Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
REMEDIATING LOW PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS OF SMAC FOURTH YEAR STUDENTS
An Action Research
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement of
Saint Mary’s Academy of Capiz,
Roxas City
Presented by:
Mr. IRONE B. DESALES and Mr. ADONIS P. BESA
High School Faculty
1
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
ABSTRACT
This action research aimed to determine the level of
Problem-solving Skills and Interest of Fourth year students
towards the subject Physics this year. Most importantly it
aimed to describe qualitatively and quantitatively the
significant relationship of the levels of skill and interest
in improving the competency of the students in problem-
solving. Samples were gathered through random sampling
method to obtain the 30 respondents of the study. Data for
the Problem-solving skill and Interest levels were gathered
by means of using a Researcher-made Physics Problem
Questionnaire in which it indicated that the respondents’
shows low level on both aspects. To address the concurrent
problem on these areas, the researchers planned and
systematically implemented three useful strategies to help
students improve and these are the Competent Problem Solver,
Understanding Basic Mechanics, and Formulate-and-Solve
methods. It was found out, that after these three methods
were applied students gain better perception of how to go
through with a physics problem in an organized manner as
shown in the analysis and interpretation of scores, mean,
and ANOVA used in the study. The strategies were somewhat
2
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
effective to enhance understanding of physics problem
analysis and computation.
3
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
TABLE of CONTENTS
Title Page 1
Abstract 2-3
Table of Contents 4
RATIONALE 5-8
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 9-18
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design 19-20
Research Procedures and Techniques 20-30
Statistical Tools Used 30-31
PRESENTATION and ANALYSIS of DATA 32-37
SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, and RECOMMENDATIONS 38-42
REFERENCES 43
APPENDICES 44-45
4
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
RATIONALE
It cannot be denied that problem solving is an
important part of education. Physics, in general, is an
important subject because of its practical role to a person
and the society as a whole. However, before a student can
successfully solve a problem, he has to possess good reading
comprehension, analytic and computational skills. Problem
solving in Physics and reading comprehension go hand in
hand. Solving Physics problems entails or requires the
students to do or apply two skills at the same time- reading
and computing. It is a two-edged sword which the student
should conquer, so to speak.
As observed, many students are poor both in
comprehending and analyzing Physics word problems.
Specifically in SY 2011-2012 Fourth year class, only few out
of the many students can successfully solve problems in
Physics without or with just little help from the teacher.
The rest need to be guided to understand the problem. Most
of them find it hard to picture the situation indicated by
the problem they are trying to solve. The slow ones would
even ask the meaning of a certain word in the problem. When
they have understood it, it is only then that they fully
5
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
grasp the event/situation pictured in the problem. However,
there are still some who cannot understand it, probably
because they can’t connect or relate the ideas explained in
the problem. When it is time to analyze or break down the
problem, only few can actively participate. During group
activities, the leaders would most often report that their
members have to be monitored closely so that they would be
able to correctly analyze the problem. Based on their
report, roughly 2 out of 6 members actively contribute in
their output. That is why, during unit and periodical tests,
only few can get a perfect score. Translating this into
analyzing the problems in Physics, there is a grim prospect
that they would find it hard to understand Physics problems
and thus affect their performance in the said area,
notwithstanding their numerical skills. In straight
computations like plain addition, multiplication,
subtraction and division, they can solve them successfully
with very little help. But when these are written in the
verbal context-not in the numerical context- they are
already at a loss, so to speak. Obviously, the bane of these
students is the understanding of the contents of the math
problems correctly and connecting the ideas expressed in it
6
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
to fully grasp and find a way to successfully solve the
problem.
In line with this, this action entitled “Remediating
Low Problem-Solving Skills in Physics of SMAC Fourth Year
Students” was conducted to deal not only on the
determination of the skill level of understanding with
regards to the problem-solving skills of the students but
also apply useful approach to deal with the low level of
problem-solving skills. This study was undertaken to
improve the problem-solving skills in Physics of Fourth year
students and for that matter increase their interest in
physics and science at large.
Specifically, this study aims to answer the following
questions,
1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of age
and gender?
