CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS CONTEXT

1.1 Background of the Study

The need to update and train our educator workforce existed long

ahead of the novel coronavirus. In 2019, the World Economic Forum

estimated that the effects of automation, shifts to virtual work, and advances

in technology would require more than half of all employees to be up skilled or

reskilled by 2022. Work-from-home and social distancing requirements have

simply accelerated these needs. Formerly ‘nice-to-have’ skills in digital

integration became ‘must-haves,’ traditional classroom management and

instructional design methods no longer applied, and everyone was required to

embrace a high level of comfort with ambiguity as guidelines and expectations

shifted on a weekly basis. And as a new school year approaches and the

global pandemic remains, educators are bracing for these abrupt and

temporary changes to take root. In a nutshell, the Department of Education’s

goal is the realization of up skilling and reskilling of teachers and school

teachers that will result in better outcomes.

It is said that, Instructional Leadership skills and effective teaching are

directly related to the success of the students in a classroom setting and in

any governing institution. The role of an Instructional Leader goes beyond the

four walls an office or classroom. They advocate for effective classroom

management and teaching by means of providing support for teachers.

 Instructional leadership strives for the continuous improvement of the

teaching-learning process and applies appropriate management practices that

support strategies to help divisions, districts, schools, and all other learning

centers for the continuous improvement of the teaching-learning process. Its

mentors and coach colleagues in adapting relevant instructional leadership

support strategies to address the harmonized needs of clusters of

division/district/schools and learning centers.

Educational leadership scholars have asserted that broader

community, school, and organizational contexts can influence and define

principals’ leadership practices (Diamond & Spillane, 2016). How principals

work in the context of rural schools is critical to understanding how principals

interpret and enact instructional leadership to meet the diverse needs of their

rural community stakeholders (Preston, Jakubiec, & Kooymans, 2014; Tuters,

2015). Previous researches has investigated and discussed how principals

working in rural, urban, and suburban settings encounter contextually relevant

challenges and respond in different ways to meet the instructional leadership

needs of their schools and communities. Principals’ work in rural schools is

conducted within tight social communities that require them to fulfill multiple

roles and unique responsibilities that encompass the school and the

community (Preston et al., 2014). Rural communities’ expectations of rural

school leaders are very high and require a principal who is willing to engage

with all stakeholders to help lead the school community. Due to these

contextual attributes, rural school principal leadership is a unique challenge

for all principals and can be especially challenging for novice principals

(Spillane & Lee, 2014).

 Novice principal leadership experiences are often described as

overwhelming, pressure-filled induction “reality shocks” (Spillane & Lee, 2014,

p. 434). Compared to their professional training, the majority of novice

principals see their most important learning as occurring via trial and error and

through reflection on professional experiences and lessons learned while in

the principal position. Novice principals face many management and

leadership challenges as they navigate in their new leadership role, such as

time management, lack of policy knowledge, timely completion of paperwork,

curriculum knowledge, and budget management (Lee, 2015). Chalker (2019)

and colleagues provided an insightful text on effective principal leadership in

rural schools. Strategies were documented to assist experienced and

developing rural principals “cope” with challenges and expectations brought

upon by the broader community, parents, and school boards. Among these

strategies are focusing on people and relationships, sincerity, sequential

progress, and hard work and resilience.

In consideration of the varieties of local contexts and characteristics

that comprise rural settings and communities, the study is situated within the

most recent studies on contextually relevant rural instructional leadership that

have been completed in both international and U.S. settings. The most recent

research on novice rural principals’ instructional leadership has primarily

investigated principals’ experiences and challenges within or across

international locations (Northfield, 2018). In the United States, there has been

a greater research focus on novice principals who work in U.S. urban schools

(e.g., Spillane & Lee, 2014) with a comparatively lower number of studies that

have investigated novice rural principals’ instructional leadership knowledge

and development over the last 30 years. Additional research is needed on

novice rural principals and their instructional leadership experiences and

challenges in consideration of evolving challenges brought upon by

community, policy, and economic demands in rural areas within the United

States (Brenner, Elder, Wimbish, & Walker, 2015; Parson, Hunter, & Kellio,

2016; Preston & Barnes, 2017).

