Phenomenon-Based Problem Approach and Problem-Solving Skills Among Grade 8 Students in Geometry

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a phenomenon-based problem approach in developing the problem-solving skills of Grade 8 students in Geometry. Phenomenon-based learning presents real-life problems and allows learners to discover the skills and knowledge required to solve them. A quasi-experimental design with a non-randomized pre-test and post-test was used. The subjects for this research were two groups, control and experimental, and the data were collected from 80 respondents among these groups. The results showed that the control group’s problem-solving skills improved from did not meet expectation to fairly satisfactory, while the experimental group’s skills improved from did not meet expectation to very satisfactory. There was a significant difference in problem-solving skills between the two groups. However, there was a minimal increase in the problem-solving performance of the learners using the conventional method. The experimental group showed a significantly higher mean gain score than the control group. The study also found that different phenomena affected students’ problem-solving skills. These findings suggest that the phenomenon-based approach is more effective than the conventional method in teaching problem-solving skills in Geometry.