Instructional Practices of Filipino Teachers Implementing Philippine and Singapore Elementary Mathematics Curricula

Abstract

According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 results, the Philippines scored the second-lowest point total in mathematics and science. Meanwhile, Singapore continues to top international large-scale assessments due to their effective instructional practices. This study aimed to analyze the instructional practices of Filipino teachers implementing the Philippine and Singapore elementary mathematics curricula as possible inputs for needed improvements in the delivery of mathematics instruction at the elementary level. Specifically, the analysis focused on the preparatory and developmental activities in the mathematics teachers’ instruction. The descriptive-comparative research method was used to determine the teachers’ instructional practices. The researchers utilized document analysis, in-depth interviews, and observations of 32 elementary mathematics teachers. Results revealed that teachers using the Philippine elementary mathematics curriculum utilized long drills, contextualized story problems, and integration of other subject areas into their preparatory and developmental activities. On the other hand, elementary teachers implementing the Singapore elementary mathematics curriculum commonly used the Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract sequence as an instructional approach and model drawing as an instructional practice in teaching mathematics. The study focused only on describing the predominant instructional approaches observed among Filipino mathematics teachers implementing the Singapore and Philippine elementary mathematics curricula, but not on testing the effectiveness of such instructional practices. Future researchers may consider including more participants and a longer duration of research to unveil mathematics teachers’ best instructional practices and to provide more accurate results.