ABSTRACT
This qualitative-phenomenological study conducted aimed to find out the teachers’ practices and students’ experiences in improving the common final exam retake performance as a basis for program recommendation. The participants of the study were ten students and five teachers purposively chosen from the BSED-English program of PHINMA University of Iloilo. The data were gathered using a researcher-made questionnaire through in-depth interview. The study identified several key themes regarding the teachers’ practices in improving the common final exam retake performance: equipped students with the unattained learning objectives, and provided students with review sessions. The students’ experiences in improving the common final exam retake performance are as follows: teachers help review the lessons and teacher provides encouragement and motivation. The researcher suggests a program recommendation created to help teachers and the target recipients of the study better the conduct and result of the common final exam retake.
Keywords: Common Final Examination, Teachers’ Practices, Students’ Experiences, Program Recommendation
INTRODUCTION
Education is highly regarded in the Philippines as the government is making steps to provide a system of free and integrated education among its citizens (1987 Constitution, Art. 14, Sec. 1).
Thus, the Commission of Higher Education was created as an agency body to strengthen policies and administration of private and public institutions of higher learning (RA 7722-Higher Education Act of 1994, Sec. 3).
The PHINMA University of Iloilo (formerly University of Iloilo) is one the universities situated in the Western Visayas and is under the PHINMA Education Network,governing its academic policies and regulations since its takeover in 2009. The said policies and academic memorandum are being managed by the Team Learning Philippines-with the aim of improving quality of education with its retention policies. The university has been then implementing open-admission policies for the students in any degree program.
The Team learning Philippines had undergone changes in making sure that quality education is a core of every school under the management of PHINMA education network.
They strengthen the formulas for board subjects of all degree programs with the addition of common final examination (CFE).
The final examinations of board subjects will be comprehensive and will include mastered topics from prelim, midterm and finals. The student not being able to pass the final examination will incur an incomplete (INC) mark in the subject and will retake the exam (Academic Memo S.2011-04).
Thus, a student not being able to pass the retake in the final examination will retake the subject in the next semester.
Students should meet the retention standards of the program to continue the course. Not passing the subject thrice or getting a passing grade means a student will be advised to shift to another course (Academic Memo S.2013-05).
Among the subjects with the Common Final examination is ENG 018-Introduction to Linguistics, as a BSED major course offered every First Semester of the 2nd year( CMO No. 75 S.2017).
The number of students not passing the subjects is increasing as per report of the Team Learning Philippines and assessment coordinators, with least topic and competencies not mastered.
The researcher believed that intervention must be implemented to the students to facilitate the retake of their common final examinations.
In the light of the foregoing realities, the researcher determined whetere there is a need to examine the teachers’ practices and the students’ experiences in improving the Common Final Exam (CFE) retake performance .
In this study, the term refers to a set of recommendations and activities aimed at enhancing the practices related to the common final exam at PHINMA University of Iloilo.
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