ABSTRACT #1

Carrying out a School-Based Action Research Program: A Principal’s Perspective

by Dr. Maria Cristina A. Robles, Principal of Navotas National High School

This paper seeks to share the experience of a school leader in managing a school-
based action research program. Through a narrative that documents the teachers' and
the principal's journey in conducting action research projects, the article has able to
chronicle the motivations and lived experiences of the educators who endeavored to
create a research culture in basic education context.

One important insight derived from the reflection process was that action research can
be done in the secondary school context once teachers have been given more chances
for collaboration and professional development processes.

Due to the paper's highly contextualized and subjective nature, the narrative gives only
the author's individual view to be accessed on it merits. Validation can be possible by
corroboration from another narrative.

The paper is valuable for school heads who seek framework and practical strategies on
how to start their own school-based action research program.

Keywords: basic education research, action research, lived experiences, reflection

process

ABSTRACT # 2

LEVELS OF RESEARCH SELF-EFFICACY AND ANXIETY OF PUBLIC HIGH

SCHOOL TEACHERS: IMPLICATIONS FOR ENHANCING SCHOOL RESEARCH
CULTURE

By Mr. Marco D. Meduranda, Master Teacher, Navotas National High School

With a number of DepEd orders that sought to improve teaching and student
achievement through evidence-based, data-drive and learner-focused practices, there is
a need for schools to develop school-based action research programs that is grounded
to the realities of basic education context. A groundwork for a school-based action
research capacity building program, this study seeks to determine the levels of research
self-efficacy and anxiety of public secondary school teachers.

The study involved all 136 faculty members of Navotas National High School. A
questionnaire was used to collect data. It has three sections: 1st part is the profile of the
teachers; 2nd part is the adapted research self-efficacy scale (RSS) taken from the study
of Forester (2011) and the 3rd part is the Research Anxiety Rating Scale adapted from
Onwuegbuzie (2013).

Results of the RSS reveal that moderate levels were observed on all factors of research
self-efficacy of the teacher respondents with technical writing and data collection as
factors that obtained the lowest scores. On the other hand, results of the RARS section
show that teacher respondents had moderate levels of research anxiety when they
registered mean scores ranging from 2.06 to 3.11 on seven factors. Nevertheless, it was
evident from the analysis that fear of statistics and fear of writing were the most anxiety-
provoking factors. In addition, unstructured interviews and group discussions through
learning action cells were conducted to confirm and verify the answers to the
questionnaires and to obtain additional insights and responses.

Guided by the results, a research capability training that focuses on boosting the research
self-efficacy of teachers especially on the dimensions of data analysis and technical
writing was proposed. The trainings can be embedded as part of monthly school learning
action cells.

The research is valuable as this can guide school administrators and research managers
on how to look into factors of research self-efficacy and anxiety in developing capacity-
training programs on basic education research.

KEYWORDS: research self-efficacy, research anxiety, basic education research

ABSTRACT #3

IMPROVING THE SPEAKING SKILLS OF SELECTED GRADE 10 STUDENTS

THROUGH THE INTEGRATION OF CELLPHONE DICTIONARY APPLICATIONS IN
DAILY ORAL READING EXERCISES (DORE)

by: Laarni M. Bonus

It is the aim of the researchers to help NNHS students to be orally fluent in English for
this could be an edge in their scholastic and career growth in the future.

Project DORE is an intervention which is concerned with improving the speaking skills
of selected Grade 10 students through the use of cellphone dictionary applications.

The pre and post test of 100 students from sections Love and Faith were used to
quantify the oral fluency of the students using A Pronunciation Skills Inventory Test.
Pronunciation drills and interventions were also given to students to reinforce oral
competence.

Data from this study shows that after two months of exposure to the use of the offline
dictionary application and involvement in the daily oral reading exercises, there was a
notable improvement on the pronunciation inventory test. The offline English dictionary
enables them to pronounce the words correctly by imitating what was heard in the
application.

The research is valuable for teachers who seek to use mobile device applications in
improving speaking skills of learners.

Keywords: speaking skills, offline dictionary applications

ABSTRACT # 4

THE USE OF ADAPTED FRAYER MODEL IN DEVELOPING VOCABULARY

KNOWLEDGE OF GRADE 10 STUDENTS

by Richelle Ann L. Reyes

This research aims to determine the use of adapted Frayer Model in developing
selected grade 10 students’ vocabulary knowledge on ‘giving presentations’. It also
seeks to assess the learning experience of learners after being given explicit vocabulary
instruction using Frayer Model.
Forty grade 10 learners were given 20 minute Frayer Model intervention for a span of
three weeks. To validate the result of the study, data triangulation techniques were
employed which involved the use of a teacher-made vocabulary pretest and posttest,
focus group discussion following Krueger’s guidelines, and analysis of accomplished
worksheets using the developed rubric.
After the two-cycled action research, findings reveal that majority of learners gained
increase in vocabulary test scores. FGD results show that students find the Frayer
Model helpful in deeply understanding the words. Learners also cite the value of step-
by-step process of teaching vocabulary. Analysis of accomplished worksheets using the
developed rubric manifest that students become proficient in learning the target words.
The research will be valuable for teachers who seek to use innovative graphic
organizers in developing vocabulary knowledge of high school students.

Keywords: Modified Frayer Model, graphic organizer, vocabulary knowledge

ABSTRACT # 5

Improving Reading Comprehension of Selected Grade 7 Students through Project

STIR (Science Towards Improvement in Reading)

by Ronalyn Bautista

The researchers notice that reading comprehension impedes the students’ performance
in their Science subjects. The researchers aim to improve their reading level by
formulating Project STIR (Science towards Improvement in Reading), a content area
reading strategy that will provide explicit reading instruction to identified learners.
The researchers selected 20 struggling readers from Grade 7 school year 2016-2017
with reading ability of level 4 in the McCall Crabb’s Reading Comprehension Test. They
were given Science-based pre-test which resulted to a mean score of 10.60. Reading
tools such as the Intervention Activity Worksheets (IAWs) and Science Reading
Worksheets (SRWs) were given to the respondents for ten consecutive meetings. Post-
test was given on the eleventh meeting with a mean score of 15.29.

The results indicate that there is an increase of 4.69 in the mean scores of the
respondents. Therefore, the use of Project STIR helped improve the reading
comprehension of the respondents in Science. This action research hopes to help more
striving readers of Navotas National High School. It aims to give hope to those learners
who have difficulties in understanding the concepts rooted from the students’ struggle to
comprehend texts.

Keywords: Reading Comprehension, Content Area Reading