Antecedents of Foundational Skills in Mathematics among Junior High School Students of the Sangkad Ka Municipality: A Comparative Study for Intervention and Curriculum Enhancement

This study assessed the basic mathematics skills of Grade 7 students in the Sangkad Ka Municipality, focusing on six key areas: conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, problem-solving, mathematical reasoning, mathematical communication, and spatial reasoning. Using a descriptive-correlational research design, it involved students from four government-assisted high schools: Datu Abdula Camino Memorial NHS, Datu Sailila NHS, Kaya Kaya NHS, and Saga A. Nangkong NHS. Diagnostic and statistical tools, including t-tests and ANOVA, were used to analyze skill levels across age, gender, and school affiliation. Results showed that students generally performed at the Basic level across all domains, with Conceptual Understanding ranking highest. However, Procedural Fluency and Problem-Solving skills need improvement. Age and school affiliation significantly affected performance, while gender did not. The study recommends targeted interventions such as differentiated instruction, experiential learning, curriculum enhancements, and teacher training programs to help improve foundational math skills, particularly in rural and underperforming schools.