Abstract:

The study sought to determine effects of media cartoons on concept understanding of first year high school students. The study was conducted in high school level for the School Year 2009-2010. Two comparable sections being taught by the researcher were chosen as groups for the study. Both classes met for 80 minutes per meeting, three times a week.  The students were given a pre-test and a post-test on Concept Understanding Test (CUT). The CUT assessed student understanding of concepts from the 1st Trimester Period like fossil fuels, energy conservation, population growth, and types of pollution. A teaching strategy that included film showing, group dynamics, laboratory activities, and motivational games was utilized for the conventional group. Media cartoons that improve conceptual understanding of topics on Environmental Education were introduced to the students in the experimental group. The scores in the pre-test and post-test of the participants were tabulated and used to determine the significant difference of the students’ mean performance in the media cartoons and conventional groups. The t-test was utilized in the treatment and analysis of data gathered. Findings reveal that exposure to media cartoons results to a significantly better conceptual understanding on environmental education topics than the conventional approach. The researcher observed that students actively engaged themselves in media cartoon activities that enabled them to make responsible actions and provide solutions to local and global environmental problems.

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