THE EFFECTS OF FLEXIBLE LEARNING TO THE SELECTED

PRIVATE SCHOOL TEACHERS IN PIGCAWAYAN, COTABATO

__________________________________________________________

A Research Paper

Presented to the Oral Examination Committee

Ebenezer Bible College and Seminary Inc.

Upper Calarain, Zamboanga City

_________________________________________________________

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Course in

Educational Research

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Christie Joy L. Manzinares

Bachelor of Arts in Theology

Irinalyn L. Cabaya

Bachelor of Arts in Theology

Janie Mae E. Pelien

Bachelor of Arts in Theology

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 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Year 2020 has been a challenging year to all people worldwide when Corona Virus

Disease (COVID-19) blasted off. The World Health Organization (WHO) then declared

COVID -19 outbreak as a pandemic on March 12, 2020 after 11 countries were affected. And

it followed, on March 17, 2020, that President Rodrigo Duterte declared of the Enhanced

Community Quarantine (ECQ) be imposed to the whole nation to control the spread of the

disease. ECQ limited the people’s movement but with exceptions, in response to the

coronavirus disease pandemic in the country. Classes have been stopped, and all activities in

school just to obey the protocols of the government (World Health Organization, 2020).

In the midst of the increasing number of positive cases of COVID-19, the Department

of Education (DepEd) Sec. Leonor Briones said in one of the press conferences, “Education

should not be compromised. Education must continue.” She also announced that “flexible

learning options should be adopted in all schools for the opening of classes.” Meanwhile, the

Department issued memoranda thru DepEd Order No. 012 s.2020, issued July 19, 2020, that

states about the adoption of the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan for School 2020-

2021 in the Light of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency; and, DepEd Order No. 018,

s.2020, issued July 20, 2020, gave clear policy guidelines for the provision of Learning

Resources in the implementation of the Basic Learning Continuity plan (Department of

Education, 2020). It was clear from those guidelines that flexible learning options include the

use of printed and online modules, radio, television, and other modes of learning that do not

require close contact between the teachers and the learners (Mateo, 2020).

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 Agreeably, PAPSCU (2020) stated schooling will never be the same again. Schooling

has always been done through face-to-face delivery mode, sometimes in tandem with online

learning, for some who can afford the technology, connectivity, and knowledge requirements

(Philippine Assocication of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities, 2020).

Indeed, education must continue. Lots of considerations have been made from health,

security, sustainability, finances and other related factors for the opening of classes.

Unfortunately, major decisions and considerations must also be made by the private

education sector. Sadly, according to the latest data from DepEd, out of the 14, 435 private

schools in the country, DepEd Undersecretary Jesus Mateo said during the “Handang Isip,

Handa Bukas” virtual press briefing, 865 of these schools will suspend their operations

this school year 2020-2021, directly affecting 58, 327 students and 4, 448 teachers

totaling to 62,815. He added that reasons include: no or low number of enrolment,

impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, safety of students and school personnel, the

readiness of schools and no permit to operate (DepEd, 2020).

Thus, researchers conceived this study to determine if flexible learning has an effect

to the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan, North Cotabato.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to seek to answer the question:

1.2.1 Is there an effect of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in

Pigcawayan, Cotabato?

1.2.2 Is there a significant difference between flexible learning and the teachers on the

effects of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan,

Cotabato?

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 1.2.3 Is there a significant difference between flexible learning and the learners on the

effects of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan,

Cotabato?

1.3 Significance of the Study

The result of the study may serve as a guide to the entire Division of Cotabato,

Administrators and Teachers of Selected Private Elementary Schools in Pigcawayan, North

Cotabato to plan ways for addressing the effects of flexible learning to teachers.

It may also help the students to appreciate and understand the importance of the

flexible learning.

For the parents and other stakeholders, this is an eye opener and guide to give more

support in terms of decision making of their sons/daughters in taking the reality of the

flexible learning.

1.4 Scope and Limitation

The participants of this study are limited only to the selected teachers of the following

Private Elementary Schools in Pigcawayan, North Cotabato – DepEd Cotabato Division: the

Pigcawayan Christian Learning Center, Inc., Plain View SDA Elementary School, UPC

Christian School, Inc., and Montessori Educational and Tutorial Center, Inc., Pigcawayan.

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 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presented the review of related literature and other research studies

related to this study. These were taken from various sources which supported the conceptual

framework and the statement of the hypothesis.

2.1 Review of Related Literature and Studies

Daniel (2020) emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic is a huge challenge to

education systems. This viewpoint offers guidance to teachers, institutional heads, and

officials on addressing the crisis. What preparations should institutions make in the short time

available and how do they address students’ needs by level and field of study? Reassuring

students and parents is a vital element of institutional response. Many governments have

ordered institutions to cease face-to-face instruction for most of their students, requiring them

to switch, almost overnight, to online teaching and virtual education.

The SLIBNU (2020), known as (Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal

University) said that during the COVID-19 outbreak, the Chinese Ministry of Education has

launched the “Disrupted classes, Undisrupted Learning” initiative, providing flexible online

learning to over 270 million students from their homes. For university teachers, they have to

stay at home and deliver lectures via the Internet, which may cause some challenges for some

teachers, especially for those who are not familiar with the needs of modern education and

the methods of integrating technology into education. In fact, in some places, many

universities are still adopting the old-fashioned model of delivering lectures for passive

audiences, thus failing to harness to the educational possibilities affordances afforded by

emerging technologies. At this critical moment, it is an excellent opportunity for rethinking

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teaching and learning, and for leveraging technology to transform the old-fashioned models

for preparing students for the future (Huang, et al., 2020).

