Exploring the Voices of Filipino-Major Teachers Teaching Subjects in English Medium in the Philippines: A Phenomenology

The lived experiences of Filipino teachers teaching subjects in English medium are pivotal in understanding the essence of vertical and horizontal articulation of expertise. This study explicated the voices of Filipino teachers teaching subjects in English medium. The various stories behind every classroom discussion are narrated to determine coping strategies and techniques for sustaining the delivery of quality education. This study utilized the Heideggerian Phenomenology research design wherein the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) will be used to understand the meaning of the Filipino Teachers’ experience. This study used a purposive sampling technique to establish the inclusion criteria. 6 Filipino teachers served as the research participants. Bracketing was conducted to avoid biases. There were 4 emerging themes captured in understanding the lived experiences of the participants. These are (1) Shift; (2) Scarcity; (3) Standards; and (4) Surreal. These four themes provided a clear picture of the lived experiences of the teachers majoring in Filipino and asked to teach subjects in English medium. It is pivotal to assist these teachers when they are asked to teach English subjects in terms of instructional and pedagogical resources. If it is possible, Filipino teachers should teach Filipino subjects to have vertical and horizontal articulation of their expertise so that quality education can be forwarded to the learners. If misalignment is inevitable, the upper management can at least provide instructional resources and relevant training and seminars to augment this gap.