Unpacking the Stories Behind the Crafting of Modules among English College Instructors: A Phenomenology

Abstract

Quality education has been the constant aim and commitment of the tertiary institutions (TEIs) in the Philippines. This commitment has been put to test during the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic which started in January 2019. During this time, English instructors were suddenly compelled to devise selflearning modules to support their learners’ transition to blended learning. Hence, the purpose of the study was to uncover the lived experiences of college instructors who were assigned to become module writers for English courses. The study is qualitative research adopting the phenomenological approach. Using purposive sampling, the participating 14 college instructors were identified and divided equally for in-depth interview and focus group discussion. Data were analyzed through the use of coding and thematic analysis. Results revealed the experiences of the participants: (1) lack of reference materials, (2) alignment of activities to objectives, (3) pressures on the limited time, (4) doubts on the quality of the module, (5) mixed emotions, and (6) lack of knowledge. In response to the challenges they have encountered, they deem the following coping strategies as essential: (7) collaborated with colleagues, (8) motivated by students’ learning, (9) asked for God’s providence, (10) conducted peer review, and (11) utilized different references. Upon reflecting on their entire experience, they arrived at the following insights: (12) provision of trainings and seminars, (13) reduction of unnecessary activities in the modules, (14) provision of resource materials, (15) importance of preparation, and (16) provision of adequate time in writing the module. The results, imply that certain improvements should be made within the institution to improve the writing experiences of the assigned English instructors as well as enhance the overall quality of the produced modules. This study is therefore deemed significant as this highly contributes to the body of knowledge related to materials development.