TEACHERS’ PREPAREDNESS IN TEACHING

LEARNERS WITH DIVERSE NEEDS IN POLILLO

GROUP OF ISLANDS CENTRAL SCHOOLS: BASIS
FOR A TEACHER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL

2023
Volume: 14
Pages: 355-372
Document ID: 2023PEMJ1262
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8423986
Manuscript Accepted: 2023-10-10
Psych Educ, 2023, 14: 355-372, Document ID:2023 PEMJ1262, doi:10.5281/zenodo.8423986, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

Teachers’ Preparedness in Teaching Learners with Diverse Needs in Polillo Group of

Islands Central Schools: Basis for a Teacher Development Program
Maria Victoria A. Alpuerto*
For affiliations and correspondence, see the last page.
Abstract
The study focused on the different aspects of preparedness in teaching students with diverse
educational needs in the Polillo Group of Islands. It identified the current position of teachers in the
locale in terms of class management, professional development, and educational technology which
served as a basis for the development program. This descriptive research is quantitative and
qualitative in nature and employed survey and interview, respectively, in the data gathering. The data
were presented through the incorporated quantitative approach of the weighted mean and the
thematic analysis of the patterns visible from the responses of the participants. Results revealed that
the teachers were generally prepared in handling learners with diverse educational needs, which
could have an implication to the teacher development program.

Keywords: teachers’ preparedness, diverse learners, teacher development program, teaching challenges,
students with exceptionality

Introduction aims to reduce poverty by half in 2015 (22.65 percent

Education should be treated as a strategic agent for
mindset transformation and for the creation of a well-
educated nation, sufficiently equipped with the
knowledge needed to competently and competitively
solve the development challenges which face the
nation. In line with this, the education system should
be restructured and transformed qualitatively with a
focus on promoting creativity and problem solving
(URT, 2000, p. 19). There is critical importance when
it comes to understanding the roles of education in the
building of a better nation. As it is already apparent to
the realities of humanity, specialization of everything
has come to existence to empower the marginalized,
especially the intellectually weak members of the
society.
Education means a lot to almost every person that is
part of the civilized community. From the start of its
appropriation, education has been the only social
benchmark that never blurs in the perception of the
general society. This is most apparent in the
Philippines where occupants are highly westernized
and dominated by American ideals, which perpetuate
both their dogmas their historical sentiments extending
to their cognitive responses and personal reactions
(Depaepe, 2012).
In line with the vision of one of the millennium
development goals, “Education for All”, the
Philippines is committed to pursue eight time-bound
and specific targets under the Millennium Declaration,
which it signed in September 2000. Generally, this
proportion of the population below poverty incidence
and 12.15 percent below subsistence incidence by
2015). With the adoption of the Declaration, the
Philippines likewise affirmed its commitment to the
Millennium Development Goals (MDG) geared
towards reducing poverty, hunger, diseases, illiteracy,
environmental degradation, and discrimination against
women. These goals have been mainstreamed in the
country’s Medium Term Philippine Development Plan
(MTPDP) 2004-2010, including policies and plans
related to children, access to primary education, and
gender equality. Specifically, Part IV of the MTPDP
focused on “Education and Youth Opportunity” (UN
Country Report, 2008).
Specialized education has surfaced the world as it
improved the standards of knowledge transfer and
cognitive ideals encapsulation (United Nations, 2008).
Given the roll of the new millennium that favors the
post-modernist attempts to well and efficiently
redefine the academic curriculums already existing,
provided for the many different bodies of language,
education for different types of people emerged into
the era and made itself available to the many,
especially to those marginalized. Though the
government officially approved the Philippine EFA
2015 Plan only in 2006, it was already used by the
Department of Edication (DepEd) as its overall
planning and policy framework as early as 2003 and
was already integrated in the formulation and updating
of the MTPDP 2001-04 and 2005-2010. Instead of six
target dimensions as advanced by global EFA, the
Philippines grouped them into four component
objectives when it considered the local situation, all

