i

PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS OF PCZC IN THE NEW NORMAL:

PRACTICUM EXPERIENCES IN FOCUS

_____________________

An Institutional Research Presented to the Administration

of Pilar College of Zamboanga City, Inc.

____________________

NERISSA M. MANALO
SHAYNNE ANNE S. TALITY
JAY RICK T. CAYAPAS
TRIXIA O. GENA
May 2022
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APPROVAL SHEET

This Institutional Research titled, PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS OF PCZC IN THE

NEW NORMAL: PRACTICUM EXPERIENCES IN FOCUS, prepared and submitted by
NERISSA M. MANALO, SHAYNNE ANNE S. TALITY, JAY RICK T. CAYAPAS, and
TRIXIA O. GENA, presented to the Administration, Faculty, and Staff of Pilar College of
Zamboanga City, Inc., Zamboanga City, Zamboanga Del Sur, Philippines.

PANEL OF EXAMINERS

S. MA. PRECIOSA M. RUSIANA, RVM

Chairperson

JOSE MARIE E. OCDENARIA, LPT, PhD S. MA. DIVINA CONSEJO E. BILLANES, RVM
Member Member

Date of Final Oral Defense: May 2022

S. MA. PRECIOSA M. RUSIANA, RVM

School President
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ABSTRACT

As the COVID-19 cases in Zamboanga City have increased, the academic sector
took measures in preparation for the new normal education. The PCZC adapted to
the new education trend, especially in the new normal way of pre-service
teaching. In this study, the fourth-year BEED Students of PCZC experienced the
new normal way of pre-service teaching wherein they encountered different
hindrances in teaching online. This impacted their teaching performance and
created a new challenge for them. This study aims to determine the outcome and
acceptance of the new normal teaching by PCZC fourth Year BEED Students. The
researchers collected sufficient data that illustrates the respondents' perspectives
on the new normal way of teaching while conducting the study. Students were
able to come up with new ways to deal with practicum anxiety by trying different
strategies, having an alternative source of internet connectivity, having family
support, being prepared for the class, and receiving help from others. The
researchers found that the study provided valuable information for improving
network connectivity on campus, systems, and support from the administration
for the new normal way of pre-service teaching for Fourth Year BEED students.
Advantages and downsides were listed, and due documentation and attention
were paid to them. The research provides insight into the realities of how the new
normal way of teaching is being conducted.

Keywords: Pre-service teachers, New Normal, Practicum Experiences,

Phenomenological-Qualitative Design, In-Depth Interview, Thematic Analysis,
Pilar College Of Zamboanga City, Inc., Zamboanga City, Philippines
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

First and foremost, praises and thanks to God, the Almighty, for His blessings

and wisdom to complete the research successfully.

Furthermore, the researchers would like to express their deepest and sincerest

gratitude to the following persons:

The Pilar College of Zamboanga City, Inc., the President, S. Ma. Preciosa M.

Rusiana, RVM with her support and encouragement to pursue this research paper;

S. Ma. Divina E. Billanes, RVM, panel member, for her unceasing patience,

valuable suggestions and support during the oral defense;

Dr. Jose Marie E. Ocdenaria, the researchers’ adviser and panel chairman, for

his constant encouragement, time, and support and whose expertise greatly helped in

the improvement and completion of this paper;

Dr. Elnora R. Perez, panel member, for her guidance, advice, and constructive

criticisms had led to a valuable impact in the advancement of this study;

Finally, the researchers are expressing their very profound gratitude to their

families for providing them with unfailing support and continuous encouragement

throughout the study and through the process of researching and writing this research

paper. This accomplishment would not have been possible without them.

To all those who were not mentioned but who in one way or the other hand

supported the completion of this paper.

Thank you so much and God bless.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page

TITLE PAGE 1

APPROVAL SHEET ii

ABSTRACT iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENT iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS v

CHAPTER

1 INTRODUCTION 1

Purpose of the Study 4

Research Questions 5

Theoretical Lens 5

Scope and Limitations 7

Importance of the Study 7

Definition of Terms 8

Organization of the Study 9

2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 11

3 METHODOLOGY 20

Research Design 20

Research Participants 21

Role of the Researcher 22

Data Source 23

Data Collection Procedure 24

Data Analysis 26

Trustworthiness of the Study 27

Ethical Consideration 29
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4 RESULTS 33

5 DISCUSSIONS 48

REFERENCES 64
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Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought drastic changes in the lives of people

around the world. Economics and education are greatly affected. Schools must modify

and prepare to adapt to the new normal. This initiative paved for teaching-learning and

assessments to go online. Although distance education is already a decade in its

implementation in fewer big schools in the country, according to the secretary of the

Department of Education (DepEd), Dr. Leonor Briones, most schools are adept at face-

to-face teaching and learning process. Teachers have to do some retooling in the

manner of teaching. The non-digital natives have to work hard to answer to the demands

of the time. Schools have to invest in technologies as everything goes online.

For the problem scenario of this study, the researchers would like to know the

lived experiences of the pre-service teachers of PCZC in their practicum in the new

normal. The pre-service teachers are uncertain about what teaching strategies and

instructional materials to utilize that would allow students engagement and cater to the

learners' multiple intelligences and learning styles. Furthermore, what assessment would

allow the students to develop higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). Teaching practicum

provides pre-service teachers with authentic and hands-on experience for teaching in

the classrooms. This is a one-semester full-time teaching internship in basic education

schools using a clinical approach under the mentorship of a cooperating teacher. This

shall be done both on-campus and off-campus if possible. No academic courses shall be

taken together with a teaching internship (CHED, 2017). Distance education became

ubiquitous due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020. Because of these

circumstances, online teaching and learning had an indispensable role.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many people's lives and strained many

schools and other educational institutions worldwide. Due to the rapid increase of
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infected cases of Covid-19, student teachers urgently adjusted themselves to the current

situation and shift to remote teaching and going 100 percent online. It was clear that

virtual classes and remote learning will likely be followed for a considerably long time

due to the health protocols and restrictions that the government implemented. However,

there are some concerns that we need to address about the quality of remote teaching

and the student teachers' capability to adjust and effectively deliver their lessons during

this time of the pandemic. Although there is a continuity of learning given to the students,

the quick shift from traditional teaching to remote learning and virtual teaching affected

them unevenly and occurred utterly unprepared.

Globally, the typical procedures and operations of schools in The Bahamas were

significantly modified to accommodate learners and teachers engaged in online

instruction. This transformation, however, presented many challenges, including

teachers' use of unfamiliar online learning platforms, poor internet service, lack of

support from cooperating teachers, and insufficient computers and other devices for

students to use during online classes. Pre-service teachers are expected to manage

large classes, including struggling learners, maneuver unfamiliar virtual platforms (for

which they received insufficient training), and battle technical difficulties should they

arise (Gallup et al., 2021). The transition from face-to-face instruction to virtual teaching

also poses significant implications for future practice and pre-service teacher

preparedness. Consequently, teacher education programs must be reformed to facilitate

pre-service teacher proficiency in various technological devices and strategies. Gallup et

al. (2021) also found that although this generation of pre-service teachers is considered

technologically savvy, many express uncertainties and low self-efficacy with teaching

virtually. Similarly, Han et al.'s (2017) investigation of the impact of pre-service teachers'

pedagogical experiences found that teachers with more technology-based teaching

experiences displayed higher levels of self-efficacy.

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The current teaching environment made teaching fraught with many significant

challenges for all teachers in general and pre-service. In particular, König et al. (2020)

stated that the novel epidemic confronted teachers with entirely new challenges and

more complicated struggles with online teaching. Huber and Helm (2020). However, the

real challenges and common factors relevant to those challenges are still unknown.

In the national scenario, Napanoy et al. (2021) stated that pre-service teachers'

dominant problem is the learning environment, cooperating teachers, peers, students

assigned tasks, lack of school engagement, language barriers, and resources.

Moreover, one of the state colleges in the Philippines stated that the pre-service

teachers had difficulties in lesson planning, classroom management, and using

technology in their demonstration teaching.

The pre-service teachers of Pilar College of Zamboanga City Inc. are

apprehensive in their practicum in the new normal. Although the COVID-19 pandemic

may have brought about unprecedented challenges for different sectors of society, this

has opened opportunities for greater involvement for pre-service teachers as they can

be empowered to help in the teaching and learning process in an online environment.

This study is relevant today because online learning has become increasingly

common. The result of this study may help the school, the teachers, and of course, the

pre-service teachers to cope with the problems they might encounter in their practicum

in the new normal. To address this gap, the researchers would like to find out the

following: What are the lived experiences of the pre-service teachers in their practicum in

the new normal? How do the pre-service teachers cope with the challenges in their

practicum in the new normal? What are the insights of the pre-service teachers that can

be shared with other BEED students, teachers, and parents on their experiences in the

practicum in the new normal?

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These phenomena affect all pre-service teachers who are having their practicum

globally. Many studies have been done on virtual teaching and learning practice.

Nevertheless, virtual teaching practicum and its experience have been overlooked

(Sepúlveda-Escobar et al., 2020) but started to gain attention during the pandemic. The

pandemic has caused teaching practicum to be adapted into a virtual environment;

hence, new dimensions of teaching practicum occur. The new dimensions brought a

new experience of teaching practicum for pre-service teachers. Therefore, this paper

reviews pre-service teachers' lived experiences in their teaching practicum during the

Covid-19 pandemic.

Although empowering student teachers during the pandemic may be worthwhile,

it is not without problems, as varying access to technology and the internet, developing

pedagogical and content knowledge, and stakeholder acceptance may be potential

challenges in this initiative. This prompts higher education institutions to consider

collaborative programs with experienced teachers mentoring pre-service teachers as

they help implement teaching and learning programs in an online environment.

The pre-service teachers of Pilar College of Zamboanga City Inc. are

apprehensive in their practicum in the new normal. Although the COVID-19 pandemic

may have brought about unprecedented challenges for different sectors of society, this

has opened opportunities for greater involvement for pre-service teachers as they can

be empowered to help in the teaching and learning process in an online environment.

This study is relevant today because online learning has become increasingly

common. The result of this study may help the school, the teachers, and of course, the

pre-service teacher to cope with the problems they might encounter.

Purpose of The Study

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to describe the lived

experiences of the pre-service teachers of PCZC in their practicum in the new normal.
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Furthermore, this study will encourage pre-service teachers to share their experiences,

opinions, and views on their challenges.

At this stage in research, Pre-service teachers' experiences in their practicum

during Covid-19 were generally defined as the negative and positive experiences they

have encountered and how they cope with the challenges. However, with the significant

shift in the educational system, teachers and students experience new learning methods

and changes in delivering assessments and feedback in the new normal.

Research Questions

The general problem of the study is the experiences of the Pre-service teachers

of Pilar College of Zamboanga Inc. in the New Normal. Specifically, it sought to find

answers to the following questions:

1. What are the lived experiences of the pre-service teachers in their practicum in

the new normal?

2. How do the pre-service teachers cope with the challenges in their practicum in

the new normal?

3. What are the insights of the pre-service teachers that can be shared with other

BEED students, teachers, and parents on their experiences in the practicum in

the new normal?

Theoretical Lens

Pre-service education of teachers means the education of teachers before they

enter into service. During this period of teacher education programs, teaching practice

goes side by side while they are getting knowledge about theory papers. This study was

anchored on the Experiential Learning Theory of David Kolb.

This type of learning can be defined as the process whereby knowledge is

created through experience transformation (Kolb, 1984). It is a process where learners

are engaged intellectually, emotionally, socially, politically, spiritually, and physically in

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an uncertain environment where they may experience success, failure, adventure, and

risk-taking (Itin, 1997).

