MENTOR: MATRIX AND ENHANCEMENT TRAINING
ONWARDS RESEARCH IMPROVEMENT
Researcher:
JOVELL V. VIOLANTE
Lian National High School
Barangay Malaruhatan, Lian, Batangas
2023
ABSTRACT
MENTOR: MATRIX AND ENHANCEMENT TRAINING ONWARDS
RESEARCH IMPROVEMENT
Jovell V. Violante
Lian Sub-Office: Lian National High School
This study aimed to assess the level of research knowledge of
teachers before and after the implementation of project
MENTOR: Matrix, ENhancement Training Onwards Research
improvement. This also deals with the issues and challenges as
well as barriers on the conduct of research. Mixed method
research design was utilized in this study employing survey and
interview as data gathering method. The participants of this
study were all teachers in the MAPEH department of Lian
National High School. The result reveals that in terms of
research knowledge, the teachers did not meet the expectations
before the implementation of MENTOR while they attained a
satisfactory level after. Significant difference between the scores
signified the effectiveness of the project. Time and knowledge
are the most common issues and challenges while the barriers
are divided into personal and professional aspects.
Keywords: MENTOR; research; knowledge; time; barriers
Acknowledgement
The researcher would like to extend her deepest gratitude to the following
individuals who have given great contribution in the completion of this study:
Mrs. Saniata G. Hernandez, Principal II of Lian National High School, for her
untiring support to the researcher in the pursuit of research;
MAPEH teachers of Lian National High School, for their participation that
contributed to the success of this study;
Family, friends and colleagues who extended their resources for the success
of this study; and
Almighty God, that provided the researcher wisdom to finish this study.
J.V.V
Context and Rationale
Research has been an integral aspect of educational institutions. Throughout
the years, schools have recognized the value of research in the improvement of
educational processes. This led schools to encourage the teachers to conduct
research in order to resolve problems on teaching and learning or adapt best
practices that will help the educational sector attain the goal of promoting quality
education. The implementation of research in education was coupled with several
personal and professional benefits.
In its implementation, however, several views of the teachers have been
evident. Some teachers argued that the conduct of research coincide with their
teaching duties. The heavy workload that they have does not give them ample
chance to engage on such endeavors. More so, most of the teachers have a
negative view of research as this is branded as a difficult and complex activity. The
main challenges teachers face in carrying out their research are inadequate training
and research seminars; heavy teaching load; lack of a clear role for teachers in
conducting research; and busy with personal life (Abelardo et al., 2019).
On a global scale, teachers cite lack of research time, lack of funding, too
many school responsibilities, tedious and rigorous proposal process, lack of
instructors to conduct research, and lack of knowledge in data analysis qualitative
and quantitative. are major barriers to research. Teachers' research activities are
also hindered by lack of knowledge on how to write a publishable paper, very large
class sizes, lack of access to research journals, lack of Internet in schools. or poor
and lack of support from management (Hussien et al., 2019).
In Lian National High School, a small portion of the teachers conduct
research. As the years go by, the number of teachers participating on research
conferences decline. This posed an alarming issue on the part of the school. Since
the school have several priority improvement areas, it is deemed appropriate for the
teachers to study the situation through research in order to provide relevant and
accurate solutions which was tested for its effectiveness. In this way, the teachers
will be able to contribute to the development of learners, teachers, and the school in
general.
The researcher, being the research coordinator of this school aimed in
identifying the level of research knowledge of teachers as well as the issues and
challenges that affected the conduct of research. Moreover, the barriers met by the
teachers in the conduct of the research was dealt in this study. In the end, this study
proposed a project that will help the teachers conduct research successfully and to
hopefully instill a culture of research in the institution for the benefit of the school and
its stakeholders.
Innovation, Intervention, and Strategy
With the improvement in mind, the constant search of innovation, intervention,
and strategy. This study utilized the framework presented in Figure 1.
The project MENTOR (Matrix and ENhancement Training Onwards Research
improvement) revolved around five steps. The first step is the conduct of the pre-test.
The teachers accomplished the pre-test. This assessed their research knowledge.
After answering the test, the teachers were asked to attend a training regarding
research. As an output, the teachers crafted a matrix guide that will help them
accomplish the research at a specified time. After this, series of mentoring sessions
were conducted. Lastly, a post-test was given to determine whether the teachers
improved in terms of research.
Figure 1
Framework for MENTOR
This project was conceptualized because of the observed low number of
teachers who conduct research. The researcher thought of identifying the issues and
challenges in the conduct of research. The identified issues were time and lack of
knowledge. In response, the researcher crafted this project utilizing training and
matrix guide to help teachers.
