Baseline Study on Grade 12 STEM Students' Competency Level and their Sources of Difficulties on Kinematics Graphs Interpretation

This study examines the competencies of Grade 12 STEM students in interpreting motion graphs, employing a quantitative-qualitative descriptive methodology. A designed 20-item multiple-choice test was administered to evaluate students' understanding of position-time and velocity-time graphs. The findings reveal that both male (x̅ = 7.85, s = 2.08) and female (x̅ = 7.59, s = 2.08) students demonstrate a "Beginning" level of competency in graphical analysis of motion. Notably, students exhibited significant challenges, particularly with items related to position vs. time graphs; for instance, item 16 achieved a high correct response rate of 95.00%, while items 8 and 12 reflected only 5.00% accuracy. These results underscore substantial gaps in students' grasp of kinematics concepts, which are attributed to limited instructional time and emphasis. Consequently, the researchers advocate for remedial classes concentrating on motion graph interpretation and suggest a comprehensive curriculum review to ensure essential topics receive adequate attention. Furthermore, they recommend conducting similar studies with a larger sample size to enhance the reliability of the findings.