According to Cortes (2020), he stressed that novel coronavirus has forced the closure

of schools and universities among countries with COVID-19 cases. Such move has reshaped

the contour of education by shifting from face-to-face instruction to full online learning or

flexible learning. Among the latter modalities of instruction, flexible learning (FL) appears to

be the most practical because it lacks restriction of time, place, and pace of study. This study

then aimed to explore the effectiveness of FL as an instructional modality in environmental

science course following the action research Method. In particular, perception on FL and

environmental attitudes were evaluated at the end of the course. Results revealed that FL

promotes authentic learning, active learning, and student autonomy. In terms of

environmental attitudes, there may be contrasting views in environmental issues presented to

them but their views were anchored on their readings suggesting that the students read the

course materials even without the presence of the teachers.

Moreover, San Juan (2020) claimed that flexible learning is not equivalent to online

learning alone but also employs other methods to deliver lessons to students without internet

connectivity such as take-home activities and learning packets to be submitted upon the

lifting of the quarantine. He goes on saying that it does not have to be purely online, it can

include an offline system. The idea is you decongest the school because you cannot go back

to the usual classroom set-up with 50 students because of the COVID-19 problem.

According to Talidong & Toquero (2020) these new normal brings worries and doubt

to the teachers since they were not prepared and well-trained for teaching online, also the

suspension of classes, social isolation and home quarantine can create the anxieties to the

teachers. Also the result of the author’s research was: “92.7% of Filipino teachers are not

confident to go to crowded places, 91.3% do not feel secure with using public transportation,

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89.9% are conscious in touching any surfaces at public areas, 79.3% are conscious to touch

their faces without washing their hands, 81.7% have doubts in eating in a restaurant, 91.7%

of Filipino teachers’ lifestyle change because of the COVID-19, and 92.7% are afraid that

their family members might be infected with COVID-19.” Because of what happened, the

teachers already experience the anxiety or psychological stress because of COVID-19 but still

they continue to do their responsibility.

Also Tria (2020) quote the two author’s said, “the implementation of online learning

posed different risks, problems and challenges to both the teachers and students, especially in

the higher education institutions (HEIs)” (Bao, 2020). Yes the researchers agreed that as we

face the new normal it become a struggle to the teachers and students either online learning or

modular learning still a big challenges. According to Akamai (2017), “the Philippines have

the lowest internet connectivity in Asia.” One of the major problems of the teachers and

students during pandemic was the internet because aside from the lowest internet connection,

not everyone can afford to buy.

According to Nicholls (2020). Of CNN Philippines, the Colleges and universities are also

switching to distance learning, and it affects to over three million higher education student,

with that it creates mixed reactions And a lot of parents worrying about financial aspect

because distance learning seems impractical for them as it could mean spending more time

and money on their children’s education. The parents worried about money to pay for online

requirements, paying for internet and tuition and not all parents have a stable job. Also the

teachers struggled the new normal education because it needs extra effort to reach students

especially those in the remote area who doesn’t have internet connection so That means

printed learning materials should deliver to them even though the teachers are not fully

prepared for this change.

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 Naidu (2017) added, “Flexible learning is a state of being in which learning and

teaching is increasingly freed from the limitations of the time, place and pace of study. But

this kind of flexibility does not end there. For learners, flexibility in learning may include

choices in relation to entry and exit points, selection of learning activities, assessment tasks

and educational resources in return for different kinds of credit and costs. And for the

teachers it can involve choices in relation to the allocation of their time and the mode and

methods of communication with learners as well as the educational institution. As such

flexible learning, in itself, is not a mode of study. It is a value principle, like diversity or

equality are in education and society more broadly. Flexibility in learning and teaching is

relevant in any mode of study including campus-based face-to-face education.”

According to Uy (2020) a lot of challenges that the teachers faced during the

pandemic, especially for the teachers who are not familiar with blended learning. Teachers,

who are not as familiar with the dynamics of technology, they need to level up their learning

and capability because if not it would be more challenging for the teachers. Also the author

said that the Teachers needs to learn how to use and operate computer specially learning IT

for the online learning so that the teachers can work and teach effectively even if you are

inside of your house

In addition, Chigeza and Halbert (2014) state that many agree that it is important to

engage especially pre-service teachers in developing their capacity to use emerging

technologies to develop teaching approaches that support interactive, engaging and

collaborative learning. Also, several researchers (Rivers, Richardson, and Price, 2014;

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Simpson, 2016) focus on the pedagogical value of dialogue to strengthen pre-service

teachers’ reflective practices and improve their knowledge of the value of talk for learning.

Moreover, a study by Forbes and Khoo (2015) explores the potential of student-

generated podcasts as a form of interactive formative assessment at a distance. The findings

show that the experience empowered the teacher training students to develop the skills and

confidence to initiate more independent inquiry into technologies to support their pedagogical

purposes. By which, Hodges et al. 2020 said that careful instructional design and planning,

using a systematic model for design and development is more effective and must be

considered. Hodges mentioned that (a) teachers also need training and supports (b) weak

systems of support, including lack of professional development on how to integrate

computers into instruction, have left teachers less than optimally equipped to teach during the

pandemic, (c) few teachers are well-trained in using computers for instruction, (inadequate

systems for tracking attendance online leave teachers in the dark on a key “input” of

education: student learning time), and (d) the emotional bonds critical to any kind of learning

are just as important for remote learning or home schooling but hard to attain in the current

crisis.