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geared towards the overall goal of providing basic
competencies to everyone to achieve functional
literacy by 2015. It has four component objectives (as
against the six of global EFA), namely: a) universal
coverage of out-of-school youth and adults in the
provision of learning needs; b) universal school
participation and total elimination of drop-outs and
repetition in Grades 1 to 3; c) universal completion of
full cycle of basic education schooling with
satisfactory achievement levels by all at every grade or
year; and d) commitment by all Philippine
communities to the attainment of basic education
competencies for all – Education for All by All.
So far, the practice of inclusive education in
Philippine basic education is largely determined by
Department of Education Order No. 72, s. 2009, an
outdated directive which does not specify a stable,
clear, and definite process of including CSN in the
general education setting. A move to effect high-
quality inclusion in Philippine schools is said to be
underway, but at present, the Special Education Act
(Philippine Senate Bill 3002), which is supposed to
determine the practice of inclusion in general
education schools, is still under review at the
Philippine senate. The continued delay of this bill’s
passage into law and which standards should be met in
its implementation are issues that continue to defy
definitive resolution. The Polillo Group of Islands is a
fifth class municipality in the Philippines, consisting
of three small municipalities covering the southern
portion of the island of Burdeos and the northwest
municipality of Panukulan and Jomalig Island. Given
its geographical location and social capital, the Polillo
Group of Islands is not as sophisticated as its
neighboring locales immediately connected to the
islands (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2015).
The researcher, being from one of the aforementioned
municipalities in Jomalig District and currently
working in the same area, felt the need to study and
look at the perspective of preparedness with regard to
teaching students with diverse needs for there is
depleted and scarce scrutiny in the probing of
efficiency and mobility in the cultivation of
specialized learning, especially in their area that lacks
serviceable mode of transfers, technology, and
communication. The research is predetermined to be
helpful to the general body of knowledge and research
since it focuses on the polishing and refinement of
both good education and professional skill
empowerment, especially to teachers with
specializations.Education has been acknowledged as
the most powerful tool in human cognitive
development and basic skill encapsulation. Opening a
Maria Victoria A. Alpuerto
threshold for the greater population who are
incapacitated can cater to the goal to better the
community and effective socialization. Moreover,
authoring a research on learners with diverse needs can
potentially help empower the marginalized in their
pursuit of education.
Research Questions
The primary aim of the study was to determine the
teachers’ preparedness in teaching learners with
diverse needs in the Polillo Group of Islands to serve
as basis for a teacher development program.
Specifically, the study aimed to answer the following:
1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:
1.1 Age;
1.2 Sex;
1.3 Educational Attainment;
1.4 Civil Status; and
1.5 Language of Instruction?
1.6 Number of seminars/trainings attended relative to
learners with diverse needs?
1.7 Type or level of teachers’ trainings attended on
how to teach learners with diverse needs?
2. What are the common types of learners with diverse
educational needs being handled by teachers in a
regular classroom education setting based on their
observation?
3. What teaching strategies are employed by teachers
in teaching learners with diverse educational needs?
4. What is the level of teachers’ preparedness in
teaching learners with diverse educational needs in
terms of:
4.1 Classroom Management;
4.2 Professional Development; and
4.3. Educational Technology?
5. Is there a significant relationship between the
strategies employed by the teachers and their level of
preparedness in teaching learners with diverse
educational needs?
6. What are the best practices employed by teachers in
teaching learners with diverse educational needs?
7. What are the challenges encountered by teachers in
teaching learners with diverse educational needs?
Methodology
The study used descriptive method in the presentation
of the data that delves on the characteristics and the
dynamics of the population it scrutinizes. This type of
research design is helpful in understanding the
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volatility of a chosen subject to the changing and
altering variables and conditions. Descriptive research
design is a scientific method which involves observing
and describing the behavior of a subject without
influencing it in any way (Shuttleworth, 2018).
Through descriptive research, the results of the study
laid upon definitive measures as translated by the
numerical forms employed in the use of the Likert
scale. The method is seen to help the research present
itself in a way understandable by the nature of social
science, focusing on the level of a certain cognitive
aptitude, which is preparedness. The method was used
as a way to present the existing status in the extraction
of the range of the preparedness of teachers in teaching
learners with exceptionalities.
The questionnaire served as the main instrument in the
collection of the primary data which was divided based
on the sub-problems of the study. The questionnaire
focused on the different aspects of teachers'
preparedness in teaching learners with exceptionalities.
As directed towards the specific dimensions that the
study employed, the questions were narrowed down to
the specific statements of scenarios that the
respondents will have to respond to, as either they
agree or disagree, depending on their own perspectives
and understanding of their situations.
After formal consultation of problem objectives and
instruments with scholars with doctoral degrees, the
questionnaire was sent to the research adviser for final
validation before it was sent to a total of five (5)
central school principals in the said district. The
principals from the five chosen central schools agreed
to forward the questionnaire via email to the teachers
employed by the central schools.
Only a total of 60 central school teachers from the said
district responded to the questionnaire resulting in
approximately 39.7% response rate out of 151. The
response rate was severely affected by the
unavailability of respondents as the country was
placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ)
making it difficult to get in touch with the targeted
respondents since most were from remote areas where
internet is not accessible. With the remaining resources
and respondents available, the researcher opted for
virtual data gathering utilizing Google forms and
surveys.
The gathered responses were then tallied and tabulated
for corresponding analysis to be made. The study
utilized both individual and group units in its collation
of data. The units used were most appropriate in the
deliberation of its results because, first, individual
Maria Victoria A. Alpuerto
scores were calculated to extract the final assembled
data and then bracketed them into ranks accordingly to
deduce the data in examining which preparedness
measure is most and least reputed in teaching students
with diverse needs.
Additionally, the research also conducted an interview,
a qualitative research technique to explore other
particular ideas on the subject matter of the thesis. The
researcher opted for a semi-structured interview
wherein the researcher prepared a set of same
questions to be answered by all
interviewees/respondents of the study. In the
interview, the researcher prearranged an agreed date
with the participants. The interviews were set to be
semi-structured depending on the needs of the actual
occurrence. The interview structure is a loose structure
within which to explore the topics of interest –
teaching behavior, methods, and insights on learners
with diverse needs. The interviews’ central question
was how prepared the teachers of Polillo Group of
Islands central schools were in teaching learners with
diverse needs. Whenever appropriate, the interviewer
prompted participants to expand on relevant and
interesting responses.
The interview responses were then subjected to
transcription for analysis. The research employed
thematic analysis approach in its presentation of the
data from the interview. The method was chosen to
identify patterns of meaning across a dataset that
provide an answer to the research question being
addressed. The patterns were identified through a
rigorous process of data familiarization, data coding,
labeling or naming, and theme development and
revision. As expected from the research, the main
source of data that the research used are the firsthand
results from the survey and interview conducted by the
researcher herself.
Respondents/Subjects of the Study
The study employed 60 teachers from different central
elementary schools in Polillo Group of Islands,
specifically in Polillo, Patnanungan, Panukulan,
Burdeos and Jomalig District to answer the formulated
questionnaire. Prior to the actual data gathering, the
respondents were informed by the principals who
received first the formal request to have the
questionnaire answered by them. The online
questionnaire included a short introduction to the
research including the purpose to which their
responses will be used. This certified the teachers’
permission to consent the use of their responses to the
questionnaire for research purposes.
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The respondents were purposively chosen due to being

in line with a specific focus of perspective -
preparedness of teachers in a specific population of
students. The respondents were chosen as they were teachers, gender did not appear to be relevant when
the ones who can give the first-hand responses. young persons talked about teachers (Lahelma, 2006).

