Enhancing Grade V Math Proficiency
Enhancing Grade V Math Proficiency
by
SANDE N. ALVARO
ELOISA A. RIVERA
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Abstract:
solving need to be consider in engaging the learners in the 21 st century. This study was
conducted to enhance the problem proficiency of the Grade V learners of Pugo Elementary
School. It used the quasi-experimental one group pretest and posttest research design. It also
utilized pretest and post test to determine the level of proficiency of the 32 Grade V learners in
problem solving. Percentage, frequency count, mean and T-test were used as tools for analysis.
The learners were average proficiency in the pre-test and moving towards proficiency in the
posttest. It also found that there is a significant difference in the level of computational in the
pre-test and post-test. It was concluded that the Block Model Approach (BMA) as an
intervention increase the level of problem solving proficiency of the learners. The use of this
quantitative thinking
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The researcher is forever grateful above all the Almighty God for the wisdom, good health
and endless blessings He showered continuously to the researcher and to the following persons
who unselfishly bestowed upon them their heartfelt support in the accomplishment of this
academic endeavor
Atty. Donato Balderas Jr and Dr. Vivian Luz Pagatpatan for allowing the researchers
planning and research for her motherly guidance and remarkable pieces of advice.
Dr. Henry M. Ledda Public Schools District Supervisor, Bauang North District, La Union,
and Madam Armela F. Madayag, for their immeasurable assistance and professional ideas.
The Division Research Evaluators for their helpful comments and sharing all their
brilliant ideas.
Their family and friends, for their unending support, encouragement, and prayers
The Researchers
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Title Page………………………………………………………………………………… i
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………… ii
Acknowledgement………………………………………………………………………. iii
Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………….. iv
Discussion of Results…………………………………………………………………… 8
Reflection………………………………………………………………………………… 12
Action Plan……………………………………………………………………………….. 12
References……………………………………………………………………………….. 13
Financial Report…………………………………………………………………………. 16
Appendices………………………………………………………………………………. 19
Problems………………………………………………..
4
LIST OF TABLES
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I. CONTEXT AND RATIONALE
Mathematical literacy has been the focus of concern in engaging the learners of the 21 st
century. Many of the activities are done without thought of the underlying mathematics. We not
only use mathematics for the obvious tasks like balancing accounts, telling time, and
percentage rate calculation; but we also use math in esoteric ways every time we visit a web
site, view digital pictures, and even watch DVDs. In this regard, acquisition of competence and
instruction.
Problem solving is one of the areas in mathematics that needs attention. According to
the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2010), problem solving facilitates the
As described by the Ontario Ministry of Education (2005) for the mathematics curriculum
programs and should be the mainstay of mathematical instruction. All students, regardless
of their ability, should be capable of acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills to be
However, results from the 2013-2014 Education Quality and Accountability Office
(EQAO) have reported struggles in problem solving and low math literacy scores among many
of the students. Most significantly, within the past five years, the percentage of elementary
students who perform at or above standards on the EQAO mathematics assessment has
dropped from 71 % to 67 % in the Primary Division and from 61 % to 54 % in the Junior Division
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all over the world. (EQAO, 2014). In addition the Trends in International Mathematics and
Science Study (TIMSS) reported that in the ranking of countries in science and mathematics,
the Philippines ranks 33th in the 34 education systems and lower than the average scores of
The poor quality of basic education in Mathematics is also reflected in the low
achievement scores of Filipino students. Many students who finish basic education do not
possess sufficient mastery of basic competencies in problem solving. One reason is that
students do not get adequate instructional time or time on task. The overall rating of Grade VI in
the National Achievement Test for Mathematics in the school year 2010-2011 is 68.41% and
66.47% in 2011-2012. The results of the two school years fall in the range 66%-85% with an
interpretation of moving towards mastery (Estepa 2016). This means that further reforms are
The result in the performance of students in the yearly achievement tests that is below
those in other countries is alarming. With this, there is a demand for efficient and effective
instruction. This can be more achieved if there is an instructional material that could give the
The alarming situation was similar to the problem of Bauang North District wherein there
National Examination Test of the Grade VI pupils. DepEd Records (2016) shows that the pupils
scored only 31.45% in Mathematics VI in their National Achievement Test during the school
year 2015-2016.
