i

MATATAG IN BASIC EDUCATION: THE PERSPECTIVES OF ELEMENTARY

TEACHERS IN THE PROPOSED DECONGESTED CURRICULUM

A Research Presented to the Research Review Committee

of Faculty of College Education
Kapalong College of Agriculture, Sciences and Technology
Maniki, Kapalong, Davao del Norte

Matatag in Basic Education:

The Perspectives of Elementary Teachers
in the Proposed Decongested Curriculum

NERI, CENDY

June 2023
 ii

MATATAG IN BASIC EDUCATION: THE PERSPECTIVES OF ELEMENTARY

TEACHERS IN THE PROPOSED DECONGESTED CURRICULUM

_______________

A Research Presented to the Research Review Committee

of Faculty of College Education
Kapalong College of Agriculture, Sciences and Technology
Maniki, Kapalong, Davao del Norte

_______________

Matatag in Basic Education:

The Perspectives of Elementary Teachers

in the Proposed Decongested Curriculum

_______________

NERI, CENDY

_______________
 iii

June 2023

APPROVAL SHEET

This research entitled, “DEMYSTIFYING THE LANGUAGE USED IN

MATHEMATICS TEACHING: PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS IN FOCUS,” prepared
and submitted by JAYA, JERIC KIM, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Mathematics, has been
examined and is hereby endorsed.

JONELSON C. ESCANDALLO, MAEd

Adviser

PANEL OF EXAMINERS

APPROVED by the Panel of Examiners on oral examination with a remark

of PASSED.

REGINE L. GENERALAO, MST

Chairperson

MARY ANN RONITH P. LIBAGO, MAEd JOBELL B. JAJALLA, MAEd

Member Member

ACCEPTED and APPROVED in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

degree of Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Mathematics.

MARY ANN RONITH P. LIBAGO, MAEd DEVEYVON L. ESPINOSA, MAEd

Director, Research and Development Dean, ITEDHUMS
 iv

RONEL G. DAGOHOY, DPA

Vice President for Research Development, and Extension

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The researcher wishes to express his heartfelt gratitude, endless

appreciation, and heartfelt thanks to all who have contributed to the success of this

study through their assistance and dedication.

First and foremost, the researcher wishes to express his gratitude to the

Almighty God for the wisdom, guidance, and fortitude granted to him throughout the

course of this research endeavor.

Second, the researcher appreciated his research adviser, Mr. Jonelson C.

Escandallo, MAEd, for the inspiration, invaluable guidance, unwavering support,

and wealth of knowledge that he provided. The researcher deeply valued the

mentorship and insightful counsel that played a pivotal role in shaping this study.

Moreover, the researcher sincerely expressed his gratitude to Mr. Jobell B.

Jajalla, MAEd, his research instructor and designated panelist, for offering ample

guidance, knowledge, and information throughout the research process. The

researcher acknowledged and appreciated his dedicated time and effort, particularly

in addressing the researcher's inquiries, providing explanations, and offering

assistance. In truth, he had been incredibly approachable and supportive, making it

easier for the researcher to seek clarification and guidance.

The researcher extends gratitude to the other panel members, Ms. Regine L.

Generalao, MST, and Mrs. Mary Ann Ronith P. Libago, MAEd, for their

constructive feedback and evaluation, which enabled him to broaden his knowledge

about his research topic. Their valuable input played a crucial role in enhancing the

comprehensibility, precision, and effectiveness of specific sections within the study.

Their contributions significantly enriched the quality and depth of this study.
 v

Additionally, the researcher would like to thank the College President, Mr.

Rodrigo C. Licayan Jr., DBA, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Mr. James

C. Royo, PhD, and the Vice President for Research, Development, and Extension,

Mr. Ronel G. Dagohoy, DPA, for their unwavering support and encouragement and

for providing the necessary resources to carry out this research.

Furthermore, the researcher also wanted to express his sincere gratitude to

his family and girlfriend, for their unfailing love and support, both in financial and

moral aspects, as well as for their extended patience throughout the research

process. Also, he thanked his friends for their unending support, which helped him

complete this research. The researcher was ultimately made possible due to their

support and confidence in his abilities.

