On Paper Teachers: Challenges of Parents of Modular

Distance Learning Students in the New Normal

A Research Paper

Presented to the Faculty of Senior High School

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Subject of

Practical Research 1

Wayne Hiroshi L. Bañados

Cyrone A. Caberoy

Jhana B. Dano

Dhexie Marie L. Desierto

Nikaela A. Dinolan

May 2021
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Acknowledgement

This study would not have been realized without the enduring support of

many entities and individuals. We, the researchers, would like to extend our

sincerest appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to:

God, the Great Provider, for bestowing the gifts of knowledge,

understanding, and wisdom upon us, and granting us the strength and good

health we needed in our venture especially in these challenging times;

The educational institution of St. Peter’s College of Toril, Inc., for its

functional adoption of the standardized curriculum, opening possibilities for the

students to grow academically by performing studies;

Mr. Felmark B. Fuego, our teacher in Practical Research 1, for his

immeasurable guidance and instruction in the process of conducting the research

and his dedication in imparting know-how to educate potential researchers;

Our families and loved ones, for their unconditional love and endless

support in our lives as students; and

The research participants, who, despite the circumstances,

wholeheartedly offered their precious time and priceless effort to partake in this

study, giving meaning to the researched phenomenon.

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Abstract

The state of education in the new normal modular distance learning is fathomed

profoundly from the perspective of parents who play a role as immense as that of

educators in academia during the COVID-19 global health crisis. Anchored on a

qualitative phenomenological design, this study investigated the problems of the

modular approach to remote education through the challenges encountered by

parents of students under the distance learning delivery modality. Along with this,

the study inquired into the strategies parents of modular distance learning

students have been employing to lessen their struggles as well as their insights

from their lived experiences. Data were collected from the responses of five

research participants through in-depth interview and three parents in a focus

group discussion. Triangulation and thematic analysis were applied, and it was

discovered that the difficulties parents face in assisting their children in modular

distance learning are shortcomings of the learner materials, concerns over the

learning experience of the students, and disruption of routines. The parents deal

with these by means of acquiring help, motivation, and time management

through scheduling. Nevertheless, parents have perceived that modular distance

learning fosters bonding between parents and children, is an opportunity for

relearning, and that parental role in education is preeminent.

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Keywords: module, modular distance learning, distance learning delivery

modality

Table of Contents

Page

Title Page i

Acknowledgement ii

Abstract iii

Table of Contents iv

List of Figures vi

Chapter

1 Introduction 1

Purpose of the Study 4

Research Objectives 6

Literature Review 6

Theoretical Lens 16

2 Method 18

Research Design 18

Participants and Sampling 19

Research Instrument 20

Ethical Consideration 21
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Role of the Researchers 22

Data Collection 23

Data Analysis 25

Trustworthiness of the Study 26

3 Results and Discussion 28

Challenges of Parents of Modular Distance 28

Learning Students

Coping Mechanisms of Parents of Modular 39

Distance Learning Students

Insights of Parents into the Modular Distance 48

Learning of Students

4 Implications and Future Directions 55

Implications 57

Future Directions 58

References 60
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List of Figures

Figure Title Page

1 Challenges of Parents of Modular Distance Learning 29

Students

2 Coping Mechanisms of Parents of Modular Distance 40

Learning Students

3 Insights of Parents into the Modular Distance Learning 49

of Children
 CHAPTER 1

Introduction

The then incipient COVID-19 pandemic urged action towards curbing the

spread of the contagion. In line with social distancing and quarantine measures,

schools across many countries had a major shift to distance learning—the new

normal in education. Now that the students are inevitably staying at home, the

primary role of parents in educating their children has become magnified. In the

Philippines, this gave rise to modular distance learning, which is among the

numerous modes of delivery for remote education. The unconventional approach

to learning encompasses mostly novel processes, and parents are beset by

challenges throughout the journey of tending to the needs of their children in the

course of modular distance learning.

Research on distance education is worldwide, and parents are becoming

a subject of interest. Abuhammad (2020) reviewed local Jordanian Facebook

group content with the aim of probing parents’ perceptions of the distance

learning challenges their children encounter during the coronavirus outbreak in

Jordan. The study identified four barriers the parents come up against as they

aid their children in distance learning in the pandemic: (1) personal barriers

(insufficient training and support, low technical expertise, deficient

communication with professionals, low qualifications); (2) technical barriers

(investment and maintenance insufficiency, lack of connectivity); (3) logistical

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barriers (struggles in the use of distance learning and insufficient student

preparation, distance learning modality dissatisfaction, incapacity of distance

learning to address the needs of students); and (4) financial barriers (lack of

ability to purchase technology, inability to access internet services). Even though

the research findings were more on online learning, these can be bases for

interpreting parents’ challenges with modular distance learning and can even be

the same with the outcomes of this study.

Needless to say that the topic is focused nationally, parents have also

been taken into account in research in the country. In their research, Dangle and

Sumaoang (2020) qualitatively and quantitatively surveyed a total of 37 teacher,

student, and parent participants from Balbalayang National High School (BNHS)

and Baguio City National High School (BCNHS) regarding their challenges,

opinions, and recommendations about the implemented modular distance

learning for the school year. They found that the emergent challenges are of

resources, preparedness, and communication, particularly the lack of school

funding for module production and distribution, the students’ struggle with self-

learning, and the parents’ lack of knowledge for academically guiding their

children. Parents said that they have difficulty comprehending the instructions

provided in the modules and do not have enough time due to other

responsibilities, recommending that the modules be simplified and students be

given ample time to finish them (Dangle & Sumaoang, 2020).

The case in question is also predominantly founded on official findings and

reports in particular that firmly establish the connection between parents and
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modular distance learning in the country. In an official statement, the Department

of Education (DepEd) (2020) confirms that data from the Learner Enrollment and

Survey Form (LESF) reveal the preference of 8.8 million parents for modular

learning modality, making it the most favored one. This indicates that there are

motives behind the decision of the majority regarding the distance learning

approach. The LESF, which is the primary remote enrollment tool for SY 2020-

2021, is an enhanced enrollment form in the sense that the content also includes

questions designed for parents to document the preparedness of households for

distance learning (DepEd, 2020). From a local viewpoint, the majority is also

dominant. In a Southern Philippine school, 633 parents responded to the LESF

and 583 or 87.93% of them preferred modular learning as Rotas (2020) revealed

in his survey report. Rotas (2020) concludes that the reasons for these

preferences should be determined in further studies.

An aspect of the multifaceted dilemma of the COVID-19 pandemic is the

continuing education, and in spite of the countless hardships it has brought,

parents persevere in reinforcing their children’s learning and development. Given

this circumstance, there is increasing research on the ordeal of parenthood in the

education new normal, and various results could already settle the issue.

However, focus solely on parents and modular distance learning—especially as

regards the rationale for choosing the modality for their children and its

repercussions—is minimal, implying that a more intensive look is necessary. This

study methodically delves into the obstacles parents come across in helping their

children with modular distance learning.

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Purpose of the Study

The educational landscape constantly evolves, although the momentous

changes that have taken place due to the prevailing circumstances are

unprecedented. Meanwhile, long before this sudden disruption, the education of

children is foundational to parenthood. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,

the strong will of parents to foster their children despite the struggles in remote

education is noteworthy. Apparently, the conditions are far from going back to

normal yet, and the plight of parents with the modified education system seems

ceaseless. In regard to this, this study explores the predicaments of parents with

children in modular distance learning and the strategies the said parents employ

in an attempt to solve their problems. This research will be significant to the

following beneficiaries:

Parents of Modular Distance Learning Students. Being the very subject of

research, the parents of students in modular distance learning will benefit the

most. The current situation puts them in a position of great responsibility as the

success of the modality of education delivery relies on them; the parents have to

be adaptive and conscious. This paper will raise the awareness of parents about

the issues that their population encounters regarding the learning delivery

modality and how these can be managed in the best of ways. This study will

uphold the urgency of resolving the problems parents find with modular distance

learning for them to preserve the quality of their children’s learning experience
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amid the pandemic, bridging the gap between parental involvement and the

academe even more.

Department of Education. The government is held accountable for the

consequences of its decision, such as the effects of modular distance learning,

implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd), to the parents of the

learners. Through this study, DepEd could learn about the views and challenges

of parents who are also heavily affected by the implementation of modular

distance learning and compensate for the defects of the new learning setup to

make it more appropriate for parents and students alike. This paper has the

potential to contribute to the future actions of the government should DepEd find

it relevant to their vision for the betterment of the state of education throughout

the country especially in the present situation.

Future Researchers. This study is a springboard for future research on

modular distance learning and the constituents involved, specifically the students

and their parents. Other researchers will gain insights from the lived experiences

of parents challenged by the modular distance learning of their children and be

capable of investigating deeper into the matter. Not only can they improve this

study, future researchers can also develop new ideas and cover fields of

research that will uncover modular distance learning—along with its implications

for the aforesaid—and education in the new normal in general.

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Research Objectives

This study aims to expose the lived experiences of parents of students in

modular distance learning. In particular, this study was directed by the following

objectives:

1. To determine the challenges confronted by parents of modular distance

learning students

2. To identify the coping mechanisms of parents of modular distance learning

students on their encountered challenges

3. To obtain the insights of parents into modular distance learning from their

experiences

Literature Review

Much scholarly literature over the years discussed the concept of modular

approach in pedagogy, although, in the context of this research, contemporary

ideas have emerged. This literature review presents both anachronistic and novel

conceptions of the said pedagogical method. Definitions of modular approach

and other relevant themes such as its advantages, its disadvantages, and the

parental roles entailed are reviewed herein.