Experiential learning is also understood as a philosophy of education concerned

with learning from direct first-person experience and a holistic perspective that goes

beyond content to include the construction of knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and transfer

of learning (Marlow & McLain, 2011).

According to Kolb (1984), the cyclical model of experiential learning contains

concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active

experimentation. These stages include substantial experience such as a lab or module,

observations, and reactions, forming abstract concepts, and applying or testing this

knowledge in new contexts. The learning theory states that learners learn best from their

experiences and from mistakes that are made.

To support our main theoretical lens, this research also relies on another theory,

constructivism theory. This theory states that learners interpret and encode the

information based on their perceptions and experiences. Learners bring with their rich

reserves of experiences that form the foundation of their learning. They analyze,

rationalize, synthesize, and develop new ideas or tweak old ones through the filter of

their experiences. This means that learners learn better when they can attribute a

personal meaning or connection to information. The theory is used in eLearning by

giving real-life perspectives to learners by using simulations or story-telling, thus

providing learners with something they can relate to or emotionally connect with.

Another theory supporting this research is Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Active

Learning Theory, which is widely used in eLearning programs. Learners learn best when

they learn by doing. The active learning theory says that learners should be actively

engaged or involved in the learning procedure to learn better. Interactivities,

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gamification, simulation, quizzes, and exercises are all elements in eLearning that

adhere to the active learning theory.

In the context of the study, this was used to explain that experiential learning

becomes a personal experience and happens in a certain context. Pre-service teachers

should actively conceptualize and construct learning through experiences in community-

and field-based settings, given the potential for pre-service teacher learning and

development in community-based settings.

Scope and Limitation

This study focused on Pre-service teachers' lived experiences in the new normal.

The study involved 8 Pre-service teachers in Pilar College of Zamboanga City Inc. in the

academic year 2021-2022. The study was conducted from August 2021 to May 2022.

The study did not involve elementary and tertiary Pre-service teachers from

public schools and other private schools in Zamboanga City. Therefore, this study could

not be generalized since the number of participants was small and did not represent the

entire populace of Pre-service teachers in Zamboanga City. This also implies that the

study's outcomes should not be assumed in a larger context.

Importance of the Study

This study is an embodiment of the profound desire to unveil the experiences of

the Pre-service teachers of Pilar College of Zamboanga City, Inc. in the New Normal,

hopefully, anticipates the following benefits to the following:

This study may help the students know and have an idea to address and cope

with the different challenges they experienced/encountered during their practicum this

time of pandemic and to be mindful in finding the best coping mechanism to respond to

the challenges amidst the pandemic.

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This study may help the teachers be more aware and more understanding of

students' attitudes and behavior during this pandemic and be more creative and flexible

in their teaching methods and modalities to reach out to all the students.

This study may help the schools how to handle and motivate their students

during this pandemic and ensure each student that they can still develop their skills

aligned to this course to prepare them for the future.

Definition of Terms

To better understand the study, the terms used in this research were defined

conceptually and operationally:

New Normal. It refers to a previously unfamiliar situation that became the

standard (Oxford Dictionary, 2020). In this study, in education, the new normal means

transforming the physical classroom into the students' homes using distance learning

such as modular and online learning.

Pre-Service Teacher. It is the education and training provided to senior students

before they enter service as a teacher.

Practicum. It is also called internships or work placement programs which are

designed to provide students with practical work experience.

Interactive learning technologies. Interactive learning is a hands-on way of

transferring knowledge rather than passively listening to a lecture or reading assigned

material.

Internet-mediated tools. Internet-based applications like zoom, google meet,

MS teams, and other online learning tools build on the ideological and technological

foundations of Web 2.0 and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated

content.

Online Learning. Online learning is education that takes place over the internet

virtually.
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Synchronous Learning Distance. Learning that students will attend their class

virtually.

Asynchronous Online Learning. Students learn on their schedule within a

specific timeframe

Remote learning. The source of information was separated by time and

distance, which learners and teachers cannot meet in a traditional classroom setting.

E-learning. A learning system that enables the transfer of skills and knowledge

through the delivery of education to a large number of learners at the same or different

times.

Organization of the Study

The study is written and laid out so readers can easily follow and comprehend it.

The following is a brief overview and discussion of the study's structure:

Chapter 1 presents the focus and problem of the study: The problems

encountered by the Pilar College of Zamboanga City Pre-service teachers during the

Covid- 19 Pandemic. Research questions were posed, and significant terms were

conceptually and operationally defined. It also includes the theoretical lens, purpose of

the study, importance of the study, and scope and limitation of the study.

Chapter 2 highlights the review of related literature and relevant studies similar to

the focus of the research. The researcher gathered and obtained the research through

internet articles and publications while ensuring reliable sources.

Chapter 3 presents the methodology that the researcher employed in conducting

the research. It includes the researcher’s role, research participants, data analysis, data

collection, credibility and trustworthiness of the study, and ethical consideration.

Chapter 4 shows the results of the study. It provided an analysis of the data and

the presentation of the results. In addition, relevant statements from the participants

were quoted and reflected in this chapter.

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Chapter 5 discusses the summary of the study, the collected data from the in-

depth interview, and the focus group discussion. The chapter also covered the different

themes created from the participants' responses and the study's implications for further

research.
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Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

In the year 2020, after the coronavirus disease was identified, schools shut down

all across the world. Because of what we experienced during this pandemic, education

has changed dramatically with the phenomenal rise of e-learning, whereby teaching is

undertaken remotely and on digital platforms. Online learning has been shown to

increase retention of information and take less time for some students, but for others, it

causes them to have more problems in dealing with e-learning.

There are, however, challenges to overcome. Some students without reliable

internet access and gadgets struggle to participate in digital learning. The problem with

the interactive learning technologies and their incentive to study is related to the COVID

19 crisis. Android phones, lack of networking, and inadequate data packets do not

benefit the hardware. It also means that someone is lazy to learn due to a lack of

hardware. The technological shock limited the optimal learning mechanism during the

pandemic.

Pre-service teachers have been both a student and a teacher during the

pandemic. They have experienced the rush to transition learning to online options for the

university courses they are finishing. They have also worked with their cooperating

teachers to develop online or remote instruction for their students. Some have reported

learning more about the importance of formative assessment and analyzing short pieces

of student work daily. Pre-service teachers had a unique experience seeing students in

their home environments and viscerally understand the importance of educating from a

whole-child perspective. They also saw that their training time was drastically cut short

and their entire way of working turned upside down, and they now face the daunting

prospect of a job search during uncertain times.

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The researchers stated that some participants expressed frustration with their

inability to support cooperating teachers and placement school districts with the

transition to online teaching. This is an experience they believed would benefit their

overall training and skill set going forward. Student-teacher response indicated that there

was an initial inability to access or be involved in preparation for online learning, which

proved a challenge in this experience. Student teachers also recognized that the brevity

of the student teaching experience due to school closures and the seemingly haphazard

and inconsistent opportunity to continue the experience online could create a deficiency

in their readiness for their classrooms. Student teachers also reported concern that prior

to the school closure, they were taking advantage of opportunities to develop as an

educator professionally. However, those opportunities were no longer available after the

school closures due to the pandemic.

The study of Knight et al. (ND) explores how pre-service teachers engaged with

resilience education by learning to recognize the sources of stress that relate to their role

as a teacher and developing strategies to manage those stressors as a pre-service

teachers. Risk factors are the stressors or circumstances that place teachers 'at risk'. An

analysis of the data showed major perceived stressors associated with coursework:

workload pressures; anxiety associated with meeting online requirements of the subject;

time management issues; and doubts about their competencies for the tasks. Major

stressors associated with professional experience were: apprehension about behavior

management; lack of confidence in their ability to cope with the demands of the school

experience; concerns about managing the workload in terms of planning and

preparation; anxiety about their relationship with their School-Based Teacher Educator

(their mentor in the schools) and with their relationship with the students; and doubts

about possessing adequate teaching skills. Pre-service teachers did not mention
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seeking support from their university lecturers as a coping mechanism. Only three pre-

service teachers mentioned lecturers as support people for dealing with stressors.

With the unexpected outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching has become

more complex and more demanding, with uncertainties to overcome. Recent studies

have shown that many pre-service teachers face challenges in their teaching practice to

enter the survival stage rather than learning from experiences (Korthagen, 2010; Secret

Teachers, 2020). However, current literature still has a gap on the challenges faced by

early-career teachers as a result of the quick and unprepared shift to online teaching. As

the situation evolves, pre-service teachers have little help or guidance. Some thrive,

some sink, and most find it difficult but struggle through (Secret Teachers, 2020).

In the study of Kadir and Aziz (ND), one of the challenges of online teaching

practicum was the lack of 'live' communication between pre-service teachers and

students (Sepulveda-Escobar et al., 2020). Lack of interaction is a massive

disadvantage of online lessons (Özkanal et al., 2020). Sepulveda-Escobar et al. (2020)

argued that the lack of interaction between pre-service teachers and students during the

online teaching placement might impact pre-service teachers' professional development,

namely social and personal development. On the students' development part, Kim

(2020) found that pre-service teachers teaching kindergarten students could not conduct

enough online hand-on activities, which is considered a crucial part of learning for young

children. Furthermore, due to a lack of interaction, it was challenging for pre-service

teachers to acknowledge and adjust the content to meet students' individual needs (Nel

& Marias, 2020; Kim, 2020). Pre-service teachers should learn to multitask where they

can create different activities to cater to students. Supporting this claim, Kim (2020)

stated that it is a must to multitask for online teaching. Because for a successful teaching

and learning process, students' needs must be considered (Osman, 2020). However,

this is only possible if the pre-service teacher and student have more 'live' interaction
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from which the teachers could better know their learners' needs. Pre-service teachers

also struggle in technological integration and material preparation as they lack

experience and expertise in utilizing technology and digital materials (Ersin et al., 2020).

Materials play a significant role in the success of online education (Özkanal et al., 2020).

Due to lack of knowledge, some pre-service teachers could not engage their audience

with the materials they prepared. The activities were not transformed to be suitable for

online teaching and learning (Evagorou & Nisiforou, 2020).

During the pandemic, some senior education majors were excited to do their

student teaching. However, due to uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic,

some face different challenges, particularly in their preparation for online teaching, face-

to-face, or both. Other students were already assigned to work in person in class with

many students who need extra support, either because they have special needs or are

still learning things. During their first day, it was announced that classes would start

virtually. After two weeks, the class switched to in-person; after three weeks, it went

remote again, and it has been that way ever since. Students find it stressful, but they do

not have other choices but to follow what is being implemented. Among other

challenges, several seniors' student-teaching assignments got upended because either

their mentors bowed out due to the pandemic or the students decided to live at home.

Nevertheless, someone arranged student teaching placements for the College of

Education and worked fast to find new ones (Webster, ND).

COVID-19 crisis, as perceived by pre-service teachers at the time of their

academic studies and their student teaching experience. Since the COVID-19 crisis was

unexpected, it disrupted learning in all learning frameworks. On the other hand, it may

create changes in learning characteristics even after the end of the crisis. From the

perspective of pre-service teachers, the productive, challenging, and thwarting factors

that pre-service teachers encountered during their studies and their student teaching
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practice during the COVID-19 period. The study examined which factors promote and

hinder learning in an online environment for pre-service teachers. These may be the

social and emotional aspects of pre-service teachers' experience, the identified critical

elements, frustrations in stressful situations, and identified positive and negative

elements in the learning experience. Further factors may be the use of online tools and

learning skills in a digital environment and examined the use of tools and skills for

teaching and collaborative learning in dealing with physical distance (Zilka, ND).

