Instructional Media and Student Engagement as Determinants of Mathematics Achievement in a Philippine Secondary School

Abstract

This study examined teachers’ instructional media utilisation, students’ engagement in learning Mathematics, and Mathematics achievement among Grade 10 students at the University of Cebu–Banilad Campus during School Year 2025–2026. A quantitative descriptive-correlational design was used. The analytic results reported in the thesis were based on 100 respondents, although an earlier methodology section described 119 enrolled Grade 10 students; this discrepancy is acknowledged as a reporting limitation. Data were obtained using a three-part questionnaire covering respondent profile, instructional media utilisation adapted from Heinich et al. (2002), and student engagement adapted from Hart et al. (2011), together with official Third Quarter Mathematics grades. Frequency, percentage, weighted mean, standard deviation, and Pearson product-moment correlation were employed. Instructional media utilisation was Low (M = 1.81, SD = 0.92). Student engagement was also Low overall (M = 1.99, SD = 0.94), with cognitive engagement rated Very Low (M = 1.69, SD = 0.83), affective engagement Low (M = 2.16, SD = 0.97), and behavioural engagement Low (M = 2.13, SD = 0.99). Despite these low ratings, Mathematics achievement was Very Satisfactory (M = 87.89, SD = 5.91). Instructional media utilisation was not significantly related to Mathematics achievement (r = −.171, p = .090), and overall student engagement was likewise not significantly related to achievement (r = −.112, p = .269). The findings indicate that, within this sample, higher reported media use or engagement did not correspond to higher Third Quarter Mathematics grades. Because the design was correlational, the results do not establish that media use or engagement causes or fails to cause achievement. Practical directions emphasise more interactive media integration, cognitively demanding learning activities, affective and behavioural engagement supports, and assessment practices that capture conceptual reasoning.