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Definitions of Modular Approach

Most certainly, the word “module”, the modality modular learning, and

generally, distance learning have never become so well-known as subject

matters than now in the Philippines. This also accounts for how Malik (2012)

describes that the use of modules as a teaching-learning approach is recently

becoming a popular trend. Many have heard of the said pedagogical approach

for the very first time, but students and parents alike have quickly adapted to the

newly implemented setup. In light of this, there is as much need to look into

preexisting definitions of the modular approach to education as the prevailing and

operational one.

The term “modular approach” is only one of the many derivatives of the

concept of “module” (which in itself is a word that has been established in the

lexicon of pedagogy through computer science): modular technology, modular

method, modular program, unit-modular, and modular-rating technology

(Ibyatova, Oparina, & Rakova, 2018). Nevertheless, all of these stem from

fundamental definitions. Modularization is founded on the principle of a

curriculum separated into independent, nonconsecutive, and usually short-term

units; the modular approach is an outcome-based paradigm, altering traditional

instruction methods (Dejene & Chen, 2019).

Going back to the module concept, the units a curriculum is divided into in

the modular approach are in fact known as modules. Sejpal (2013) defines a

module as an essentially self-contained work unit in a course of instruction and a

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teaching method grounded on such individual units. Moreover, Boise State

University (2021) explains that in a course, a module is a standard instructional

unit, chapter, topic, or segment. These definitions clearly maintain the essence of

modularity in general given that modules are present in various disciplines. The

application of modules in education remains true to the definition of being

components of a whole.

In the Philippine education system amid the current global health crisis,

the modular approach has been modified and contextualized, now often referred

to as modular distance learning (MDL). Hence, modular distance learning being

yet another derivative of “module” is inferable. Modular distance learning utilizes

printed or digital self-learning modules, one of the distance learning modalities

(Quinones, 2020). According to Codamon (2020), three modules comprise the

MDL:

The Printed or Digital Modules (PDM) are delivered to the homes of

learners or picked up by their parents or guardians at designated places

within coordinated schedules. Printed module[s] refer to learning packets

(work sheets, activity sheets, self-learning materials).

Digital means modules (e-modules) are saved in USB/flash drives,

CDs, OTGs. To be able to access the content of these materials, laptops,

computers or tablets are needed. The e-copy of the learning modules like

interactive and inclusive e-books, courseware and other offline content

formats are provided.

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For the Printed Modular Learning Delivery modality, the teachers

prepare the learning materials, weekly study guides and other resources

for the modular distance learning and these materials shall be

accompanied by quality assured instructional packets wherein the

parent/guardians or para-teachers shall meet with the teacher and receive

instructions and the learning materials to be accomplished by the learner

for the week (para. 6-8).

Furthermore, in his 2012 paper, Sequiera states that “self-learning modules are

designed [so that] the learner is free to [choose] what to learn, how to learn,

when to learn and where to learn” (p. 1). He also asserts that such self-learning

materials should, among others:

● provide prerequisites, objectives, assignments, and feedback if necessary;

● divide units or lessons into doable parts for study; and,

● have logical content for students to independently use without help from

teachers.

These characteristics may still be attributable to the said educational materials

utilized in the present-day modular approach, and this may be deduced from the

outcomes of this study.

Advantages of Modular Approach

From a general perspective, the modular approach is a distance learning

delivery modality. Thus, the advantageousness of modular distance learning is

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inclusive of the ones in distance learning as a whole. Self-paced learning is

enabled in distance education, so regardless of the student's speed, there will be

less difficulty in contrast to that in actual classroom discussions; the pressure on

students is also lessened (Kegeyan, 2016). As can be observed, the said are

factual as far as the distance learning nature of the modular approach is

concerned.

Previous researches have studied the value of modularization. In their

2014 study, Sadiq and Zamir accentuate the effectiveness of the modular

approach in instruction for evaluating student learning, performance, and

achievement relative to traditional methods and concluded that:

1. In the modular approach, students learn self-paced, so modular teaching

is more effective than ordinary methods of teaching; students learn in their

style.

2. Students are motivated and become interested as feedback is provided.

Such conclusions are essential qualities of modular learning, thus proving how

the very characteristics of the educational method are advantageous.

The benefit of the modular approach can also be observed from its

different applications. The Municipality of Orion (2016) claims that as a teaching

process in the Alternative Learning System (ALS), the modular approach has

advantages such as: (a) its established assessment system apart from grades or

marks; (b) the ability of students to work in their own environment; (c)

undisturbed study; (d) the versatility of administering the modules, i.e., individual

or group; and (e) the self-management in learning. Another is modular teaching,

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which has also been adopted in various fields and confirmed to be beneficial.

Karthikeyan and Kumar (2014) suggest that modular teaching is more reality-

oriented as its objective is a learning experience with practical orientation. The

implication is that findings akin to these may be obtained from research on the

fundamental modular approach.

On the side of parents, the modular approach to distance learning could

lead to opportunities for devising strategies. A descriptive qualitative study similar

to the current one explored the management and home learning experiences of

parents during COVID-19. In their research paper entitled “Home Learning in

Times of COVID: Experiences of Parents”, Bhamani et al. (2020) revealed that

among the strategies used by caregivers at home to support learning are

maintaining a strict schedule and engaging in creative activities. On a side note,

they collected these data through open-ended questions in a Google Docs form.

In addition to that, the modules in this distance learning delivery modality

are printed in most cases for the main reason that the parents who had selected

the modality could not invest on digital media for online classes, the second

leading mode of learning in the pandemic. This is a relief mainly for families who

could not afford technology. The Department of Education announced that

parents do not need to purchase gadgets for the classes in the school year

because schools would be supplying the printed modules as stated in a news

article by Magsambol (2020) in Rappler entitled, “No need to buy gadgets,

printed materials will be given – DepEd”. On the contrary, modular distance

learning is still remote education and could encompass technology usage.

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Rashid and Elahi (2012) applaud that adapting new educational communication

technologies ensures the quality of distance instructional programs.

Disadvantages of Modular Approach

The downside of distance learning is also applicable to that of modular

approach—a delivery modality of it—at present. Over the course of time,

researchers have discovered shortcomings of the said form of education.

Distance education has external and internal problems including: (a) its very

quality, which is an element to be controlled even in traditional education; (b) the

underlying costs, incorrectly classified most of the time and may give rise to

problems in the future; (c) technology misuse; (d) the attitudes of teachers in

adapting to the teaching demands; and (e) the attitudes of students who must

relatively be more diligent than in a traditional setting (Valentine, 2002, as cited in

de Oliveira, Penedo, & Pereira, 2018). Another, in the quantitative study of

Korolkov, Germanov, Langueva, Shevyakova, and Poskrebysheva (2020)

entitled “Advantages and disadvantages of distance learning on students’ and

teachers’ of the physical culture faculty opinion”, the results show that a

considerable adverse effect of distance learning is on the development of

practical skills due to the inability to conduct practical classes as there is no

direct supervision of instructors. Moreover, Ingirige and Goulding (2015)

emphasize that distance learning course surveys reveal the insufficient social

interaction often associated with the delivery method, which has the tendency to
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leave students with feelings of isolation because of the absence of tutor

engagement, direction, guidance, and support.

Additionally, the self-learning aspect of modules is relatable to the concept

of Self-Directed Learning (SDL). Al Kindy, Al Kindy, and Al Kindy (2018) found

out that drawbacks of SDL include the trouble with the selection of materials and

sources, gaining access to guides or tutors, and the waste of time. Their cross-

section qualitative study involved asking students about the advantages and

disadvantages of SDL and their suggestions regarding its inclusion in modules.

This evidently implies that there may be similar impediments to self-learning

modules. Further, Mirkholikovna (2020) stresses that the choice of faculties or

modules in distance learning is limited, for not everything can be learned in

isolation. This statement supports the aforementioned study, and, more

importantly, it elucidates the complexion of today’s modular distance learning.

The modular approach could also come to light to be as top-priority for

parents in home learning as to its downside. Bhamani et al. (2020) also

discussed the impact of COVID-19 on children’s learning according to the

parents as their research participants. The parents were concerned about the

structured routine of children, difficulties in shifting to online learning, and impact

on social development.

Parental Roles in Modular Approach

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Distance learning is synonymous with children being at home, requiring

the supervision of their parents in the learning process. Fernando (2020) explains

that "parents...are duty-bound to assist their children because there is no much

choice” (para. 2). Fundamentally, as parents now have the responsibility of

safeguarding the quality education of their children without risking their well-

being, many parents strive to sustain the adaptation of their children to the

unfamiliar education system (The Manila Times, 2020). This indicates the

consequential function of parents in the distance learning of their children.

In modular distance learning, parents unquestionably have to fulfill such

roles too. Filipino students remain at home through the modular approach, and

with the limitation in contact with their teachers, their parents will serve as their

model (Lebaste, 2020). Magsambol (2020) contends that parents are the ones

who would facilitate and direct their children using the modular lessons sent to

them during remote learning, so they must play an active role in the distance

learning approach.

Lebaste (2020) lists the primarily role of parents in modular learning in her

news article, “The Role of the Parents in Modular Distance Learning”. These are:

(a) establishing a connection and guiding the children; (b) interacting with

stakeholders such as teachers and community representatives for the

acquirement of modules and other learner materials and resources; (c) checking

the children’s weekly plan and adherence to schedule; (d) preparing a conducive

study space; and (e) heightening children’s motivation to learn through

rewarding, encouragement, and praises.

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Among the predictors of academic success and adaptation to the school

environment are the interest that parents show for their children’s evolution and

the assistance they offer with homework (Pavalache-Ilie & Ţîrdia, 2015). In the

new normal modular approach, parents are compelled to conform to these two.

