TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page
Approval Sheet
Acknowledgement
Dedication
Context and Rationale
Action Research and Questions
Proposed Innovation, Intervention and Strategy
a. Conceptual Framework
Action Research Methods
a. Participants and Other Sources of Information
b. Data gathering procedure
c. Data Analysis Plan
Action Research Work plan and Timeline
Result and Discussion
Conclusion and Recommendation
References
Documentation

Chapters
Bibliography
Appendices

Appendix A: Request letter

Appendix B: Questionnaire
Appendix C: Curriculum Vitae
THE POMODORO: EFFECTIVENESS TO BSED MAJOR IN BIOLOGY STUDENTS’
SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDES

An Action Research
Presented to
The Faculty of the College of Teacher Education
QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
Diffun, Quirino

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the requirements for the degree
Bachelor In Secondary Education

WILFREDO B. BANIQUED
CLAUDE ZEPHRIX C. ARISTON

May 2018
 Dedication

This piece of work is humbly dedicated to their beloved parents, friends and to the
Faculty of the BSEd Department
Above all to Almighty God

THE RESEACHERS
 Acknowledgement

The authors first and foremost acknowledge the almighty God who is the source and provider of
knowledge, understanding and wisdom to make this piece of work be fulfilled.

Dr. Agaton P. Pattalitan Jr, the chairman of the Bachelor in Secondary Education and to the
Faculty of the BSED for supporting and allowing the researchers to conduct the research.

Dr. Elvira A. Tamangan, their research instructor for allowing us to conduct the research.

Dr. Melfei Estrada-Bungihan, their research adviser, for her valuable suggestions and
recommendations and for patiently editing and scrutinizing this manuscript that led to the
improvement of the research.

Dr. Romiro G. Bautista, research statistician, for his effort in analyzing the data gathered which
became a basis for data interpretations.

The Bachelor in Secondary Education 3rd year students Major in Biology for their active
participation in the conduct of this research.

Finally, their parents, relatives and friends for the unending prayers.

THE RESEARCHERS
I. CONTEXT AND RATIONALE

Time is an essential resource everyone possesses equally but fails to utilize

at the same level due to a variety of reasons. The only asset that cannot be changed

or purchased or stored is “time” itself. The secret to achieving success in life is

effectively managing this resource that everyone possesses equally and paying

sufficient emphasis to planning. There is, however, a growing body of research that

suggests time management is positively related to academic performance (see

Adamson, Covic, & Lincoln, 2004; Britton & Tesser, 1991; Lahmers & Zulauf, 2000;

Liu et al., 2009; Macan et al., 1990; Trueman & Hartley, 1996). For example, in a

recent study of middle school students, Liu et al. (2009) found that the time

management skills of planning and organization were positively related to course

grades. These relations held over time and, in fact, were stronger after 6 months.

Further, researchers have theorized that time management strategies are important

cognitive aspects of self-regulated learning that can lead to higher academic

achievement (see Dembo & Eaton, 1997; Eilam & Aharon, 2003; Zimmerman &

Risemberg, 1997). High achievers are more able than average or low achievers to

invest their efforts and abilities in time management related self-regulatory processes,

such as planning (Eilam & Aharon, 2003). Furthermore, Britton and Tesser (1991)

found that both the time management skill of short-term planning and time attitudes

were related to academic achievement. If the ability to effectively manage one’s time

were indeed positively related to academic performance, then, presumably,

interventions that improve time management would be of value to students.

In developing countries where students have a lot of issues during academic

journey have a new story for the researcher to dig out much more interesting results.

Time management practices have an impact on the results of students as empirical

studies done by past researchers. In spite of knowing about the impact of time on

academic achievement, this relationship is not given importance by the students

(Sevari & Kandy, 2011). At higher education level the study schedule must properly

planned, implemented and controlled for better results. Emphasizing time also helps

to develop cost effective educational policies by the authorities especially at higher

education level (Kaushar, 2013). Ongoing problem of scarcity of knowledge in

connection with time management and academic outputs is due to lack of easiness

and of costly ways of collecting data. Driven by this fact, particular emphasis has been

paid in the modern education system to time management issues by

evaluatingstudents’ attitudes and behaviors related to time and its management

(Karim, Sevari, Mitra & Kandy, 2015). Based on the necessity of effective time

management required from students during their academic and professional life, field

research has been conducted in the present paper towards the aim of designating their

position with respect to effective time management and determining the effect of their

time management skills on their academic achievements.

