Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
The Department of Education aims to lead young
Filipinos in the discovery of their own potential and
enabling them to create their own destiny to the global
community. To achieve this vision, the DepEd reaches out
responsive efforts for the students’ educational and
worthwhile needs. One way to determine the students’
capacity of learning is the conduct of National Achievement
Test.
The National Achievement Test (NAT) is administered by
the Department of Education through the National
Educational Testing and Research Center (NETRC) which heads
on research and assessment of the education provided for
our youth, specifically in the Basic Education.
The examination is designed to determine the students’
academic strengths and weaknesses through the five key-
major subjects: Mathematics, Science, English, Filipino,
HeKaSi(Heograpiya, Kasaysayan at Sibika)
in elementary and Araling Panlipunan in high school.
Ratings obtained from NAT for Grade VI and Fourth Year
would served also as a tool to measure the school’s

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competency and effectiveness as well as the students’
aptitude and mastery towards the basic learning areas.
As stipulated in DepEd Order No. 28, s. 2011 and DepEd
Memorandum No. 266, s. 2011, the National Achievement
Test was originally designed and administered for Grade Six
and Fourth Year Students instead of the sophomores. The
seniors shall take the National Achievement Test in the
absence of the National Career Assessment Exam which will
be administered now for the juniors.
These tests determine the mastery of the examinee in
the subjects like; Filipino, Mathematics, Science, English,
Filipino and HEKASI/Araling Panlipunan. The tests may
include: Analysis, Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension,
Problem Solving, General Knowledge and other skills. The
coverage is mostly the combination of the shallowest and
the deepest among the lessons from First Year to Fourth
Year/Grade 4 to Grade 6 and a good and efficient review
still matters to be addressed. The Critical Thinking Test
is more of analysis and reasoning within the given
situation. Some are really easy to answer while some items
are really tricky. Student should analyze the
situation/question given in the item and choose the answer
given in the selection only. This does not only test the

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general knowledge but on how to analyze, reasoning, logic
and critical thinking ability.
Based on National Achievement Test (NAT, 2008)
results, the performance of pupils is far below the
expected goal of DepEd to attain Mastery Level in all
subject areas particularly in the area of Mathematics.
Specifically, the NAT results showed the minimal
improvement even interventions have been done to improve
their performance. The researcher believes that further
improvement on this area should be done so that higher NAT
performance in Mathematics shall be achieved in the near
future. Thus, this study was conducted to determine
factors that contribute to the performance of Grade 6
pupils in Mathematics so that certain measures shall be
implemented. This way, learners may be given more
attention and motivation to enhance their academic
performance for the achievement of the vision, mission and
objectives of the Department of Education.
Theoretical Framework
This study was anchored to the statement of Campbell,
et al. (2000), Epstein, (1991), Fennema & Sherman, (1976,
1986) and Fluty, (1997) when they mentioned that a growing
body of research provides additional factors which could

4
have an impact on pupils’ achievement such as gender,
family structure, parents’ educational level, socio-
economic status, parent and student attitudes toward
school, and parent involvement.
Likewise, there were studies stated that teachers have
contribution to the teaching of Mathematics. For instance,
Brophy (1990) reported that what teachers know and believe
about Mathematics is directly connected to their
instructional choices and procedures. Also, Wilson (1990)
reported that in Mathematics education research, the
teacher's philosophy of mathematics has a significant
influence on the structure of Mathematics classes. The
teachers need to have skills and knowledge to apply their
philosophy of teaching and instructional decisions.
Rasmussen & Marrongelle (2006) emphasized the quality
of teaching and learning in Mathematics. They believed that
new instructional design techniques are needed to produce
individuals who can understand and apply fundamental
Mathematic concepts. Furthermore, they said that a central
and persisting issue is how to provide instructional
environments, conditions, methods, and solutions that
achieve learning goals for students with different skills
and ability levels. There is a need to have innovative