The modular learning setting is an untypical school environment, and the

students acclimating to it is implied.

Synthesis

The apparent objectivity of the literature assessed above insinuates the

scarcity of research particularly on the modular approach and the current

modular distance learning (MDL). Nonetheless, the literature review illuminated

paramount matters relevant to the principal issue. First of all, the presented

definitions of the modular approach detailed its essential qualities, a crucial facet

in the information of the research subjects. It has become clear that the modular

distance learning being implemented to continue education despite the

unfavorable circumstances indispensably bears the fundamentals of its

progenitor, the “module” concept. Secondly, the strengths and weaknesses of the

educational method are shown not only through the very characteristics of the

modular approach itself but also its nature, scilicet, being a form of distance

learning, and applications. The said aspects are very probable reasons behind

the perceptions of parents of the modular approach. Lastly, the underlined roles

of parents comprehensively signify the innateness of the research in their

existence, highlighting the significance of this study all the more. The reviewed
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literature is complementary to comprehending the challenges faced by parents of

students under the modular approach in the new normal.

Theoretical Lens

The theoretical underpinning of this study is Epstein et al.’s (2002) Theory

of Overlapping Spheres of Influence. The theory emphasizes that the education

and growth of children are dictated by the shared and individual activities of the

three major spheres of influence, namely the family, the school, and the

community. The external model of overlapping spheres of influence further

acknowledges that the said three players are major contexts where children learn

and develop which “may be drawn together or pushed apart” (Epstein et al.,

2002, p. 8), thus the overlap. This implies the paramount function of parents as

the family in the education of their children. The active interaction and

cooperation of parents with the school (and for that matter, the community) is

also put forward. In this study, the theory holds because modular distance

learning is clearly an interdependence between schools and parents. The

concepts underlying the Theory of Overlapping Spheres of Influence will help in

construing the challenges encountered by the parents of students under the

modular approach as inherent consequences to the role they play.

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Another theoretical support for the idea of parent involvement in the

modular approach is the Ecological Systems Theory of Bronfenbrenner (1986).

Accordingly, children’s development is influenced not only by internal factors but

also that of their family and external environment. In a way similar to the Theory

of Overlapping Spheres of Influence, this denotes that parents have a major part

in educating their children. This may lead to discerning the challenges of parents

assisting their children in modular distance learning because parents are

principal factors also affected by the environment they are in. Further, the theory

is said to deal with the effects to research on the said topic (Tekin, 2011), making

it a potential determinant of outcomes of research in the field of this study.

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 CHAPTER 2

Method

This section primarily features the methods that were employed in this

study. This comprises the research design, participants of the study, research

instrument, ethical considerations, role of the researchers, data collection, data

analysis, and trustworthiness of the study.

Research Design

Phenomenology is defined as a type of qualitative study centered on

studying the lived experiences of individuals (Neubauer, Witkop, & Varpio, 2019).

A phenomenological research design was utilized in this study. It is said that the

goal of phenomenology research is collecting rich details of the participants’ lived

experiences along with their theological or psychological significance

(Grossoehme, 2014). Part of these lived experiences is the struggles and

challenges encountered by the research subjects. As to extracting the said

descriptions of the lived experiences, interviews are typical tools for gathering

data in a phenomenological study to a great extent (Grossoehme, 2014). This

proves the reliability of the said media as they are customary and pertinent.

In context, the phenomenological research design is pivotal in delving

deep into the lived experiences of parents of students in modular approach as a

distance learning delivery modality specifically to determine the challenges they

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face in the particular phenomenon. Consequently, in-depth interview and focus

group discussion were the particular means through which the responses of the

concerned parents were gathered. Both methods would lead to results that can

be interwoven to constitute the phenomenon being studied. It is expected that the

information to be obtained is enriched and could be interpreted well on account

of the appropriateness of the instruments that were adopted.

Participants and Sampling

As Grossoehme (2014) advanced, the prospect of achieving the goal of

phenomenology is enhanced through purposive sampling. Hence, this

phenomenological study used purposive sampling in subjectively yet logically

identifying the best individuals who can participate. Also known as judgment

sampling, the purposive sampling technique is the intentional choice of

participants owing to the certain characteristics they bear (Etikan, Musa, &

Alkassim, 2016).

In view of this, a simple set of criteria was taken into account for selecting

the research participants with whom the in-depth interview and the focus group

were conducted. First and foremost, the parents must declare that they had

deliberately chosen modular distance learning upon officially enrolling their

children this school year 2020-2021. The modules their schools provide must be

printed ones. It is also crucial that they are stay-at-home parents, or at least

working parents who regularly supervise their children, for this would ensure that
 21

they are sustainably involved in modular distance learning. The parents were

selected regardless of their and the children’s age, number, sex, and school, and

even the grade levels of the latter as long as they are in constant assistance and

supervision of their children at home. In-depth interviews were held for five

research participants while three took part in the focus group discussion.

Research Instrument

The medium for the collection of data in this study was a semi-structured

interview guide. A total of 17 probing questions were created from the main

questions based on the three research objectives and were asked to the

participants during the in-depth interview and focus group discussion. These

components are arranged in a tabular form. As the interviews are semi-

structured, this means that the probing questions were not necessarily used

alone nor in the order they are listed. Instead, they were altered and

supplemented with suitable questions depending on how the research

participants address them with their responses. The questions were ethically and

mindfully formulated; it was ascertained that none of them are offensive,

personal, or controversial. The interview guide questions had undergone a

process for their validity as a research instrument for the study.

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Ethical Considerations

Research ethics are a primary consideration in the conduction of this

study. The following codes and policies for research and research participant

rights were sternly observed in the whole course of research: free prior informed

consent, voluntary participation, human subject protection, legality,

confidentiality, and anonymity.

Online free prior informed consent forms were sent to the parents of

modular distance learning students during an initial inquiry beforehand to provide

them information about the rationale, objectives, and methods in the study for

them to rightfully decide whether or not to take part in the research undertaking.

Being written in English, the content was elaborated in the vernacular for their

extensive comprehension. After the participants have come to a decision, they

were prompted to accomplish the online forms and indicate their full name at the

end part as proof of their voluntary participation, full agreement, and cooperation.

Interview schedules were then determined to the advantage of both parties. Prior

to the interviews, the participants were required to review the free prior informed

consent forms as a recognition of their participation.

Currently, the biggest threat to everyone is the risk of contracting COVID-

19. The minimization of harms by means of following community health protocols

is of utmost importance, so the in-depth interview and focus group discussion

were conducted virtually through the available online conference platforms. Only
 23

reputable media were utilized in order to avoid possible cybercrime. These were

also measures for legality. Furthermore, personal data shared by the research

participants remained confidential. The audio and video recordings the

participants allowed for use were strictly for research purposes only and were not

manipulated nor publicized. Codes were designated to each of the participants

for their identification to cement anonymity.

In addition, the authors cited and sources used in this paper are given

proper acknowledgement. The literature was thoroughly reviewed to make sure

that the academic texts are adopted ethically. Intellectual properties are duly

respected, and no form of plagiarism is present.

Role of the Researchers

We, the researchers, fulfilled the roles of being the facilitators,

interviewers, and transcribers.

It was our role as facilitators to orient the research participants regarding

their roles in the study and the entire process of the in-depth interview and focus

group discussion while crucial information was already provided in the free prior

informed consent. This involved introducing the research participants to the

structure of the guide questions and the cues for when they have to respond in

the interview proper, especially in the focus group discussion. The setting of the

interview schedule, including the exact time, date, and duration and the online

platform to be used, was part of this.

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As interviewers, we had the role of adhering to transparency, respecting

the participants’ views and opinions, and adapting to their comfort. This entailed

communicating in the vernacular to prevent misunderstanding and adjusting the

probing questions to extract as much necessary data as possible and maximize

the investigation into the phenomenon. It was our responsibility to clarify any

concern the research participants might have raised during the interview as this

step is vital to data collection.

As transcribers, our role was to accurately encode the interview with the

help of the audio or video recordings. This also encompassed the usage of codes

in quoting responses in verbatim for the discussion of the results. Our Practical

Research 1 teacher checked the translations of the original texts to English. After

the finalization of the data transcript, it was our role to employ member checking

for the participants to confirm the correctness of recording the responses.

Data Collection

Several steps were undertaken in collecting the data for this study. These

are the preliminary meeting with participants, interview proper, interview

transcription, and member checking.

A simple orientation about the background, aims, and process of the study

were provided individually to the identified research participants for the in-depth

interview and focus group discussion through an online messaging application,

specifically Messenger. The participants were encouraged to raise questions

 25

regarding their roles in the research, which would be carefully entertained. They

were then given free prior informed consent forms via Google Forms containing

the key points of the study, their rights as research participants, and spaces for

their personal information, i.e., full name. After their full agreement on

participating in the study, a convenient interview schedule that includes the time,

setting, date, and expected duration of the interview were set for both parties.

During the interview proper, the overview and purpose of the study were

recapitulated for the participants, and their responses to the free prior informed

consent were reconfirmed before anything else. The actual interviews were then

started. The interview guide questions validated and prepared beforehand were

asked to the participants and used to facilitate the entire discussion. However,

the questions were rephrased in the vernacular, where everyone is the most

proficient and can express well in, to guarantee the smooth flow of the process

and the accuracy of the data. As they went on, the conversations were recorded

simultaneously via audio and video with permission. The questions were

reiterated and modified appropriately until a substantial amount of data was

obtained. All of these measures were applied to both the in-depth interview and

focus group discussion. The interviews were carried out for at least 30 minutes

for the in-depth interview and 40 minutes for the focus group discussion.

