ABSTRACT The ultimate aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of 7E’s Inquiry-Based Learning to improve the academic performance of Grade 9 students in Science of Salapungan High School. The respondents of this study are the Grade 9 students section Wisdom and Faith, Wisdom will be the experimental group while the Faith will be the control group. This study is limited to the third quarter in Science, earth science is the main object for this quarter. This study employed quasi-experimental method of research. This will further investigate the effects 7 E’s Inquiry-Based Learning in improving the academic Performance of Grade 9 students in Science.The pre-test result is 51.25 while the post-test is 69.50 with a difference of 18.25. This implies that there is an increase in the performance of the students after teaching the lesson. In addition, the students learn the facts, knowledge and information taught by the teacher. The pre-test result is 52.00 and the post-test is 81.50 with a difference of 29.5.It can be noted that there is a tremendous increase in the performance of the Grade 9 Wisdom students after subjecting them to the new proposed technique named 7E’s Inquiry-Based Learning. The Results exhibit that the T value is 2.51 and the P value is 0.038 for pre-test result, thus, it implies to reject the null hypothesis and interpreted as significant. Meanwhile, the result for post-test is 6.80 for T value and 12.165E-08 for P value, thus, the result reveals to reject the null hypothesis and interpreted as highly significant. Keywords: Inqury Based Learning , Academic Performance, Experimental Group, Grade 9 Learners

1. From Hanging to Amazing. 7 E’s INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING IN
IMPROVING THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF
GRADE 9 STUDENTS IN SCIENCE
ANGELITO S. MANALASTAS, PhD
Introduction
The 21st century marks the proliferation of technologically inclined society where excellence
embarks in the world. This era is a manifestation of science, breakthroughs, innovations and magnanimous
discoveries which greatly affects all walks of society particularly the quest for quality education. Living in
this fast-changing society needs a profound and insightful mechanism in order to combat the challenges
posed by this modern time.
In this modern, technical, and competitive era quality education is as essential as breathing. The
quest for quality education is an infinite process, with no endpoint and boundary. In this quest, education
plays a vital and crucial role in shaping the future of our youth and in building our nation.
Embarking on this competitive world, the teacher poses educational challenges in the performance
of his job. Teachers are task to produce 21st learners with 21st skills capable to cope and adjust with the
advent of change brought about by this fast-changing community. We can realize this through proper and
adequate training inside the classroom. Students must be trained to become independent learners, to work,
discover, find and formulate big ideas through their own initiative and experience and with the guidance
of the teacher. This can be realized using the 21st century teaching strategy.
Science is an interdisciplinary field primarily concerned with the analysis,
collection, classification, manipulation, storage, retrieval, movement, dissemination, and protection of
nature. As described by most students, this is one of the difficult subjects in the entire curriculum because
it needs careful planning and systematic organization of ideas and facts.
According to research, studies about learning science reveal that many students find it
uninteresting. The justifications for these results are also disclosed. The reasons for student’s perception
about science are the traditional way of teaching, teacher’s total personality and instructional materials. In
fact, there is nothing wrong about traditional way of teaching, however, every generation has different
batch of learners with different personal needs and style of learning.
Students before are totally different from our students today as 21st learners. They are more active,
reactive and sensitive individuals and are not afraid to take the risk of time adversities just to achieve
whatever they want to, thus, an old method of teaching this new breed of learners is no longer applicable
and suited (Villasis, 2012).
Learners learning or make sense of the external world is of great importance to all the individuals
involved in the learning sphere. The objective determination of learning styles require an effective and
standard instrument in order to ensure the understanding of the learners’ choices. Discovering the
preferences of learners in processing learning inputs will help guide educators in planning their everyday
lesson as discretion allows (Pastrana, 2020).

2. This situation hypothesizes by the researcher that this cause poor performance among the students
creative, artistic, and innovative teaching strategy to bridge the learning gap and motivate them to strive
harder and improve their academic achievement. This is through the use of the 7E’s Inquiry-Based
Learning.
The power of an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning is its potential to increase
intellectual engagement and foster deep understanding through the development of a hands-on, minds-on
and ‘research-based disposition’ towards teaching and learning. Inquiry honors the complex,
interconnected nature of knowledge construction, striving to provide opportunities for both teachers and
students to collaboratively build, test and reflect on their learning (Stephenson, 2010).
According to Exline 2012, unfortunately our traditional educational system has worked in a way
that discourages the natural process of inquiry. Students become less prone to ask questions as they move
through the grade levels. In traditional schools, students learn not to ask too many questions, instead to
listen and repeat the expected answers.
In this regard, the researcher wants to determine the effectiveness of Inquiry-based Learning using
7E’s approach in the deliberation of science lessons employed by the science teachers. This involves Elicit,
Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate and Extend.
As stipulated during the seminar/ training and workshop conducted by Department of Science and
Technology in coordination with Department of education, the usual 5 E’s approach developed and
improved into a new package named 7E. This learning package aims to craft a more innovative, responsive,
and substantial strategy to address the needs and demands of learners in classroom teaching especially in
the field of science.
Stages and definition of 7E Inquiry-Based Learning is as follow:
Stages Definition
Elicit Checking the prior knowledge/ Review
Engage Activity to arouse students’ attention and desire for learning.
Setting and building new concept./ Motivation
Explore Oftentimes group activity that will stimulate their interest
towards learning of new facts.
Explain Student activities discussing the result of their exploration.
Elaborate Teacher’s role to process the data presented by the students.
Evaluate Assessment of learning
Extend Another activities about the lesson to further improve the
skills or check the understanding.
This also serves as a room for some students to clarify things
which are not yet clear after a series of explanation.
The model of education typical of 20th century classrooms was effective for that era of
human history, but the ‘knowledge society’ we now live in requires new thinking about what

