Alternative Instructional Practices of Social Studies Teachers in Teaching Philippine History: A Transcendental Phenomenological Approach

The study aimed to explore the elementary Social Studies teachers’ lived experiences in utilizing  alternative instructional practices in teaching Philippine History, the problems, and challenges they  encountered, the factors that teachers consider in selecting and utilizing instructional practices, and  the contexts and situations that influence their experiences. This transcendental phenomenological  study used Moustakas’ method of data analysis to interpret and analyze the data. Nine (9) teachers  participated in the study recruited through purposive sampling technique. The study utilized semi structured interview method in the gathering data. The study revealed that the experiences of teachers in utilizing alternative instructional practices promote effective teaching and learning.  The problems and challenges experienced by the participants include ineffective instructional  strategy, lack of instructional and learning materials, insufficient time, and students’ attitudes. The  factors that the participants considered in choosing and utilizing instructional practices include  students’ levels and abilities, time, classroom setting, availability of instructional and learning  materials, and topic or content. Furthermore, students’ performance and motivational level were  the contexts and situations that affected their experiences in utilizing alternative instructional  practices. The findings of this study can be used as a springboard for school leaders in  conceptualizing seminars and training to improve the alternative instructional practices of Social  Studies teachers in teaching Philippine History.