CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The Covid-19 Pandemic has brought about many changes in all sectors of

life, specially in the field of Education. This articles aims to identify and report

students perceptions about the limited face to face classes amidst Covi-19

Pandemic in Bayugan City Senior High school.

The unprecedented health crisis of COVID-19 has affected almost every

aspects of life. It was recognized for the first time in December 2019 in Wuhan,

China, and spread rapidly all over the world to become an economic and

humanitarian crisis [1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-

19 as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. Due to this outbreak, the education system

is beholding an extraordinary double-shock: temporary school closures in more

than 180 countries since March 2020, in order to prevent the spread of the virus

and disclosing the fragility of education systems worldwide. This interruption to

education and the expected reduction in global growth due to economic

recession have a Sustainability far-reaching impact on the most disadvantaged

students who have faced vulnerable socioeconomic family conditions [2]. The

shutdown of schools has not only ceased learning of new things, but also made

students forget what they had learnt earlier. South Asia’s estimated learning loss

of 0.5 years of learning-adjusted years of schooling (LAYS) and economic loss

due to school closure for students in India is estimated to be USD 420 billion in
their lifetime future earnings [3]. Globally, 90 percent of the world’s student

population has been affected due to the pandemic, from which 800 million are

girls, as per the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

(UNESCO) [4]. The prolonged shutdown transformed the conventional

classrooms into online classes due to the contagious nature of the disease. The

concept of e-learning had appeared with the development of Internet since the

1990s. Online learning, remote learning, distant learning, e-learning, internet-

based learning, and computer-assisted learning are terms that are

interchangeably used and not new for us. During this pandemic, these are the

only sources that were utilized in the ongoing learning processes. Teaching and

evaluation of students were done through information technology, which helped

in reducing the learning gap that emerged due to the lockdown [5]. Pupils can

now get subject knowledge, clear their doubts with mentors’ assistance, quickly

share study material, receive rapid feedback, be more flexible, discuss with their

comrades and observe their academic progress in online classes. Prior to the

pandemic, however, e-learning never received the attention, as its effective

learning outcome deserves(at least as much as conventional education did);

however, the outbreak of COVID-19 encouraged virtual learning as a solution to

overcome the existing learning gap in the world [6]. During the pandemic,

educational institutions and teachers are exploring and approaching numerous

teaching softwares for students to facilitate online learning [7]. On the other hand,

the impact of rapid transformation towards online classes is questionable [8].

According to NSSO (National Sample Survey Organization, India) 2017–2018,

only 9 percent of the households had access to the Internet and computer in

India. Around 90 percent of the currently enrolled students have no access to the
required materials, which severely affects participation in online classes. There

are stark socio-economic disparities in Internet accessibility. From among the

poorest 20 percent and the richest 20 percent, computer ownership varies from 2

to 28 percent [9]. According to the mentioned UNICEF report, approximately 120

million children in South Asia are on the verge of poverty due to this pandemic

and around 240 million children reside in multidimensional poverty, which

contains factors like deficiency of education, poor health, lack of sanitization and

poor working conditions [10]. The undeniable effect of stringent lockdown has

decreased the income and earning capacity of many poor and marginalized

families. This leads to direr conditions for adolescent girls, as they have to carry

out a lot of household chores and care for their younger siblings, resulting in their

disengagement from online classes, which leads to an increase in learning gaps

and gender inequalities [11]. This pandemic has created a new crisis in the

education system due to a huge digital divide, which leads to a loss of learning in

the short run, while simultaneously increasing the chances of dropping out from

education. In the long run, there will be a huge loss in human capital

accumulation and economic development. Against this, backdrop, it is significant

to know the perceptions of students (both positive and negative), as well as the

challenges they face in online classes.

In this regard, this study attempts to examine the school students’

perceptions about the limited face to face classes amidst covid-19 pandemic in

Bayugan City Senior High School. The rest of the paper is organized as follows:

while Section 2 deals with materials and methods, including review of literature,
 research gap, objectives and research methodology; Section 3 delineates

detailed results and findings. Section 4 presents the discussion of the paper.

Section 5 concludes the paper and suggests policy implication.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Virtual learning has received increasing attention with the infusion of web-based

technologies into the learning and teaching process. Virtually all courses in higher

education incorporate information and communication technologies to some degree.

