The teaching of selected topics in quadratic functions at Torres High School: a modular approach

• Main Author: De Castro, Dominador L.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1993
• Subjects: Equations; Quadratic; Functions; Mathematics > Study and teaching; High school students; Quadratic equations; Curriculum and Instruction; Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research; Secondary Education; Secondary Education and Teaching
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/1503
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study was undertaken to compare the achievement of selected third year students of Torres High School in learning some lessons in quadratic functions using the module prepared by the researcher and the lecture-discussion method of instruction. Specifically, it aimed to:1. develop and validate a module on selected topics in quadratic functions, and2. evaluate the module both quantitatively and qualitatively, to determine its effectiveness in the achievement of the junior students in Torres High School during the school year 1992-1993 under the Secondary Education Development Program (SEDP).The study underwent a three-stage investigation: the Developmental Stage, the Experimental Stage, and the Evaluation Stage. The Developmental Stage. This stage involved activities such as examining the syllabus for Mathematics III, SEDP, selecting a topic, reading several textbooks and references, writing the module, and consulting mathematics experts for their comments and suggestions on the materials developed. The Experimental Stage. This stage involved the testing of the module. The study utilized sixty students with thirty students composing the experimental group and thirty students for the control group. Each group comprised three group levels, namely: upper, middle, and lower levels with ten students in each group level. The experimental and the control groups by levels were matched according to age, results of Manila Self-Administering Test (MSAT) for mental ability and the average of the final grades in Mathematics I and Mathematics II. The experimental groups used the module on selected lessons in quadratic functions while the control groups used the conventional lecture-discussion method of instruction. The Evaluation Stage. This stage involved the quantitative evaluation using the results of the pretest and posttest of the experimental and control groups by levels, and the qualitative evaluation using the responses of student-evaluators and the teacher-evaluators on the likert-scale questionnaires. The statistical measures used in the treatment of data were the t-test for dependent and independent samples. Results of the statistical test led to the following findings and conclusions:1. There is a significant difference between the posttest and pretest mean scores of the experimental groups in the different levels. The experimental groups in all levels got much higher means in the posttest than, in the pretest means which can be attributed to the use of modular instruction. Based on the improved performance of the students in all levels of the experimental groups, it can be concluded that since the performance of the students improved with the use of the module, then the module is an effective self-instructional material.2. There is a significant difference between the posttest and pretest mean scores of the control groups in all levels. The control groups obtained much higher means which can be attributed to the use of the lecture-discussion method of instruction. This finding led the researcher to conclude that: Since the performance in mathematics of the students exposed to the lecture-discussion method in all levels improved, then the lecture-discussion method is an effective teaching method.