The Pomodoro Technique was invented in the early 90s by developer,

entrepeneur, and author Francesco Cirillo. Cirillo named the system "Pomodoro" after

the tomato-shaped timer he used to track his work as a university student. The

methodology is simple: When faced with any large task or series of tasks, break the

work down into short, timed intervals (called "Pomodoros") that are spaced out by short

breaks. This trains your brain to focus for short periods and helps you stay on top of

deadlines or constantly-refilling inboxes. With time it can even help improve your

attention span and concentration .Pomodoro is a cyclical system. You work in short

sprints , which makes sure you're consistently productive. You also get to take regular

breaksthat bolster your motivation and keep you creative.

 The aim of the Pomodoro Technique is to provide a simple tool/process for

improving productivity which is able to do the following: Alleviate anxiety linked to

becoming. Enhance focus and concentration by cutting down on interruption. Increase

awareness of your decisions. Boost motivation and keep it constant. Bolster the

determination to achieve your goals. Refine the estimation process, both in qualitative

and quantitative terms. Improve your work or study process. Strengthen your

determination to keep on applying yourself in the face of complex situations.

It is therefore worthwhile to determine the effect of the intervention, Pomodoro

technique on the scientific attitudes of students, given science tasks.

II. ACTION RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This study determined the effectiveness of Pomodoro technique in the Scientific

Attitude Inventory of BSED students major biology.

Categorically, its aimed is to answer the following essential questions:

1. What is the mean score of the students in their scientific attitude inventory?

2. Is there a significant difference on mean scores of the students in the attitude

inventory before and after the Pomodoro Technique is applied?

3. What is the effect of Pomodoro technique on the scientific attitude of students?

III. PROPOSED INNOVATION, INTERVENTION AND STRATEGY

Pomodoro Technique as an intervention uses Pomodoro Technique is a simple time

management method, which was created by Francisco Cirillo in 1992 and taught to others since

1998 (Cirillo 2006). Compared with the GTD (Getting Things Done) time management, the

Pomodoro also helps people use time flexibly and effectively and not only improves the work and
learning efficiency. A primary Pomodoro is 25 minutes and do not exist as half Pomodoro.

Between each Pomodoro, there is a 5 minutes break. Users can have a longer rest after finishing

four Pomodoro. At beginning of each day, users should choose the tasks they want to do and

write them inthe To-do-Today. When they finish one Pomodoro, they could draw an “X” to

represent 25 minutes that they have been working on. During each Pomodoro, users need to

concentrate on their work. If they are definitively interrupted by other things, they need to drop off

the current Pomodoro and start a new one. Thus, if users think a interruptions is not urgent, they

can mark an apostrophe (’) near the current task then write down this new activity on the To-do-

Today list and continue working on the given task until they finish this Pomodoro. Using Pomodoro

could encourage a clear-minded thinking, concentration and consciousness (Cirillo 2006). Some

people think 25 minutes is too short at first, however, it has been indicated by Cirillo’s research

that the Pomodoro works best with 20-35 minutes, up to 40 minutes. This length of the Pomodoro

could mobilize users ‘attention and enthusiasm. In addition, the length of breaks between

Pomodoros should be5-10 minutes. More than 10 minutes may break the rhythm of the

concentration. In fact, different people have different perceptions of time, it is a very individualistic

habit that to understand how long the break is exactly required.

a. Conceptual Framework

Pretest Enhanced
Post test
Initial Scientific The Pomodoro Scientific Attitude of
Final Scientific
Attitude Technique Students
Attitude of students
Of Students (Gain Scores)

FEEDBACK
Effectiveness
Of Pomodoro
Technique
 Figure 1. Conceptual Framework

A Pretest was given to the participants to measure their initial scientific attitude. After

which they was exposed to the Pomodoro Technique for 3 day. Then the participants

was taken the posttest measuring the final scientific attitude. The mean gain score was

used to determine the effectivity of Pomodoro Technique to the Scientific Attitude of the

participants.