Moreover Sadeghi (2019) make a study about the Advantages and disadvantages of

Distance Learning. The author said that Distance learning might not be the best choice for

every student seeking to pursue a college degree or university program but the list of

advantages seems to outweigh the list of disadvantages. First the Advantages:

Study from Anywhere, Anytime – it is the best thing if you choose distance education

you can learn and study anywhere, anytime even if you are in other country you can still learn

through technology. The author quotes the statement of (Nagrale, 2013). Get all the knowledge

and training anywhere you reside on the planet.

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 Saving Significant Amount of Money - According to Bijeesh (2017), for any given

program, the fee of a distance education degree (online or otherwise) may be much more

affordable than the fee of a regular on-campus degree. For Students who are looking for

cheapest but a good quality education or you can’t afford to go to school then you can have

the options for a distance learning program. No need to live in the city and spend a lot of

money for renting a house and other expenses as long as you have computer and internet

access then you can study.

No Commuting – the author quote Nagrale (2013) stated that if you select distance

education, then no need to ride a bus or train for you to study, you only need computer and

internet connection at home no need to go out, because commuting can waste your time,

money, and your energy. And besides, no one wants to go out commuting during the

pandemic.

Flexibility to Choose – according to Brown (2017). Even if they are out of touch form

learning process, distance learning program offers them flexibility to choose their course of

learning. In distance learning you can choose what you want you have the freedom decide for

your schooling unlike the other students who come to school every day, they need to follow

the schedule of learning and a traditional way of learning.

Saving Time – in a distance learning program, no need to wake up early in the

morning to commute because your classroom is right in your bedroom, your study material

and even your computer is on your desk. You are the one to manage your time.

Earn While You Learn – it’s possible to earn money while you learn. Distance

learning program is suitable especially to the working students or you have a family to feed.

Second, the Disadvantages of Distance Learning, although distance learning offers

more people an opportunity to attain higher education, it is not all advantages and benefits.

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 High Chances of Distraction – according to Bijeesh (2017), it is possible for the

students who choose the distance learning become distracted knowing that no teachers

watching them and no classmates can remind them about their assignment, The students has a

higher chance that they can’t focus because of a lot of distraction around them. “It only

requires one to be self-motivated and focused to be able to complete a course successfully”

(Brown, 2017). So if you want to become successful you need focus and self-motivated.

Complicated Technology – Brown (2017) “explained that any student seeking to

enroll for a distance learning program needs to invest in a range of equipment including

computer, webcam, and stable internet connection.” Since there is no face-to-face between

teachers and students, all the instructions and learning materials delivered through internet.

But the problem is not everyone can afford to buy computer or even cellphone and also

internet connection. And those having a computer or cellphone and internet connection but

still struggling because of the slow internet connection.

No Social Interaction – the author said the students most of the time studying alone no

classmates they can talk or asking help. So they might feel lonely and they miss attending a

traditional classroom. No chances to practice the lessons verbally, the students only have a

limited time during classes because everything based online, though students can ask or talk

through chat rooms, discussion boards, emails and/or video conferencing software, still

different compared to the traditional campus everyone used. And it will affect the

socialization of the students.

Difficulty Staying in Contact with Instructors – unlike the traditional class the

students can ask easily if they don’t understand the lesson or if they have a problem to their

assignments they can simply come to the teachers but in distance learning program the

students have more difficult to talk to their teachers even though they can use computer and

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internet connection to talk to their teachers but definitely can’t get them the instant response

they would get if they were able to sit down with their instructor (Hutt, 2017).

Importantly, Özek (2020) finds that some of the negative effects of disasters on

students mostly vanish after the first year when there is an “adequate compensatory allocation

of resources.” Among the resources he cites as critical to compensating the negative effects

of emergencies on learning are teachers—specifically ensuring that the most effective

teachers are working with the most vulnerable students. That is why Zhang, Burgos &

Dawson (2019) said that educators are acutely aware of the need to re-adjust learning and

teaching practices to foster 21st-century capabilities.

Arinto (2016) coated the research of Sharpe & Oliver, 2007, p. 49) stated that the

pedagogical changes in DE underscore the fact that online technologies are not neutral: they

are like “a ‘trojan mouse’ that teachers let into their practice without realizing that it will

require them to rethink not just how they use particular hardware or software, but all of what

they do”. Furthermore, pedagogical change is complex and often challenging not only for

individual teachers but also for the DE institution as a whole.

When it comes to administrative challenges, Abrioux (2001) said that there can be

little doubt that the financing of online conversion and of continuing delivery looms

large. He presented two reasons for it: “First, and for the most part outside the control of the

institutions, because generalized reductions in the public funding of institutions and

diminishing access to private and charitable donations have forced educational

organizations to become more self-reliant. This comes at a time when most of these

institutions feel obliged to offer their courses and services both online and through

more traditional distance education platforms. The second, and much more important reason,

because online approaches are proving to be more, rather than less, expensive to operate.”

