PROBLEMS AND DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED BY THE

EDUCATION INTERNS IN ABC UNDER FLEXIBLE TEACHING

MODALITIES

A Research Paper
Presented to the Faculty of the School of Education
Andres Bonifacio College
College Park, Dipolog City

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Subject
Research 321 Research in Education

Dimasuhid, Jacq-Lyn A.
Orilla, Jocel Ellen-May L.
Insag, Kristu Ciane P.
Laput, Jhon Cliff M.
I. CHAPTER 1 – THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

a. Introduction

The pandemic has undeniably challenged and altered many aspects of

teaching and learning. It suddenly poses a considerable challenge to

educators, particularly in private and public schools. Since the global COVID-

19 pandemic in early 2020, many countries have turned to online education

(Affouneh, Salha, &Khlaif, 2020). Schools have been closed to prevent the

spread of the coronavirus (Bozkurt & Sharma, 2020). Teachers and

students/pupils embraced the online teaching and learning experience

forcefully (Mishra et al., 2020). The use of educational technologies or digital

education platforms has become necessary to ensure that education to

school students can still be delivered. Although online education is not new to

the world, its importance and usefulness became apparent only after the

pandemic came. Due to a lack of options, teachers and students must teach

and learn online.

Teaching is a fast-paced and intricate profession. Every teacher education

program includes a teaching internship as part of the preparation process for

becoming a full-fledged educator. The challenge of effectively delivering the

lesson online is at the forefront of the myriad of challenging tasks that

teaching interns face. Adapting to the new normal would necessitate

technological skills as well as resilience. Furthermore, as the interns begin

their teaching practice, their ability to respond to crises and explore

opportunities during crises is being tested. The ultimate goal of education is to

produce quality teachers in the field by providing adequate training in blended

learning for teacher interns. The competence of its graduates reflects the

quality of the Teacher Education Institution, with excellent theory and practice

training. The teaching internship is the final component of the Teacher

Education Program.

According to Othman and MdSalleh (2016), professional education

courses help to teach interns to perform better during their internship. It is

critical because it ensures that future teachers are well-prepared. Internships

in teaching honed interns' personal and professional skills, preparing them to

become effective field teachers (Quinco-Cadosales,2018). As a result, a

productive and meaningful internship experience is critical for every teaching

intern. According to Goh and Wong (2015), there is a growing disparity

between what teaching interns bring to their training and what they must

prepare. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this chasm became more

visible. The introduction of the new teaching techniques to the teaching

interns results from the significant changes in learning delivery modes.

According to a memorandum from the Commission on Higher Education

(CHED), the implementation of flexible learning is a must. Flexible learning is

a pedagogical strategy that allows for time, location, audience flexibility, and

the use of technology, among other things (CHED, 2020). Initial discussions

between the mentor-researchers and the teaching interns revealed the

following experiences: new learning on the use of technology, development

sense of responsibility and time management, challenges in the virtual

delivery of the lesson, such as pedagogical, technical, and social.

Understanding these teaching interns' experiences will provide a more holistic

approach to mentoring practices in the new normal. It will allow us to assess

whether the Teacher Education curriculum develops the socio-emotional

competencies of future teachers. Furthermore, by doing a reflective narration

of their experience, participants will better understand their experience

teaching online. Every Teacher Education Institution wants its graduates to be

highly employable and competent professionals; this study expects to help

improve mentoring practices to ensure that teaching interns are still influential

under the flexible teaching modality.

b. Theoretical Framework

According to the WHO (World Health Organization), Coronavirus (COVID-

19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Most people

infected with the virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and

recover without special treatment. However, some will become seriously ill

and require medical attention. Anyone can get sick with COVID-19 and

become seriously ill or die at any age. Because of this pandemic, the Interns

of the Education Department of ABC have adapted the Flexible Teaching

Modalities to cope with the rising pandemic, considering the distance from

where they live. Nevertheless, with this kind of teaching modality, many

students encountered problems shown in the figure below.

