Talapang: An Augmented and Virtual Reality Frog Simulation Software in Teaching Introductory STEM Biology

The research study seeks to emphasize the utilization of “Talapang” as an alternative for the traditional frog dissection method in order to meet the needs of the 21st century learners as part of the transition from the traditional to the technological advancement in science. At the beginning of the methodological procedure, needs assessment was done and students gave negative feedback on the traditional frog dissection method. Ethical issues in utilizing frogs for dissection was addressed through the development of the “Talapang” software. The software was validated by information technology experts having a mean value of 4.39 (“Very Good”) and the biology experts having a mean value of 3.77 (“Very Good”). After validation, data gathering procedure was done among the 75 grade 12 STEM student respondents. According to the results of the study, it was surprising that the VARK results indicate that students who have read/write learning styles prefer using AR/VR and students with kinesthetic learning styles prefer module-based learning. Notably, there was an increase in the scores of students from pre-test to posttest. There was also a significant difference on the pre-test and posttest scores, no significant difference on the posttest only scores, and a significant difference on the students’ intrinsic motivation level obtained from the sample groups. Also, positive feedback was obtained from student respondents after the intervention process. Hence, the research study was able to prove that “Talapang” could be an alternative tool in teaching anatomy to STEM students.