The I2 Strategy: Effects on Grade 7 Challenged Learners
Achievement & Writing Skills in Statistics
Beverly D. Sarno-Perez1, Douglas A. Salazar, PhD2
1Kiwalan National High School, Department of Education (DepEd), Iligan City, Philippines
2Department of Science and Mathematics Education, College of Education, MSU – Iligan Institute of
Technology, Iligan City, Philippines
Received: 09 December 2025; Accepted: 14 December 2025; Published: 20 December 2025
ABSTRACT
Challenged learners often face significant barriers in mathematics, particularly in data analysis, where numerical
reasoning intersects with reading comprehension. This study investigates the effectiveness of the I2 (Identify and
Interpret) strategy as an intervention tool to enhance the statistical literacy and holistic writing skills of
challenged learners. The study utilized a mixed-method research design involving students identified with
frustration-level reading proficiency. Quantitative analysis using the Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test revealed a
statistically significant improvement in achievement test scores (Z = -2.341, p = .033) between the pretest and
posttest, with a normalized gain (g) of 0.23. This indicates that the strategy successfully helped learners’ bridge
a measurable portion of the gap between prior knowledge and mastery. Furthermore, the learners' holistic writing
skills demonstrated significant growth (Z = -2.706, p = 0.007), with the majority of participants advancing from
"Emerging" to "Expanding" levels of proficiency. Qualitative data indicated that the I2 strategy reduced cognitive
load by systematizing the analytical process, allowing students to better concentrate and organize their thoughts.
Learners perceived the intervention as not only "enjoyable" but instrumental in improving their English grammar
and vocabulary alongside their mathematical skills. The study concludes that the I2 strategy is an effective dual-
purpose scaffold that fosters both data literacy and linguistic competence, transforming the learning experience
for struggling students.
Keywords: I2 Strategy, Challenged Learners, Statistical Literacy, Data Analysis, Scaffolding, and Mathematics
Intervention.
INTRODUCTION
Cultivating critical thinking, embedding higher‑order thinking skills (HOTS) in assessment, and designing
STEM‑integrated lessons are not optional add‑ons but core levers for improving mathematics learning.
Meta‑analyses show that explicit critical‑thinking instruction yields small‑to‑moderate gains in CT skills,
formative assessment produces small positive effects overall on achievement with larger impacts when it
includes student self‑assessment and formal feedback, and integrated STEM approaches deliver additional gains
in mathematics achievement (Abrami et al. 2015; Rosli et al. 2019).
Yet despite K‑to‑12 reforms, Philippine outcomes in mathematics remain among the weakest globally: in PISA
2018 the Philippines ranked last in reading and second‑to‑last in mathematics and science among 79 systems,
with average mathematics 353 (below Level 1) and 81% of students below the minimum proficiency Level 2.
TIMSS 2019 on Grade 4 corroborated this, placing the country last of 64 in mathematics (mean 297) with 81%
below the low benchmark of 400 (Orbeta & Paqueo, 2022b; Bernardo et al., 2022). More recent evidence
indicates the problem persists, as PISA 2022 still finds Filipino students among the lowest performers with no
significant improvement from 2018, while foundational mathematics skills have declined across cohorts from
2003 to 2019—clear signs of a systemic learning crisis (Acido & Caballes, 2024; Igarashi & Suryadarma, 2023).
Compounding this, there is a need for instruction and assessment solutions that systematically build reasoning
for all learners (Orbeta & Paqueo, 2022b).
Page 6337