Contribution of Multimedia Instruction to Teaching the Spanish Conquest in the Philippines

Contribution of Multimedia Instruction to Teaching the Spanish Conquest in the Philippines

Maria Cherryl B. Alinea

Xavier University, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.906000158

Received: 31 May 2025; Accepted: 03 June 2025; Published: 04 July 2025

ABSTRACT

This study primarily endeavored to find out the Contribution of Multimedia Instruction to teaching The Spanish Conquest in the Philippines. This one-group pretest-posttest experimental research design utilized the thirty-one (31) Grade Five pupils as respondents. Data on the performances of the pupils were gathered using the 40-item validated researcher-made test and Multimedia Instruction Attitude Scale Questionnaire for their perceptions of the instruction. Findings showed that in the paired difference between the pretest and posttest scores of the respondents using the Paired T-test analysis disclosed that there was a highly significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores. Whilst the average mean of the pupils’ favorable response of “strongly agree” regarding the instruction was 4.59. Hence, the use of Multimedia Instruction has improved the pupils’ performance. The intervention had a positive effect on the pupils’ learning and interest in the subject, and this could be a possible alternative technique to teaching.

Keywords: multimedia, instruction, multimedia instruction, attitude, intervention, learning, interest

INTRODUCTION

Araling Panlipunan is a subject that deals with history, constitution, society, economics, and politics. The content standards are, to a great degree of being objective. Hence, it is taught absolutely and comprehensively manner. It, in turn, finds the subject disinteresting, especially to those students who were less motivated to learn the contents of the subject. If the students are not interested in the material presented, they will not decipher it. Many students find the classroom environment less stimulating if it is scheduled in the afternoon. Instructional leaders sought to find ways to make the subject as vital as possible. A teacher should hold their limited span of attention for the whole period of teaching. Many teachers struggle to motivate learners at the primary level to learn the contents of the subject. Motivation would always hold the key to the productive flow of academic activities. It will somehow, in a sense, ignites the interest of the students. This must be sustained to achieve optimum learning experience.

The researcher had observed that learners coming from distinct groups were less motivated to interact. They were having difficulty comprehending the concepts. The pupils’ Mean Percentage Score of 56.58% during the first quarter signified that they were underperforming learners in terms of academic performance. Moreover, the Individual Test Results were lower than the targeted 75% achieving rate. Such circumstances created some frustrations. However, on a positive note, it signaled that there was a need to upgrade teaching instruction and educational materials. It helped teachers to provide the students with the needed support to progress in this subject.

In history education, multimedia tools were essential for the improvement of learning, logic, worthwhile and useful citizenship, and democratic awareness. The creation of a satisfactory and prospective historical awareness was also crucial. Araling Panlipunan subject in the Philippines, just like any other history subject around the world, is itself objective. Multimedia tools could remedy the problems in history education that were mainly caused by rote-learning (Barton & Levstik, 2003, cited Yildirim, 2018). Such tools were potential, especially if the learners were less motivated to learn past events. They felt like they did not need to learn these things. Instructors needed to design instruction that would captivate and sustain learner’s interest throughout the teaching-learning process. The advantages of multimedia design compared to using a single medium might result from the ability to choose among media to present well-structured information (Larkin & Simon, 1987). It was using more than one representation to improve learning (Penney, 1989) and presenting more concepts in a single setting. To help students learn, they needed to teach and present information to as many of these learning preferences as possible.

This study aimed to find out the contribution of multimedia instruction to teaching Araling Panlipunan. Educators at the primary levels were under pressure. It provided more effective and efficient learning environments and educational experiences to their students. In any educational institution, teaching served as a vehicle to achieve institutional goals of enhancing students’ knowledge and learning. It also engaged them in the learning community to prepare for future citizens. Therefore, educators were looking for ways to make their educational initiatives more effective (Hsu, 1999). The learning experience in higher education had shifted paradigms from an instructor-focused approach to learner-centered pedagogical methods (Hsu & Wolfe, 2003).

Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to provide scientific conclusions regarding the contribution of Multimedia Instruction in teaching Araling Panlipunan to Grade Five Learners.

 Research Questions:

1. What are the pretest scores of the respondents in The Spanish Conquest in the Philippines lesson in
2. Araling Panlipunan ?
3. What are the posttest scores of the respondents in The Spanish Conquest in the Philippines lesson in
4. Araling Panlipunan ?
5. Is there a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores of the respondents in The Spanish Conquest in the Philippines lesson in Araling Panlipunan ?
6. What are the attitudes of the respondents towards multimedia Instruction?

Purpose of the study

This study determined the contribution of Multimedia Instruction in teaching Araling Panlipunan to Grade Five Learners. The objective was to make empirical data that would further recognize the influence of teaching instruction to develop and improve the academic standing of Grade Five learners in Araling Panlipunan subject.