2. What is the level of students’ problem-solving skills
and interest in physics when classified as to age and
gender before and after the implementation of the
interventions?
3. Is there a significant relationship between the
problem-solving skill performance and interest of the
7
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
students in physics before and after the implementation
of the interventions?
8
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
REVIEW of RELATED LITERATURE
Problem solving is a mental process which is the
concluding part of the larger problem process that
includes problem finding and problem shaping where problem
is defined as a state of desire for the reaching of a
definite goal from a present condition that either is not
directly moving toward the goal, is far from it or needs
more complex logic for finding a missing description of
conditions or steps toward the goal [1]. Considered the most
complex of all intellectual functions, problem solving has
been defined as a higher-order cognitive process that
requires the modulation and control of more routine or
fundamental skills.[2] Problem solving has two major
domains: mathematical problem solving and personal problem
solving where, in the second, some difficulty or barrier is
encountered.[3] Further problem solving occurs when moving
from a given state to a desired goal state is needed for
either living organisms or an artificial
intelligence system.
While problem solving accompanies the very beginning of
human evolution and especially the history of mathematics,
[3] the nature of human problem solving processes and methods
9
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
has been studied by psychologists over the past hundred
years. Methods of studying problem solving
include introspection, behaviorism, simulation, computer
modeling and experiment.
History
The early experimental work of
the Gestaltists in Germany placed the beginning of problem
solving study e.g. Karl Duncker in 1935 with his book The
psychology of productive thinking [4]. Later this
experimental work continued through the 1960s and early
1970s with research on conducted relatively simple but novel
for participants laboratory tasks of problem solving. [5]
[6] Choosing simple novel tasks was based on the clearly
defined optimal solutions and their short time for solving,
which made possible for the researchers to trace
participants' steps in problem-solving process. Researchers'
underlying assumption was that simple tasks such as
the Tower of Hanoi correspond to the main properties of
"real world" problems and thus the characteristic cognitive
processes within participants' attempts to solve simple
problems are the same for "real world" problems too; simple
problems were used for reasons of convenience and with the
10
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
expectation that thought generalizations to more complex
problems would become possible. Perhaps the best-known and
most impressive example of this line of research is the work
by Allen Newell and Herbert Simon [7]. Other experts have
shown that the principle of decomposition improve the
ability of the problem solver to make good judgment.[8]
Simple laboratory-based tasks can be useful in explicating
the steps of logic and reasoning that underlie problem
solving; however, they usually omit the complexity
and emotional valence of "real-world" problems. In clinical
psychology, researchers have focused on the role of emotions
in problem solving (D'Zurilla & Goldfried, 1971; D'Zurilla &
Nezu, 1982), demonstrating that poor emotional control can
disrupt focus on the target task and impede problem
resolution (Rath, Langenbahn, Simon, Sherr, & Diller, 2004).
In this conceptualization, human problem solving consists of
two related processes: problem orientation, the
motivational/attitudinal/affective approach to problematic
situations and problem-solving skills. Working with
individuals with frontal lobe
injuries, neuropsychologists have discovered that deficits
in emotional ontrol and reasoning can be remedied, improving
11
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
the capacity of injured persons to resolve everyday problems
successfully (Rath, Simon, Langenbahn, Sherr, & Diller,
2003).
In Europe, two main approaches have surfaced, one
initiated by Donald Broadbent (1977; see Berry & Broadbent,
1995) in the United Kingdom and the other one by Dietrich
Dörner (1975, 1985; see Dörner & Wearing, 1995) in Germany.
The two approaches share an emphasis on relatively complex,
semantically rich, computerized laboratory tasks,
constructed to resemble real-life problems. The approaches
differ somewhat in their theoretical goals and methodology,
however. The tradition initiated by Broadbent emphasizes the
distinction between cognitive problem-solving processes that
operate under awareness versus outside of awareness, and
typically employs mathematically well-defined computerized
systems. The tradition initiated by Dörner, on the other
hand, has an interest in the interplay of the cognitive,
motivational, and social components of problem solving, and
utilizes very complex computerized scenarios that contain up
to 2,000 highly interconnected variables (e.g., Dörner,
Kreuzig, Reither & Stäudel's 1983 LOHHAUSEN project;
12
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
Ringelband, Misiak & Kluwe, 1990). Buchner (1995) describes
the two traditions in detail.
