MARY IMMACULATE PAROCHIAL SCHOOL OF MACALELON INC.

Macalelon, Quezon

Concept Paper
Practical Research 2

Researchers: AAAAAAAAAAAAA
Program: Academic- Humanities and Social Science
Date Submitted:
Proposed Title of the Study
ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES IN A FLIPPED ONLINE CLASSROM
TOWARDS ENHANCED CRITICAL THINKING AND ENGAGEMENT IN SCIENCE
AMONG GRADE 9
(IV, DV, RESPONDENTS)
Area of Study
Teaching and Learning/Instruction
RATIONALE (justification of the problem; related literature)
(Author 2013 onwards)
- What is the variable of the study?
- What is the problem? (relative to this variable)
- Why is there a need to conduct the study? Why is this important?
- What do the researcher intends to do? (objective/aim)
-
The shift to the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum in the Philippines, one of the
country's major educational reforms, aims to provide Filipino students with the essential skills
and competencies to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Its objective is to lay the
groundwork for lifelong learning. DepEd Order No. 21, s 2019, entitled, “Policy Guidelines on
the K to 12 Basic Education Program” outlined the said skills that students must master
through the new curriculum. This includes learning and innovations skills which consists of
creativity, curiosity, problem solving, adaptability and critical thinking among others.
Critical thinking, according to M. Scriven and R. Paul (1996), is the “intellectually
disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing,
synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation,
experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication as a guide to belief and action, as opposed
to merely processing information.” The majority of formal definitions of critical thinking
define it as the deliberate use of logical, higher-order thinking abilities such as analysis,
synthesis, issue detection and solution, inference, and assessment (Angelo, 1995; Lai, 2011).
The Science Framework for Philippine Basic Education (2011) outlines how science
education must allow the development of students critical thinking skills. It cites how
education must help students acquire scientific inquiry abilities, as well as ideals and attitudes
like objectivity, curiosity, and honesty, as well as mental habits like critical thinking. Critical
thinking skills may be learned and improved and can become lifelong abilities. People who are
scientifically literate have these abilities, which allow them to assess claims and statements by
evaluating them. With the shift to the K to 12 Curriculum, the science curriculum advances
from traditional teaching techniques towards a more inventive curriculum that focuses on
 MARY IMMACULATE PAROCHIAL SCHOOL OF MACALELON INC.
Macalelon, Quezon

Concept Paper
Practical Research 2

improving students' critical thinking and scientific abilities. Based on the K to 12 Curriculum
Guide Science 2013, among the goals of the K to 12 curriculum is to produce students who are
critical and creative solvers. This characteristic in conjunction with others will allow students
function effectively in the society.
However, the development of critical thinking remains to be among the challenges in
the implementation of the K to 12. Based on observations from the report commissioned by
UNICEF and the Department of Education (2020), critical thinking was not visible in the
design of the activities conducted by the students in most classrooms. The emphasis still was
on gaining content understanding about the subject. This was supported by the low ranking of
the country in international assessments like the 2018 Program for International Student
Assessment where it ranked in the low 70s out of 79 countries and Trends in International
Mathematics and Science Study 2019 (TIMSS) where it scored the lowest among all 57
participating countries.
Clearly, there is a need to explore on innovative strategies and methods to improve the
critical thinking among Filipino learners and for teachers to include activities in lessons to
improve this important 21st Century skill.
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected all facets of the society including the
educational system (Moralista & Oducado, 2020). Strict measures adopted to address the
rapidly spreading outbreak affected the way schools work and how learning takes place. With
health protocols in place, it posed challenges in the delivery of effective education to learners.
The Philippines has been greatly affected by the global pandemic as well. To address
education concerns, the Department of Education released DepEd Order No. 12, s. 2020
entitled, “Adoption of the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) for School
Year 2020-2021 in Light of the COVID19 Public Health Emergency.” It served as the
guideline in delivering education in this crucial time while safeguarding the health and safety
of the learners, teachers, and school personnel. This plan includes the adoption of the Most
Essential Learning Competencies (MELCS), the shift to multiple learning modalities (distance
learning and blended learning) and the use of Self-Learning Modules (SLMs).
One of the distance learning delivery modalities offered in schools is the online
distance learning. This learning modality is applicable to learners with available gadgets like
smartphones, tablets, desktop computers or laptop with stable internet connectivity. As stated
in the previously mentioned DepEd order, this modality allows interaction between teachers
and students in real time.
However, recent studies revealed the challenges faced by students during online classes
from across the world. Many students felt less engaged in online classes and gets distracted
easily by the surroundings (Sutiah et al, 2020). There was reportedly less teacher-student
interaction (Korkmaz & Toraman, 2020; Rotas & Cahapay, 2020; Adnan & Anwar, 2020) and
student-student interaction (Sutiah et al, 2020). For science and engineering classes, students
generally report lower efficiency of online teaching as it contains abstract concepts and
theories and complex equations and computations that requires more time (Tang et al, 2020).
 MARY IMMACULATE PAROCHIAL SCHOOL OF MACALELON INC.
Macalelon, Quezon