The conceptual framework of this study is presented in the schematic paradigm. This gives a better insight into what is being measured by linking it to the subjects and how the variables might interact. The result of the study would provide a shred of significant evidence on the use of multimedia instruction in teaching Araling Panlipunan. The pretest and posttest were used to measure the achievement level of the respondents. The attitude towards the instruction also determined the favorable response of the respondents about the multimedia instruction. The output of the study is a developed Strategic Intervention Material in teaching Araling Panlipunan.

METHODOLOGY

The research design was a pretest-posttest one-group experimental design. It was a type of research design that was most often utilized to determine the effect of treatment or intervention on a given sample. This feature denoted that all the participants in this study were given the same treatments and assessments (Allen, 2017). The study assessed learners’ knowledge and perceptions before and after the multimedia instruction were introduced. A set of questionnaires for the pretest and posttest was employed to the same group of pupils. This study also used a descriptive method to describe the pretest and posttest scores of the respondents.

This study used qualitative and quantitative approaches towards reaching an extensive conclusion in explaining the research problem. In this context, quantitative data was gathered using pretest and posttest questionnaires. The qualitative data, on the other hand, was gathered using the 5-point Scale Attitudes Survey Questionnaire.

The researcher-made questionnaire was used as an instrument in gathering data. Item analysis and pilot testing were employed to 28 pupils during the gathering of the data. The instrument was content validated by the Bacolod District Araling Panlipunan Coordinator. The questionnaire was pilot tested with the permission from the School Head, to grade five pupils of Rupagan Elementary School, District of Bacolod, Philippines, who were not the respondents of the study. The researcher also subjected the questionnaire to item analysis. Originally, there were 50 questions; some of the test items were retained, revised, and rejected. There was a 40-item test that was based on the Table of Specification (TOS), answered by the respondents of the study. This determined the significant effect of using multimedia instruction to teaching Spanish Conquest in the Philippines.

The distribution of questions was guided by the Table of Specification. Both pretest and posttests had similar questions; the only difference was the item placement.

The selection of the chosen multimedia instruction was based primarily on its content, duration, and readability of words as well as considering whether it suited to the pupil’s level of understanding. It was then integrated and used as an approach in constructing the Lesson Plan. This was used as a blueprint during the intervention. The Table of Specification (TOS) was made as to the basis in constructing the forty (40) test items, which finalized the pretest and posttest procedure.

The administration of the pretest was given before the presentation of the multimedia instruction (MMI), after three weeks of teaching about The Spanish Conquest in the Philippines. The posttest was then administered. The multimedia instruction was presented during the drill, motivation, and lesson proper, after which a posttest was conducted. Videoclips, PowerPoint presentations, and Microsoft word processing were among the multimedia presents during the intervention.

The study determined the students’ attitude towards Multimedia Instruction. The 5-point Scale Attitude Questionnaire in Likert’s Scale format was used as a survey with 5-point scales of strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, and strongly agree. These were given to the respondents after the administration of the posttest. The mean scores were computed for each attribution.

The researcher administered the questionnaire with permission to conduct the study from the School Principal. The pretest was conducted to determine the level of comprehension skills of the respondents. The researcher introduced the lesson with the use of multimedia instruction to teaching Araling Panlipunan. After the intervention, a post-test was conducted to determine the efficacy of multimedia instruction.

The data were tabulated and interpreted to acquire the factual information needed. The following statistical tools were utilized to analyze the gathered data; frequency and percentage were utilized to describe the pretest and posttest score performances of the respondents; mean and standard deviation were used to describe the average and variation of the pretest and posttest score performances of the respondents; Paired T-test was used to determine the significant difference between the pretest and posttest of the respondents. Since the researcher was comparing pretest and posttest scores and treatment was applied to the same respondents.

Sampling Design

The respondents of the study were the thirty-one (31) Grade Five pupils, 19 males, and 12 females, of Minaulon Elementary School (MES). The sample was determined using a purposive sampling method. Categorically, a homogeneous purposive sampling, which focused on one particular subgroup in which all the sample members were similar. Purposive sampling was an appropriate method available if there were only a limited number of primary data sources which could contribute to the study. However, it could not generalize research findings (Saunders et al., 2012).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Pretest scores of the respondents

Table 1 (Figure 1) presents the pretest scores of the respondents. The result showed that 20 (64.5%) of the respondents “did not meet expectations” performance level in their pretest scores. Further, eight (25.8%) of them had a “fairly satisfactory” performance level, and only three (9.7%) had a “satisfactory” performance level with the score range of 25 to 29. Moreover, none of them had obtained “very satisfactory” and “outstanding” performance levels in their pretest scores. These results suggested that the respondents had less knowledge of the lesson before the implementation of the intervention.

Table 1 Pretest Scores of the Respondents

Figure 1 Pretest Scores Distribution

Posttest scores of the respondents

Table 2 (Figure 2) shows the posttest scores of the respondents. Results depicted that 14 or 45.2% of the total respondents had “very satisfactory” performance levels in their posttest scores, with scores ranges from 25 to 29. Also, six or 19.4 % of them had “very satisfactory” performance levels in their posttest scores, with scores ranging from 30 to 34. One or 3.2 % had an “outstanding” level with a score ranging from 35 to 40. However, there were still six or 19.4 % of them that had “fairly satisfactory,” with scores ranging from 20 to 24, and four or 12.9 % who “did not meet expectations,” even after the implementation of the intervention. This result implied that there was an improvement of the learners’ performance after the implementation of the intervention.