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This however, incur to assign substantial financial increases to support the online functions

that it has not outsourced. According to International Review of Research in Open and

Distance Learning General, “increases in the cost of online development and delivery are all

the more noteworthy when one recognizes not only that the institutions are often also

passing on to the learner communication and printing costs that the institution itself would

have incurred in the past, but also that these institutions make use of lower end

technology in order to reach students in their own homes, technology that supports

much less expensive-to-develop courseware than the multimedia applications dependent on

high bandwidth.” Valentine (2002), made remarkable statements when he said “Despite the

promises and obvious advantages to distance learning, there are problems that need to be

resolved. These problems include the quality of instruction, hidden costs, misuse of

technology, and the attitudes of instructors, students, and administrators. Each one of these

has an effect on the overall quality of distance learning as a product. In many ways, each of

these issues relates to the others.

Furthermore, Kariippanon, Cliff, Lancaster, Okely, Parrish (2019) said that school

educators are now faced with the challenge of navigating evolving teaching landscapes in

these innovative environments, are required to adopt a flexible and adaptive pedagogical

approach and provide increasingly personalized support to students. However, several issues

were noted in some areas of flexible learning. As Dhawan (2020) shared, “there are numbers

of technologies available for online education but sometimes they create a lot of difficulties.

These difficulties and problems associated with modern technology range from downloading

errors, issues with installation, login problems, problems with audio and video, and so on.

Sometimes student finds online teaching to be boring and unengaging. Online learning has so

much of time and flexibility that students never find time to do it.

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 According to Bower, B.L. (2001) “Faculty are accustomed to being the experts. Fear

of appearing incompetent may cause faculty to resist involvement in any activity for which

they have not had the proper training, including appearing on camera or conducting class via

computer. Faculty may feel they have not been provided with adequate training or experience

to competently manage teaching distance learning courses.” Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2000)

said that the online classroom is a potentially powerful teaching and learning arena in which

new practices and new relationships can make significant contributions to learning. In order

to successfully navigate the power of this medium in education, faculty must be trained not

only to use technology, but also to shift the ways in which they organize and deliver material.

This shift can maximize the potential for learners to take charge of their own learning process

and can facilitate the development of a sense of community among the learners. Also the

author remind us that “technology does not teach students; effective teachers do”(pg. 4)

Remarkably, Robbins (2020) quoted Dr. Katie Dockweiler’s words, a school

psychologist, “Educators are overstressed, underpaid, and student caseloads are high. Before

the pandemic, educators were requiring more mental and emotional supports for their well-

being, and the pandemic has increased that need.” To cope with the mental health

implications of teaching during a pandemic, Dockweiler said that educators are trying to

“normalize the not normal.”

Moreover, Fleming (2020) said that as weeks turned to months, remote learning

brought new stressors for teachers. As they were used to working on their feet, educators got

a crash course in working at a computer all day, and also struggled with setting up a schedule

working from home and managing parent communications. Those challenges have been

exacerbated by the atmosphere of uncertainty and the news that most, if not all, schools will

remain closed this school year. Many teachers are left wondering how they'll avoid burning

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out, especially without the face-to-face interactions with students that keep them passionate

about the job.

In Addition, TARA BETEILLE (2020) said that a new World Bank note a three key

principles to strengthen teacher effectiveness during and in the immediate aftermath of the

pandemic, as well as opportunities for long-run improvement:

Principle 1: Support Teacher Resilience to Ensure Teacher Effectiveness: the School

should protect the teacher’s job and salaries and they need the support of everyone so that

they are motivated to do their work either distance learning or traditional learning, also a

teacher needs help to deal burnout and stress as they face every challenges in their teaching

carrier the school system should protect the well-being of the teachers.

Principle 2: Support Teachers Instructionally to Ensure Teacher Effectiveness: the

Teachers should strengthen their capability and prepare to evaluate and determine the needs

of the students as they return to school so that they can identify and address the needs of the

students. They need support and help on how to deal the students need.

Principle 3: Support Teachers Technologically to Ensure Teacher Effectiveness: when

COVID-19 come every schools shifting to online classes. The teachers need to address their

concern as they use technology they need to learn more strategy about technology so that it

can help them to improve their teaching skills.

Also Perry (2020). Said, Educators deserved raise their salary even before the

pandemic because of their hard work. Also, a lot of parents right now struggle on how to

teach their children like how the certified teachers do. The author quote Amy McGrath, a

Democratic candidate for the Senate seat in Kentucky, tweeted on March 16, “At the end of

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the first day of my kids being out of school after our attempts at ‘homeschooling’ … my

conclusion … teachers are superheroes. The end.” The researchers agreed that the teachers

are superhero they do their job to teach children in spite of the big threat of corona virus to

their lives just to meet the need of the students.

According to Abisado (2020) “the proliferation of online learning has affected the

structure and culture of education.” Especially during pandemic everything changes. And

every schools trying to adopt the flexible learning modalities and it requires to the teachers to

face the new challenges and make a decisions to embrace the new normal and find a way to

develop their skills and learn something new to meet the students need.

Moreover Beadle (2020) conducted a research on what were three right things that

schools did? First was to communicate- in order the schools and flexible learning become

successful; it needs to develop internal and external communications for teachers, parents and

students. The author quote what Bill McGee said “The three things Legacy Christian

Academy did right in response to the pandemic were 1. Communicate, 2. Communicate, and

3. Communicate. The researchers agreed that everyone need to expand the communication

because “communication is the key to success” - Shirley Taylor and Alison Lester.

