ELENA M.

MIPANA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL GRADE 9 STUDENTS’ LEVEL OF

ALGEBRAIC SKILLS IN THE CONTEXT OF QUADRATIC EQUATIONS

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The pandemic's existence was unusual, resulting in school closures before the official end

of the school year 2019-2020, with just 37 percent to 50 percent of learning gains in mathematics

when students returned the following academic year (Kuhfeld et al., 2020). Students may lose

more ground in mathematics than in reading, according to the Northwest Evaluation Association.

In 2020-2021, students would learn half or even a full year less math than they would have learnt

in a usual year (Sawchuk, 2021).

As a result of the unexpectedly altered school calendar caused by the premature school

shutdown, it has been reported that secondary school students' math performance in the national

examination will most likely decline if the pandemic is not addressed as soon as possible

(Sintema, 2020). Students' interest in learning math, particularly algebra (even before the

pandemic), begins to wane as they approach puberty, as they discover that the latter's concepts

are scarcely useful in the actual world (Galindo & Newton, 2017). With what the pandemic has

brought, instructions will be more important than ever. There will be different levels of learning

loss (Shafer, 2020).

Learning algebra from a standing position had already been a challenge. Even though 4-5

hours per week are allowed to master the topic in Malaysia, according to the Trends in

Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Malaysian students' performance in algebra trails

significantly behind that of any other country. In the 2012 Program for International Student

Assessment, or PISA, they were the weakest performers in mathematics (Lim, 2016).

Furthermore, in the 2007 and 2011 TIMSS findings, worldwide algebra performance ratings fell
from 49 to 36 and 42 to 38, respectively, indicating that the student's algebra skill is quite low

(Pramesti & Retnawati, 2019)

In terms of the Philippines, PISA 2018 statistics revealed that 15-year-old representative

Filipinos placed 78th out of 80 nations in mathematics. In fact, Filipinos' math skills are

decreasing (Silk et al., 2017). This long-standing issue is exacerbated by the pandemic's

challenges, which come down to the possibility that educational institutions may no longer be

able to successfully transmit the literacy and numeracy abilities expected of students (Teodoro,

2020). The new normal's restrictions have forced a massive reform of educational systems

around the world, most notably in the Philippines (Mateo, 2020), and coronavirus will leave

many students academically behind, with just 44% of learning gains in mathematics and a wider

achievement gap (Terada, 2020).

In light of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Public Health Emergency, the

Department of Education has implemented DepEd Order No. 012 Series of 2020 or the Adoption

of the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan for School Year 2020-2021, which provides

access to education through necessary and available platforms (either online or offline). Those

who struggle to absorb curriculum through distant education, however, face a tougher problem

(Mateo, 2020). The pandemic has raised a number of issues, including cognitive task overload in

certain local schools for students and teachers (Malindog-Uy, 2020). For example, when

implementing a learning modality among selected educational institutions in Region IV-A during

a health crisis, students claim that distance learning is not suitable and applicable for

mathematics because understanding it through alternative platforms is difficult; as a result, a

drop in math performance among students is expected (Reyes-Chua et al., 2020)

However, because most literature on the depreciation of the math achievement level of

learners is only projections (Kuhfeld et al., 2020; Sawchuk, 2021; Di Pietro et al., 2020; Dorn et
al., 2020; Sintema, 2020; Majumdar, 2020), there is still little to no data available affirming the

decline of actual math achievement of students, particularly in algebra, during COVID-19.

As a result, the primary goal of this study was to look into the actual academic

achievement level of public high school Grade 9 students in the first quarter algebra in the new

normal, both as a whole and when grouped by sex and parent's greatest educational attainment. It

was also determined that they had difficulty learning quadratic functions. Furthermore, the study

attempted to determine if there was a link or difference between the demographic profile of the

respondents and their academic attainment level.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The result of this study could help benefit the following:

Administration. This study will benefit the administration for having a basis for the future

implementation or guidelines of interventions to improve the academic achievement of students

in Algebra.

School Heads – For the school head to provide further training to their math teachers regarding

the trends in teaching/learning mathematics, using effective instructional materials, and

minimizing learner differences to become more competent in instilling to the students their

expected skills and competencies in algebra.

Teachers. For the teachers to be aware of the academic achievement of students in Algebra and

to take necessary interventions to address the low level of academic achievement in the first-

quarter algebra and the different learning difficulties, which the learners emphasized.

Students. For the students to improve their academic achievement in Algebra and to determine

their different learning difficulties to address.

Parents. For the parents to provide their children with the necessary scaffolding, especially in

this new normal set-up.

This study is anchored on two different theories: the Entity Theory in C. Dweck’s

Implicit Theories and the Sociocultural Theory by Lev Vygotsky.