Kokorudz (ND) stated in her study that Covid-19 impacted public schools and

post-secondary faculties of education without warning, causing ripple effects that forced

educators to deliver curricula to students in ways for which they were unprepared. If

Covid-19 has taught educators anything in all its chaos, it is that the system was not

prepared for the extreme shift necessary to maintain teaching and learning processes.

Amidst this situation, pre-service teachers teaching at private colleges were

struggling with little assistance and even training from their teacher education programs.

They did not get continuous and comprehensive feedback from their host teachers or

program mentors. They were also left behind, and were not fully able to address their

concerns regarding what or what not to teach, how to teach, or even how to assess

(Barnesa et al., 2020).

Teaching practicum performs a crucial role in initial English language teacher

preparation programs. It offers pre-service English-as-a-foreign-language teachers a

great chance to put the pedagogical content knowledge they have acquired through the

coursework into practice by teaching real students. Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19

pandemic, pre-service English-as-a-foreign-language teachers in the context of the

present study had to do more than half of their teaching practicums via distance

education. He also stated that his qualitative case study explores 25 pre-service English-

as-a-foreign-language teachers' conceptions of the influence of distance teaching

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practicum on their preparedness for the first year of teaching. The data collected by

emailed questionnaires were analyzed by adopting inductive content analysis. The

results indicated they did not believe distance teaching practicum effectively enhanced

their professional learning and prepared them for the first year of teaching. In addition,

they did not think face-to-face teaching practicum could be replaced by distance

teaching practicum (Kohar, ND).

The Philippine educational system offered some online courses during the

COVID-19 pandemic that has supported, facilitated, and provided an excellent

opportunity for students and institutes to switch to online learning. However, in the

beginning, most of the learners and teachers came online for the first time. They lacked

the experience and confidence to learn online using a new medium. After some time,

most learners could overcome the technical issues related to online learning platforms.

However, the way of teaching is still considered a problem in online learning during the

pandemic. The significant challenges and problems encountered by the pre-service

teacher during the sudden change to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic and

the necessary steps are needed to facilitate the online education process and to

overcome these reported issues. The pre-service teachers' experiences during the

pandemic motivate them to be better and develop their abilities.

Considering the pre-service teachers as grown-up students at the tertiary level in

education, it will be expected that these students can deal with their time effectively and

develop communication and technical skills. Pre-service teachers should be dynamic,

display responsibility and acknowledge the adaptability of online education and learning.

Nevertheless, these internal conditions and expectations of Pre-service teachers may be

challenged by poor internet access, lesson delivery and assessment challenges, and a

lack of interest in online lessons. These initiated the researcher to explore pre-service
 17

teachers' perception of online teaching and learning during the COVID–19 era (Naah,

2020).

The research of Hill (ND) stated that teacher preparation programs assist

candidates with the pedagogical, theoretical, and practical application of teaching and

learning. This article explored the dialog between a state education agency and teacher

preparation programs' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The emergence of

distance learning may have a positive impact on education by removing barriers and

addressing inequities (Banks, 1993). Effective mentor teachers must balance their

classroom obligations while learning to shift instruction from in-person to online.

Secondly, since they are learning while doing, the quality of pre-service teacher

supervision is diminished due to the lack of training and the current emergency. Since

COVID-19 emerged, pre-service teachers’ performance expectations may have

changed. Also, during this emergency, teacher preparation programs could not address

difficulties or end unsuccessful placements for their pre-service teachers.

According to the research of Vancell (ND) that schools and universities shut

down due to the Covid-19 pandemic causing disruptions in initial teacher education in

many parts of the world. The training dimension that was hardest hit was the pre-service

practicum. Due to the shutdown, pre-service teachers were deprived of the 'normal' field

experience and actual classroom teaching practices in authentic school settings. Master

of Teaching and Learning (MTL) student teachers were rapidly trained during September

2020 to adapt to remote teaching. During the 'continuation practicum, ' examiners had to

assess synchronously through Zoom or MS Teams or asynchronously through video-

recorded lessons produced by the students. Various gadgets (including video cameras,

smartphones, and webcams) and internet-mediated tools (including Zoom, MS Teams,

or Loom) were used for the latter. The live transmissions or video recordings were made

from the students' residences, not schools, and the MTL students had no learners to
 18

interact with. Similar practicums were held internationally, and an ongoing debate has

developed regarding the effectiveness and pedagogic validity of these 'alternative'

remote forms of practicums that were developed to comply with health and safety

measures mandated by the pandemic. Studies published during the Covid-19 period

indicate that the construct of the new practicum is also contested.

Quirk (ND) stated in her study that student teachers were able to overcome

challenges created by the pandemic. During the coronavirus pandemic, "pivot" is the

popular word they used to describe a sudden shift in direction. Student teachers, along

with their students, families, and cooperating teachers, had to pivot in the middle of the

semester when the school suddenly closed down and turned to virtual learning. A senior

in education doing her student teaching in an intermediate school said that being a

teacher, one needs to do everything for the learners and go with the flow. Working with

the cooperating teachers mentoring them, student teachers have moved lessons to

online platforms like Google Classroom, shared ideas with other teachers on Zoom, and

chatted via text, phone, Google Hangout, and email with their students. In addition to

helping teach and posting and grading assignments on Google Classroom, the

cooperating teacher will make a point of staying in touch with families and students.

Student teachers do their best to provide students with learning opportunities each

school day. From virtual math lessons to recorded read-aloud from chapter books and

video chats to brain breaks, they tried many avenues to give their students quality

education. The experience that student teachers faced during the pandemic made them

construct their knowledge by interacting with the environment and reorganizing their

mental structures.

Some pre-service teachers have reported learning more about the importance of

formative assessment and analyzing short pieces of student work daily. Because pre-

service teachers have had to be adaptable with methods from the beginning, they are
 19

likely better suited to integrating technology with in-person teaching, which may lend

itself well to blended learning and even extended remote learning if necessary.

Pre-service teachers' internal conditions and expectations may be challenged by

poor internet access, lesson delivery and assessment challenges, and lack of interest in

online lessons. Some researchers also found that pre-service teachers also deprived of

the normal field experience and actual classroom teaching practices in authentic school

settings. There were also problems in the social and emotional aspects of pre-service

teachers' experience, identified critical elements and frustrations in stressful situations,

identified positive and negative elements in the learning experience, the use of online

tools and learning skills in a digital environment, and the use of tools and skills for

teaching and collaborative learning in dealing with physical distance. There were also

problems regarding the effectiveness of enhancing their professional learning and

preparing them for the first year of teaching during their practicum. Some studies also

state that the lack of interaction is a huge disadvantage of online lessons, and teaching

online is multitasking work. Pre-service teachers also struggled in technological

integration and material preparation as they lacked experience and expertise in utilizing

technology and digital materials. There are also risk factors that student teachers could

experience during their practicum. The most challenging part that a student-teacher

encounter during their practicum is the stressful situation in addressing their problem

regarding switching classes.

 20

Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter deals with the methods of conducting the investigation and data

collection methods used in this study. It covers the study's research design and the

researcher's role, data sources, data collection procedures, and the study's

trustworthiness and ethical considerations.

Research Design

This study utilized a qualitative phenomenological approach to describe the lived

experiences of Pre-service teachers in their practicum in the new normal. Pascale

(2011), suggested that qualitative research does not aim to measure anything so

assumptions of theoretical objectivity do not apply, which means there will be many

different understandings of reality. At the same time, Creswell (2019) described

phenomenology as a study that focuses on the commonality of lived experiences in a

particular group.

According to Creswell and Poth (2017), cited by Dodgson (2017), the qualitative

approach was appropriate in delving into Pre-service teachers' lived experiences through

in-depth interviews. Qualitative views the world as subjective in contrast to qualitative

rather than objective. As a result, it was easy to comprehend human experiences,

situations, and issues. The researcher can analyze the participants' responses by

describing their lived experiences during covid - 19. Furthermore, when it comes to

gathering data, in-depth interviews are the standard method.

Furthermore, phenomenology is concerned with determining what a particular

research phenomenon means to the participants and what they saw and how they felt

about it (Creswell & Poth, 2017). Using phenomenology as a research method allowed

this study to collect the most accurate data on pre-service teachers' lived experiences.

Furthermore, phenomenology emphasizes the researcher's preconceived knowledge of

 21

the investigation being disregarded to be open to the participants' various perspectives

(Moustakas, 1994). This feature of phenomenology is helpful, especially when the

researcher is also a teacher. The researchers chose phenomenology because it was

well-suited to studying Pre-service teachers' lived experiences in their practicum in the

new normal. It helped gather data on human experiences and could provide a complete

understanding of the phenomenon.

The researchers chose a qualitative phenomenological approach in this study

because the data was gathered through interviews with pre-service teachers during their

practicum. The information gathered was used to analyze, interpret, and comprehend

the phenomena studied.

Research Participants

The population frame of the study includes the Pre-service teachers of PCZC.

The participants for the interview are eight (8) 4 th-year students from Pilar College of

Zamboanga City, Inc.

Creswell and Poth (2019) indicated that the number of participants in a

phenomenological study could range from one to 325, depending on the saturation

principle. More insights are on the attached screenshot, which should be fully cited. In

this research, there were 8 participants. Following the above-stated sampling procedure,

eight (8) pre-service teachers of PCZC participated in the online interview sessions via

google meet and zoom.

In choosing the participants for this study, the researcher used purposive

sampling. According to Padilla-Díaz (2015), purposive sampling is defined as

incorporating specific criteria that the participant must meet during the study.

In this study, the researcher uses a qualitative phenomenological approach.

Collected data were used from the participants' Lived experiences of the Pre-service
 22

teachers in Pilar College of Zamboanga City Inc. The information gathered was used for

research, investigation, and understood the phenomenon.

Role of the Researcher

Qualitative phenomenological researchers should assess and analyze the study

participants' lived experiences compared to the focus of the study (Alase, 2017). The

following were the role of the researcher in this study.

In this study, the researchers' first role was as interviewers of the study. They

interviewed eight participants who were Pre-service teachers. They ensured that the

participants were at ease and comfortable in their environment before the interview

started. Then, they asked various questions to the participants from the interview guide

given to them ahead of time. Follow-up questions also arose during the interview to

better understand the participants' lived experiences.

The proponents also moderated the eight participants during the focus group

discussion. As moderators, they ensured that the discussion had a smooth transition,

and every participant could share their experiences with the questions. They also gave

follow-up questions if needed to elicit a better understanding of the participants'

experiences.

The researchers also recorded the audio during the in-depth and focus group

discussion using Google Meet and Zoom. They took down notes for essential data

during the interview. As transcribers, they transferred the recorded audio files during the

interview into written text. Transcribing needs repetitive and careful listening to the audio

file to transfer accurate data and avoid misinterpretation.

The proponents also acted as translators since data from the participants were

mostly in their local language. The data were translated into English, the universal

language, without compromising the participants' exact thoughts.

 23

They were also the primary analyst in this study. After gathering the data, they

analyzed them and grouped the participants' responses to create different themes. They

also facilitated member checking, wherein the transcribed and translated checked

responses of the participants. This ensured that the data gathered were valid, reliable,

and accurate to the participants' experiences.

Lastly, the researchers conform to the ethical standard in collecting data. They

conducted an orientation via virtual meeting for participants who opted to do the

interview online or a face-to-face orientation adhering to the health and safety protocols

imposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to inform the participants on the extent

of the study. Moreover, for participants' anonymity, the researchers secured all the data

gathered by putting passwords on the folder where the audio files and documents were

stored. Hard copies of the study were placed in a secret cabinet with a secured lock only

known to the researcher.