Planned to change- it was hard to everyone to change what we used to be and adopt

the new normal, but with the cooperation of the parents, faculty, and school leaders,

they would saw the improvements and changes that they wanted.

Added online options- in order the schools to sustain during pandemic it needs to

become flexible in learning and teaching the teachers and students, a lot of schools they

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trained their teachers in delivering online content to strengthen teachers as they keep on

trying embrace the new normal.

Swaner and Powell (2020). Quote what the Richland Country, OH said, “Private

Christian schools must be nimble and ready to change quickly… We spent one day in

training for online education and were off and running. No school in our area was prepared—

taking them at least another week to come up with a plan. The adaptability, diligence, and

commitment of our people have been a tremendous public relations win for Christian

schooling.” No one expecting the Corona virus to attack and no one was ready including the

schools and it was hard to adapt the new style of learning specially to the remote area. In

order for the Christian schools to continue it needs to face the challenges, hardship and

changes and to embrace the continues improvements it comes to distance learning, while the

teachers, parents and students do their part and being patience in the midst of crisis.

Also Swaner and Powell (2020). Stated, just like schools from all sectors across the

globe, Christian schools were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic which the schools,

teachers, students, and parents are affected. And it leads to many public and private school

campuses were closed in the U.S.

Also the author stated that as the Christian schools faces the Covid-19; the ACSI

research conducted a survey of U.S. member schools last April 2020. At the time of the

survey the physical campuses of over 98% of schools with elementary, middle, and/or high

school grades were closed. The researchers agreed that not only the private and public

schools in the U.S were affected, but all the schools around the world.

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 In Addition ABEN (2020) quote what Secretary Leonor Briones said that more than

24 million elementary and high-school students across the Philippines resumed their classes,

and she added that “Today, we claim victory over the destroyer (COVID 19). Let our classes

begin!”, the government do not allow the COVID-19 to destroy the life and future of the

students and so there are 24.7 million students had enrolled for the school year 2020-202,

there are 22.52 million students enrolled in public and 2.17 million students enrolled in

private schools with the support of their parents and families. And also there are 866,512

teachers, as well as other educators who are willing to devote and sacrifice their selves just to

meet the needs of the students.

Furthermore Fernando Reimers, Schleicher, Saavedra, Tuominen (2020). The authors

find a way In order to help the teachers, parents and students to meet the needs. They came

up with the resources that grouped into three broad sections, according to their purpose: first,

Curriculum Resources: These include lessons, videos, interactive learning modules and any

other resources to help the students to improve their knowledge and skills. Second,

Professional Development Resources: These can help the teachers or parents as they support

and guide the students to develop their skills. Third, Tools: These tools can help to manage

teaching and learning, it can use as communication tools, learning management systems or

other tools that teachers, parents or students can use to create or access educational content.

Joaquin, Biana, Dacela (2020). Quote the author’s statements that say, one of the

main reason of distance education is to bring education closer to the children especially the

unreached one and less-privileged Biana (2013). And also to meet the need of the students

who wants to study hard Guri-Rosenblit (2005). Since everyone is trying to adopt the new

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normal, the author (Edge and Loegering, 2000). Said that the Students can learn even if they

are at their place and far from their teachers and distance learning is important for the

teachers and students because that’s the only way to communicate and meet the need of the

students Ali, 2020).

Furthermore, Adnan and Anwar (2020). Presented the result of their survey and

Majority of it was the higher education students who are hesitant about online or digital

learning. Because of the need of internet connection, need of teacher and students

communication and interaction. The world is struggling especially to the remote area.

Flexible learning stirred up the educational system of our country. More so the

realizations it bring. García (2020) commended by saying that with the support from parents

and communities, teachers and students are carrying on with their respective endeavors as

well as they can. In watching them, we’re all reminded of what learning and teaching entails:

the mysteries embedded in each of the subjects, the lectures, the assignments, the projects, the

questions, among so many others. But we’ve also realized that teaching goes beyond these

day-in-and-day-out activities in the countless moments when we saw teachers go beyond the

call of duty. The pandemic has opened many parents’ eyes to the role that teachers play as

part of the basic fabric of the safety net—through the provision of school-based supports like

meals, health clinics, counseling, and even housing.

To help ensure the continuity of learning among students despite the disruptions due

to COVID-19 situation in the country, Malipot (2020) said that public schools—through the

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Department of Education (DepEd)—and private schools are looking into the use of various

flexible learning options (FLOs). The Asia Foundation – Philippines conducted a survey

entitled, “Kamusta Ka, Teacher?” The initial result of the survey was released on April 27

and was submitted to DepEd to help the agency formulate its Learning Continuity Plan

(LCP). There were 1,821 respondents in the survey, as of April 21. Majority of the

respondents were from public schools with 1, 544 (85 percent) and 277 (15 percent) from

private schools. Out of the total number of respondents, 81 percent are teachers, 15 percent

have coordinator duties, and 4 percent have administrator duties in schools, with some them

indicating holding multiple roles in their respective schools. When it comes to assessing their

confidence level, respondents said they are “somewhat confident” to use FLOs.

2.2 Theoretical Framework

This study is anchored on the Experiential Learning of David Kolb (1984). This

theory states that an experience is the beginning of new undestanding. In his four-cycle

model, a learner’s experience followed by active reflection on the experience, abstract

conceptualization (that is, drawing conclusions, identifying insights, advancing hypotheses),

and active experimentation leads to learning.