These technologies create new opportunities for students to interact with their peers,

faculty, and content. The infusion of information and communications technology in

higher education draws attention to the theory and practice of blended learning. Limited

face to face learning inherently demands a fundamental rethinking of the educational

experience and presents a challenge to traditional presentational approaches. If we are

to deal with the theoretical and practical complexities of rethinking the educational

experience from a virtual learning perspective, then the first challenge is to provide a

conceptual order that goes beyond rigid recipes.

The purpose of this chapter is to describe limited face to face learning briefly and

then to establish the rationale through which we can explore the practical challenges in

implementing limited face to face learning approaches in higher education. This

rationale is operationalized in the Community of Inquiry theoretical framework (Garrison,

2011). The Community of Inquiry framework is outlined with a particular focus on

teaching presence.
 We wanted to indicate a significant rethinking of how we should be approaching

the limited face to face learning experience. With regard to a thoughtful approach, we

specifically excluded enhancing traditional practices that do not significantly improve

student engagement. That said, we do not want to restrict innovative face to face

learning designs by providing strict parameters as to the percentage of time spent face-

to-face. The key is to avoid, at all costs, simply layering on activities and responsibilities

until the course is totally unmanageable and students do not have the time to reflect on

meaning and engage in discourse for shared understanding.

By innovation we mean significantly rethinking and redesigning approaches to

teaching and learning that fully engage learners. The essential function of limited face to

face learning is to extend thinking and discourse over time and space. The strength of

integrating face-to-face synchronous communication and text-based online

asynchronous communication is powerfully complementary for higher educational

purposes. The goal of limited face to face learning is to bring these together to

academically challenge students in ways not possible through either mode

individually. Moreover, students have time to reflect and respond thoughtfully. Finally,

while significant administrative advantages are gained through limited face to face

learning designs (access, retention, campus space, teaching resources), the focus here

is the quality of the learning experience made possible through limited face to face

learning approaches.
COMMUNITY OF INQUIRY

Lipman (1991) has argued that education is inquiry. He suggests, “The community

of inquiry is perhaps the most promising methodology for the encouragement of that

fusion of critical and creative cognitive processing known as higher-order thinking”

(Lipman, 1991, p. 204). Critical thinking is most often cited as the hallmark of higher

education. Therefore, we view a community of inquiry as the concept that best captures

the ideal of a higher educational experience. Our belief is that practitioners can create

the conditions for critical thinking, rational judgments, and understanding through the

engagement of a community of inquiry. Both a sense of community and a commitment

to the process of inquiry must be in place. The premise of the CoI framework is that

higher education is both a collaborative and an individually constructivist learning

experience. As such, we have this seemingly paradoxical but essential

connection between cognitive independence and social interdependence. We argue

that personal reflection and shared discourse are requisite for higher learning and,

practically, are best realized in an educational community of inquiry. A community of

inquiry is where “students listen to one another with respect, build on one another’s

ideas, challenge one another to supply reasons for otherwise unsupported opinions,

assist each other in drawing inferences from what has been said, and seek to identify

one another’s assumptions” (Lipman, 2003, p. 20).

FIGURE 1.1. Community of Inquiry framework

The three key elements or dimensions of the CoI framework are social,

cognitive, and teaching presence (Figure 1.1). It is at the convergence of these three

mutually reinforcing elements that a collaborative constructivist educational experience

is realized. Social presence creates the environment for trust, open communication, and

group cohesion. Cognitive presence has been defined “as the extent to which learners

are able to construct and confirm meaning through sustained reflection and discourse in

a critical community of inquiry” (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2001, p. 11). It has been

operationalized through the developmental phases of inquiry – a triggering event,

exploration, integration, and resolution. The third and cohesive element, teaching
presence, is associated with the design, facilitation, and direction of a community of

inquiry. This unifying force brings together the social and cognitive processes directed

to personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile outcomes.

FIGURE 1.2. Community of Inquiry categories and indicators

To assist in gaining a greater appreciation of the categories of each of the

presences (Figure 1.2), we provide indicators and examples of meaningful activities

associated with each presence. A quality, blended community of inquiry should reflect

these activities. It is important to appreciate each category and its progressive or

developmental nature. For example, teaching presence begins with a design phase and

then progresses to facilitation and direct instruction to ensure the successful resolution

of the problem or task. This cycle will repeat throughout a course of studies. The

developmental and cyclical nature of each of the presences is perhaps more obvious

within cognitive presence and its phases of inquiry. Social presence also has a

developmental progression. The first goal in establishing social presence is to recognize

the need for identity with the purpose (academic goal) and not to focus too strongly on

interpersonal relationships. Interpersonal relationships can and should develop over

time, while issues of open communication and group cohesion must be the primary

focus at the beginning of the inquiry process (Garrison, 2011).

