CHALLENGES MET IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF

THE ENHANCED BASIC EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR

GRADE ONE IN THE THIRD CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICT OF QUEZON:BASIS FOR
AN ACTION PLAN

PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL

2023
Volume: 10
Pages: 909-923
Document ID: 2023PEMJ913
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8159003
Manuscript Accepted: 2023-15-7
Psych Educ, 2023, 10: 909-923, Document ID:2023 PEMJ913, doi:10.5281/zenodo.8159003, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

Challenges Met in the Implementation of the Enhanced Basic Education Program for
Grade One in the Third Congressional District of Quezon: Basis for an Action Plan
Gretchen Q. Mercado*
For affiliations and correspondence, see the last page.
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the challenges posed by the Grade One teachers in the Third
Congressional District of Quezon. The researcher utilized a descriptive method of research with
Summation of mean to come up with the interpretation using the 5-point scale of Likert. Findings
revealed that the respondents were generally from the age bracket,46-50, mostly female and married.
On the other hand, most of the respondents were Teacher I and dominated by Bachelor‘s Degree who
served 5 years below in their current stations and were teaching in non-central schools. This study
also revealed that overall; teachers are Very Challenged along Context, Skill, Knowledge, Identity,
Personal Factor, and Fixed Factor. Teachers without the relevant training found it very challenging to
adapt to Enhanced Basic Education Program. Based on these findings, the researcher concluded that
the respondents varied in their vi demographic profiles specifically along age, civil status, ranking,
length of service, and type of school. One glaring fact is that there were more female teachers than
male. The output of this research is the Action Plan of the Enhanced Basic Education Program for
grade one.

Keywords: enhanced basic education program, implementation, grade one, challenges

Introduction hand, starting grade 4 to grade 6 teachers will use

The education system in the Philippines has been
highly influenced by the country‘s colonial history.
That history has included periods of Spanish,
American and Japanese rule and occupation the most
important and lasting contribution came during
America‘s occupation of the country, which began in
1898. It was during that period, when English was
introduced as the primary language of instruction and a
system of public education was first established- a
system modelled after the United States school system
and administered by the newly established Department
of Instruction. Like the United States, the Philippine
nation has extensive and highly inclusive system of
education, including basic education.
President Benigno Aquino signed into Law Republic
Act No.10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of
2013 last May 15, 2013. A law that implements K to
12 program which covers kindergarten and 12 years of
basic education. Under Republic Act 10533 Sections 4
and 5, basic education shall be delivered in languages
understood by the learners as language plays a
strategic role in shaping the formative years of
learners. The curriculum shall develop proficiency in
Filipino and English, provided that the first and
dominant language of the learners shall serve as the
fundamental language of education. For Kindergarten
and the first three years of elementary education,
instruction, teaching materials, and assessment shall be
in the regional or native language of the learners to
attain mastery of learning competencies. On the other
English and Filipino as their medium of instruction.
The goal of Enhanced Basic Education Program is to
create a functional education system that will produce
productive and responsible citizens equipped with the
essential competencies and skills for both life-long
learning and employment. The program enhances the
basic learning needs of students.
Philippine basic education has been undergoing series
of changes, modifications and improvement in the
curriculum areas. Changes within the educational
system have been constantly implemented by the
Department of Education to adopt the Philippine
educational system to the needs and demands of
globalization. These were experienced by the
elementary and secondary teachers, especially of
public schools. Some of these changes were
manifested in curriculum programs and activities,
which include the use of different approaches and
teaching strategies such as the Cooperative Learning
strategy, the Four Pronged Approach, UBD in the
secondary level and the change of the time allotment
in the teaching of different subject areas, and lately the
inclusions of the use of both English and the Mother
Tongue as the medium of instruction, of which was
included the Double Exposure in Mathematics. This
program was included in the implementation of the
Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-
MLE). And most recently, the implementation of K to
12 initiated in the school year 2012-2013 was
considered the most astounding among the series of
changes in the Philippine educational system.

