FACTORS AFFECTING THE LEARNING EXPERIENCES OF QUEZON NATIONAL

HIGH SCHOOL GRADE 12 STUDENTS DURING COVID- 19

An Undergraduate Thesis Presented to the

Faculty of Secondary Education Department

Palawan State University

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree

Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Social Studies

Student Researchers:

Baco, Sherlyn

Baltazar, Vanessa Marie I.

Ramos, Albert

San Juan, Sheina Mea P.

Valdeztamon, Rogelyn

Adviser:

Chito D. Alarcon Jr.

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 Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

In early December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID- 19), caused

by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ( SARS- CoV- 2), occurred in

Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization

declared the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. As of February

14, 2020, 49, 053 laboratory confirmed and 1, 381 deaths have been reported globally. Perceived

risk of acquiring disease has led many governments to institute a variety of control measures

(Harapan, Naoya Hoh, Mudatsir). Covid- 19 has dramatically reshaped the way global education

is delivered. Millions of learners were affected by educational institution closures due to the

pandemic, which resulted in the largest online movement in the history of education. With this

sudden shift away from classrooms in many parts of the globe, universities had to rapidly shift to

virtual and digital strategies. The online learning, distance and continuing education have

become a panacea for this unprecedented global pandemic, despite the challenges posed to both

educators and the learners. Transitioning from traditional face- to- face learning to online

learning can be an entirely different experience for the learners and educators. The education

system and the educators have adopted " Education in Emergency" through various online

platforms and are compelled to adopt a system that they are not prepared for ( Sumitra Pokhrel,

Reshan Chhetri, January 19, 2021).

The country which is the Philippines continue to confront the issues brought by the

pandemic, the department of education (DepEd) is addressing challenges in basic education

through the learning continuity plan (LCP), which is effective by the time of school year 2020-

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2021 opens on august 24, 2020. The LCP is the DepEd response and commitment in ensuring the

health, safety, and well being of the learners, teachers and personnel in the time of COVID 19

while finding ways for education to continue amidst the crisis for the upcoming school year.

They have repeatedly consulted and collaborated with its partner institutions and organizations in

crafting the LCP, which includes key features on K-12 curriculum adjustments; alignment of

learning materials; various modalities of delivery; and corresponding teacher and parent/guardian

training for homeschooling. These modifications on certain policies and practices were necessary

steps in adapting to the “new normal” while still remaining true to the framework of Sulong

EduKalidad and Education Futures.

Due to the effort of our government trying to address this to the students there are still

advantages and disadvantages of this new normal way of learning. As we all know learners are

the center of the class, everyone strives for their performance in school. However, learners don’t

have an equal ability to learn because learner is unique and has different way of learning. Some

students can cope fast with the lesson and some can find it difficult. Some students love the

lessons while some find it boring. Briana Flavin concluded that there are four main categories of

learners and those are visual learners, auditory learners, kinesthetic learners and reading and

writing learners and Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences suggests that there’s

more to being intelligent than simply being good at math and English or learning a second

language.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Quezon National High School (QNHS) is one

of the schools in Quezon, Palawan that delivers a module learning modality to the learners.

QNHS is located in Quezon, Palawan where internet connections are weak and people have a

low familiarity with gadgets, numerous students can’t afford buying gadgets due to poverty, and

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lastly, most of the students enrolled are living in barrios where there is no total access to internet

connection. This affects the learning experiences of the students shifted from face- to- face to

modular since most of the students rely their learning from the teachers.

The students' learning experiences are always the reason why they learn differently

during pandemic. Especially that they have to do it on their own, from the instructions, to

understand the entire module, to many activities they have to do. They have to do it on their own

with minimal help from the teacher because students are always in their house and not in school,

they can ask questions of their teacher but not all the time teachers can answer their questions

right away. And because of that, students give all their efforts, knowledge, and time to learn

despite the struggle. They do research, participate in the discussions, group activities such as

reporting, role playing, projects and with those activities students learn new information, ideas,

new skills and creativity unlocked, confidence level up. And then the factors have a powerful

impact on student learning because through these different factors the learning experiences of

every student will grow or may lessen.

The researchers would like to conduct a study, regarding the various factors affecting the

learning experiences of the learners of the grade 12 students of Quezon National High School,

the researcher wants to know how each learners keep up with online classes and how it affect

their learning.