In North America, initiated by the work of Herbert Simon on
learning by doing in semantically rich domains (e.g. Anzai &
Simon, 1979;Bhaskar & Simon, 1977), researchers began to
investigate problem solving separately in different
natural knowledge domains – such as physics, writing,
or chess playing – thus relinquishing their attempts to
extract a global theory of problem solving (e.g. Sternberg &
Frensch, 1991). Instead, these researchers have frequently
focused on the development of problem solving within a
certain domain, that is on the development
of expertise (e.g. Anderson, Boyle & Reiser, 1985; Chase &
Simon, 1973; Chi, Feltovich & Glaser, 1981).
Areas that have attracted rather intensive attention in
North America include fields as:
Reading (Stanovich & Cunningham, 1991)
Writing (Bryson, Bereiter, Scardamalia & Joram, 1991)
Calculation (Sokol & McCloskey, 1991)
Political decision making (Voss, Wolfe, Lawrence &
Engle, 1991)
13
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
Problem Solving for Business (Cornell, 2010)
Managerial problem solving (Wagner, 1991)
Lawyers' reasoning (Amsel, Langer & Loutzenhiser, 1991)
Mechanical problem solving (Hegarty, 1991)
Problem solving in electronics (Lesgold & Lajoie, 1991)
Computer skills (Kay, 1991)
Game playing (Frensch & Sternberg, 1991)
Personal problem solving (Heppner & Krauskopf, 1987)
Mathematical problem solving (Polya, 1945; Schoenfeld,
1985)
Social problem solving (D'Zurilla & Goldfreid, 1971;
D'Zurilla & Nezu, 1982)
Problem solving for innovations and inventions: TRIZ
(Altshuller, 1973, 1984, 1994)
To sum up, researchers' realization that problem-solving
processes differ across knowledge domains and across levels
of expertise (e.g. Sternberg, 1995) and that, consequently,
findings obtained in the laboratory cannot necessarily
14
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
generalize to problem-solving situations outside the
laboratory, has during the past two decades led to an
emphasis on real-world problem solving. This emphasis has
been expressed quite differently in North America and
Europe, however. Whereas North American research has
typically concentrated on studying problem solving in
separate, natural knowledge domains, much of the European
research has focused on novel, complex problems, and has
been performed with computerized scenarios (see Funke, 1991,
for an overview).
Characteristics of a difficult Problem
As elucidated by Dietrich Dörner and later expanded upon
by Joachim Funke, difficult problems have some typical
characteristics that can be summarized as follows:
Intransparency (lack of clarity of the situation)
Commencement opacity
Continuation opacity
Polytely (multiple goals)
Inexpressiveness
15
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
Opposition
Transience
Complexity (large numbers of items, interrelations and
decisions)
Enumerability
Connectivity (hierarchy relation, communication relation,
allocation relation)
Heterogeneity
Dynamics (time considerations)
Temporal constraints
Temporal sensitivity
Phase effects
Dynamic unpredictability
The resolution of difficult problems requires a direct
attack on each of these characteristics that are
encountered.
Problem Solving Techniques
16
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
These techniques are usually called problem solving
strategies.