In response to this gap in the novice rural school principal leadership

literature, the study was to understand how novice rural principals thought

about and described their emerging and contextually responsive instructional

leadership practices. Building on previous research on rural communities,

rural leadership, and novice rural principals’ instructional leadership

experiences, the study wanted to know how a small sample of novice rural

principals interpreted their own instructional leadership to respond to

contextually relevant challenges within their contemporary rural school

communities. It is to investigate the early career experiences of six rural

novice public school principals in a midwestern state within the first three

years of their tenure as head principal.

1.2 Problem Statement

1. What are the management practices of Instructional Leaders’ under the

new normal in the following competency strands:

a. assessment for learning;

b. developing programs & or adapting existing programs;

c. implementing programs for instructional improvement; and

 d. Instructional supervision?

2. What is the relevance of the management practices prior and during

pandemic?

3. What is the effectiveness of the management practices in the new

normal?

4. What is the assessment on the realization of the DepEd’s upskilling

and reskilling of teachers and school teachers that will result in better

teaching outcomes?

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The research paper seeks to achieve its general objective of

determining the management practices of Instructional Leaders under the new

normal in the Division of Santiago, School year 2020-2021by focusing on the

following specific objectives:

1. To determine the Instructional Leaders’ management practices under

the new normal in the following competency strands:

a. assessment for learning;

b. developing programs & or adapting existing programs;

c. implementing programs for instructional improvement; and

d. Instructional supervision?

2. To determine the relevance of the management practices prior and

during pandemic.

3. To determine the effectiveness of the management practices in the

new normal.
 4. To assess the realization of the DepEd’s upskilling and reskilling of

teachers and school teachers that will result in better teaching

outcomes.

1.4 Significance of the Study

The findings of the study will be beneficial to the following:

Government Leaders and Policy Makers – our national leaders and policy

makers will benefit from this study because they be guided as to what

challenges the policy makers in the Division Level of the DepEd offices are

experiencing and could lead for them to make programs that could help them

be more effective in the new normal in our education system because of the

current pandemic. They will be more knowledgeable on how these pandemic

has affected the New Normal Education system brought about by the

pandemic and could lead to adjustments to the system keeping in mind the

repercussions caused by the current situation with primary concerns on the

health and safety of both the educators and learners.

Students and Teachers. For Students currently studying under the new

normal educational modality it would make them better understanding how

these pandemic not only affects their learning but also how their teachers and

administrators have adjusted to these changes and must try to be more

understanding of the situation. The benefits that the teachers will gain from

the study is that management practices by their division offices will be easily

understood and compromises could be made for them to have better

cooperation between the two divisions of the educational system.

Stakeholders and Society. This study will also benefit the Public as it

informs them of the specific details that has affected the new normal
modalities in the educational system of our country and could make

adjustments especially to the parents that are concerned about the education

of their children.

1.5 Scope and Limitations

This study will determine the management practices will be beneficial

to the instructional leaders of the Division of Santiago City. This study will

cover the management practices from school year 2020-2021 to school year

2021-2022.

1.6 Definition of Terms

To be clear about the usage of terms, the following definitions are

used:

Management Practices – are the working methods and innovations that

managers use to make the organization or institution more efficient.

Department of Education – government agency of the Philippines tasked for

the educational programs of the country.

New Normal Education Learning Continuity Plan – aims to ensure the

safety of students, teachers and staff. It also intends to give quality distance

learning by using self-learning modules. These can also accessed through

digital forms, radio, TV and Online platforms.

 CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Review of Related Literature

This Chapter presents the various literatures and materials that were

reviewed pertaining the subject matter of the Study. They are arranged

thematically: Section (A) covers review of Philippine Insurgency Problem;

Section (B) covers review of Counterinsurgency Programs and Projects in

Southeast Asia and Nepal; and Section (C) covers Counterinsurgency efforts

in the Philippines. Towards the end of this Chapter, a Synthesis is presented.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges

economically, socially, and politically across the globe. More than just a health

crisis, it has resulted in an educational crisis. During lockdowns and

quarantines, 87% of the world’s student population was affected and 1.52

billion learners were out of school and related educational institutions

(UNESCO Learning Portal, 2020). The suddenness, uncertainty, and volatility

of COVID-19 left the education system in a rush of addressing the changing

learning landscape. The disruption of COVID-19 in the educational system is

of great magnitude that universities have to cope with at the soonest possible

time. The call is for higher education institutions to develop a resilient learning

system using evidence-based and needs-based information so that

responsive and proactive measures can be instituted. Coping with the effects

of COVID-19 in higher education institutions demands a variety of

perspectives among stakeholders. Consultation needs to include the

administration who supports the teaching-learning processes, the students

who are the core of the system, the faculty members or teachers who perform

various academic roles, parents, and guardians who share the responsibility

of learning continuity, the community, and the external partners who

contribute to the completion of the educational requirements of the students.

These complicated identities show that an institution of higher learning has a

large number of stakeholders (Illanes et al., 2020; Smalley, 2020). In the

context of the pandemic, universities have to start understanding and

identifying medium-term and long-term implications of this phenomenon on

teaching, learning, student experience, infrastructure, operation, and staff.

Scenario analysis and understanding of the context of each university are

necessary to the current challenges they are confronted with (Frankki et al.,

2020). Universities have to be resilient in times of crisis. Resiliency in the

educational system is the ability to overcome challenges of all kinds–trauma,

tragedy, crises, and bounce back stronger, wiser, and more personally

powerful (Henderson, 2012). The educational system must prepare to develop

plans to move forward and address the new normal after the crisis. To be

resilient, higher education needs to address teaching and learning continuity

amid and beyond the pandemic.

The teaching and learning process assumes a different shape in times

of crisis. When disasters and crises (man-made and natural) occur, schools

and colleges need to be resilient and find new ways to continue the teaching–

learning activities (Chang-Richards et al., 2013). One emerging reality as a

result of the world health crisis is the migration to online learning modalities to

mitigate the risk of face-to-face interaction. Universities are forced to migrate

from face-to-face delivery to online modality as a result of the pandemic. In

the Philippines, most universities including Cebu Normal University have

resorted to online learning during school lockdowns. However, this sudden

shift has resulted in problems especially for learners without access to

technology. When online learning modality is used as a result of the

pandemic, the gap between those who have connectivity and those without

widened. The continuing academic engagement has been a challenge for

teachers and students due to access and internet connectivity.

Considering the limitation on connectivity, the concept of flexible

learning emerged as an option for online learning especially in higher

institutions in the Philippines. Flexible learning focuses on giving students

choice in the pace, place, and mode of students’ learning which can be

promoted through appropriate pedagogical practice (Gordon, 2014). The

learners are provided with the option on how he/she will continue with his/her

studies, where and when he/she can proceed, and in what ways can the

learners comply with the requirements and show evidences of learning

outcomes. Flexible learning and teaching span a multitude of approaches that

can meet the varied needs of diverse learners. These include “independence

in terms of time and location of learning, and the availability of some degree of

choice in the curriculum (including content, learning strategies, and

assessment) and the use of contemporary information and communication

technologies to support a range of learning strategies” (Alexander, 2010).

One key component in migrating to flexible modality is to consider how

flexibility is integrated into the key dimensions of teaching and learning. One

major consideration is leveraging flexibility in the curriculum. The curriculum

encompasses the recommended, written, taught or implemented, assessed,

and learned curriculum. Curriculum pertains to the curricular programs, the

teaching, and learning design, learning resources as assessment, and

teaching and learning environment.

Adjustment on the types of assessment measures is a major factor

amid the pandemic. There is a need to limit requirements and focus on the

major essential projects that measure the enduring learning outcomes like

case scenarios, problem-based activities, and capstone projects. Authentic

assessments have to be intensified to ensure that competencies are acquired

by the learners. In the process of modifying the curriculum amid the

pandemic, it must be remembered that initiatives and evaluation tasks must

be anchored on what the learners need including their safety and well-being.