3. constitutes effective and engaging teaching and learning. Teachers are now faced with the
challenge that “former conceptions of knowledge, minds and learning no longer serve a world
where we know is less important that what we are able to do with knowledge in different
contexts.”( Friesen, 2013).
According to National Research Council (2007), It is crucial to recognize that inquiry-based
teaching should not be viewed as a technique or instructional practice, or method used to teach a
subject. Rather, inquiry starts with teachers as engaged learners and researchers with the
foundational belief that the topics they teach are rich, living and generous places for wonder and
exploration.
Inquiry is not merely ‘having students do projects’ but rather strives to nurture deep,
discipline-based way of thinking and doing with students.
As an entry point, inquiry involves learners:
1. ✦tackling real-world questions, issues and controversies
2. ✦developing questioning, research and communication skills
3. ✦solving problems or creating solutions
4. ✦collaborating within and beyond the classroom
5. ✦developing deep understanding of content knowledge
Inquiry is an umbrella term that covers a number of other approaches to teaching and
learning.Teaching practices that utilize a disposition of inquiry learning include: problem-based learning:
learning that starts with an ill-structured problem or case-study, project-based learning: students create a
project or presentation as a demonstration of their understanding, and design- As contrasted with more
traditional forms of teaching and learning, inquiry emphasizes the process of learning in order to develop
deep understanding in students in addition to the intended acquisition of content knowledge and skills.
Inquiry draws upon a constructivist learning theories where understanding is built through the active
development of conceptual mental frameworks by the learner. This approach is supported and enhanced
by a broad research base which has identified three key implications for effective instructional practices:
1.Students come to the classroom with preconceptions about the world. This means teaching practices
must draw out and work with students preexisting understandings and make student ‘thinking’ visible
and central to the learning.
2.Competence in an area of study requires factual knowledge organized around conceptual frameworks
to facilitate knowledge retrieval and
3. Meta-cognition (thinking about thinking) helps students take control of their learning. Opportunities
for students to define learning goals and monitor their own understanding need to be embedded into
classroom tasks.
Statement of the Problem
The ultimate aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of 7E’s Inquiry-Based Learning to
improve the academic performance of Grade 9 students in Science of Salapungan High School, S.Y. 2017-
2018.

4. Specifically, it sought answer to the following questions:
1.How may the pre-test results of the control group and experimental group be descrbed before
the conduct of this study?
2. How may the post- test results of the control group and experimental group be described after
the conduct of this study?
3. Is there a significant difference on the pre-test and post-test result before and after conduct of
this study?
Hypothesis
This study is guided by the hypothesis:
There is no significant difference exists on the pre-test and post-test of Grade 9 students in
science before and after the conduct of this study.
Scope and Limitations
The study focused on the use of 7E’s Inquiry-Based Learning in improving the academic
performance of Grade 9 students in Science at Salapungan High School, Candaba, Pampanga, S.Y. 2017-
2018. The respondents of this study are the Grade 9 students section Wisdom and Faith, Wisdom will be
the experimental group while the Faith will be the control group. This study is limited to the third quarter
in Science, earth science is the main object for this quarter.
Type of Research
This study employed quasi-experimental method of research. This will further investigate the
effects 7 E’s Inquiry-Based Learning in improving the academic Performance of Grade 9 students in Science.
Respondents and Sampling Method
The Grade 9 students section Wisdom and Faith of Salapungan High School, Candaba, Pampanga,
S.Y. 2017-2018 will be the respondents of this study, who were grouped heterogeneously, likewise, total
enumeration employed in this study for the two sections involved. Each group has 54 members.
Instrument
A teacher made pre-test and post test used by the researcher as instrument of this study.
Data Collection Procedure and Ethical Consideration
Upon the approval of the action research proposal, the teacher administer the pre-test on the two
participating group. The researcher will teach science lessons in different technique, control group (Group
B) will not be exposed to the intervention while the experimental group (Group A) using the 7E’s Inquiry-
Based Learning. This technique will be seen from the lesson plan/ exemplar crafted by the teacher. The
development of the lesson will undergo the principle of 7E’s Inquiry-Based Learning. After the completion