Abstraction: solving the problem in a model of the system
before applying it to the real system
Analogy: using a solution that solved an analogous problem
Brainstorming: (especially among groups of people)
suggesting a large number of solutions or ideas and
combining and developing them until an optimum is found
Divide and conquer: breaking down a large, complex problem
into smaller, solvable problems
Hypothesis testing: assuming a possible explanation to the
problem and trying to prove (or, in some contexts, disprove)
the assumption
Lateral thinking: approaching solutions indirectly and
creatively
Means-ends analysis: choosing an action at each step to move
closer to the goal
17
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
Method of focal objects: synthesizing seemingly non-matching
characteristics of different objects into something new
Morphological analysis: assessing the output and
interactions of an entire system
Reduction: transforming the problem into another problem for
which solutions exist
Research: employing existing ideas or adapting existing
solutions to similar problems
Root cause analysis: eliminating the cause of the problem
Trial-and-error: testing possible solutions until the right
one is found
Proof: try to prove that the problem cannot be solved. The
point where the proof fails will be the starting point for
solving it
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
18
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
Research Design
This study is an experimental at the same time a
descriptive correlational research aimed at improving the
problem solving skills of physics students through the use
of the competent problem solver, the understanding basic
mechanics and formulate-your-own-problem methods at Saint
Mary’s Academy of Capiz. The study offered the opportunity
to engage in continuous cycles of planning, acting,
observing and reflecting, which generally characterize
action research approaches. McNiff & Whitehead (2002),
elaborate on these cycles to describe spontaneous, self-
recreating system of enquiry as a systematic process of
observe, describe, plan, act, reflect, evaluate, modify, but
they stress that the process is not linear, but
transformational, which allows for greater fluidity in
implementing the process. The action research cycle is
generally given as a four-step cycle of reflect → plan → act
→ observe. That is: reflecting on one’s practice and
identifying a problem or concern, planning a strategy or
intervention that may solve the problem, acting or carrying
out the plan, and finally, observing the results or
collecting the data. It is common for practitioners to
19
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
follow the observation phase with reflecting anew, planning
and carrying out another intervention, and, again, observing
the results, continually repeating the cycle, continually
seeking improvement (Higher Education Academy 2009).
Research Procedures and Techniques
PROCEDURAL DESIGN
20
Determination of the Low Performing Students in Physics
Random Sampling for the final number of the Respondents
Administration of the Pre-test
Implementation of the Methods- Competent Problem Solver
- Understanding Basic Mechanics- Formulate-and-Solve
Assessment of the Methods by means Board work, Challenge Problems, Quizzes, Quarterly Projects and Examinations
Administration of the Post test
Analysis and Interpretation of Data ( Mean , Comparative and Correlation)
Determination of the Problem-solving skill and interest level for the Pre=test
Determination of the Problem-solving skill and interest level for the Post test
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
The researchers used pre-intervention activities such
as class works, projects, tests and assignments. Students
were made to take a teachers-made test which consisted of
five questions each in Kinematics and in Dynamics after
students were taught the concepts. The researchers underwent
series of activities to implement the strategies in order to
help improve the problem-solving skills of the selected
students.
Date Activities Data to be Collected
Statistical Treatment
August 31, 2011
Administration of the pre-test
Scores of the pre-test
Mean Scores/ANOVA
September 1, 2011 – January 31, 2012
Implementation of the Remedies
- Competent Problem-solving Method
- Understanding the Problem
Result of the daily, unit, periodical tests and projects.
Mean Scores
21
Data Gathering (Frequency Count)
Analysis and Interpretation of Data ( Mean , Comparative and Correlation)
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
Mechanics
- Formulate-and-Solve your own problem method
February 1, 2012
Administration of the post-test
Scores of the post-test
Raw scores and ANOVA
Time and Place of Study
This study was conducted from Second to Fourth Quarter
of the School Year 2011-2012 at Saint Mary’s Academy of
Capiz, Roxas City Capiz.
Respondents of the Study and Sampling Method
This study utilized thirty (30) randomly selected
fourth year students enrolled during the current school
year. These respondents were selected based on their
performance on the First Periodical Test in Physics and then
Random sampling was applied to identify the 30 respondents.
Nature of Techniques Used
A. The Problem-Solving Skill Questionnaire
22
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
This is a researchers-made questionnaire which is
consist of 10 word problems to be solve with 5-point mark
each which makes it 50 points. Each problem has different
components such as given, unknown quantity, illustration,
equation, and computation. At the end of the questionnaire
is a scale 1-10 indicating the rate of interest of the
respondents towards the subject Physics. The problem-solving
skill level is then identified using the classification
below:
Scores Interval Level of Skill
0 – 10 Very Low
11 – 20 Low
21 – 30 Moderate
31- 40 High
41 – 49 Very High
50 Excellent
For the level of interest in the subject Physics,
the following scale will be used.
