Modular-Distance Learning Experiences of Public School Teachers in the Philippines: A Phenomenology

I. INTRODUCTION

The Covid 19 pandemic has made an enormous impact on Philippine education. The education sector was the most affected when the pandemic came (Jamon et al., 2021). Despite its impact, the government, through the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the Department of Education (DepEd), introduced the different learning modalities as an alternative to continuously deliver quality education to all learners during the pandemic.

In the case of the Department of Education, it adopted the three learning modalities that would fit its teachers' preparedness and capabilities and its students' socio-economic status. These three learning modalities are Modular Distance Learning, Online Distance Learning, and Radio/TV-Based instruction (Quinones, 2020). Among these modalities, the most favored learning modality, according to the survey conducted by the DepEd among the 8.9 million parents, is the adaptation of modular distance learning (Bernardo, 2020).

With its favorability among parents, the DepEd decided to adopt Modular-Distance Learning as its primary mode of delivering lessons among its learners from kinder to grade 12. According to DepEd, 13 million, or 59% out of 22 million public school learners, would learn through modular distance learning (Magsambo, 2020).

Since the opening of classes for the School Year 2020-2021, the DepEd ordered the prioritization of module reproduction in every school's Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), sought the Special Education Fund (SEF) to fund other resources not covered by the MOOE to boost module reproduction, and provided additional PHP 16.6 Billion budget for the 2021 General Appropriations Act (GAA) to efficiently reproduce the modules for its learners (Montemayor, 2021).

Despite all the efforts of the government to address all the gaps and problems in the implementation of Modular- Distance Learning, teachers as the direct implementers of the curriculum have been greatly affected and challenged to implement this learning modality successfully. Hence, it is worth knowing how they perceive this modality, what are their roles, what are its advantages and disadvantages, and what are their struggles with this type of modality.

Based on the thorough review of related literature and studies, no study has yet been conducted which explores their contextual experiences in Modular-Distance Learning in the Philippines. Therefore, this study dwells on the lived experiences of public basic education teachers in Modular-Distance Learning in the Philippines during the pandemic.

II. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to determine the lived experiences of public school teachers in the Philippines during the implementation of modular distance learning.

III. METHODOLOGY

This study used a Phenomenological research design because it dwells on the public school teachers' lived experiences and their interpretations of their lived experiences as they teach under Modular-Distance Learning. Selected 45 public school teachers were the study participants chosen among the different public schools in Cebu Province, Philippines. The unstructured questionnaire was developed by the researchers to gather the needed data. The "questionnaire was validated to find out if the instrument would draw out the responses desired to provide the needed data for this study and the clarity of the purpose of the study" (Boholano,

Merin & Dapat, 2021). Formal letters were sent to the participants informing them that this research was purely academic, no risk would be involved in the study, and they were at liberty to withdraw anytime. Upon their written approval, the teachers' narratives were gathered through semi-structured interview guide questions via Google Forms sent to them in Facebook Messenger and Email. After, the data from the teachers' responses underwent a coding process to develop common themes and patterns.

IV. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

After gathering the data, the researchers clustered, described, and structured the narratives of the teachers and came up with the following themes that emerged from the Modular-Distance Learning (MDL) experiences of the public school teachers.

Theme 1: Modular-Distance Learning provides self-paced learning opportunities for learners.

The participants view that Modular-Distance Learning provides self-paced learning opportunities for learners, which is evident from their narratives.

"Students can learn at their own pace and it gave the family a quality time since the students are just going to stay home." (P 2)

"Modular distance learning provides flexibility towards teachers as well as with the students." (P 4)

"Here also, we can see those students who are independent to learn by themselves." (P 5)

"Students will be able to have all their time in answering, and can ask answers to those who know better." (P 6)

"Modular distance learning allows the students to study at home in their own convenience." (P 7)

"Even though they couldn't go to school due to pandemic but still learning never stops because of this kind of distance learning that gives favor to those less fortunate children." (P 8)

"Students have to do their own study without further explanation by the professionals like their teacher." (P 12)

"Learners learn at their own pace."