Moreover, Pugo Elementary School is also experiencing problems with regard to the
problem-solving skills of the pupils as reflected in their scores in their assessment tests.
Problem solving was most of the least mastered competency with 42.5 % mastery level in their
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yearly assessment tests. Added to this is their low grades in Mathematics ranging 75-79 in the
Considering the above situation, the researchers are motivated to assess the problem-
solving skills of the Grade V pupils of Pugo Elementary School to derive possible ways of
Block Model Approach (BMA) is considered as one effective strategy in solving word
problem solving. It prepares learners to gain and develop skills needed in advanced
Mathematics.
The researchers utilized the Block Model Approach (BMA) in the respondents as an
intervention in the month of December. The intervention material was used by using it as a
strategy in the teaching problem solving in Mathematics. In solving word problems, Block Model
Approach (BMA) as a strategy uses strips, bars or rectangular regions called MODELS to make
the problem solver visualize concepts or even manipulate the problem. It is then a method that
The following were the basic steps used in teaching problem solving: 1) Read and try
to understand the question; 2) Draw and label the diagrams with all the relevant information
and divide the bars into equal units; 3) Using the diagram, equate the number of units to a
quantity to form proportion statement. The value of the quantity may be obtained from basic
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III. ACTION RESEARCH QUESTIONS
This action research aimed to enhance the level of problem solving proficiency of Grade
a. pretest? and
b. postest?
2. Is there a significant difference in the level of problem solving proficiency of the learners in
This study was conducted among the 32 (Section B) Grade V learners of SY 2019-2020
in Pugo Elementary School. The researcher utilized the total enumeration which served as the
The study used the quasi-experimental one group pretest and posttest research design. The
design is appropriate for this research since only the group of section B of the Grade V classes’
needs improvement.
Quasi experimental designs are generally used to establish the causality (effect of
independent variable on dependent variable) in situations where researchers are not able to
randomly assign the subjects to groups for various reasons.
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([Link] Further,
tables, frequency, percentages and t-test were used in the analysis and interpretation of data of
the study.
To determine the proficiency of the Grade V learners in problem solving, a 50 item test
following the competencies of the K-12 Mathematics Curriculum is given to the learners. The 50
item- test will be crafted using the Blooms Taxonomy table of specification. The test was
subjected to scrutiny, validation and readability by 3 teachers expert in the field. A pretest was
given to the pupils at the beginning of the second quarter then a post was given after the third
grading period. The result of the pretest and posttest was interpreted using the scales following
the norms prescribe by the Department of Education National Testing Research Center.
The data of Grade V learners in their problem solving proficiency were treated using
frequency count, mean and T-test. The frequency of correct answer, mean score and
percentage to the following categorizations to determine the level of proficiency of the problem
To determine the significant difference of the pretest and post-test, dependent t-test was
used.
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V. Discussion of Results
Prescribed % Mean
Competencies
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Table 1 shows the level of proficiency of Grade V learners in word problems along the
prescribed competencies involving routine and non-routine word problems. It is displayed in the
table that the respondents obtained an overall mean rating of 1.73 with a percentage of 34.6,
interpreted as Average Proficiency in the pretest . Solving routine and non-routine problems
involving volume of a cube and rectangular prism in real-life situations using appropriate
strategies and tools. ranks the lowest with a mean rating of 1 and a mean percentage of 20%
multiplication without or with addition or subtraction of fractions and whole numbers using
appropriate problem solving strategies and tools ranks the highest with 2.34 mean writing, 46.8
It can be gleaned from the table that the learners were having a difficulty in solving
routine and non-routine problems in the pretest. This is supported by the study of Estepa and
Lomboy (2017) that the respondents have deficient mastery of number facts, weak in
computational skills, difficulty to make meaningful connection among the given that resulted to
This finding is related to the finding of Sulit (2012) that the students lack time and efforts
in understanding the different concepts, methods and techniques in solving the problems they
encountered in Mathematics. Similarly in the study of Alcantara and Bacsa (2017), they
revealed that the students have low performance in problem solving especially on topics on
Imam (2011) also found out that students cannot find meaning to the word problem they
are solving. They are unable to identify the correct given, unable to identify the relationships
among the given that led them to the incorrect mathematical sentence, incorrect solution and
incorrect answer.