Unstable Internet Connectivity

 Financial
shortcomings Virtual Class
Problems and Difficulties Distractions
Interns Encountered
Under the Flexible
Teaching Modalities

Strenuous Virtual
Classroom
Management Insufficient Online
Fig. 1 : Problems and Difficulties Interns
Teaching Mastery
Encountered Under the Flexible Teaching
Modalities

c. Statement of the Problem

The pandemic has undeniably hit the world with a sudden change in the

educational landscape. It had a massive impact on the system. Schools

needed to shift to educational reform through the implementation of flexible

 teaching methods in order to reduce the spread of the virus. The adjustment

to shift to online teaching in the internship programs accommodates changes

brought about by the pandemic. Fears and apprehensions about the

challenges they may face in their practice-teaching now that the current

education system has changed and that various community restrictions exist

due to the current pandemic have increased. As a result, practice teachers

should have as much help as possible. The current study is consistent with

existing discussions about various approaches to implementing the internship

experience during the pandemic.

This study aimed to uncover the challenges faced by practice teachers in

their practicum by seeking to answer the following questions:

1. What is it like to be a teaching intern in the new normal?

2. What are the problems and challenges encountered by the education

interns under flexible teaching modality?

3. What are the teacher interns' suggestions to improve teaching using the

blended learning modality?

d. Hypothesis

The researchers presumed that the following factors are the problems and

challenges that education interns encountered under flexible teaching

modalities. 

1. Unstable Internet Connectivity

Education interns will be forced to postpone their scheduled teaching delivery,

especially those who do not have adequate internet access.

2. Strenuous Virtual Classroom Management

The interactive virtual classroom is challenging for all education interns to

complete during their online teaching because they cannot detect if students are

physically present, especially those with mute microphones and off cameras.

3. Virtual Class Distractions

There are numerous parts to consider in this type of online teaching, particularly

disruptions such as unwanted noise from the environment, undisciplined student

behavior, and unannounced power outages.

4. Insufficient online teaching mastery

A lack of online mastery of teaching can erode trust in the line of work. Teaching

is made difficult by the limited possibilities for using body language, limiting the

modes of expression and available ways of explaining the content.

5. Financial shortcomings

Many educators, particularly interns, are confronted with this need to embrace

virtual world education. Some of them cannot afford a gadget to help them with

their schoolwork, and others do not have enough money to purchase load data.
 e. Significance of the Study

Carrying out this research to determine the problems and challenges that

education interns faced using a flexible teaching method.

Benefiting the study are the various sectors as follows:

Students

The students are the direct recipients of the output of the research.

Any improvement and coping mechanisms/techniques can provide

efficacy to the teaching practice and training in the online class.

Researchers

The researchers would benefit from this study because they will be

the following education interns. With the help of this research, they can

gain knowledge and apply different teaching methods and strategies to be

an effective teacher in the future.

Teachers

This study would also be very beneficial to the teachers because it

will give them the awareness of the problems and challenges that

education interns face. They can provide solutions to improve online

teaching. 

Parents

The study benefits the parents of the education interns. As parents

enroll their children in the institution, it comes with self-assurance that their
 children acquire more education to make them functional individuals in

society and that their moral, physical, emotional, and financial support will

never go to waste. 

Future Researchers 

It will provide them with the information they will need for their

studies and may also answer some of their questions.

f. Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study focuses on the problems and difficulties encountered by the education

interns during their online practice teaching, and researchers will conduct a 100%

population of Andres Bonifacio College education interns to collect data. This

study would use standardized questionnaires for the students as a survey and

reference. Through this strategy, the researchers will be able to know if there are

problems and challenges that education interns face under flexible teaching

modalities. 

g. Definition of Terms

Corona Virus – Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause

illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. A not identified

novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain in humans.

A pandemic – is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a

large region, for instance, multiple continents or worldwide, affecting many

individuals.
Fast-paced – it is happening or done quickly, suddenly, or immediately.

Suddenly. Immediately. at once

Teaching Internship – trainee teachers undergo specific responsibilities and

learn firsthand school experiences. They also participate in all the school

activities during working hours. In short, they act as real teachers in schools.

Professional Education – is a taught and formal specialized training about a

particular profession in the central concepts, principles, techniques, and

application in actual practice. The learners also acquire the necessary

competencies needed for proper practice and behavior.

Learning delivery modes – are the means and resources used to structure the

learning experience. Under ALS-EST, the customized learning delivery

modalities are according to each learner: individual learning level, personal

characteristics, learning needs, and learning styles.

Teaching Techniques – are the procedure, technique, or way of teaching,

especially according to a defined plan. The teaching method refers to the general

principles or pedagogy used for classroom instruction.

