Mitigating Learning Loss and Engagement of Elementary Students: Input to Designing Effective Students Enhancement Program

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METHODOLOGY Research Design
This research is a descriptive-correlational design in nature. Descriptive correlational studies described the variables and the relationships that occur naturally between and among them. Predictive correlational studies predict the variance of one or more variables based on the variance of another variable (s).
Descriptive correlational design used in study to find out the relationship between learning loss mitigation and students' engagement as perceived by the teachers.
The process of descriptive research is the gathering of data and tabulation of data. It will be employed as the method of research to elicit responses from the subjects of the study through the use of questionnaire.

Respondents of the Study
The respondents of the present study were the two hundred thirty (230) teachers of Tiaong 1 District for the school year 2022-2023. The two hundred thirty teachers (230) were given survey questionnaire on how they perceive the learning loss mitigation done by the school to bring back the student's interest in the face-to face classes and how it will influence and or affect the student's engagement in terms of behavioral emotional and intellectual This study This study aimed to find out the learning loss mitigation of the school and its possible effect to student's learning engagement as perceived by the teachers.

Sampling Technique
Stratified Random sampling techniques was used in choosing the respondents of the study. Researcher-made survey questionnaire used to get the views of the teachers toward the programs made by the school and how it will influence and/or affect the student's engagement in the classroom since bringing back again the students into in person learning from distance learning is very challenging.

Research Procedure
In the conduct of the study, the researcher prepared first the instrument to used in the survey. The two sets of instruments were submitted to the panel members and her adviser for checking, comments and suggestions. It was validated by the three experts in the field and undergo Cronbach analysis to external validity and test of reliability. Pilot testing were also done before the conduct of the survey.
After the internal validity evaluation, the researcher then started the process of survey. The two sets of instrument were given to the chosen respondents of the study who are all doing the learning loss mitigation program and/or activities as well as the observation of the teachers to student's engagement.
To ensure the 100 percent retrieval of the survey questionnaire, the researcher herself personally distributed to respondents. For ethical consideration, the researcher sought the permission from the Office of the District Supervisor for the conduct of the study. The assistance of the school principals was also requested for a smooth and successful retrieval of the instrument. The data was gathered and submitted to the statistician for the treatment.