Concept Paper
Practical Research 2

In the Philippines specifically, as cited by Teräs et al, 2020, synchronous online teaching tends
to replicate traditional lectures where students become passive receivers of information
delivered by the teacher. This is not in line with the principles of online learning as stated by
Branch & Stefaniak (2019) which should include collaboration, connectedness, student-
centeredness, virtual reality, community, discovery, shared knowledge, multimodal
experiences, and authenticity.
With this in mind, the researcher would like to explore the use of active learning
strategies in a flipped online classroom to determine its effect on student engagement and
critical thinking in science class.
Theoretical/Conceptual Framework
As a major educational theory, constructivism has a significant impact on the modern
learning-teaching processes. The ideas of Piaget and Vygotsky affect constructivism-based
learning techniques and teaching methodologies (Tzuo, 2007). The learner performs the role of
information constructor and takes an active part in active learning approaches based on
constructivist ideas (Piaget, 1968; Vygotsky, 1978). Active learning occurs when a teacher
stops lecturing and pupils work on a topic or activity to grasp a subject (Andrews et al., 2011).
Active learning may also be described as any teaching approach that involves the learner in the
learning process.
To experience meaningful learning, Vygotsky proposed that pupils gain information
via social interactions and their culture. Vygotsky believed that students get knowledge via
social interactions and their culture in order to have meaningful learning experiences. “Every
function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later,
on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child
(intrapsychological)” (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 57). According to Vygotsky's theory, the facilitator
should use effective scaffolding in classes to help students acquire and remember material
(Lave, 1988; Vygotsky, 1978). The educator creates the essential learning structures so that the
student can finish the activity with the appropriate level of help.
Flipping the classroom reflects an ongoing paradigm change in education from
teacher-centered to learner-centered methods. The flipped model's novel component is
centered on the arrangement, sequencing, and usage of instructional sessions as an active
approach. Typically, class time was used to introduce theoretical topics by the instructor, who
takes an active part on content-related activities, leaving issues and uncertainties to be resolved
at home in many instances. Students take a passive part in the learning process with this
method. The flipped classroom, on the other hand, inverts the structure and time management
(O’Flaherty & Phillips, 2015; Jeong, Canada & Gonzales, 2018). The idea is to distinguish
between the time before class—where students must work on content asynchronously before
class—and class time—where doubts are resolved and practical work on the subject and
professional skills is done, including problem solving or questionnaires (Jeong, Rodriguez &
Canada, 2016; Dawson, 2015; Nouri, 2016; Santiago, 2015)
Any active learning technique may be utilized in the flipped classroom. These
 MARY IMMACULATE PAROCHIAL SCHOOL OF MACALELON INC.
Macalelon, Quezon