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Research Article
From these experiences, it seems that there is an
endless change in the educational system until the
desired goal of attaining quality education is reached.
It doesn‘t mean however, that the implementation of
changes should remain unaccounted. Rather, they
should be evaluated in terms of the outcomes
manifested in the performance of the students to
determine their effectiveness and those of the teachers.
Measurement of educational outcomes, as one of the
areas of research, should be reported to the district or
school division for appropriate actions aimed at
improving to further extent the programs implemented.
Ideally, these outcomes could be more reliable after a
considerable period of time has lapsed. Three to five
years after implementation, the program should be
evaluated to gather reliable data on its extent of
effectiveness. For the meantime, the only research that
could be conducted currently about this K to 12
Program is its implementation and the reactions of
people toward the same.
Along the cited changes are challenges associated
with, and attributable to, the transition period wherein
issues, concerns and reactions ranging from positive to
negative were met by both school heads and teachers
from stakeholders which include students, parents and
community folks. The foregoing situations necessitate
urgent solutions and actions to erase negative
implications on the minds of the masses. Based on the
foregoing discussions, the researcher was prompted to
conceptualize and conduct a study on the extent of
implementation of the Enhanced Basic Education
Program particularly in the Third Congressional
District of Quezon, along with the context, knowledge,
skills, identity, personal factors, and fixed factors.
Primary grade levels served as the foundation level of
the pupils. However, in order to attain this goal, Grade
One teacher should be well-trained and well-oriented
to the new curriculum. The Department encourages,
administrators to assign best teachers or experienced
teacher to handle the said grade level. Despite of the
good intention of the Department of Education there
are reports from the national television that there is
insufficiency of physical facilities, instructional
materials, and trainings of teachers. Parallel to this, the
researcher herself together with her co-teachers in
Agdangan District who are handling Grade one classes
under the Enhanced Basic Education Program are
having hard time to execute the teaching and learning
process due to lack of instructional materials, physical
facilities, enough training, and ample subject loads.
Gretchen Q. Mercado
Research Questions
This study aimed to determine the challenges posed by
the Grade One teachers in the Third Congressional
District of Quezon. Specifically, this study sought
answers to the following questions:
1. What is the profile of the respondents along with:
1.1 Age;
1.2 Sex;
1.3 Teaching Position;
1.4 Educational Attainment;
1.5 Length of Service; and
1.6 K to 12 Training Attended?
2. What is the extent challenges met in the
implementation of the Enhanced Basic Education
Program for Grade One teachers along with:
2.1 Context;
2.2 Knowledge;
2.3 Skills;
2.4 Identity;
2.5 Personal; and
2.6 Fixed Factors?
3.Is there any significant difference on the challenges
met in the implementation of the Enhanced Basic
Education Program when the respondents are grouped
according to profile?
Methodology
Method of Research Used
The researcher utilized a descriptive method of
research. Descriptive research gathers quantifiable
information that can be used in statistical inference on
one‘s target audience through data analysis
(Penwarden, 2014). Descriptive method is the basic of
all researches. It gives a clear statement of what exists
at present whose conclusion draws from evidence and
reasoning. It is also concerned with fact gathering,
identifying and predicting relationship in and between
the variables. Normative survey is a method of
collecting data used in the survey. It is a fact-finding
study with an accurate interpretation. Survey is less
expensive and easy to determine, construct, validate
and administer (Calderon & Expectacion, 2010).
Sampling Technique
In undertaking an investigation, sometimes the target
population is so large that it is more practical to use
the responses of the subgroup in estimating the
responses of the overall group. Purposive sampling
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Research Article
was used in terms of the selection of the Third
Congressional District of Quezon. On the other hand,
random sampling was used to get the required sample
size. Sevilla (1992), states that sampling is not needed
anymore due to the small size of the target population.
However, convenience sampling and cluster or group
sampling which is non-probability sampling technique
where the subjects are selected because of their
convenient accessibility and proximity to the
researcher was used.The subjects involved in this
study were selected Grade One teachers and School
Heads in the Third Congressional District of Quezon.
Description of Respondents
A total of 117 grade one teachers and school heads
from the six municipalities of Third Congressional
District of Quezon served as respondents of the study.
The districts were as follows; Agdangan, Padre
Burgos; Unisan; Gen. Luna;, Catanauan; and San
Narciso. The demographic profile of the respondents
includes Age, Sex, Teaching Position, Educational
Attainment, Length of Service and K to 12 training
attended.
Research Instrument
The data gathering technique comprised the survey
questionnaire. The research instrument was drafted by
the researcher, carefully scrutinized and discussed with
the r e s e ar ch e r ‘ s ad v iser and r eg iste red
Psychometrician before modification. Appropriate
changes were made based on their feedback. Each
questionnaire was accompanied by a covering letter
indicating the purpose of the survey and the
confidentiality of data of the participants. The
questionnaire consisted of 30 items and was designed
in two parts. The first part of the questionnaire was
designed to provide the demographic profile of the