Research Instrument
To get the perceptions of the teachers towards learning loss mitigation done by the school and how it affects and/or influence the student's engagement, was done through a researcher-made survey questionnaire.
The first set of questionnaire were indicators of the remedial teaching, instructional materials preparation and enhancement program conducted by the school to bridge the gap of learning among students due to COVID-19 pandemic. It was measured through the use of Likert Scaling of 1-4 from Highly Obseved to Not Observed response.
The second set of questionnaire were statements that discussed how the students engaged in the class as observed by the teachers who handle the students. It also used the same Likert Scaling of 1-4 from Highly Engaged to Not Engaged response.
All statements were based on the variables definition and how its observed in the class and/or school.  Table 2 presents the results of the perceptions of the respondents regarding learning loss mitigation in terms of remedial teaching. Based on the responses, the school conducted remedial teaching for the student's development of skills since they have been in hiatus for more than 2 years of face to face teaching. The remedial teaching program is highly practiced by the school and implemented by the teachers with the assistance of the school heads. Among the ten (10) indicators, item number five got the highest mean of 3.63 with highly practiced response. This indicates that during remedial teaching, teachers find ways and means to make the lessons and activities engaging and fun. This is to bring back the interest of the students to learn after more than two years of distance learning. However, item number nine (9) got the lowest mean of 3.44 and item number seven (7) got 3.45 fall under practiced response. This response indicates that unlike other indicators, this two is implemented or done by the teachers, the one on one tutoring in difficult subject but not always due to limited number of time for remedial teaching and helps catch-up to their peers and prevent on going academic issues. Likewise, bulk of work are assigned to teachers thus, one on one tutoring is only observed by the teachers. Because of this limited time, remedial education should be reinforced to help students succeed in ay subjects they are struggling with (Stauffer, 2022). Overall, all other indicators are highly observed by the schools and teachers. Based on the table of results above on the perceptions of the respondents on instructional materials preparation. As shown by the responses, preparation of materials for the students are prcaticed by the teachers specially during the full implementation of face-to -face learning of the students. However, five indicators got a highly practiced response from the respondents such as modifying instructional materials use in class, innovate teaching with the use of engaging activities by using videos and moving images, and gets better ideas in training used in preparing classroom instructional materials. The highest of them all got a highest mean of 3.56 is item number two (2) , which is creation of worksheets for student's learning that students will enjoy since students are mostly visual types of students. It indicates that to motivate more the students to enjoy learning, creative worksheets were prepared by the teachers fall under highly practiced response of respondents. However, item number seven (7)  is using infographics to make the teaching and learning nice and easy fall under practiced response of the respondents. Likewise, four indicators got a practiced response from the respondents such as using vivid and describing language in designing materials to create complete picture for students, using digital applications to enhance student's skills and be adept with the learning technology, using interactive activities such as games and role playing, and applying unique form of teaching by utilizing realia, simulations and movie clips suited for the learners. It is believed that instructional materials in child's learning and development is very important. Appealing and interactive materials aids and mentally stimulates from drab and boring to fun and mentally fascinating learning (Vishwaroop, 2022). Overall, a mean of 3.46 indicates that majority of the indicators are observed and practiced by the respondents.  Table 4 presents the results of the respondent's perceptions on enhancement program as part of the learning loss mitigation of the school. Based on the results, all indicators are highly observed by the respondents with an overall mean of 3.57 indicating that the enhancement program is practiced in the school supported by the school heads. Enhancement program is believed to be one of the best means to improve student's reading and numeracy. This is done by the schools once in a month where students are provided with activities that are easier at their level of understanding and learning. With all the highly observed indicators with an overall mean of 3.57, only one indicator got an 'observed" response with a mean of 3.47 indicating that the enhancement program still gives time to craft activities that will make students engaged in the classroom. Time is quite limited for the teachers to prepare all the materials due to bulk of work, but still manage to prepare some for the students. This enhancement program is a mandate to DepEd schools to produce productive and responsible citizens with essential competencies, thus, teachers find time to prepare necessary materials for student's engaging and fun activities (K 12 Basic Education Program, 2019). Thus, enhancement program is highly observed or practice in the schools where the respondents are connected. The results imply that majority of the respondents are highly practiced the remedial teaching, instructional materials preparation and enhancement program in their class to mitigate the learning loss of the students. It is more important to mitigate the learning loss by using different strategies and adjusting them based on their skills and capabilities to meet the goals needs of our students so we can help them to receive the best education possible.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Achieving the good quality of education rests squarely on the shoulders of teachers who need appropriate motivation to produce the desired educational productivity and mitigate the learning loss , (Getange,2021) According to Abdul Rahmat & Ismaniar et.al (2021), mitigating learning loss not only focus on the digitalization and use of modern technology but also it needs to give a attention in the reorganization of the curriculum, students assessment, differentiate learning , teacher training, and mentoring. The next set of tables present the perceptions of the respondents towards learning engagement of the students as observed by the teachers. This will find out the possible relationship of learning loss mitigation to student's learning engagement.  Table 6 presents the results of perceived learning engagement of the students. Based on the responses, in terms of behavioral engagement of the students, majority of the students are engaged in terms of listening to teachers, participation in the classroom activities, no cheating during exams, no cellphones during classes, no playing focused on the activity and work hard to excel in the class during classroom sessions. This indicates that when teachers prepare materials that are creative, use strategies to have fun and enjoyable activities during remedial sessions and/or classes, students are showing engaged attitude and behavior. Thus, overall mean of 3.31 suggests that students are participative in the class. However, indicator number six (6) which indicates students come and leave school on time is highly engaged by the students and ensure that they are participative in the class activities. According to the National Association Independent School (NAIS), student engagement is best understood as a relationship between the student and the learning environment referring to the classroom activities and performances.  Table 7 presents the results of the perceived emotional engagement of the students during classes or remedial classes. Based on the data above, all students are emotionally engaged in terms of showing interest during classes, interact well with their classmates during group activities, enjoy classes, show smiling face every time they come to class with an overall mean of 3.37 indicating students are engaged emotionally since they have manifested active participation, interest and enthusiasm in the class. According to walden.edu(2022), emotionally engaged students increase achievement and promote academic success of the students. Thus, emotional engagement matters a lot to student's academic success. The table above shows the results of the perceived intellectual or cognitive engagement of the students in the classroom. Based on the results, the students cognitively participate in the classroom through asking in-depth questions during discussions, relate ideas to situations, take notes and collaborate with classmates in the group, offer opinions and views, check work after they finished the assignment for corrections and use organizers to make everything well-noted and organized. In short, the students think about the content lessons and analyze for better performance. The overall mean of 3.20 indicates that students in the class are all intellectually engaged in the class once the teacher started the lessons and discussions. Moreover, intellectuals students preferred problem-based topics that will lead to intellectual engagement with the topics at hand (Rotgans, 2018). Presented in table 9 is the summary of perception of the respondents on students' enagagement with the overall mean of 3.29 and SD of .514 as "engaged". The results imply that majority of the respondents are engaged in the behavioral, emotional and intellectual engagement in their class as to students' engagement. Students engagement is multi-faceted characterized in terms of behavioral, emotional and intellectual engagement (National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments). According to (University of Washington, 2023) promoting a students engagement using active learning as an instructional approach greatly have a positive impact to actively participate in the learning process. Strategies used by the teacher , interactive lecture are effectively and helpful to engage the students. To find out how learning loss mitigation relates to student's learning engagement, the succeeding table presents the results when statistically tested. The Table 10 presents the relationship between learning loss mitigation and the student's learning engagement when tested at 0.05 level of significance. Based on the results, all learning loss mitigation in terms of remedial teaching, instructional materials preparation and enhancement program are highly significant to student's learning engagement in terms of behavioral, emotional and intellectual engagement. Based on the figures above in terms of remedial teaching and learning engagement, an r-value of .585 for behavioral, .628 for emotional and .618 for intellectual engagement found to be significant when tested at .01 level of significance. This implies that when teachers conduct remedial teaching despite an extra time spent to students, it reflects that students also find time to show enthusiasm and interest in the classroom discussion. They also collaborate with each other and feel that they belong to the group. Suare, Orozco, et.al, (2009) emphasized that a student who is behaviorally engaged, tend to participate in the class with energy and enthusiasm. Student's behavior reflects specific tasks or experiences at school. In the context of class activities, it highlights the importance of behavioral engagement in all the classroom lessons and even performances.

