International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics
Volume 6, Issue 6, ISSN (Online): 2347–9051
Self-guiding Worksheets: Strategy in Improving
Students’ Performance in Trigonometry
MARY-AN U. MAGBANUA
University of Antique, Sibalom, Antique, Philippines.
Date of publication (dd/mm/yyyy): 29/11/2018
Abstract – This action research sought to determine the researchers was the Kumon worksheet. According to Ukai
effectiveness of self-guiding worksheet as a strategy in [9], the Kumon method is a system developed in 1954 by
presenting the topic Trigonometric Identities in Trigonometry Mr. Kumon Toru in Japan to support his son in improving
among the freshman Bachelor in Secondary Education his mathematics performance. Features of the curriculum
students of the University of Antique, Sibalom, Antique,
include self-paced, timed, sequential, and incremental
Philippines, during the second semester, school year 2013 –
2014. Forty-three (43) students were taught using 10 self- content and skills in the exercises.
guiding worksheets. After the 5-week intervention, only 40 The Kumon method made the self-guided worksheet and
students took the post-intervention performance test. In the is designed to promote mastery learning through chunking
post-intervention performance test, the students got a higher and sequencing of the content, providing the examples and
mean score than the pre-intervention performance test, that problems, and providing exercises to consolidate student’s
is, from below average to average. The improvement in the learning [3]. Oakley, et al. [7] studied Kumon method in
performance of the students was found to be significant. The Pontiac, Michigan, United States, and found that it appeared
finding shows that the use of self-guiding worksheet has beneficial to at-risk students who had little or no support at
improved the performance of the students in proving and
home. According to Would [10], Kumon’s strategies are
operating expressions or simplifying identities involving
trigonometric functions. The self-guiding worksheet is also effective teaching techniques for children who are struggl-
their avenue of practicing their mathematical skills in solving -ing in mathematics. Behavioral psychologists believe that
trigonometric identities. skills are acquired by systematically progressing through
the learning hierarchy: acquisition, fluency, generalization,
Keywords – Self-Guiding Worksheets, Trigonometry, and then adaptation and if instruction does not follow the
Trigonometric Identities. learning hierarchy, the student’s foundation will be shaky
and the skill will not be mastered. Kumon’s intervention
I. INTRODUCTION starts at the fluency level, expecting students to master
accuracy and speed simultaneously.
Students nowadays are lax in studying their lessons. In a With the benefits the worksheet could provide, the
classroom setting, they are easily interrupted and distracted teacher - researcher determined to use self - guiding
by their seatmates and some of them get bored with the worksheets patterned after the Kumon method in teaching
activities given to them. One of the findings shown in the trigonometry to improve the students’ performance.
Trends International Mathematics and Science Studies [1]
revealed that Filipino students have poor performance in II. RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESIS
advanced mathematics; the Philippines placed 10th among
10 participating countries in the world. A. Statement of the Problem
Students often struggle in mathematics because of This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of self-
difficulties in organizing mathematical information guiding worksheet in teaching trigonometry among first
spatially [2]. In trigonometry, specifically the topic year Bachelor of Secondary Education students.
“trigonometric identities”, students have difficulties in Specifically, it sought answers to the following research
solving and proving identities involving trigonometric questions:
functions. The teacher-researcher’s students, although 1) What is the level of pre-intervention and post-intervention
majoring in mathematics, expressed the difficulties they performance in trigonometry of students?
had encountered when they were in high school learning 2) Is there a significant difference in the pre-intervention
trigonometric identities. The students also mentioned that and post-intervention performance in trigonometry of
they wanted to learn more techniques in proving identities. students?
Moreover, they suggested that lessons should be interesting B. Hypothesis
and easily learned by giving more examples. Based on the aforementioned problem, the following
Classroom teachers provide various activities such as hypothesis was tested: There is no significant difference in
recitation, discussion, and seatwork to presumably the pre-intervention and post-intervention performance in
encourage students’ processing of information at a level trigonometry of students.
that will facilitate knowledge acquisition and retention.
Research findings revealed that seatwork is a category of III. METHODOLOGY
classroom-activity to which greatest amount with an
average of 50 percent of pupil time is assigned [8]. A A. Self-guiding Worksheets
particular format for seatwork activities is a worksheet. The intervention utilized by the researcher was “self-
One of the enrichment programs mentioned among guiding worksheets”. These worksheets, prepared by the
Copyright © 2018 IJISM, All right reserved
201
International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics
Volume 6, Issue 6, ISSN (Online): 2347–9051
teacher-researcher herself, were patterned after the Kumon was tested through t-test for related samples since the two
method. There were 10 worksheets which discussed the scores were repeated measures. It is also used in a single
topics in trigonometric identities for five weeks. Each group quasi-experimental study in which the same
worksheet was composed of three parts. The first part assessment is used as the pretest, before the intervention,
discussed the concept with examples to be learned and the and as the posttest, after the intervention [6]. Statistical
second part dealt with problems for the students to work on. significance level was set at 0.05.
