Parent-Teacher Interaction to Enhance Modular Mode of Learning: New Modality of

Education

Researchers

Casey O. Victorillo

Daisy Jane Tan

Ma. Georgette Tapic

Oscar Sigue Jr.

Samantha Tanudtanud

Bachelor of Elementary Education Department Major in General Education 3-F

College of Teacher Education

Cebu Normal University, Cebu City Philippines

RES: Research in Elementary Teaching

S.Y. 2020-2021; Second Semester

 Chapter 1

Background and Its Scope

Rationale

World Health Organization has announced that Covid 19 was considered

to be a pandemic, and this has massively affected the people’s way of living and

the other sectors of community. Generally, the countries in the world have

implemented and adapted to different safety measures such as social distancing,

wearing masks and encouraging proper hand sanitizing. As part of observing the

proper safety protocols, different fields of the society have adjusted their

traditional and the usual ways to manage organizations, departments and

systems. These changes hinder the traditional quality education as well as a huge

factor to change the mode of learning.

The Department of Education in the Philippines officially announced the

temporary closure of the physical schools by considering the danger of COVID-19

towards the students and followed an announcement of the modalities of distance

learning—online mode of learning and modular mode of learning under the

Learning Continuity Plan by the Department of Education (DepEd, 2020). Under

distance learning is modular mode learning with its main features that allow

learners to use self-learning modules (SLMs) in print or digital format/electronic

copy, whichever is applicable and available in dealing with this learning, and other

learning resources like Learner’s Materials, textbooks, activity sheets, study

guides and other study materials (DepEd, 2020). Para-teachers will be any

representative or any member of the family in order to facilitate the learning

sessions and guide children in answering learning tasks ( Mark Anthony Llego,

2020).

In researchers’ locality, most public elementary schools only offer modular

modality learning and both teachers and parents have embraced their new roles

as this type of modality of learning has been implemented as per DepEd order No.

032 s 2020.

The study aims to explore the experiences of both the teachers and the

parents as to how they are going to communicate with each other amidst this

pandemic to address the concern of the students in their modular learning.

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework

 As illustrated in Figure 1, these are the terms that serve as factors and key

components as to how this study is all about and where this study will be based

upon.

This study revolves around the idea of these concepts:

MEMORANDUM DM-CI-2020-00162 is labeled as Suggested

Strategies in Implementing Distance Learning Delivery Modalities (DLDM) for

School Year 2020-2021 which talks about the response with the directive of the

Office of the President that no face-to-face classes shall be held until the vaccine

for COVID-19 becomes available. Distance learning must be implemented in

order to observe and follow the temporary closure of physical schools for students.

It is also specifically mentioned that modular distance learning shall be offered for

schools with specific descriptions and guidelines. In addition, this study would like

to highlight two of the guidelines which stated that members of the family or

guardians who are trained to facilitate distance learning shall be the ones to

support and assist students’ modular learning and ensure learners with any form

of feedback in order to monitor the learning despite no physical teachers

available.

Sociocultural Theory by Lev Vygotsky emphasizes that children learn

through a conducive environment with the existence of skillful individuals like

parents, elders and teachers. Children acquire knowledge because of

collaborative dialogues with more knowledgeable members around their learning

environment which mostly start at home.

 Parent-teacher Interaction during the implementation of modular modality of

learning serves as the independent variable of this study. This is a type of

interaction, communication and partnership between parents and teachers during

the implementation phase of this type of modality. This study focuses on the

existence of this type of interaction based upon the experiences of parents and

teachers while completing the conditions under modular learning.

Parental Involvement/Guidance is part of the components of how

parent-teacher interaction should be during modular learning. This refers to how

parents incorporate ways in ensuring that their children are learning even without

the physical presence of teachers during learning. Parents take part in assisting

their children’s learning using different techniques. As parents seek for their

child’s development, they must be able to assist teachers in any way possible for

them to do things that require their presence to connect with teachers.

Teacher’s direct guidance to parents is the second component of

parent-teacher interaction during modular learning. This is to ensure that parents

will be assisted with appropriate techniques and clarified instructions so that

parents will have a proper guidance in assisting their children in learning at home.