Mean Level of Interest
23
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
0 – 2.00 Very Low
2.01 – 4.00 Low
4.01 – 6.00 Moderate
6.01 – 8.00 High
8.01 – 9.99 Very High
10 Excellent
B. The Competent Problem Solver Method
The key component of these instructional strategies is
the competent problem solver method is a five-step
structured problem solving strategy as follows:
1. Visualize the problem
2. Describe the problem in physics terms
3. Plan a solution
4. Execute the plan
5. Check and evaluate
C. Understanding Basic Mechanics Method
24
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
This method has three basic steps: Analyze the Problem,
Construct Solution, and Check (and Revise if need be). The
first and third steps are broken down into a list of
questions the student needs to ask about the problem and
factors that should be taken into account. The second step,
the ‘meat’ of the method, concerns itself with finding
appropriate sub- problems that resemble the exercises the
students are already capable of working, or can easily
figure out how to work. In constructing the solution, the
student first determines what needs to be done: is there
missing information? Are there unknowns that might be
removed by proper combination of relations? Once that has
been determined, the student is helped along the path to
accomplishing the sub-goal. This method is a heuristic
method, in that it teaches the student ways of thinking and
learning. In constructing the solution, the student first
determines what needs to be done by asking these self
questions: Is there missing information? Are there unknowns
that might be removed by proper combination of relations?
Once that has been determined, the student is helped along
the path to accomplishing the sub-goal. Among the two
methods described above, it is considerably easier to work
with the competent problem solver method in collaboration
25
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
with the Understanding Basic Mechanics Method because of the
following reasons: The Competent Problem Solver Method has
rigorously shown to work in group settings where the total
class size was small enough that the teacher could
effectively manage the groups (Heller & Hollabaugh 1992).
There are sixteen (16) physics students in Somanya Secondary
Technical School; hence it was expedient to apply this
method. Also the Competent Problem Solver Method is used
since it teaches a general strategy with emphasis on the
specific methods needed for physics problem-solving. This
method helps overall problem-solving skills of students
especially in the areas of focusing the problem and checking
the results (Heller & Hollabaugh 1992). Secondly, problem-
solving skills are often a limiting factor on students. They
may understand the concept or think they understand it but
are blocked by inability to do the problem itself.
Researchers in various fields of science education have
pointed out how students often seem to have great difficulty
with problems that are simply concatenations of several
exercises the students can already work ( Bodner 1991). By
improving the problem-solving skills of the student
population, it may become easier to spot conceptual
difficulties that the students have.
26
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
Below is a brief description of the steps followed when
using the understanding of basic mechanics method and the
competent problem solver method.
Step 1 – Understand the problem
To really understand the problem, the following sub-
steps are needed to be considered.
a. Read the problem carefully.
b. Find the important information.
c. Write down the known values and the unknown values.
d. Identify what the problem wants you to solve.
e. Ask if your answer is going to be a larger or
smaller number compared to what you already know.
Step 2 – Decide how you are going to solve the problem
Decisions on how to solve the problem may depend on
your choice of one of the following strategies.
Use a graph
Use formulas
Make a list
Find a pattern
27
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
Work backwards
Use reasoning
Draw a diagram
Make a table
Act it out
However, in this study the strategy of ‘draw a diagram’
was used.
Step 3 - Solve the problem
Problem is solved by plugging known values into
relations or formulas to solve for unknown value.
Step 4 - Look Back and Check
This is done by re-reading the problem and comparing
the information from the problem to your work.
After that, ask yourself this question, “Did I solve
what the problem asked me to solve?”
In order to ensure that students go by these steps when
solving problems, the following grading criteria were used
to assess students on the steps as shown in Table 3.1
Formulate-and-Solve-Your-Own Problem
28
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
This is a culmination of the two methods stated above.
