Enhancing Students' Engagement and Historical Understanding through Map-Integrated Instruction in World History

Abstract

This study determined the effectiveness of Map-Integrated Instruction in enhancing student engagement and historical understanding among Grade 8 students in World History. Specifically, it examined the pretest and posttest results and the mean gain differences between the experimental and control groups and developed an Instructional Practices Improvement Plan (IPIP) based on the findings. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest research design was employed at Cangawa National High School, Buenavista, Bohol, during School Year 2025–2026. Using purposive sampling, 80 Grade 8 students participated in the study, with 40 students in the experimental group and 40 in the control group. Data were gathered using an adapted Student Engagement Questionnaire and a researcher-made Historical Understanding Test. Frequency count, percentage, weighted mean, standard deviation, paired-samples t-test, and independent-samples t-test were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that both groups significantly improved in historical understanding, while only the experimental group demonstrated significant improvement in student engagement. The experimental group also obtained significantly higher mean gain scores than the control group in both student engagement and historical understanding. The study concluded that Map-Integrated Instruction may enhance student engagement and historical understanding in World History. An Instructional Practices Improvement Plan was proposed to strengthen the integration of map-based strategies in classroom instruction.