Data Source

In qualitative research, data collection was done through the researcher's

interpersonal contact with the participants through interviews, observations, and audio

and visual materials (Creswell, 2013). Data were gathered through interviews in this

study as this is the prime method for a qualitative approach (Borbasi et al., 2005)

through in-depth interviews and focus group discussion.

According to Kenno et al. (2017), in-depth interviews were used to discover a

shared understanding of a specific group of people. The sample of interviewees should

be homogeneous and share similarities to the research questions. Also, Milena et al.

(2008) described an in-depth interview as a method designed to describe a clear picture

of the participant's perception of the research topic.

In this study, eight (8) participants were interviewed during the in-depth interview;

the participants could freely use their local language to deliver their lived experiences.
 24

The order of the questions was flexible, allowing the researcher more leeway in deciding

what to ask first. Follow-up questions were asked to elicit more information and clarify

the participants' responses.

On the other hand, a focus group discussion aims to identify a selected group's

thoughts, opinions, and perceptions regarding investigation (Kairuz et al., 2007).

Participants were free to express their views, whether shared or not by the other

participants.

Eight (8) participants for the focus group discussion were subjected to

brainstorming to generate initial ideas about the topic. The participants were free to

express their thoughts and opinions to encourage others to give their perceptions,

especially when they shared similar opinions. The researcher gave follow-up questions

to gather more detailed answers and delve deeper into the topic of investigation.

The researchers also used secondary sources from reading reviews of related

literature, articles, journals, and books that support the research topic. Data was based

on its relevance and reliable sources and authors.

Data Collection Procedure

It is crucial that a clear process was followed, especially in conducting a research

study. To gather the data for the study, the researcher followed the procedures:

The Pilar College of Zamboanga City Research Committee subjected the study

to a research ethics review before the researcher took any action. After passing the

review, the researcher was given clearance to ensure the study's ethicality and that the

researcher could now start data collection.

First, an endorsement letter was sent to the College dean and Program Head of

the General Education Department of the Pilar College of Zamboanga City Inc. After it

was approved, the researchers then prepared and sent a letter asking for permission to

conduct the study addressed to the Principal of the Basic Education of Pilar College of
 25

Zamboanga City Inc. were prepared and sent by the researcher. After it was approved,

the researcher then contacted the participants. The researcher also adhered to the

National Ethical Guideline of 2017 to collect data online. The participant's safety and

health should be the utmost priority of the researcher.

The identified participants received informed consent if they were willing to

participate in the study. This was done by sending them emails to inform them of the

study's content and an e-signature signifying their consent to participate in the study.

Before the participants were subjected to any form of data collection method,

they must know the topic of investigation and why they were chosen as participants.

Before the interview, the researcher conducted an orientation via virtual means such as

Google Meet or Zoom.

The in-depth focus group discussion followed; this was done through virtual

meetings. The interview took place in a convenient location for the participants, and

there was no face-to-face interview that happened. According to Creswell (2013), it

allows participants to consider and respond to requests for information. Each session for

both methods was recorded into an audio file to secure data missed during the interview

only after the participants gave their permission. This also helps the researcher to go

back and analyze the participants' answers at any time. Before presenting the questions,

validated research guide questions were already formulated to extract the vital data from

the participants needed to answer the study's research questions. According to Johnson

(2002), the researcher should be prepared to deviate from the planned interview itinerary

because digression can be more productive if one has followed the participants' interests

and knowledge. After all the data had been gathered, it was managed and secured by

the researcher. It was then stored in flash drives and compact disks that could hold all

the collected data, and on the researcher's laptop, all were encrypted with passwords so

that only the researcher could access them. According to Alase (2017), the researcher
 26

should provide a secure and reliable security system for all files collected and delete

them after being transcribed to protect the participants. Analyzing the data then followed

as it underwent interpretation and was presented in the following chapters.

Data Analysis

The extensive collection of data from multiple sources of information, according

to Creswell (2012), is the backbone of qualitative research. Working inductively from

specifics to a more general perspective, the researcher will understand the data until

categories, codes, and themes emerge (Polit & Beck, 2009). With this statement, the

researchers highlighted the use of coding in their study.

Coding identifies similarities, topics, issues, and differences revealed by the

participants in the interview. This allowed the researcher to see the world through the

eyes of each participant (Sutton & Austin, 2015).

In the study's context, after thorough transcribing, translating, and rereading the

data, the data was prepared for data analysis. A hard copy of the transcripts was

prepared. The proponents worked on notes on the margin or highlighted text using color-

coded markers to quickly identify similar contexts by color. A similar context was

grouped after and labeled with phrases for easy recognition of the content.

The researchers used thematic analysis to create themes after identifying codes.

Thematic analysis is a valuable tool for analyzing the experiences of various participants

because it illustrates similarities and differences and provides unexpected insights

(Braun & Clarke, 2006). Furthermore, King (2004) stressed the value of thematic

analysis for summarizing the main aspects of a vast data collection because it allows the

researcher to organize the data.

In the study's context, after the data was coded and identified, the researcher

found patterns or similarities between codes. The researcher connected the codes
 27

between and across data that she thinks captures the data parallel to the research

questions.

Therefore, the participants' core ideas that share the same thought were grouped

to generate a theme. Each theme was explained with support from relevant citations.

Trustworthiness of the Study

A researcher can persuade readers that their research work is worthy of their

time to demonstrating trustworthiness. With this, Lincoln and Guba (1985) introduced

credibility, confirmability, dependability, and transferability criteria to parallel the

quantitative assessment of reliability and validity to establish trustworthiness.

The credibility of the study can be determined when the readers and co-

researchers are confronted with an experienced and able to recognize it (Guba &

Lincoln, 1986). Credibility is known as the equivalent of internal validity in quantitative

research. It addresses the notion that participants' perceptions are the same as

representing the researcher's view (Tobin & Begley, 2004). This study used the following

method: iterative questioning and member checking,

Iterative questioning uses probing questions to elicit detailed data by returning to

the previous matters given by the participants and rephrasing the questions (Shenton,

2003). This way, the researcher can detect contradicting ideas and falsehoods and

discard the suspected data. In this study, the researchers probed the participants'

questions, especially if the answers required more details; this way, the data becomes

more specific and efficiently coded.

Member checking was also used to ensure credibility; according to Shenton

(2003), member checking focuses on whether informants believe their words accurately

represent what they intended. It can be done during data collection because of the

recorded audio files during the interview or after the researcher has transcribed the data.

In this study, member checking was done after the interview for an initial member
 28

checking. After the data had been transcribed, a copy was sent back to the participants

for final member verification. With this, the participants could thoroughly check the data

they had given to the researcher. They then used an e-signature to confirm that the

researcher's data was all true and correct.

Transferability refers to the investigation's generalizability, and only case-to-

case transfer is addressed in qualitative research (Tobin & Begley, 2004). That is why

the researcher should convince the reader that the study can be applied to their setting

by providing descriptions of the participants and the study's methods and background

data.

In this study, the researchers provided a detailed description of their participants,

including the criteria used to select them and the restrictions and limitations placed on

those who participated. The number of participants was also reflected and emphasized.

The data collection methods were thoroughly discussed, as the length of time during the

data collection, and the study period. The results and the analysis of the data and its

implications were emphasized.

In a quantitative study, dependability is the same as reliability. The same

outcomes will be obtained if the work is repeated in the same sense with the same

methods and participants (Shenton, 2003). To achieve dependability, the researcher

must ensure that the work process is logical, traceable, and well-documented (Tobin &

Begley, 2004). This makes it possible for a potential researcher to replicate the work, but

not necessarily with the same results. By thoroughly explaining the research design, the

reader may determine the degree to which proper research practices were used in the

analysis.

In the context of this study, the readers could see evidence of the researcher's

decisions and choices regarding theoretical and methodological issues throughout the

study by looking at the audit trail. To create a clear audit trail in this study, the
 29

researchers recorded raw data, field notes, transcripts, and a reflective journal that

allowed them to systematize, relate, and cross-reference data.

Furthermore, confirmability ensures that the interpretation and conclusions

were derived from the data rather than the researcher's characteristics and preferences

(Tobin & Begley, 2004). It is a metric for how well the investigation's findings are

supported by the data gathered (Lincoln & Guba, 1989).

To address the confirmability of the study, the researcher included raw data and

field notes taken during the interviews to ensure that the focus was on the research

questions and not the researcher's preconceived judgment. Recognizing the study's

limitations was also established by highlighting that only select people are the study

applicable and that generalization is inappropriate. If the study is subject to scrutiny, the

study could provide a profound description of the processes and methods used

throughout the study to show the transparency of data and how the results were

concluded.

Ethical Consideration

As participants in this study, the identified Pre-service teachers were of legal age

and had autonomy. However, they were considered a vulnerable entity to protect their

safety and reputation and feel that their human rights were not violated. With these

considerations, I adhered to ethical consideration principles embedded in the Belmont

Report of 1979, where respect for person, beneficence, and justice was emphasized.

Respect for persons or autonomy is described as the belief that people should

be referred to as autonomous agents. It also stressed that individuals with a lesser

capacity for autonomy received protection from aid or a third party (Zucker, 2004).

In the context of the study, my participants received an informed consent form

(ICF). This ICF presented the research content and its extent and the benefits and risks

of participating in the study. The ICF also included the contact information of significant
 30

people, institutions involved in the study, the purpose of conducting the study, and the

specific data procedures that the participants will have to undergo. After much

consideration, the participant’s involvement in the study were voluntary without any

coercion from the researcher or any third party. In addition, if the participants believe that

their participation in the study is unfavorable or dangerous, they have the right to

withdraw at any time, even during the study.

Furthermore, I assisted all the participants in their difficulties during the data

gathering, such as internet connection, technical issues, and their availability during the

set date and time of the interview. In addition, the participants' confidential information

was the utmost priority of the researcher from the start until the conclusion of the study.

Their private information such as names, ages, and occupations were protected by using

coded names in the data presented. Furthermore, before any data collection, the

researcher requested permission to record any interviews during the study.

Beneficence encompasses both beneficial and non-maleficent actions, which

entails treating participants with respect and keeping them safe from harm, and making

efforts to ensure their well-being by ensuring that the steps taken in the study will help

them maximize possible benefits and minimize possible harm (Zucker, 2004).

In the study’s context, all participants remained anonymous to protect their

confidentiality, minimize unwanted exposure of private information, and prevent conflict

of views and opinions that may contradict other participants. As far as the researcher

knows, there were no known risks in participating in the studies. However, if there were,

the researcher provided counseling matters or services or appropriate bodies to deal

with the issues. Furthermore, the health and safety of the participants shall be of utmost

priority by adhering to the health and safety protocol mandated by the Inter-Agency Task

Force (IATF) in response to Covid-19.

 31

The study's findings benefited participants the most because they were the direct

recipients of enhanced and improved assessment and feedback practices, which could

be the study's conclusion in the future. The higher officials can generate training and

programs, and participants and other Science teachers can benefit from such capacity-

building programs.

The concept of justice refers to who should receive the benefits and how the

research burdens should be distributed. It also emphasizes individual equality of

treatment (Zucker, 2004).

In my study, I applied the principle of justice by recruiting participants through

purposive sampling methods based on sets of criteria that met the study's needs. People

who met such criteria had the chance to be participants in the study as long as they

gave their consent or until the researcher was still in need of participants. Chosen

participants should be given equal and fair treatment and proper attention.