To learn from the disorienting dilemmas caused by COVID-19, educators can reflect

on what they have noticed during this time — about their students’ learning, about their own

teaching, about engagement and resilience — theorize about what works for their students

and what doesn’t, and actively experiment to try new ways to engage and teach students.

Application is an important component of learning which cannot end when the

learning event is over. Commit to taking something from flexible learning, teachers must take

a leap and try something new. Because it gets a lot of adjustment on the new pedagogical

system that provides opportunities to teachers to gain new knowledge and skills.

20
2.3 Conceptual Framework

This section presented the two variables used in this study, the dependent variable and

the independent variable.

 Flexible Effects to the

Learning Selected Private
 Teachers School Teachers
 Learners
21
 Figure 1: Relationship of the Variables

2.3 Relationship of Variables

Figure 1 shows that the independent variable in this research are flexible learning,

teachers and learners, and the dependent variable is the effects to the selected private school

teachers.

2.4 Hypothesis

H01: There is no significant difference between flexible learning and the teachers on

the effects of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan,

Cotabato.

H02: There is no significant difference between flexible learning and the learners on

the effects of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan,

Cotabato.

2.5 Operational Definition of Terms

The following were the terminologies used by the researchers in this study to focus on

certain boundaries.

22
 Flexible Learning is a principle of practice in formal education, concerned with

increasing flexibility in the requirements, time and location of study, teaching, assessment,

and certification.

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research Design

23
 The correlation method was used in the study since it intended to determine the

following: the effect of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in

Pigcawayan, Cotabato; significant difference between flexible learning and the teachers on

the effects of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan,

Cotabato; and a significant difference between flexible learning and the learners on the

effects of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan, Cotabato.

The questionnaires were answered by the participants, then collected and tabulated.

Finally, the data were validated and interpreted using a statistical tool.

3.2 Research Participants/ Population

The respondents in this study were the 35 teachers of the following Private

Elementary Schools in Pigcawayan, North Cotabato – DepEd Cotabato Division: to the

Pigcawayan Christian Learning Center, Inc., to Plain View SDA Elementary School, to the

UPC Christian School, Inc., and to the Montessori Educational and Tutorial Center, Inc.,

Pigcawayan.

3.3 Research Instrument

To gauge how much the participants agree to the questions, the researchers chose the 5-

point Likert Scale was used: strongly disagree, disagree, moderately agree, agree, and strongly

agree. They will be asked to check ( √ ) the number that corresponds on how they feel about the

following statements.

3.4 Research Locale

The selected participating private schools in this study were located in the

municipality of Pigcawayan, North Cotabato.

24
 PIGCAWAYAN CHRISTIAN LEARNING CENTER, INC. is located at Corner

Vinluan Street, Poblacion 1, Pigcawayan, Cotabato. Along the national hi-way, it is 700

meters away from the public market and terminal, and 100 meters away the Pigcawayan

Central Elementary School. PCLCI belongs to the Pigcawayan South District.

PLAIN VIEW SDA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, INC. is located at Upper Baguer,

Pigcawayan, Cotabato. Along the national hi – way, it is 2.5 kilometers away from the

public market. Plain View belongs to the Pigcawayan North District.

UPC CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, INC. is located at Upper Baguer, Pigcawayan,

Cotabato. Along the national hi – way, it is 200meters away from Plain View SDA

Elementary School. UPCCSI belongs to Pigcawayan North District.

MONTESSORI EDUCATIONAL AND TUTORIAL CENTER, INC.,

PIGCAWAYAN is located at Poblacion 2, Pigcawayan, North Cotabato. Interior part, it is

about 150 meters from the public market and terminal. METCI belongs to the Pigcawayan

South District.

3.5 Data Gathering Procedure

A letter of permission was sent by the researchers through written or email to the two

District Supervisors: Mrs. Judy O. Acclaracion (Pigcawayan South District) and Mr. Raul S.

Rizardo; and to the School Head/Principal/Administrator of: Pigcawayan Christian Learning

Center, Inc., Ptr. Edgar M. Manzinares; Plain View SDA Elementary School, Inc. Sir Epinito

L. Tabingo; UPC Christian School, Inc. Ptr. Neil P. Acuesta; and Montessori Educational and

Tutorial Center, Inc., Pigcawayan, Mrs. Elena A. Dillera.

Upon approval, the researchers asked all the list of names of the teachers from the

four participating private elementary schools. The researchers chose 100% of the total

number of teachers per school through stratified random sampling. The researchers will start

25
the survey October 12-13, 2020. The researchers conducted the survey through email and

messenger.

3.6 Statistical Treatment of Data

Responses to the questionnaire by the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan,

Cotabato were encoded and statistically analyzed with the data requirements of the study in

the Statistical package for Social Sciences application in order to get the mean of each

statement and the average mean of each category and the overall weighted mean. After the

mean was determined, the researchers used one sample T-test formula found in SPSS

application in order to determine whether there is an effect of flexible learning to the selected

private school teachers in Pigcawayan, Cotabato or none at all.

CHAPTER IV

PRESENATION OF DATA AND ANALYSIS

26
 This chapter presents the data that has been gathered by the researchers. The data are

shown in tabular form with their corresponding interpretations and analyses.