Lastly, he is thankful to other people not mentioned in this section who have

willingly helped him, the researcher, with this academic journey.

-The Researcher
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DEDICATION

First and foremost, this study is dedicated to the Almighty God for providing

him with guidance, sharp mind, and protection, which have enabled him to conduct

this research. All glory belongs to You.

Second, this study was also dedicated to his family, particularly to his

grandmother, Irene T. Jaya, who consistently supported him financially and provided

him with strength and words of encouragement when he was on the verge of giving

up. He was profoundly grateful to have a grandmother who was always willing to do

everything for her grandchildren. Her unwavering care and support had always been

with him since his childhood, and she had never forsaken him. She truly served as

one of his sources of inspiration, motivating him to strive for success in his education.

He also dedicated this study to his girlfriend, Maricel B. Dugos, because of

her unwavering support for his studies. He was deeply grateful to her because she

was one of those people who helped him achieve his heartfelt desires in life. He was

thankful for her endless love, support, and sacrifices as the researcher undertook this

study.

Furthermore, he also dedicated this study to his classmates who shared their

words of advice and encouragement, which helped him greatly. He extended his

gratitude to all of them and offered this study as a gesture of appreciation.

JERIC KIM JAYA

 vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE i

APPROVAL SHEET ii

ACKNOWLEDGMENT iii

DEDICATION v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vii

LIST OF TABLES x

ABSTRACT xi

Chapter

1 INTRODUCTION 1

Rationale 1

Purpose of the Study 3

Research Questions 4

Theoretical Lens 4

Review of Related Literature 6

Experiences of Pre-service Teachers in

Using English in Mathematics Instruction 6

Coping Strategies of Pre-service Teachers

in Using English in Mathematics Instruction 12

Insights of Pre-service Teachers in Using

English in Mathematics Instruction 16

Significance of the Study 19

Definition of Terms 20
 viii

Delimitation and Limitation of the Study 21

2 METHODOLOGY 22

Research Design 22

Role of the Researcher 23

Research Participants 24

Data Collection 25

Data Analysis 26

Trustworthiness of the Study 27

Ethical Consideration 31

3 RESULTS 35

Participants 35

Categorization of Data 38

Research Question No. 1:

What are the pre-service teachers' experiences in the
language they used in mathematics teaching? 38

Research Question No. 2:

How do pre-service teachers cope with the challenges
faced in the language they used in mathematics teaching? 51

Research Question No. 3:

What insights can the participants share about the
language they used in mathematics teaching pedagogy? 67

Chapter Summary 80

4 DISCUSSION 82

Implication for the Practice 96

Implication for Further Research 99

Concluding Remarks 100

REFERENCES

APPENDICES

A Letter of Permission to Conduct the Study

B Informed Consent
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C Interview Guide

D Validation Sheets for Interview Guide

E Summary of Validators’ Rating

F Participant’s Verification Form

G Member Checking Form

H Archival Log

I Note Taker Form with Field Notes

J Audit Trail

K Editor’s Certificate

CURRICULUM VITAE
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LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

1 Participants of the Study 37

2 Pre-service Teachers' Experiences in the Language

They Used in Mathematics Teaching 39

3 Coping Mechanisms for the Challenges Faced by

Pre-service Teachers in the Language They Used
for Mathematics Teaching 52

4 Insights of the Pre-service Teachers in Terms

of the Language They Used in Mathematics
Teaching 68
 xi

ABSTRACT

This phenomenology study aimed to explore and understand the lived experiences

of mathematics pre-service teachers in the language they used in mathematics

teaching. Using purposive sampling, the participating 14 mathematics pre-service

teachers from three different public schools were identified. All of them participated in

the in-depth interviews. Results revealed the experiences of the participants: develop

one’s communication competence; difficulty in elaborating the topic; lack of

proficiency in utilizing English as a medium of instruction; and self-doubts in using

English as a medium of instruction. In response to the challenges they have

encountered, they deemed the following coping strategies essential: seeking

guidance from one's mentor; constant practice in using the English language; and

watching videos to develop one's communication skills. Upon reflecting on their

entire experience, they arrived at the following insights: having good communication

skills is essential; improving one’s communication skills is necessary; and nurturing

English language proficiency through constant practice is vital. The results of this

study were anticipated to be meaningful and important to the participants, teachers,

students, and researchers.