Curriculum recalibration is not just about the content of what is to be

learned and taught but how it is to be learned, taught, and assessed in the

context of the challenges brought about by the pandemic. A flexible

curriculum design should be learner centered; take into account the

demographic profile and circumstances of learners–such as access to

technology, technological literacies, different learning styles and capabilities,

different knowledge backgrounds and experiences - and ensure varied and

flexible forms of assessment (Ryan and Tilbury, 2013; Gachago et al., 2018).

The challenge during the pandemic is how to create a balance between

relevant basic competencies for the students to acquire and the teachers’

desire to achieve the intended outcomes of the curriculum.

The learners’ engagement in the teaching-learning process needs to

be taken into consideration in the context of flexibility. This is about the design

and development of productive learning experiences so that each learner is

exposed to most of the learning opportunities. Considering that face-to-face

modality is not feasible during the pandemic, teachers may consider flexible

distant learning options like correspondence teaching, module based learning,

project-based, and television broadcast. For learners with internet

connectivity, computer-assisted instruction, synchronous online learning,

asynchronous online learning, collaborative e-learning may be considered.

Technology provides innovative and resilient solutions in times of crisis

to combat disruption and helps people to communicate and even work

virtually without the need for face-to-face interaction. This leads to many

system changes in organizations as they adopt new technology for interacting

and working (Mark and Semaan, 2008). However, technological challenges

like internet connectivity especially for places without signals can be the

greatest obstacle in teaching and learning continuity especially for academic

institutions who have opted for online learning as a teaching modality. Thus,

the alternative models of learning during the pandemic should be supported

by a well-designed technical and logistical implementation plan (Edizon,

2020).

The nationwide closure of educational institutions in an attempt to

contain the spread of the virus has impacted 90% of the world’s student

population (UNESCO, 2020).

It is the intent of this study to look into the challenges in teaching and

learning continuity amidst the pandemic. The need to mitigate the immediate

impact of school closures on the continuity of learning among learners from

their perspectives is an important consideration (Edizon, 2020; Hijazi, 2020;

UNESCO, 2020).
 Moreover, the teachers’ perspectives are equally as important as the

learners since they are the ones providing and sustaining the learning

process. Teachers should effectively approach these current challenges to

facilitate learning among learners, learner differentiation, and learner-

centeredness and be ready to assume the role of facilitators on the remote

learning platforms (Chi-Kin Lee, 2020; Edizon, 2020; Hijazi, 2020).

The Philippine Department of Education (2020) also acknowledged the

important position of the school principals in the continuity of education amid

the COVID-19 crisis. It asserted its obligation to giving professional

development to school principals. The school principals were trained to carry

out the adoption of an array of learning delivery prototypes based on their

preparedness, resources, and plans. They were given an opportunity to be

familiar with the range of learning delivery prototypes they can employ

depending on the capacity and situation of the community they are located.

They were capacitated to lead the continuity of education amid the crisis.

However, despite such efforts to assist school principals lead education

during difficult times, educational leadership at present is fraught with many

challenges. School principals often encounter problems such as budget

shortage and social divides (Kruse et al., 2020) to which they may not

necessarily know the best solution. As Harris (2020) said, there is no neat

guidebook for educational leadership in such difficult times. The educational

leadership practices based on lived experience in the context of crisis is an

unexplored territory that needs to be written as a part of the present history.

 Euber (2020) expressed that, through research in the form of written

reports and oral histories, scholars especially in higher education are trying to

record the lived experience of people to understand the COVID-19 crisis. He

noted, however, that in overly disruptive moments like the current global

crisis, it is difficult to draw research through the lived experience. With that

challenge, The Lancet (2020) stressed that sustainable research must be

encouraged because they are important, not only to the victory of COVID-19

solutions but also to the conditions of all communities globally.

The lived experience of students, teachers, and parents amid the

COVID-19 crisis have been attempted to be recorded by some scholars (e.g.

see Cahapay, 2020; Henaku, 2020; Rahiem, 2020; Joshi et al., 2020;

Karakaya et al., 2020; Said et al., 2020; Cahapay, 2021). A few conceptual

papers have also been written by other scholars from the perspective of the

school principals and their educational leadership practices (Kaul et al., 2020;

Kruse et al., 2020; Marshall et al., 2020). Studies closely exploring the lived

experience of the school principals and their practices amid a virulent crisis,

however, are rarely represented in the current body of research.

