Comparative Analysis of Senior High School Learners’ Academic Performance in Traditional Face-to-Face and Online Distance Learning Modalities

Abstract

With the current stance of the educational system in the COVID-19 pandemic period, it is imperative for any academic institution to have a nuanced perspective of the academic performance of its learners. This ensures that the educational system remains attuned to the institution's vision and mission amid the global health crisis. Although a considerable study had been conducted in an online distance learning setup during the pre-pandemic period, there is a dearth of literature comparing the academic performance of senior high school (SHS) learners in traditional face-to-face and online distance learning modalities. Hence, this study compared the academic performance of SHS learners in the traditional face-to-face and online distance learning modalities. The average final grades of 1,913 enrolled in the traditional face-to-face, and 1,449 enrolled in the online distance learning modality were used to determine which instructional modality improved learners’ academic performance. Results revealed that the learners' academic performance in the traditional face-to-face and online distance learning modality was generally considered proficient. Furthermore, a statistically significant increase (p<0.05) in learners' academic performance in the online distance learning modality was observed. This study supports that online distance learning modality can improve the academic performance of SHS learners amid COVID-19 pandemic.