Sampling Design and Procedures Table 1. Distribution of the Respondents as to

Demographic Profile
This study employed purposive sampling in the
selection of 151 teachers as respondents from the
Polillo Group of Islands. They were chosen through a
criterion, a teacher from the Polillo Group of Islands in
an elementary school. The criterion is set to denote
purposive selection because they are the ones who can
provide as much insight as possible into the problem
under scrutiny.

Research Locale/Study Site

This study covered elementary schools from the

different islands in the Polillo Group of Islands in
Quezon Province where the researcher is in close
proximity and familiar with its culture and current
socioeconomic status and standards of living. These
schools are located in several regions throughout the
Polillo Group of Islands: Polillo Central School,
Patnanungan Central School, Panukulan Central
School, Burdeos Central Elementary School, and
Jomalig Central Elementary School. The locale is a
remote area in which technology and resources are
deficient. It is also known for its archipelagic
geography, which makes trade and other industries
more challenging to conduct. As experienced by the
researcher herself, transport and information exchange
is definitely a challenge, yet industries strive in the
area, as well as institutions, especially academic.

Results and Discussion

Demographic Profile of the Respondents

Table 1 shows the distribution of the respondents as to

demographic profile. As can be seen, most or 26.67%
of the respondents are 26 to 30 years old, while
23.33% are in the 31 to 35 age-group. This reveals that
most of them are in the younger age-group and can be
considered to be still establishing their career in the
teaching profession.
Half of the respondents or 50% has a bachelor’s
In terms of gender, majority or 85% of them are degree which is parallel to the data on their age
female, which proves their stronger predisposition to considering that they are still in the younger age group.
tend toward the teaching profession compared to However, it is interesting to note that 43.33% of them
males. While lack of male teachers is a recurrent
theme in educational discussion, widely agreed among

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are pursuing masteral studies, which is a good
indication that they are exerting effort to advance their
knowledge and competence. Only 6.67% has master’s
degree. The level of teachers’ educational attainment is
a combination of their pre-service training and
additional qualifications they may have acquired in-
service (OECD, 2009).
As to civil status, majority or 60% are married which
could indicate that many of them have to balance their
time for school and family activities. This could
somehow affect their ability to commit and perform
responsibilities as teachers.
Almost all of them (91.67%) are using Tagalog as
language of instruction. Only a small percentage said
that they use a language other than the vernacular. This
could be attributed to the fact that mother tongue based
instruction is used in primary education.
With regard to the number of trainings they have
attended, most or 31.67% have only attended one (1)
training while 26.67% had more than 4 seminars/
trainings relative to teaching learners with diverse
educational needs. Meanwhile, 15% of them have not
attended any trainings, which could have an
implication on their teaching performance.
Most or 36.67% have attended school-based
trainings/seminars only. Only 28.33% was able to
attend district or division level trainings/seminars. A
very small percentage has undergone regional and
national trainings/seminars.
Common Types of Learners with Diverse
Educational Needs
Table 2. Common Types of Learners with Diverse
Educational Needs Handled by the Teacher-
Respondents
Maria Victoria A. Alpuerto
Table 2 displays the common types of learners handled
by the teacher-respondents in their class. The data
reveals that most type of learners with diverse
educational needs include those with difficulty in
focusing and maintaining attention and recurrent, with
a frequency of 441. It is followed by those with
difficulty in number operation with a frequency of 384
and those with difficulty in reading with 335. These
are also considered learning difficulties or problems
that teachers encounter in class.
According to Philippine Statistics Authority (2019) in
their profiling collation conducted for the academic
year 2017 to 2018, there were 22,129 learners that
have disabilities and/or special needs. Region IV-A
(CALABARZON) ranked second in the numbers of
students with special needs. In the PISA 2018
Philippine National Report, it was stated that majority
of Filipino students (80.70%) were classified as having
Proficiency Levels below Level 2, with 54.4% below
Level 1 proficiency which meant students can only
interpret and recognize situations in contexts that
require no more than direct inference, and that students
can only answer questions involving familiar contexts
where all relevant information is present and the
questions are clearly defined. In terms of the reading
literacy, majority of the male (84.82%) and female
(76.90%) Filipino students were considered low
performing or under Proficiency Level 2. As implied
by the level of literacy, these students can understand
the literal meaning of sentences or short passages,
evaluate the literal meaning of simple sentences,
understand and affirm the meaning of short,
syntactically simple sentences on a literal level, and
read for a clear and simple purpose within a limited
amount of time. Additionally, these students are not
expected to identify the main idea in a piece of text of
moderate length and understand relationships or
construe meaning by making basic inferences within a
limited part of the text when the information is not
prominent.
Meanwhile, the teachers have also responded that they
handle learners with speaking (f=169) and writing
difficulty (f=168). Very few learners are classified as
those with special needs considering that some schools
really have SPED classes.
The overall results show that most types of learners
with diverse educational needs handled by the teachers
have lesson-based difficulties such as reading and
number operation. This also shows that it is highly
anchored on comprehension and understanding ability
from which the difficulty in maintaining focus and
attention stem as well (McInnes, 2003). These are
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difficulties in which the teachers can help since
expertise in facilitation and the method of teaching are
both adjustable and complex.
Strategies Used
Table 3. Strategies Used by Teachers in Teaching
Learners with Diverse Educational Needs
Maria Victoria A. Alpuerto
Table 3 discloses the strategies used by the teacher
respondents in handling learners with diverse
educational needs. As can be seen from the data,
appreciating and accommodating the similarities and
differences among students in a positive manner
(WM=3.70); building relationship with students to
enable teachers increase the relevance of the lessons
and make examples more meaningful (WM=3.70); and
monitoring students’ academic progress during lessons
and independent work (WM=3.67) are the top three
identified strategies they employ in their class.
In the educational work ethics, it is stated that teachers
should find ways to promote these characteristics of
engagement in their students as often as possible
(Rimm-Kaufman et al., 2015). This might be one of
the major motivations behind the teachers’
appreciation of the similarities and the differences
among students for them to create a more engaging
and positive environment in the classroom setup. This
is also apparent to their efforts in building relationship
with the students to make their lessons and examples
relevant and something which their students can relate
to.
The results of the study also show how the teachers are
more into personal level of approach in educating their
students since they are more focused into the
development of the relationship than the actual
cognitive progress. It can be deduced that the
respondents’ main outlook is the healthy relationship
as good motivation and reinforcement in effective
learning.
Similarly, teachers should also make sure that their
lessons are relevant and can appeal to their students,
must do ways to motivate their students by utilizing
mechanisms that can increase students’ enthusiasm
(Dolezal et al., 2003). This is one of the recurring
methods the teacher-respondents used as strategies in
handling learners with diverse educational needs.
The data also reveal how teachers make use of
empathy and relationship building in most of their
strategies in handling students with diverse educational
needs. The study presents the attempts of teachers in
improvising ways to identify their students’ needs and
the way they can help them personally with the
incorporation of the lessons in class. Thus, general
educators need to have an increasingly large repertoire
of instructional strategies to effectively meet their
students’ needs (DeBettencourt, 2000).
Scholars of multicultural education have outlined goals
for teacher preparation that include preparing teachers
to form relationships with students from backgrounds
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Level of Preparedness

