PSHS-MC Soc Sci 6 SY22-23 (B2023)

SCI-YASS is a student driven project to bring science appreciation to elementary students. Through this project, Grade 4 students were given a chance to experience a different approach to science learning through a hands-on lecture-experiment hybrid that also implements a quiz-bee type game system! This approach promotes lecture retention and STEM appreciation, and aims to encourage students to pursue a STEM career in the future and increase their academic performance by enforcing theoretical topics with physical experiments.

Manuel Luis Quezon Elementary School (MLQES) is a public school located in the 2nd District of Quezon City. The school was established in order to provide proper elementary education to children within their vicinity (Barangay Commonwealth).

Location:

MRB Compound, Pilot Area, Commonwealth, Quezon City

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mlqesdistrict2

Website: https://sites.google.com/depedqc.ph/mlqes

● Reduced class time due to COVID-19 pandemic has caused a crammed lesson plan, affecting the students' ability to understand and keep up.

● A large student body (average ratio of 106:1 students per classroom) and a lack of laboratory equipment leading to lacking actual lab experience

● Both factors led to reduced interest of their students in the sciences

showcasing heat and heat transfer by letting students experience temperature changes when submerging their hands in basins of water with different temperatures

showcasing how force affects motion and speed by letting students play with a toy car and toy truck and letting them engage in a friendly competitive finger soccer battle to spark their enthusiasm

showcased different types of mixtures, from heterogenous and homogeneous, to solutions, suspensions, and colloids

showcasing different types of mixtures, from heterogenous and homogeneous, to solutions, suspensions, and colloids

and oobleck being an interesting example of mixtures to further pique interests

showcasing how magnetism works by letting the students observe and experience the effects of different pole orientations on the movement of a car with a magnet attached

showcasing how force works and how it affects objects by letting students play with clay and mold it in different ways and comparing it to materials such as wood

Overall, the students were able to gain a better understanding of former science topics and appreciate them more through the lectures taught in the experiment stations. On a larger scale, their newfound interest in STEM may lead them to become interested in pursuing a science-related career in the future and help the Philippine STEM workforce in modernizing and building the country.

The results from the pre-test revealed a relatively low average score of 9 out of 20, but the students showed nothing but enthusiasm for our group’s lessons, experiments, and friendly competition games. By the end, there was a 30.965% increase in their scores with the post-test, surpassing the primary goal of a 15-20% increase. This then supports previous research that the fault of the lack of STEM appreciation in the country lies in its execution because, at its core, STEM is about real-life application as lectures and rote memorization are not enough to stimulate young learners’ minds. After all, our experiment format was very much well-received not only by the students but also by the school’s teachers.

Overall, it was a heartwarming experience that showed us that—though we are still in high school—we truly have that ability to give back to the community. Despite the many challenges we faced, we were still able to persevere because we all have a true passion for this advocacy, and it has only gotten stronger after our project’s implementation. Interacting with and looking out for these younger kids encouraged us to develop our communication skills; it reignited our passion for science communication.

With that said, we recommend other Pisay students to do similar projects and outreach programs because it really is so fulfilling to carry them out. We also recommend MLQES to make full use of the information and glassware we have provided them to really start making a change in the current Philippine education system.