teachers. Second part focused on the Context,
Knowledge, Skills, Identity, Personal Factors and
Fixed Factors.
The research instrument was then piloted to 15 grade
one teachers from the selected schools in the First
Congressional District of Quezon who were not
included in the actual study. The purpose of the pilot
study was to identify confusing and ambiguous
language and to obtain information about possible
patterns of result (Center for Evaluation and
Research).
Data Gathering Procedure
To be able to conduct the study, a letter of approval
was requested from the office of the Campus Director
Gretchen Q. Mercado
of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines,
Unisan, Quezon Center. Then necessary permit was
secured also from the Schools Division Superintendent
of Division, District Supervisor and the Principal of
each school, then approached the teachers and asked
them if they could be part of this study. The selected
respondents were requested to answer the survey
questionnaire. In addition, a covering letter describing
the study and indicating the confidentiality of the
information was given out to the participants. Data
consolidation, tally analysis, and interpret took place
after all information were collected and presented in
textual and tabular forms.
Statistical Treatment of Data
To ensure independency of the samples in this study,
the means were computed. This was also to determine
the challenges met by the school heads and grade one
teachers on the implementation of Enhanced Basic
Education Program. The arithmetic mean or simply the
mean refers to the sum of all the given values or items
in a distribution divided by the number of values or
items summed. The arithmetic mean in the ungrouped
values X1, X2, X3 ….. Xn, denoted by X, wherein X
stands for the values or items, and n is the number of
measures in the distribution. The results were
interpreted using the following range and the
corresponding verbal interpretation to describe the
problems encountered by the grade one teachers.
While for the second specific problem frequency and
percentage were utilized to measure the challenges met
by the groups of stakeholders in the implementation of
Enhanced Basic Education Program. Moreover, it was
also used to measure the common challenges of the
respondents One-way ANOVA was utilized to identify
the differences in their perceptions when they are
grouped along with their demographic characteristics.
This was employed in determining the significant
difference of the responses on the challenges
encountered by Grade One teachers. In addition, the
researcher utilized the IBM SPSS v.20 and Data
Analysis Tool Pack under Microsoft Excel in
determining the significant difference between the
responses of the groups of respondents.
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Research Article
Results and Discussion
The Demographic Profile Of The Respondents
Table 1. Age of the Respondents
Table 1 shows the age of the respondents from the
Third Congressional District of Quezon. It can be
discerned from the table that the least respondents
came from the age bracket of 56 and above and 20-25
years old. On the other hand, ages 46-50 topped
among the age brackets with 21.73% or total of 25
teachers. This connotes that most of the respondents
were in the middle age bracket because most of these
workers are dynamic and creative. Furthermore, during
this period, middle age may take on new job
responsibilities and therefore often feel a need to
reassess their professional standing and make changes
while they feel they still have time. Also, middle-aged
employees need forms of support that are different
from process fairness and management commitment to
the change cited from the study of Fedor and Herold
(2004).
Table 2. Sex of the Respondents
Table 2 shows the distribution of respondents
according to sex. It reveals in the table that 93.16% or
109 were female which means that females dominate
the total number of the respondents. Only 8 or 6.84%
were male. Female teachers were large in number
compared to male teachers based from the data
gathered from the DepEd Division of Quezon. This
Gretchen Q. Mercado
implies that female teachers were more attracted to
teaching profession. Female teacher in general have
more emotional and practical attachment to younger
children than men because they are the ones who look
after and bring up their own children. It can also be
noted that the number of female teacher are influenced
by the expectations of the society. For instance, in an
article written by Brown (2016), he noted that there are
two simple reasons why there are more female
teachers in the primary school: (1) People think that
primary school teachers should be female because they
tend to have more of a liking for kids and have a
temperament suited for the profession. And (2) People
think it is weird for men to work with little kids. The
writer also cited his personal experience that people
working with children were always expected to never
appear doing anything inappropriate. These
perceptions were also supported by another article
written for The Telegraph in the United Kingdom
(2013) which presented that in the UK, only men are
only 12% of the primary school workforce and 88%
are women, while just 3% of the teachers in the state
nurseries are male and 97% are female. The results of
the survey also coincided with the school population of
teachers where the researcher is teaching. In Salvacion
Elementary School (in Agdangan, Quezon), there is
only 1 male teacher out of the total 8 teachers which
included the Principal.
Table 3. Civil Status of the Respondents
The table 3 shows that majority of the respondents
were married with 79.49% while 17.09% of the
respondents were single and 3.42% were widow.
Mostly, teachers were settled and they have a family.
There are no specific studies found that explains why
there are more married teachers that those who are
single, however, this observation is true even in the
school where the researcher is teaching (Salvacion
Elementary School in Agdangan, Quezon). All of the 8
teachers in the school are found to be married, which
agree the results of the surveys.
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Research Article

