Advisers

Ryan Christopher M. Villalon, PhD

Discipline

Education

Abstract

This study examined the utilization of Savanna Snacks as an instructional material in teaching the eating adaptations of animals among Grade 4 students at Tandang Sora Elementary School. The researchers aimed to determine whether this innovative material could enhance students’ understanding of scientific concepts compared to traditional teaching methods. A true experimental design was employed, with 128 students divided into control and experimental groups. Data were collected through pretests, posttests, and surveys to measure both learning outcomes and learner feedback. Statistical treatments were applied to analyze the results and determine significant differences between the groups. Most Grade 4 students were aged 9–11 years (95%), and 55% were male. At pretest, both the experimental and control groups demonstrated low knowledge of animal eating adaptations, with means of 5.31 and 5.38, respectively, both interpreted as “Not Proficient.” At posttest, the experimental group achieved a mean of 11.28 (“Proficient”), while the control group obtained 8.83 (“Low Proficient”). Savanna Snacks was rated moderately effective in content (3.16) and highly effective in interface (3.33) and question-based learning (3.32). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test yielded W = 103 and p < 0.0000, indicating a significant pretest–posttest difference. Reported challenges included difficulty recalling meanings (13.10%), remembering facts (12.66%), excessive wording (11.79%), unfamiliar terms (10.92%), and unfamiliarity with the tool (10.92%). The findings indicate that Savanna Snacks was an effective instructional tool for teaching animal eating adaptations in elementary science. It supported academic performance and classroom engagement through an interactive, student-centered approach. The reported usability and content challenges should be addressed to improve future implementation and instructional-material design.

Keywords

quantitative research, digital learning, science education, savanna snacks, animal eating adaptations, true experimental design, grade 4