Application of Learning Brochure in Mitosis: Effects on Mainstream Learners’ Test Performance in Biology 8

Abstract

Mainstream learners are often marginalized in the classroom when instructional practices fail to address their specific educational needs. These are difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for a child to learn than most peers of the same age. This preliminary study examined the effectiveness of a learning brochure as an instructional intervention in Biology 8 in the topic Stages of Mitosis among mainstream learners. A one-group pretest–posttest design was employed to assess changes in academic performance and to examine the relationship between learner profiles and test outcomes. It showed that the majority of the respondents were female and aged 13-15 years, they completed a pretest, then independently studied a take-home learning brochure for 24 hours, and completed a posttest. Due to the small sample size, non-parametric statistical analysis was used. Results revealed a strong, statistically significant negative correlation between age and posttest scores (ρ = −0.708, p = 0.049), indicating lower posttest performance among older mainstream learners. A moderate positive correlation was observed between pretest and posttest scores (ρ = 0.490), though this relationship was not statistically significant (p = 0.218). These suggested a general trend that better initial performance leads to better final performance, thus, the learning material in Biology 8 showed initial effectiveness in the positive performance of the mainstream learners. Subsequently, gain scores implied that the learning brochure may support improved academic performance. Future researches should involve larger samples, longer study periods, and additional Biology topics to promote its relevance.