Pedagogical Practices of Multigrade Teachers in Conducting Science Learning Activities

Abstract

The world is on the verge of recognizing the right of every learner to quality education and learning. It has been part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN-SDG) to open the door of equity education for all children, especially in rural areas. Hence, this research discusses how pedagogical practices of multigrade teachers in teaching Science learning activities are facilitated. The qualitative research design was used in collecting data through document analysis and semi-structured interviews. Five teachers from two multigrade schools in Bataan and Quezon provinces were the key informants. Two major themes emerged in the study, namely: following protocol as prescribed by DepEd and challenges in the pedagogical practices of Science teachers. The challenge of complying with the requirements and protocol posted by DepEd, multigrade Science teachers need to adjust to every aspect of the education process. Thus, the perennial situation of multigrade schools made them lag in terms of pedagogical practices as compared to monograde given the limited budget allocated for multigrade schools. However, multigrade teachers are observed to be creative and resilient.Finding revealed that majority of the multigrade teachers need to provide learning materials out of their own pockets to make Science learning activities possible. This study recommended revisiting the policy on School Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) of multigrade schools. In addition, training to multigrade teachers should be conducted so that these teachers will be better equipped with the necessary tools in teaching multigrade Science learning activities.