Bulacan State University

Meneses Campus
Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English
Academic Year 2022-2023

Effectiveness of Personal Interaction in a Student-Centered Learning

Environment

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of The Academic Requirement in Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching

Submitted by:

Esteban, Abegail M.
Pilapil, Crystal C.
Rodriguez, Sunshine M.
Santiago, Jannelle M.
Tcruz, Cerina Mae

Submitted To: Ms. Dyan Grace O. Crespo

November, 2022

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

Introduction ……………………………………………………………….......3

Statement of the Problem ………………………………………………..……5

Definition of Terms …..………………………………………………………6

Objective of the Study…………………..…………………………………….6

2. METHODOLOGY

Research Design …………………………………………………..…….….7

Subjects of the Study …………………………………………………….…7

Research Instrument…………………………………………………….…..8

Data Collection ………………………………………………………….….8

Ethnical Considerations…………………………………………………….9

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation……………………………….…..9

4. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendation ………………………….… 16

5. OTHERS

References……………………………………………………………….…. 18

Appendices………………………….………...………………………...….. 19

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1. INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a global health issue and has caused an

extraordinary crisis in all areas. In the field of education, universities and higher

education institutions needed to shift from traditional classroom teaching to online

teaching to avoid face-to-face interactions and prevent the spread of the virus. The

traditional learning system has been replaced by new technologies for distance

learning, which creates a new learning system. This form of education involves the

physical separation of teachers and students during instruction and discussion. It uses

various technologies to deliver teaching and lessons to students who are not

physically present in classrooms. With the use of the internet, teachers can easily

deliver their lessons. Students will be able to access the information given by the

professor, at any time with just the touch of a button. But the problem is that distance

learning may not be for everyone. In distance learning, the lack of personal interaction

with professors and classmates may lead to complications, as learning without

guidance can be difficult for some students, especially in a student-centered learning

environment.

MacCarthy (2015) defined a student-centered environment as a place where the

students are included in planning, implementation, and assessments. Involving the

learners in these decisions will place more work on them, which can be a good thing.

In a student-centered learning environment, teachers and students become partners

throughout the learning process. This type of teaching method involves letting the

learners handle their own knowledge development, which focuses on the students'

own learning throughout experiencing the world to meet the students' needs and

achievements (Schissel, 2021).

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 Additionally, Harrington and DeBruler (2019) stated that student-centered

learning is a philosophy or a type of desined teaching method where it meets the

needs of each learners. The teachers and students help each other to work together and

create a plan or pathway that will meet the needs of each student. The teacher is the

one who helps to create an environment that will best suit each student's needs.

The concept where the instructor talking to the classroom and interacting with the

students is the direct definition of the philosophy that learning inseperable in social

interaction. The more the students engage in a social interaction, the more they learn.

The students can also receive knowledge and give feedback throught social

interaction, which helps the learners develop and learn more about themselves (Hurst,

Wallace & Nixon, 2013).

Based on Kasten (1997) observation, she find it amusing that the old instructors

spent so much of the time keeping the class quiet and then wondered why most of the

students are afraid of public oral recitation and it continued until adulthood where the

learners found to be more afraid to speak in the middle of the group of people. She

stated, "Teachers and principals of the past who worked hard to keep children quiet

(myself included) did not know how critical social interaction and collaboration are in

learning."

Furthermore, Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin (1995) believe that one way to

prepare teachers to incorporate social interaction in their classrooms is to incorporate

it into teacher education courses. When social interaction becomes part of the

classroom dynamics, classrooms become active places. Teachers need to experience

this for themselves so they know how to create this type of learning environment in

their own classrooms.

