Comic strips as a learning tool for Science teaching in a dynamic learning program

Abstract

Teaching biology is characterized by a wide range of instructional approaches, teaching styles, and strategies. The learners learn more if the tool used is inclined with their developmental level that could catch the learner’s attention. This quasi-experimental study aimed to determine learners’ content knowledge with the intervention of comic strips in a dynamic learning program, a research learning tool designed for science teaching specifically on living things and their environment. The participants of the study were the grade 9 learners enrolled in the school year 2019-2020. The toss coin method was used to assign participants to experimental and control groups. The instrument included in the study's conduct was the 60-item Content Knowledge Test in Living Things and their Environment. The study's interventions utilized two teaching approaches, the Dynamic Learning Program and the Dynamic Learning Program, with the use of comic strips. Two sets of lesson plans on selected topics in Living Things and their Environment employing the two approaches were developed by the researcher and subjected to content validity by the experts. The validated teacher-made test was used as pretest and posttest to measure the content knowledge of the learners. To calculate the reliability of the test, the test item analysis was employed. The Cronbach’s Alpha is at .768 using the KR20 reliability test. Statistical tools employed were the means and the standard deviation, and the t-test for independent samples and paired t-test. The study's findings revealed the pretest results obtained showed that the means of both the Dynamic Learning Program with Comic Strips and Dynamic Learning Program have a below-average level of content knowledge. Posttest results revealed that the Dynamic Learning Program with Comic Strips had improved content knowledge level from below average to average. The Dynamic Learning Program Group has below average level of content knowledge after the intervention. It further showed a significant effect in favor of the Dynamic Learning Program with Comic Strips. Likewise, there is also a significant effect in the learner's content knowledge before and after the intervention for both groups. The dynamic learning program with comic strips can develop learners' content knowledge when learners were able to visualize concepts in an interesting way. Similar studies can also be conducted in other subject areas to know if the same results can be obtained. It is also recommended that future research be conducted to determine how other variables or teaching strategy aside from the dynamic learning program may influence learners' content knowledge and the use of comic strips.