It is safe considering our challenge now, the COVID-19." (P 16)

"Through MDL, education continues despite the challenging times." (P 18)

"Students can do their tasks at their own pace." (P 22)

"Students are taught to be self-independent learners." (P 29)

The participants' responses suggest that learners, through modular instructions, are given opportunities to be independent learners. Similarly, Sadiq and Zamir (2014) noted that modular learning offers learners opportunities to learn at their own pace. Several studies suggest that modular learning is more effective than other teaching pedagogies because it makes the teaching-learning process more student-centered. Similar to online classes, the greatest strength of Modular-Distance Learning is its flexibility (Rose, 2009)

The modules given to the learners for them to learn on their own must be logical, self-explanatory, and flexible to make sure that the learner learns at his/her own speed (Bautista, 2015). As defined by UNESCO (1988) as cited in Ali et al. (2010), a module is a learning resource organized around a specific topic, elements of teaching, clear learning objectives, activities, and evaluation using criterion-referenced assessment. Similarly, Sepai (2013) argued that modular learning must be the focus of a flexible curriculum.

Rybushkina and Sedorenko (2015) suggested that in modular learning, learners must be assessed using different types of assessment, such as written tests, group discussion, and oral recitations; however, considering the limitations imposed because of the pandemic, teachers cannot allow the students to perform or present their authentic tasks at school due to no face-to-face classes set by the Philippine government. Similarly, the technological divide in the Philippines limits the use of technology to aid in the teaching-learning process. Therefore, students have to learn on their own with the help of More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) at home and submit their written tests to schools.

Theme 2: Teachers' presence as facilitators of learning is still significant.

Based on the participants' responses, teachers' presence as facilitators of learning still is essential, which is revealed from their responses.

"Most of the children learned better through teacher's discussion." (P 7)

"Students have difficulties in answering the modules and certain activities without a proper explanation of the teacher." (P 12)

"Students couldn't experience thorough discussion, and there are a lot of things and lessons that might give them confusions because these are not discussed to them." (P 13)

"Students have low reading comprehension which leads to misunderstanding to the concept of the lesson." (P 14)

"There is no interaction with teachers.

Some parents were not equipped enough to be aid of help of learners especially those who were not able to attend school." (P 15)

"No discussion in Modular Distance Learning. It's hard for the students to ask clarifications while reading the information. Not all parents can guide their children in answering the module." (P 16)

"There will be no face-to-face guidance from the teacher so it will be difficult for the learners to attain the objectives of the lesson." (P 24)

"There is no assured MKO (More Knowledgeable Other) who could guide and teach the child in replacement of a teacher." (P 32) "In Modular Distance Learning, lessons or topics could not expound or elaborated. Whenever the learners need assistance, the only help they can ask help is from their family members. The problem also is that some members don't have enough knowledge to extend help to the learners." (42)

Based on the teachers' narratives, their critical roles as facilitators of teaching and learning (Jagtap, 2015) are still crucial for learners to learn despite all the challenges in Modular-Distance Learning.

Nothing is really like when teachers, as subject-matter experts, explain in the simplest way possible the critical concepts that learners must learn. Teachers can also explain further the tasks will be accomplished or performed if they are present with learners.

In the study of Glazier and Harris (2020), 2/3 or 66.66% of the respondent learners preferred face-to-face classes compared to 1/3 or 33.33% who preferred online classes. However, no study has explored the learners' preference for Modular-Distance Learning compared to face-to-face classes, and online classes. The main reason why learners and teachers prefer face-to-face classes is because of the opportunities for both of them to interact through interactive discussions, collaborative groupings, brainstorming, debates, and other interactive activities (Crews & Butterfield, 2014; Platt et al., 2014). In face-to-face classes, cheating is also minimal compared to online classes and Modular-Distance Learning (Miller, 2012).

