WEB-CONFERENCING AND STUDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT IN SCIENCE

1. WEB-CONFERENCING AND STUDENTS’
ENGAGEMENT IN SCIENCE
DURING PANEMIC
SHARON A. VELOSO

2. Background of the Study
The education system was drastically changed because of the pandemic. With the closure of
schools, no face-to-face, exploratory, investigatory and laboratory activities in school-based settings
are allowed. Education has shifted to Distance Learning. The Learner Enrolment Survey Form (LESF)
conducted by the Department of Education for the School Year 2020-2021 surveyed the preferred
learning modality of the parents for their children. The data showed that 8.8 M parents preferred
modular, 3.9M blended, 3.8M Online, 1.4 M Educational TV, 900K Radio based instruction and around
half a million preferred other modalities (Department of Education, 2020). Thus, the main mode of
learning delivery in public schools during this time of pandemic is Modular. The module contains
concepts and activities that aim for specific learning competencies. It is the main link between the
teacher and the students. The modules replace the teachers in distance learning. The roles of the
teacher to engage, motivate and facilitate learning are now converted to texts in the module.

3. However, many students face challenges with the Distance Modular Learning. Since there
are no teacher-student interactions, students cannot ask questions or clarifications. On the other
hand, teachers cannot right away correct misconceptions, simplify instructions, give more examples
and elaborate concepts. Many students had hard time answering the modules and cannot submit
them on time. They struggle with self-studying and not all parents are academically prepared to guide
the students (Pe Dangle and Sumaoang, 2021). In Distance Modular Learning, there is also no
student-to-student interactions. There is no opportunity for collaborative or cooperative learning. Thus,
students are expected to learn by themselves at home through the modules. In the old normal
classroom setting, these interactions with the teacher and with other students were used to engage
the students in the learning process.

4. Student engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest,
optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught
(The Glossary of Education Reform, 2016). Students who are highly engaged are
in the zone of learning. They are motivated to learn and to go through the learning
processes. Therefore, students who are highly engaged in learning tends to have
better grades (Wang & Eccles, 2012).

5. It is therefore important to increase students’ engagement if we want to see better outcomes
from our students. One possible activity that can be integrated with Distance Modular Learning is web-
conferencing. Web-conferencing is an online meeting between two or more participants in different
locations. It requires an internet connection and a conferencing software such as Zoom Meetings,
Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. Web-conferencing became so popular during the pandemic. The
threats post by the Covid19 virus separated people physically. The government restricted social
gatherings and limited the movements of people to prevent the spread of the virus. Everyone is
encouraged to stay at home and work from home. To stay connected many resorted to web-
conferencing. Evans (2020) reported that from 10 million daily Zoom meeting participants in
December 2019, the number increased to 300 million in April 2020.

6. Web-conferencing allows sharing of videos, presentations, files, chat messages and
interactive whiteboard. With stable internet connection, participants can see, hear and talk to each
other real-time. It fosters interactions between the teacher and the students and among students
themselves too.
Science is considered as a difficult subject for many students. Even before the pandemic
Filipino learners were already lagging far behind their counterparts from other countries. The results of
the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) revealed that the Filipino learners
ranked second lowest in science among 79 countries (ABS CBN News, 2020). Given the situation
now with modular learning, it will not be surprising if our students will continue to lag behind. Hence,
many teachers are integrating different technologies to reach out to the students and promote student-
teacher and student-student interactions, thereby engaging students more in the learning process.

7. Thus, this study will be conducted to examine the effect of web-
conferencing on students’ level of engagement in science.

8. Statement of the Problem
This research aims to determine the effect of web-conferencing on students’ engagement in science.
Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions:
1. Is there a significant difference on the level of students’ engagement in science before and after integrating web-
conferencing?
2. Is there a significant difference on the level of students’ engagement in science when the data are grouped
according to
2.1 Sex
2.2 Gadget used (desktop, laptop, cellular phone, tablet)
3. Is there a significant difference on students’ academic performance in science before and after integrating
web-conferencing?

9. Significance of the Study
This research will be beneficial to the following:
School Heads. The results of this study will serve as a basis in organizing trainings and
seminars for teachers about importance of student’s engagement and the use of ICT such as web-
conferencing to enrich the learning experience of the students.
Teachers. This study will encourage teachers to integrate activities/strategies that will
promote students’ engagement such as web-conferencing especially during pandemic where there
are no face-to-face interactions.

10. Students. The students will directly benefit from this research as its findings can be used to
engage them in learning process and thereby improve their academic performance.
Future researchers. This study will serve as additional references about web-conferencing
and how it affects students’ level of engagement. It will also serve as a basis in studying other
variables that may also increase students’ engagement.

11. Scope and Limitations of the Study
This study will focus on the effect of integrating web-conferencing on students’ level of
engagement in science. Factors such as sex and the gadget used by the students for web-
conferencing will also be included in this study. This study will also investigate the effect of web-
conferencing on the students’ academic performance in science.
This study will be conducted in Maria Clara L. Lobgregat National High School, Divisoria,
Zamboanga City during the third and fourth quarter of school year 2021-2022. The students from
Grade 8 Wisdom section will be used as respondents of this study.