The respondents will then formulate a problem based on the
mechanics of word problem formulation, illustrate with
accuracy of measurements, and solve analytically applying
mathematical computations and equations. This was done
during every Periodical tests (2nd to 4th Quarter) and as
their project in the Second and Third Quarter. The students
were also tasked to formulate and solve their own version of
a kinematics and dynamics word problems as their project in
the second quarter and the teacher also incorporated items
for synthesis part during the second and third quarterly
examination to assess the level of problem-solving skill of
the respondents. The researchers used the following criteria
in marking their works:
Problem:
Grammar and Mechanics – 2 points, Accuracy and
Appropriateness of the quantities – 2 points
Solution:
Illustration/Given – 2 points, Equation Derived – 2 points,
Accuracy of the Computation – 2 points
Total: 10 points
29
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
A post-intervention test was conducted after the
implementation of the intervention activities. The test was
made up of ten questions similar to the questions in the
pre-intervention test. Students’ responses to the questions
were collected, marked and analyzed.
Statistical Tools Used
A. Mean
This tool was used to get the average scores of the
respondents from the pretest and posttest given. The mean
will represent the level of problem-solving skill of the
respondents. The higher the mean the more competent the
respondent is.
B. One-way Analysis of Variance
The Analysis of Variance is used to determine the
significant relationships among variables. In this study, it
is used to determine the significant relationship between
the problem-solving skill performance and the level of
interest of students in physics before and after the
implementation of the interventions.
30
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
PRESENTATION and ANALYSIS of DATA
Table 1. Profile of the Respondents
Table 1 shows the profile of the 30 respondents of the
study as grouped into age and gender. There are 10
31
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
respondents (20%) who ages 15 years old, mostly ages 15
years old (63%) and 5 respondents (17%) ages 17 years old.
There were 15 respondents selected on both genders.
CATEGORY FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE (%)
A. Entire Group 30 100
B. Age
15 y.o. 10 33
16 y.o. 15 50
17 y.o. 5 17
C. Gender
Male 15 50
Female 15 50
Table 2. Level of Problem-solving Skill of the Respondents
Table 2 shows the means and corresponding descriptions
of the respondents’ problem-solving skill as classified into
different categories of variables. In general, the
respondents had a low level of problem-solving skill in the
pre-test with a mean of 13.43 and moderate level in the
post-test with 27.59 mean. Specifically, it can be gleaned
from the data that:
1. In terms of age, respondents who age 15 years old has
the lowest problem-skill with a mean score of 8.60 while
16 and 17 years old has low level with 13.93 and 18.80
32
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
respectively in the pre-test. In the post test, there are
improvements exist as the 15 and 16 year-old respondents
are classified as moderate level with 23.20 and 28.07
mean scores while the 17 year-olders has high level of
problem-solving skills gained. This means that students
as they grow and mature take on better problem-solving
skills as they are educated.
2. In terms of gender, female respondents comprehend lower
than male with 11.6 and 12.8 mean scores respectively. In
the post test, the same trend is shown as the male
outscores the female respondents with mean scores 28.73
and 24.93 respectively. This means that the lads are good
in problem-solving than the gals.
Table 2. Mean and Description of Students’ Problem-solving Skills
CATEGORY Mean DescriptionPre-test Post-
testPre-test Post-test
A. Entire Group
13.43 27.59 Low Moderate
B. Age15 y.o. 8.60 23.20 Very Low Moderate16 y.o. 13.93 28.07 Low Moderate17 y.o. 18.80 33.00 Low High
C. GenderMale 11.60 24.93 Low ModerateFemale 12.80 28.73 Low Moderate
33
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
Table 3. Level of Interest of the Respondents
Table 2 shows the means and corresponding descriptions
of the respondents’ level of interest in physics as
classified into different categories of variables. In
general, the respondents had a low level interest in the
pre-test with a mean of 2.18 and moderate level in the post-
test with 4.64 mean. Specifically, it can be gleaned from
the data that:
1. In terms of age, respondents who age 15 years old has
the lowest problem-skill with a mean score of 1.83 while
16 and 17 years old has low level with 2.02 and 2.56
respectively in the pre-test. In the post test, there
are improvements exist as the 15 year-old respondents
are classified as low level with 3.65 while both the 16
and 17 year-olders has moderate level of interest
gained with 4.33 and 5.16 respectively. This means that
as students grow older they tend to learn physics as an
interesting field gradually.