Table 4. Teaching Position of the Respondents

Moreover, there are 21 or 17.95% had their Master‘s

Degree and there are only 3 teachers or 3.41% were
taking units leading to doctorate. It can be gleaned that
most of the teachers in grade one were in the range 1-5
years in teaching. In terms of length of service, most of
the respondents were new in the teaching position.
The table 4 shows the teaching positions of the Taking Master‘s degree increases teachers‘
respondents which revealed that most of the teachers competence. As mentioned in the discussion in the
were Teacher-I with the frequency of 47 (40.17%) out previous Tables, age and marital status could be a
of the 117 respondents and the least were Master factor why teachers were delaying their pursuit for
Teacher-I with a frequency of 5(4.27). The rest were higher education. The total number of respondents
Teacher-II which is equivalent to 23.93% of the total
from ages 20-35 was 43, or 36.75% of the total
respondents, there are 26 school heads (22.22%) while
there were only 9.40% with the equivalent frequency
sampling population (117). Attending to the needs of
of 11 who have the rank of Teacher-III. It shows that their children can be a reason for teachers with
most of the teachers were newly hired and new in their families to put their education on the list of their
teaching career. In most cases, the position of a teacher priorities. In the case of the researcher, she waited for
would be depended on age and the number of years in her child to reach a certain age first, before starting her
the profession. In the researcher‘s school, majority of graduate school.
the teachers were currently Teacher 1 (3 teachers) and
Teacher 2 (3 teachers). According to a website that Table 6. Length of Service in Current School of the
provides numerous information on entering Graduate
Respondents
School, the average age of graduate students today is
33 years old. In the United States, the reason why
people wait for years to Graduate School according to
Forbes Magazine is because they have been burned out
coming from a four-year bachelor‘s program. In the
researcher‘s own observation, usually teachers put off
getting a higher degree due to responsibilities with the
family. This supports the results of the survey where
79.49% of the respondents are married. Putting off
getting higher degrees could mean lower position for
teachers. The low number of the Master Teacher 1 can
The table above shows the number of years in service
also be explained by the limitation on the number of the respondents. 5 years and below (45.30%) got the
Master Teacher 1 allowed per district depending on its
highest frequency due to reshuffling of the teachers in
population.
each district next is 6-10 years with 28.21%, while
Table 5. Educational Attainment of the Respondents 16-20 got a lowest percentage of 4.21%. There is a
positive relationship between the age brackets of the
respondents as to number of years in the service
rendered by them. It shows that most of the teachers
are new in teaching position that‘s why their highest
educational attainment is Bachelor‘s Degree. In the
researcher‘s own school, the average number of years
Table 5 shows that most of the teachers were teaching in their current school ranges from 5-10
Bachelor‘s Degree with 56 or 47.86%, while 37 or years.
31.63 % have units leading to Master‘s Degree (MA).

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Research Article
Table 7. Length of Service in Other School of the
Respondents
Table 7 shows from the results that majority of the
respondents have served from other school for 5 years
and below with 55.56% because most of the school
districts were implementing the rules of transferring
the teacher to another station if they have already
served for 5 years in their present station. However,
there were teachers who were sending their waiver to
stay longer in their station for some private reasons.
Table 8. Type of School where Respondents Are
Working
Table 8 shows that most of the teachers were working
in non-central schools with the frequency of 77
(65.81%). Mostly, these schools were located near the
town proper. On the other hand, there were 40 teachers
who were teaching in central schools. Central schools
can be defined as schools situated in the city or town
proper. These schools usually have the highest
population due to the population of the area, while
Non Central School are those located outside the city
or town proper. The results of the survey can be
explained by the limited number of those considered as
Central Schools per district. There were more schools
considered as Non-Central in a particular district. The
researcher is teaching in non-central school, in our
school.
Gretchen Q. Mercado
Extent of Challenges Met in the Implementation of
the Enhanced Basic Education Program
Table 9. Context of the Curriculum
Table 9 shows that the indicator with the highest mean
is about teaching through spiral progression which is
from simplest concepts to more complicated concepts
3.89. In a study written by Brenda Corpuz on
Enhanced Basic Education Program in the Philippines
for, she defined the Spiral Progression Approach as
introducing more and more concepts as the learning
progresses. At the same time, these concepts are being
related to the basic concepts to reemphasize concepts
for connection and mastery. The basic principles are
introduced in the first grade and are rediscovered in
succeeding grades in more complex forms. She
enumerated the advantages as being more integrative
and multidisciplinary and it enables students to
connect to the disciplines. It can be assumed that the
reason why teachers in Grade One are having
difficulties in executing this is due to lack of training
or due to lack of instructional materials which will
guide the teacher in executing the process. According
to the study of Olawale (2013) many educators agree
that instructional materials bring about improvement in
the teaching/learning process as well as permit
teachers and students to interact as human beings in a
climate where people control their environment for
their own best purposes. Also, most educators
generally and equally agree that the creative use of
variety of instructional materials will increase the
probability that student would learn more, retain better
and bring about the skills they are expected to perform.
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Table 10. Knowledge of the Respondents

A support group can be helpful for teachers to retain

their new knowledge in teaching Basic Enhanced
Education Program. A simple forum and a social
media group to discuss best practices can be a
powerful tool in motivating teachers.

