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Biology education plays a vital role in nurturing the understanding of learners about the intricacy of life. Various efforts have emerged to strengthen learning biological concepts but there were still studies that showed that learners have low mastery in some aspects. To determine how well students understood various biological topics, including human physiology, Concept inventory tests (CIT) were used. The concept inventory test may be able to spot students' misconceptions and ultimately lead to improved comprehension. The crafted CIT developed with the aid of a table of specifications based on Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive domain was assessed according to its validity and reliability. In validation, content validity and item analysis were considered while reliability test was employed through Cronbach's alpha. Distractor analysis was also performed to determine possible source of misconception per item. The CIT was administered to 120 senior high school STEM students (50.8% from the private schools, 37.5% in regular public schools and 11.7% from public schools with special programs in science). The results displayed high content validity with a mean of 4.83 for content validity and an average Aiken's validity coefficient of 0.98. It also highlighted that the test is moderately difficult with the test difficulty of 0.58, as well as, discriminatory with a discriminating level of 0.46. After item classification, 63 items were retained (39 accepted, 24 for revisions) and Chronbach's alpha ([alpha]=0.74) indicated good internal consistency. The concept inventory test propounds to be a good classroom test science with minor items to be revised.

Anchored on Evans' professional development (PD) model, this study aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a professional development program on designing participatory action research (PAR) projects for basic education teachers. The teachers are from Junior and Senior High School teaching English, Mathematics, and Science. The PD program consisted of ten in-person training sessions and virtual consultations which happened in between training on AR problem conceptualization and methodology for a 14- week period. Using the mixed-methods sequential explanatory (QUAN [right arrow] qual) design, the study started with a professional needs assessment participated by 18 teachers from a secondary school as a basis for the planned PD program. The teachers underwent training sessions to develop a group or participatory AR proposal as evidence of their professional growth and program outcome. At the end of the program, the English, Mathematics, and Science teachers, respectively, developed and presented their AR proposals on the (a) design and evaluation of a gamified-based instruction towards improving vocabulary skill, (b) video-based instruction in teaching basic concepts of probability, and (c) investigating the effect of contextualized learning materials in developing students' conceptual understanding of atoms. The post-assessment results, supported by interviews, revealed that the teachers displayed behavioural, attitudinal, and intellectual developments in AR. Based on the Department of Education's criteria for evaluating PAR proposals, all three proposals were rated acceptable for implementation by a panel of evaluators. In conclusion, the PD design and evaluation framework were important factors that enabled the participating teachers to transform their AR competencies toward developing PAR proposals for improving teaching and research in their schools.

This study aimed to examine the initial perceptions of 16 junior and senior high school English, Mathematics, and Science teachers on AR (Action Research) as the basis for the planned professional development program. The evaluation of their initial perception was done by administering an instrument called Teacher's Perception on Action Research (TPAR). This is a research-made instrument containing scenarios which either represent an AR scenario or not but can elicit teachers' perceptions about AR specifically on its nature of purpose and process. An in-depth individual (IDI) semi-structured interview was also conducted to obtain in-depth data on each participant's perception about AR. Results revealed that their initial perceptions on the nature of purpose can be thematized into AR as a reactive approach for addressing problems in a positivist or scientific research method and as a mechanism for seeking transformative change. Meanwhile, their alternate perception on the AR process rests on the research method being reversible, reflective, and collaborative. However, these initial perceptions about AR were not discussed in-depth by the participants suggesting the need for a professional development program among these teachers teaching core subjects in the basic education program.

With the declining number of students interested in pursuing STEM courses such as Bachelor's Degree in Biology as evidenced by low enrollment, HEIs currently offering and those which intend to offer the academic degree program are competing and looking for ways to increase their competitiveness. Hence, several efforts have been made in response to it, including investigating what attracts students to choose the HEI and the course it offers. In this regard, this study aims to evaluate the factors influencing students' intention to enroll Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biology at Cebu Technological University using an extended Chapman's Model of Student College Choice. Using a quantitative cross-sectional survey design, 416 senior high-school students from Cebu Province in the Philippines participated in an online survey. The survey aimed to test the influence of student characteristics, influence of significant people, marketing factor, fixed university characteristics, university image, perceived program quality, and perceived career opportunities on students' intention to enroll in BS Biology. The findings of structural equation modelling suggest that only student characteristics influences students' intention to enroll the academic degree program. Irrespective of the disassociation of six other proposed hypotheses, the offering of the course is still deemed feasible as supported by students' responses in their intention to enroll it. In conclusion, this study reveals the model's usefulness in understanding one of the factors influencing students' intention to enroll in the course. Consequently, the results offer managerial and theoretical implications to further strategize institutional student recruitment techniques.