Accounting for the lived experience of the school principals amid the

current crisis is a significant scholarly task in completely understanding the

essence of educational leadership practices in these disruptive moments. It

will offer theoretical and practical insights for possible attention in the

expansion of the field of educational leadership in times of crisis. Considering

these circumstances, this paper is designed as phenomenological research

that aims to uncover the essence of educational leadership practices of

school principals in the context of the present COVID-19 situation.

 The term “new normal” is not actually new since it was used even after

the World War II. As mentioned in a study, leadership in the new normal is a

leadership in which the author traces good to great leadership attributes in

such forefathers as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and by doing

so he really describes the nature of leadership itself. Lieutenant General

Honoré, USA (Ret.), postulates that we won our freedom because of

leadership during the critical times in our history, such as Valley Forge and

the Civil War, and leadership will continue to help us as we transition to the

next “new normal” period. Thus, a new normal leader is good leader who

learn to do the routine things well, good leaders are not afraid to act even

when criticized, and good leaders are not afraid to take on the impossible.

In another study, it was noted that a new normal leadership happen

since schools are experiencing tough times with even tougher demands for

accountability with limited financial resources. Solving this dilemma calls for

working together in a collaborative manner to develop cost-effective solutions.

With the new normal now being the standard, it is critical that school

leadership becomes connective in nature rather than practiced in an

educational vacuum. The New Normal is a term coined by William H. Gross in

March 2009. The impetus is on the changing economic landscape, not only

now but in the future. Shifting from one economic and social order to another

is a phenomenon which involves less household debt, higher personal

savings, and lower rates of consumption. With a dismal budget outlook, the

new normal is causing much concern as it spreads a ripple effect in our

economy. Differing fiscal constraints placed on every aspect of American

society portray this new economic schematic.

 New normal as a reality and certainty by which everyone seeking to

improve education must accept. Doing more with less has become the

scenario for achieving better academic outcomes for all students. A bright

revenue forecast in education is not likely anytime soon. For the next several

years, preschool, K-12, and postsecondary educators are projected to face

the challenge of stretching resources in creative ways as never before

witnessed. Thus, new normal leadership was also coined as the new standard

in implementing K-12 program since 2009 in America, and 2012 in the

Philippines.

However, the year 2020 has brought another concept of new normal

since the COVID-19 pandemic has affected globally in terms of the economy,

and education. It is a battle at which people are being stretched to adjust to a

situation where education and money are at stake. Hence, New Normal in

Education is defined as a shift of learning space from public space to personal

space, shift of delivery (i.e. teaching) methods from one size fits to all to

individualized and differentiated learning, shift of responsibility in the teaching

and learning process where there is an active participation of household

members, and shift in learning evaluations. The main aim of this paper was to

investigate the emergence of a situational leadership during COVID-19

pandemic called New Normal Leadership in the Province of Bulacan during

the academic year 2020-2021.

It becomes clearer that what is needed during these pandemic

situations of extreme change is an emphasis on identification with the leader

in building trust where subordinates balance respect for hierarchy with

adapting to a disaster requiring collaboration, hereby emphasizing

responsiveness to the leader’s direction. A caveat is that change acceptance

can be low because leaders tend to underestimate the importance of people’s

emotional experiences as leaders often operate from implicit mental models

that emphasize focus on the organizational aspects and the rational and

logical activities of change, without dealing with the emotions unfolding

around them on an individual level.

A recent study defined new normal leadership in terms of a focus on

people, human resources, mentoring, learning, healing emotions; a leader

who is a facilitator, never top down, conscious of leadership development; a

healthy working environment, respect, exchange of ideas, a creative class;

trust through sharing, teams, embracing equality, diversity, slack, tolerance;

vision, and commitment to the vision, through talent, technology, storytelling;

and a dynamic interplay between all stakeholders, employees, customers,

investors, shareholders.