5. of the research study, the control group will be also subjected to the intervention to make it fair to the
learners.
Results and Discussion
This part presents the results of the study on the comparative analysis of academic performance
of students in Science using traditional method vs. the 7E’s Inquiry-Based Learning. Statistically, the
problems of the study were answered by the following data gathered by the researcher.
Table 1 presents the results of the pre-test and post-test using the traditional method of teaching.
The pre-test result is 51.25 while the post-test is 69.50 with a difference of 18.25. This implies that there
is an increase in the performance of the students after teaching the lesson. In addition, the students learn
the facts, knowledge and information taught by the teacher.
Table 1
Results of the Pre-Test and Post-Test Using the Traditional
Method of Teaching
Traditional Method of Teaching
Grade 9- Faith N Pre-Test Post-test Difference
54 51.25 69.50 18.25
Table 2 shows the results of the pre-test and post-test using AGHAMazing Technique.
As you gleaned on the table, the pre-test result is 52.00 and the post-test is 81.50 with a difference
of 29.5.
It can be noted from the table that there is a tremendous increase in the performance of the
Grade 9 Wisdom students after subjecting them to the new proposed technique named 7E’s Inquiry-
Based Learning.
Table 2
Results of the Pre-Test and Post-Test Using 7E’s Inquiry-Based Learning
Table 3 displays T-test analysis on significant difference on the pre-test and post-test
results between traditional method against 7E’s Inquiry-Based Learning .
7E’s Inquiry-Based Learning
Grade 9-
Wisdom
N Pre-Test Post-test Difference
54 52.00 81.50 29.50

6. The table exhibits that the T value is 2.51 and the P value is 0.038 for pre-test result, thus, it
implies to reject the null hypothesis and interpreted as significant.
Meanwhile, the result for post-test is 6.80 for T value and 12.165E-08 for P value, thus, the
result reveals to reject the null hypothesis and interpreted as highly significant.
Table 3
T-Test on the Significant Difference on the Pre-Test and Post-Test Results Between
Traditional Method against 7E’s Inquiry-Based Learning
Variable T Value P Value Decision Interpretation
Pre-test 2.51 0.038 Reject Ho S
Post-test 6.80 2.165E-08 Reject Ho HS
0.05 Level of Significance S= significant
NS= not significant
Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations
This part presents the summary of the major findings, the conclusion was arrived at based
on the findings and the recommendations given in accordance with the conclusions.
Summary
The study determined the effectiveness of using the new proposed teaching technique in teaching
science named 7E’s Inquiry-Based Learning in improving the academic performance of the Grade 9
students of Salapungan High School, S.Y. 2016-2017.
This composed of the control group and experimental group, the control group used the traditional
method of teaching and the experimental group using the 7E’s Inquiry-Based Learning.
It utilized the quasi-experimental method of research and the t-test analysis to show the comparison
between variables.
Results of the pre-test and post-test revealed that 7E’s Inquiry-Based Learning is an effective and
efficient method in improving the academic performance of Grade 9 students in science.
Conclusions
In the light of the findings, the following conclusions were drawn:
 The experimental and control groups performed at the same level before the conduct of
the study.
 The experimental group performed better in the posttest than the control group.
 There is a significant difference exists on the pre-test and post-test of Grade 9 students
in science before and after the conduct of this study.
 The new proposed teaching technique 7E’s Inquiry-Based Learning is an effective
method in improving the academic performance of Grade 9 students in science.

7. Recommendations
Based on the findings and conclusions of the study, the following recommendations were
drawn:
 To uplift the academic performance of the students in science, teachers in the academe
can try using this innovation.
 Science teachers must innovate his art of teaching by providing various activities to
enhance, enrich and empower the students to become productive individual.
 Personnel in the Department of Education should initiate programs/ activities, trainings
and seminars to equip the teachers with latest trends, issues and concerns to further
stimulate their teaching competency especially in the conduct of teaching-learning
process.
 Students nowadays have the unique way of learning as compared before, thus, teachers
must find innovative ways to address the needs of the students and satisfy their urge for
knowledge.
 A similar study may be conducted by future researchers covering a bigger number of
respondents in another venue.
References
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De Leon G. (2014). Effect of inquiry-based approach in the academic performance of students.
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Friesen, S. (2013). The Power of Inquiry-Based Learning. Educational journal.
Manuel, K.M.(2008). Methods of research. Rex Bookstore.
Parungao, S.L. (2014). Science Teaching in Modern Classroom. Teacher’s digest. Manila, Philippines.
Pastrana, R.R.(2020). The Influence of Goal Orientation and Perceptual Learning Styles to the Level of
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8. Villasis, V. D. (2012). Learning environment on students’ academic achievement. (Unpublished
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