Table 11. Skills of the Respondents

Table 10 shows the results of the extent of challenge in

the implementation of Grade One Basic Enhanced
Education Program along knowledge. It can be seen
that teachers are Very Challenged with 3.93 mean in
attending K to 12 training provided by DepEd to
gather enough experience to handle K to 12 pupils in
Grade one. This can be inferred from the demographic
profile of the respondents along K to 12 trainings.
There are 47 teachers who do not have yet training in
Basic Enhanced Education Program. Further, more
than half of the teachers have training but some of
them attended K to 12 training not suitable in their
current Grade Level handled.

As part of the discussion in Table 10, the training was

not enough to instill the knowledge of the new
approaches and curriculum of Basic Enhanced
Education Program. In an article written in 2016 for
the Safety and Health Magazine, it was reiterated that
knowledge retention can be achieved if the following
steps are taken: (1) Knowledge Retention requires
practice. It is a known fact that to retain knowledge,
one must practice what they have learned. In the case
of the teachers, it is only natural that the first few years
of the K to 12 program will be a ―testing the waters‖
situation. As they gain more experience and practice
the new approaches in teaching, then the effectiveness
will also improve. (2) Practice requires repetition for
the knowledge to form a habit. This is related to the
number of years the teachers must go through to be
experts in the new teaching programs. (3) Repetition
requires motivation. School heads and district
superintendent should encourage and provide
motivation to the teachers in their schools and district.
A reward or recognition can be a form f motivational
tool for teachers to inspire them to practice and to
apply their learning. (4) Motivation requires support.
Table 11 shows the extent of challenge in terms of
skills of the teachers in the implementation of Grade
One Basic Enhanced Education Program. The results
showed that the teachers were most challenged in
managing question and answer sessions in the context
of higher order thinking with 3.94 as their weighted
mean. One challenge in utilizing indigenous
instructional materials is first and foremost its
availability in the community as well as the required
creativity in making the materials. Creating indigenous
materials may take up time from the teachers which
make it a challenge for most teachers. Also, the
appropriateness of instructional materials selected can
have an impact to the effectiveness of teaching and
teachers may find this as a complex task as
experienced first-hand by the researcher herself.

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Research Article
Table 12. Identity of the Respondents
Table 12 shows that teachers identified the indicator
pertaining to maximizing and identifying own
strengths and weaknesses to enhance the performance
of the pupil with a weighted mean 3.97 interpreted as
very challenged. This can be inferred to the challenges
in self-evaluation of the teachers and the school heads
along the implementation of the program. Self-
evaluation can be a subjective activity for anyone since
there is always the intent of getting a higher score for
the performance appraisal. Although there is an
existing Performance Evaluation System (PES) for
public school teachers in the Philippines, the accuracy
of the actual scores can still be improved. School
heads should be employing a more evidence-based
approach when reviewing the performance of the
teachers. This will encourage teachers to self-assess
themselves in a more accurate manner. According to
Obnamia (2016), determining their own strength and
weaknesses in their administration will lead in
knowing where they will focus in order to enhance the
performance of his school.
Gretchen Q. Mercado
Table 13. Personal Factors of the Respondents
Table 13 shows the results in terms of the challenges
of teachers under Personal Factors. Executing effective
teaching and learning process despite of negative
issues on the Basic Enhanced Education Program is
stressful. Hearing negative insights from the parents
and other stakeholders might lead to stressful teaching.
The said indicator got the highest mean of 3.92 among
other indicators. Personal factors such as problems at
home plus the negative issues will lessen the
effectiveness of the teacher in teaching. Thus, this is
one of the ch allenges en co u n tered in the
implementation of K to 12 program in Grade One.
Teachers are not exempted from experiencing personal
issues in their lives. When this happens, just like most
people, their performance can suffer and the quality of
their teaching can decline. This is where support
system within the school environment is necessary to
help them carry these issues. Furthermore, the
insufficiency of books and teaching guides that leads
the teacher to provide her own materials through
photocopying which is from her own pocket adds more
hindrance to achieve effective teaching and learning
process as well as to the stress that teachers are
experiencing.
Table 14. Fixed Factors of the Respondents
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The Significant Difference on the Extent