Meanwhile, Sarmiento et al. (2021) suggested that face-to-face classes in time of COVID-19 must be carefully planned and shall adhere the school safety health protocols prescribed by the government to assure the safety of learners, teachers, and other school officials.

Theme 3: There is no assurance that learners are learning.

The teachers' experiences in Modular-Distance Learning provide doubts among the participants that there is no assurance that students are learning which emerged from their narratives.

"The disadvantage of modular distance learning is the student's comprehension regarding the content of the modules. They find it difficult to understand the module and have to analyze it on their own." (P 4)

"The scores or the grades, in general, cannot guarantee the understanding and the learning of the students." (P 5)

"Probably another person will answer the modules. They can easily search for the answers on the internet without thinking about themselves. They can copy the answers immediately. They can, as well, ask answers from other classmates without the teacher knowing." (P 6)

"Parents were the ones who answered the modules, so no learning on the part of the child." (P 7)

"It's okay if you have students that can comprehend and understand the content of the module. Sadly, most of them have difficulty answering the written activities and tasks. Also, based on the feedback notes, the students preferred the face-to-face classes." (P 9)

"Mastery of the lesson is less evident, and skills are not hard to test." (P 11) "In modular distance learning, the problem is students' comprehension in which they cannot be able to really grasp the concepts to be learned due to their poor reading comprehension." (P 17)

"Some of the parents answer the modules by themselves, not their child/children." (P 18)

"Teachers cannot assure whether the students learned from the Self-Learning Modules." (P 19)

"Some parents answer the modules instead of the students. I know because of the good penmanship I found in the answer sheets." (P 25)

"Pupils have difficulty in grasping the lesson. Also, there is a tendency that the pupil is not the one answering the activities instead he/she asks somebody to answer it for him/her." (P 25)

"Other students cheat upon answering the modules. This can be done through group chats on messenger where they can send their answers, or they just copied answers from a student of a neighboring house. Other students' performance tasks, as well as in the answering of modules, were done by the parents, siblings, or close family members. Some students didn't answer the modules seriously even, if the answers to some verbatim questions can be found in the modules. They just answer it for the sake of compliance." (P 27)

"Some learners only copied the answers from the answer key without reading the whole self-learning module." (P 30)

"Some learners are having a hard time because they cannot understand what they are reading. The learners copy from the answer key provided. The distribution of the lessons per module is not equal because there are modules that are longer than the others." (P 31)

"Students copy their answers from other students without understanding the modules. Second, parents answer the modules instead of the students. Third, these materials are for formality cause, and students are not actually learning since some are just answering without studying the modules." (P 33)

Not all students do their homework wholeheartedly. Some parents spoil their children and do the deed instead of their children. In fact, some students tend to copy their answers from others. Based on students' comments, they said they actually never learn from the modules. (P 34)

Teachers cast doubt about the quality of learning in Modular-Distance Learning. Teachers argue that the scores and grades that students get are unreliable, considering they are not present and no proper lesson instructions are given to learners.

The teachers also pause distrust about the integrity of learners' answers in their modules because they know the capabilities of their learners in the public schools, and some parents, according to them, "answer the modules of their children." Answer keys are also found in the module, which tempted the learners just to copy what is located in the answer keys without studying the entire contents of the module. Cheating, according to the teachers, is also rampant in this type of modality. These teachers' experiences imply that they are unsure whether learners are learning in this type of modality.

Theme 4: Assessing, evaluating, monitoring, and feedbacking are challenging for the teachers.

In Modular-Distance Learning, the teachers faced challenges in assessing, evaluating, monitoring, and feedbacking on their students' learning which they exposed from their stories.