Introducing a phenomenon as complex as teaching presence in a blended

learning context is a daunting task. Beyond discussing teaching with technology, this

task requires explicating, examining, and describing a new approach to teaching in a

new era of higher education. We see that required changes in higher education are now

emergent, for “neither the purpose, the methods, nor the population for whom education

is intended today, bear any resemblance to those on which formal education is

historically based” (Pond, 2002, para. 2). These changes include a new way of

conceiving of, and offering, teaching and learning.

 We focus here on the teaching presence construct as growing evidence points to

the importance of teaching presence for the success of a community of inquiry (Akyol &

Garrison, 2008; Arbaugh, 2008; Eom, 2006; Shea, Li, Swan, & Pickett, 2005). The

conceptual framework we offer requires new ways of thinking about the role of teacher

and the role of student. Blended learning provides expanded possibilities and difficult

choices for the educator and participants in a community of inquiry. The responsibilities

of teaching presence are distributed within the learning community but are not

diminished; the importance and challenge is only magnified. Teaching presence is

enhanced when participants become more metacognitively aware and are encouraged

to assume increasing responsibility and control of their learning. Much attention needs

to be focused on teaching presence if we are to create and sustain the conditions for

higher order learning.

PRINCIPLES

Principles are essential to the translation of theoretical frameworks into coherent

practical strategies and techniques. Principles become even more valuable when

coping with the complexities of integrating the potential of new and emerging

communications technology. While the principles of good practice associated with the

traditional classroom have generic value, they do not adequately consider the

collaborative constructivist approaches and communication technologies being adopted

in higher education.
 A principled approach to teaching that emerges from a sustained community of

inquiry takes us beyond the traditional lecture all too common in higher education. The

principles that shape this book and give structure to teaching presence encourage

students to assume greater responsibility and control of their educational experience.

To help put the principles discussed here into context, we begin with a brief examination

of the most prominent set of teaching and learning principles in higher education. Those

are the widely cited and adopted principles of good practice in undergraduate education

published by Chickering and Gamson (1987). These principles are as follows:

1. Encourage contact between students and faculty.

2. Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students.

3. Encourage active learning.

4. Give prompt feedback.

5. Emphasize time on task.

6. Communicate high expectations.

7. Respect diverse talents and ways of learning.

The Chickering and Gamson principles were generated from research on

teaching and learning and have guided educational practice in higher education over

the last two decades. They were, however, based on traditional practice, which focused

largely on the lecture, and were generated and intended for face-to-face environments.

Moreover, they were formulated through consensus in a largely atheoretical manner.

These principles are too often interpreted as a means to improve the lecture format,

which is not necessarily how we can better engage learners in more active and
collaborative educational experiences. While these principles have served higher

education well in directing attention to good teaching and learning practice, we believe

that these principles need to be updated to address the changing needs in higher

education to become information literate in the age of the Internet. These principles

must be consistent with the ubiquitous connectivity afforded students today. It is time to

create a new set of principles that can better reflect the ideals of a higher education

experience by recognizing and utilizing the capabilities of new and emerging information

and communications technologies. While these principles are not incongruent with

blended learning environments, there are conditions, assumptions, and properties of

technologically mediated learning environments that require an update of these

principles. Collaborative constructivist approaches are more than interaction and

engagement. As valuable as the principles of contact, cooperation, active learning,

feedback, time on task, and respect are, the collaborative approaches and principles

discussed here address new requirements of the knowledge age of the 21st century.

The educational approaches needed today represent purposeful collaboration to resolve

an issue, solve a problem, or create new understandings. The educational process

outlined here is situated in the context of a community of learners focused on purposeful

inquiry where students collaboratively assume increased responsibility and control to

resolve specific problems and issues. The seven principles that shape this book are

deductively derived from the CoI theoretical framework. The principles are organized

around the three sub-elements or categories of teaching presence: design, facilitation,

and direction. Within each of these three functions and areas of responsibility, we

address the elements of social and cognitive presence. Considering the complexity of a

collaborative blended learning experience, considerable care and thought must be

devoted to design, facilitation, and direction.

