Interactive and Contextualized Instructional Materials for Araling Panlipunan 7 in the Matatag Curriculum in Selected Schools in District II of Carcar City, Cebu

The implementation of the MATATAG Curriculum introduced substantial changes in classroom instruction in the Philippines. Despite this, many Araling Panlipunan 7 teachers face challenges due to the lack of instructional materials aligned with the revised Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs). This study aimed to develop interactive and contextualized instructional materials for Grade 7, particularly focusing on Week 4 – MELC 3: Nasusuri ang mga hamon at tugon ng ASEAN sa pagtamo ng likas-kayang pag-unlad for School Year 2024–2025. Guided by the ADDIE Model, the materials were crafted to suit learners’ needs. A quasi-experimental design was employed involving 120 Grade 7 students from District II, Carcar City, Cebu, divided into three groups: Control (traditional methods), Blended (traditional and new materials), and Experimental (new materials only). A 40-item multiple-choice pretest and posttest were administered. The instrument, pilot-tested with twelve (12) Grade 8 students, yielded a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.952, indicating high reliability. Data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank tests. Results showed that the Experimental Group achieved the highest academic performance, followed by the Blended Group, while the Control Group showed the least improvement. Hence, the study recommends the integration of interactive, contextualized materials to enhance student learning and teacher support in the MATATAG Curriculum.