different from their own backgrounds, to bridge home

Table 4. Teachers’ Level of Preparedness in Teaching
and school cultures, to integrate multicultural content
Learners with Diverse Educational Needs in Terms of
into the curriculum, to use pedagogy equitably in the
classroom so they teach all students well, to reduce Classroom Management
prejudice and build relationships among students, and
to be change agents who can recognize and challenge
injustice (Sleeter, 2012). It is indeed manifested in the
teachers’ collective responses how approaches should
be tested and experimented in order to strategize
effectively their teaching, and it should always employ
empathy and notice on personality. Since the study
operates on the idea of diversity, it is no doubt that the
data gathered would result to the basic understanding
of differences and variances when it comes to both
student needs and teaching strategies.

The strategies also include the teachers’ understanding

of the students different personalities making them
prefer different approaches (WM=3.58), which is
similar to their effort in focusing on the ways students
learn and observing students to identify their task
orientations (WM=3.57). Learning styles is a common
strand found throughout recent science education
reform recommendations. Teacher attitude toward
behavior and subjective norm influenced teachers’
intent to implement variety of instructional strategies
to meet the needs of different learning styles. Attitude
toward behavior was the greatest influence. It was
concluded that teacher belief constructs should be
considered carefully when planning teacher
development programs to successfully implement
science reform recommendations (Ballone, 2001).
The remaining strategies, which were agreed to by the
teacher-respondents such as considering students’
culture and language skills when developing learning
objectives and instructional activities (WM=3.53),
teaching students to match their behaviors to the
setting to help them switch to appropriate behavior
(WM=3.45), using variety of instructional strategies
and learning activities to help students learn in ways
that are responsive to their own communication styles,
cognitive styles, and aptitudes (WM=3.47) tackled the
awareness of the teachers in the use of instructional
materials and learning activities to help students learn
in ways that are r e sp o n siv e to their own
communication styles, cognitive styles, and aptitudes.
This strategy is bound to the values of the top-ranked
strategies that involve the importance of the personal
leveling of the teachers as well as the specialization in
the use of materials in the lessons and the activities
that they employ.
Table 4 illustrates the level of preparedness of the
teacher-respondents in handling learners with diverse
educational needs in terms of classroom management.
The data shows that they are highly prepared in
making teaching more creative to excite young minds
and capture their interest to learn, with a weighted
mean of 3.30. This result reveals the efforts of the
teachers in being creative in their teaching methods for
learners with diverse educational needs. Creative
inclusive education has to recognize and support the
development of the creativity of people who also have
some specific learning disabilities (SLD), taking into
account their distinctiveness as a result of certain
developmental disorders (Obradović, 2015).
Also, it is notable how creativity is enforced when
there is a need to become different when it comes to an
approach, or at least to debunk existing formalist ideas
that once catered the community. The data shows how
the teachers are prepared in being comfortable with the
use of various learning strategies as part of classroom
teaching (WM=3.22), as well as evaluating in a way
that accounts for the fact that students learn differently
(WM=3.20), and having sufficient understanding of
how a student learns (WM=3.17).

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As people are different, and have needs that are not

alike, diversity comes apparent and thus the teacher is more structured induction experiences for teachers
induced to make ways in impromptu in order to (Whitehurst, 2002).
achieve the desired learning to the students. This
reality comes from personal attempt to discuss new Table 5. Teachers’ Level of Preparedness in Teaching
ideas, and thus an individual can definitely make use Learners with Diverse Educational Needs in Terms of
of creativity to aid her teaching process, since the
Professional Development
teacher is the one able to understand what the student
needs (Cropley, 2001). It is deemed that the less
engaging the teacher, the more prominent is the use of
instructional approaches with potential to undermine
student motivation (Dolezal et al., 2003).