CHED – The Department of Education (DepEd) formulates, implements, and

coordinates policies, plans, programs, and projects in formal and non-formal

primary education.

Flexible Learning – a set of educational philosophies and systems that provide

learners with increased choice, convenience, and personalization to suit the

learner. In particular, flexible learning provides learners with choices about

where, when, and how learning occurs.

Blended Learning – (also known as hybrid learning) is a method of teaching that

integrates technology and digital media with traditional instructor-led classroom

activities, giving students more flexibility to customize their learning experiences.

Pedagogical Technique – refers to the elements used in a pedagogical

scenario or a pedagogic strategy. Effective course designs (or teachers) use

different teaching strategies or methods of vocabulary. It is not always obvious to

distinguish strategy from the method.

A curriculum – is a standards-based sequence of planned experiences where

students practice and achieve proficiency in content and applied learning skills.

The curriculum is the central guide for all educators as to what is essential for

teaching and learning so that every student has access to rigorous academic

experiences.

The holistic Approach – means to provide the support that looks at the whole

person, not just their mental health needs. The support should also consider their

physical, emotional, social, and spiritual wellbeing.

Socio-emotional – the concept of socio-emotional aspects refers to a person

initiating, cultivating, and responding to others to form relationships with other

people in their lives, such as parents, relatives, and friends. These socio-

emotional aspects can be ephemeral or long-standing when interacting with

people.

Educational Landscape – represents the flow of educational studies into a

broader realm than schooling alone.

Practice-Teaching – provides experiences to student teachers in the actual

teaching and learning environment. During teaching practice, a student-teacher

is allowed to try the art of teaching before actually getting into the real world of

the teaching profession.

New Normal – is a previously unfamiliar or atypical situation that has become

standard, usual, or expected.

Online Platforms – is a digital service that facilitates interactions between two or

more distinct but interdependent sets of users (whether firms or individuals) who

interact through the service via the Internet.

Humanitarian Crisis – is considered an event or event that threatens the health,

safety, or wellbeing of a large group of people. War, natural disasters, famine,

and disease outbreaks are the effects of humanitarian crises. 

GCE – The Global Campaign for Education (GCE) is a civil society movement

that promotes and defends education as a fundamental human right.

DepEd – The Department of Education (DepEd) formulates, implements, and

coordinates policies, plans, programs, and projects in formal and non-formal

primary education.

Synchronous sessions – are lectures and course lessons that occur live

through video conferencing software—specified times when students and

instructors "meet" online to discuss course content and answer questions.

Supplementary Learning Resources – These learning resources provide

various information on topics of general interest. These include encyclopedias,

dictionaries, yearbooks, biographical dictionaries, bibliographies, geographical

sources, atlases, almanacs, serials and periodicals, and directories. 

E-Learning – is the learning facilitated and supported by Information

Communication Technologies (ICT) to enable people to learn anytime and

anywhere. E-learning is nothing but technology to connect—teachers and

students who are physically miles apart.

M-Learning – or mobile learning is "learning across multiple contexts, through

social and content interactions, using personal electronic devices." A form of

distance education, m-learners use mobile educational technology at their

convenient time.

21st Century – is the current century in the Anno Domini era or Common Era,

under the Gregorian calendar. It began on January 1, 2001, and will end on

December 31, 2100.

A plethora of Connotations – when introduced to the English language,

plethora is meant as an overabundance of things. First, plethora referred to an

overabundance of the humor or blood; then, it signified a dangerous or unwanted

excess. Today, plethora is not only used negatively.

Distance Education – also known as distance learning, is the education of

students who may not always be physically present at a school. Traditionally, this

usually involved correspondence courses wherein the student corresponded with

the school via mail. Today, it usually involves online education.

Cognitive Style – or thinking style is a concept used in cognitive psychology to

describe how individuals think, perceive, and remember information. Cognitive

Style differs from cognitive ability, the latter being measured by aptitude tests or

so-called intelligence tests. 

Technical Skills – are sets of abilities or knowledge used to perform practical

tasks in science, the arts, technology, engineering, and math. Technical skills

typically require specific tools and the technologies required to use those tools.

SARS-CoV-2 Virus – Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is a

strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The respiratory illness is

responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus was previously called

2019 novel coronavirus, although some address it as human coronavirus 2019.

ABC – Andres Bonifacio College is a community college institution in the

Philippines. Its campus is at College Park, Brgy. Miputak, Dipolog.