After the in-depth interview and focus group discussion, the data were

transcribed and proofread subsequently with the help of the audio and video

recordings. The full interview transcripts, along with the English translation, were

then finalized. Following this, the research participants were presented with their
 26

respective data transcripts for them to thoroughly review their responses, correct

errors, and verify that the interviews were recorded ethically and precisely before

subjecting the gathered information to analysis. They answered an online

member checking form using the same platform as the free prior informed

consent as a confirmation.

Data Analysis

Phenomenological research generates a large number of interview notes

and such, and analysis is unavoidably disorderly as data does not tend to be

neatly categorized (Lester, 1999). Relative to this problem, Braun and Clarke

(2006) acknowledge that thematic analysis is the identification, analysis,

description, and organization of data set themes. Therefore, the lived

experiences of the parents of modular distance learning students were analyzed

thematically to systematically substantiate the vast amount of data. The data

were analyzed in accordance with the thematic analysis process demonstrated

by Sundler, Lindberg, Nilsson, and Palmér (2019), and triangulation was applied

as well.

Sundler et al. (2019) argue that in understanding the patterns of meanings

from lived experience data, thematic analysis begins with achieving familiarity

with the data by means of reading open-mindedly, then searching for meanings

and themes, and ends with organizing the themes into a meaningful wholeness.

Hence, in this study, the textual data were first perused several times in an open-
 27

ended manner, concentrating on the challenges expressed in it by the

participants. Next, meanings were identified from parts of the data, noting them

with short descriptions and comparing their similarities with and differences from

one another. The meanings were then sorted into themes. Finally, the explicitly

named themes were described meaningfully as they were written to form a whole

that embodies the phenomenon under study.

Triangulation is an analysis technique for the results of a study coming

from multiple data collection methods that enhances validity, creates a more

comprehensive picture of a research problem, and interrogates various ways of

understanding the subject (Nightingale, 2020). As this study employed in-depth

interview and focus group discussion with parents of students in modular

distance learning, the data gathered from these methods were counterchecked

and fused by triangulation.

Trustworthiness of the Study

The trustworthiness of a qualitative study lies on time-tested criteria.

Qualitative research quality criteria are: credibility, describing the correct

interpretation of the views of the participants; transferability, or the extent to

which the results can be transferred to other settings; dependability, which is

about the support of the data received from the participants; and confirmability,

the degree to which the research findings could be confirmed (Lincoln & Guba,

1985, as cited in Korstjens & Moser 2018).

 28

Credibility and Dependability. To meet these two similar criteria, the

following were executed: (a) the utilization of qualitative phenomenological

methods; (b) familiarizing the research participants’ culture through the

preliminary meetings with them; (c) data triangulation; (d) scrutiny of the research

data and results; and (e) abidance by research ethics with regards to the free

prior informed consent and member checking of the research participants. These

owe to the fact that the data from the participants must be correct and that the

analysis and interpretation must be totally representative of their original

opinions. The selection criteria for the purposive sampling ensures that the

parents are sufficiently qualified to effectively convey ideas and information about

the challenges they have with their children’s modular distance learning.

Transferability. In satisfying this requirement, the phenomenon in research

is exposed to prospective researchers through the data triangulated from in-

depth interview and focus group discussion. This delineates the applicability of

the findings in this study to other contexts and circumstances the said individuals

might wish to examine. Conducting research on similar settings still involving the

challenges of the modular approach in the new normal in education could

enhance the veracity of the data from this study.

Confirmability. The confirmability of the outcomes of this study was

brought about by member checking. The reconfirmation from the research

participants certified that the research output collectively encapsulates their

ideas, views, and opinions concerning the phenomenon.

 CHAPTER 3

Results and Discussion

In this chapter, the challenges of parents of modular distance learning

students in the new normal are presented. Five parents individually interviewed

in depth and three participants from one session of focus group discussion

provided the statements discussed in this section.

Reponses taken from the research participants quoted in the discussions

here are assigned codes, written right after each of them. The acronym FGD

stands for focus group discussion while IDI is for in-depth interview. The single-

digit numbers next to these two correspond to one of the parents who

participated. L represents lines, and the range of numbers are that of rows found

in the tables of transcript.

There were three principal themes generated from the research objectives

of this study. These are the actual challenges of parents of modular distance

learning students, their coping mechanisms for these, and their insights into the

distance learning delivery modality. With these as the foundation, the most

relevant data were sourced from the responses of the participants.

Challenges of Parents of Modular Distance Learning Students

 30

This theme is visually presented through the figure on the page that

follows.
 Challenges of Parents of Modular Distance
Learning Students

Shortcomings of Module Content Concerns over Children's Learning Interruption of Activities

Experience

Lack of Clear Loss of Attention

Explanations and Details

Difficulty with Lessons of Missing Qualities of Face-

the New Curriculum to-Face Education

Fig.1 Challenges of Parents of Modular Distance Learning Students

 32

As was shown, three general themes for the challenges of parents of

modular distance learning students came out. These are shortcomings of module

content, concerns over children’s learning experience, and interruption of

activities.

Shortcomings of Module Content

Modular distance learning is called so for the very reason that the learning

materials come in the form of modules, the sets of paper on which the lessons,

directions, activities, and other information are printed. Educators design these

modules primarily for students and to meet the competencies in the curriculum.

As a medium of education for the modality, modules should be created in a way

that even people whose bearings have to do with the children, i.e., the parents,

can easily deal with as the students require external support.

Parents basically depend on the modules for them to play their part in the

modular distance learning of their children. As much as how the modules

facilitate the learning of the students, parents also have to base their attempts to

perform well in engaging themselves in their children’s education on the contents

of the module. However, the modules supposed to be comprehensive turn out to

be flawed in certain aspects that the parents find to be problematic. The

participant parents in this study expressed that modules lack explanations and

that they struggle to adapt to the current curriculum in which their children are

under.
 33

Lack of Clear Explanations and Details. Information makes up the entirety

of learning materials. In modular distance learning, the lessons are modularized,

and so should their components be. Usually, concepts taught in school are

undeniably complex and must be explained in a clear manner so that students

are able to grasp them. Integrating information into the modules is no easy thing

to do, and if it so happens that this failed, parents—not to mention students—

would have to process them to the best of their abilities. Participants from the in-

depth interview made mention of this issue in their responses. As quoted below:

…nay subject usahay nga… na… lesson nga walay explanation. Maglisod mi
og explain. “Saon man ni uy?” (…Sometimes, there are subjects that… that…
have lessons without explanation. We have a hard time explaining. “How
should I do this?”)

…nay mga, na- na lagiy mga… kuan, kanang mga, explaina- ay, walay
explanation ba. Diretso lang sila pangutana. Walay mga explanation. (…there
are parts without explanations. Questions are asked directly with no
explanations.) IDI1 L56-64; 94-103

Kanang sa pagtudlo nako sa akoang anak, siyempre, magtan-aw ko sa

modules unya naa juy mga lesson na wala jud na-explain og taman. (When I
teach my child, of course, I take a look at the modules, and there really are
parts that are not explained completely.) IDI5 L82-96

The deficiency of the content of modules hinders even the parents from

comprehending the materials, and as a consequence, parents could not execute

their role effectively to help their children in their studies by acting as teachers.

After all, this is professional work, and if the professionals who devised the

modules erred in explaining the lessons sufficiently, there is no doubt that the

nonprofessional parents would too. This has an adverse effect on the parents as

implied in the words of a parent during the focus group discussion:

 34

Sa akoa, kuan siya… kanang, ma-ma-kuan bitaw ko… ma- mura kog-mura
kog maulaw s’akong anak usahay kay, kanang, wala man god ta naanad, no,
nga kita mag-maestra sa ilaha… Kanang, labi nag kanang, lisod ang subject.
Nang… mura kog makuan ba nga… nang mag… unsaon nako pag-explain
sa

iyaha… (For me, it’s… it’s like, you know… I feel shy to my child sometimes
because we are not used to being the teachers, right? Especially when…
when the subject is difficult. And… I… I think of how I should explain it to
her…)

Unfavorable as it may be, it is already expected that learning materials

along the lines of the modules in modular distance learning are faulty. There is a

limitation in options for faculties and modules in distance education because not

everything can be learned remotely (Mirkholikovna, 2020). This justifies the

shortfall in explanation of the content of modules as lessons are optimally taught

in person.