Likewise, the data presents that the teachers are

prepared in spending time with students in
implementing each new instructional method
(WM=3.25), which only denotes the teachers’ effort to
engage with their students for them to measure and
identify the effectiveness of the instructional
approaches they use.

On the other hand, they are least prepared in being

adequately trained in the area of how diverse learner
learns best (WM=2.88) and studying thoroughly the
varied features and exceptionalities of each learner
(WM=2.98). Not all teachers are equipped with
training in teaching students of under or above the
normal cognitive. The results of the study are an
evidence of this inadequacy when it comes to formal
preparation.
As it exists as now, teacher preparation programs
should be more intentional in providing classroom
management strategies to assist with the specificities
of managing student behavior effectively (Wright,
2017).
However, based on the average mean of 3.13, they are
generally prepared in terms of classroom management,
mostly impactful on their creative methods in
preparation and maintaining healthy relational
dialectics with their students.
Table 5 illustrates the level of preparedness of the
teacher-respondents in handling learners with diverse
educational needs in terms of professional
development. The data shows that they are highly
prepared in actively participating in all school and
community programs and activities and encouraging
parents to actively participate in all school activities,
both with a weighted mean of 3.32. This only shows
that the teachers attend to the recommendations for
“high quality” professional development to emphasize
the importance of more intense, content-focused
experiences (i.e., not one-day generic workshops), as
well as more opportunities for peer collaboration and
Since these programs are already provided and
participation is only what is needed, teachers can
effortlessly maximize their cooperation through
experiential learning. This is apparent in the weighted
mean given to the use of specialized and localized
teaching instructional materials that are available,
which is 3.25, denoting that the teachers are prepared
when it comes to this aspect of professional
development. It can also be deduced that the
availability of such services and programs enables
teachers to respond positively through proactiveness
and effective involvement. In her review of
international literature on teachers’ professional
development, Villegas-Reimers (2003) concluded that
a career long approach “requires the transformation of
processes and policies that support teachers, their
education, their work, and their growth in the
profession” (p. 141). In other words, it requires
system-wide policies and arrangements that are fair,
inclusive (open to all teachers), of good quality, and
affordable.
However, the findings also show they are least
prepared in inviting people who can tutor students with
diverse educational needs (WM=2.62) and having

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professional demonstrations in school regarding
innovated technology and materials (WM=2.85). This
reveals that focusing on classroom organization and
behavior management is necessary as a preventive
approach for students who are at-risk for poor
educational outcomes due to poverty, language status,
minority status, and disabilities (Oliver & Reschly,
2007).
themselves as more capable of teaching (Raulston &
Wright, 2010; Sad & Goktas, 2014; Yusri et al., 2015).
Table 6. Teachers’ Level of Preparedness in Teaching
Learners with Diverse Educational Needs in Terms of
Educational Technology

The lack of teacher-related credentials are of course

not helpful in maintaining good preparation for
teaching, such as academic qualification deficiency,
low continuing professional involvements, and
substantial teaching experience (Orleans, 2007).

Nevertheless, as shown by the average mean of 3.05,

they are generally prepared in terms of professional
development, although there is a recurring need to
empower the reach and network of teachers. The
professional status of teachers should be recognized as
one of the most important in society. It is the
responsibility of policymakers and school management
to support and empower the teachers in this important
role, and to work toward raising their professional
status (Hammarberg, 2006).

Table 6 reveals the level of preparedness of the

teacher-respondents in handling learners with diverse
educational needs in terms of educational technology.
As can be gleaned from the data, they are highly
prepared in using the internet in developing lesson
plans, with a weighted mean of 3.47. It reveals that
they utilize online resources in preparing their teaching
materials which could compensate the lack of adequate
printed references or materials.

The locale of the study is highly remote to the

sophisticated parts of the country like that of Manila
and other cities with immediate access to technology.
This problem with proximity debilitates teachers’
capacity in looking for potential and available tutors
that can help them attend to the needs of the students.
Many countries are progressing towards the goals of
Education for All, but struggle to achieve ‘teacher
quality for all’, especially in rural or remote areas in
developing countries (Verspoor, 2004; OECD, 2005;
Hanushek, 2005).
However, results show how the teacher respondents
are prepared in utilizing some computer applications to
enhance teaching (WM=3.25) and preparing learning
instructional materials by using laptop (WM=3.23).
The convenience of technology allows teachers to be
more prepared in teaching. Studies also revealed that
teachers who use technology in the classroom view
Meanwhile, they are least prepared in using online
libraries to supplement teaching materials (WM=2.57),
which is understandable considering that most of them
require subscription and not open sources. Using
interactive whiteboard that makes teaching easier to
give students better visual aids and easier time in
understanding the lessons (WM=2.63) is also least
utilized as it could be costly. It is also an important
element in promoting social justice in terms of
educational quality in rural and remote areas where
teachers tend to be less qualified than their urban peers
and less well-resourced and supported (Robinson,
2009).
In general, the average mean of 3.02 reveal that they
are nevertheless prepared in terms of educational
technology. As discussed in interview by the CNN
Philippines (2019), the lack of funding may be one of
the reasons as to the incompetence of educational

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technology that the teachers currently make use of.

This availability is a responsibility of the government
sector assigned to the educational welfare of the
Philippines which is the Department of Education. The
department is therefore cultivating ways and providing
the sector with enough budget to fill the gaps and
needs of the teachers especially in the rural areas to
maintain quality and equal education for all.
shows their effort in maintaining their service of
quality by their devotion to participation in school
activities and program. Participation in professional
development activities is important for teachers to
continuously improve their knowledge and skills.