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 According to some study, many students reported that the main disadvantage of

distance education was a lack of personal interaction between the instructor and the

students. This shows how personal interaction plays a vital role in the learning process

of the students. Through active social interaction with other learners or those who are

more knowledgeable, learners can become significantly more responsible for their

learning by being able to read, write, talk, listen, and think while socializing with

others. In order to meet each student's needs, student-centered learning must meet

them where they are and provide them with what they need. Giving learners this

independence will allow them to learn at their own pace and demonstrate their

knowledge and understanding. Social connections in the classroom help students

achieve greater intellectual and emotional wellbeing. Therefore, schools should make

every effort to foster social and personal interactions between students and their

teachers, both inside and outside the classroom.

Statement of the Problem

The general problem of this study is to determine the effectiveness of personal

interaction in a student-centered learning environment from the view of the teachers.

This study aims to seek questions such as:

1. How does personal interaction contribute to your student’s learning?

2. How important is the role of the teacher as a facilitator of a student-centered

learning environment?

3. What strategies are you employing in the classroom to promote personal

interaction between your students?

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Definition of Terms

 Student-centered environment a place where the students are included in

planning, implementation, and assessment (MacCarthy, 2015).

 Student-centered learning a type of teaching method involves letting the

learners handle their own knowledge development (Schissel, 2021).

Harrington and DeBruler (2019) stated that student-centered learning is a

philosophy or a type of desined teaching method where it meets the needs of

each learners.

 Teacher is the one who helps to create an environment that will best suit

each student's needs (Harrington and DeBruler, 2019).

 Social interaction is meaningful dialogue among learners and teachers

(Hurst, Wallace & Nixon, 2013).

Objectives

This qualitative study was conducted with the following objectives:

1) To determine the effectiveness of personal interaction in a student-centered

learning environment.

2) To be aware of the significance role of the teacher as a facilitator of a student-

centered learning environment.

3) To identify the relationship of personal interaction in a student-centered learning

environment.

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2. METHODOLOGY

This chapter details out the methodology of the study. It contains the description

of the research design, subjects of the study, research instruments, and description of

the data gathering procedure.

Research Design

For this study, the researchers adopted a qualitative methodology to address

interpersonal interaction in the learning environment. McLeod (2019) defined

qualitative research as the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting non-

numerical data. Data was gathered from a naturally occurring group of individuals

without the use of experimental manipulation through the used of survey

questionnaires, making the design descriptive in nature.

Subject of the Study

The researchers distributed the survey questionnaires to ten randomly selected

teachers from Felizardo C. Lipana National High School, located at Sta. Rita,

Guiguinto, Bulacan. The target participants will be selected English and Filipino

teachers who have been working at a public high school for five years or more. The

researchers used cluster sampling as a technique to get the target number of

respondents. The researchers divided a population into smaller groups known as

clusters and then randomly selected among these clusters to form a sample. Since the

population of the researchers is the teachers from the mentioned school, the

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researchers selected the teachers of English and Filipino to get specific respondents

who would answer the questions.

Research Instrument

A survey questionnaire will be used as the research instrument in the study. It

uses open-ended questions to further elaborate on the reason or opinion of the

respondent. The survey questionnaire will be a great help to the researchers, for it

answers the questions that are needed for the collection of information.This survey

will serve as the primary source of information to generate the research findings in

detail. It will answer the questions about the effectiveness of personal interaction in a

student-centered learning environment, which is the main point of the research.

Data Collection

Upon knowing the research respondents, the researchers made a request letter

signed by the subject teacher to ask for the respondents' permission to be part of the

research study. Following approval, the researchers would hand out the consent form

to the respondents.

To gather data for the study, the researchers would provide a list of

questionnaires and conduct a face-to-face survey to reach out to the target respondents

personally. After the distribution of questionnaires, the collection of data will be

interpreted, analyzed, and organized to generate the result and conclusion of the

study.

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Ethnical Considerations

The participant's rights, interest, and sensibility was the top priority of this study.

