Students Executive Skills: Effects on Students Conceptual Understanding and Interest Towards Physics during Online Learning

Abstract

Dropout rates have risen greatly since the dawning of distance learning. Students’ Executive Skills are viewed as less capable of being more actively engaged because online learning encourages distance learning. As a result, most Filipino students struggle to understand Physics concepts, particularly those involving electricity and magnetism, which require higher-order thinking skills. Hence, identifying the students’ current acquisition of Executive Skills, Conceptual Understanding, and Interest in Physics during Online Learning is relevant to address the challenges encountered. This research employed a quantitative correlational design using three (3) Adapted survey questionnaires. They are conducted in one of the higher institutions in the province, totaling eighty-eight (n=88) respondents. Analyses showed that students' executive skills and interest levels were “very high,” indicating that they adapted well to online modality and showed interest in learning physics. Meanwhile, students’ Conceptual Understanding was “very low,” proving that the new teaching and learning methods likely made it difficult to grasp Physics concepts. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) test explored the significant correlations among the three theoretical constructs. Results revealed that students' Executive Skills and Interest in Physics are significantly correlated. They are implying that when students are doing well in their Executive skills, itboosts their interest in understanding lessons in Physics. Nonetheless, there is no significant relationship between Executive Skills and Conceptual Understanding levels because even if the students have high Executive Skills, the difficulty of physics subject excel, necessitating thorough teaching. Therefore, it is worth noting that more attention should be given to the methods and techniques to be applied to maintain high levels of executive skills and interest while improving students’ conceptual understanding.