The facilities used during the conduct of the study were to the convenience of the

participants, and I utilized online platforms and therefore adjusted to the availability of

the participants' time and space. I ensured that the place I conducted my interview was

free from noise and accessibility from other people to avoid the leak of information; this

was to make the participants feel at ease and secure data. Additionally, participants

were given due credits for their contribution of time, effort, and knowledge to complete

the study by giving a token of gratitude and monetary compensation for the expenses

they may invest, such as internet connectivity.

Furthermore, the participants could rest assured that the researcher was

qualified to conduct the study as a student who completed the academic requirements in

the Graduate School Program of St. Mary's College of Tagum Inc. and as a Science

teacher herself and with the guidance of the thesis adviser who is a certified Doctor of
 32

Philosophy in Education and is an expert and highly qualified in the management of this

study.

Additionally, to ensure the safekeeping of my participants' results, findings, and

identities. I strictly followed the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act 10173), which

protects them from unlawful processing of the participants' personal information.

I gave code names to each of my participants to secure their identities. All the

data gathered from written to audio files were secured in encrypted folders and secured

cabinets that only I could access. After all the data has been used and the study has

concluded, the data will be retained for three (3) years. They will be securely destroyed

permanently, and hard copies will be burned to protect the participants' confidentiality.

All the research designs and methods for gathering data presented in this study

concerned the relevance to the topic of investigation. The researcher believes that the

methods described could gather reliable data from the participants. The researcher also

considered the participants' safety and privacy as vital entities to completing this study.

The literature presented in this section is about the topic, particularly for assessment and

giving feedback. All these factors need to be looked at in-depth to understand the study

better.
 33

Chapter 4

RESULTS

This chapter presents the study's results about the pre-service teachers'

experiences in their practicum in the new normal mode of delivering the lesson. This

includes the participants' responses to the study taken from the interview, which were

then transcribed and analyzed thoroughly. From the transcriptions done, core ideas were

identified, and major themes were achieved. These include the coping mechanisms and

the insights of the pre-service teachers.

Experiences of the Pre-Service Teachers in

their Practicum in the New Normal

After analyzing the responses of the participants about their experiences in their

practicum in the new normal, the following three themes emerged: (1) Struggling with

Good Internet Connection (2) Engaging Students in Class Activities (3) Preparing

Interactive Learning Materials

Table 1 shows the lived experiences of the pre-service teacher in their practicum

in the new normal.

Table 1

Major Themes and Core Ideas on the Lived Experiences of the Pre-service
Teachers in their Practicum in the New Normal

Major Themes Core Ideas

Struggling with Good Internet
Connection
• Having problems in teaching due to poor
internet connection
• Having difficulty in conducting classes due to an
unstable internet connection
• Considering students’ attendance due to poor
internet connections
• Coaching performance is affected due to the
loss of internet connection
 34

• Keeping Students’ attention in class

Engaging Students in the
Class Activities
Preparing Interactive Learning
Materials
• Engaging students in oral participation
• Determining if students are learning the lessons
or not
• Choosing an appropriate motivational activity
for the lesson
• Gaining valuable experience in making
instructional materials.
• Presenting a creative and interactive
PowerPoint during online class
• Spending more time preparing PowerPoint
presentations for the lesson

Struggling with Good Internet Connection

Due to the worldwide pandemic, most classes are online. In this study, lacking a

good internet connection was considered the main problem in conducting online classes

based on the participants' responses. According to them, classes are compromised

when there is a lack of a good internet connection, which affects the teaching and

learning process.

IDI_05 stated that:

“Yung ibang issue is bad network connectivity, pag mahina

o may problema sa internet, nakaproblema po ang
teaching ko nawala yung focus ko and it affects my lesson
discussion.”
(Another issue is the lousy network connectivity. This truly
affects my teaching as I usually lose focus, affecting my
lesson discussion.)

Further, IDI_07 experienced:

“The unstable internet connection po kasi yung first

teaching ko po hinandle ko po is grade 4 then yung second
time is grade 5. Sa grade 4 po nakawork from home ako
yun nga po unstable ang internet connection sa bahay
especially po afternoon mahina po talaga nagloloading
lang po siya so time consuming po kaya nawawala ako sa
focus, may difficulty po talaga sa pagkanduct ng class,
hindi po ako satisfied sa first teaching experience ko. Kaya
masasabi ko ito po yung isa sa pinaka unforgettable
experience ko. “
(I find the poor internet connectivity a significant hurdle.
While working as a grade 4 teacher, then later as a grade
5 instructor, I found intermittent connectivity challenging in
 35

conducting classes - particularly in my afternoon sessions.

It is the most unforgettable because I am not happy with
the outcome of my first teaching experience because of
bad network connectivity. It affects my teaching
performance and consumes much time waiting for the
connection to become stable again.)

Moreover, IDI_ 02 experienced:

“Connectivity, interaction between the students and

teacher papasok dyan ang poor connectivity sometimes
magtuturo ka mag lalag sa kanila, sometimes malelate
ang mga students and kailangan irepeat mo ulet ang
sasabihin mo para andun na din sila sa way ng lesson mo
difficult ideliver ang lesson”
(Poor Network connectivity affects my interaction with my
students. Sometimes, the students lag, and sometimes
they get to the class late. So, I have to repeat my lesson
for those late students.)

Additionally, IDI _04 also experienced:

“Siguro yung na encounter ko is connectivity kasi minsan

nawawala ako sa online class, tapos madalas hndi na
pumapasok ang mga bata pag mahina na ang internet”
(For me, it is poor network connectivity. Sometimes I get
lost while conducting the online class, or the other
students are not getting in the class due to poor internet
connectivity.)

Similarly, IDI_08 also stated:

“Loss of internet connection po during my class kasi

naaapektuhan po yung teaching performance, yung pag
deliver ng topics and if ever ma wala po ang net
connection hindi alam ng mga bata kung anong
mangyayari, madami ka din po iisipin like baka mag left na
ang mga students, baka di ko na matapos ang lesson kasi
nag consume na ng time. naapektuhan din po ang class
participation. “
(It affects my teaching performance and how I deliver my
lesson if I lose an internet connection during class. If your
internet connection goes down, you'll be worried and start
overthinking whether the students have already left the
meeting or how you will finish your lecture because it takes
a long time for the network connections to return to normal.
It also has an impact on class engagement.)
 36

Finally, IDI_ 01 also stated:

“Loss of Internet connection so ang nanagyayari parang

nahihirapan ako kasi naapektuhan ang performance ko,
nawawala ako sa stopic ko nawawala yung focus ko”
(The loss of internet connection affects my teaching
performance because it causes me to lose my focus.)

Despite the lack of internet connection, the pre-service teachers encountered in

their practicum in the new normal, they still integrated activities that would keep the

students engaged throughout the lesson. Backup plans may be designed to address the

challenge of internet connectivity which interfere with the teaching-learning process.

Engaging Students in the Class Activities

Since the pre-service teachers have their practicum in online teaching, they

encountered difficulty engaging students in the class activities. Based on the

participants' responses, some pupils show up in their pictures but do not know what they

are doing. Others are physically present, but their minds wander because they do not

answer the teacher when they are called. They just put on the microphone without

saying anything. According to the participants, they find it hard to keep students'

attention in class or engage them in oral participation. Moreover, to determine whether

they are learning or not. Hence, the pre-service teachers are struggling to engage the

students in class activities.

As IDI_06 stated:

“yung most unforgettable po is yung madami ako

natutunan na mga strategies through online class.
Example, strategy kung paano mo ihandle ang class mo
online kasi kailangan mo makuha yung attention ng pupils
mo”
(My most unforgettable experience is knowing that I have
learned a lot, especially in terms of strategies I can apply
in online teachings, such as managing the class and
getting students' attention.)
 37

Further, IDI_02 Shared:

“In this new normal of teaching as a practicum, yun na

yung more on interaction specially grade 6 maam jan
nahihirapan ako . They are all present, open their camera,
pero if you called them, ask them question they will look
lng sa camera they will not reponse, out of 40 students
only 2 or 3 lng naga answer the question”.
(As a student-teacher in the new normal setting, my
practicum was challenging at first when some of my grade
6 students were physically present but did not respond to
my questions. They will stare but will not participate. I
believe that only two or three students will respond out of a
class of forty.)

Additionally, IDI_03 also shared:

“Positive experience ko po is kapag nagpaparticipate yung

mga students ko sa online class kahit nahihirapan sila
because of network problem nadedeliver ko pa din ang
lessons ko. “
(My positive experience is when my students participate in
my class discussion despite network connectivity issues. I
can deliver the topic effectively.)

Moreover, IDI_02 stated:

“Positive experience ko kapag Q&A kapag nakaka-answer

ang mga bata meaning naintidihan nila lesson ko. kapag
sila nadedeliver ang opinion or ideas about the topic.
natutuwa ako pag naappreciate nila ako at natututo sila”
(My positive experience was when we had a Q&A session,
and my students could answer the questions and share
their thoughts or ideas about the topic. Meaning they have
understood the lesson. I was pleased when they
recognized and appreciated my efforts.)

Further, IDI_05 also stated:

“kase most of the time talaga na boys lang tlaga

sumasagot then iilan lang yung mga babae yun po kasi
ang hirap mag handle ng hindi nakikita yung mga students
personally, hindi natin alam kung may natutunan ba sila
kase unlike sa face to face nakikita kung nao ang
ginagawa nila unlike sa online class po hndi nstin nakikita
naka off cam ”
(It impacts class discussions because only a few answer
the question. It is hard to know if they are learning or not
because we do not see them personally, unlike when it is
face-to-face, we can see what they are doing. If online,
they turn their cameras off.)
 38

Additionally, IDI_04 experienced:

“Siguro po yung every time na maayos ang pagdedeliver

yung lessons ko po. Yung communication at motivational
activity na minsan questions o di kaya short activity po
para sa mga students , Mas naiintindihan po nila ang
lesson so fulfilled din po ako.”
(A good experience is when I successfully deliver my
topics with motivational activities like asking questions,
giving short activities, and giving clear instructions to my
pupils, they understand the lesson well. So, I consider
myself successful. I was satisfied.)

Lastly, IDI-03 also experienced:

“In terms of lesson preparation I’m having difficulty po sa

paghahanap ng motivation na gagamitin ko sa lesson ko”
(When it comes to lesson preparation, I only have a problem
finding a motivational activity that will fit into my lesson.)

Despite the pre-service teachers' problem in engaging students in classroom

activities, they still find teaching enjoyable. According to them, they are happy and

fulfilled when their students appreciate their effort in teaching. Furthermore, that made

the teaching experience of these pre-service teachers meaningful amidst the pandemic.

Preparing Learning Materials

Learning materials can enhance the teaching-learning process. However, in this

pandemic, the pre-service teachers felt the need for more time to prepare the learning

materials. They also encountered difficulty in finding appropriate motivational activities

for their online class.

IDI_ 01 specified that:

“meron din namang mga advantages kasi kung

icococompare ko siya before mas madali na para saamin
yung gumawa ng mga instructional materials namin like
PPT and in terms sa time management. Kasi yung face to
face before mas namamanage mo yung time unlike now
mahirap imanage kasi parang isang bagsakan yung mga
nangyayari”
(Despite these challenges, we have gained valuable
experiences, such as in making our instructional materials
like PowerPoint. It's easier and more convenient for us this
time because of modern technology.)
 39

Moreover, IDI-06 also specified:

“paano gamitin mga applications or mga website na

ginagamit sa pagtuturo. mas madami akong natutunan
ngayon”
(Currently, I have learned many things, like using different
applications and websites that can be used in online
classes.)