2. In terms of gender, female respondents have a low level
of interest compared than males with 2.21 and 2.39 mean
scores. In the post test, the same trend is shown as the
male outscores the female respondents with mean scores
34
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
5.78 and 4.28 respectively. This means that boys gain
more interest in the subjects as they learn from
everyday discussion and learning activities.
Table 3. Mean and Description of Students’ Level of Interest
in Physics
CATEGORY Mean DescriptionPre-test Post-
testPre-test Post-test
D. Entire Group
2.18 4.64 Low Moderate
E. Age15 y.o. 1.83 3.65 Very Low Low16 y.o. 2.02 4.33 Low Moderate17 y.o. 2.56 5.16 Low Moderate
F. GenderMale 2.39 5.78 Low ModerateFemale 2.21 4.28 Low Moderate
Table 4. Analysis of Variance of the Pre-test and Post Test
Table 4.1 and 4.2 show the Analysis of Variance between
Problem-solving skills and the Level of interest of the
respondents in physics during the pre-test and posttest. It
can be extracted that both in the pre-test and posttest the
computed f values (0.122 and 0.083, respectively) are
greater than the significant value which is 0.05 thus there
is a significant relationship between the skill and interest
of the students upon dealing with a physics problem. So it
35
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
means that students as they learned the concept and problem-solving skills and techniques
given by the teacher develop their interest in Physics as a subject.
Table 4.1 Pre-test Analysis of Variance of the Problem-solving skill and Interest
Sum of Squares df
Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups
609.967 14 43.569 1.863 .122
Within Groups
350.833 15 23.389
Total 960.800 29
Table 4.2 Pre-test Analysis of Variance of the Problem-solving skill and Interest
Sum of Squares df
Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups
903.867 17 53.169 2.215 .083
Within Groups
288.000 12 24.000
Total 1191.867 29
36
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS and RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
This descriptive correlational research was primarily
undertaken to ascertain the profile and significant
relationship between the levels of problem-solving as well
as the interest of SMAC high school students as categorized
in terms of the variables age and gender. Various methods
such as the Competent Problem Solver, Understanding Basic
37
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
Mechanics, and Formulate-and-Solve Methods were utilized to
treat the low level skills of the respondents. After all the
gathering and analysis of data before and after the
implementation of the above remedies it was found out that
somehow they are effective in improving the problem-skill of
the students. Thus developing students’ tendencies to
visualize the problem, derive appropriate equations, and
accurately compute for the solutions. This study will be
beneficial to those who are involved in the educational
process. Primarily the Students, after knowing their level
of problem-solving skill it will make them aware about how
they react towards word problems in physics exams. It will
help them develop a positive self-concept that can enhance
their knowledge, self-confidence, and motivate them to face
classroom-based or even real-life problems courageously to
improve their academic performance in Physics as a subject.
And for the Physics or even Math Teachers, who are the
facilitators of descriptive and inferential scientific
learning, it will foster awareness of how student react to
their testing techniques and approaches. The findings of the
study will provide teachers with factual information of
their students’ level of problem-solving skill; hence,
38
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
intervention programs can be employed with regards to
teaching approach and test making.
Findings
In terms of profile, most of the respondents were 15
years old and equally distributed as to gender.
In general, the respondents had a low level of problem-
solving skill in the pre-test and moderate level in the
post-test.
In terms of age, respondents who age 15 years old has
the lowest problem-skill while 16 and 17 years old has low
level. In the post test, there are improvements exist as the
15 and 16 year-old respondents are classified as moderate
level. This means that students as they grow and mature take
on better problem-solving skills as they are educated.
In terms of gender, female respondents comprehend lower
than male. In the post test, the same trend is shown as the
male outscores the female respondents. This means that the
lads are good in problem-solving than the gals.
The skill was significantly related to the interest of
the students in dealing with a physics problem. So it means
39
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
that students as they learned the concept and problem-
solving skills and techniques given by the teacher develop
their interest in Physics as a subject.
Conclusions
Based on the aforementioned results, the researchers
have drawn the following conclusions:
1. Most of the high school students suffers on how to
analyze and solve word problems in the subject Physics.
Although it will take time for them to master the art
of problem solving, the teacher is an important medium
for them to learn and appreciate Physics. Students
learn as they mature and see word problems in real-life
applications. Boys are good in analysis and arithmetic
processes compared than girls, as what can be deduced
from the data. So this should be regarded in the
educational system of the school.