Difficulty with Lessons of the New Curriculum. Parents of modular

distance learning students are looking at the bigger picture of education despite

the new normal. As a matter of fact, the dawning of the modularized curriculum is

entirely rooted in the system of the “normal”—the K to 12 curriculum. The new

educational system, popularly known as the K to 12 program, has only been

around for almost a decade now, having begun in the year 2012. This connotes

to parents, who have graduated long before the said enhanced curriculum has

been started and were educated with an old curriculum, being quite unfamiliar

with what is going on in schools at present. More so, the content of modules

follows and reflects the K to 12 curriculum; problems with the latter are also that

of the former. In this study, parents described their realizations about the

academe in which their children are in these ways:

 35

Makakuan ra pod mi… Maka-answer pod mi usahay. Ang uban, wa na gyod

mi kasabot kay naa na may mga bag-o nga mga ano pod… (We can also
just… We could also answer sometime, while for some, we cannot
understand anymore because there are new [lessons] now…) IDI1 L397-406
Sa bahin sa.... kuan, lisod jud siya bahin sa akoa kay wala nako naagian ang
mga lesson karon… (On the part of… It’s really difficult on my part because I
haven’t gone through their lessons right now before.) IDI3 L69-78

These responses from the in-depth interview show that for parents,

adjusting to the K to 12 education system alone is not easy, with modular

distance learning in itself being a big challenge already. This implies that parents

are constantly adapting to two somewhat discrete curricula, and both must be

designed so that parents would have an adequate environment for. Moreover,

parent participants from the focus group discussion have the same problem in

common as they narrated:

Akoa kay, kuan, na-re- na-realize nako nga, kanang, ang ilahang mga
pagtuon bitaw, mga lesson bitaw karon, lahi ra sa amoa nga henerasyon.
Mas lisod karon ang… lesson kaysa amoa. (Mine is that I realized that their
studies, their lessons today, are different from that of our generation. The
lessons now are harder than ours [before].) FGD1 L404-413

…para sa akoa, dugay na ko ni-nagskuwela… murag, kuan na ba, murag,

lahi na akong kahibalo sa bag-o karon nga, kuan… mga technology. Karon,
la-la- bag-o ang gina-lesson nila karon ba. Murag late kaayo’ng akong natun-
an kaysa ilaha karon… Murag, di gyod ko ma… Di jud maayo para sa akoa.
(…for me, it’s been a long time since I have been to school myself. It’s like my
knowledge is different from the… technology nowadays. At present, the
lessons they take are diff- new, you know. My learnings are apparently far
from theirs now… It’s like, I wouldn’t… This isn’t suitable for me.) FGD3 L119-
134
In pedagogy, modular usage has been a popular trend only recently as

described by Malik (2012). This denotes that the practice of using modules for

the teaching-learning process is still underdeveloped. Now that modules became

crucial for modular distance learning, such underdevelopment might have been a

contributing factor in the adaptability of the Philippine curriculum for parents.

 36

Coincidentally, Malik’s work was published 2012, around the same time when the

enhanced curriculum was implemented in the country last school year 2012-

2013.

Concerns over Children’s Learning Experience

As cliché as this might sound, parents want the best for their children, and

when it comes to education, they are just as critical and perceptive. They work

hard just to send their children to school and have the right to give opinions

regarding the services of the education sector in general. Given this, many

parents question modular distance learning as a tentative learning modality for

their children amid the current health crisis. Among the challenges they come

across with are ultimately of their children. Concerns are being raised by parents

about the quality of the modular approach in terms of its feasibility as an

alternative to face-to-face education and the children’s attentiveness to their

studies.

Loss of Attention. Children are supposed to be ideally at school to receive

proper education, and now that they are in homes—which are home to

distractions, literally—learning is compromised. The rooms of their residences

are not as conducive as the four corners of the classroom, and students are

manifesting their misconceived sense of freedom. Parents are well aware of how

their children behave in school, and now that they are in better proximity to them,

they are able to see their children’s movements better. The parents interviewed
 37

in this research stressed their children’s loss of focus on education during

modular distance learning. Below were their statements in verbatim:

Lahi ra jud kay anytime, kung gusto sila magdula, magdula ra jud, nya ugma
mag-module, mag-module ra gyod pod sila. (It’s quite changed since anytime,
if they want to play, they would really just play. Then, [for instance,] tomorrow,
they do their modules, and would really just do their modules.) IDI1 L144-152

Ang epekto niining modular distance learning sa among mga anak kay,
kanang, mawad-an sila gana o focus sa pagskuwela kay puwede nila unya-
unyaon pa sa pag-answer sa module. (The effect of this modular distance
learning on our children is that, um, they lose interest in or focus on education
because they can procrastinate the answering of their modules.) IDI2 L112-
128
The change in children’s behavior entails more measures to be taken by

parents in order to maintain the right setting for their children’s learning.

However, parents do not have control over the appropriateness of their

conditions for the students to be simulated so that they act as if they were in

school. A parent from the focus group discussion shared similar concerns as

follows:

Para sa akoa, murag malisod ko- lisod siya makasabot, ba, sa akoang
eksplanasyon. Dili pareha anang na siyay teacher nga… na siyay teacher
nga giatubang, na siyay mga classmate… nga, murag, kuan kaayo siya nga,
“Mag-i-study ko.” Diri man gud sa balay, murag, ma- gusto niya magsigeg
dula, kaysa maminaw sa akoa. Mao na, usahay, makaingon ko nga, basig,
inig open na, mag-face-to-face na, murag malisdan siya og balik sa iyahang
kuan… iyahang eskuwe- iyahang… pagsabot sa maestra. (I think she seems
like she finds it hard to understand my explanations. This is different from
when she has teachers to face, classmates… where she really feels like, “I
have to study.” As you see, here at home, she would rather want to play all
the time than listen to me. This is why sometimes, I happen to say that maybe
when [schools] open again, face-to-face [classes] would be back, she may
struggle to get back to her studie- understanding her teachers.) FGD2 L111-
133

One disadvantage of distance learning is that students have to be more

industrious than in the traditional one (Valentine, 2002, as cited in de Oliveira,

Penedo, & Pereira, 2018). As far as can be seen, this is one of the very major
 38

concerns of parents of modular distance learning students. This also contradicts

the conclusion Sadiq and Zamir (2014) reached in their study that as feedback is

provided in the modular approach, students are motivated and become

interested. Lack of feedback as teachers are not present might be the reason for

this change of behavior in students, so parents are urging for this to be

compensated for.

Missing Qualities of Face-to-Face Education. Students, teachers, and

parents alike are longing for schools to reopen and for this new normal to reach

its conclusion. Even so, they cannot do anything but to concentrate on education

in the midst of the circumstances today, for there are no other options. In view of

this, parents are voicing out their opinions on the matter of the distance learning

delivery modalities being substandard. As of now, modular distance learning is

put in place only as a temporary replacement for the traditional delivery of

education—face-to-face learning. Major gaps between the two make modular

approach disadvantageous. Remote education in the mere form of modules do

not have the exact qualities as traditional education has. Parents agree that

modular distance learning is not on a par with the normal face-to-face education

as the quoted responses that follow indicate:

So, a… ang general nako masulti, di… para sa ako, lisod jud ang module
kaysa sa face-to-face. Mas better tong face-to-face kay matudloan pa jud
more ang bata kaysa kami ang mag tudlo… (So, er… what I can say in
general is that, it’s not… for me, modules are way more difficult compared to
the face-to-face one. Face-to-face [learning] is much better because the
children would be taught more than us [parents] teaching.) IDI3 L318-338
 39

A… sa akoa, murag lahi ra gyod ang sa face-to-face ug sa, um, modular.

Para sa akoa, mas nindot gyod siguro tong face-to-face kay mas daghan
siguro silag makat-onan kaysa sa modular. (Er… for me, face-to-face
[education] is totally different from, um, the modular one. I believe, face-to-
face [learning] might really be better since they can learn more than in
modular.) IDI4 L112-126

For the youth, there is more to learning, and this is most true in the “old

normal” face-to-face educational setting, so to speak, according to parents. One

element of the normal classes urgently missing in modular distance learning is

the presence of educators, who are experts in handling students in conduct and

in study. This subject matter was further emphasized by focus group discussion

participants:

Para sa akoa, siguro ang adjustment nako para sa akong anak kay lahi man
god tong nagakuan siya, naga… ang teacher niya iyang kaatubang kaysa ako
nga iyang mama… kay mas kuan man god siya, mas… motuo siya sa iyang
teacher kaysa akoa. Kanang, na gyod siyay, kuan ba, kahadlok sa iyang
teacher. (For me, probably it’s my adjustment for my child as it’s different from
when… she… interacts with her teacher unlike me, her mother… because
she… she obeys her teacher more than me. Um, she has, you know, fear of
her teachers.) FGD2 L428-441
Ako, murag, lahi ra pod kaayo kay murag wala kaayo silay masabtan ba. Naa
man galing pero murag taphaw ra gani kay murag kulang gyod siya ba.
Kanang, lahi ra man god tong nay kuan sa maestra. Ma- na biyay kuan no
nga mas motuo pa ang atong anak sa maestra kaysa atoa... Lahi ra jud sa
normal nga face-to-face. Murag hassle, ana. (In my case, I think it’s (modular
distance learning) completely different since they (students) don’t get to have
understandings that much. There might be some, but it’s very shallow
because it’s really not enough. They say, right, that our children follow their
teachers more than us... It’s a hassle.) FGD3 L356-371

The parents admitted that their children could follow the instructions of

their teachers better, making the students more educated in face-to-face classes

than modular distance learning. The findings of Korolkov et al. (2020), that the

impossibility of conducting practical classes with teachers who can administer is

a considerable disadvantage, substantiate this. Not only teachers and students

 40

but also parents observed the said impracticality of distance education resulting

from the absence of the educators.

