Integrated Macro-Micro-Symbolic Approach in Teaching Secondary Chemistry

What is it about?

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of the Integrated Macro-Micro-Symbolic Approach (IMMSA) in teaching Chemistry to 10th graders of a secondary school in Cebu City, Philippines. A pre-post quasi-experimental design with control group was utilized to two groups of students, of which one was exposed to IMMSA and the other to conventional lecture method (CLM). Topics included in the experimentation proper were the five postulates of the Kinetic Molecular Theory of gases. Data gathered from the pre- and post-test tools were analyzed using t-tests, with a level of significance, α=0.01. Study findings revealed that both groups had Below Average performance levels in the pre- and post-test, where the lack of time and spiral progression were seen as reasons for the performances. The study also found that both groups had significantly increased their performances from the pre- to the post-tests, implying the essence of both lectures and integrated use of modes. Ultimately, the study revealed that IMMSA is more effective than CLM as seen in the students’ enhanced performance, signifying the effective nature of the integration of macroscopic, microscopic and symbolic modes in teaching Chemistry concepts. With this, the Three-tiered model of learning and Chemistry triangle are still valued in the 21st century learning environment.

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Why is it important?

This study is critical because it explores the effectiveness of the Integrated Macro-Micro-Symbolic Approach (IMMSA) compared to the conventional lecture method (CLM) in teaching Chemistry to 10th graders in Cebu City, Philippines. The findings indicate that both approaches led to improved performance in the students, but IMMSA was found to be more effective. This highlights the value of integrating macroscopic, microscopic, and symbolic modes in teaching Chemistry concepts, emphasizing the relevance of the Three-tiered learning model and the Chemistry triangle in the modern learning environment.