Further, IDI_07 stated that:

“For me po parang it was cycle siya kasi at the point kasi

maam kasi maam bago ako mag practicum hindi ako
marunong mag anong tawag dito di ako marunong
gumawa ng PowerPoint parang hindi sya creative maam
pero nung nag start ako mag turo sa grade school po, mas
nagging interactive na po yung PowerPoint ko. Yung critic
teacher ko”
(For me, it seems like I am in a cycle. Before, I did not
even know how to create a creative and interactive
PowerPoint. However, my presentations became more
interactive when my practicum started. My critic teacher
guides and supports me in terms of what to and how to do
things.)

Similarly, IDI_o8 also stated:

“Mostly maam preparation din po maam, sa pag prepare

ng lesson plan kailangan ng time po at sa mga
instructional materials po maam, para sa online class. pati
yon mga online tools po”
(For me, the most difficult is preparation, which includes
creating lesson plans, particularly instructional materials for
the online class, which needs more time. What online tools
also to use)

Although teaching in the new normal posed several challenges for the pre-

service teachers, they still realized the value of their teaching profession. Hence, they

were able to prepare animated and creative instructional materials like PowerPoint.

However, some need more time in the preparation of the learning materials.
 40

Coping Mechanisms and Challenges of Pre-Service

Teachers in their Practicum in the New Normal

The participants specified their means with the perplexities they encountered in

the new normal practicum teaching set up in this study section. Proponents were able to

identify three significant themes based on respondents' feedback: (1) Having an

alternative source of internet connectivity (2) Taking a Break, and (3) Receiving support

from family.

Table 02 shows the major themes and core ideas of the Fourth year BEED

students in The Challenges in Their Practicum in The New Normal.

Table 2

Major Themes and Core Ideas on How to Do the Pre-Service Teachers Cope
with the Challenges in their Practicum in the New Normal

Major Themes Core Ideas

• Looking for an alternative source of the

Having an Alternative Source
of Internet Connection
Taking a Break
Receiving Support
from Family
internet if the connection is inadequate
• Looking for a way, such as a location where
to conduct online classes and have a stable
internet connection
• Using alternative backups such as data
connections in the event of a blackout or
poor connectivity
• Having a backup, such as a data connection
• Taking a break, relax if having trouble, and
then get back to work
• Meditating to help deal with the difficulties
encountered
• Refreshing mind by taking some time to rest
to come up with a solution
• Valuing family’s help with financial needs
• Having a family who gives courage and
strength
• Providing necessary equipment
for my online education, such as a laptop
• Receiving family aid financially and morally
 41

Having an Alternative Source of Internet Connection

Several aspects of their performance are challenging for participants due to the

new normal and online classes. Participants in this study faced challenges such as poor

to no internet connectivity, a place to conduct their online teaching, and classroom

management.

Like IDI_04 experienced:

“gumamit ng ibng sources if mawala ang connectivitiy like

mag hotspot or gamit ng data po. Always ka dpat may
back up pala kasi hindi mo alam ano yung mga pwedeng
mangyari."
(I look for an alternative source on the internet if the
connection is inadequate, such as my data connection or
mobile hotspot. Always have a backup plan in case
anything unexpected occurs.)

Also, IDI_08 added:

“Tapos sa internet naman meron akong alternative,

gumagamit ako mobile data connection and naghahanap
ng places kung saan malakas ang internet connection."
(When it comes to internet connectivity, I have a backup,
such as my data connection. Then, I look for a place where
the connection is stable.)

Further, IDI_05 experienced:

“So the strategy is nag hanap way like sa saan part ako
mas comfortable and also yung internet connection is mas
better inask ko yung teacher ko sa kung pwede saan sya
magturo dun din ako, yun parang nakakahelp sa akin
maan.”
(My strategy is to look for a way, such as a conducive
location where I can conduct my online classes and have a
stable internet connection. I even asked my critic teacher
to be in the same location as her.)

Moreover, IDI_07 shared:

“Gumamit po ako ng mga strategies to cope up with my

difficulties, gumamit po ng alternative back up like data
connection in case of black out or poor net connectivity
tapos po nag apply din ako ng intrinsic motivation para
makuha attention ng mga students.”
(I used various strategies to deal with my difficulties,
including alternative backups such as data connections in
 42

the event of a blackout or poor connectivity. I also used

intrinsic motivation to get my students' attention.)

However, the participants could cope with the challenges mentioned above by

having a backup mobile data or pocket wi-fi connection when their primary connection

was unavailable and by looking for a location with a strong internet signal. And since

their internet connection has improved, the pupils' participation has also improved.

Taking a Break

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the lives of the

participants in the study. Many of them are dealing with stressful and overwhelming

situations, making it difficult to concentrate and make decisions that affect their

effectiveness as pre-service teachers.

Like, IDI 01_shared:

“Na overcome ko sya bigla kasi nasanay nalang ako

parang mag relax mag stop muna, since mahirap nga
talaga siya itong new normal nangyayayri kasi yung iba
madepress ako gingawa kona lng stop muna, think tska
ako mag lalaban ulit after marefresh ng mind ko.”
(I overcame my difficulties because I became accustomed
to them. I have learned to take a break, relax if I am having
trouble, and then get back to work. I began to accept that
the circumstance is hard, so instead of succumbing to
depression, I taught myself to take a break and get back
on track after refreshing my mind.)

Also, IDI_02 shared:

“Sometimes ipray and meditate na lang po to cope up the

challenges that I encounter."
(I sometimes pray and meditate to help me deal with the
difficulties I have encountered.)

Further, IDI_03 added:

“Pag may challenges ako nafaface ang ginagawa ko is

nag rerefresh ako ng mind take time to rest gsnyn para
makapag isisp ako ng idea kung paano ma solve yung
challenges naeencounter ko maam."
(I usually refresh my mind by taking some time to rest so
that I can come up with a solution.)
 43

On the other hand, the participants overcame the issues mentioned above by

realizing that taking a break would allow them to refresh their minds and come up with

solutions to their problems or difficulties.

Receiving Support from Family

Some participants are having difficulties dealing with the problems they face as

they transition to the new normal of practice teaching, which affects their ability to

perform effectively in practice teaching. Unmotivated participants are likelier to do poorly

in this setting because they lack the motivation to continue with their goals.

Like, IDI_01 shared:

“Sa Family financial support.”

(My family helped me with financial needs.)

Also, IDI_09 added:

“1st yung my family sila yung nag bibigy ng courage and

strength.”
(The first is my family, who give me courage and strength.)

Further, IDI_08 shared:

"My family yes may provide ng equipment to use online

mga ganyan like a laptop."
(On the other hand, my family gave me the necessary
equipment for my online education, such as a laptop.)

Lastly, IDI_04 stated:

“Syempre po ang family ko they help me financially and

morally."
(My family is always there to aid me financially and
morally.)

Furthermore, considering the pandemic's impact on the education sector,

participants in this study are motivated by their families. Family members can play a

significant role in motivating participants to pursue their goals despite difficulties and

shortcomings if they run into problems or difficulties.

 44

Insights of The Pre-Service Teachers that can be shared with other BEED
Students, Teachers, and Parents on their Experiences
in the Practicum in the New Normal

After analyzing pre-service teachers' responses about the insights of their

experiences during the new normal, the following themes were identified; (1) prepare the

lessons ahead of time (2) ask advice from the critical teacher (3) be adaptable, and (4)

having a strong faith in God.

Table 3 shows the different core ideas that expound on each essential theme.

Table 3

Major Themes and Core Ideas on Insights of the Pre-Service Teachers that can be
shared with other BEED Students, Teachers, and Parents on their
Experiences in the Practicum in the New Normal

Major Themes Core Ideas

• Be prepared, ready, and goal-oriented
Prepare the Lessons Ahead
• Be well-prepared for practicum
of Time
• Be prepared and know how to listen to critique
• Seek help from the teacher
Ask Advice from
• Pay attention to the teacher's critique.
the Critic Teacher
• Listen to the critical teacher
• Be adaptable whenever facing obstacles and
difficulties
• Be equipped in order to adjust to the new
Be Adaptable
learning system
• Be flexible at all times and adjust to the events
that occur in your life, particularly the difficulties
• Having a strong faith in God has been beneficial
in dealing with difficulties
Having a Strong • Having faith in God also assisted in overcoming
Faith in God challenges
• Valuing God, for guiding in the right direction to
achieve goals

Prepare the Lesson Ahead of Time

The participants in this study faced challenges such as the difficulty of preparing

the lesson ahead of time and being equipped with knowledge and skills in their

practicum.

Also, IDI_02 stated:

 45

"We need to be prepared, to be ready and goal-oriented po

talaga kasi new normal in teaching.”
(In the new normal of teaching, we need to be prepared,
ready, and goal-oriented.)

Further, IDI _03 expressed:

"Always be ready, be attentive mag hingi talaga ng advice

sa mga teachers."
([As BEED students, we have to] always be prepared,
attentive, and seek help from our teacher.)

Moreover, IDI _04 stated:

"BEED students dapat maging prepare sila pagdting sa

practicum.”
(BEED students should be well-prepared for their
practicum.

Finally, IDI_06 stated:

“Dapat aware sila sa mga nangyayari be prepared all the

time.”
([The students] must be aware of current events and
always be prepared.)

The participant suggested that preparing and planning the lessons ahead of time

will lead to a meaningful lesson. Furthermore, the participants realized they should be

goal-oriented and possess good listening skills, mainly when the critical teacher gives

instructions.

Ask Advice from the Critic Teacher

The participants usually seek advice and listen to the instructions of the critic

teacher.

As IDI_O3 stated:

"For me always ask your supervisor and critic teacher and

also mag browse ka sa internet ng additional infromation
para madagdagan ang ideas mo yung mga challenges
naeencounter mo and take time to refelsh your mind
maam."
(Always ask your supervisor and critic teacher for advice,
and also look for additional information on the internet,
 46

especially on the challenges you encounter. Also, take

time to rest.)

Also, IDI_04 stated

“Dapat alam mo anong gagawin mo pag dating sa

practicum, good strategies aware sa sinsbi ng teacher."
([You have to] constantly pay attention to your teacher's
criticism. Prepare your lecture and be aware of your
schedule. pay attention to what your critic teacher is saying)

However, the participants suggested that critic teachers will give them feedback

at the end of their virtual class in order for them to know their strengths and weaknesses

in the conduct of the online class.

Be Adaptable

Participants are being challenged in adjusting to this new kind of learning system;

they find it difficult to adjust to the new mode of delivering the lesson.

As IDI_08 stated:

“Sobrang dami ng trabaho pero madami po ako natutunan

and nag eenjoy po ako sa experience ko.”
(What is going on must be understood by a pre-service
teacher, be prepared and know how to listen to their critics,
and keep a positive attitude.)

Further, IDI_07 specified:

“For me nareliaze ko akala ko madali lang, nakita ko yung

realistic po the other teacher po gagawa pa ng powerpoint,
nag attend ng class, include the capability of learning level
learning and styles.”
(I believe you must be prepared and adaptable in order to
adjust to the new learning system.)

As shared IDI _ 05

“Be flexible all the time and you need to adapt in the
certain things happening in your lives.”
(You must be flexible and adjust to the events that occur in
your life, particularly the difficulties. Maintaining your
positive attitude will help you in becoming the best.)
 47

However, the participants must be flexible at all times, particularly to the changes in

the lesson delivery. With the help of the technologies, the pre-service teachers become

adept at the new learning system.

Having a Strong Faith in God

Since the pre-service teachers faced difficulties in their practicum, they put all

their trust in the Almighty God for protection and guidance, particularly in their online

teaching.