Interruption of Activities

Shifting from regular on-campus school to the modular distance learning

environment alters established routines at home. With education now being

delivered to students remaining inside their houses, school activities are

incorporated into that of the household. Hence, on top of responsibilities in work

and in the household, parents in modular distance learning are serving new roles

to buttress the education of their children. One of these is the retrieval and

returning of the modules from and to school, respectively, which have schedules

set by educational institutions and can be troublesome for parents who have

other business to attend to during the said periods of time. Another is the fact

that they have to use time in assisting their children. Parents mentioned this

hurdle by the responses of the parents to the in-depth interview questions

presented below:

Para sa akoa… sa isa ka inahan, dili lalim, kay ang oras dili nimo ma-balance
kay daghan kaayug buhatonon. (For me… for a mother, it’s demanding since
you cannot balance time due to lots of chores.) IDI2 L81-89

A, kana lang usahay nga busy kay ko human naa koy work, dapat magkuha
ug maghatod ko sa ilahang, kuan, ilahang module... (There are just times
when I am so busy and have work but have to get and return their, um,
modules.)
 41

Dili gyod siya lalim kay… murag, nadungagan jud among buhat. Naa pay
trabaho sa balay unya taodtaod manawag atong anak nga, “Ma, unsaon man
ni?” Ani, ana… Ang paghatod-kuha sa modules… usa pod. (It’s definitely no
easy thing to do because… our work became a lot more. In addtion to
household chores, my child would suddenly call me, “Mom, how do I do this?”
Like that… Passing and getting their modules is another one.) IDI5 L52-70

Parents exposed that they are struggling with managing their time

together with their responsibilities and such obligations. The modular distance

learning of their children significantly added to their duties as parents, with

frequent conflicts in schedules rendering the routines they have been sticking to

all their life until the pandemic struck virtually useless. Depending on the amount

of work parents have in hand, this problem of parental roles in modular distance

learning interrupting their general activities may be intense as per the experience

of one participant. The parents who joined the focus group discussion confirmed

the issue:

…S’akoa, kanang, ma- kanang, hasolan ko labi nag magkuhag module sa

eskuwelahan, halos every day… kay, upat biya sila. Upat sila, halos every
day ko gaadto… Murag hasol bitaw labi nag, kanang, busy ko… So, naa jud
koy time gihapon kay impo-importante man nga kuhaon. Ako man jud mismo.
(In my case, it’s a hassle especially in getting their modules from school,
almost every day… You see, there are four of them, I go to school almost
every day… It’s really a hassle especially when I’m busy… Still, I have time
because it’s important to get those. I’m the only one who can do it.) FGD1
L44-58
A… ako, mao-mao pod na, kanang, ti- magkuha og module ug maghatod og
module… kay, makuhaan gyod atong oras pod sa trabahoon sa atoang
panimalay… (Me, too… getting and delivering the modules… because our
time for work in the household really gets reduced). FGD3 L44-50

On account of the discovery of Bhamani et al. (2020) that parents are only

worried about their children’s daily routine being affected, in this study, it turns

out that they are concerned about theirs as well. “Parents believed that through

schools, a formally structured routine is followed on most days of the week and
 42

this helps children to understand the importance of time, scheduling and doing

assignments on a given timeline” (Bhamani et al., 2020, p. 15). A similar thing

can be said of parents in modular distance learning whose normal routines were

disturbed in their own rights.

Coping Mechanisms of Parents of Modular Distance Learning Students

In regards to the second objective to identify the coping mechanisms of

parents of modular distance learning students on their encountered challenges,

this major theme was brought about. Under this are three sub-themes, namely,

sources of help, motivational approaches, and time management

through
 Coping Mechanisms of Parents of Modular
Distance Learning Students

Time Management through

Sources of Help Motivational Approaches Schedules

Reaching Out to Setting Reminders for

Connections Children

Keeping a Positive
Use of Technology Mindset

Fig.2 Coping Mechanisms of Parents of Modular Distance Learning Students

 44

schedules—strategies employed by parents to counter the challenges they have

encountered. These are graphically organized in Figure 2.

Sources of Help

Parents are there to help the students in their venture in remote education,

yet they themselves naturally need substantial support. From a broader

viewpoint, parenting is not an individual responsibility. In modular distance

learning, parents have experienced problems with modules lacking critical

content and the new curriculum not being adaptive, so to cope with their

problems, they use technology to connect with other people whom they know can

help and to access complementary learning materials and educational content

digitally.

Reaching Out to Connections. When parents cannot understand the

content of the modules on their own much like their children, they are not hesitant

to ask for help from people whom they think could. For the most part, teachers

are the professional acquaintances parents communicate with for matters about

the students’ education, and in modular distance learning, even if interaction is

limited, the parents still manage to approach them. Aside from teachers, parents

turn to the ones who are with them all this time—family. These are true for

parents who gave statements in this study:

Og… kinahanglan namog tabang, kanang, sa mga teachers mi mangayo og

tabang kung naa mi wala nasabtan sa ilang mga module. (If… we need help,
um, we ask for help from the teachers, if we could not understand something
from their modules.) IDI2 L191-202
 45

P’as anang usahay, di ko kasabot sa question, so magpatabang ko sa akong

brother ug sister. Og di pod sila kasabot, sa compound namo kay isa ra man
pod mi ka compound. So, didto ra pod mi mangayo og answer ug
explanation. (For instance, sometimes, I don’t understand the questions, so I
ask my brother and sister to help me. If they too couldn’t understand, [I ask
from people in] our compound because we are just one compound. So, we
ask for answers and explanations from them.) IDI3 L191-210

In addition, teachers are doing their job as they themselves have the

initiative as they should to inform parents that they are always ready to tackle

problems parents have with their children’s modules, such as incomprehensible

or insufficient details and explanations. Meanwhile, parents also brainstorm with

their follow parents in a collaborative effort to help out their kids. These were

shared by participant parents from the focus group discussion:

Sa akoa, kanang, giingnan ko sa teacher nga kung dili nako kaya i-explain,
mangutana ko sa iyaha, kay, diri man god, wala man god kaayo ang Internet.
Dili kaayo mi maka-connect sa Internet… so nag-ana ang teacher nga kung
dili ko- dili ka kasabot, mangutana ko sa teacher. (In my case, um, the teacher
told me that if I cannot explain, I should ask them, because here in our place,
there is not much Internet access… so, I also told the teacher that if I- I
cannot understand, I will ask them.) FGD2 L242-254
Ubang parents… Oo, nga “Unsay idea nimo about ani, ana?” Mag-exchange
mi og idea… nya para makuan namo, ma-explain pod namo sa bata…
s’among anak. (Yes, other parents… “What are your ideas about this and
that?” We exchange ideas… so that we can, er, explain to the kids…) FGD3
L251-257
At the most basic level, parents are responsible for claiming the learner

materials and modules from the teachers (Lebaste, 2020). The data above reveal

that this interaction is much more sophisticated and helpful. Parents also directly

request help from the teachers for them to comprehend confusing module

content and constructively explain the lessons to their children. Their intercourse

with fellow family members or relatives and even co-parents whom they
 46

cooperate with to deal with the modules is also a promising matter of

investigation.

Use of Technology. Modules are traditional media as they are in print, and

in the digital age and technological advancement of today, parents are

harnessing the power of information and communication technologies to

reinforce modular distance learning. Because the modules are the sole learner

materials in modular distance learning, parents are being resourceful with the

technology they own. Among the tools they utilize are search engines,

applications, and the Internet in general. Parents unveiled these in the in-depth

interviews:

Usahay, magpalaban mig Google. (Sometimes, we rely on Google.)

Photomath … pero naa man siyay explanation. Guwapo man sad pod god
siya kay naa siyay explanation. Nagahatag siyag answer pero naa siyay
explanation. (Photomath… it has explanations though. It’s great because it
provides explanations. It gives answers and with explanation.)
IDI1 L191-193; 195-207

Usahay makuan na man na sa, kuan. Naa na man na sa mga computer, di

ba? Ma-search didto. (Sometimes, it can already be, um, whatchamacallit. It’s
already in computers, isn’t it? It can be searched there.) IDI4 L191-201

These imply that the printed modules alone do not suffice, as is the case

of regular school classes, and the gadgets parents possess are supplemental.

Access to digital media is ubiquitous even in the modular approach to remote

education. Parents know that even the children themselves seek additional

information and ideas for answers on the Internet, so they also take advantage of

it. A focus group discussion response corroborates these as in the quotation

below:
 47

…Diha sa kuan …sa Internet. Mag-Google… kay na may Internet diri… mag-
search sila sa Internet lang diretso… (…In the, um… the Internet… We
google… because there is Internet access here… They go straight to the
Internet for searching.) FGD1 L242-250

The Department of Education itself consoled parents beforehand that the

printed modules remove the requirement of having gadgets this school year

(Magsambol, 2020), yet in this study, the worth of technology for the parents in

modular distance learning is undeniable. The virtual realm is a place from where

parents can find resources to fill the gaps of modular distance learning. This

exemplifies how adopting technologies raises distance education quality as

recognized by Rashid and Elahi (2012).

Motivational Approaches

Originally, a coping mechanism refers to the strategies individuals employ

to face stresses and mental challenges, and in modular distance learning, this

holds true for parents who influence their children’s thinking as well as motivate

their own selves. Parenting and education are frustrating, putting the coping

capacities of parents in modular distance learning to test. Parents in the new

normal approach to children’s learning set reminders for their student children

and think positively during these times.

Setting Reminders for Children. The students under modular approach

have tendencies to be distracted lurking in their homes, but their parents are

there for them to be supervised and disciplined. Parents are the supreme

individuals when it comes to disciplining their children starting from the very
 48

moment of upbringing. In this study, parents stated what they do to increase the

attention of their children to their studies in the following responses:

Ako silang ginatambagan aron mag-focus sa ilang module, sa pag-answer,

kay para ra pod ni sa ilahang kaugmaon. (I advise them to focus on their
modules, on answering, because this is also for their future.) IDI2 L243-252
Akoa lang gyong gina-encourage siya nga, “Taronga lang jud nag answer
imohang module kay para sa imoha lang man gihapon na.” (I just encourage
him/her. “Just answer your modules properly because that is for your sake
after all.”) IDI4 L243-254

To add, parents also have the authority to take out any distractions as

much as possible, such as gadgets that surreptitiously preoccupy the children.