2. High school life is a challenging stage for our
students. It is where they establish their love for a
certain subject which will anchor them on their future
careers. In the field of physics. Although most of the
students will not take engineering or physical science
courses has to undergo the basic physical nature of
40
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
thing that they can see and anything that they can do
involves physics on it. They must at least develop an
interest on this field for them to be aware that
everything they see and uses are products of the so-
called Physics. Modernization is brought by the
advancement of Physical fields. If they appreciate
their life, they have first to appreciate Physics.
Recommendations
The researchers would like to recommend the use or
addition of more and effective problem-solving techniques to
be conducted to a greater number of populations so as to
evaluate effectively and enhance more this ability to the
students especially in the subject Physics.
Careful learning planning should be given emphasis by
the teacher to arouse the interest of the students and to
address their individual differences in terms of attacking
the problems.
Drill and exercises should be integrated in case
students cannot master well the concepts of problem-solving
and further enhance their skills.
41
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
The need to look into the other interventions should be
given attention to respond to the need of the female
students in order to somehow enhance their skill and
interest the same as the male students.
The researchers also further recommend that a
correlation study between the language communication skill
and the problem-solving skill of the students should be
conducted to determine if there is a significant
relationship exists.
And lastly, the implementation of the methods used in
this study to the field of Mathematics and other Science
courses will be held to help improve also the problem-
solving skills of the young Scientists and Mathematicians.
REFERENCES
Aman Rao (2002-2004), Teaching Physics. 4th ed.
Borich, G.D (1996). Effective Teaching Methods.3rd ed.
Englewood Criffs: Merrill 3.
Christoph Schiller 1997-2007, Motion Mountain (The
adventure of physics),20th revision.
42
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
Williams. (1987), participation in education, Australia
Council for educational research, hawthorn.
E. Perrtt (1982), Effective teaching and practical to
improve teaching, 3rd ed.
Elliot, Educational psychology, Effective teaching,
effective learning teaching, learning and social class.
The McGrawil
Hill University, 3rd edition.
Robert S. Feldman (2002), Understanding psychology,
University of Massachusetts at Amherst McGraw Hill
Company 6th edition.
APPENDICES
PHYSICS PROBLEM QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: ______________________________ Section:_________
First Quarter Grade: _______________ Gender: _________
Part 1: KINEMATICS
43
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
1. An ant travels 3.5 m down to its subterranean nest. What would be its speed in 1.2 seconds?
2. A minivan traveled at a distance of 90 km in 1.3 hours. How fast would it be in m/s?
3. An ostrich is the largest bird in the world. If it travels at a speed of 35 mps. How long will it take to cover a distance of 100 ft?
4. How far would it take a trailer to reach its next destination if it is traveling a velocity of 50 mps in 0.3 hours?
5. A helicopter is moving at an acceleration of 400 km/hr2
north. What would be its velocity in 2.5 hours?
Part 2:DYNAMICS
1. A boy on a bridge throws an stone vertically downward toward the river below with an initial velocity of 14.7 mps. If the stone hits the water 2.0 s later, what is the height of the bridge from which the boy stands?
2. A ball is dropped out of a window near the top of the building. If it accelerates downward at -9.8 mps2, how fast will it hit the ground?
3. If a bullet is fired horizontally with a velocity of 600 mps from a height of 48 m, how long will it hit the ground?
4. A tractor pulls a loaded wagon with a constant force of 440 N. If the total mass of the wagon and its contents is 275 kg, what is the wagon’s acceleration?
5. A 100 kg football player runs straight down the field with a velocity of 4 mps. A 1 kg dodgeball was thrown at him at a velocity of 500 mps. Which of them has greater momentum?
Part 3: Physics Interest Scale
44
Saint Mary’s Academy of CapizP. Burgos St., Roxas City
From a scale of 1 – 10, rate your level of interest in the subject Physics. Write your answer on the box provided.
ANSWER SHEET
45
Given, Illustration and Unknown: (3 points)
Equation and Solution: (2 points)