Action Research Questions
This study aimed to propose a project which will help teachers to conduct
research.
Specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions:
1. What is the level of research knowledge of the teachers before the
implementation of MENTOR?
2. What is the level of research knowledge of the teachers after the
implementation of MENTOR?
3. Is there a significant difference on the level of research knowledge of the
teachers before and after the implementation of MENTOR?
4. What is the extent of the issues and challenges encountered in conducting
research?
5. What are the barriers that prevent the teachers in conducting research?
Action Research Methods
Participants and other Sources of Data and Information
The researcher used the mixed method research design. This research
design is the appropriate research design as it sought to determine the level of
knowledge of the teachers in research as well as the issues and challenges and
barriers in the conduct of research. This study utilized a survey questionnaire and
interview guide as instruments of this study. The survey questionnaire was used to
determine the level of knowledge and extent of issues and challenges in conducting
research. On the other hand, the interview guide was used to explore the barriers
faced by teachers that prevented them to conduct research.
The participants in this study were comprised of the teachers in the MAPEH
department. Consensus was applied as all the teachers in the department were
asked to participate in this study. A total of 9 teachers participated in this study.
Data Gathering Methods
The researcher wrote a letter to the school head in order to seek approval for
the conduct of the study. Upon approval, the researcher asked the consent of the
participants of the study. The participants of this study was asked to answer the pre-
assessment. The first part is composed of 12 questions regarding the basic
knowledge in research. The second part is composed of the issues and challenges
encountered by the teachers in conducting research which was composed of 5
items. An interview was also conducted focusing on the barriers met by the teachers
in conducting research.
The data was analyzed and interpreted to form conclusions. The transcript of
the interview was arranged into themes. In order to interpret the result, thematic-
deductive analysis was used. The names of the teachers were kept confidential.
Only the researcher was able to access the responses of the teachers. It was
deleted after analysis and interpretation of data.
The Likert scale presented below were used to score the responses.
Verbal Interpretation Range
Outstanding 90-100
Very Satisfactory 85-89
Satisfactory 80-84
Fairly Satisfactory 75-79
Did not meet expectations below 75
For the efficient treatment of the data that was gathered, the following
statistical tools were used.
Composite mean. This was used to identify the level of research knowledge
of teachers as well as the issues and challenges related to this matter.
t-test. This was used to determine the significant difference on the level of
research knowledge before and after the implementation of MENTOR.
Discussion of Results and Reflection
This section presents the findings of this study. The data gathered were
analyzed and interpreted.
1. Level of Research Knowledge Before the Implementation of MENTOR
The level of research knowledge of the teachers was assessed in this study.
Before the implementation of MENTOR, the teachers were given a test in order to
determine whether they possess the basic knowledge regarding research. Table 1
shows the result of the pre-assessment.
Table 1
Level of Research Knowledge Before Implementation
Participant Score Interpretation
A 58 Did not meet expectations
B 67 Did not meet expectations
C 50 Did not meet expectations
D 75 Fairly Satisfactory
E 25 Did not meet expectations
F 42 Did not meet expectations
G 67 Did not meet expectations
H 58 Did not meet expectations
I 83 Satisfactory
Grand Mean 58.33 Did not meet expectations
Generally, during the pre-assessment, the teachers did not meet the
expectations intended for research knowledge. This means that the teachers have
insufficient understanding of the concept of research. This may be because of the
limited trainings conducted regarding research. More so, the teachers gained little
guidance and mentoring in the pursuit of research. In relation Tindowen et al. (2019)
found out that the teachers have low level of knowledge in terms of research.
2. of Research Knowledge After the Implementation of MENTOR
The researcher assessed the level of research knowledge of teacher after the
implementation of MENTOR. This was done after the conduct of the training,
mentoring sessions, and crafting and execution of matrix guide. Table 2 presents the
result of the post-assessment.
Table 2
Level of Research Knowledge After Implementation
Participant Score Interpretation
A 83 Satisfactory
B 83 Satisfactory
C 75 Fairly Satisfactory
D 75 Fairly Satisfactory
E 83 Satisfactory
F 67 Did not meet expectations
G 58 Did not meet expectations
H 92 Outstanding
I 100 Outstanding
Grand Mean 80 Satisfactory
Generally, the result reveals that after the implementation of MENTOR, the
teachers gained a satisfactory level of research knowledge. This means that the
training, mentoring sessions, and application of matrix guide helped the teachers to
better understand research. This may be due to the consistent revisiting of concepts
and guidance acquired from the mentor. In relation, van der Linden (2015)
mentioned that through intervention activities, teachers gained improvement on
research knowledge.