Schools of
Valladolid
District of
Negros
Occidental:
School A
School B
School C
School D
School E
School F
School G
School H
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instructional approaches and techniques to develop to
ensure that students become successful learners.
Conceptual Framework
The concepts that govern in this study were based on
the study of Urquiza (2014) which include the performance
of students in Mathematics as the dependent and independent
variables include personal profile such as: gender,
economic status, study habit, attitude towards Mathematics
and technological influence; and the teachers profile such
as gender, educational qualifications, length of service,
seminars and trainings attended, and styles and strategies
in teaching Mathematics.
Figure 1 shows the paradigm of the study showing the
different concepts and their relationship.
National
Achievement
Test
Performance of
Grade 6 Pupils
in
Mathematics
S.Y. 2011-2012
S.Y. 2012-2013
S.Y. 2013-2014
Pupils’ Profile
• Gender
• Economic Status
• Study Habit
• Attitude Towards
Math
• Technological
Gadgets
Teachers’ Profile:
• Gender
• Educational
Qualifications
• Length of Service
• Seminars and
Trainings
Attended
• Styles and
Strategies in
Teaching
Mathematics

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Figure 1. A Conceptual Framework of the Study.
Statement of the Problem
This study aimed to determine the level of National
Achievement Test (NAT) performance of Grade 6 pupils in
Mathematics in the District of Valladolid, Division of
Negros Occidental from School Year 2011-2012 to 2013-2014.
Specifically, this study sought to answer the
following specific questions:
1. What is the profile of grade 6 pupils when grouped
according to gender, economic status, study habit,
attitude towards Mathematics and technological gadgets in

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the District of Valladolid, Division of Negros Occidental
from School Year 2011-2012 to 2013-2014?
2. What is the profile of grade 6 Math teachers when grouped
according to gender, educational qualifications, length
of service, seminars and trainings attended, and styles
and strategies in teaching Mathematics in the District of
Valladolid, Division of Negros Occidental from School
Year 2011-2012 to 2013-2014?
3. What is the level of the National Achievement Test
performance of Grade 6 pupils as a whole and when they
are grouped according to pupil’s profile such as gender,
economic status, study habit, attitude towards
Mathematics and technological gadgets, and teachers’
profile such as gender, educational qualifications,
length of service, seminars and trainings attended, and
styles and strategies in teaching Mathematics in the
District of Valladolid, Division of Negros Occidental
from School Year 2011-2012 to 2013-2014?
4. What is the level of the National Achievement Test
performance of Grade 6 pupils in Mathematics from School
Year 2011-2012 to 2013-2014 when grouped by school in the
District of Valladolid, Division of Negros Occidental?

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5. Is there a significant relationship between the profile
of grade 6 pupils when grouped according to gender,
economic status, study habit and attitude towards
Mathematics and the level of their National Achievement
Test performance in the District of Valladolid, Division
of Negros Occidental from School Year 2011-2012 to 2013-
2014?
6. Is there a significant relationship between the profile
of grade 6 Math teachers when grouped according to
gender, educational qualifications, length of service and
seminars and trainings attended and the level of National
Achievement Test performance of Grade 6 pupils in the
District of Valladolid, Division of Negros Occidental
from School Year 2011-2012 to 2013-2014?
7. Is there a significant difference between the National
Achievement Test performance among eight schools (8) in
the District of Valladolid, Division of Negros Occidental
as a whole and when they grouped by School Year 2011-2012
to 2013-2014?
Hypotheses of the Study
Based from the statement of the problem the following
hypotheses were formulated:

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1. There is no significant relationship between the profile
of grade 6 pupils when grouped according to gender,
economic status, study habit and attitude towards
Mathematics and the National Achievement Test performance
in the District of Valladolid, Division of Negros
Occidental from School Year 2011-2012 to 2013-2014?
2. There is no significant relationship between the profile
of grade 6 teachers when grouped according to gender,
educational qualifications, length of service and
seminars and trainings attended and the National
Achievement Test performance in the District of
Valladolid, Division of Negros Occidental from School
Year 2011-2012 to 2013-2014?
3. There is no significant difference between the National
Achievement Test performance among the eight schools (8)
in the District of Valladolid, Division of Negros
Occidental as a whole and when they grouped by School
Year 2011-2012 to 2013-2014?
Significance of the Study
Aside from the yearly evaluation of DepEd National
Achievement Test performance of pupils in Mathematics, the