In Dweck's Implicit Theories, the Entity Theory holds that an individual's intelligence

and abilities are largely fixed and stable (Costa & Faria, 2018). As a result, persons who grasp

the concept of entity theory prefer to identify their failures with their own fixed and unchanging

skills. As a result of their attributional style, individuals have lower self-worth and motivation

because they believe they can no longer change their characteristics (Heller et al., 2001).

Males are more likely to love and achieve in mathematics, whereas girls are more likely

to enjoy and excel in language art courses, according to a classic math-gender stereotype

(Morrissey et al., 2019). Males outperform females in mathematics, according to several studies

conducted over the last 20 years (Frenzel, 2008). According to a new study by University of

Washington researchers, children believe that mathematics is exclusive for boys. As a result, the

latter identified with the subject, which is why most females choose non-math-related

occupations (McElroy, 2011). As a result, males hold about 90% of academic and non-academic

math-related jobs in the United States, respectively (Anglin et al., 2008, cited in Vijayakumaran,

2017).

Similarly, Mittelberg et al. (2011) reported that a Druze teacher stated that affirmative

action should be used to help females overcome gender biases in mathematics that benefit males.

Gender stereotypes and expectations have an impact on students' classroom experiences and

mathematics achievements, according to the findings of the latter study. Indeed, stereotype threat

impairs learners' working memory capacity in mathematics (Maloney et al., 2013), because

unfavorable perceptions of a social group can lead to lower performance among members of that

group, particularly if they are afraid of conforming to such beliefs (Chu, 2010).
 Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, on the other hand, highlights the relationship between

human beings' learning acquisition and their surroundings (Tekin, 2011). The Zone of Proximal

Development (ZPD) construct was developed in the context of asserting that for a child to master

his "proximal" skills and be able to function independently, he requires the help of a more

knowledgeable adult (Cherry, 2020), who may be a teacher or a parent (Kurt, 2020).

There have been several studies that show that parental education has a direct impact on

mathematics learning through a parent's capacity to assist with a child's homework (Tabaeian,

2016; Dettmers et al., 2019). Parents and schools share the job of socializing and educating

children; as a result, parental involvement is critical to students' academic achievement (Cole,

2017). Parental involvement refers to parents' direct involvement in their children's educational

experience by carrying out their responsibilities to ensure that they are well supported in the

learning process (Clinton & Hatie, 2013, cited in Ntekane, 2018).

In terms of parental involvement, several studies (Li & Qui, 2018; Lam & Ducreux,

2013; Bck, 2010; Jafarov, 2015) have found that it is heavily influenced by the parent's level of

academic attainment, with parents/guardians who have received a more formal education being

more directly involved in their children's education than parents/guardians who have received

less formal education.

In terms of mathematics, Kodippili (2011) asserted that a parent's educational level has a

significant impact on a student's math achievement, with one whose parent has completed post-

secondary schooling scoring higher on math assessments than the other whose parent has only

completed secondary schooling.

Cordova and Tan (2018) looked at students' performance at private high schools in

Bukidnon, Philippines, in relation to their parents' educational attainment in the setting of

algebra. They later established that the better the parent's educational attainment, the greater the
parental participation, and thus the greater the parent's ability to lead his or her child in studying

the subject.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Demographic Profile
of Students:

Entity Theory in C. a. Sex

Grade 9
Students
1st Quarter
Learning Algebra
Difficulties - Quadratic

ACTION PLAN

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

The study is focused and limited on the academic achievement of Grade 9 students in Algebra

specifically in First Quarter - Quadratic. This study also emphasis if there is a significant

relationship between the sex and academic achievement of the students as well as the

relationship of the parents’ highest educational attainment and academic achievement. The

respondents were the Grade 9 students of Elena M. Mipana National High School. The time

frame of this study is limited only for the second semester of S.Y 2021-2022.
DEFINITION OF TERMS

Academic Achievement - the extent to which a student or institution has achieved either short or

long-term educational goals. It is the dependent variable of the study.

Algebra - a branch of mathematics dealing with symbols and the rules for manipulating those

symbols. It is the chosen branch of mathematics in the study.

Covid 19 - an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Educational Attainment - refers to the highest level of education that a person has successfully

completed. In this study, the highest educational attainment of the parents of the students is

examined.

Elena M. Mipana National High School - one of the three secondary national high schools in

South Glan District. It is the locale of the study.

New Normal - a previously unfamiliar or atypical situation that has become standard, usual, or

expected.

Pandemic - a disease outbreak that spreads across countries or continents.

Quadratic Function - one of the form f(x) = ax2 + bx + c, where a, b, and c are numbers with a

not equal to zero. The graph of a quadratic function is a curve called a parabola. Parabolas may

open upward or downward and vary in "width" or "steepness", but they all have the same basic

"U" shape. It is the main lesson to focus in this study.

Sex - either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and most other

living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions. One of the independent

variables of the study.

Student - denoting someone who is studying in order to enter a particular profession. The

respondents of the study are the grade 9 students.