Students’ Active Learning And Engagement Among First Year Industrial Engineering Students In Chemistry At Batstateu-Tneu, Alangilan Campus

Abstract

This research investigated the active learning and engagement of first-year Industrial Engineering students in Chemistry at Batangas State University-TNEU, Alangilan Campus. Specifically, it sought to determine how active learning strategies could be integrated into laboratory courses to enhance student engagement, develop conceptual understanding, strengthen laboratory skills, and improve collaboration, motivation, and academic performance. Using a descriptive quantitative research design, the study explored students’ perceptions of learning content, classroom activities, and assessment tasks, as well as their willingness to learn, interest in performing assigned tasks, and participation in class discussions and group activities. The study involved 44 first year Industrial Engineering students enrolled in Chemistry during the school year 2025-2026.

Results showed that active learning strategies significantly enhance students’ understanding, laboratory skills, and engagement in Chemistry, but require stronger real-life application and problem-solving integration. The study concludes that active learning strategies are highly effective in enhancing students’ engagement in Chemistry laboratory classes, with an overall composite mean of 3.73, interpreted as very influential. The results show that active learning significantly improves students’ conceptual understanding, laboratory skills, collaboration, and motivation.

Among the domains, assessment tasks and collaboration obtained the highest ratings, indicating that group-based and performance-oriented activities are the most effective in promoting engagement. Meanwhile, conceptual understanding received the lowest mean, suggesting that although students understand the lessons, there is still a need to strengthen their ability to apply concepts in real-life situations and solve problems independently.

Overall, the findings confirm that active learning creates a more engaging, interactive, and student-centered learning environment, which leads to better learning outcomes in Chemistry.