IV. ACTION RESEARCH METHODS

a. Participants and Other Sources of Information

This study used the One Group Pretest Posttest Research design on the effect of

Pomodoro Technique in the task attitude of students. The respondents are the BSED 3rd

year students Major in Biology. The research was conducted at QUIRINO STATE

UNIVERSITY

b. Data gathering procedure

During the PRE-IMPLEMENTATION stage, the task attitude of the students were

taken using the pretest of the task attitude inventory questionnaire. The result of the

assessment form were used to compare the result after the post test.

In the Implementation stage of the project, Orientation of the task to be

conducted was clearly explained to the participants. The Pomodoro Technique iswas

introduced to the participants

The POST IMPLEMENTATION stage involved the post test of the task inventory

questionnaire. It also involved the analysis and interpretation of the results of the pretest

and posttest of the task attitude inventory questionnaire using the Wilcoxon t test for
 compared samples to find out the effect of Pomodoro Technique on the task attitude of

students

c. Data Analysis Plan

The scores of the students in the pretest and posttest of the scientific attitude

inventory was recorded for each respondent. Descriptive analysis was done like mean

scores. The Wilcoxon t test was used to determine significant increase of scores from pretest

to posttest in the different categories of scientific attitude. Lastly, the Eta test was used to

measure if the effect size of the treatment was significant.

Objectives/ Activity/Tasks Persons Time Frame Resources Expected Statistical

Target /Steps Involved Needed Output Tools
Used

1. To ask Seek Dean, adviser April 16, 2018 Request Approval Scientific
permission permission to and subject Letter on the said Attitude
in our department instructor request Inventory
administerin Dean and
g subject
intervention instructor
for our
research
2. To Distribute the Researcher, April 17, 2018 Questionna Answered The
conduct our inventory to participants ire questionnai Pomodoro
pretest to the participants and our res and Technique
our adviser positive
participants respond of
the
students
 3. To Ask permission Researcher, April 19, 2018 Laptop Our SPSS.
implement from our participants DLP intervention Microsoft
our adviser to and our Camera will be Office,
intervention implement our adviser effective to Internet
to the intervention the
participants participants

4. Analyze Data analysis Researcher April 20, 2018 Laptop Analyzed Scientific
the gathered and run it in and our SPSS. result Attitude
data from SPSS adviser Microsoft Inventory
the pretest Office,
conducted Internet

5. To Analyze the Researcher, April 30, 2018 Questionna Answered

administer gathered data participants ire questionnai
the posttest and our res and
to the adviser positive
participants respond of
the
students
6. To seek To implement Adviser and May 3, 2018 Result of Our data SPSS.
our adviser the procedures statistician pretest and will be Microsoft
and told to us posttest Analyzed Office,
statistician Internet
for the
gathered
data
7. Finalize Interpret and Researcher May 7, 2018 Our data
and interpret analyze the and our Laptop will be
the final table of results adviser SPSS. Analyzed
output of our Microsoft and our
research Office final output
Internet will be
submitted
to our
adviser
V. RESEARCH WORK PLAN AND TIMELINE

VI. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

 Table 1 represents the descriptive values taken from the two tests with the same content

and tool using the Scientific Attitude Inventory.

Table 1. Mean Scores of Students on Pretest and Posttest on Scientific Attitude Inventory

Scientific Attitude Mean Score

Pretest Posttest

Intellectual Attitude 2.35 3.05

Behavioral Attitude 3 3

Emotional Attitude 2.8 4.25

The pretest before the intervention and the posttest after the intervention. These are the

Mean score of all our respondents with respect to the 3 attitudes, namely Intellectual Attitude,

Behavioral Attitude and Emotional Attitude. The results of the pretest on different attitudes follows:

Intellectual- 2.35, Behavioral 3 and Emotional 2.8. After the invention, with the same tool used,

the attitudes Intellectual and Emotional had a gain while the Behavioral remained the same. From

2.35, Intellectual Attitude gained 0.7 while Emotional Attitude gained 1.45.

Table 2 shows The Wilcoxon signed-rank test is the nonparametric test equivalent to

the dependent t-test. As the Wilcoxon signed-rank test does not assume normality in the data, it

can be used when this assumption has been violated and the use of the dependent t-test is

inappropriate. It is used to compare two sets of scores that come from the same participants. This

can occur when we wish to investigate any change in scores from one time point to another, or

when individuals are subjected to more than one condition.