Significant Difference on the Level of Research Knowledge
To tell whether the MENTOR has been effective, the researcher determined
the significant difference of the result of the pre-test and post-test. The result was
shown in Table 3.
Table 3
Difference on the level of Research Knowledge
Tabular value 2.31
Computed value 3.34
p-value 0.01
Decision Reject
Interpretation Significant
The p-value of 0.01 is greater than 0.05. Therefore, the null hypothesis is
rejected. There is a significant difference on the level of research knowledge of
teachers before and after the implementation of MENTOR. This means that the
utilization of training equipped with mentoring sessions and matrix guide enhanced
the knowledge of teachers in research. This may be because of the greater exposure
in research that the teachers learn better on the research concepts. Similarly,
Nurhasanah et al. (2020) mentioned that through the use of professional
development programs, the research knowledge of teachers improved.
3. Issues and Challenges Encountered in the Conduct of Research
The researcher explored the issues and challenges relative to the conduct of
research as shown in Table 4. The teachers felt a great extent of issues and
challenges with a mean of 3.42. This means that the teachers have been affected by
the issues and challenges which is evident on their low knowledge in research. This
implies that the teachers have many things to overcome in order to conduct
research. This may be brought by the limited intervention given in order to support
the teachers in the conduct of research. In relation, problems arise during the
implementation of action research in the classroom such as problem identification,
proposed literature review, and data analysis (Wulandari et al., 2019).
Table 4
Issues and Challenges
Issues and Mean Interpretation
Challenges
Time 3.67 Great Extent
Knowledge 3.56 Great Extent
Awareness on Benefits 3.33 Great Extent
Past Experiences 3.33 Great Extent
Administrative Support 3.22 Moderate Extent
Grand Mean 3.42 Great Extent
Among the items, time is the greatest issue or challenge which affected the
conduct of research. This means that the teachers have little to no time for research.
This may be brought by the heavy work load of teachers which was consumed in
teaching and non-teaching duties. In consonance, Tindowen et al. (2019) stated that
the teachers lack the necessary time to conduct research.
On the other hand, the administrative support was reported to be the issue or
challenge with a moderate extent. This means that administrators have not exerted
much issue or challenge in the conduct of research. This may be a manifestation of
the continuous guidance and encouragement of administrators to teachers in the
pursuit of research.
4. Barriers Encountered in the Conduct of Research
The researcher conducted an interview among the teachers regarding the
barriers encountered in the conduct of research. Two themes have been generated:
personal and professional barriers.
Personal. The teachers encountered some difficulties related to themselves.
They have some personal feelings regarding the conduct of research such as being
overly conscious. They felt afraid since the conduct of research is new to them. They
also lack of focus since there are many personal concerns that they also need to
consider. For instance,
“Im quite conscious because Im not used to make or conduct
research,this is my first time (P7)”.
“Lack of focus (P3)”
Professional. There are also professional concerns that the teachers
encountered which became a barrier on their conduct of research. The time that the
teachers exert at work does not give them the chance to conduct research. The
workload that they have prevented them from conducting research. This entails the
lack of proper time management of the teachers in order to include research as one
of their priority tasks. Some of the participants said,
“Time and workload (P8)”
“Time, lack of knowdlege and focus (P2)”
Similarly, on a global scale, teachers cite lack of research time, lack of
funding, too many school responsibilities, tedious and rigorous proposal process,
lack of instructors to conduct research, and lack of knowledge in data analysis
qualitative and quantitative. are major barriers to research. Teachers' research
activities are also hindered by lack of knowledge on how to write a publishable
paper, very large class sizes, lack of access to research journals, lack of Internet in
schools. or poor and lack of support from management (Hussien et al., 2019).
Action Plan
Activity Timeline Resources
Communicate with the school November 2023 Local Fund
heads of Lian District regarding
the crafted project
Seek the approval of the November 2023 Local Fund
dissemination of the project
proposal
Distribute the project proposal November 2023 Local Fund
among teachers
Conduct a monitoring and November 2023 – Local Fund
evaluation on the impact of the December 2023
project
Analyze the data gathered from January 2024 Local Fund
the monitoring and evaluation
Make the necessary February 2024 Local Fund
adjustments and re-evaluate
References
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Nurhasanah, F., Sukandi, U., Kuncoro, A. B., Rusilowati, A., Hastuti, W. S., &
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