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The findings of the study is also similar to the study of Cunanan (2017) that the students
are having a hard time to solve problems involving addition and/or subtraction of fractions using
Prescribed % Mean
Competencies
Table 2 shows that after the intervention, the learners obtained a mean rating of 3.61
with a mean percentage of 72.2%, interpreted as Moving Towards Mastery. This means that in
the post test result, the percentage of mastery of the respondents had improved because of the
strategy used.
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The finding is in consonance with of the study of Valdez (2017) where she found out
that different approaches in teaching mathematics contributed to better learning of the concepts
in problem solving.
The findings are also the same as the finding of De Guzman (2011) where he stated
that different approaches in teaching Mathematics enhance the different mathematics skills
that will encourage the learners to understand the different concepts in problem solving.
This finding runs parallel with the finding of Belcea (2011) that teaching strategies and
methods are very vital for a maximum result on the learner. Thus every teacher is flexible to
facilitate learning to address the individual differences of every learner. This also the same in
the study of Estepa and Lomboy (2016) when they revealed that there was a large effect of the
intervention material since the scores in the post test improved. The intervention material
motivated the respondents to take an action, increase learning and lead to higher proficiency in
solving problems.
Further, after using the Block Model Approach (BMA)as a strategy in improving their
Proficiency however the range for proficient was still not met, which means that the respondents
still experienced difficulty in the different learning competencies in solving word problems .
Table 3. Significant difference between the problem solving proficiency in the pretest and
post test
The table suggest that the mean performance before the intervention was 1.73, which
denotes Average Proficiency. This implies that the students denotes low expectations in their
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problem solving proficiency. On the other hand, the skill after the intervention increased to 3.61
which mean Moving Towards Proficiency. This means that the learners performed better after
the intervention . The difference of 1.88 is significant as attested by the t-stat of 8.09 versus the
t-critical 1.83 at 0.05 level of significance. This means that the intervention was effective.
The students who, at first cannot solve problems can now solved due to the
interventions used. Also, the students appreciate it better and gain more interest through the
models, graphs and figure that they learn in problem solving through the Block Model Approach.
They can now arrive at a particular answer, find meaning into it and determine the correct
solution to a problem.
This supported by the study of De Guzman (2011) that majority of the respondents found
the block model approach in teaching mathematics interesting and useful in solving worded
problems. This approach is so helpful that it really makes them have an easier time to learn and
understand the lessons. Other student-respondent claimed that the block model approach is
very simple, easy to use and it shows how the process happened in word problems. This is in
consonance to the study of Belcea (2011) that the use of interesting approaches in Mathematics
helps the student’s problem solving skills and enhances the retention of concepts learned.
Further Cunanan (2017) revealed that regardless of the types of problems any teaching
approach on the problem solving can be used to help the pupils to performed better and
Reflection:
Based on the findings obtained by the researchers it shows that the respondents still
experienced difficulty in the different learning competencies in solving word problems because
they did not yet met the range for proficient. Even though, the improvement in the post test is
noticeable, there is still a need for the respondents to equip and enrich themselves with
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The Block Model Approach can be adopted by elementary school teachers Bauang North
District and other public elementary schools teachers in Grade V. This approach had the
following activities 1) Read and try to understand the question; 2) Draw and label the diagrams
with all the relevant information and divide the bars into equal units; 3) Using the diagram,
equate the number of units to a quantity to form proportion statement. The value of the quantity
may be obtained from basic computations; and 4) Use proportion method to get the answer.
