TRADITIONAL AND CONSTRUCTIVIST TEACHING APPROACHES AND STUDENT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN SOCIAL STUDIES

Abstract

An effective teacher incorporates a wide-ranging repertoire of various teaching
and learning models, strategies, and techniques and is aware of the way to produce
the right conditions for learning. This study was done to compare the constructivist
approach and traditional approach to teaching and to determine their effectiveness
in teaching social studies concepts. Two sections of the grade seven students of Saint
Michael College of Caraga were involved. Learning plans and a checklist were developed
according to constructivist and traditional approaches to teaching. The students’
academic performances were compared, and the significance of their difference was
determined using the t‐test. After the study was conducted, it was found out that the
students who were exposed to the constructivist approach and traditional approach to
teaching had no significant difference in their academic performance after two grading
periods. The study showed that there was no single better approach to teaching social
studies. Educators and administrators can encourage their teachers to experiment with
how useful constructivism and the traditional approach in other subject areas It was
recommended that the administrators can provide training on the traditional and
constructivist approaches with their teachers in planning activities in social studies.