Table 2. Wilcoxson T-Test

 Scientific Attitude T-Computed T-Tabular

Intellectual Attitude 16.5 3

Behavioral Attitude 14.5 3

Emotional Attitude 0* 3

*Significant at .05 Level

Table 2 confirms the significance of Emotional Attitude at .05 level. From the descriptive

table, although Intellectual Attitude gained 0.7, here in Wilcoxson T-Test it showed that the gain

wasn’t that significant. Behavioral Attitude didn’t have a gain so Wilcoxson shows no significance

neither. The only attitude significant is the Emotional Attitude, it has the biggest gain showed in

the descriptive table (Figure 1) and Wilcoxson T-Test confirmed it.

After testing for significant value of the data in the Wilcoxson test. We used the Eta-test to

test or to know how effective the Pomodoro Technique is in the Scientific Attitudes of the

respondents in the Pretest and Posttest. To determine whether the intervention was effective, the

effect size was computed using the Eta-square test. Table 3 presents the result of the Eta test of

effect size.

Table 3. Eta Test Score

Value Interpretation

Eta2 0.529 Effect size- Large

*2%-Small Effect, 13%- Median Effect, 26%-Large effect

The result of the Eta Test in the Pretest 0.151 is then squared to know the value which is

0. 022, which therefore, has a small effect according to the scale of interpretation of values of Eta-

test. And the Posttest’s Eta-test result, 0.894 was also squared to know the value, which is 0.799
and this is more than 26% which corresponds to a large effect according to the scale of the Eta-

test.

The reason why Emotional Attitude had the highest gain and significant level is that because more

focus and concentration equates to less stress, better management of the interruptions, keeping

high motivation levels, reinforcing the determination in order to achieve something, better

awareness of the time you need to get things done. Emotional health is influenced by

environmental factors, relationships, physical health, self-awareness, and stress. An emotionally

healthy individual is not happy all the time. In fact, someone who doesn't seem to experience

negative emotions may be repressing their emotions. Positive and negative emotional responses

can be appropriate based on the life situation. Emotionally healthy individuals express appropriate

emotions, which can help them to avoid danger, relieve stress, and communicate with others.

(Cirillo, F. (2006)

VII. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Conclusion

With the foregoing results of the study, it can be concluded that Pomodoro technique

has significant effect on the scientific attitudes of students, especially on emotional attitude.

Recommendation

While Pomdoro technique was found to be effective in measuring the scientific attitude of

students, there are still windows for improvement to further the results of the study and also to

apply the technique in other situations. Thus, the following are recommended:

1. The implementation and exposure of the Pomodoro technique to the participants

must be longer.
 2. The Pomodoro technique should not only be limited in our research but it can be

used in the classroom for the student’s time management and productivity.

3. The Pomodoro technique can also be used to measure the study habits of students

VIII. REFERENCES

Cirillo, F. (2006). The Pomodoro Technique (The Pomodoro).

Agile Processes in Software Engineering and,
54(2).

Howell, A. J. and D. C. Watson (2007). Procrastination:

Associations with achievement goal orientation and
learning strategies. Personality and Individual Differences
43(1), 167–178.

Krause, K. and A. M. Freund (2013). How to Beat Procrastination

The Role of Goal Focus.

Lay, C. H. and H. C. Schouwenburg (1993). Trait procrastination,

time management, and academic behavior.
Journal of social Behavior and personality 8(4), 647.
Michie, S., M. M. V. Stralen, and R. West (2011). The
behaviour change wheel : A new method for characterising
and designing behaviour change interventions The
behaviour change wheel : A new method for characterising
and designing behaviour change interventions.
Implementation Science 6(1), 42.

Solomon, L. J. and E. D. Rothblum (1984). Academic procrastination:

Frequency and cognitive-behavioral correlates.
Journal of counseling psychology 31(4), 503.

Verplanken, B. and H. Aarts (1999). Habit, attitude, and

planned behaviour: is habit an empty construct or an
interesting case of goal-directed automaticity? European
review of social psychology 10(1), 101–134.

DOCUMENTATION