As expressed by IDI_01:

“Pagkakaroon ng Faith kay God kahit gaano kadami

challenges or difficulties na encounter mo dapat yung faith
kay God hindi nawawala.”
(Having a strong faith in God has been beneficial to me in
dealing with the difficulties I have encountered during my
practicum.")

Also, IDI _06:

“Yung Faith ko kay God nakaka help siya sa akin sa cope

up ng mga challenges ko.”
(My faith in God also assisted me in overcoming my
challenges. I maintain strong faith in God because I am
confident, He will never desert me.)

Lastly, IDI _08 stated:

“And also yung strong faith kay God for always guiding me
right path na para ma achieve yung dreams ko.”
([I believe that having faith in God is important.] I thank
Him for guiding me in the right direction so that I can
achieve my dreams)

Despite the problem faced by the Pre-service teachers, in this pandemic, the pre-

service teachers always put their trust in our Almighty God for guidance, protection, and

help in the challenges encountered in their online teaching and their day-to-day living.
 48

Chapter 5

DISCUSSIONS

This chapter presents the discussions and conclusions drawn from the study's

results supported by various authors. This also contains implications for teaching

practices and the implications for further research.

The purpose of the study was to describe the pre-service teachers' experiences

in their practicum in the new normal. In-depth interviews were used to gather substantial

data using the validated questions approved by the validators. All questionnaires were

answered by the participants who shared significant data, which were then analyzed

thoroughly with the help of the experts.

Lived Experiences of the Pre-service Teachers in them

Practicum in the New Normal

The pre-service teachers who were chosen to answer the research questions

shared their different experiences about the lived experiences in their practicum in the

new normal. Based on their responses, the following themes emerged: (1) Lacking of

Good Internet Connection (2) Engaging Students in Class Activities, and (3) Preparing

Learning Materials.

Lacking Good Internet Connection

Struggling with an internet connection significantly affects lesson continuity and

students' poor attendance. It will also affect the teaching performance of the teachers. In

this study, the main difficulty that the pre-service teachers experienced in their practicum

in the new normal is the lacking of a good internet connection. Based on their

responses, their teaching and learning process is compromised when a good internet

connection is lacking.

This affirms the study of Sabito (2020), who revealed that one of the three

barriers and challenges that students encountered in online learning was the lack of a
 49

good internet connection for participating in online activities. As already stated, a

continuous internet connection is necessary for students to engage in online learning

fully. This is true, especially when an online meeting is required for all subjects enrolled.

However, variables may come to play that would inhibit continuous internet connection.

Aside from being one of the most expensive internet providers in Asia, the Philippines is

also one of the slowest (LIST: Philippines Ranks 21st of 22 Asian Countries in Internet

download speed, ND).

On the other hand, Umali et al. (2018) focus on the lack of internet access which

affects the students' academic performance. It is assumed that having no internet

access personally is one of the reasons why some students have lower performance at

school, which causes them to attain low grades and performance. In addition, Clarin &

Baluyos (2022) stated that varied accessibility to the internet had compromised the

quality of education for students, as most classes are online and rely on a high-speed

internet connection for synchronous classes. If teachers or students fail to connect,

classes are jeopardized because there can be no teaching and learning if there are no

teacher’s and students’ connections.

Engaging Students in the Class Activities

One of the indicators of a learner-centered classroom is when the learners are

engaged in the class activities. This is usually prepared by the teacher, who serves as a

facilitator in the student’s learning.

Engagement includes interaction and collaboration with teachers and peers. In

this study, Engaging students in class activities is one of the problems encountered by

the pre-service teachers in their practicum in the new normal. According to them,

sometimes, the students ignore them when they are called to answer and participate.

Some students would put off the cameras of their gadgets when they are not

responding, or sometimes students would say they do not have an internet connection.
 50

Hence, teachers would not know what the students are doing while having their class.

This affirms the study of Lee et al. (2021). They found that even while some level of

social interaction was available online, the lack of face-to-face contact considerably and

negatively affected students' feeling of community and overall contentment. Students'

output and activities were already a source of tension before the pandemic, but studying

amid a pandemic made it considerably more difficult. They could not interact because

technology was the sole means of keeping in touch (Robosa et al., 2021). In addition,

they were concerned about the pupils' attention spans during Google Hangouts Students

could be listening or not listening, or they could be accessing their accounts, turning off

their cameras, and doing other tasks while taking an online class. They were also

startled to hear that students did not want to reveal their faces during lectures.

The said insight affirms the study of Borup et al. (2021). "Engagement" is a term

that is used frequently to mean a lot of different things. A 2020 review identified three

dimensions of engagement: Behavioral, Emotional, and Cognitive. Instructors often refer

to these three dimensions of engagement when discussing engaging students' hands,

hearts, and heads. Behavioral engagement is the easiest to observe and categorize of

the three dimensions of engagement. Specifically, Kimmons et al. (ND) used the PIC

framework to identify three types of behavioral engagement: passive, interactive, and

creative. Examples of this framework are watching the video, participating in the online

simulation, editing the video, and the like.

Meanwhile, Bolliger and Martin (2018) distinguished three levels of student

engagement. Learner-learner engagement, Learner-instructor engagement, and

Learner-content engagement each three of these methods of engagement, and some

combination of the three should be used for online learning. While all three levels of

student engagement are found to be important, it is sometimes necessary to prioritize

and focus on one or two of these types of engagement depending on the class goals
 51

and subject. Students feel that the most valuable elements for engagement in an online

class were ensuring instructor presence or personal contact, including relevant course

content, and providing frequent communication with the student.

Preparing Learning Materials

Learning materials used by the teachers inside the classroom can help deliver

the lesson. It can make the teaching-learning process more effective. In this study, some

pre-service teachers realized that online teaching favors them in preparing the learning

materials because of modern technology. In contrast, some others found it difficult since

they needed more time to prepare the learning materials for the online class.

As Rahmawati (2021) stated, learning materials will not be properly conveyed if

they are not accompanied by supporting learning media. Moreover, distance learning

activities require the teachers to explore their creativity in delivering learning materials

using available learning media, such as Google Class Room, Zoom, Google Meet, and

others, so the learning process can run so well. Many reference sources can be used as

guidelines for developing learning materials, such as blogs, YouTube, or maybe social

media that contain positive content.

On the other hand, Lokanath et al. (2020) stated that the use of WhatsApp,

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram turned into smooth facilitation of using online

educational platforms such as ZOOM, Cisco WebEx, Google Meet, and the like as a

sign of positive transfer of learning. Also, useful educational apps such as Office 365,

Google classroom, and the much more user-friendly videoconferencing application can

be downloaded free of cost and are easy to use. The result of the research found that

MS-power-point slide was used to type explanatory content and convert them into pdf

files.

On the other hand, Barnad (2020) stated that the form of learning material that

meets the three criteria is learning material in multimedia. Software that can create
 52

learning materials in multimedia form is Foxit PhantomPDF version 10. This software

provides facilities for adding video and sound into a PDF file. The learning material that

has been made is given to each student to be used as learning material. Several pieces

of software are used in making learning materials in multimedia form. Microsoft Word

2016 software is used to create manuscripts of the material discussed and then saved in

pdf format, and then The Movavi Screen Recorder 11 software is used to make learning

videos. Foxit PhantomPDF software combines the two files (learning materials and

videos) to equip the resulting learning material with video (multimedia).

Pre-Service Teachers’ Cope Mechanisms during

their Practicum in The New Normal

In this portion of the study, the participants specified strategies for dealing with

the difficulties they encountered in the new normal setup of conducting their pre-service

teaching. Using the responses of the respondents, the proponents were able to identify

three themes, which are as follows: (1) Having an alternative source of internet

connectivity, (2) Taking a break, (3) Receiving support from family

Having an Alternative Source of Internet Connectivity

Various factors are challenging participants in their overall performance in

conducting their practicum due to the new normal and online teaching. The common

disadvantage for the practice teachers and their students is the connectivity problem

wherein the practice teachers themselves will be interrupted and disconnected while

having their demo teaching or practice teaching. The other scenario is that not all

students can attend the synchronous Google Meet session because of poor connectivity.

This was also one of the findings of (Ogbonnaya et al., 2020) that poor internet

connectivity, the high cost of data, erratic power supply, lack of appropriate devices, and

inability to manage their time effectively, were some of the challenges experienced by

the pre-service teachers.

 53

Some studies supported this study's argument and saw the Challenges of

internet connections among students (Aboagye et al., 2021; Chase et al., 2018; Chung

et al., 2020; Lorenzo, 2017). Another study also spoke of the importance of enhanced

internet connectivity for e-learning, especially in rural areas (Ahmed et al., 2017). In

another article by Hossain and Rahman (2017), they stipulated that students from their

studies need to enhance their internet usage. They further suggested that the university

should provide internet facilities and an environment for Students.

Suppose the primary source of internet connectivity is unavailable. In that case,

there is a need for an alternative source of internet connectivity, such as mobile data, to

conduct our online classes, so it is best if there is one. This is thus recommended to

avoid negative implications for an individual's academic performance.

Taking A Break

Stress is inevitable as a Pre-service teacher in the new normal, but it does not

have to dominate one's life. One is called to do their best to understand the stress they

experience. Furthermore, they need to know what is causing it and how they can

respond to it productively. This can be done by addressing one's stress healthily - thus,

making the most of their college life. There are many ways one can manage one's stress

as a student. Just as everyone experiences stress in their own way, we all have our

preferred coping methods. However, not all stress management strategies are healthy,

and some may leave one feeling even worse than before. However, students who are

too stressed cannot study effectively (Gale et al., 2018). It is essential to distinguish

between stress that assists students in studying and stress that prevents students from

studying effectively

Stress is not just a physical reaction; it can also affect one's emotions, behavior,

and cognition (Dangi et al., 2020). Just as different things stress everyone, everyone

experiences its effects differently. Yasmin et al. (2020) stated that between your classes,
 54

homework, and other obligations, you might find your days booked solid with plans,

activities, and tasks that need to be done. One is called to take a break when needed.

Schedule an afternoon where one does not have to do anything but read a favorite book

or watch a movie. One may not be able to drop everything on a to-do list at once, but do

not hesitate to spend some time not doing anything.

COVID-19 affected everyone at a global level. Previously 100 years ago, this

lockdown was implemented to fight with Spanish Flu. In this COVID-19, people are also

feeling tired and anxious due to lockdown. Students are facing loss in their studies.

These all things lead to cause disturbance in their mental state. Academic factors are

the most important stressors, hence the need for specific and targeted measures to

substantially decrease the stress burden on the students. Teaching techniques and

college environments should be adapted to the needs of the students. To overcome

stress as a student, it is crucial to learn how to cope with it productively. After all, one

cannot control the stressors in life but can choose how to respond to them. Finally,

regular study habits and adequate preparation can help students avoid stress and

improve their learning.

Receiving Support from Family

Most participants have mentioned that receiving strong support from their

families and loved ones had greatly aided them in coping with the challenges brought

about by online teaching during their pre-service teaching. In terms of moral, spiritual,

and financial support, the participants' families became their stronghold backbone.

Gatherman et al. (2020) stated that most parents also reported increased

positive interactions at home, including having more quality time together, feeling

closeness, showing love and affection, and observing resilience in their children. Parents

often reported increases in both negative and positive interactions with children due to

the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly due to increased opportunities for family interactions
 55

overall. Furthermore, a more significant proportion of parents who stressed financial

concerns due to the pandemic reported having more quality time, showing more love

and affection, and observing resilience in their children. A larger proportion of parents

stressed about worsening mental health problems reported showing more love and

affection to their children. Increased time and flexibility at home have created conditions

for families to engage in more conversations and activities.