Keywords: mathematics pre-service teachers, mathematics, phenomenology

approach, qualitative, Philippines

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Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Rationale
The decongested curriculum is an approach to curriculum design that aims to reduce
the amount of content that students are required to learn. This is done by removing
or streamlining topics that are deemed to be less important or essential.
Decongested curriculum has some potential benefits but it also has potential
negative impacts like it can lead to decreased student learning, limited exposure to
important subjects and topics, and increased stress and burnout for teachers
(Wolf,2022).

Research has shown that in Japan, the decongested curriculum led to a significant
decrease in student achievement in math and science. They also found that the
decongested curriculum narrowed the curriculum and limited students' exposure to
important subjects and topics, such as the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The
researchers concluded that the decongested curriculum is having a negative impact
on student achievement in Japan. They recommended that the Japanese
government reconsider the decongested curriculum and make changes to ensure
that all students have access to a high-quality education
(Kiyokawa & Ichikawa,2019).

In the Philippines, the K+10+2 bill, which would shorten the Philippine education
system to 12 years, is being debated by policymakers. Experts argue that it would be
beneficial in the short-term, but lead to losses in the longer term. They point to the
fact that senior high school graduates have higher basic pay, are more likely to be
self-employed, and work less hours than junior high school graduates. A 2018 study
by the Philippine Business for Education found that out of the 70 leading companies
across all sectors in the Philippines, only 20% were willing to accept senior high
school graduates (Chi,2023).

The researcher plans to conduct a study because it is highly important to society.

There is urgency to conduct this study because it can help the pre-service teachers
to understand the impact of this curriculum on student learning and to develop
recommendations for improvement. By doing a qualitative study in this area, we can
find out important things that can benefit the pre-service teachers in understanding
the strengths and weaknesses of the decongested curriculum, they can make better
decisions about how to educate the students and help our society to move forward.
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Theoretical Lens

The study of Gokhan Bas and Cihad Senturk (2020) titled "Perceptions of teachers
about the curriculum: A Metaphor Analysis" aimed to examine teachers’ perceptions
regarding the concept of curriculum through metaphor analysis. According to the
findings of the research, the teachers were seen to produce a total of 48 well-
structured metaphors for curriculum concepts, which were then grouped under five
conceptual categories as guide, problem, system, complex structure, and need. Also,
it was found that the teachers produced mostly positive metaphors about the concept
of curriculum.
In addition to the study of Krizhia Magallanes, Jae Young Chung and Sunbok Lee
(2022) titled "The Philippine Teachers Concerns on Educational Reform using
Concern Based Adoption Model"
this study aims to identify the Philippines teachers’ concerns in K–12
implementation. The concerns based adoption model was applied to determine the
level of concerns, findings indicate that consequence and collaboration was the
teachers’ current concern (impact stage). Furthermore, experience and education
factors showed the biggest significance affecting their collaboration among teachers.
These current concerns match the existing problems of Philippine education: poor
PISA results and lack of resources. This research urges the Philippine government to
promote professional development activities that encourage teamwork and
collaboration among teachers. However, this study is different because this focused
more on the perspectives of the pre-service teachers in gaining deep understanding
about the curriculum's goals, objectives, and content. Also, to help the learners
to develop a deeper understanding of the core concepts of each subject, which is
still less explored in the body of knowledge. These premises prompted me to
propose this study.

This study is primarily based on Dewey's Curriculum Theory (1859-1952). John

Dewey defined curriculum theory as the continuous reconstruction, moving from the
child's present experience out into that represented by the organized bodies of truth
that we call studies the various studies are themselves experience, they are that of
the race. According to his idea, curriculum theory is based on the belief that
education should be child-centered and experiential. He believed that the curriculum
should be designed to help students develop their natural curiosity and to learn by
doing.
In context, curriculum theory can be used to understand how pre-service teachers
conceptualize and implement different approaches to decongested curriculum design
and implementation. It can also inform our understanding of the challenges and
opportunities that elementary teachers face when implementing the proposed
decongested curriculum. This perspective can be used to develop teaching and
learning activities that are aligned with the proposed decongested curriculum and
that are supported by pre-service teachers' beliefs and practices.
 3

Moreover, this study is hinged on Taylor's theory of Organizational (1856-1915).