Teacher should also be trained using this approach to help their learners to improve their
The researchers asked the permission to the District Supervisor and school head of Pugo
Elementary School to share the results of the study. It was disseminated through school LAC
The researchers certainly help the teachers to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the
respondents particularly in problem solving and used the Block Model Approach as an
The researchers also share the strategy Block Model Approach (BMA) to the teachers in
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REFERENCES:
Alcantara, E.C. and Bacsa J.M. (2017). Critical thinking and problem solving skills in
Mathematics of grade -7 public secondary students. Asia Pacific Journal of
Multidsciplinary Research. Vol 5, No. 4, 24.
Cunanan, F.G. (2017) Factors Affecting the Performance of Sophomore Students in College
Algebra of Holy Cross, Sta. Ana, Pampanga. (Unpublished Master’s Thesis, Don
Honorio Ventura College of Arts and Trades, Bacolor, Pampanga
Sulit, J.S.(2012) The teaching of Mathematics in the Secondary Level of Holy Cross
College.(Unpublished Master’s Thesis, Don Honorio Ventura State University, Bacolor,
Pampanga, 2012).
Estepa F.H.( 2016) Problem Solving proficiency of grade iv learners in burgos district, division of
la union. Unpublished Maters Thesis. Saint Louis College, San Fernando City La Union.
Valdez, F. B. (2017) Activity in General Mathematics for Senior High School Learners
[Link]/news-feature/91528/Filipino-students- rate-low- math-science retrieved
on August 2, 2019, 7:01 PM
[Link] retrieved
on August 20, 2019, 8;03 PM
[Link]
problem/
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VI. FINANCIAL REPORT
Formulating
statement of
the problem
Using the a Reading books in Internet fee Php. 1, 500.00
research statistics
methodology Library fee Php. 200.00
Surfing the internet
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4. Dissemination of Registration of Disseminating of Snacks and Php 5,000.
Results participants Results to the meals of the
Respondents participants
Dissemination
proper
Php. 30,000
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Table of Specification for Problem Solving Proficiency Test in Mathematics
Learning Competencies Remem Under Apply Analy Evaluating Creating
bering stand ing sing
ing
1. Solves routine and non-routine problems involving 1 2 3
factors, multiples, and divisibility rules for
2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,and 12.
2. Solves routine and non-routine problems involving 4 5
addition and/or subtraction of fractions using appropriate
problem solving strategies
3. Solves routine or non-routine problems involving 6 7
multiplication without or with addition or subtraction of
fractions and whole numbers using appropriate problem
solving strategies and tools.
4. Solves routine and non-routine problems involving 8 9
division without or with any of the other operations of
fractions and whole numbers using appropriate problem
solving strategies and tools.
5. Solves routine or non-routine problems involving addition 10 11
and subtraction of decimal numbers including money using
appropriate problem solving strategies and tools.
6. Solves routine and non-routine problems involving 12 13
multiplication without or with addition or subtraction of
decimals and whole numbers including money using
appropriate problem solving strategies and tools.
7. Solves routine and non-routine problems involving 14 15
division without or with any of the other operations of
decimals and whole numbers including money using
appropriate problem solving strategies and tools.
8 Solves routine and non-routine problems involving 16 17
percentage using appropriate strategies and tools.
9. Solves routine and non-routine problems involving 18 19
circumference of a circle.
10. Solves routine and non-routine problems involving the 20 21
area of a circle.
11. Solves routine and non-routine problems involving 22 23
volume of a cube and rectangular prism in real-life
situations using appropriate strategies and tools.
12. Solves routine and non-routine problems involving 24 25
temperature in real-life situations.
13. Solves routine and non-routine problems using data 26 27
presented in a line graph.
14. Solves routine and non-routine problems involving 28 29 30
experimental probability.
