Differentiated Scaffolding Strategies in Triangle Congruence: Their Effects on Learners’ Academic Performance and Confidence in Mathematics

Abstract

The benefits of differentiated scaffolding strategies on boosting academic performance and confidence in Mathematics learners were studied in this paper. Quasi-experimental research was conducted at a state university’s Secondary School Laboratory in the Philippines. It involved sixty Grade 8 learners, 30 from the control group and 30 from the experimental group. A panel of specialists assessed developed lessons on triangle congruence topics and the academic performance test and confidence scale. The developed lesson, test, and scale were improved after the panel of experts’ comments and suggestions were considered. The instruments were pilot tested and came out reliable; the academic performance test had a Cronbach alpha of 0.807, while the confidence scale in Mathematics had a Cronbach alpha of 0.810. In addition, the mean, standard deviation, One-way Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), and Pearson Product Moment Correlation were used to analyze the data. The findings demonstrated that when learners were taught using differentiated scaffolding strategies, their academic performance significantly increased at the Fairly Satisfactory level. However, when they were taught using conventional teaching strategies, their academic performance remained at Did Not Meet Expectations. The performance outcomes of both groups were significantly different. Also, there was no significant difference in learners’ confidence between the two groups when compared. Furthermore, there was a significant link between academic performance and confidence in Mathematics among students taught using differentiated scaffolding methodologies. Thus, concerns about increasing learners’ mathematical literacy may be addressed with differentiated scaffolding strategies.