Listening to Filipino parents’ voices during distance learning of their children amidst COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Given that the experiences of Filipino parents around distance learning education amid the COVID-19 pandemic have been overlooked in research, this study used an embedded mixed methods design to survey 837 Filipino parents’ needs regarding distance learning of their children under primary level during the pandemic. Findings revealed that although the parents generally appeared ready for the new set-up, certain overwhelming observations regarding their responses indicated their needs and/or concerns. Specifically, they need orientation, training, or workshop on distance learning, knowledge and skills facilitative to distance learning, excellent internet access, support on the psychological burden, consideration of teachers, increase of teacher scaffolds, preference for face-to-face classes, and constant parent-teacher communication. These concerns of the parent-stakeholders in the Philippine educational landscape are pivotal in shaping educational infrastructure during emergency times like the COVID-19 pandemic.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• parent-teacher communication
• distance learning education
• online learning
• online teaching

Acknowledgment

I would like to thank the NSTP heads of Notre Dame University, Sir Joseph A. Castillon and Sir Joseph P. Fernandez, for their support throughout the conduct of this study. Likewise, I am grateful to the instructors of the NSTP classes in the said university for helping me administer the online survey.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).