The study of prototype learning activity has received significant attention to elevating students' academic performance. This study utilized the prototype learning design as a significant predictor of students' performance and the like. In addition, this study aimed to explore teachers' strategies for measuring students' creative growth utilizing authentic assessments. Moreover, this study used a survey to assess the perception of the students and teachers. The study used the quantitative inferential which provides the relationship between the two variables' effectiveness and perception of the prototype learning activities. The main instrument used to ascertain these parameters are the two survey questionnaires was researcher-made align with the Department of Education Science competency, the reliability and consistency were validated by the statistician. Results revealed that students' performance was at a high level when engaged in the prototype learning activity. Furthermore, the perception of the students and teachers in terms of ease of use, relevance, and comprehensibility indicates positive perception in relation to the student's performance. Finally, the prototype-based learning approach shows a promising effect on the performance of the student's and teachers' perceptions. Hence, enhancement training in developing a teacher's capacity to design meaningful learning that caters students' needs should be provided.

Presents a speech by sociologist Irene R. Cortes during a lecture series at Makati, Philippines on November 5, 1970. Views on the system of government; Comments on the Constitution; Suggestion for the amendment of the Constitution.

The article discusses the factors associated with the movement of Filipino professionals to the United States. The study was designed mainly to attain the following objectives: To identify and specify the major factors associated with the emigration of high-level person from the Philippines to the U.S.A.; To gain insights into the problem of prediction of migration among the highly trained; To throw light on the ways in which education or training at home and abroad may help minimize the outflow of trained talent and skills from the Philippines. The results of the study indicate that: Persons weakly anchored, or loosely committed or attached psychologically and socially, to the home country tend to emigrate; Persons who received government support, whether from the home or host-country government, during study abroad are less likely to emigrate; Younger persons, 30 years old or younger, are more prone to emigrate, compared to older persons, Persons who are single at the time they leave the home country are more prone to emigrate than married persons; however, married persons whose families joined them while studying abroad are more likely to emigrate than those whose families were left in the home country.

Biochar and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are found to improve crop productivity affecting the nutrient availability in the soil and favoring build-up of beneficial microbes. The effects of AMF and bamboo biochar (BB) on the growth of cacao, estimated number of mycorrhizal spores, and soil chemical properties were investigated. Cacao seedlings were grown in unsterilized and oven-sterilized acidic soil. After 15 months, AMF generally increased most growth traits of cacao plant over the control. Bamboo biochar at 15%, gave the best plant growth regardless of soil sterilization. When biochar was added to AMF, 15% consistently provided the heaviest total plant dry weight, especially in unsterilized soil. Likewise, all treatments improved the height and stem diameter increments of those grown in unsterilized soil. Percentage of mycorrhizal root colonization was higher in mycorrhizal (+AMF) plant and addition of biochar proliferated AMF spores in the rhizosphere. Biochar showed positive effect in enhancing the soil chemical properties. The results imply that biochar and AMF can improve the overall growth and can positively increase the yield of cacao plants, which will provide impact in improving cacao production in acidic soils in the Philippines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small scale gold mining may result in significant health exposures and environmental contamination. Since 1980, artisanal gold mining has been in existence in Pantukan, Compostela Valley Province with miners engaged in the amalgamation method for gold extraction. A descriptive study was conducted in barangay Kingking, Pantukan, Compostela Valley from August to October 1999 to assess the health effects of mercury exposure among miners as well as the environmental effects of amalgamation method. All miners working in the site for at least one year, voluntarily submitting themselves for interview, physical and biologic monitoring were included in the study. Environmental sampling of water and soil were done. A total of 30 miners fulfilled the inclusion criteria with age ranging from 25-58 years with male to female ratio = to 4:1. Majority (87%) were engaged in 2 or more gold mining processes which may be of the following: ballmilling, panning, pressing, and blowtorching. Duration of exposure showed mean working years of 13.8 (range = 1-20 years), mean working days/week of 5.6 (range = 1-7 days), and mean working hours/day of 6.2 (range = 1-14 hours). Twenty-two (22) out of 30 workers had blood levels ranging from 10-120 ppb with a mean of 40 ppb. The rest had values which were non-detectable based on the threshold limit value of the laboratory used which was 10 ppb. The most significant health effects included poor memory, anosmia, abnormal gait and balance. Mercury levels from the environmental sampling were as follows: drinking water from sitio Gumayan = 1 ppb; water and soil sediments from Kingking River were 160 ppb and 7ug/g respectively.In conclusion, the mercury exposure from artisanal small-scale gold mining resulted in blood mercury levels, soil and water samples from the river exceeding the existing World Health Organization standards. The study recommended both health and environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]