With more than 5 million people sick and 300 thousand dead, the

global economy has experienced an economic shock more severe than the

financial crisis of 2008. The sudden emergence of COVID-19 as a global

threat came at a time when a significant percentage of businesses are divided

in their degree of digital maturity. The pandemic forced organizations to make

digitalization and digital transformation a rapid strategic focus. One of the

most important aspects of this transformation has been providing remote

infrastructure that can support an entirely digital workforce. Besides this

urgent need of digital technology, the situation has resulted in a need of

leaders who might need very different competencies and behaviours than

leaders needed a couple of years ago. The lack of literature on digital

leadership in crisis and empirical research describing the impact of digital

transformation on leadership called the authors for further exploration. Thus, it

was investigated the adaptation of managers to the rapid digitalization of their

day to day assignments caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 as it was

believed that a new normal leader is or challenged to adjust towards

becoming a digital leader.

It is without a doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has surprised the

world in numerous ways. The society has faced drastic shifts in its usual way

of life even in the simplest form: social distancing, mask wearing, frequent

hand washing, among others. The race towards the development of COVID-

19 vaccine may be underway, and as of press time, people are still banking

on what has been known in the past, and what are currently experiencing in

the present in visualizing the “new normal”. The pandemic’s significance

remains undefined, as “new normal” surfaces and starts to transpose ways

and processes that people previously held. Hence, the need for

transformational leadership style among school principals are needed.

What’s new in the “new normal”? What made us dub it as “new”? The

current health crisis brings effects that are “beyond measures”. Since the

advent of the pandemic, education institutions around the world have been

aggressive in response to the challenges of home quarantine, infrastructure

limitations for learning, and even internet connectivity. As schools close, virus

spread could be reduced, along with surge of new cases. Embracing digital

technology in relation to teaching and learning has been the talk of the town in

the early months of 2020. Schools are expected to offer provision so it

becomes central to “development, learning, and achievement of the children

and youth for whom they are responsible”.

Whether offered as a temporary or permanent solution, virtual learning

is now posed as a solution so teaching and learning will still pursue amidst

lockdown and restricted physical interaction. It is also crucial to note how

some institutions have struggled and faced resistance from students,

teachers, parents and other stakeholders as new forms of teaching and

learning are introduced. The success of organization initiatives can be greatly

attributed to leadership mind-set that create, implement, enhance, and

strengthen proactive notions in relation to our experiences before, during and

even after the pandemic. A scholar postulates, “crises are poignant

reminders” of the significance of critical leadership role in strengthening

communities in the midst of the challenge.

This concept of New Normal Leadership during this pandemic was first

coined by the same author of this study in the Province of Bulacan,

Philippines. After extracting such concept, the research purports to get

quantitative data using a scale at which other researchers can also utilized for

their future studies.

Rural communities are unique school-community contexts that are

characterized by a strong “sense of place”. A sense of place within rural

settings has been more specifically described as “the central cohesion point of

a life interconnected with other beings”. Highlighting how a rural sense of

place connects to school leadership, Budge (2016) conducted a case study of

11 rural school and community leaders to understand how rural contexts

influence principals’ perspectives of their communities and schools. She

advocated for principals to enact a leadership and pedagogy that reflected a

“critical leadership of place” and encouraged school leaders to understand

and accept that schools function as an indicator of the welfare of the broader

rural community. Described in terms of pedagogy and leadership philosophy,

critical leadership of place requires school leaders to enable all community

stakeholders to “cherish and celebrate local values, histories, culture, and the

ecology of place they inhabit [and simultaneously] confront the social, political,

economic, and environmental problems in their communities” (p. 81).

Residents in rural areas value the bonds created through personal, social

connectedness that is also reflected in the small, positive school cultures in

rural schools. Rural school communities are characterized by feelings of

family bonds, “peace, safety, and caring” that permeate throughout the

community. Rural communities also face challenges, such as changing

demographics, poverty, economic changes and strain, educational

accountability, school consolidation, and younger citizens’ population shifts to

more urban and suburban areas (Tuters, 2015). Previous research and

broader narratives in society have also mischaracterized rural school

communities as homogeneous, lacking in diversity, culturally banal, and as “a

problem to overcome rather than a setting to understand” (Tuters, 2015).