 The following principles provide a map and guide to creating and sustaining

purposeful communities of inquiry:

1. Plan for the creation of open communication and trust.

2. Plan for critical reflection and discourse.

3. Establish community and cohesion.

4. Establish inquiry dynamics (purposeful inquiry).

5. Sustain respect and responsibility.

6. Sustain inquiry that moves to resolution.

7. Ensure assessment is congruent with intended processes and outcomes.

The first two principles speak to the social and cognitive challenge of designing a

collaborative blended learning experience. The next two principles address the social

and cognitive concerns associated with facilitating a community of inquiry. The last

three deal with the social, cognitive, and assessment responsibilities of directing an

educational experience to achieve the desired outcomes successfully. These seven

principles are the first step in providing specific practical guidelines to the design,

facilitation, and direction of a collaborative community of inquiry.

STATEMENTS OF THE PROBLEM

In the line with the intent of the study, the researcher takes into consideration the

following questions pertaining to the perceptions of students to limited face to face

classes in the Philippines in order to find desired information essential in the study.

1. What are the advantages and the Disadvantages of the limited face to face

classes imposed in the school?

2. What is the Demographic profile of the respondents?

3. What is the perception of the students in the limited face to face classes?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The Covid-19 Pandemic has brought about many changes in all sectors of

life, specially in the field of Education. Face-to-face gives better motivation to

study; instant feedback. It is too difficult to learn everything through computer.

Face-to-face interaction with instructors is better for the learning process. Face-

to-face is better for resolving study problems. This articles aims to identify and

report students perceptions about the limited face to face classes amidst Covi-19

Pandemic in Bayugan City Senior High school.

SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study includes all students who are studying in Bayugan City Senior

High School. This study aims to know the perception of students to the limited

face to face classes implemented. Consequently, it also includes the coping

strategies how does students overcome the difficulties they experienced in

regard to the limited face to face classes. The participants will limit the number of

students to ten (10) per section. Lastly, this study also limits itself in finding out

the effects and perception of students in regards to limited face to face classes to

imposed.
 Name: STRAND:
AGE:

SEX: MALE ___ FEMALE ___

GRADE LEVEL: ___11 ____12

Instruction: Please put a check (/) mark in each statement below based on your level of
satisfaction of limited face to face classes amidst Covid-19 Pandemic in Bayugan City
Senior High School.

Numerical Scale Linguistic expressions

4 Strongly Agree
3 Agree
2 Strongly Disagree
1 Disagree

STRONGLY AGREE NUETRAL STRONGLY DISAGREE

QUESTIONS AGREE DISAGREE

1.face to face classes is advantage for

students
2.Is limited is more better than online
learning?
3.Do you agree that face to face classes is
important for you as a student?
4.Do you agree that a classroom environment
make it easier to communicate with your
classmates than online communication?
5.Do you agree that online Environment make
it easier to communicate with your instructor?
6.Do you agree that face to face learning
environment would contribute to your over all
satisfaction of the strand you choose?
7.Do you agree that being in a class with face
to face communication would improve your
ability to learn?
8.Do you agree that face to face classes is
more enjoyable to learn than online learning?
 CHAPTER 2
Review of Related Literature

           During the COVID-19 pandemic, educational practices were changed to

minimize disruption to   teaching. COVID-19's sudden and unanticipated shift to online

teaching and learning has touched many,  if not all   , areas of university students' life

around the world.Engagement and performance in academic, co-curricular, and

extracurricular activities, as well as intrinsic motivation, contentment, meaning making,

and mental health, have all been connected to student well-being. 

           Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries have implemented lockdown

and social distancing measures, which have resulted in the shutdown of schools,

training institutes, and higher education. Facilities Educators are delivering quality

education through numerous online channels, which is a paradigmchange. During the

pandemic, e-learning tools were critical in assisting schools and universities in

facilitating student learning during the shutdown of universities and schools (Subedi et

al., 2020Staff and student readiness must be assessed and supported while adapting to

the new adjustments.There is no one-size-fits-all pedagogy for online learning. There

are a variety of subjects with varying needs. Different subjects and age groups require

different approaches to online learning (Doucet et al., 2020). Online learning also allows

physically challenged students with more freedom to participate in learning in the virtual

environment, requiring limited movement (Basilaia & Kvavadze, 2020)As schools have
been closed to cope with the global pandemic, students, parents and educators around

the globe have felt the unexpected ripple effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