The result was reinforced by the Multiple Representation Principle from the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning by Mayer (1997), which stated the significance of using multiple modes of representation rather than one. In this study, text, pictures, videos, and graphic organizers were being used as tools in the Multimedia Instruction. Moreover, in Çoruk and Çakır’s (2015) study, they highlighted that multimedia increased student success. It was indicated in both of this literature that instructions with multimedia used increased learners’ achievement.

Table 2 Posttest Scores of the Respondents

Figure 2 Posttest Scores Distribution

Significant Difference Between the Pretest and Posttest Scores of the Respondents

Table 3 (Figure 3) shows the paired difference between the pretest and posttest scores of the respondents using the Paired T-test analysis. The results disclosed that there was a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores since the p-value of 0.000 (with t-value of -12.307) did not exceed the 0.05 level of significance. This result depicted that the learners’ posttest scores were significantly better compared to their pretest scores. The result further showed that the intervention used had a positive effect on the learners’ learning and possible alternative technique to the traditional method of teaching. Thus, the null hypothesis of no significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores of the respondents could be rejected.

These findings supported the previous studies made by Osman and Oruc (2016), showed that the use of multimedia and technology in education and social studies increased students’ academic success. The same studies indicated that the use of multimedia and technology positively affected students’ attitudes, motivation, and attention towards the lesson. Akbaba (2009) reached similar results in his dissertation named “The Effect of Multimedia Use on Academic Achievement and Attitude,” and he asserted the academic success level of the classroom using multimedia was higher than the classroom, which did not use.

Table 3 Paired Difference between the Pretest and Posttest Scores of the Respondents

Note:   1-based on Paired T-test analysis **-significant at 0.01 level

Figure 3 Mean Pretest and Posttest Scores

Attitudes of the Respondents Toward Multimedia Instruction?

Table 4 shows the attitudes of the respondents towards the multimedia tools used in the instruction. As depicted, higher in rank was the statement “I can understand the teacher when she showed images or videos,” which had a mean of 4.89 described as “strongly agree.” Second in rank had a mean of 4.82, was the statement “The multimedia instruction used was appropriate to my level of understanding.” While, third in rank had a mean score of 4.71 “Multimedia technology awakened my interest in the class.” The same result found in the study of Yildirim (2018), a great majority of the participants stated as an answer that video-aided lesson had affected their attention positively.  The average mean of the ten statements attributed to Multimedia Instruction was 4.59.  This result showed consistency of some prior studies (Akbaba et al., 2012), implicating that the use of multimedia positively affected students’ attitudes towards social studies lessons. In the same sense, Yünkül and Er (2014) found students’ attitudes towards lessons were affected by the use of multimedia. The students in the experimental group were identified as having better attitudes towards the lesson. In the study of Yildirim, (2018) regarding the effect of educational videos in History education, he concluded that videos remained to be effective learning tools. In the study of Yildirim, (2018) regarding the effect of educational videos in History education, he concluded that videos remained to be effective learning tools.

Table 4 Attitudes of the Respondents towards Multimedia Instruction

 Note:

            1.00-1.79         Strongly Disagree                   3.40-4.19            Agree

            1.80-2.59         Disagree                      4.20-5.00         Strongly Agree

            2.60-3.39         Neutral

CONCLUSION

The result proved that there was a significant improvement in the students’ performance after the implementation of Multimedia Instruction. There was a highly significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores of the respondents in Spanish Conquest in the Philippines lesson using Multimedia Instruction, thus rejecting the hypothesis. The result further depicted that the students’ posttest scores were significantly better as compared to their pretest scores. Moreover, the overall weighted mean of attitudes of respondents in teaching Spanish Conquest in Araling Panlipunan through Multimedia Instruction was described as “strongly agree.”

Based on the findings, after the implementation of the instruction, learners who were taught with Multimedia Instruction had a higher performance as reflected in their posttest results. The study concluded that Multimedia Instruction had contributed to the teaching and learning process of Grade Five learners about Spanish Conquest in the Philippines lesson. The increasing academic performance shown in the results of the respondents’ posttest scores after the intervention could be a positive implication that the students could also improve their MPS.

It was inquired in this study that a concept was better explained using two modes of representation rather than one. Thus, it complemented the second principle of Contiguity that learners understood a concept when words and pictures were presented at the same time. An important implication rooted in Piaget’s theory of Cognition was the adaptation of instruction to the learner’s developmental level. The content of instruction needed to be consistent with the developmental level of the learner. The teacher’s role was to facilitate learning by providing a variety of experiences, and so, therefore, this study catered to multimedia instruction.

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