Thriving Amidst the Pandemic: Examining the Lived Experiences of Work from Home Filipino Teachers

The purpose of this study is to investigate the mental, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual experiences of work-from-home (WFH) Filipino teachers. It also provides descriptions of the positive and negative aspects of working from home and how they adapt to the new culture. This study describes exceptional or new thoughts and feelings of WFH Filipino teachers. Using a qualitative phenomenological methodology, the researchers explored teachers’ lived experiences in teaching in a work-from-home environment. This study included ten (10) teachers from both public and private schools in Metro Manila. Analyses of the data revealed key themes from the teachers’ perspectives of the work-from-home environment. Respondents accepted the new culture of working from home, opened their minds to all possibilities, and were eager to learn new things to adapt to changes. Online teaching-learning is not possible without the respondents' participation in training and seminars. Technical issues, communication concerns, student learning conditions, family concerns, household issues, and health conditions are some of the challenges in teaching and working at home based on the research. Teacher participants expressed that WFH experiences were challenging and exhausting but they found it fulfilling as well. They cultivated the teachers’ traits of being flexible, innovative, dynamic, and sociable despite the many challenges that they have encountered in the intricate setup to enhance success and effectiveness in the teaching and learning process.

A Study of Communicative Strategies of Thai and Filipino Teachers of English

There are many non-native English language teachers communicating with each other on a daily basis in English. The communicative strategies of non-native English language teachers can be easily identified. This study investigated the communicative strategies used by Thai and Filipino teachers. This research focused on the teacher’s interaction, the framework of communicative strategies of ASEAN English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) speaker, and the lack of studies in communicative strategies. In addition, the study aimed to investigate the significant relationship and communicative strategies between intercultural teaching personnel. The population sample consisted of Thai and Filipinos teachers who provide classroom instruction in English. The research tools used to collect data included a questionnaire, observations during two pair speaking tasks, and a Jigsaw task. A stimulated recall interview was performed after the tasks. All conversations and interactions were recorded and then transcribed. The results revealed that as listeners, “Listen to the message” was ranked the highest among the communicative strategies used by both the Thai and Filipino teachers. “Non-verbal language” was ranked the highest for the Thai teachers; while, “Persuasion” was most frequently used by the Filipino teachers. A Chi-square test showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between communicative strategies used by the Thai and Filipino teachers. Based on the findings of the study, communicative strategies identified in this study should be incorporated into English curriculums and English language teaching in Thailand. Educators, teachers, and non-native English learners should adopt these communicative strategies to promote mutual understandings in the ELF context.

Japanese English Learners’ Perceptions of Filipino Teachers’ Online English Lessons: Implications for Global Englishes Research

Situated in the domain of Global Englishes research, this study explores a question of how far the issue of the English model for Japanese learners is complicated by the hierarchical coexistence of regular English courses taught by Anglophone English teachers and extracurricular online English lessons taught by non-Anglophone instructors. A questionnaire survey was administered to 100 Japanese English learners aged 18–34 who have taken such lessons. This study provides both hopeful and challenging suggestions for Global Englishes research and practice, that is, Japanese English learners’ favourable perceptions of Filipino teachers’ affordable and flexible lessons that, they believe, would not interfere with their subsequent or concurrent study of ‘real’ English taught by native Anglophone teachers. This study indicates future directions of research and practice regarding the legitimate positioning of in-class or online English classes taught by Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other non-native English-speaking teachers in East Asian English classrooms that remain bound by native English norms.

Filipino Teachers of English and Native English Teachers: Learners’ Perceptions

Since learning English from Filipino Teachers of English (FTEs) has gained popularity, this research investigated learners’ perceptions of the difference between FTEs and native English teachers (NETs) by conducting semi-structured interviews at two English language schools that have both FTEs and NETs. Many learners felt that FTEs were better at explaining grammar explicitly and comprehensibly, while others said that they could better improve their listening and pronunciation skills with NETs since they spoke faster and with more phonological changes and colloquial expressions. However, some felt more comfortable talking to FTEs, since their English was easier to understand. Additionally, some believed that the pronunciation of NETs was better simply because they were native speakers. One of the schools had an NET who was trained in teaching how to articulate English phonemes. His students noted that NETs were better at teaching pronunciation. However, this view was not shared by learners from other schools. Some reported that FTEs were easier to befriend, though this was because the learners and their teachers belonged to similar age groups. Some mentioned that FTEs, who are also English learners, were more passionate about teaching, understanding, and helping learners, while only one student claimed that NTEs were more serious teachers. A few were more motivated by NETs solely because they admired native speakers. In summary, the participants of this study generally considered FTEs to be better, although some individual differences were observed. The results suggest the importance of teacher training and teachers’ experience in learning a second/foreign language.

Opportunities and Challenges of a Filipino Educator in a Home-based Online EFL Industry: A Single Case Study

Filipino educators are known for their remarkable traits in the teaching profession here and abroad. One of the most in-demand fields is English teachers. Studies have shown that non-native speakers have high regard for Filipino teachers in ESL/EFL schools. Because of the availability of technology in today’s time, Filipino teachers do not need to go abroad to teach international students. This study utilized a single-case research method with a single participant who has been in the online industry for almost eight years now. Teacher John of Company A shared his experience highlighting the opportunities and challenges he encountered as a home-based online teacher. The study is guided with constructivism as the main framework of the study and thematic analysis to generate the themes of the data. The themes identified include: background of the participant; the application process; adjustment and investment to the company; handling a class; company rules and regulations; personal and professional development. The findings of the study showed that the opportunities and challenges faced by online teachers paved the way for their personal and professional development. The researcher recommended that other researchers could explore factors affecting the computer-mediated set-up of English language teaching.

Translanguaging in International Student Teaching: Narratives of Filipino Teachers in an Indonesian Setting

Regardless of numerous studies on translanguaging, little attention has been given to its practice among pre-service teachers, particularly in the ASEAN context. To fill this gap, this article explores the experiences of three pre-service English teachers from the Philippines who were assigned to a private elementary school in Indonesia as part of a pre-service teacher exchange program. Working in a context that did not share a similar first or second language, the three teachers used English, their second language, as a lingua franca in communicating with the students. Drawing upon data from their teaching diaries, class observation, and in-depth interviews, this article reveals that using English in the classroom was challenging because English was neither the first nor the second language of their students. Three narratives from the teachers are recounted to shed some light on their use of translanguaging to bridge the communication gap. The implication of the study is also discussed.

Mastering Innovations in the Lens of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Competence and Practices of 21stCentury Filipino Teachers: A Comparison among Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines

In the advent of Information and Communications Technology in education, competence and skills for technology-based instruction are essential for teachers. With this, there is a need to continually train and equip teachers with understanding and capabilities that will enable them to maximize the utilization of ICT in their instructional practices. Hence, this research determined the correlation of teachers' level of ICT competence towards their ICT integration practices and corroborated it to existing findings in Thailand and Vietnam. Using a descriptive-correlational design, the researchers found a link between and among variables. The chosen respondents for the study consisted of onehundred and nineteen (119) teachers from private institutions in a district in Bulacan. Results showed that teachers exhibited competence towards ICT integration. More so, teachers highly practiced ICT integration as part of their instructional practices and strategies in teaching. Results of regression analysis of the data revealed that the six dimensions of ICT competence significantly correlated to the teachers' ICT integration practices. The pedagogical practices and competence of Filipino teachers are the same as the Thai and Vietnamese teachers towards ICT Integration. It is recommended that schools maintain teachers' competence and confidence towards ICT integration thru enhancement or faculty development programs.