Enhancing Learning Outcomes and Motivation of Grade 9 Learners in Chemical Bonding Utilizing Contextualized 3D Manipulatives

Abstract

Chemical bonding is one of the abstract topics in Chemistry. Students find it hard to imagine how bonding between two or more atoms occurs. Failure to do so leads to low performance and motivation, especially for those who are struggling to understand the lessons due to poor prior knowledge. This study aims to enhance learning outcomes and motivation of grade 9 learners in chemical bonding by utilizing contextualized 3D manipulatives. It used a quantitative, one-group pretest–posttest action research design. Purposive sampling was employed to select learners who met the inclusion criteria, a Science grade of 74 and below during the previous quarter. The participants were 16 Grade 9 challenged learners from Mindanao State University – University Training Center (MSU-UTC), Marawi City. The results demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in students’ performance from the pretest to the posttest. Findings suggest that the contextualized 3D manipulatives had a positive effect on students’ motivation, supporting research that emphasizes the role of hands-on, concrete learning tools in enhancing learners’ engagement and interest in science. The absence of a significant relationship before the intervention underscores the need for instructional strategies, such as contextualized 3D manipulatives, that can simultaneously support conceptual learning and provide conditions under which motivation and achievement may become more closely aligned. Overall, although a positive trend between postintervention motivation and achievement was observed, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that increased motivation directly contributed to higher posttest performance in this study. These results only suggest that integrating contextualized 3D manipulatives into instruction can be an effective strategy for fostering both achievement and motivation among learners of challenging content.