Effects of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan, Cotabato

Table 1 shows the mean and interpretation of the respondents’ response on the effects

of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan, Cotabato. It reveals

that the grand mean is 4.03 with an interpretation of agree. It further shows that the mean

score ranges from 3.60 to 4.46. The highest mean score of 4.46 is obtained by the statement

“The flexible learning has a significant role in the continuing of education to children.” It is

interpeted as stongly agree. It is followed by a statement “The flexible learning provides

greater opportunity for parents to be involved in the learning process of their children”

obtained a mean score of 4.37 and interpreted as strongly agree. Next is the statement “The

flexible learning produces advantages in terms of comfort in delivering the lessons” with a

mean score of 4.23 and interpreted as strongly agree. A statement “The flexible learning is

considered the best option for learning among pupils amidst COVID-19 pandemic” got a

mean score of 4.14 which is interpreted as agree. A mean score of 3.86 which is interpreted

as agree is obtained by a statement “The flexible leanring increases retention and attendance.

A mean score of 3.80 and interpreted as agree is obtained by a statement “The flexible

learning meets the access needs of a wide range of learners.” The statement “The flexible

learning offers the opportunity for teachers to stay and/or work from home” got a mean score

of 3.74 and interpreted as agree. The lowest mean score is obtained by the statement “The

flexible learning increases participation in learning.” which is interpreted as agree.

This implies that the flexible learning plays a significant role in the continuing of

education to children during this COVID-19 pandemic. The result is supported by the study

27
of Cortes (2020) that flexible learning has a significant role during this pandemic and it

appears to be the most practical and authentic learning, active learning and student autonomy

among the instructional modalities.

Table 1. Effects of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan,
Cotabato – Flexible Learning.

Items Mean Interpretation

1. The FL has a significant role in the continuing of
education to children. 4.46 Strongly Agree
2. The FL is considered the best option for learning
among pupils amidst COVID-19 pandemic. 4.14 Agree
3. The FL offers the opportunity for teachers to stay
and/or work from home. 3.74 Agree
4. The FL increases participation in learning. 3.60 Agree
5. The FL meets the access needs of a wide range of
learners. 3.80 Agree
6. The FL increases retention and attendance. 3.86 Agree
7. The FL produces advantages in terms of comfort in
delivering the lessons. 4.23 Strongly Agree
8. The FL provides greater opportunity for parents to be
involved in the learning process of their children. 4.37 Strongly Agree

Grand Mean 4.03 Agree

Legend: 1.00 – 1.80 Strongly Disagree 3.41 – 4.20 Agree
1.81 – 2.60 Disagree 4.21 – 5.00 Strongly Agree
2.61 – 3.40 Neutral

Table 2 shows the effects of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in

Pigcawayan, Cotabato – Teachers. The result reveals that the grand mean is 4.05 and

interpreted as agree. The mean score ranges from 3.80 to 4.40. The highest mean score of

4.31 is obtained by the statement “The teacher gains new knowledge and skills” which is

interpreted as strongly agree. Two statements that are interpreted strongly agree are “The

teacher finds comfort in preparing the lessons in flexible learning” with a mean score of 4.31,

and “The teacher can easily access to internet for delivering online communications and the

like” with a mean score of 4.17. This is followed by the statement “The teacher saves

financially especially that he/she stays at home most of the time due to work from home”

28
obtained a mean score of 4.09 and interpreted as agree. A mean score of 4.00 is obtained by

a statement “The teacher has the difficulty in the reproduction of printed modules and

materials” which is interpreted as agree. It is followed by a statement “The teacher receives

compensation / benefits the same with the previous year” with a mean score of 3.86 and

interpreted as agree. The lowest mean score of 3.80 is obtained by two statements such as

“The teacher is given any onetary incentive for their involvement with flexible learning” and

“The teacher moving a course from the traditional clasroom into an electronic medium is

considered part of the standard workload.” These statements are both interpreted as agree.

The result implies that flexible learning opens new opportunities to teachers that they

gain new knowledge and skills. This is supported by the studies of Simpson (2016) and

Rivers et al. (2016) that teachers must undergo reflective practices to improve their skills and

knowledge. In addition, Hodges et al (2020) mentioned that teachers also need training and

supports in order for them to gain new knowledge and skills in flexible learning.

Table 2. Effects of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan,
Cotabato – Teachers.

29
 Items Mean Interpretation
1. The teacher gains new knowledge and skills. 4.40 Strongly Agree
2. The teacher finds comfort in preparing the lessons
in FL. 4.31 Strongly Agree
3. The teacher can easily access to internet for
delivering online communications and the like. 4.17 Strongly Agree
4. The teacher saves financially especially that he/she
stays at home most of the time due to work from
home. 4.09 Agree
5. The teacher has the difficulty in the reproduction of
printed modules and materials. 4.00 Agree
6. The teacher receives compensation/benefits the
same with the previous year. 3.86 Agree
7. The teacher is given any monetary incentive for
their involvement with flexible learning. 3.80 Agree
8. 1. The teacher moving a course from the traditional
classroom into an electronic medium is
considered part of the standard workload. 3.80 Agree
Grand Mean 4.05 Agree
Legend: 1.00 – 1.80 Strongly Disagree 3.41 – 4.20 Agree
1.81 – 2.60 Disagree 4.21 – 5.00 Strongly Agree
2.61 – 3.40 Neutral

Table 3 shows the effects of flexible learning to the selectd private school teachers in

Pigcawayan, Cotabato – Learners. The result reveals that the grand mean is 4.00 which is

interpreted as agree. The range of the mean score is 3.80 – 4.29. The highest mean score of

4.29 is obtained by the statement “The learners have an access to more conducive place of

learning” which is interpreted as strongly agree. It is followed by the statement “The learners

have the freedom which type of flexible learning they will choose” with a mean score of 4.17

and interpreted as agree. A statement “The learners have their parent/guardian/tutor to guide

them with their learning” got a mean score of 4.14 with an interpretation of agree. A mean

score of 4.11 is obtained by the statement “The learners gain access and flexibility with

regard to at least one of the following dimensions: time, pace, content, assessment or learning

path” which is interpreted as agree.