Statement of the Problem  

 This study wants to find out the factors that affect the learning experiences of the grade

12 student enrolled in GAS at Quezon National High School.

Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following questions:

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 1. What are the factors affecting the grade 12 learner learning experiences?

2. What are the learning experiences of Learners?

3. How do these students deal with the learning experience?

Significance of the Study

This study aimed to provide important information regarding the factors affecting the

learning experiences of the grade 12 student. Moreover, the results of this carry out practical

benefits to the following:

To the respondents. The direct recipients of this study are grade 12 students of Quezon

National High School who are currently enrolled in GAS S.Y. 2022-2023. This study will help

the respondents evaluate themselves about the factors that affect their learning experience. This

study will make them realize how these factors influence their overall academic performance

throughout the school year.

To the learners. This study may provide awareness for the student regarding what lies

behind their learning experiences and help them improve and handle those factors.

To the parents. This study will be beneficial to the parents. See the students since it will

make them be aware of the factors that affect their children so that they will provide appropriate

support to them.

To the teachers. This study will also benefit the teachers. This will provide them

knowledge about the factors that affect the learning experience of their students. With this,

teachers can develop teaching strategies so that students will have a better learning experience.

To the future researchers. The outcome of this will serve as basis or references for the

enhancement or it will serve as one of their research related studies.

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Scope and Delimitation               

This study will employ a qualitative research design to examine the different factors that

affect the learning experience of the grade 12 students enrolled at Quezon National High School

S.Y. 2022- 2023. This study limits its coverage only in grade 12 students within the QNHS.

Also, the study will be composed of 20 grade 12 students enrolled in GAS using Purposive

Sampling Technique. enrolled in GAS. This study will focus only on the factors that affect the

learning experiences of the said students.

The main source of data will be gathered through an in-depth interview procedure. The

research instrument used will be semi-structured interview wherein each of the participants will

be asked by open ended questions. This study does not require an equal number of male and

female participants. However, the participants must be a grade 12 students GAS of QNHS, and

must have enrolled in S.Y. 2022-2023. The data gathering will be conducted for approximately

one (1) week.

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 Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This part of the study includes the review of literatures, conceptual framework, the

assumptions of the study, and the terms defined on the study.

Related Studies

Monda, Puja stated that there are seven important factors that may affect the learning

process, those are intellectual factors, learning factors, physical factors, mental factors, emotional

and social factors, teachers’ personality, and environmental factors.

The pandemic adversely affected students behavioral and emotional functioning,

particularly attention and externalizing problems, mood and wellness behavior which were

caused by isolation, economic, wealth effects, and uncertainties (Fawa2 et al 2021). Students

raised their concerns on learning and evaluation methods, overwhelming task load, technical

difficulties, and confinement. To cope with these problems, students actively dealt with the

situation by seeking help from their teachers and relatives and engaging in recreational activities.

These active oriented coping mechanism of students were aligned with (Carter et al. 2020).

Kara, 2009 as cited by Abidin, 2012, that attitudes towards learning besides opinions and

beliefs have an obvious influence on students' behaviors and consequently on their performance.

Macdonald, et. al., detailed that skill competency and perceived competency are both

critical for students engagement and learning. When students believe that they have the skills to

participate successfully in an activity, they approach it with more interest and confidence, and

they are more willing to put effort into the task. Students are satisfied with the quality of their

subjects when the learning outcomes and expected standards were clear to them, when the

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teaching helped them to learn, when they developed valuable graduate attributes, when the

assessment allowed them to demonstrate what they have understood, when they could see the

relevance of their subject to their degree, when staff were responsive to feedback, when their

prior learning prepared them well, when they could understand their teacher, and when the

faculty infrastructure was seen to be supportive (Calvo, et. al., 2021).

Students need opportunities for their increased active involvement in the study process

together with challenges to connect theory and practice. Special care has to be given to building

quality mutual relations and to organizing learning circumstances that facilitate confrontation of

various opinions and participative learning, Barbara and Jana.

Poon, 2013, In the mid- 1990s, larger student enrollments and more diverse students

populations has resulted in the greater emphasis on enhancing students' populations  has resulted

in the greater emphasis on enhancing students learning experiences in higher education. The

approaches used for teaching and learning have been shown to both directly impact and

substantially enhance students learning experiences. Blended learning, which is usually viewed

as a combination of face- to- face and online delivery methods, can influence students'

perceptions of the learning environment and, subsequently, their study experiences, learning

outcomes, and ultimate academic achievement. Applying social cognitive theory in the

development of self- regulated competencies.

