Innovative Instructional Strategies and the Writing Skills of Grade 4 Pupils in Lutayan District II Elementary Schools Under the MATATAG Curriculum

This study determined the perceptions of teachers and pupils regarding innovative instructional strategies and pupils’ self-reported writing-related abilities under the MATATAG Curriculum in Lutayan II District during the School Year 2025–2026. Specifically, it identified the level of innovative instructional strategies used in teaching writing and the level of pupils’ self-reported writing-related abilities in writing fluency, organization, vocabulary, creativity, grammar, and motivation. The study also examined differences in perceptions of innovative instructional strategies and the relationship between these strategies and pupils’ self-reported writing-related abilities. A descriptive-comparative quantitative research design was employed involving 21 Grade 4 teachers and 199 Grade 4 pupils from selected elementary schools in Lutayan II District. Survey questionnaires were used as the primary instrument for data collection. The mean and standard deviation were used to determine the reported levels of innovative instructional strategies and pupils’ self-reported writing-related abilities. Two-Way ANOVA was used to examine the effects of respondent group and instructional strategy, while Pearson correlation was used to determine the relationship between innovative instructional strategies and pupils’ self-reported writing-related abilities. Findings revealed that Collaborative Writing, Modeling and Guided Writing, Project-Based Learning, and Digital Storytelling were often used, while Journal Writing was sometimes used. Moreover, pupils reported an advanced level in Writing Vocabulary and proficient levels in Writing Fluency, Writing Organization, Creative Writing, and Writing Grammar, while Writing Motivation received a high mean rating. The Two-Way ANOVA showed no statistically significant effect of respondent group, a significant effect of instructional strategy, and no significant interaction effect. Pearson correlation showed a very strong positive correlation (r = 0.96) between innovative instructional strategies and pupils’ self-reported writing-related abilities. The findings indicate an association between the reported use of innovative instructional strategies and pupils’ perceptions of their writing-related abilities. However, the results do not establish causation or directly measure pupils’ actual writing performance.