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results of this study would be of great help to the
following:
School Administrators. The findings of this study
would guide the administrators and their educational
planners in adopting policies and program that would help
boost the result of National Achievement Test performance
of Grade 6 pupils in the District of Valladolid, Division
of Negros Occidental.
Education Program Supervisors. The findings of the
study would help establish additional programs and
activities that would improve the review classes and
instructional materials of Mathematics teachers.
Guidance Counselors. The result may help the guidance
counselors introduce new practices and programs to improve
the positive attitude of students in learning Mathematics
in order to achieve desired results in the National
Achievement Test performance.
Mathematics Teachers. The teachers would be benefited
from this study because they can improve their management
and instruction particularly their teaching styles and
strategies in giving emphasis on the increase of National
Achievement Test (NAT) performance of Grade 6 pupils. It
will also aid teachers in establishing better rapport with

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pupils’ better performance, love and appreciation in
Mathematics
Parents. The parents would benefit from this study,
since parents will be aware of the problems of their
children and the effects of these on their academic
performance, they can start to exert an extra effort to
talk to their children and help them in their studies in
order to achieve higher academic performance. It would
also help parents to become aware of their responsibility
not only on the financial aspect but as well as on the
moral aspect.
Pupils. The Grade 5 pupils would be given benefit
through this study, the pupils will be given appropriate
and enough attention and motivation in the academe.
Awareness of self, including one's weaknesses, can lead to
self-improvement. Such awareness enables one to identify
the cause(s) of maladjusted behaviors for the attainment of
mastery level of performance in Mathematics.
Future Researchers. This study would serve as a basis
for future researchers to undergo similar studies to
increase the performance of Grade 6 pupils in Mathematics.
Scope and Limitation

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This study deals on the level National Achievement
Test (NAT) performance of Grade 6 Pupils in Mathematics in
the District of Valladolid, Division of Negros Occidental
for S.Y. 2011-2011-2012, S.Y. 2012 – 2013 and S.Y. 2013 –
2014. It included independent variables for pupils’
profile such as: gender, economic status, study habit,
attitude towards Mathematics and technological gadgets and
teachers’ profile such as: gender, and styles and
strategies in teaching Mathematics.
This study covers eight (8) elementary schools in the
District of Valladolid, Division of Negros Occidental such
as: Alijis Elementary School (School A), Ayungon Elementary
School (School B), Batuan Elementary (School C), Emelio
Infante Elementary School (School D), Pacol Elementary
School (School E), Palacios Elementary School (School F),
Tabao Elementary School (School G), and Valladolid
Elementary School (School H). There were six hundred
eighty six (686) total enrollment of Grade 6 pupils that
comprised of thirty (35) sections.
The study was limited only to Grade 6 pupils from the
thirty five (35) sections with two hundred fifty three
(253) sample-respondents and eleven (11) Mathematics
teachers.

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In the analysis and interpretation of data, the
statistical tools used were: frequency and percent
distribution, weighted mean, chi-squared test and F test.
Definition of Terms
The terms used in the study were defined both
conceptually and operationally:
Attitude Towards Mathematics. Conceptually, the term
refers to the attitudes that can be seen as more or less
positive. A positive attitude towards mathematics reflects
a positive emotional disposition in relation to the subject
and, in a similar way, a negative attitude towards
mathematics relates to a negative emotional disposition (R.
Zan and P. Martino, 2008). Operationally, the term refers
to the range of attitude displayed by pupils such as:
Strongly Agree, Agree, Undecided, Disagree, or Strongly
Disagree (International Association for the Evaluation of
Educational Achievement, 2007).
Economic Status. Conceptually, the term refers to
wages, salaries, profits, rents, and any flow of earnings
received. It is dependent on specialized labor done by
family members (Parente, Rogerson, R. & Wright, R., 2000).
Operationally, the term refers to the range of income