The gathered data will be collected, recorded, and tabulate in a professional way. The

statistics, results, methods, and procedures that have been implemented will be

collected and secured without any kind of manipulation. Particpation in this study is

purely voluntary and if any unwarranted incidents occurred without consequence

happened, the individuals who participate can withdraw from participating in the

study.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Personal interaction contributes to student’s learning

It brings out the inner potential of the students

In the traditional setting of a classroom, it is normal that the teacher is the only

one who discusses the lesson; this is called teacher-centered learning. Implementing

the student-centered method can be a more effective way of learning. Students can

bring out their potentials about that certain lesson that is being discussed. It can be a

way for their true skills to come out and be shown to the teachers and other students.

They can freely express themselves since this method focuses on the students rather

than the teacher. Since it is up to the students, they can feel the responsibility to learn

and the independence to study by themselves. In that way, their momentum and

eagerness to show their skills, talents, and potential will truly come out as they feel

more comfortable. The teacher can also be the one who encourages the students,

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giving them the support and motivation that they need to have confidence in

themselves. According to Spark (2022), when there is personal interaction, the trust of

the student to the teacher builds up. Resulting for the student to show their skills and

potential more comfortably.

They can learn and engage more in the lesson

Since the student is the main focus in the student-centered learning method, they

will learn and understand the lesson better since they are the ones who will study and

research about it. As stated by Spark (2022) listening is a proof that the students are

really paying attention to the lesson. And learning with personal interaction, will

make the students to lend their ears to the discussion of the teacher because, they can

see and talk to them personally: there is an assurance on the student’s learning. They

will feel more engaged and immersed, resulting to the deep understanding of the

lesson. Imagine a discussion in a classroom where it is always the teacher who is

talking without letting the students speak for their thoughts and opinions; there is no

engagement, and the learning process is not that quite active and effective. The

student will surely learn if the teacher gives them the chance to take over and gives

them the responsibility to do so. Students are not the only ones who learn in a typical

discussion. There are times that the teacher also learns from their students. In that

case, the cycle of giving and receiving knowledge is evident: both are learning.

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Monitoring the learning and performance of the students

It is important for the teachers to monitor and always check on the students'

progress in learning. Also, teachers can correct the students if they are wrong about

what they thought of the lessons. Personal interaction is necessary for keeping an eye

on the student s performance in the classroom. If there is personal interaction, the

teacher can guide the students correctly. Not only the performance and learning can

be monitored, but the behavior, attitudes, and characters of the students can also be

guided. Perez (2001) believed that it is a disadvantage if students cannot see their

teacher physically. The students will learn more if there is an interaction between

them and the teacher. Every student is different from each other. There are some who

can quickly understand the topic and have a good performance in class. But there are

also those who take time to fully understand the lesson. However, some students

prefer to study by themselves, but questions and confusions cannot be avoided. This

shows how teachers play a significant role in answering their questions and feeding

them the right information that they need to know. When there is personal interaction

between the teacher and student, it will be easy to correct the student in a professional

way. As a result, they will have accurate and relevant learning in school. 

Connection, participation, and interaction with the teacher and other students

When it comes to learning, the connection can be defined as its foundation. The

teacher and the students need to be connected with each other to have a meaningful

learning to happen. Without this, it is possible to have effective learning. When there

is participation from the teacher and students, there will be an instance where they can

learn more, since physical interaction is present in the class. This statament is

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supported by Spark (2022), they believed people will learn more if they keep on

interacting with others, as it establishes a tight bond between the students and their

teachers, peers, and school staffs. It will help the learner to have the sense of

belonging. The learning must not only happen between the teacher and the student but

also with the other students. Aside from having fun while interacting with other

students, there is an exchange of information and insights happening, where students

can also develop their social skills while interacting with other students as well as

with their teachers.