"It's hard for us, the teachers, to assess the child's progress. (P 7)

"There are various disadvantages of modular distance learning such as the students can't fully grasp the necessary knowledge and skills and teachers could not have an accurate assessment of student's learning." (P 20)

"Teachers have lesser time in monitoring students' progress due to multi-tasking activities such as attending seminars and meetings while printing the modules." (P 27)

"It is difficult to assess learning since there is no assurance that the learners were the ones who accomplished the modules. Hence, effective and successful learning may be compromised." (P 32) "As a teacher, it is tough to monitor students' progress. It is hard to distinguish if it's really the student who answered the activities in the modules." (P 34)

"It is difficult to assess effective learning among students." (P 37)

"Providing of feedback is less given importance. Feedbacking is crucial towards learning especially with the idea that students are learning on their own. They still need to monitored and guided." (P 39)

"Modular Distance Learning is challenging for me starting from the delivery of the lessons to assessing." (P 41)

The teachers in the public schools have difficulties in assessing, evaluating, monitoring, and feedbacking. Jamon et al. (2020) opined that assessing, evaluating, and feedbacking are still important mechanisms to determine if learners are learning in the present setup in the Philippines (Jamon et al., 2021). In the same breath, Khan and Jawaid (2020) advocated the formative and summative assessment to measure what learners are learning and how much they have learned from their Self-Learning Modules.

The data tell that teachers have difficulties concerning those mechanisms. It is important to note that these are the crucial roles of teachers even before the pandemic. Hence, teachers were not prepared to adapt to the new mechanisms of assessing, evaluating, monitoring, and feedbacking learners. It is also worth noting that teachers are responsible for giving feedback to learners' submitted written works and outputs (Putri, 2020).

The implication of these challenges can be attributed to the preparedness of the Philippine education sector to implement Modular-Distance Learning. In this case, teachers have to endure, and learners have to persist.

Theme 5: Making, printing, distributing, retrieving modules, and marking answer sheets (MPDRM) are the new critical tasks of teachers.

The following teachers' narratives showed that making, printing, distributing, and retrieving modules became their critical roles.

"My routine is to distribute modules and retrieve answered modules." (P 2)

"My role in modular distance learning is as follows: communicate with the parents, check the output and worksheets of my learners, and prepare the modules for my learners."(P 7)

"My usual tasks are to make, print, distribute, retrieve the modules, check their outputs, and record them."

"My role in modular distance learning is really great since I made some modules for the students; I printed and still going to print numerous modules for students. I have to print a lot of modules, and there are some reports that we need to give to the Division, which leads to time shortage." (P 8)

"There are so many paper works, plus we have to make and print the modules, distribute and retrieve them. We barely have time to check their written outputs and projects, etc." (P 9)

"My role in modular distance learning is to distribute and check it after my learners answer it." (P 10) "In MDL, distribution and retrieval is easy but checking, and monitoring is harder than I thought." (P 11)

"I deliver and retrieve appropriate learning materials. I communicate and follow-up my students, check their papers, give them grades and feedback." (P 19)

"Modular Distance Learning is challenging because we (teachers) are the ones who make the modules, print the modules, and distribute those to the parents." (P 24)

"Teachers reproduce the learning materials as well as facilitate in the conduct of Retrieval/Distribution of printed learning modules." (P 27)

"My roles are printing, modifying, distributing and checking of the returned activity sheets." (P 38)

"My experience about MDL is that the retrieval of modules poses a problem for learners or parents don't pass on time that also affects the distribution. Parents also keep on complaining about how hard in answering the modules, for they are the ones who answer to pass it on time." (P 42)

The new tasks for teachers in Modular-Distance Learning in the Philippine public schools are making, printing, distributing, retrieving modules, and marking answer sheets. Before the pandemic, teachers were already used to marking learners' papers. Meanwhile, teachers were not used to making, printing, distributing, and retrieving modules. These were on top of other paper works that teachers in the public schools have to accomplish.