30
 The result further shows that the statement “The learners receive relevant feedbacks

from their questions regarding the lessons” got a mean score of 3.86 which is interpreted as

agree. It is followed by two statements with a score mean of 3.83 and interpreted as agree.

These statements are “ There is a wider opportunity for learners to learn more compared to

the traditional face-to-face learning instruction” and “ The learners mastered their learning

styles.” The lowest mean score of 3.80 is obtained by the statement “The learners have

sources of learning support available in facing lesson difficulties” which is interpreted as

agree.

The result implies that learners during this COVID-19 pandemic using flexible

learning have an access to more conducive place of learning. This result is supported by the

study of Naidu (2017) that flexible learning is a state of being in which learning and teaching

is increasingly freed from the limitations of the time, place and pace of study.

Table 3. Effects of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan,
Cotabato - Learners.

Items Mean Interpretation

1. The learners gain access and flexibility with regard
to at least one of the following dimensions: time,
pace, content, assessment or learning path. 4.11 Agree
2. The learners have the freedom which type of
flexible learning they will choose. 4.17 Agree
3. There is a wider opportunity for learners to learn
more compare to the traditional face – to – face
learning instruction. 3.83 Agree
4. The learners have sources of learning support
available in facing lesson difficulties. 3.80 Agree
5. The learners mastered their learning styles. 3.83 Agree
6. The learners receive relevant feedbacks from their
questions regarding the lessons. 3.86 Agree
7. The learners have their parent/guardian/tutor to
guide them with their learning. 4.14 Agree
8. The learners have an access to more conducive
place of learning. 4.29 Strongly Agree
Grand Mean 4.00 Agree
Legend: 1.00 – 1.80 Strongly Disagree 3.41 – 4.20 Agree

31
 1.81 – 2.60 Disagree 4.21 – 5.00 Strongly Agree
2.61 – 3.40 Neutral

Significant Difference on the Effects of Flexible Learning to the Selected Private School
Teachers in Pigcawayan, Cotabato

Table 4 shows the computed t-value between the flexible learning and the teachers on

the effects of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan,

Cotabato.

It further shows that the computed t-value is 0.292 and its p-value is 0.771 which is

higher than the 0.05 level of significance indicates that it is not significant. Hence, the null

hypothesis (H01) is accepted. This means that there is no significant difference between

flexible learning and the teachers on the effects of flexible learning to the selected private

school teachers in Pigcawayan, Cotabato.

Table 4. Descriptive analysis and t-test between flexible learning and the teachers on the
effects of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan,
Cotabato.

Variables Mean t p Decision

(2-tailed)

Flexible Learning 4.03 0.292 0.771 Accept H01

Teachers 4.05

 = 0.05

Table 5 shows the computed t-value between the flexible learning and the learners on

the effects of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan,

Cotabato.

32
 It further shows that the computed t-value is 0.232 and its p-value is 0.817 which is

higher than the 0.05 level of significance indicates that it is not significant. Hence, the null

hypothesis (H02) is accepted. This means that there is no significant difference between

flexible learning and the learners on the effects of flexible learning to the selected private

school teachers in Pigcawayan, Cotabato.

Table 5. Descriptive analysis and t-test between flexible learning and the learners on the
effects of flexible learning to the selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan,
Cotabato.

Variables Mean t p Decision

(2-tailed)

Flexible Learning 4.03 0.232 0.817 Accept H02

Learners 4.00

 = 0.05

33
 CHAPTER V

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter presents the summary, conclusion and recommendations of the study.

Summary of Findings

Flexible learning plays a significant role in the continuing of education to children

during this COVID-19 pandemic. This is considered as the authentic and active learning

among the instructional modalities. This further opens new opportunities to teachers to gain

new knowledge and skills, and provides access to more conducive place of learning to

learners.

Conclusion

Based on the findings of the study, it shows that there is no significant difference

between flexible learning and the teachers on the effects of flexible learning to the selected

private school teachers in Pigcawayan, Cotabato. It also concluded that there is no significant

difference between flexible learning and the learners on the effects of flexible learning to the

selected private school teachers in Pigcawayan, Cotabato. It is further concluded that flexible

34
learning, teacher and learner differ on the effects to the selected private school teachers in

Pigcawayan, Cotabato.

Recommendations

Based on the findings and concluson, the following recommendations are given:

1. School Administrators and teachers of selected private elementary schools in

Pigcawayan, North Cotabato should work cooperatively to devise stategic plans on how

to address the effects of flexible learning.

2. Learners should be able to appreciate and understand the importance of the flexible

learning by striving to be more independent and acquiring meaningful learning

experiences.

3. Parents and other stakeholds should make a support system to learners and teachers in

order for them to be more productive and creative in dealing with flexible learning.

35
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