Role of the teacher as facilitator of a student-centered learning environment

Teacher as a guide to improve intellectual, emotional, and physical growth

The teacher's role in society is to instruct and guide all the students through all

the levels of growth. They are the ones that prepare the students for adulthood; when

the students reach the stage where they need to face the real world, the teacher must

be the guide to help the students find their calling in life and must be the philosopher

who enlightens the young students about the world. In a student-centered learning

environment, it is hard to decide whether the facilitator should let the students explore

their growth because it feels like the teacher abandoned the students or was

controlling them. According to Harrington and LeBlanc (2019) monitoring the

progress or the growth of a student is the key to personalization of the learning

experiences. To let the students grow intellectually, emotionally, and physically, the

teacher needs to encourage the students to explore different levels of personal growth

while still observing the progress of the learners.

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Teachers are responsible for letting the students learn new ideas

According to Bouffard (2019) a learners construct their knowledge and have a

voice and choice to determine what, how, when, and where the knowledge can be

found. The role of teachers has fundamentally changed over the years, from the old

ways of "show and tell" practices to modern methods of teaching. Giving instruction

to the students does not only consist of giving lectures to those who sit in rows at

desks but rather of giving them opportunities to explore new ideas outside the four

walls of the classroom. Learning new ideas isn't just inside the classroom; it also

reaches into the home, the community, and around the world. The information that the

learners need to learn is not always bound in books, but is available everywhere the

students go. By letting them collaborate with others the more the students will

embrace their own learning.

Teachers are the ones who provide information

As Harington and Debruler stated on 2019 that in real student centered learning

environment, the teachers and students work to collaborate and to create a plan that

are best for the each students. Teachers are one of the most important members of our

society. Students are the ones who carry everything they learn with them until they

reach adulthood. Students will use everything they learn from other students to

influence the world because, as youth, they are expected by their elders to be future

leaders, and teachers have the ability to educate the youth. Teachers are the ones that

strain information and teach the learners how to differentiate the facts from the

opinions that are being shared. The teacher is the one who plans the lesson that will be

implemented in the learning environment and will provide the opportunity for the

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students to interact and collaborate with other learners. The teacher is responsible for

the outcome and provides it, but also limits the information that is shared and lets the

students discover what is being learned.

Teachers are still the authorities

The teacher is still the one who has power and authority in making decisions

about the activities that will be implemented in the learning environment. The school

put the teacher in charge because they are responsible for managing the students'

learning. It does not mean that when a teacher is the authority, the students' interests

will not be recognized; teachers will still recognize the interests of the learners while

still having the ability to influence their behavior. It does not mean that in a student-

centered learning environment, the teacher has no power because teachers are still

more knowledgeable. That is why students still need the presence of the teachers

beside them. The teacher has the power to evaluate if the students learn something

from the activities that are employed. According to MacCarthy (2015) when a teacher

role as a facilitator is being respected during learning it increases the confidence of

the teacher and in that way learning will be more effective.

Teachers strategies to promote personal interaction in the classroom

Small group differentiated activities

Teachers believe that small group activities are effective strategies to promote

personal interaction among their students. The use of groupings, games,

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performances, and paired groups as one of the strategies can develop the learning

progress of the students and evem promote socialization inside the classroom. This

statement is supported by Routman (2005), he believed that students learn more when

they are able to talk to one another and be actively involved in the classroom, as

throught social interaction the students can receive knowledge and give feedback,

which helps them develop and learn more about themselves and even discover and

learn a certain things. By giving them different classroom activities, they are able to

enhance their ability to work well with others, which they can enjoy while learning. In

this approach, the students will have a chance to express themselves freely. They will

be able to collaborate to come up with an output that embodies their ideas and

personalities. Proving small group differentiated activities before the start of the

lesson proper would make the students develop critical thinking and communication

skills, as they tried to collaborate well with their groupmates to carefully perform

problem-solving and decision-making. Furthermore, strategies should be applicable to

the types of learners and the level of their expertise at each stage of their learning

journey.