Challenges Met When Grouped According to
Profile

Table 14 shows that the indicator with the highest Table 16. Significant Difference on the Extent
weighted mean is to function as an effective k to 12 Challenges met when grouped according to age
teachers through ―my ability to do multitasking job‖
with a weighted mean of 4.13. In the present time
teachers are not confined in the four corners of
classrooms instead some if not most of teachers are
functioning as secretary, liaison officer, janitor, etc.
This is happening in most of the public schools.
Nonetheless, effectiveness of the teacher in performing
task as K to 12 teachers is to gather more information
with regards to program and to attend trainings and
seminars frequently to instill the advocacies of Basic
Enhanced Education Program. On one hand, the
department should also support the teachers in terms of
providing the instructional materials needed to
completely execute the program. As professional,
public school teachers are expected to do teaching but
also to attend to different school-related activities. The
Magna Carta for Public School Teachers states that
teachers are required to do 6 hours of teaching plus 2
hours of different activities related to their teaching.
Table 16 shows the influence of age on the extent of
This means that teachers are also expected to multi-
challenge in the implementation of Grade One Basic
task and joggle between different expectations of their
Enhanced Education Program in the Third
job. The results of the survey indicated that this is
Congressional District of Quezon. It can be viewed
where they are mostly having difficulties with.
that all of the indicators got the highest mean in the
Working smart can make a lot of difference. One way
age bracket of 56 and above except for the knowledge.
to approach work is to prioritize task according to its
On the other hand, those respondents in the age of 26-
importance.
30 and 31-35 got lower weighted mean compare to the
youngest and the older brackets. This indicates that the
Table 15. Summary of Table
middle ages have more means in facilitating and
overcoming the challenges. This implies that age really
affects the way they perceived the different challenges.
The results above are contrary to a study published in
OHSU.Edu where the author found out that age is less
important than individual skills. He noted that there is
more variability in the work performance within age
groups than between age groups. He also debunked the
idea that older workers are less able to learn, instead
he noted that these perceptions are just biases towards
Table 15 shows that the highest weighted mean among
old age. On the other hand, an article in The Herald
factors is the Fixed Factors with a mean of 4.03, next
Courier in 2009 agreed with the results of this study. It
is the Identity 3.91, follow by Skills 3.88, rank 4 is the
was noted in the article that old age has some
knowledge 3.81 and rank 5 Context and Personal
commons issues like unhealthy lifestyles, resistance to
Factors with 3.80 weighted mean. Fixed Factors is
change and physical demands. Some may even argue
utilized as the unique skills of the teachers to provide
that old age would mean difficulty in learning new
solution, organize the class teaching subject with
technologies used in schools like personal computers,
enjoyment and to do multi-tasking job.
laptop, projectors and other gadgets used in classroom
setting nowadays.

Table hereunder shows the analysis of variance to

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Research Article
further explain the effect of age in their perceptions to
the challenges post by Basic Enhanced Education
Program.
Table 17. Single Factor ANNOVA Results to
determined if there is significant difference on extent
challenges when respondents were group according to
age
Table 17 shows the summary of values for testing the
difference among the perceptions of the respondents as
they were grouped into age. The table reveals that the
F-computed value of 8.582645 is less than the F-
tabular value of 2.249 with 6 as degrees of freedom. It
was also displayed that there is significant difference
among the perceptions of the respondents along
context, knowledge, skills, identity, personal factors
and fixed factors. It implies that there were no similar
characteristics that exist among the age groups of the
respondents.
Table 18. Significant Difference on the Extent
Challenges met when grouped according to sex
Table 18 shows that female respondents were very
challenged with 3.79 weighted mean while male
respondents have 3.9 respectively. This indicates that
male teach er s are more challeng ed in the
implementation of Basic Enhanced Education Program
in Grade One than the female teachers.
The results above can be explained using the previous
discussion on the distribution of sex in the sampling
population. It was noted in this research that there was
only a total of 6.84% male respondent which may have
Gretchen Q. Mercado
affected the results of the score. As discussed
previously, the perceptions towards teachers can also
negatively affect the performance of male teachers.
The article written by Michael Brown in 2016 argued
that reasons why there are more female teachers in the
primary school: (1) People think that primary school
teachers should be female because they tend to have
more of a liking for kids and have a temperament
suited for the profession. And (2) People think it is
weird for men to work with little kids. These biased
perceptions can impact the ability of male teachers in
performing their duties. The researcher believes that
sex has nothing to do with the performance of a
teacher. Based on her experience, it is the personality
and determination of each teacher that will set them
apart from the rest. Overcoming challenges in the
profession is more about the skills and attitude, not the
sex of the teachers.
Table 19. Significant difference on the extent of
challenges when respondents were group according to
sex
Table 19 shows on the single factor Annona according
to their sex it can be viewed that the computed F
critical value 4.964603 which is lesser than the
tabulated F value which is 7.852485 which determine
the significant difference between the two groups of
respondents. Thus, the results imply that male teachers
in Grade One in the Enhanced Basic Education
Program were more challenged in the implementation
of the program than the female teachers.
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Table 20. Significant Difference on the Extent

Challenges met when grouped according to Teaching
Position
Table 21. Significant difference on the extent
challenges when respondents were group according to
Teaching Position

