Central Philippines State University

This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study examined the effectiveness of PhET-based virtual simulations as an educational technology intervention for improving achievement in waves and optics lessons among education students majoring in science. The use of a one-group pretest-posttest design, 30 students participated in four simulation-enhanced instructional sessions integrating guided inquiry, formative assessment, and interactive digital exploration. Achievement was measured via a validated pre- and post-intervention test, with data analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test with effect size estimation. To contextualize the quantitative results, qualitative data from written reflections and mini interviews were analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. Findings revealed a statistically significant improvement in student achievement, with mean scores increasing from 13.27 to 22.10, reflecting an average gain of 8.83 points and a large effect size (r = .79). Qualitative results showed that students attributed their improved performance to the instructional affordances of the technology, particularly enhanced visualization of abstract wave phenomena, opportunities for interactive manipulation, immediate feedback, and collaborative problem-solving. However, challenges related to internet connectivity, device limitations, and time constraints were also reported. The findings show that PhET virtual simulations, when purposefully integrated into structured inquiry-based pedagogy and supported by explicit scaffolding, can serve as an effective educational tool for strengthening conceptual understanding and academic performance in tertiary physics instruction.

This descriptive phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of four Filipino English Language Arts (ELA) teachers in South Carolina who use gamification as an optional instructional approach in ELA instruction. Guided by Colaizzi's seven-step method and contemporary gamification theory, in-depth interviews examined teachers' perceptions of gamification's advantages, challenges in aligning game elements with instructional objectives, classroom management dynamics, and assessment reliability within a resource-constrained context. Findings revealed uneven familiarity with gamification principles, the novelty effect leading to boredom, disruptions from overuse, and integrity issues such as cheating and curricular drift. Participants adapted strategies—varying game mechanics, establishing explicit rules, integrating transparent grading, and embedding anti-cheating features—to sustain engagement and uphold rigor. These insights address the panel's recommendation by restating the problem in terms of the four Filipino teachers' experiences and offer evidence-based guidance for curriculum leaders, principals, and practitioners to implement context-sensitive, pedagogically sound gamified instruction. Implications for professional development and future research are discussed.

This study determined the relationship between parental involvement, pupils’ socio-emotional development, and academic achievement at Moises Padilla Elementary School during School Year 2025–2026 as a basis for developing a development program. It employed a descriptive-correlational research design involving 50 parents or guardians of Grade III pupils selected through stratified random sampling from five sections. Parental involvement was assessed in terms of learning at home, communication, decision-making, and collaboration with the community. Socio-emotional development was examined in terms of self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills, empathy, and motivation, while academic achievement was measured using pupils’ academic records. Descriptive statistics and correlational analysis were used to analyze the data. The results showed that parental involvement was rated Very High across all four dimensions. Pupils’ motivation and social skills were rated Very High, while self-awareness, self-regulation, and empathy were rated High. Academic achievement obtained a mean of 85.22, with a standard deviation of 3.84, interpreted as Outstanding. Significant positive relationships were found between communication, decision-making, and community collaboration and all five dimensions of socio-emotional development. Learning at home was significantly associated with self-awareness and empathy but not with self-regulation, social skills, or motivation. No statistically significant relationships were established between parental involvement and academic achievement or between socio-emotional development and academic achievement. The findings provide a basis for proposing a development program to strengthen family–school partnerships, support socio-emotional development, and sustain pupils’ academic progress.

This study aimed to design, develop, and evaluate a hybrid AI-supported Filipino reading comprehension application for Grade 2 pupils based on a Human–AI Adaptive Learning Framework. The development addressed reading comprehension challenges identified at Ramon Magsaysay Elementary School by providing a localized digital learning tool integrating teacher-guided instruction and AI-assisted learning functionalities. A descriptive-developmental research design was employed, with Agile Methodology guiding the system development process. The application incorporated Filipino reading activities, speech support, AI-assisted voice recognition, adaptive questioning, and learner progress monitoring. Its acceptability was assessed using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), involving 10 information technology experts during the pre-deployment evaluation and 25 Filipino teachers following a three-week implementation period. The results yielded an overall average weighted mean of 4.80, interpreted as Strongly Agree, across perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude toward using the application. These findings indicate favorable evaluations of the application's technical functionality, usability, and instructional relevance. The study demonstrates the potential of integrating human instructional guidance with AI-assisted adaptive features in developing localized digital resources for early-grade Filipino reading comprehension. However, the findings primarily establish user acceptability and do not independently demonstrate improvements in pupils' reading comprehension outcomes.

The safety of school networks has become increasingly critical in today’s digitally connected world due to the growing frequency and sophistication of cyber threats such as malware, viruses, and unauthorized intrusions. Educational institutions are particularly vulnerable because of their expanding reliance on digital platforms for administrative functions, online learning, and internal communications. In many universities, a significant challenge lies in the absence of efficient mechanisms to detect and respond to cyberattacks in their early stages often identifying breaches only after substantial damage has occurred. This research introduces a unified, tri-layered framework that combines real-time threat detection using the Random Forest algorithm, intelligent alerting for immediate incident response, and content filtering for policy enforcement specifically tailored to the operational and behavioral dynamics of educational networks. By utilizing real-time traffic data from the university’s own infrastructure, the system is trained to detect a wide range of threat patterns while reducing overfitting, a common challenge in cybersecurity applications. The framework represents a shift from traditional reactive models to a proactive, predictive security paradigm, enhancing the capability of Management Information Systems (MIS) teams to preemptively address cyber risks. This integration of technical robustness, contextual relevance, and administrative control renders the proposed system both practically effective and strategically significant. The outcomes of this study have important implications for the field of educational cybersecurity, offering a scalable and adaptable model that can serve as a foundation for future research and implementation across academic institutions.