According to Taylor,
the science of management is the application of the principles of scientific
investigation and experimentation to the management of any enterprise, whether
industrial, commercial or educational. It is the substitution of exact knowledge and
definite law for individual opinion. He argued that by using scientific methods to study
and improve work processes, organizations could achieve significant gains in
efficiency and productivity. In other words, Taylor believed that management should
be based on scientific principles, rather than on the personal opinions and
experiences of individual managers.
In context, the study is interested in exploring the
organizational theory by understanding the factors that influence change within
organizations, such as schools. This can help to inform research on the
implementation of the proposed decongested curriculum within schools.
Furthermore, this study is also based on Schön's
theory of teacher development (1930-1997), the idea that the teacher learn best by
reflecting on their own practice. He argued that teachers are constantly making
decisions and taking actions in the classroom, and that by reflecting on these
experiences, they can learn from their mistakes and improve their practice over time.
Schön's theory is often referred to as reflective practice, and it is a widely accepted
approach to teacher development.
In context, Schön's theory of reflective practice emphasizes the importance of
teachers reflecting on their own practice in order to learn and improve. This
perspective could be used to inform research on the types of professional
development activities that are most effective for elementary teachers who are
implementing the proposed decongested curriculum.

Questions

1. What are the lived experiences of elementary teachers in implementing the

proposed decongested curriculum?
2. How do elementary teachers perceive the impact of the proposed decongested
curriculum on student learning?
3. What are elementary teachers' recommendations for improving the implementation
of the proposed decongested curriculum?
 4

Research participants

The key participants of my study were pre-service teachers in elementary school at

Kapalong, Davao del Norte. Upon participants selection, I will employ purposive
sampling to ensure that only those who can give the necessary data would be able to
participate in my study. In my recruitment process, I will religiously follow the
succeeding criteria: (a.) each participant must be a pre-service teacher working in an
elementary school at Kapalong, Davao del Norte; (b.) the participant must also have
graduated with at least a degree in Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED) major
in Generalist; and above these, (c.) the participants must be assigned to give a
perspective about the decongested curriculum aligned specifically to Generalist
discipline.
During the recruitment process, I will carefully select 14 participants. The researcher
will conduct in-depth interviews with
all fourteen (14) individuals, engaging in one-on-one or online interviews with each
participant. Also, the criteria will establish by the researcher were suitable for the
study. The
participants were selected to be based on the following criteria: they were pre-service
teachers
teachers with a minimum of three years of teaching experience in public schools in
the Davao region. These teachers willingly agreed to take part in the study. As
indicated by Boyce and Neale (2006), I recruited them as my informants
through personal contact. According to Patton (2002), the informants must feel at
ease,
thus I asked my informants when and where we should have our interview so that
they
would feel at ease discussing their life experiences if they were the ones to choose
the
time and location. When and where should the meeting take place. All of this was
done
to ensure that the study's conduct and findings were of high quality.
 5

REFERENCES

Wolf, K. (2022). The case against the decongested curriculum. Educational

Horizons, 100(1), 8-17. https://us.corwin.com/
Kiyokawa, H., & Ichihawa (2019). International Journal of Education and
Development using Information and Communication Technology. IJEDICT. Vol. 8,
Issue 1, pp. 136-155. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1084227.pdf
Andoh, C. (2018). Factors influencing teachers’ adoption and integration of
information and communication technology into teaching: A review of the literature.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1084227.pdf
Chi, C.(2023, June 15). Explainer: How the 'K+10+2' system may not address root
issues, challenges that hounded K to 12. Philstar Global.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/06/15/2274092/explainer-how-k102-system-
may-not-address-root-issues-challenges-hounded-k-12/amp/
BAŞ, G. & ŞENTÜRK, C. (2020). Perceptions of Teachers about the Curriculum: A
Metaphor Analysis . https://:10.5937/IstrPed2002338B
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1285633.pdf
Krizhia, M., Chung, J.Y., and Lee, S.(2022). The Philippine Teachers Concerns on
Educational Reform Using Concern Based Adoption Model. Volume 7-2022.
https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.763991