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received and gained by the family such as: above average,
average, low, very low and poor.
Educational Qualifications. Conceptually and
operationally, the term refers to the educational
attainment of teachers as categorized as to; Doctoral
Degree; Doctoral Units, Master’s Degree, Master’s Units and
Bachelor’s Degree.
Gender. Conceptually and operationally, the term
refers to socially constructed roles, behaviours,
activities, and attributes that a given society considers
appropriate for men and women. It is considered as
biological and physiological characteristics that define
men and women (Gender Women and Health, 2001).
Length of Service. Conceptually and operationally,
the term refers to the tenure rendered by teachers in
teaching which categorized as to; 20 years and above, 19 –
15 years, 10 – 14 years, 9 - 5 years and 4 years and below.
Likert Scale. Conceptually, refers to unidimensional
scaling method. Operationally, the term refers to strongly
agree which means one is strongly favorable to the concept,
agree refers to somewhat favorable to the concept,
undecided means cannot decide for the concept, disagree
refers to somewhat unfavorable to the concept, and strongly

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disagree means strongly unfavorable to the concept
( William, 2008).
Mathematics. Conceptually and operationally, the term
refers to Mathematics in Grade 6 where the child is
expected to have mastered the four fundamental operations
of whole numbers, performs skills in decimals and
fractions, conceptualize the meaning of ratio and
proportion, percent, integers, simple probability,
polygons, spatial figures, measurement and graphs. Simple
concepts in Algebra is also introduced to be articulated in
the high school (Basic Education Curriculum, 2000).
National Achievement Test (NAT). Conceptually and
operationally, the term refers to The National Achievement
Test is an annual examination given to Grade sixth and
tenth students in the Philippines. The students' knowledge
and mastery over the
subjects English, Mathematics, Science, Filipino, and
HEKASI are measured using a multiple choice type test. The
examination is administered by the Department of
Education's National Educational Testing and Research
Center (National Educational Testing and Research Center -
DepEd Philippines, 2000).
National Educational Testing and Research Center
(NETRC). Conceptually and operationally, the term refers

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to a center that leads in research, evaluation and
assessment of the effectiveness of education which provide
information vital of the formulation of educational
policies geared towards the realization of an empowered and
globally competitive Filipino. It analyzes and interprets
data for policy formulation and recommendation (Department
of Education Educational Development Projects Implementing
Task Force, 2000).
Seminars and Trainings Attended. Conceptually and
operationally, the term refers to the level of seminars and
trainings attended by teachers related to the subject in
Mathematics as conducted by; National Level, Regional
Level, Provincial Level, District Level and School Level.
Study Habit. Conceptually, it refers to the ways and
the habits that formed during school years and it can be
good ones, or bad ones. Good study habits include being
organized, keeping good notes, reading your textbook,
listening in class, and working every day. Bad study habits
include skipping class, not doing your work, watching TV or
playing video games instead of studying, and losing your
work (Learning Tips and Study Habits, 2002). Operationally,
the term refers to the frequency of practices of good study
habits such as: Always, Sometimes, Frequently, Poor.

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Styles and Strategies in Teaching Mathematics.
Conceptually and operationally, the term refers to provide
specific, style-based help and information to classroom
teachers as they develop academic performance of pupils in
Mathematics to achieve curriculum standards.
Technological Gadgets. Conceptually, it refers to a
relevant factor in order to achieve competitive advantage
and the use of technology as competitive advantage inside
the organization is making possible to adapt human
necessities at par with technological innovation
development ratio; for that, it is precise to generate a
body of knowledge that allows to incursion in the
technological change field in a secure manner. Although it
is true that there are technological changes that generate
authentic revolutions in society, as multidisciplinary and
multi-sector participation can be a decisive factor in the
process of adoption. Operationally, the term refers to the
range of the usage of technology in learning Mathematics
and its influence such as Strongly Agree, Agree, Undecided,
Disagree, or Strongly Disagree.