TOTAL 0 0 10 8 11 1
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PROBLEM SOLVING PROFICIENCY TEST IN MATHEMATICS V
NAME:_______________________________________________________Score:__________
1. Which of the following numbers is divisible by both 3 and 9? (4146, 2953, 1863)
Solution:
2. There are 750 balloons in bags in the party supply warehouse. Each bag contains the
same number of balloons. How many bags of balloons could there be? (5, 9, 4)
Solution:
3. A company of 2,412 employees. The same number of employees work on each shift.
How many shifts could have the company have? (5, 10, 6)
Solution:
4. A recipe needs ¾ teaspoon black pepper and ¼ teaspoon red pepper. How much more
black pepper does the recipe need?
Solution:
5. A football player advances 2/3 of a yard. A second player in the same team advances
5/4 of a yard. How much more yard did the second player advance?
Solution:
6. If it takes 5/6 yards of fabric to make a dress, then how many yards will it take to make 8
dresses?
Solution:
7. Rene had a box of cupcakes, of which she gave ½ to her friend Juan. Juan gave ¾ of
his share to his friend Elena. What fractional part of the original box of cupcakes did
Elena get?
Solution:
8. An airplane covers 50 miles in 1/5 of an hour. How many miles can the airplane cover in
5 hours
Solution:
9. A sausage is 8 inches long. How many pieces can be cut from 8 inch of sausage if each
piece is to be two-thirds of an inch?
Solution:
10. Herwin bought a television set for Php 8,249.36 and a watch for Php 1,249.36. How
much did he spend in all?
Solution:
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11. Ken had Php 4,834.84 with him. He gave Php 3,216.46 to Krishna, Php 1,537.38 to
Sheila and divided rest of the money among his three cousins equally. How much each
did cousin get?
Solution:
12. The bookstore is having a sale on bookmarks. Each bookmark is on sale for Php. 10.00.
Each student in Ms. Calicas’ class decides to buy a bookmark. There are 23 students in
Ms. Calicas’ class. How much will the class spend on bookmarks at the book store?
Solution:
13. Ten members of the Science club went to a history museum. It costs Php 7.25 for each
member of the club. If 90 members went to the museum, how much would the total cost
be?
Solution:
14. Over the past few years. Sofia has made 5 trips to visit the amusement park. She drove
624.3 kilometers in all. How far did Sofia drive on each trip.?
Solution:
15. Lisa bought 5 bricks. Altogether, the bricks weighed 70.15 pounds. How much did each
brick weigh?
Solution:
16. Out of a salary of Php 4,500, I kept 1/3 as savings. Out of the remaining money, I spend
50% on food and 20% on house rent. How much do I spend on food and house rent?
Solution:
17. Rachael gets 94 marks in her exams. These are 47% of the total marks. Find the
maximum number of marks.
Solution:
18. The distance around the wheel of a truck is 9.42 feet. What is the diameter of the wheel?
Solution:
19. What is the circumference of a 12 inch pizza?
Solution:
20. A dog tied to a wooden stake in a backyard. His leash is 3 meters long and he runs
around in circles pulling the leash as far as it can go. How much area does the dog have
to run around in?
Solution:
23
21. A storm is expected is expected to hit 7 miles in every direction from a small town. What
is the area that the storm will affect?
Solution:
22. Sarah has a chocolate box whose length is 12 cm, height 9 cm and a width 6 cm. Find
the volume of the box.
Solution:
23. The given box has length= 12 cm, width=6cm, height=9 cm. Find the volume.
Solution:
24. If the temperature yesterday was 56 and today is 13 degrees cooler, what is todays
temperature?
Solution:
25. The temperature was very cold, then it doubled, then it dropped 10 degrees, and then it
increased by 40 degrees. The temperature is now 16 degrees. What was the starting
temperature?
Solution:
26-27. The table shows the daily earnings of a store for five days
30. It rains out of the last 12 days in March. If this trend continues, how many rainy days would
you expect in April?
