Effectiveness of PEMDAS Mnemonic Instructional Strategy on Learners' Academic Performance in Mathematics

Mnemonic instructional strategies, such as PEMDAS, enhance learning and retention of the fundamental knowledge and mathematical skills essential for learning high school Mathematics. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the PEMDAS mnemonic instructional strategy on learners’ academic performance in Mathematics and their attitude towards the subject of Grade 8 learners by comparing pretest and post-test results; determine if there was a significant effect of the strategy on learners' academic performance in Mathematics; and analyze the implications of the study's findings in teaching Mathematics. The quasi-experimental research design and purposive sampling technique, consisting of 100 respondents from two groups (control and experimental), were employed. A modified survey questionnaire on the attitude toward Mathematics and the learners’ proficiency tests questionnaire was used to gather data. The data were analyzed using statistical techniques such as mean, standard deviation, t-test, and f-test. The findings showed that learners from the experimental group performed better in the posttest than those from the control group. There was a significant difference in the results of posttest mean rating scores between the control and experimental groups. The instructional strategy was found to have a significant effect on learners’ academic performance in the experimental group. This concludes that using PEMDAS mnemonic instructional strategy effectively improves learners’ academic performance and attitudes towards the subject. It is recommended that effective instructional strategies such as PEMDAS mnemonics be integrated into teaching and minimize the use of teacher-centered approach to improve learners’ fundamental skills, conceptual understanding and procedural fluency in Mathematics