Mitigating Learning Loss and Engagement of Elementary
In terms of instructional materials preparation, as previously discussed, significant relationship was found to the learning engagement of the students in terms of behavioral with .581, .617 for emotional, and .614 for intellectual all tested at .01 level of significance. This indicates that when teachers are using different learning materials that are creative and engaging it will surely get the interest of the students and participate well in the classroom discussions and activities. Student's participation or engagement heavily depends on the specific strategy or task developed by the teacher to be intellectually engaged(Lenger-kang, 2021). Moreover, student's involvement and enthusiasm to participate in the classroom activities need to be fun and enjoyable. According to walden.edu (2022), the best way to increase student's achievement and promote academic success is to focus on emotional engagement. Students who score higher on emotional engagement score higher on achievement test. Thus, teachers should consider preparing materials that are creative and will make students enjoy the activity while learning.
In the same manner, with behavioral engagement where students would like in get involved in the classroom activities. This engagement involves student's specific behavior in the learning process (Suarez-Orozco, 2009). This can be observed through active participation in the class such as recitation, group activities, discussions and other related activities in the classroom. Learning materials, teachers strategy and student's behavioral engagement correlate with each other (Hospel,2016).
As to enhancement program, it can be deduced from the results that it has significant relationship to student's learning engagement such as behavioral with an r-value of .601, .637 for emotional and .636 for intellectual, all tested at .01 level of significance. Based on the perceptions of the respondents, enhancement program when carefully planned and designed for student's development and improvement of the skills in the subjects they have difficulties would definitely impacts their learning. Thus, if enhancement program addressed the learning difficulties and learning gaps of the students, then, it will equip learners with skills they need to develop and improve.
Similarly, when enhancement programs creates opportunities for intellectual engagement, it will help them to make realword connections pick and choose elements of the assignments they complete, and when we propel their Similarly, when enhancement programs creates opportunities for intellectual engagement, it will help them to make real-word connections pick and choose elements of the assignments they complete, and when we propel their curiosity by creating opportunities for advancement, acknowledgement, and future challenges (Lenger-Kang, 2021). Supported by Sesmiyanti (2018), she emphasized that student's engagement is an essential factors in learning process because student's have to participate in learning process. Teachers also have to make a good atmosphere during classroom activities. Students' cognitive engagement involves the students to think during academic task, they have to have motivated to improve their ability in learning and also they have to participate and active in the classroom curiosity by creating opportunities for advancement, acknowledgement, and future challenges (Lenger-Kang, 2021). Supported by Sesmiyanti (2018), she emphasized that student's engagement is an essential factors in learning process because student's have to participate in learning process. Teachers also have to make a good atmosphere during classroom activities. Students' cognitive engagement involves the students to think during academic task, they have to have motivated to improve their ability in learning and also they have to participate and active in the classroom. In terms of emotional engagement, enhancement program of the school should involve students of any level and no specific rules who would be involved and who would not. Though, enhancement program primarily focused on those students with difficulty, students who would like to improve more may be also given the chance to join the program since it builds positive attitude, emotions and relationships with classmates when learning. . It is believed that relationships with learning are important factor of emotional engagement (Wilson,2021). As to behavioral engagement, it is also significant related to enhancement program since behavioral engagement refers to the degree of participation of the students in learning activities such as going to school, joining activities online or face-to -face and doing homework (igi-global.com, 2020). When students eagerly attend classes and participate in all the activities and willing to improve their skills through the program, then it only means the program is successfully implemented.
These results of significant relationship between learning loss mitigation and student's learning engagement only shows that what the students missed during the distance learning can now bring back through the programs prepared by the Department of Education such as remedial teaching, materials preparation and enhancement program to bridge the learning gap due to the COVID-19 pandemic where going to school was put into a halt and started to learn through distance learning. Now that the full implementation of face-to-face is mandatory, mitigating learning loss is essential.