As teachers will not be able to personally monitor students, they must serve as

guides in helping parents such as incorporating plans on how to convey their

guidance just to continue to offer a quality of learning.

Students’ modular learning/ experiences serves as the dependent

variable of this study. In figure 1, it is shown that parent-teacher interaction would

be an important factor in enhancing and assisting the modular learning

experiences of the students in this kind of modality. Under parent-teacher

interaction are components, Parental Involvement/Guidance and Teacher’s direct

guidance to parents which would allow students to experience quality learning

during modular learning.

This study suggests intervention would include Ways on how to manage

parent-teacher interaction during the implementation of modular modality

of learning which would help in achieving the conditions that must be completed

during modular learning. The guidelines would be mostly beneficial for teachers,

students, parents and any part of the school community. As an end, this study will

incorporate ways for both teachers and parents so that they will be able to

maintain and manage such interaction to have better experiences while

completing their role.

Statement of the Problem

The study aims to explore the experiences of both the teachers and the

parents as to how they are going to communicate with each other amidst this

pandemic in order to address the concern of the students in their modular

learning.

Specifically, this study will answer the following questions:

1. What are their opinions about having a teacher-parent communication?

2. What are the challenges that parents and teachers face during modular

learning?

3. How did they solve these challenges using parent-teacher interaction?

 4. What are specific ways on how to maintain parent-teacher interaction

during modular learning?

Significance of the Study

In the locality, most elementary schools only offer modular modality

learning where parents are given learning materials or modules from schools and

teachers. Given the new set of conditions and responsibilities that parents and

teachers need to meet, adaptation and management might be problematic along

the way. This study aims to know the importance of having good communication

between teachers and the parents towards the achievement of students taking

under modular learning.

The Teachers

The results of this study will greatly benefit the teachers because as

facilitators of learning and as their new role as teachers during modular learning,

they will have a guide on how to enhance modular learning by the use of

parent-teacher interaction. The presented ways will serve as their guidance on

how they will be able to monitor the learning of children at home despite their

physical absence during the learning process. In addition, as they will be

presented with ways and techniques on how to manage parent-teacher

interaction, they can devise a plan in order to have better experiences in the

future.

The Parents
 This study will also extend its influence to the parents as they will be the para

teachers who will serve as assistance in facilitating their children’s learning at

home under modular modality. Parents will have an opportunity to build an

interaction with teachers which would help them during their challenging times in

assisting their children. It is important that parents should know the ways that will

be presented in this study because those will help them to ease the burden of

their challenges during their experiences in facilitating the learning process. This

would allow parents to have a partnership with the teachers to achieve the

educational goals of the school.

The Students

It seems that students will have the greatest impact on this study because this

study focuses on enhancing learning using parent-teacher interaction during

modular learning. Students will experience better opportunities and experiences if

parents and teachers would team up just to achieve their goals in offering quality

education.

Community

Generally, this study will be beneficial even outside the researchers’ locality

because there are other schools that offer modular learning. The academic aspect

of the community will be improved in terms of its performance as this study

focuses on the educational field and would affect the decisions and ways of

teachers and parents.

Associated Organizations
 Organizations that are associated with the educational field will see this study

as potential in solving academic problems especially that modular mode of

learning is a novel modality of education because of the pandemic’s influence.

This would help organizations in seeking specific solutions to problems that

parents and teachers have encountered based upon their own lived experiences.

This study seeks for effective strategies for both parents and teachers

using parent-teacher interaction. The findings of the study will aid the direct and

related problem in the learning process and experiences of the students in

modular learning as teachers and parents will have strategies in dealing with it.

Definition of terms

Distance Learning - a form of education in which the main elements include

physical separation of teachers and students during instruction

Modular Learning - is a form of distance learning that uses Self- Learning

Modules (SLM) based on the most essential learning competencies (MELCS)
provided by DepEd.

Parental Involvement- parents are directly involved in the education of their

children in making sure that the learner is assisted in the process of learning

Parent-teacher interaction- communication, connection and relationship

between parents and teachers

Effective communication- is a process of exchanging ideas, thoughts,

knowledge and information such that the purpose or intention is fulfilled in the best
possible manner.