Indeed, rural communities have complex identities and unique needs that

contribute to the broader discussions of diversity, inclusion, economic

development, and community engagement (Tuters, 2015).

Salient to rural public schooling, how principals approach their school

leadership in the context of demanding, changeable, and variable

communities is an understudied area of educational leadership research

(Hallinger, 2016). Contextually responsive leadership is not only shaped by

the characteristics and culture of a particularly rural sense of place, but also

the particular issues and challenges that are present in the community, school

systems, and the political environment (Hallinger, 2016).

Contextually responsive leadership in rural schools. Educational

leadership research has identified evidence of the contextual influence on

principals’ perceptions and practices of instructional leadership (Hallinger,

2016; Wieczorek, 2017). Principals’ leadership practices have been

positioned as “situational,” meaning that their leadership is defined by “the

organizational structures that shape their interactions, and the cultural context

in which they are embedded” (Diamond & Spillane, 2016, p. 148). Previous

research has established that contexts of school leadership include

geographic location, demographics, socioeconomic status, policy

environment, and the culture of local and surrounding communities (Diamond

& Spillane, 2016; Hallinger, 2016). A recent review of the impacts of context

on leadership demonstrates that community contexts of leadership vary for

school leaders “with respect to needs, opportunities, resources and

constraints they present to school leaders” (Hallinger, 2016, p. 7). The school

principal is a critical, visible presence who is tasked with responding to the

school’s and community’s needs.

Rural schools and their principals are subject to similar environmental

influences and challenges as compared to their suburban and urban school

counterparts, such as educational policies, accountability, financial

constraints, poverty, and community engagement (Preston & Barnes, 2017).

However, research on rural communities and the contemporary rural

principalship has demonstrated principals’ distinctive responses to unique

types of rural school needs that are conflated with these broader external

influences, such as geographic isolation, teacher recruitment and retention

(Brenner et al., 2015), district consolidation, low levels of academic

expectations and motivation, and lower levels of staff ed teaching and

administrative positions and organizational capacity (Parson, Hunter, & Kallio,

2016). Recent research studies highlight contextually responsive rural school

leadership that address some of these issues. For example, in their case

study of Principal Cummings, Klar and Brewer (2014) highlighted Mr.

Cummings’ strategy to build community among a geographically dispersed

school population where some students traveled 20 miles to attend school. He

emphasized parental and community involvement and provided more

convenient times for parents to attend school functions during all times of the

year that were advertised well in advance. He also solicited support from local

organizations and companies to support a longstanding summer reading

program. Brenner et al. (2015) described how 10 middle school principals in

Mississippi perceived alternative teacher training pathways designed to fill

vacancies and supply rural schools with new, high quality teachers. Despite

their optimism to hire teachers with more content knowledge and professional

experience, they were concerned that the program needed intense site based

mentoring and development for new teachers. Over the longer term they

believed that it could be difficult for schools to meet new teachers’ needs

because of a lack of master teacher mentors. These examples highlight how

the rural principal is a prominent citizen, member, and position of the

community at large and serves as a crucial problem solver who bridges the

concerns and priorities of the school, community, and state policymakers.

2.2 Synthesis and Gaps

The review of the various literatures on the adjustment of the

educational system of different countries and experiences of rural school

principals and division office administrators helped the researcher develop a

more oriented research problem to focus their study and develop a needed

structure for the data to be gathered to answer these problems.

Although most of the experiences from the cited studies are relevant to

the study consideration must be made in connection with the health concerns

and problems that the current COVID-19 Pandemic has added to the

challenges that the Division Office administrators must face.

 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research Design

A quantitative approach method of research specifically descriptive

cross-sectional survey will be utilized for this study. Cross-sectional studies

are observational in nature and are known as descriptive research, not causal

or relational, meaning that you can't use them to determine the cause of

something, such as a disease. Researchers record the information that is

present in a population, but they do not manipulate variables (Cherry, 2015).

