IMPROOF, SMK Kidurong, Sarawak

Summary of Project:

IMPROOF is a peer mentoring programme that focuses on certain topics every month. Currently, our plan is to have Form 4 students who were chosen to be part of this programme as a mentor to help the lower form, which are Form 3 students, with Mathematics.

Problem Statement:

After the pandemic, we observed that the number of demotivated students have increased rapidly. These students do not bother to study, which can escalate into a serious issue if unchecked. During the pandemic, these students had difficulties paying attention in class, and are now trying to regain the motivation they have lost.

With this in mind, we decided to create IMPROOF to help them. We chose Mathematics as the core subject we would like to teach because the results of a survey we administered to 116 students from several schools show that 47.4% of students are struggling with Mathematics.

Participants Demographics:

A total of 27 students participated in IMPROOF. The participants are all of the age of 15, consisting of both male and female students. The participants were very excited and thrilled to have us teaching them, but when it came to answering questions, they were silent. After trying many ways to get them more engaged, we succeeded in getting the students more involved.

Initially, the participants were really bad at solving algebra, but we could tell that they were trying their best to understand our class. There were a few students who have learning disabilities and struggled to understand what we had taught them.

Project Impact & Impact Measurement Method:

We collected our impact data using the results from pre-tests and post-tests.

Before we started any mentoring, we gave them a Mathematics test with mainly algebra questions, which acts as the pre-test. After that, we analyzed what their weak points were based on the results and started experimenting with ways to help them understand and focus in class better.

We tried several methods, such as explaining to them in detail about Mathematics, giving them physical classes, and constantly giving them exercises. In the end, we realized that the method that impacted them the most is physical classes!

With that information in mind, we find out ways in which we can make the physical class even better. Hence, the IMPROOF method was formed! At the end of our project, we gave them their last test which acts as the post-test for our project. We compared the results from both the pre-test and the post-test to measure our impact, and the results show that the student performance growth in the area of academic improvement is 53%!

Changes Observed In Participants (Improvements/Progress):

We observed that they paid much more attention during our last class compared to the first few days we entered their class. The atmosphere was lighter, and we did not feel any pressure from the class. We could tell everyone was comfortable with each other. We did more interactive in-class activities and we noticed they got more and more engaged with the topic. Some of them mastered topics that we didn’t expect them to and it was a pleasant surprise. All of their results did improve. From the first test, most of them scored less than 5 marks out of 15, but at the end of our programme, most of them scored more than 9 marks! We also noticed that they had improved their understanding of linear equations, though some of them are still struggling with it.

Challenges/Setbacks Faced:

One of the challenges we faced was constant demotivation. On the first day of entering the class, the environment towards us was unsettling. Whenever we would teach, they would all stay silent. As we stayed up late to prepare the materials and topics we had to teach them, it felt so heartbreaking to see they put no effort into learning from us at all. However, we communicated with them sincerely and tried to gain a better understanding of what they were going through.

After that, they understood that what we were doing was for their own benefit and they paid more attention. We also got our spirit back and tried harder to give them what they needed in order to learn better. We were also afraid that if we separated them into groups to do certain activities, some of them may not engage in the activity, and just rely on the smartest in the group to do everything instead.

We were so anxious about this issue, but we manage to solve it by putting them in groups according to their test results. Those with lower scores will be separated into one group, those with average scores were separated into another, and finally, those with higher scores will be placed in one group. This way, they will all engage with one another since they have equal capabilities.