Also, Masten and Motti-Stefanidi (2020) state that Social support, positive

parenting, and good coping strategies positively impact resilience during the pandemic.

Family functions are related to well-being during a severe disruption such as a disaster.

Insights of the Pre-Service Teachers that can be Shared with Other BEED
Students, Teachers, And Parents on their Experiences
in the Practicum in the New Normal

The participants shared insights into their experiences as pre-service teachers in

the practicum in the new normal. After analyzing the pre-service teachers' responses

about their insights into experience in the practicum in New normal, the following themes

were identified; (1) prepare the lessons ahead of time, (2) ask advice from the critic

teacher, (3) be adaptable, and (4) having a strong faith in God.

Prepare the Lessons Ahead of Time

Spending much time preparing the lessons will lead to a successful outcome.

The teacher will have confidence when delivering the lesson in the classroom.

Developing an interest in the lessons takes much time and effort to apply to the learners'

level.

Meador (2019) stated that teaching is not something you can do effectively on

the fly. It requires a healthy blend of content knowledge, instructional strategies, and

classroom management tactics. Preparation and planning play a critical role in the

development of these things. It also takes some experimentation and even a little luck. It
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is important to note that even well-planned lessons can quickly fall apart. Some of the

best-conceived ideas will be massive failures when put into practice. When this

happens, teachers must go back to the drawing board and reorganize their approach

and plan of attack.

Smith (2014) told her student to read what kids are reading. Teachers are

encouraged to remain open to those teaching moments that arrive unscripted and

unbidden, try new things, embrace the messiness of learning, and have fun.

Ask Advice from the Critic Teacher

Critic teachers had a massive impact on the pre-service teacher. It is their time to

take all they have learned and apply it in their teaching practice. Let the knowledge,

ideas, and experiences they acquired along the way fuel their teaching. By asking the

critic teacher, it will help the pre-service students immediately shows they are ready and

willing to assume the role of a teacher.

Weimer (2018) stated that some of the advice offered by colleagues and in

articles is excellent. Most of us can recite the good and wise things learned from fellow

teachers. However, not all instructional advice is equally good, and it is not always easy

to separate good advice from advice that is decidedly ho-hum or just plain not very good.

The problem is that bad advice can be delivered articulately and with great conviction.

Gonzales (2016) stated that she got an email from someone who was just about

to start student teaching. As a teacher, the first one needs to ask questions about

classroom procedures, grading, and technology. Further, students are encouraged to

network potential connections to build networks that will have potential future benefits.

Students are also encouraged to go out and make themselves available for the taking.

Bianca (2019) stated that If you are interested in becoming a teacher, the student

teaching practicum experience is essential to your educational journey. It is the hands-

on teaching internship that, upon success, will lead one to their teaching credential. For
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the most part, students should put practice to the test, as classroom management is

critical.

Be Adaptable

During this time of the pandemic, people have already adapted to the new

learning system in education. This study gives the students a sense of urgency. Even

though it is not the same as in-person learning, it is the closest format any teacher can

use to approximate being with their students in a class-like setting. However, the virtual

classroom online can be challenging, and other applications introduced to the respective

school can apply during their respective virtual class.

Usher and Schunk (2018) said that given the individual differences in self-

regulated learning, students might respond differently in emergency remote learning.

Some students might find concentrating difficult, whereas others might double their

efforts to cope with the new environment.

Rasheed et al. (2020) Stated that adapting to higher levels of autonomy and

successfully applying these resource-management strategies are, however, no easy feat

for many students. A recent systematic review showed that students who participate in

online (blended) education struggle to use these strategies adequately; they experience

primary challenges of self-regulation, motivational control, and technological

competencies.

Walker (2021), given the sudden shift to online education, students may not have

had access to all technical resources (e.g., stable internet connection) or support from

teaching staff and peers. Given the uniqueness of the situation, it is crucial to

understand whether and how students could adapt their resource-management

strategies when confronted with emergency remote learning.

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Having a Strong Faith in God

Having faith in God that is not easily moved or shaken, one needs to immerse

one's self in the promises of God. If we have faith in God, feelings of worry, stress,

anxiety, fear, and doubt should never surface. If people have faith in God, they

completely trust that He will provide all necessary provisions. Not only do we trust Him to

provide provision, but we are confident that He will provide us with abundant life.

Feder (2020) stated that people who believe their God or gods are real, even if

the existence of those supernatural beings cannot be empirically proven, have long

fascinated and confounded scientists. In a new book, Stanford anthropologist Tanya

Luhrmann explores the intersection of religion and science, linking profound religious

faith to beneficial, scientifically proven practices like mindfulness and cognitive

behavioral therapy.

Peterson (2021) stated that God is not stunned by our struggles or trials. When a

person gets a call from the doctor with results from a test, one begins to panic. People

start to worry about what the doctor said, wondering how they will manage this illness.

God is not surprised by any of it. He knows everything.

Barnes (2018) said in a lecture that humanity is restored in Christ. The Gospels

depict this beautifully in his baptism when he identifies with people and heaven

proclaims him as God's beloved. Jesus does not receive this designation until his public

identification with humanity, meaning that people, too, are the beloved of God. The

author then described how Jesus' three temptations after his baptism reveal how the

devil entices us to doubt our identity as the beloved and thus become less than human.

This is in accordance with Constructivism Theory, a foundational learning theory

originating in psychology that attempts to explain how people learn. The theory was

named for its primary tenant, which is that people learn by constructing knowledge and

meaning from their experiences in the world. Dewey, Piaget, and Vygotsky are all
 59

associated, to various extents, with constructivism. For example, Dewey spoke about an

"active learner" who uses sensory input to make sense of the world. Most importantly,

the learner is not passive — the learner must actively engage with the world to learn.

Importantly, students can (and do) learn from direct lectures. These need not be

completely tossed out as there is a time and place for them. After all, students can

actively attempt to construct new knowledge while listening to a lecture. However,

instruction should not rely solely on lecturing but approach instruction from various

angles. Some examples are given below. Experiential Learning Theory (Kolb, 1984) is

another theory of learning supporting the importance of student engagement.

Experiential Learning theory says the experience drives learning. People's experiences

with the world form and re-form their ideas and understanding of the world around them.

This learning theory also fits well with the ideas put forth by Dewey and Piaget. The

commonality lies within the necessity and utility of an active learner.

Implications for Teaching Practice

This study may instill in BEED students a sense of urgency to appreciate and

adapt to new educational systems, as they are teaching online and need to improve their

abilities and capabilities. They may also have a concept of how to address and manage

the various obstacles that they would face throughout their pre-service teaching during

this pandemic, as well as how to be aware in discovering the optimal coping strategy to

respond to the challenges.

Moreover, Parents, who act as one of the participants' support systems, may

benefit from this research by listening with empathy, complimenting efforts and

achievements, and encouraging children to observe and accept situations beyond their

control and their feelings.

 60

Furthermore, the school administrator may be able to provide upgraded

technological assistance for both teachers and students within the school premises to

improve the services for better learning in the new normal setup.

This study may be utilized as an additional related literature review to improve

this study for future researchers. Also, this is an excellent help for them to know pre-

service teachers' perceptions in their practicum, particularly in the new normal.

Recommendations for Future Research

This study focuses on the lived experiences of eight (8) pre-service teachers in

their practicum in the new normal. The findings of this study will serve as a foundation

for future research. In addition, a similar study should be undertaken in a broader range

of places with a more considerable number of participants to obtain more accurate data

regarding the study.

The following recommendations are based on this study's findings: provide

pocket WIFI for students with ample data connection. Provision of other learning aids for

students in desperate need of assistance. Provision of Wi-fi hotspots at various locations

on campus for students to use for free in the community. There is also a need to provide

possible services to assist students in implementing flexible learning through online

delivery. Technology advancement infrastructure is based on the capability of the

students and institution in the implementation of the online mode delivery of learning.

In addition, the inclusion of flexible teaching and learning in the institution’s

strategic plan as an alternative delivery mode in the future. for flexible teaching and

supporting students' continuous learning Re-alignment of curriculum competencies and

re-calibration of program offerings

Finally, research can be conducted by re-interviewing the same participants to

see whether there is any parallelism with the retrieved data. As a result, more study on

learning resources with a focus on content and the same research using different
 61

approaches is recommended. It is also essential to improve one's ability to create

effective learning content.

Concluding Remarks

The fourth-year BEED students in pre-service teaching in the new normal

contributed their lived experiences, coping strategies, and suggestions to this study. The

participants were able to share their experiences, ideas, and perspectives on the new

normal means of teaching. The participants were able to express their common

difficulties in pre-service teaching in the new normal via in-depth interviews and their

alternatives, realizations, and solutions to the problems mentioned above. Further

investigation revealed that teaching in the new normal had advantages and

disadvantages. Because some of them are not technically inclined and do not have

enough resources to adapt to their new normal teaching needs, the participants were

initially hesitant to embrace change. Some students found the new teaching methods to

be both convenient and entertaining. The group was obviously divided, but by the end of

the day, most of them had managed to cope and become acquainted with this new

normal teaching.

Based on the result of the in-depth interview done with the participants, the

researchers conclude that internet connectivity will pose a big challenge among students

for their online learning. This idea also applies to the institution, the school

administration, the faculty, and the staff. However, this result will justify the

recommendation for appropriate actions to remedy such a problem.

Since this is a paradigm shift in education, the results were interesting and

inspiring to the readers of this study. This is an example of how to manage oneself to

teach online in light of the new normal. Teachers can also benefit from this study, as

they can act on the participants' experiences (students) during their practicum.

Furthermore, the conduct of this study can provide a pathway for new strategies,
 62

techniques, and policies to better implement the teaching practicum in the new normal,

making it much easier, more convenient, and less troublesome for both sides (teachers

and students, respectively).

The proponents realized as teachers that having a backup plan is essential when

conducting online teaching. The researchers also believe that to improve student

engagement. Critic teachers should collaborate with pre-service teachers to develop

instructional materials and teaching strategies. Finally, the pre-service teachers should

be prepared with the necessary knowledge, skills, competencies, and standards before

starting their practicum.

Also, as a result of this research, we have realized that taking a break to refresh

one's mind during stress and challenges is a big help for us educators and pre-service

teachers to work productively and efficiently. Family members' spiritual and financial

support is also crucial in dealing with difficulties. We also realized that as teachers, we

must be resourceful most of the time.

Most pre-service teachers were still adjusting to this online class in the second

year of the pandemic. The researchers realized that the teachers still need to attend

training and workshops so that in the next semester, they will be already equipped and

ready to face another challenge in this new normal with the adeptness of the new

learning system.

In addition, the Researchers also experienced difficulties while conducting this

research study. For instance, in data gathering and transcribing the data collected, the

proponents encountered problems such as conflicts of schedules between the

researcher and the participants. Since the participants were allowed to answer in

vernacular, some words or phrases are hard to transcribe. It took us much time to

transcribe them in English. Despite the difficulties encountered, the researchers could

cope with the challenges because they were motivated to know the study's results.
 63

Further, this is so that the proponents can help the pre-service teachers, their parents,

the school administrators, and future researchers to learn and cope with the challenges

they might encounter in the new normal education setup.

Finally, the study is a positive step forward for the education sector. This applies

explicitly to Pilar College of Zamboanga City, Inc. This encourages the school

administration to monitor the effectiveness, efficiency, and comfort of its students and

teachers in the new normal setup of teaching practicum, lectures, interactions, and

educational activities. Moreover, it provides a corridor for teachers and students to meet

halfway in any threshold, they may encounter. The proponents of this study are pleased

that they have conducted such an informative study that will benefit all stakeholders.
 64

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