Bridging Culture and Chemistry: Assessing Grade 9 Learners’ Cultural awareness and Conceptual Understanding for an Ethno Chemical Learning Module

This study investigated the cultural awareness and conceptual understanding of chemistry among Grade 9 learners as a foundational basis for developing an ethnochemical learning module. Specifically, it aimed to (1) assess learners’ cultural awareness, (2) evaluate their conceptual understanding of selected chemistry concepts, (3) identify the least mastered topics in chemistry, and (4) examine the relationship between learners’ conceptual understanding and their level of cultural awareness. A quantitative, non-experimental descriptive–correlational research design was employed. Participants consisted of Grade 9 learners purposively selected from Sitio Tandacol Integrated School in Valencia City, Bukidnon. Data were collected using a researcher-constructed cultural awareness survey and a conceptual understanding test in chemistry. The findings revealed that learners’ cultural awareness was generally limited and fragmented, particularly with respect to traditional beliefs and tapay-making practices. Similarly, learners’ conceptual understanding of chemistry was low to average, with the poorest performance observed in abstract topics such as the electronic structure of matter, chemical bonding, the periodic table, the mole concept, and varieties of carbon compounds. Spearman’s Rank Correlation analysis indicated no significant relationship between learners’ conceptual understanding and cultural awareness, likely reflecting the baseline nature of the data collection conducted prior to the implementation of a culturally integrated ethnochemical module. Collectively, these results underscore the necessity for culturally grounded instructional materials and suggest that learners’ existing cultural awareness and conceptual understanding may serve as critical inputs for the design of an ethnochemical learning module anchored on the Talaandig tapay-making process.