THE EFFECTS OF MNEMONIC DEVICE USAGE ON

SHS STUDENTS COGNITION AND PERFORMANCE

Presented to Mr. Jomar P. Bangay

Davao City National High School
F. Torres St., Davao City

Fulfillment of the Requirement in

EAPP

NEAL AUDREY L. ESTRELLOSO

September 7, 2017
Background of the study:
Mnemonics
Stemming from Mnemosyne, the Greek titanness of memory and remembrance,
mnemonics are memory devices that help learners recall larger pieces of information,
especially in the form of lists like characteristics, steps, stages, parts, phases, etc.
(Congos, 2006). There are different types of mnemonics such as music mnemonics
(ABC song for the letters in the alphabet), name mnemonics (ROY G. BIV for the colors
of the spectrum), expression mnemonics (Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally for the
order of mathematical operations), and word mnemonics (FANBOYS for the
coordinating conjunctions).
Contribution in School
Since students learn many things in school, mnemonics may help them recall previous
topics especially in Math and Science where a multitude of terms and formulas are
encountered. The intellect and vocabulary of students may also be honed during
creation of their own mnemonics.
Infrequent Use
Eventhough there are loads of topics in school, students and teachers alike seldom use
mnemonics as learning assistance. As a consequence, mnemonic devices effects are
not transparent.

Preliminary Literature Review:

This paper is anchored on the study of Mohammad Amiryousefi and Saeed Ketabi
entitled Mnemonic Instruction: A Way to Boost Vocabulary Learning and Recall.
According to them, the choice of strategies depend on students proficiency and
learning style but teachers can attempt to include mnemonic devices into their classes
especially if the students are having a hard time. In the study, mnemonics can improve
vocabulary learning, boost memory, and enhance creativity of students.
According to Business Insider (2011), high school kids today are working much harder
than earlier generations. High school is harder presumably because college is more
competitive than ever, as is the job market. The use of mnemonics may help lessen the
effort they exert in studying and memorizing topics in school.
Statement of the Problem:
This paper aims to identify the effects of mnemonic device usage on DCNHS Senior
High Students cognition and scholastic performance.
Specifically, the paper aims to answer the following questions:
1. Did the use of mnemonics improve the cognition of SHS students?
2. Did the use of mnemonics improve the performance of SHS students?
3. On what subject did the SHS students excel after the use of mnemonics?
4. What type/s of mnemonic/s is/are preferred by SHS students?

Abridged Methodology:
This paper aims to gather information from a total of 30 SHS students from Davao City
National High School. A pre-test and post-test, without and with usage of mnemonics,
respectively, will be conducted. The topics will be given before both tests but the
mnemonics will only be given before the post-test. A request for approval will be
attached to the questionnaires and sent to the respondents. The data gathered will be
analyzed and will determine the outcome and conclusion of the study.

Sample questions in questionnaire (subject to change):

1. What are the 12 cranial nerves?
2. What are the 7 taxonomic classifications?
3. What are the 26 letters of the English alphabet?
4. What are the 7 coordinating conjunctions?
5. What are the 7 colors in the electromagnetic spectrum?
6. What is the order of mathematical operations?
Timeline:

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3

Reading of related studies
Reading of the back ground
of the study
Understanding the topic
Making of the first chapter
Planning on the second
chapter
Proof Reading
Making of questionnaires
Asking of permissions from
the participants
Making the methods
Data Gathering
Data Analysis
Evaluating data using mean
Making of Conclusions
Proving of the topic
Summary making
Recommendation making
Determining the outcome
of the study

References:
Congos,D.(2006). Types of Mnemonics for Better Memory.
https://www.learningassistance.com/2006/january/mnemonics.html
Amiryousefi,M and Ketabi,S.(2011). Mnemonic Instruction: A Way to Boost Vocabulary
Learning and Recall. Journal of Language Teaching and Research,2(1), pp 178-
182 .
Rogers,A.(2011). High school kids today really are working much harder than earlier
generations. Business Insider.http://www.businessinsider.com/high-school-
harder-earlier-generation-2011-12