Bembenutt et. al., 2016, Self- regulated learning is an important feature of child

development and socialization process that has been found to be positively associated with self-

appraisal skills, growth of self- efficacy beliefs, and proactive behavioral and environmental

control. Despite strong theoretical and empirical evidence linking self regulatory competencies

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of learning experiences and self- efficacy beliefs, there is a need for the application of self-

regulated learning to students' application psychological development in K- 12 grades.

Students need opportunities for their increased active involvement and responsibility in

the study process together with challenges to connect theory and practice (Barbara Steh & Jana

Kalin). Students who are struggling in school need rich, authentic learning experience just as

much as their on- grade- level and advanced peers, but they may require additional support().

Creating engaging learning experiences that are intrinsically interesting to students is a valuable

means of promoting student engagement (Richard L. Miller, et. al).

Providing choice in the instructional experiences is essential to attracting and maintaining

student interest, as well as appealing to students' sense of autonomy (Bryan et al., 2013;

Ntoumanis et al., 2004).

Students’ experiences of their learning and the teaching in the subjects they are studying

are one of the more ubiquitous sources of information about the quality of teaching for

institutions and individual academics. The year of study of a subject, smaller class size and

coordinators’ professional development were all significantly correlated with higher student

satisfaction and better learning experiences ( Rafael Calvo, Lina Markauskaite, K Trigwell

January 2010).

To design an effective learning experience it is need to understand the learner’s context

(past, present, future); establish and respond to the learner’s existing level of knowledge; provide

adequate and appropriate practice over time (Laura Patsko). Any experience a student has in the

process of learning is considered a learning experience; this includes traditional methods of

instruction as well as authentic learning. Learning experiences guide students towards

engagement in content and help them learn new skills (Sharon Linde).

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 Students miss the social aspects of learning on campus, and it is possible that

synchronous learning helps to mitigate some feelings of isolation, students whose synchronous

classes include active- learning techniques ( which are inherently more social) report

significantly higher levels of engagement, motivation, enjoyment, and satisfaction with

instruction (Trung Nguyen, Camila [Link]. [Link] 09, 2021).

Students are best served if they engage in learning spaces thoughtfully centered on

significant learning experiences (David Starr- Glass February 06, 2020). Students reported the

frequent use of two self- regulated learning strategies, i.e., environment structuring and goal

setting, and the less frequent use of task strategies (Jurisevic Mojca, 2021).

While the combination of distance learning and educational technology presents a timely

solution combating adverse consequences of school disruptions, there is a real risk of channeling

learning opportunities through already- existing forms of digital disparity, especially for

marginalized populations (Liu, Ji, December 2021). Most students faced many obstacles in a

home learning environment, such as lack of mastery of technology, high internet, lost and limited

interaction/ socialization between among students (Kapasia et al. 2020). Anxiety, depression,

poor internet services, and unfavorable home learning environment, which were aggravated

when students are marginalized (Gonzales et al. 2020).

Conceptual Framework

In relation to the effect of this pandemic to the students that lead them to experience

learning positively and negatively, there are different factors that may affect them during this

health emergency period, these are the factors that researchers would like to find out. Due to this,

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the researchers tend to believe that the students’ learning experiences during covid-19 have

reasons why they do experience the way they do.

Moreover, the students’ personal factors have powerful influence over their behavior to

their learning experience. By this, awareness on the possible factors might also help them

improve and address their learning experiences, positive or negative.

Research Paradigm

The researchers outlined an original concept of factors affecting the Grade 12 students of

QNHS learning experiences during covid-19.

Input Process Output

Data Gathering and Awareness about the

Figure 1.1: Input, Process and Output Model

Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined constructionally as it is used in the study.

a. Grade 12 students – learners who enrolled in QNHS for S.Y. 2022-2023

b. Factors - it refers to the reasons that affect the learning experiences of the Grade-12

students.

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c. Learning – the acquisition of knowledge during covid-19.

d. Learning Experiences – the positive and negative situation that the learners meet or face

while they are studying during covid-19.

e. Covid- 19 – the virus that can be transmitted from person to person that lead to the new

normal set-up of learning.

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 Chapter 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The chapter explains the research methodology which includes research design, research

participants, research instrument, data collection procedure and data analysis that are relevant to

the research study.