Concept Paper
Practical Research 2

included group discussions (Wang et al., 2019), problem solving (Khanova et al., 2015),
brainstorming (Kong, 2014), idea mapping (Porcaro et al., 2016), and gaming (Jo et al., 2018).
In a flipped classroom, videos are used to transmit instructional material online. These movies
are viewed before class. Classroom learning activities for higher-level cognitive area
accomplishments are required. DeRuisseau (2016) cited that flipped classroom allows for extra
time in class dedicated to critical thinking. Information literacy and critical thinking skills
were also reportedly fostered through this approach (Kong, 2014; Dehghanzadeh et al. 2018).
Aside from critical thinking, it also favors creative thinking and results to better learning
outcomes .
Technically, flipped learning is an offspring of blended learning, combining what is
presented online with conventional face-to-face education (Singh, 2003). However, with the
emergence of the COVID19 pandemic, many educators and researchers integrated this model
to their online teachings. Studies have shown that this integration positively affects students
learning. Tang et al. (2019) found that combining an online teaching model with a flipped
paradigm enhanced students' learning, attentiveness, and course assessment. Colomo-Magaña
et al. (2020) reported positive evaluation of online flipped classroom among students as an
alternative method to promote learning. The flipped teaching approach in information
technology, according to Hu, Wang, and Jiang (2021), has enhanced classroom learning
performance. The majority of students had a favorable impression of the flipped classroom,
citing the benefits of practical in-class activities as well as more learning autonomy (Ferrer &
Martinez, 2021). It encourages students' active involvement and engagement, as well as
improving students’ learning experiences. (Karalis & Raikou, 2021)
Despite its many benefits, this teaching technique has a number of disadvantages or
problems that affect the two primary agents: students and instructors. The issue for students is
their degree of involvement in the teaching–learning process (Strayer, 2012), which requires
more work and desire from them. This is related to their leading role, since they are
accountable for working on material before class, as else classroom time is wasted. Teachers'
digital proficiency is a hindrance. To properly develop and execute this approach, command of
many resources and materials is required. Deficits and lack of training in this area are one of
the issues that must be addressed during initial and ongoing training (Andia, Santiago & Sota,
2020; Halo & Lee, 2016; Lo & Hew, 2017).
The American Philosophical Association Delphi Report described critical thinking as
the process of deliberate, self-regulatory judgment. According to the study's findings, there are
six (6) key critical thinking skills: interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation,
and self-control (Facione, 2011).

INDEPENDENT VARIABLES DEPENDENT

VARIABLES

I. CRITICAL THINKING
- interpretation
 MARY IMMACULATE PAROCHIAL SCHOOL OF MACALELON INC.
Macalelon, Quezon

Concept Paper
Practical Research 2

Figure 1. Research Paradigm

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine the effect of active learning strategies in a flipped online
classroom to the critical thinking and engagement among Grade 9 science students at Mary
Immaculate Parochial School of Macalelon, Inc. Macalelon, Quezon Senior High School
enrolled during AY 2022-2023.
Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions:
1. What are the active learning strategies in a flipped online classroom as to critical thinking in
science in terms of:
1.1 interpretation
1.2 analysis
1.3 evaluation
1.4 inference
1.5 explanation
1.6 self-control

2. What is the perceived level of engagement of the respondents in the two groups before and
after the exposure to active learning strategies in a flipped online classroom?
 MARY IMMACULATE PAROCHIAL SCHOOL OF MACALELON INC.
Macalelon, Quezon

Concept Paper
Practical Research 2

Definition of Terms
The following terms are defined operationally for the purpose of the study.
Active Learning Strategies. This refers to the broad set of strategies that involves the
students’ active participation during the class. In this study, this includes strategies as role
playing, debate, writing journals and other team-based strategies.
Analysis.

Flipped Online Classroom

Standard Online flipping
Full hybrid Online flipping
Critical Thinking
Evaluation
Explanation
Inference
Interpretation
Self-regulation
Student Engagement
Research Design: Quantitative Method
Research Locale: Grade 9 students of Mary Immaculate Parochial School

Research Population and Sample

1. Purposive Sampling
Statistical Treatment
1. Frequency Percentage
2. Weighted Arithmetic Mean
References
Andrews, T. M., Leonard, M. J., Colgrove, C. A., and Kalinowski, S. T. (2011). Active
learning not associated with student learning in a random sample of college biology
courses. CBE Life Sci. Educ. 10, 394–405. doi: 10.1187/cbe.11-07-0061