Solution:
29. A manufacturer makes 50,000 cellphones every month. After inspecting 1000 phones, the
manufacturer found that 20 phones are defective. What is the probability that you will buy a
phone that is defective.? Predict how many phones will be defective next month.
Solution:
30. There are about 319 million people living in Philippines. Pretend that a survey of 1 million
people revealed that 300,00 think people that all cars should be electric. What is the probability
that someone chosen randomly does not like electric cars. How many people like electric cars?
Solution:
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25
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The Block Model Approach enhances students' problem-solving skills by visualizing mathematical problems through models such as strips, bars, or rectangular regions. The method involves specific steps: reading and understanding the question, drawing and labeling diagrams with relevant information, equating units to a quantity for a proportion statement, and using proportions to find the solution .
Challenges in scaling interventions like the Block Model Approach include resource constraints, teacher training needs, and variability in student acceptance and comprehension across different contexts. Addressing these requires strategic planning: securing funding, developing comprehensive training programs for educators, and conducting pilot studies to tailor the approach to diverse classroom settings. Continuous feedback and adjustment mechanisms would be necessary to improve implementation effectiveness .
The findings imply that incorporating visual and structured approaches like the Block Model Approach can significantly improve problem-solving proficiency, suggesting a need for policy adjustments to include such methods in curricula. The improvement seen in the study indicates that traditional methods might be insufficient and that educational policies should promote innovative instructional strategies to enhance problem-solving skills .
The current level of mathematical proficiency is considered alarming because national achievement test scores indicate a lack of substantial mastery, with scores only moving towards proficiency. This is compounded by lower scores compared to international benchmarks and poor performance in problem-solving skills. The consequences include limited math skills, affecting students’ future educational and career opportunities, and a need for educational reform to enhance problem-solving instruction .
The integration of visual learning tools such as those in the Block Model Approach enhances student engagement by making abstract concepts more concrete and accessible. It facilitates better understanding and retention of mathematical concepts, as students can visually manipulate and represent problems. The approach's interactivity also increases student interest and motivation, leading to improved learning outcomes and higher problem-solving efficacy .
Successful adoption of the Block Model Approach requires several preconditions: professional development for teachers to master the method, alignment with the existing curriculum to ensure relevance, and school leadership support for resources and training. Additionally, there should be a positive school culture that embraces innovative teaching strategies, paired with continuous evaluation and feedback mechanisms to assess effectiveness and guide future implementations .
Educators can assess the long-term impacts through longitudinal studies tracking students' academic performance in successive years, analyzing improvements in complex problem-solving tasks, and evaluating retention of math concepts. Qualitative measures such as interviews and surveys can gauge ongoing interest and attitudes towards math. Integrating cross-curricular assessments can reveal the transferability of skills gained from the Block Model Approach to other subjects .
The pretest and post-test results are significant in evaluating the effectiveness of the Block Model Approach as they provide quantitative data on student progress. The mean proficiency level increased from 1.73 (average proficiency) to 3.61 (moving towards proficiency), indicating a substantial improvement. The t-test result shows a significant difference between pretest and post-test scores (t-stat of 8.09 vs. t-critical 1.83 at 0.05 level), demonstrating the intervention's effectiveness .
Implementing a study like the one on the Block Model Approach involves financial considerations such as the costs for reference materials, intervention materials, and dissemination of results, totaling variously for each activity. Logistical considerations include arranging data collection, coordinating with schools for permission and participation, validating and printing test materials, and managing the distribution of intervention resources. Efficient planning and budgeting are essential to address these considerations effectively .
The quasi-experimental design, involving a one-group pretest-posttest method, supported the study's conclusions by isolating the Block Model Approach as the main variable of interest, despite lacking random assignment. The design helped establish a causal relationship between the intervention and improved problem-solving proficiency, as evidenced by significant test score improvements. However, the absence of a control group limits the generalizability of these conclusions .