These problems were provided with scaffolding, like visual
cues and instructions, to help the students. The third and last IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
part was the set of exercises to consolidate students’
learning and the scaffoldings were gradually reduced. A. Students’ Pre-intervention and Post-intervention
B. Respondents Performance in Trigonometry
The respondents were the 40 first year Bachelor of Table 1 shows that the students’ post-intervention
Secondary Education (BSEd) major in mathematics performance (M = 15.03; SD = 3.56) was higher than their
students enrolled in Mathematics 4 with a descriptive title pre-intervention performance (M = 7.98; SD = 2.40). The
Plane and Spherical Trigonometry at the University of standard deviations for the groups showed that the pre-
Antique, second semester of school year 2013-2014. These intervention performance of the students fell closely about
students were from an intact class of 43, of whom only 40 the mean. Students had “below-average” performance in
were considered as respondents since the other three had not the pre-intervention test and “average” performance in the
taken the post-intervention performance test. The students post-intervention test. This means that there was an
attended the trigonometry class scheduled Mondays, improvement in the students’ level of performance.
Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:30 to 9:30 in the morning.
C. Intervention Table 1. Pre-intervention and Post-intervention
The topics tackled were fundamental identities, sum and Performance of Students in Trigonometry.
difference of two angle identities, double-angle identities,
Variable SD M Description
and half-angle identities using lecture and discussion.
The worksheets were given at the start of the class. The
first two parts of the worksheet was introduced by the Pre-intervention 2.40 7.98 Below-average
teacher-researcher. The lessons done inductively started Performance
with review, motivation, introducing the lesson by giving
the concepts or definition or history to be learned, with sets Post-intervention 3.56 15.03 Average
of examples through the use of the worksheet as its first Performance
part. The second part of the worksheet was answered by the
students; Thereafter, they were asked to generalize the B. Difference in the Pre-Intervention and Post-
lesson learned. The third part of the worksheet was Intervention Performance
answered in the remaining 10 to 15 minutes of the class time Table 2 shows that the significance level for the
or if time allowed, the students could answer the third part comparison of the average performance of the students was
at home. Finally, the teacher-researcher checked their work p = .000; thus, the difference in the students’ performance
and gave them feedback. was statistically significant. The trigonometry post-
D. Data Collection Procedure intervention performance of students was significantly
To diagnose the students’ problems in mathematics, the higher than their trigonometry pre-intervention performan-
teacher-researcher conducted a writing activity to elicit -ce.
their expectations in their trigonometry class and their The effect size is much larger than typical (d = 1.97), this
suggestions to make their learning experience in is interpreted using Cohen’s (1988) guidelines [6]. It means
trigonometry more meaningful. Some students wrote their that the use of worksheets was practically important in
suggestions to make the lessons in trigonometry easy. improving the performance of the students. The use of
Essays were read and the problems encountered summed worksheets indeed helped in improving the performance of
up. the students in trigonometry.
The students’ performance was obtained through an
assessment given to them before and after the intervention Table 2. The t-test Result for Difference between the
period. The students’ pre-intervention and post-intervention Students’ Pre-intervention and Post-intervention
performance in trigonometry was determined through a 30- Performance in Trigonometry.
item validated multiple-choice test. Each correct answer
was given one point. Test papers were checked, scores were Variable M SD t df p
tallied, and the means were computed. A student’s total
score was interpreted as follows: 25-30 Excellent, 19-24 Pre-intervention 7.98 2.40
Above average, 13-18 Average, 7-12 Below average, and Performance 12.479* 39 .000
0-6 Poor. Post- 15.03 3.56
E. Data Analysis Procedure intervention
Descriptive analysis was done with the use of Performance
frequencies, mean, and standard deviation. The hypothesis *significant at = .05 (p < .001)
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International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics
Volume 6, Issue 6, ISSN (Online): 2347–9051
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improve the worksheets should include the longer exposure
of students to the worksheets, giving them feedbacks, and
lesson development. AUTHOR’S PROFILE
Topics should be chunked into simpler and specific
Mary-An U. Magbanua, PhD is an instructor at the
subtopics emphasize each concept. The worksheets should University of Antique, Sibalom, Antique, Philippines.
be formulated with care and creativity in order to stimulate She finished her Doctor of Philosophy in Science
students’ learning and interest. Education major in Mathematics at West Visayas, State
Topics like sum and difference, double-angle, and half- University, Iloilo City, Philippines a DOST-SEI scholar.
Her Master of Education major in Mathematics at the
angle identities application should be given more time since University of the Philippines Visayas, Iloilo City, Philip-
students have problems in manipulating fraction operations -pines. She is currently the director for Statistical Center of the University
and cancellation of the same terms in a ratio, and have of Antique and at the same time a general and specialization instructor in
difficulty in combining similar terms. Mathematics for the College of Teacher Education. Dr. Magbanua is a
member of professional organizations to include: the Mathematics
Moreover, teachers may be guided to implement related Teachers Association of the Philippines, Inc., Mathematics Society of the
activities such as collaborative learning or cooperative Philippines, and Philippine Association for Graduate Education.
learning, peer tutoring, and small group discussion to
reinforce the findings of the study.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The author would like to thank the students and faculty
of the University of Antique-College of Teacher Education,
Sibalom, Antique, Philippines and the Forever Young
friends (Aries, Tito, Mitch, Jan, Roxanne, Kat, Sofia, Armi,
Karen, & Richelle) who are always there to support.
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