The transparency of the results from the PISA
evaluation (2018) and rankings is evidently reflected
on the results of this research, especially in terms of
preparedness of the teachers when it comes to
educational technology.
Best Practices Employed by Teachers
However, existing research shows that teachers differ
strongly in how actively they engage in formal and
informal learning activities such as seeking
information, participating in workshops in- or outside
the school, and asking for feedback (Kwakman, 2003;
Opfer & Pedder, 2011; Runhaar, Sanders, & Yang,
2010; Lohman, 2005).

Table 7. Best Practices Employed by Teachers for
Learners with Diverse Educational Needs
Common Challenges Encountered by Teachers
Table 8. Common Challenges Encountered by
Teachers in Handling Learners with Diverse
Educational Needs

Table 7 reveals the best practices employed by the

teachers in handling learners with diverse educational
needs. Based on the table, they always practice using
creative teaching to capture students’ interest in
learning (WM=3.45); changing teaching style if
needed (WM=3.42); and actively participating in all
school activities and programs (WM=3.38).

One specific way for teachers to make learning

relevant is to harness teachable moments as they
naturally occur in the classroom (Nicholson &
Putwain, 2014). It is apparent in the results that the
Table 8 shows the challenges encountered by teachers
teachers make an effort in trying to be creative in order
in handling learners with diverse educational needs.
to appeal to the students’ interests. The data also

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As revealed by the data, identified as most challenging

are difficulty in establishing discipline in a regular
Table 9. Significant Relationship Between Strategies
education classroom setting with diverse learners
(WM=3.17); excessive paperwork for data collection Used and Level of Preparedness of Teachers in
(WM=3.07); and difficulty to apply the prescribed Handling Learners with Diverse Educational Needs
curriculum to all types of students (WM=3.07). It
could be deduced that there is a need for training on
classroom management among diverse learners as
discipline is part of it. They also need workshops on
research and academic/technical writing to improve
their ability to handle paper works. An orientation
should also be conducted to make them more familiar
with the curriculum and adapt their teaching strategies.

According to the PISA 2018 Philippine National

Report, the Department of Education addressed the
issue of the low ranking of the Philippines and told the
CNN Philippines (2019) that the government failed to
spend portions of its gross domestic product (GDP) for
education, a factor which may have caused the
Philippines to holdup behind other countries in the Likewise, in terms of relationship between strategies
report. In the same interview by the CNN, a total of and professional development, the computed
P14 billion will be allocated to the DepEd’s quick coefficient of correlation (r = 0.519) revealed a “high
response fund for the repair of classrooms stricken by positive relationship”. It means that the use of
calamities and the agency’s Last Mile Schools strategies can directly affect the teachers’ preparedness
Program, which seeks to ensure that rural schools will in terms of professional development.
also get equal access to quality basic education. The
Meanwhile, a “moderate positive relationship” can be
interview also noted that the government will have to
observed between strategies used and preparedness in
elevate the status of DepEd’s training arm, the
terms of educational technology as shown by the
National Educators Academy, into a “real academy” to
computed coefficient of correlation (r = .396). It thus
thoroughly upskill the country’s teachers and meet the
also connotes that strategies used contribute to the
students’ ideal standard for learning. This only implies
teachers’ level of preparedness in terms of educational
that the government is aware of the deficiencies and
technology.
the shortage of improvement for the quality of
education in the Philippines. Thematic Analysis of the Interview Conducted
Correlation Analysis
Table 10 reveals the challenges and deficiencies the
teacher-respondents encounter in preparing for
As can be inferred from the table above, the
teaching students with diverse educational needs. The
correlation analysis revealed that there is a significant
results show that most of the answers collated from the
relationship between the strategies used by teachers interviews are comprised with perceptions on student
and their level of preparedness. This implies the absorbency, which are all student-related factors such
relativity of teachers’ effort and their level of as the effect of their personal background into their
preparedness. learning competencies and interest and their relative
behavior in class. Problems with the current
In terms of relationship between strategies and
classification system include stigma to the child, low
classroom management, the computed coefficient of
reliability, poor correlation between categorization and
correlation (r = 0.571) can be interpreted as “high
treatment, obsolete assumptions still in use in
positive relationship” which implies a direct
treatment, and disproportionate representation of
relationship between the two. Effective teachers minority students (Reshcly, 2007).
creating and maintaining an orderly, productive
classroom environment has long been viewed as one of Another challenge that is also apparent is the time-
the essential elements in teaching competence bound aspects of preparation such as management and
(LaCaze, McCormick & Meyer, 2012).