Table 21 shows the summary of values for testing the

Table 20 shows the results with regard to the influence
of teaching position on the extent of challenges in the
implementation of Grade One Basic Enhanced
Education Program School Heads got 4.054 which is
next to the bottom rank Master Teachers with 4.073.
This indicates that most of the two groups were the
most challenged positions in the implementation of the
program. In this connection, K to 12 trainings and
seminars should include school heads and master
teachers to recap their knowledge about the program.
The scope of responsibilities of a teacher increases as
the position steps into a higher ladder. More
responsibilities could mean difficulties in balancing
personal and professional life. Also, the pressure of
having a higher title can cause stress to the individual
as there are higher expectations from his or her
colleagues and from the community.
School heads are not only teachers but also managers
of the school that they are assigned in. This means that
part of his or her job is to manage people from
different age brackets and backgrounds. School heads
are the points of contacts to any negative issues of the
school. These responsibilities can put stress therefore
they might feel that the profession is challenging. A
study published in 2016 indicated that lack of control
in the workplace, which is usually caused by managing
people issues, can have negative consequences to
health, which affects decision- making.
difference among the teaching positions of the
respondents. The table reveals that the F-computed
value of 2.75871 is far lesser than the F-tabular value
of 10.18719 at 0.05 level of significance with 4
degrees of freedom, which means that there is
significant difference among the perceptions of the
respondents when they are grouped according to their
positions. This result suggested that school heads and
master teachers should join trainings and seminars
related to the Enhanced Basic Education Program
specifically in the Grade One level. It implies that
challenges in the implementation of Enhanced Basic
Education Program will be lessen if both teachers and
school heads are knowledgeable and ready in
executing the program despite of the problems met.
Table 22. Significant Difference on the Extent
Challenges met when grouped according to
Educational Attainment

Table hereunder shows the analysis of variance with

regards to the different perceptions of the respondents
when they are grouped according to their positions.
The respondents of this undertaking was composed of
the following positions: Teacher I, Teacher II, Teacher
III, Master Teachers and School Heads
Table 22 shows that those who hold the Bachelor‘s
Degree got the highest weighted mean among the
groups with 4.007 followed by w/ units leading to MA

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Research Article

3.799; Master‘s Degree 3.875, and w/ units leading to

doctorate 3.989.

The results can be attributed to the level of knowledge

of the teachers. A teacher with a higher degree means
he or she is more knowledgeable and has the necessary Table 23 shows that the computed F-critical value
skills which were acquired from attending graduate 3.098391 is greater than the tabular F value 1.132953
school. A report published in 2013 in Top Universities determined that there is no significant difference on
enumerated the benefits of higher education in the the perceptions of the teachers in facing the challenges
United States: (1) Higher Salaries and employability. It
in the implementation of Grade One Basic Enhanced
was reported that the most-measured benefit of higher
Education Program. Hence, educational attainment has
education is the graduate salaries, and the report
confirms that higher levels of education do result in less influence in the perceptions of the respondents.
higher earning power. It cites research by Greenstone
and Looney (2011) of the Brookings Institution‘s Table 24. Significant Difference on the Extent of
Hamilton Project, which says: ―On average, the Challenges met when grouped according to Length of
benefits of a four-year college degree are equivalent to Service
an investment that returns 15.2% per year.‖ (2)
Contribution to society. The report also argues that the
benefits of higher education incorporate significant
contributions to society, with higher educated workers
typically paying more tax. Higher levels of education
are also found to correlate with higher health insurance
and pension contributions. The report argues that this
in turn benefits the US economy, by preventing
hospitals from providing treatment for which they are
not compensated. In 2011, employers provided health
insurance for 55%, 69% and 73% of full-time workers
with high school diplomas, bachelor‘s degrees and
advanced degrees respectively. Bachelor‘s degree
holders are also less likely to rely on public assistance
programs, according to 2011 figures which show only
2% living in households that rely on Supplemental
Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Table 24 shows the results with regard to the influence
compared with 12% of high school graduates. of Length of Service on the extent of challenges in the
implementation of Grade One Basic Enhanced
The researcher believes that pursuing and getting a
higher degree can bring multiple benefits like higher Education Program teachers in 16-20 years in service
position and salaries and a better understanding of the with a weighted mean of 4.200 with an interpretation
job. These beliefs agree with the aforementioned of Very Challenge. This can be inferred to the level of
study. experience of the newly hired teachers who have no
enough experience on how to handle the problems.
Table 23. Significant difference on the extent of Likewise, those teachers who are about to retired are
challenges when respondents were group according to most of the times do not care anymore in solving
Educational Attainment problems. On the other hand, those who are in the
middle of their service are considered the active ones
who are willing to provide answers in every challenge
they are facing in the implementation of Enhanced
Basic Education Program.