         Many students at home/living space have undergone psychological and emotional

distress and have been unable to engage productively. The best practices for online

homeschooling are yet to be explored (Petrie, 2020).Some of the online platforms used

so far include unified communication and collaboration platforms such as Microsoft

Teams, Google Classroom, Canvas and Blackboard, which allow the teachers to create

educational courses, training and skill development programmes (Petrie, 2020). The

flipped classroom is a simple strategy for providing learning resources such as articles,

pre-recorded videos and YouTube links before the class.The online classroom.This is a

very effective way of encouraging skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking and

self-directed learning. The virtual classroom platforms like videoconferencing (Google

Hangouts Meet, Zoom, Slack, Cisco, WebEx) and customizable cloud-based learning

management platforms such as Elias, Moodle, BigBlueButton and Skype are

increasingly being used. (a)Broadly identified challenges with e-learning are

accessibility, affordability, flexibility, learning pedagogy, life-long learning and

educational policy (Murgatrotd, 2020) The innately motivated learners are relatively

unaffected in their learning as they need minimum supervision and guidance, while the

vulnerable group consisting of students who are weak in learning face difficulties. Some

academically competent learners from economically disadvantaged background are

unable to access and afford online learning. The level of academic performance of the

students is likely to drop for the classes held for both year-end examination and internal
examination due to reduced contact hour for learners and lack of consultation with

teachers when facing difficulties in learning/understanding (Sintema, 2020).

             

Student assessments are carried out online, with a lot of trial and error,

uncertainty and confusion among the teachers, students and parents.Depending on the

duration of the lockdown, postponement or cancellation of the entire examination

assessment might be a grim possibility (United Nations, 2020).School time also raises

social skills and awareness besides being fun for the children. There are economic,

social and psychological repercussions on the life of students while they are away from

the normal schedule of schools Many of these students have now taken online classes,

spending additional time on virtual platforms, which have left children vulnerable to

online exploitation. Increased and unstructured time spent on online learning has

exposed children to potentially harmful and violent content as well as greater risk of

cyberbullying. School closures and strict containment measures mean more families

have been relying on technology and digital solutions to keep children engaged in

learning, entertained and connected to the outside world, but not all children have the

necessary knowledge, skills and resources to keep themselves safe online. Students

are engaged in assisting parents in farm activities such as agriculture, tending to cattle

and household chores. Some students even requested to postpone exam time towards

the afternoon since they had to work on the fields during morning hours.  Majority of

students do not have access to smartphones or TV at home in addition to poor Internet

connectivity. There is no or less income for huge population due to closure of business

and offices. Online face-to-face classes (video) is encouraged by most; however, some

students (economically disadvantaged) have expressed that the face-to-face online

class consumes more data packages

              

Although there have been overwhelming challenges for educators, schools,

institutes and the government regarding online education from a different angle, there

are several opportunities created by the COVID-19 pandemic for the unprepared and

the distant plans of implementing e- learning systemIt has strengthened the bond

between instructors and parents like never before. Homeschooling necessitates parents'

financial and academic support for their children's education. During this continuing

situation, children with disabilities require additional and specialized assistance.

Pedagogy available and used for face-to-face learning is not feasible for online learning.

Though a range of pedagogy has been devised for online and distance learning,

teachers who are technologically backward require proper professional development

and training in order to orient themselves towards their students

      The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that teachers and students/learners

should be educated on how to use various online educational technologies. When

normal courses resume following the COVID-19 epidemic, teachers and students

should be encouraged to continue using online technologies to improve teaching and

learning.
REFERENCES:
https://read.aupress.ca/read/teaching-in-blended-learning-environments/
section/ac46044a-ecde-4fc4-846d-8c17fe8bf712

https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/university-of-mindanao/
understanding-the-self/cha
 BAYUGAN NATIONAL SENIOR HIGH SCOOL STAND
ALONE

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION
ON THE LIMITED FACE TO
FACE CLASSES CLASSES
AMIDST COVID-19
PANDEMIC IN BAYUGAN
CITY SENIOR HIGH
SCHOOL

RESEARCHER’S NAME

TRISHA ABEGAIL C. ANTIVO

GRAPES LIAN YRYXZY C. ANTIVO
FATIMA MESA
ANGELITO GARGAR
pter-1/21628775