Summary of Ideas

According to the teachers, personal interaction is a big factor in a student-

centered learning environment. Students are eager to share their thoughts and opinions

about a certain topic that they are discussing, and since there is interaction, both

parties are learning. Teachers can monitor the student's performance better, and they

will be able to guide their learners more, resulting in more accurate and relevant

learning in school. Since there are interactions, insights, and information being

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exchanged, everyone is learning, and this method can also help the learners improve

their social skills. Teachers are the ones who prepare students for their futures.

Enlightening the child's mind with reality and guiding them to face the world with

knowledge. Learning new things in school also reaches home and the surrounding of

the student who enjoyed the discussion. Teachers play a vital role in society, they

teach every successful professional and the leaders of the country. They filtered facts

and opinions, provides inspirations and opportunity to the students to strive more and

keep on discovering and learning new things. Creating activities that involves

groupings, games, performances and paired groups are suggested strategies from

teachers to promote personal interaction among students. By giving students different

tasks, learners will be able to enhance and distinguish their skills through

collaboration with other learners.

4. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION

It is clear that teachers and personal interaction play a significant role in students'

learning. The active participation of students creates a lively and more active

discussion in which they can share their own ideas and opinions, so the teacher can

recognize who understands the lesson very well and also who is having a hard time

absorbing the ideas. In addition to that, teachers help them boost their performance by

allowing them to join extracurricular activities and not only focus on academic

matters. Teachers are not only facilitators, but they are also guardians who can guide

those children every step of the way while they study in the four corners of the

classroom. The researchers come up with the conclusion that students learn

effectively when they interact with their teachers and other students, knowing they

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can approach their instructors for assistance with any subject when they are having

trouble understanding the lesson properly. The researchers recommend teachers and

students should build an active engagement with each other, as this research shows

that it helps to create a positive classroom environment. It has a big impact on the

students to have good communication with their teachers and vice-versa. Teachers

will feel gratification towards their work because the students are more engaged and

interested in every class activity.

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 REFERENCES

Beth, H., Randall, W., & Sarah, N. (2013). The Impact of Social Interaction on
Student Learning.Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and
Language Arts, Volume 50, Issue 4. Retrieved from:
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=3105&context=reading_horizons

Green, C. & Harrington, C. (2020). Student-centered learning: In principle and in

practice. Lansing, MI: Michigan Virtual University. Retrieved from:
https://michiganvirtual.org/research/publications/student-centered-learning-in-
principle-and-in-practice/

John, M. (2015). Student-Centered Learning: It Starts With the Teacher. Retrieved

from: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-centered-learning-starts-with-teacher-
john-mccarthy

Saul, M. (2019). Qualitative vs Quantitative Research. Retrieved from:

https://www.simplypsychology.org/qualitative-quantitative.html

Shu-Hui, C. & Roger, S. (2008). Effectiveness of Personal Interaction in a

Learner-Centered Paradigm Distance Education Class Based on Student
Satisfaction. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, v40 n4 p407-
426. Retrieved from: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ826084.pdf

Spark (2022). Social Interaction in Schools: How it Works. Retrieved from:

https://spark.school/academics/social-interaction-school#:~:text=The%20more
%20you%20interact%20with,learn%2C%20retain%2C%20and%20apply

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APPENDICES

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 BULACAN STATE UNIVERSITY - MENESES CAMPUS

Bulacan, Bulakan

College of Education

Dear Ma’am/Sir,

Good day! The researchers are currently conducting research entitled "The Effectiveness
of Personal Interaction in a Student-Centered Learning Environment." In line with this goal,
we request you to answer this survey questionnaire by stating your explanation for each item.
Thank you for giving your time!
Rest assured that your answers and explanations will be treated with full confidentiality.

Name (Optional): _______________________________

Subject Teacher: ________________________________
Years of teaching: _______________________________

1. How does personal interaction contribute to your student’s learning?

Answer:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. How important is the role of the teacher as a facilitator of a student-centered learning

environment?

Answer:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. What strategies are you employing in the classroom to promote personal interaction
between your students?

Answer:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

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