Senior High School Teaching: A Phenomenological Inquiry Remedios C. Bacus & Rivika C. Alda
Senior High School Teaching: A Phenomenological Inquiry Remedios C. Bacus & Rivika C. Alda
ABSTRACT
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INTRODUCTION
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For the past years, teachers in Senior High School have been exposed
to several capacity-building trainings and seminars to equip them
with the necessary content and pedagogical skills. These trainings and
seminars have been laid down through the DepEd Memorandum No.
105, s. 2016 Senior High School (SHS) Training of Teachers for the
K to 12 Basic Education Program, and the DepEd Order No. 35, s.
2016 The Learning Action Cell as a K to 12 Basic Education Program
School-Based Continuing Professional Development Strategy for the
Improvement of Teaching and Learning.
Being used to teaching in the Junior High School, several teachers are
transferred to SHS although initially, those who come from different
industries specializing in the different tracks would teach the subject.
This results in the change of ‘what to teach.” Fullan (2001) believed
that implementing educational change requires step-by-step planning;
lest it will cause more problems than opportunities. Teachers need to
understand clearly what change is taking place and what is expected
of them thereafter. Henceforth, they have to be fully “on board” so the
direction and focus become clearer. Human and material resources are
identified as problems in the implementation of the program among
others (Combalicer, 2016; Brillantes et al., 2019). While adding two
more years to the country’s traditional education system was done in
good faith, there has been a seemingly unforeseen glitch in the K-12
system: junior high teachers teaching the specialized tracks in SHS.
Although Briones has said that those who do not want to teach in
senior high school have an option and will not be forced. According
to some teachers, they did not want to change the subjects they were
comfortable teaching for the past years. Some also did not like the
additional workload. However, some teachers did not actually have an
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option because the school has not hired a teacher for SHS. This needs
to be investigated for appropriate action because the teacher is a major
hub around which the success of education revolves. Obinna (2007)
observed that ‘‘no government policy on education can be realized if
it does not, first of all, perceive the problems and opportunities before
initiating decision-making process”. The teacher is in the best position
and most qualified resource person to be consulted.
This study aims to explore the lived experiences of Senior High School
teachers and to the ascribed meaning attached to their narratives. Their
experiences in teaching varied subjects in the SHS highlight both the
varied opportunities and possibilities for professional growth and the
challenges that they have encountered in the implementation of the
new curriculum. This study will provide the Department of Education
(DepEd) with the picture of the opportunities and challenges
experienced by the teachers while handling the courses in Senior High
School (SHS). Furthermore, the result will provide the department
with data to support any curricular initiatives to address the needs
of SHS teachers coming from industry, higher education institutions,
and junior high schools.
Philosophical Stance
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LITERATURE REVIEW
This K to 12 curricular reform was signed into law in 2013 and recently
had its first batch of graduates in 2018. Before its implementation,
the country was the only one in Asia that still has 10 years in basic
education (Adarlo et al., 2017). This has put the country’s graduates at
a disadvantage in the global job market, and this educational reform is
expected to address this concern. These new graduates are envisaged
to become more competitive in the global business arena and to bring
more success that would contribute towards building the nation and be
at par with the rest of the world (Acosta et al., 2016). Thus, even with
the so many concerns raised by the different stakeholders about the
implementation of K to 12, the government still has pushed through
with it.
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Design
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Environment
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Instrument
Data-gathering Procedure
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Ethical Considerations
Trustworthiness
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Summary of Participants
The data collected from this study are from the face-to-face interviews
with the identified participants. Point of saturation was achieved on
the 13th participant and the researchers added two more to make sure
that no new major concepts emerged in the following interviews.
Selection of participants for the study was guided by the following
inclusion criteria: a.) Senior High school teachers in Region 7 coming
from a Junior High school (JHS), higher education institutions (HEI),
and from industry, b.) applied and appointed as a teacher in the
Senior High School since 2016; c) must have undergone trainings/
workshops/ seminars related to SHS teaching; d) were given a full
load of teaching, and e) voluntarily consented to be part of the study.