This method is appropriate because of the researchers objective to

assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of the respondents and it will be

correlated to their profile variables.

According to Santiago (2008), descriptive research concerns the

present situation, the prevailing conditions, and current practices,

contemporary events the characteristics of groups of individuals, their

behavioral patterns, attitudes or opinions. Since the design deals with what

information is to be gathered, data becomes easy. Data collected through this

research method may result in a proposed program of development for better

improvement on the main subject matter of the study. Descriptive method may

also be defined as a purposive process of gathering, analyzing and

classifying, and tabulating data about prevailing conditions, beliefs, process,

trends, and cause-effect relationship and then making adequate and accurate

interpretation about such data with or without the aid of statistical method.

3.2 Locale of the Study

The study would be conducted at the DepEd Division Office of

Santiago City, Province of Isabela, located at Provincial Road, Calaocan, of

the said City.

3.3 Sampling Design

The study will adopt total enumeration of the following respondents:

1. Office Administrators of DepEd Division Office Santiago City

2. Principals and Staff of Schools affiliated with the DepEd Division

Office of Santiago City.

3. Head Teachers under the jurisdiction of the DepEd Division Office

of Santiago City.

3.4 Data Collection Procedures

This proposed study will use the Triangulation Method of research,

utilizing the following data gathering procedures:

1. Survey Research. In survey research design, participants answer

questions administered through interviews or questionnaires. After the

participants answered the questions, researchers described the responses

given. In order for the survey to be both reliable and valid, the researchers

made sure that the questions are clear and are easy to comprehend;

2. Literature Survey and Content Analysis of Secondary Data. Library

Research employing content analysis of secondary data. Secondary data

 are culled from reports, documents and other records related to Role of the

Armed Forces of the Philippines Reserve Force in National Resiliency;

3. Key informants/ Semi-structured Interviews: the gathered information

through library research are then confirmed or validated via informal

interviews of pre-selected key informants, the individuals or groups which

have direct experience on the workings of the system being studied.

Interviews were partially structured by a written guide to ensure that they

are focused on the issue at hand, but stayed conversational enough to

allow participants to articulate and discuss aspects that they consider to be

relevant to governance needs, demands and resources. The informal

interviews are done in the workplaces of the aforementioned key informants

interviewed for the study.

3.5 Research Instrument

The primary instrument to be used in the data collection will be a

survey questionnaire that will be developed by the researcher. The first part of

the questionnaire will be for the demographic profile of the respondents to be

able to understand the make up of the sample population. The second part of

the questionnaire will focus on the perception of the respondents in relation to

assessment for learning; developing programs & or adapting existing

programs; implementing programs for instructional improvement; and

Instructional supervision
3.6 Data Analysis

Descriptive statistics of mean scores and standard deviation will be

employed on the management practices towards the new normal education

modalities. T-Test will be applied to measure the difference and relationship

management practices towards new normal education modalities as to the

respondents profile.

The researcher used statistical measures to properly conduct a

scientific presentation, analysis and interpretation of data gathered frequency

and percentage count will be used. Weighed mean will also be used to

determine the quantitative analysis that will be used for the qualitative

description for analysis of the results.

As to evaluate the management practice on the new normal education

modalities of the respondents and their perception will be subjected to the

Five point Likert Scale. Some of the choices are in multiple choice form and

some are answerable by either Yes or No.

Statistical Tools

The researcher will use statistical measures to properly conduct a

scientific presentation, analysis and interpretation of the data gathered

frequency and percentage count will be used.

 Stated below is the formula for frequency and percentage count:

P=_______________ * 100

Where:

P = Percentage

F = Frequency

N = Total number of respondents

100 = Constant for percentage

As to evaluate the management practices of the respondents and their

perception was subjected to the Five-point Likert Scale. The points, range and

descriptive (qualitative) interpretation used in this study were as follows:

POINTS RANGE Interpretation

5 4.21-5.0 Always

4 3.41-4.20 Often

3 2.61-3.40 Occasionally

2 1.81-2.60 Rarely

1 1.00-1.80 Never