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Research Article
Table 25. Significant difference on extent of challenges teachers because K to 12 program is now on-going to
when respondents were group according to Length of the final stage of implementation. The writer noted
Service
Table 25 shows the influence of length of service with
regard to the level of challenges in the implementation
of Basic Enhanced Education Program in Grade One.
It can be gleaned from the results that there is
significant difference on how the teachers face the
challenge when they were grouped according to their
length of service. This can be inferred to the level of
experience of the newly hired teachers who have no
enough experience on how to handle the problems.
Likewise, those teachers who are about to retired are
most of the times do not care anymore in solving
problems. On the other hand, those who are in the
middle of their service are considered the active ones
who are willing to provide answers in every challenge
they are facing in the implementation Basic Enhanced
Education Program.
Table 26. Significant Difference on the Extent
Challenges met when grouped according to to K-12
Training Attended
Table 26 shows the results that teachers without K to
12 training were more challenged in terms of context,
skills, knowledge, identity, personal factors, and fixed
factors which is viewed in their weighted mean 4.013
against the weighted mean of those who have attended
K to 12 training 3.784. K to 12 mass training is being
conducted by the Department of Education during
summer vacation. The participants of the said training
are the teachers handling the specific grade level based
on the stage of implementation. In this school year, the
Gretchen Q. Mercado
participants will be the Grade 6 teachers and Grade 12
that ―Training‘s and seminars on ICT, new methods
and techniques in teachings, orientations on the K-12
Curriculum, Values Formation Seminars and the likes
are being held in different parts of the country so as to
prepare all the teachers in globalization. Their
attendance to these seminars will help create an
effective learning environment, improve teaching-
learning situations, keep updated on modern
instructional devices and inspire them to become better
teachers in the modern world‖
Table 27. Significant difference on extent challenges
when respondents were group according to K-12
Training Attended
Table 27 shows a clear view of the influence of
training on the level of challenges as perceived by the
respondents. It can be discerned from the results F-
critical value is 1.674144 is likewise less than the F
computed value is 16.81655 which determines that
training has great influence on how the teachers
perceived the challenges in the implementation of
Enhanced Basic Education Program in Grade One
level. Thus the results lead the researcher to decide
that there is significant difference on the perception of
the teachers when they are grouped into without K to
12 training and with K to 12 training.
Conclusion
Based on the findings of the study, the following
conclusions were derived: (1) The respondents varied
in their demographic profiles specifically along age,
civil status, rank, length of service, and type of school.
There were more female teachers than male. This
result can be explained by the general perception of
the society that female is more suited for the teaching
profession. There were also more teachers who still
have Bachelors‘ Degree as their highest educational
attainment. This can be attributed to prioritizing the
needs of the family more than their career
advancement. (2) Grade One Teachers in the Third
Congressional District of Quezon together with their
school heads were encountering challenges in the
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Research Article
implementation of Grade One K to 12 programs in
different levels. The study revealed that teachers
across ages, different educational background,
position, length of service, or whether they are
teaching in a central or non-central schools share
almost the same challenges when it comes to
Enhanced Basic Education Program. This is due to the
fact the Enhanced Basic Education Program is still
relatively new in the Philippines. Also, the teachers in
grade one are new in the teaching position teachers
have no necessary skills and attitude towards the new
approaches and new curriculum. (3)When the
respondents were grouped according to their
demographic profile, it shows that there is a significant
difference in the overall levels of challenges
experienced by the teachers; there were some groups
that scored slightly higher than the other groups. For
instance, it was found out that Master Teachers and
School heads were more challenged than those who
are in the Teacher 1 position. This can be explained by
the scope of responsibilities that higher positions have.
These can pose pressures in performing their jobs
resulting to stress and negative perceptions on changes
like the Enhanced Basic Education Program. The same
can be said for those who are in the teaching
profession for a long period of time where pressure to
adapt to changes can take its toll to their perceptions
and eventually performance.
(1) The researcher recommends that the teachers in
grade one must be the experienced teacher. Teacher in
grade one must be energetic, enjoy working with
children, friendly, patience and flexible enough to
cope up to the young learners and to different changes
in educational system. (2) Continuous dissemination of
information to the public regarding the mechanics of K
to 12 must be done. Distribution of instructional
materials should be made immediately. School heads
should also join K to 12 trainings for teachers. In order
to lessen the expenses of the teachers in photocopying
the textbooks they should utilize the availability of the
projectors provided by the Department of Education in
order to give them a lively discussion. During the
Learning Action Cell session in each school, school
heads should initiate in asking the present problems in
each classroom so their co-teachers together with the
school heads can provide suggestions on how to treat
the problems. (3)Create a support group per district to
tackle issues encountered in the implementation of K
to 12. This group can be formal or informal with
members ranging from Teacher 1 to School Heads.
This support group can help all teachers better
understand each role has to play in achieving effective
teaching in k to 12. Create a committee on
scholarships for each district so teachers can be aware
Gretchen Q. Mercado
of the available grants offered by the local and national
government. Provide more incentives like lesser
teaching load or awards to those who want to pursue a
higher education. In the long run, a district with higher
degree holders can perform well in their jobs.
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Affiliations and Corresponding Information
Gretchen Q. Mercado
Salvacion Elementary School
Department of Education - Philippines
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