There were 15 participants, with five from each of the three categories:
SHS teachers coming from a Junior High school (JHS), teachers from
higher education institutions (HEI), and those coming from industry.
What is common to all five is that they were assigned by their principal
to teach in SHS basically because their school lack teachers. They
claimed that their transition from JHS to SHS was by no means easy.
They felt the demands and expectations in all forms.
For the two who have taught for 3-5 years, they felt that their
responsibilities expanded considerably. Teaching in JHS for quite
some time, for them, was not enough to be qualified to teach in SHS.
They believe that they lack the expertise to teach the courses offered in
SHS. Those who have been in the profession for more than five years
felt the necessity and importance of continuing studies and pursuing
post-graduate studies. They claimed that they are not experts in this
new field and there is still so much to do when it comes to content,
pedagogy, materials, and the like. Aside from that, they also need to
adjust in terms of dealing with more mature students who should have
been college students already (about the old curriculum). However,
all five believe that where they are now is a great learning experience,
and favorable outcomes will be achieved for both teachers and
students if they will be continuously and adequately provided with
curricular support.
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The five respondents under this group have been working in the
industry for between 5 and 24 years. One respondent has been in the
industry for 15 years, and one for 24 years before being transferred
to a public SHS. The other three respondents were employed in the
public sector for 5 to 10 years.
For these five, all the aspects of SHS teaching were challenging. They
needed to simply and teach the contents according to the specified
objectives in the curriculum guide. They require a lot of support with
teaching approach. The materials provided were inadequate, adding
to their list of worries. However, what is common to all five is that
despite all these challenges, they brought with them a considerable
amount of optimism and resiliency. They claim that deciding whether
or not to leave their comfort zone was the most difficult part for them.
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All five were very optimistic that with proper support and trainings,
they will be able to acquire the skills they need and adjust to the new
environment.
Any new teacher hopes to be ready for anything at the start of their
teaching career. Knowing what to teach and how to teach can make
their work a lot easier. With various experiences before being hired
as Senior High school teachers, the study participants shared their
expectations and apprehensions towards teaching. These expectations
come from perceived competence and readiness to be in control of their
classroom, availability of resources, and active student engagement.
Apprehensions, on the other hand, pertain to their concerns and
worries concerning their teaching skills, self-efficacy, and effective
pedagogy.
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Nonetheless, with still the so many things the SHS teachers must
overcome, they have not let go of their aspiration that everything
will be in place. They believe that as their administrators and other
stakeholders listen to what they have been through, they will act on
tangible solutions to address these challenges. After all, it is not for
them, but their students. The SHS curriculum should be responsive
and adaptive to students’ overall needs. Datnow (2020) stated that
“teachers are central to educational change and play an important role
in the implementation of any educational reforms”. The success of
any educational reform relies heavily on the direct implementers of
these changes.
The SHS teachers aspired that they will be continually assisted, and
problems will be specifically addressed in time. They are also proud
to be part of this historic shift in the country’s educational system
and they believe that all they are doing and the challenges they have
encountered will be worthwhile. They say,
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CONCLUSION
The induction period, i.e., the first three years in Senior High School
teaching helps pre-service and in-service teachers of academic
institution with an understanding of the influence of teaching
preparation and support to withstand the challenges brought about by
the curricular change. The lived experiences of Senior High School
teachers provided an avenue for them to share their stories then and
now, paving the way for institutions to explore ways to assist the
teachers better.
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The study focused only on the experiences of the SHS teachers during
their first three years of teaching and did not cover the quality of their
teaching performance in key result areas in teaching. Another study
may be done to determine teachers’ growth in terms of career stages
embodied in the professional standards for teachers.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
REFERENCES
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Abdullah, S. (2020). Comparative assessment on the full
implementation of senior high school curriculum among
private and public high schools. International Education
Research Journal, 10(2), 8-25. https://doi.org/10.13140/
RG.2.2.31671.14247
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