Research Design

This study will utilize a qualitative research design to figure out the factors that affect the

learning experiences of Grade-12 students of QNHS during covid-19. Qualitative method seeks

to understand a given research problem or topic from the perspectives of the local population it

involves (Qualitative Research Methods: A Data Collector’s Field Guide). Moreover, Qualitative

research is used to understand how people experience the world; this approach involves

collecting and analyzing non- numerical data (text, video, or audio) to understand concepts,

opinions, or experiences. It can be used to gather in- depth insights into a problem or generate

new ideas for research (Pritha Bhandari, June 19, 2020). This method is especially effective in

obtaining specific information about the factor affecting the learning experiences of the students.

The researchers will use a semi-structured interview as an instrument to gather data from

the participants. The researchers will be able to determine the details of this study based on the

interview that will be conducted.

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Research Participants

This study will use a Non-Probability Sampling Technique specifically the Purposive

Sampling on choosing the participants. Purposive sampling is a technique which relies on the

judgment of the researchers when it comes to selecting the participants that are to be studied

(Lund Research, 2012).

The researchers will select one track and strand and a grade 12 students in Quezon

Palawan Senior High School namely General Academic Strand with a total population of 177

students as of October, 2022 (QNHS Record/Registrar Office). Then, researchers will choose

twenty-one (20) students as the target sample size. Some studies have noted having a sample size

as little as 10 can be extremely fruitful, and still yield applicable results. The general

recommendation for in-depth interviews is to have a sample size of 20-30 (Sakshi Shetty, 2022).

The participants for this study will be selected based on the criteria given: [1] must be a

Grade 12 Senior High of QNHS, [2] must be a GAS student, [3] must be enrolled for the S.Y.

2022-2023, [4] must be willing to be the participants of the study. Using these given criteria for

purposive sampling, it narrowed down the participants who most fit the given criteria.

Research Instrument

The researchers will conduct a face to face interview considering the preventive measure

and minimum health protocols. It involves the use of a semi-structured questionnaire, which will

be used as an interview guide for the researchers. Questions will be prepared, so as for the

researcher to guide the interview for the satisfaction of research objectives, but additional

questions may be encountered during the interviews.

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 The interview guide has three (3) parts. The first part will be about the basic information

of the participants like name, age, sex, year, track and strand. The second part will be about their

learning experiences during covid-19. The third part will be focused on the factors that affects

their learning experiences during covd-19. For further clarifications, follow up questions will be

asked depending on the answers of the participants.

The interview will be voice recorded and the researchers will jot down notes during the

questioning.

Data Collection Procedure

For the preliminary procedures, a letter of request will be submitted to the Principal and

Faculty of Grade 12 Senior High School to ask them permission for the said study and also to get

the information related to the students such their availability and the population of the class. The

data gathering will be conducted on November 2022. The interview will be done as follows: [1]

explain the informed consent, [2] confirm their participation in the study, [3] ask their permission

to have an audio – recordings while the interview is ongoing, and lastly [4] proceed to the actual

interview. The interview will be conducted for approximately one (1) hour per participant.

Data Analysis

The researchers will use KJ Analysis in this study which was invented by Kawakita Jiro.

It is also called the Affinity Diagram. The KJ Analysis is a tool for collecting and organizing

facts relevant to the problem. It is especially useful for facilitating group problem solving efforts

(K. Ulrich, 2003). This will help the researchers to sort the data into groups based on their

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natural relationships, help them discover the top priority parts of the problem or issue, and this

will also help them free from their biases towards the problem so they can pursue creative

thinking objectively without any constraint. This diagram will help the researchers to develop a

system of thoughts or beliefs about a problem by generating, organizing, and consolidating

information about the certain experience which is why the Grade 12 students face the learning

they are experiencing during this covid-19.

These will be the following steps in conducting a KJ Analysis or Affinity Diagram on

this study; [1] The researchers will label the participants’ accounts on their learning experiences

and why they experience those learnings by noting the data gathered, [2] Next, the researchers

will group the labeled data about their learning experiences and the factors that affect them

according to their connection, [3] Then, the researchers will put name each group to describe the

data gathered in their natural relationships [4] Lastly, the researchers will create a chart for the

arrangement of the labeled groups. After all the responses of the participants regarding on their

learning experiences and factors that affect them will be categorized and grouped, the narrative

accounts from insights will be interpreted and the researchers will come up with themes and

relationships.

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