They make sure that the students know what their real priorities are, i.e., the

modules and allow the children to do what they want after. A parent from the

focus group discussion reminds her children like so:

A, s’akoa… a, s’akoa, ako gyod na silang kuanon, kanang… pag-pagmata

nila, usahay modiretso mag cellphone dayon, ako sad na silang ingnon nga,
“Unya na na. Unya na nang cellphone-cellphone. Unahon sang module”… so
ako gyod na silang ginaestoryahan nga unahon ang module og buhat. Unya
na nang mga dula-dula. Ako gyod na silang ginaingnan pirminti. (In my case, I
really, um, [tell] them that… Sometimes, the moment they wake up, they go
straight down to use their phones immediately, so I also tell them, “That’s for
later. Using your phones is for later. Work on your modules first.”… so I really
talk to them for the modules to be done first. Playing is after. I always remind
them.) FGD1 L275-292

Students are losing concentration because of modular distance learning

without the full regulation of schools, and parents are serious about resolving

this. Among the parental roles in the modular approach are monitoring the

children’s time orientation, ensuring the conduciveness of their learning space,

and enhancing their motivation (Lebaste, 2020). Parents who partook in the

study related that they exercise authority over their children through simple
 49

reminders for them to finish the activities in the modules, regaining their attention

overall.

Keeping a Positive Mindset. The COVID-19 pandemic is a period of

distress, and so is the children’s modular distance learning, which is a product of

it, for parents. The inadequacy of the distance learning modality might have been

the root of their despair. Even so, parents always strive to show enthusiasm and

perseverance, coupled with their mindset. They tell themselves to keep on going,

as the responses of parents from the in-depth interview illuminate:

Ang ginahimo nako kay kanang aron masulbad ang kalisod kay pag-ampo ug
think positive kanunay. (What I do to solve the difficulty is praying and always
thinking positive.) IDI2 L286-293
A- ako, mag… kuan, hunahunaon ra nako nga para ra pod ni sa akoang
anak. Naa man jud mi mga parents pirmi basta sa pag-eskuyla. (I… er, just
think that this is also for my child. We parents are always there for them when
it comes to education.) IDI5 L254-264

Parents do think about their children who have to succeed like them even

with the challenges of modular distance learning. Things will be back as they

were in time—the future when the children must be able to hold through the

guidance of their parents who uphold them. These truly inspirational and

insightful ideas were of a parent during the focus group discussion session

quoted below:

…hunahuna lang nako nga para ni sa ilang kaugmaon nga makalampos lang
jud sila. Para lang jud mahuman. Mahuman ra man gyod ni, so mao ra gyod
to. Makahunahuna ko nga para ni sa ilang kaugmaon ba. At least kay naay
skuwela bitaw kaysa wala, moundang sila. (I just think that this is for their
future so that they will succeed. This will end, then so be it. I am able to think
that this is for their future, you know. At least they have classes than none,
than dropping out.) FGD1 L305-318
 50

Seeing their children succeed in overcoming the hardships of modular

distance learning and being grateful for the continuity of education amid the crisis

fuel the positivity of parents. This gives evidence to the idea of Pavalache-Ilie

and Ţîrdia (2015) that parents’ interest in their children’s growth and the

educational assistance they supply predict the students’ educational attainment

and acclimation to the educational setting. In the context of modular distance

learning, parents are motivated so that their children not only adapt to the new

learning modality but most importantly succeed in their studies and in life.

Time Management through Schedules

The interruption of activities parents find themselves in due to their tasks

in the modular distance learning of students is inevitable, but they know the flow

of their daily lives and time well. Parents are not simply complaining about the

inconveniently established schedules for the distribution and submission of

modules in schools but are responsibly making their own efforts by following a

routine at home too. These can be inferred from the quoted answers of parents

to the interview questions as presented below:

Naa mi schedule ug... ginahimo, dapat human tanan trabahoon sa balay para
mag-module na mi dayon. (We have a schedule and… we finish all
housework so that we can proceed to the modules quickly.) IDI2 L217-225

A, bahin sa module ug bahin sa buholaton sa balay, naa koy time sa

morning... Ang module is after lunch na siya namo buhaton, and MWF pud
siya. Dili every day mi naga-open para dili pod stress pod sa utok sa bata.
(Ah, in terms of modules and household chores, I have time in the morning…
We do the modules after lunch, and only a Monday-Wednesday-Friday basis.
We don’t the modules every day so that it wouldn’t be stressful for my child,
too.)
IDI3 L217-240
 51

Furthermore, some parents are even very specific about the hours when

they start and end helping their children in their modular activities in certain

regular intervals. Parents allot time definitely to secure the accomplishment of

modules. This strategic measure is performed by parents who participated in the

focus group discussion. On the next page are the responses of the two parents:

…gabii nako siya ginakuan, ginapa-module… gabii. Sa morning, na man god

koy trabaho god, na-naga-duty ko sa [a barangay water facility office] nya,
nay daghang trabahoon sa balay, so gabii nako siya… Mag-start mig 6
o’clock, mahuman mig 9. (…I make her, um, do the modules… at night. In the
morning, I have work. I am on duty in [a barangay water facility office] and,
there are lots of chores at home. So, at night… we start at 6 o’clock and end
at 9.)
Ako, ako lang gina-prepare mabuntag. Pareha gihapon og magskuwela.
Pagmata, mga alas 7, ana, ginapaligo nako daan human mag-breakfast.
Pagkahuman, i-ready na nako ang ilahang, mga module para ready na sila sa
ilahang module… (I, I do preparations every morning just as if they were in
school. When they wake up, around 7, I ask them to take a bath first then
breakfast. After that, I ready their modules so that they will be prepared for
their modules too.) FGD3 L260-270

This resultant sub-theme coincides with the findings of Bhamani et al.

(2020). Caregivers in home learning maintain strict timetables to combat the

issue of the disturbed routines of students (Bhamani et al., 2020). In modular

distance learning, both the parents’ and children’s routines are preserved by dint

of the schedules the parents created. This way, the parents can also discharge

their duties in modular learning to make sure that the children’s activities are

synchronized with the workweek scheme (Lebaste, 2020).

Insights of Parents into the Modular Distance Learning of Children

 52

This last theme centers on the conceptions and realizations of parents

from their experiences in modular distance learning, illustrated in Figure 3. Three

themes emerged, stemming from the aim of obtaining the insights of parents into

modular distance learning from their experiences. These were the development

of parent-child bond, opportunities for relearning, and awareness of the

significance of parents.
 Insights of Parents into the Modular Distance
Learning of Children

Parents' Role in the Education of

Modular Distance Learning Develops Modular Distance Learning is an Children is of High Importance in
Bond of Parents and Children Opportunity for Relearning Modular Distance Learning

Fig.3 Insights of Parents into the Modular Distance Learning of Children

 54

Modular Distance Learning Develops Bond of Parents and Children

Education is not all about curricular requirements. Schools are social

spaces for stakeholders to communicate and be acquainted with each other. In

school, children socialize with their classmates, teachers, and peers, helping

them create relationships as they learn to grow in life. At home, they have more

intimate bonds with the members of the household. On the other hand, parents

also get to know people such as their fellow parents and guardians who they

happen to meet in their children’s school and eventually befriend. Now that the

parents and children are at home together as a result of modular distance

learning, such interactions are magnified in them—developing their relationship

as a family. Parents report how their time in remote education is contributing to

their closeness as parents and children. The quotations below are responses of

in-depth interview participants about this:

A, murag na-close na pod mi. O, nakatabang siya sa among closeness kay…

Naa man… mag- magkinuanay, magpinangutan-anay. “Ma, unsa ni?”… Na-
close man mi… (Er, it’s like, we’ve become closer. Yes, it has helped in our
closeness because… we, um, get to ask each other, “Ma, what’s this?”… We
felt closer.) IDI1 L434-451
A, nagka-close na nuon. Kuan na man, moalalay na pod ug motabang pod sa
unsay mga answeron-on sa module. Murag, nagka-close na. (Er, we became
closer to each other. As I aid and help in answering the modules, we become
closer.) IDI4 L434-447

It can be observed that the statements above are only descriptions of this

development of parent-child bond. The parents were not able to pinpoint what

exactly effects this beneficial aspect of parental involvement in modular distance

learning. A response from a parent in the focus group discussion could shed light
 55

on this. She explained that the increase in the amount of time spent together with

children promotes togetherness. The statement was as follows:

…nagka-bonding mi pirminti s’akong anak tungod anang module… kay, sa

una na nga naa sila sa eskuwelahan, panagsa ra man mi magkita— …buntag
sayo tapos pagka- hapon, pag-uli. Nya, pagkahuman ana, mag-study sila,
nya dula. Pero, karon nga na sa, na sila diri, naga-module, murag… pirminti
na mi naga-bonding…. (We’re always bonding together with my children
because of the modules… since before, when they were in school, we only
see each other less commonly—in the morning and in the afternoon when
they come home. Then, after that, they still study and play. But, now that they
are here, doing modules, it’s like… we’re always bonding…) FGD1 L444-461

The engagement of parents in the modular learning activities and the

greater presence of students at home propel the parent-child relationship as can

be figured out from the above quotations. This furthers Bhamani et al.’s (2020)

emphasis on the collaboration of parents and children in educational tasks

increasing their bonding as much more time is spent together. Social interactions

are scarce in distance learning (Ingirige & Goulding, 2015), but the parent-child

relationship fostered by the modular approach compensates for such

compromise and benefits families in the long run.

Modular Distance Learning is an Opportunity for Relearning

Traces of the old curriculum can still be found in the enhanced basic

education curriculum or the K to 12 system today and in the modularized

curriculum of modular distance learning delivery modality in consequence. This

turns out to be a wonder for parents, for as they look over the modules, study the

lessons for explanation, and discuss with their children, they get to remember the
 56

things they had been taught way back their stage in life as young students.