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preparation itself. This category discusses the time
teachers needed to prepare and how they manage to
deal with the insufficiency of the period they have in
control.
Table 10. Deliberated Categories as to the Challenges
and Deficiency Teachers Encounter in Preparing to
Teach Students with Diverse Educational Needs
On the other hand, the lack of third-party support is
also seen as a part of the deficiencies, which includes
parents’ participation and cooperation in the learning
progress of the students. Families are an important part
of every person’s life, but for students with disabilities,
their roles in their children’s education is greater than
it is for typical learners. Most parents do want to
participate in their children’s education, but sometimes
they do not understand the educational system (Smith
& Tyler, 2010).
The remaining interrelated challenges including
professional development paucity, educational
technology deficiency, and the teacher-related factors
were also discussed by the teacher-respondents, which
they took as important to take note. Serious teacher
professional development efforts are being used
extensively to properly orient and present the benefits
of inquiry-based teaching. Despite these efforts, there
still exists a big gap in the effective implementation of
inquiry-based teaching in the classroom (Gutierez,
2015). If teachers do not have the skills, they would
not be able to carry the task successfully (Ulla, 2016).
Maria Victoria A. Alpuerto
Table 11. Deliberated Categories as to the Teachers’
Strategies in Preparing for Teaching Students with
Diverse Educational Needs
Table 11 shows the teachers’ collated responses to the
question of teaching strategies employed in preparing
for teaching the students with diverse needs. The
answers were deliberated to be in resonance to the idea
of proper management of tasks and responsibilities,
identification of the learners’ specific needs, and
professional dedication.
The results show how the skill in task management is
key to prepare better in teaching students with diverse
needs. This is most linked to the identification of the
specific needs of students, since that is where the
method of the teacher will be coming from. The
identification of the needs models and forms theories
of teaching in collaboration with the child’s parent and
can set as a basis for future development (Mensah,
2016).
With professional growth and development as one of
the key result areas for the individual teacher’s
performance commitment and review, doing action
research has already become part of the annual
performance appraisal for all teachers. It comprises
five percent of the total score in the individual
teacher’s evaluation.
Table 12 discloses that teaching approaches and
resources improvement as well as teacher-specific
upgrading are keys to an ideal teaching preparation
method in teaching the student with diverse
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educational needs. It is apparent that there is a need for
more resources and improvement among school
administrators in order for the teachers to prepare
better, since it is what they see as lacking from the
current program and/or curriculum.
Table 12. Deliberated Categories as to the Teachers’
Perception of an Ideal Teaching Preparation Method
As the codes were named, the teachers demanded for
materials that are inclusive and can adjust to the needs
of their students and regarded the provision of
trainings and seminars, which is a fundamental course
and process in helping them in their venture on
teaching students with diverse needs.
In striving to educate as many children as possible and
with limited funds to build a separate special education
infrastructure to cater to the needs of children with
disabilities, inclusive education was officially adopted
in 1997 by the Department of Education in the
Philippines as a viable educational alternative
(Inciong, 2004).
However, despite these efforts, there is still recurring
inadequacy and ineffectuality of such institutional
goals. The categories produced by the researcher were
directly associated to these needs that are
constitutionally addressed already almost two decades
ago.
Table 13. Deliberated Categories as to the Teachers’
Ideas on Prospective Programs in Discussing
Preparation for Teaching Students with Diverse
Educational Needs
Maria Victoria A. Alpuerto
Table 13 shows the collected and evaluated teachers’
ideas on prospective programs in discussing
preparation for teaching students with diverse needs.
The formed categories were comprised of inclusive
programs and professional development and
investment as key factors to the betterment of the
current status of teachers handling student with diverse
educational needs.
As it is already established, inclusion of students with
disabilities into regular schools is now one of the most
significant issues encountered and battled by the
education community both nationally and
internationally. In order to address this issue, there is
widespread acceptance that teacher training
institutions must ensure that new teachers are trained
to teach effectively in classrooms where there are
students with a variety of learning needs (Sharma,
2008).
Both themes are relatively interconnected as it is with
specific needs that specialized trainings, academic
resourcing, and materials provision arise. Factors such
as the absence of support services, pertinent supplies,
and poor personnel training programs, especially the
lack of funding structure and the lack of enabling
legislation are the major problems of effective
implementation of inclusive education in most
developing countries (Eleweke, 2002).
Table 14. Summary of the Themes and Categories
Formed
As can be seen in Table 14, the analysis produced four
themes. The themes are discussed below:
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Common Challenges in Teaching – The theme
covers the existing struggles of the participants
regarding the preparation for teaching students with
diverse needs.
Preparation Methods – This theme encapsulates each
of the participants’ way of dealing with the challenges
posed by the preparation for teaching students with
diverse needs.
The Ideal Teaching Preparation Method – This
theme captures the participants’ ideals on an improved
and better-quality method of preparation in teaching
students with diverse needs.
Prospective Programs – This theme focuses on the
ideas of the participants regarding the potential
programs they have in mind, which are understood as
feasible and plausible to the needs of the
aforementioned students and to the teachers’
preparation methods in teaching them.
For each theme, all the included quotations were
synthesized to bring out the main ideas (i.e., a
summary of the content provided by the participants).
Theme A:Common Challenges in Teaching
The categories under Theme A answered the research
questions that centered on the common challenges
experienced by the teachers in teaching learners with
diverse educational needs. In analyzing the data, the
researcher found that there are three research questions
that can be intertwined to understand a specific
constructive opinion of the teacher respondents,
mainly research questions number two, four and ten.
Theme A1. The responses of the teachers circled
around time-bound aspects, such as lack of time for
preparation since they have other responsibilities at
hand. The teacher mentions that since a student has a
specific need different to the general class, the teachers
have to assess their needs first before attending to the
needs of the overall class, and that takes significant
amount of time.
Theme A2. This relates to the other common challenge
which is the student absorbency, wherein the teachers
share their experiences on having to acknowledge their
student’s particular difficulties before they can teach
effectively to them.
Theme A3a. With the educational technology
deficiency, it is apparent on how it is manifested in the
teachers’ responses regarding the unavailability of
instructional materials.
Theme A3b. In line with this, professional
development paucity is highlighted on their regard for
Maria Victoria A. Alpuerto
the lack of seminars and trainings in teaching students
of the category. The teachers find it challenging to
think of ways of helping the students with diverse
needs, especially that sources are not so easy to
acquire, which also involve the lack of contemporary
