave a positive effect to the enhancement of pupils’ academic performance in Science. Thus, it is recommended for further studies to vary kinds of SIM.