Regardless of the existing difficulties with module content, parents are relearning

from the lessons which they are already familiar with, adding to their knowledge

in a similar way to their children, the actual students. These are testified by the

responses of parents themselves:

Na, na- na-recall namo among mga… lessons, lessons sa una. Makabalo sad
mig apil. Murag na-recall namo among mga, kuan… mga, mga gi-study-han
sa una. (We got to recall our… lessons, past lessons. We ourselves learn as
well. It’s like, we recalled our… what we have studied in the past.) IDI1 L381-
392
Kanang… matabang sa modular distance learning kay, usa ka ginikanan, kay
murag nibalik ra pod mi og skuwela. Nadugangan among kaalam. (Um…
modular distance learning helps us, as parents, because we seem to have
entered school again. Our knowledge has increased.) IDI2 L341-354

Moreover, modular distance learning serves as a window to the new

generation for parents, who are of the past generation. It is yet another avenue

for adaptation to the novelties of the current education system their children

belong to. As a focus group discussion participant unfolded:

Akoa, murag, makatabang pod sa akoa kay murag ma-refresh pod akoang
utok… kay moapil man tag study sa ilahang module. Na pod tay mahibaw-an
sa, mga… bag-o nga mga kuan karon, sa ilahang generation karon. Ing ana
ra pod. For me, I guess it seems to help me because my mind gets to be
refreshed… as we also join in studying their modules. We also learn about
the… their new generation right now.) FGD3 L382-393

Parents utilize the modular lessons delivered to actively play their role in

facilitating and directing their children in the remote learning method

(Magsambol, 2020), and this translates to them gaining somewhat firsthand

knowledge from the very resources intended for the students. Apart from them

having increased bonding with their children, parents also reap knowledge of the
 57

lessons and subjects their children study. This, in turn, allows them to acclimate

to the new curricula and to the world of their children, the so-called millennials.

Parents' Role in the Education of Children is of High Importance in Modular

Distance Learning

The most essential facet of parents in their lived experiences with modular

distance learning is their apprehension of what the origins of these are—their

raison d’être for their duties in the distance education of children. The parents are

recognizing their essence as guides and teachers. Consciousness of their

purpose is what drives parents to remain strong as the reinforcement of modular

distance learning. These are reflected by the responses of participants in in-

depth interviews as follows:

…Importante namo nga ginikanan ang pagtutok sa among mga anak bilang
usa pod ka maestra/maestro kay wala man ang presence sa ilahang
maestro/maestra. Kami usa ang mag tan-aw sa ilahang mga ginahimo kung
tama ba. (…Our importance as parents is fixating ourselves to our children as
teachers, too, because there is no presence of their teacher. For now, we are
the ones who look at what they are doing, whether it’s right or wrong.)
IDI2 L409-427
Kaming mga ginikanan gyod ang maggiya… Kami ang nahimong mga
maestro/maestra tungod aning modular distance learning, kay… wa man poy
lain. (We parents are the ones who guide… We turned into teachers because
of this modular distance learning… There’s no one else, anyway.)
IDI5 L409-422

One can deduce from the above statements that parents value their role

and involvement in modular distance. Nobody else could fulfill such

responsibilities than the parents, or the ones in custody of the children for that
 58

matter. The guidance they provide is unlike any other, and the children rely on it.

A focus group discussion participant parent imparted this message:

Para s’akoa, importante jud kay ming mga ginikanan para maggiya sa ilaha…
kay kung wala god tang mga ginikanan, dili gyod na sila mobuhat og dili bitaw
nimo sila ingnon. Kinahanglan, naa gyod ka sa ilaha gagiya pirminti.
Importante gyod ta. (For me, we parents are highly important in guiding
them… because without us parents, they would not act if we would not tell
them. You need to be by their side guiding them always. We really are
significant.)

Many writings highlighted the role of parents in modular distance learning

(Fernando, 2020; Lebaste, 2020; Magsambol, 2020), and the responses

garnered in the present study represent the invaluable awareness of parents of

their said role. Parents are destined to guide their children (Fernando, 2020) in

education, and they are embracing their significance in the distance learning

delivery modality. Parents in the modular approach to remote education act as

the students’ models (Lebaste, 2020) by having become the teachers

themselves.
59
 CHAPTER 4

Implications and Future Discussions

This chapter contains key takeaways from the entire course of this study.

It gives way for the recapitulation of the research objectives, methodology, and

results of the study. Also, the future directions for this research are foregrounded

in this section.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the landscape of the academic field,

and this gave birth to various learning modalities for the continuation of students’

education, including the modular approach to remote learning that involved

parents to a whole new level. This research study is a deeper exploration chiefly

of the challenges of modular distance learning students in the new normal. It lays

the foundation for understanding the struggles and difficulties parents come

across in their endeavor to foster the education of their children through modular

distance learning behind the greater ordeal of the ongoing global health crisis.

Apart from the challenges, this study also discovers parents’ existing coping

strategies and insights from modular distance learning.

To collect research data, a phenomenological design was adopted in line

with the qualitative nature of the study. In-depth interviews and a focus group

discussion were conducted to elicit responses from selected parents of students

in modular distance learning. A semi-structured interview guide was designed

which was then validated by a professional. This study adhered to research

 61

ethics by means of free prior informed consent and recognition of the principles

such as voluntary participation, human subject protection, legality, confidentiality,

and anonymity. The study is trustworthy as credibility, dependability,

transferability, and confirmability were expounded and kept in mind.

Succeeding the in-depth interview and focus group discussion, recordings

acquired were transcribed and interpreted using thematic analysis. Patterns were

identified, and themes were created and related to the body of literature reviewed

in this study.

Below are the outcomes of the thematic analysis:

Theme 1: Data mainly included the accounts of parents about the different

hardships encompassed by their children’s modular distance learning. Their

challenging encounters were relative to the deficient elements of the modular

approach itself, the state of their children, and even their daily living as parents.

These challenges were classified into the three categories of shortcomings of

module content, concerns over children’s learning experience, and interruption of

activities.

Theme 2: This theme was generated after attaining the second research

objective about the identification of the coping mechanisms of parents of modular

distance learning students on their encountered challenges. It has been found

that parents are already taking concrete actions to solve their problems, and

these were detailed in the overall thematic categories for this theme, which are

sources of help, motivational approaches, and time management through

schedules.
 62

Theme 3: The remaining objective also resulted to three themes of the

insights of parents from their experiences in modular distance learning. The three

are about modular distance learning for the development of parent-child bond,

modular distance learning as an opportunity for relearning, and the high

importance of the role of parents in education.

Implications

This study yielded the following implications coming from the results:

Theme 1: Modular distance learning is vital to education in the new

normal. Unfortunately, it poses problems to the students’ parents who have no

option but to thrive in their children’s environment uncontrollable for them.

Modules are flawed as these learning materials fail to possess ideally educative

properties, making it difficult for parents to use them as references for guiding

their children while at the same time giving them concerns over the education the

students receive from this distance learning delivery modality. Roles parents

have been shouldering in modular learning are also disruptive to the point that

their normal activities are interrupted even further. Parents underscored these in

hopes of getting attention and having them addressed for good.

Theme 2: In spite of modular distance learning being unprecedented and

unprepared for, parents have been able to stick to courses of action which can

be capitalized on to effectively minimize the difficulty they experience. Although

modules are meant to stand alone, technology enables parents to search for
 63

supporting information on the Internet and using educational applications as well

as contacting teachers and relatives who are big sources of help especially

during this pandemic limiting physical interaction. The weaknesses of the

modularized curriculum part of the greater whole—the K to 12 program—have

been noted and proved to be detrimental to modular distance learning, with

positive thinking being the mere coping mechanism of parents for these.

Schedules initiated by parents are delineated, which can be more operational if

timeframes set by schools are adjustable.

Theme 3: Notwithstanding the negative side of modular distance learning,

parents have made notable realizations that alleviated the negativity and opened

doors for them to reflect on their experiences. The relationship between students

and parents have been strengthened as the they go through the modular

distance learning together. By being directly involved in students’ learning,

parents get the chance to refresh their memory and recall past learnings from the

lessons of their children. Most importantly, it is good news that they are well-

aware of their significance in the education of children in this tough situation.

Future Directions

Enlightened by the results of the study and the implications, we

researchers personally believe that the following are the optimum future

directions:
 64

First of all, parents of modular distance learning students are empowered

to do justice to the issues and concerns circulating around them. This study could

spark interest among parents in comparing and contrasting the problems they

have confronted, solved, and their perceptions of modular distance learning—all

examined in this research, being the fruit of their experiences—as they

understand and empathize each other. Parents could collaborate to push the

issues of the distance learning modality forward and devise better strategies.

Furthermore, parents should be able to elaborate their lived experiences with

their children in modular distance learning with the outcomes of this study as a

reference point.

Next, the Department of Education should be proactive and reactive to the

adverse effects caused by the distance learning delivery modalities, including

modular distance learning, and eliminate defects hampering the parents. The

curricula of the K to 12 educational system and the modular approach must be

reworked and revised to align with the comprehension of not only the students

but also the parents. It must be central to the aims of DepEd to amend the

impacts of the form of remote education they have implemented as the status of

education in the nation during this crisis in general is the obligation of the

institution.

Lastly, future researchers must investigate further into the matter of the

lived experiences of parents of modular distance learning students while

providing scientific bases and frameworks for the notions advanced in this study

to nurture the body of knowledge brought to existence. Experts in the discipline

 65

of pedagogy should be the leading forces for research on the dimensions of

modular distance learning in the new normal and widening the scope of studies

about its highs and lows from the perspectives of parents in contextualized

settings. This paper as part of literature could support their prospective findings

and harmonize research.

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