technology in the area, as well as the trainings and
seminars that can help them improve their use of
available materials.
Theme A4. The lack of third-party support is discussed
by teachers which they consider as essential in the
effective learning of the students with diverse needs.
This includes support from the parents and their
immediate environment, such as the people they
interact with since they are the ones who are more
exposed to communication and collaboration with the
student.
Theme A5. The least recurring element on these
common challenges but worthy of noting is the
teacher-related factors such as approachability and the
patience management. These behaviors are dependent
on the teachers themselves.
Theme B: Preparation Methods
The categories which formed Theme B answered the
research questions pertaining to the strategies
employed by the teacher respondents in preparing for
teaching learners with diverse educational needs. In
analyzing the interview responses, it was valuated that
two interview questions were relatively interrelated.
These were interview questions number five and six.
Theme B1. The responses of the respondents were all
subjects of proper management of tasks and
responsibilities, such as time utilization, use of proper
activities (tactile). Ideas for incorporating creativity
and fostering motivation into the classroom include:
cooperative learning, authentic experiences, drama,
music, games, manipulative, brainstorming, sharing
ideas with a classmate, creating something
individually, learning by doing, and encouraging risk-
taking (Dolezal et al., 2003). It is also evident among
the teachers that even behavioral management such as
control over patience and dedication to teaching is
important in preparing for teaching students with
diverse needs.
Theme B2. It is also apparent from the respondents’
answers that the identification of the learners’ specific
needs was imperative to the generation of applicable
preparation methods since it is directly aligned to the
demands of the intellect of the learner. This also
relates to their idea of building a positive relationship
with the students, which will help them become more
personal and extract the particular necessities of the
student in terms of learning.
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Theme B3. The research also found out another
preparation method which includes professional
dedication consistency, essential to the effective
preparation in teaching as it will enable them to get
invested to what they need to prepare and how should
they go about it. They were aware of how preparation
comes from within and from personal effort.
Theme C: The Ideal Teaching Preparation Method
Theme C tackled the teacher-respondents’ collective
idea of a multi-leveled and standardized teaching
preparation method in teaching students with diverse
educational needs.
Theme C1. As a collective response, the teachers
perceived how teaching approaches and resources
improvement is core to the ideal preparation method.
This enables them to grow on their own, become more
resourceful, and become more creative in spite of the
lack of available materials. Teacher peer learning
contributed to teacher growth and that coaching and
collaborating activities yielded outcomes on each of
the four domains of the interconnected model of
teacher growth (Thurlings & den Brok, 2017).
Theme C2. It was also a shared understanding that they
have teacher-specific upgrading. The teachers know
that they themselves should be able to recognize
differences in learning styles, do personal research,
and encourage active learning being the autonomous
and superior figure in the classroom context.
Theme D: Prospective Programs
Theme D is comprised of the ideas of the teachers
regarding the prospective programs school
administrators may employ to help the teachers
prepare in teaching students with diverse educational
needs.
Theme D1. The research deduced from the teachers’
responses that inclusive programs are key to help
better the current quality of education for students with
diverse needs. These include the student-specific
classrooms and establishments, and even school that
caters to the prerequisite of the students with the
demanded needs.
Theme D2. It was also a part of the desired prospect
that the professional development and investment be
prioritized by school administrators. Therefore,
teachers will be able to enhance their skills in teaching
preparation.
Maria Victoria A. Alpuerto
Conclusion
Based on the analysis of the data gathered from the
survey and the analysis, the following conclusions are
derived: (1) Most of the teacher respondents were from
the younger age group who have attended only one
training/seminar relative to handling learners with
diverse educational needs that are mostly school-
based. Majority of them were female, married, and use
Tagalog as language of instruction. Only half of the
respondents finished a bachelor’s degree and most of
the remaining teachers are pursuing masteral studies.
(2) The most common types of learners handled by the
teacher-respondents are those with difficulty in
focusing and maintaining attention and recurrent,
number operation, reading, speaking, and writing.
(3) The most apparent strategies used by teachers in
handling learners with diverse educational needs are
recognizing the similarities and differences among
students; building relationship with them; and
monitoring students’ progress and independent work.
(4) The teachers are generally prepared in handling
learners with diverse educational needs. In terms of
classroom management, they are highly prepared in
making teaching more creative for learners. In terms of
professional development, they are highly prepared in
actively participating in all school and community
programs and activities and encouraging parents to
actively participate in all school activities. As to
educational technology, they are highly prepared in
using the internet in developing lesson plans which are
limited to open sources. (5) There is a significant
relationship between the strategies used by teachers
and their level of preparedness in terms of classroom
management, professional development, and
educational technology. (6) The best practices
employed by teachers in handling learners with diverse
educational needs include using creative teaching to
capture students’ interest, modifying teaching style
based on the learners, and actively participating in
school activities and programs. (7) The challenges
encountered by teachers in handling learners with
diverse educational needs are the difficulty in
establishing classroom discipline, excessive
paperwork, and difficulty in implementing the
curriculum to all types of students.
Based on the conclusions made, the following
recommendations are formulated: (1) The research
conducted was limited only to the scrutiny of teachers
from central schools in the Polillo Group of Islands.
Hence, future researchers can opt to include more
schools and/or a broader locale to reveal greater and
paramount results such as tertiary level of education.
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By augmenting the quantity of participants and
extending the reach of the study, these prospective
studies can help achieve a clearer picture of teachers’
preparedness in the regional perspective, even in the
national, as well as in terms of professional education.
(2) Another imperative recommendation includes
incorporation of the other potential aspects of
preparedness such as supplemental teaching and other
struggle-induced strategic methods carried out by
teachers experiencing the challenge of teaching
students with diverse needs. This recommendation
includes teachers’ effort in providing learning
experiences to a greater extent. (3) Future studies
could focus on the more specific challenges and
struggles of teachers that are beyond their personal
control, such as those that can only be improved upon
intervention of superior institutional authorities.
Consequently, this can help identify teachers’ needs
and essential prerequisites in teaching learners with
diverse needs. (4) Lastly, there have been several
solicited programs noted from the conducted interview
in which some are related to the studies in the
literature review. Future researchers can look into
these programs and study their applicability and
aptness to the dilemma of teachers at hand.
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