The data imply that teachers' roles in Modular-Distance Learning are limited. This modality eliminates the most critical role of the teacher as the facilitator of the teaching-learning process. The facilitating of the learning process involves discussing, explaining, processing, and using pedagogies to make the learning meaningful and exciting.

This modality may cause the teachers to lose passion for teaching due to their new clerical tasks, which are routinely done. These tasks can lead to teachers' burnout. Bosquet (2012) previously found out that the common causes of teachers' burnout are paperwork, lesson planning, grading, and seminars. The consequence of teachers' burnout may lead to anger, frustration (Chang, 2009), or worse, anxiety, stress, or quitting the profession, Aliyyah et al. (2020) cautioned that pedagogical teaching, an essential aspect of a learner-centered teaching-learning environment, had been one of the most affected in a pandemic situation. Hence, it is imperative to capacitate teachers about the new pedagogical approaches for they not to lag behind and to continuously improve professionally. Moreover, the Department of Education must find mechanisms to lessen the teachers' workloads for them to effectively and efficiently fulfill their critical tasks.

Theme 6: There is a scarcity of resources to support Modular-Distance Learning.

Despite all the efforts of the government to support Modular-Distance Learning, teachers still experienced a scarcity of resources to support this learning modality that emerged from their responses.

"There is a lack of resource materials like ink and bond papers. Printers are also easily damaged due to frequent use. No soft copies of SLMs are also available, which caused a delay in the distribution of learning modules." (P 23)

"The printers used in the production of modules are very limited. The number of printers cannot accommodate the total number of teachers in the school. This opted the teachers, especially for beginning teachers like me, to wait for whatever printer was available. There is a lack of preparation time on the part of the teachers, especially in the case that there are limited resources in the production of modules." (P 27)

"There are not enough materials for producing the modules. There is also a delay of production of modules due to lack of crafted modules from the Central Office." (P 30)

"The struggle as a teacher on MDL is that we keep on waiting for the supplementary materials used for producing modules like ink and bond paper. Also, the slow internet affects the downloading of modules provided by the division office." (P 42)

"The government was not financially prepared for the MDL because in the schools, there are no photocopiers provided to us, and there are not enough bond papers, inks, and printers to reproduce the modules." (P 43)

"I have to buy from my own money bond papers and inks to reproduce the modules. When the MDL started, I had to use my personal printer just to print the modules." (P 44)

"Our school head scolded us when we had the modules printed in booklet type to save inks and bond papers, but she did not realize that we had not enough inks and bond papers to reproduce the modules." (P 45)

Even before the pandemic, Philippine education, particularly basic education, has been experiencing a scarcity of resources, equipment, and facilities, such as books, computers, laboratory equipment, and the like. When the pandemic came, the Department of Education was also unprepared to face the challenges in these unprecedented times. However, it believes that learning must continue despite the current threat of the COVID-19 virus. Hence, when the Department of Education adopted the Modular-Distance Learning modality, the scarcity of equipment and materials to support this modality became a challenge to all officials and employees of the basic education bureaucracy.

The narratives of the teachers suggest that more is still to be done to improve Modular-Distance Learning in the Philippines. Though it is not expected to perfect the delivery of this modality, at least in the future, the Department of Education can improve its implementation to lessen the burdens of the teachers who are its direct implementers.

V. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the teachers' accounts and narratives modular distance learning is challenging for both teachers and students. The retrieval of modules is demanding for the teachers. Students need teachers' guidance and facilitation of learning for them to learn during this pandemic. The resources for the students and teachers are minimal; thus, this pandemic has offered challenges and opportunities in the teaching and learning process. Monitoring and evaluation in implementing modular distance learning in the Philippines may be conducted.

Thus, modular distance learning implementation in the Department of Education needs to be evaluated and monitored to maintain and sustain excellence in education. The slow and safe opening of schools and the resumption of face-to-face classes must start the soonest possible to ease the tasks of teachers and for them to go back to teaching.