Journal of Critical Reviews

ISSN- 2394-5125 Vol 7, Issue 13, 2020

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FIELD STUDY COURSES OF THE TEACHER EDUCATION

PROGRAM AMONG STATE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES IN THE PHILIPPINES
1Liza L. Quimson, Ed. D.

Executive Director, Open University Systems,Pangasinan State University, Lingayen Campus,Poblacion, Lingayen, Pangasinan,
1

Philippines
Email: lquimson@psu.edu.ph

Received: 09.04.2020 Revised: 10.05.2020 Accepted: 06.06.2020

Abstract
To assess the implementation of a curriculum is a vital ingredient of curriculum innovation. This study aimed to assess the extent of
implementation of the Field Study (FS) courses in the Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) in the state universities and colleges (SUCs)
in the Philippines. Using a descriptive-correlational type of research, a validated survey-questionnaire administered to randomly
selected students (n=252) from nine TEIs of 5 SUCs in Region I, Philippines, the researcher found that the TEIs have fully implemented
the FS curriculum, and that the FS students have fully developed the competencies from these courses. However, findings revealed that
the TEIs have no synchronization in the offering of their FS courses and have difficulty in the arrangement of schedules with their
partner basic education schools during field work. Statistical analysis, further, generally revealed that the FS objectives and the
implementation of collaborative procedures influence the levels of competence of the FS students, To ensure the sustenance of the full
implementation of the New Teacher Education Curriculum, the researcher recommends the synchronization of the FS courses in the
entire Region I, the field work of FS students from TEIS with laboratory schools is strongly encouraged, the conversion of the 1-unit FS
course to a 3-unit FS course, the selection of FS centers in the region for immersion purposes, the accreditation of their TEP, strengthen
collaboration among partner basic education schools, and the use of a manual or handbook on Field Study observations as part of their
experiential learning courses.

Keywords: Field Study Courses, Teacher Education Curriculum, Region I, Philippines

© 2020 by Advance Scientific Research. This is an open-access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.13.38

Education as a Noble Profession
Many educators agree that teaching is an aggregate of organized
instructional methodologies aimed at achieving desired learning
objectives. Obviously, the objectives of learning will enable the
learners to sustain continued studies for self-growth and
development. With the learners at the center, teaching serves as
the principal means of awakening and nurturing the students’
interest and learning potentials in view of inducing self-being
and self – reliance. [1]. The nobility of the teaching profession is
personified by the teachers. It is through their unwavering
dedication and continuous performance of their duties that make
educational institutions function daily. As Abad [2] stressed, the
teachers shall be in the forefront in the battle against mediocrity
in the schools, hence quality education among the teacher
education students and those in the service shall be maintained.
The pursuit of quality education worldwide is undoubtedly a
long coveted dream. Through it, individuals acquire appropriate
knowledge and skills that would make them instrumental
towards building a better society. Moreover, it has been expected
to propel the nation’s economic development.
Working within the above premises, it could be deduced that the
most challenging task of the teachers is focused on their ability to
nurture meaningful self-growth among students through careful,
well organized instructional planning and development, as well
as evaluation of learning. The effectiveness of teaching suggests
the need for competence in utilizing appropriate requirements of
the teaching-learning process.
The noble challenges posed upon the teaching profession will not
be realized without passing the compulsory requirements to
become a professional teacher. Two major requirements are
imposed: first, a teacher should earn the minimum educational
qualification. To earn a degree in teaching one must complete a
4-5 year curriculum in Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEE),
or Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSE). For those who will
teach in the elementary level, a total of 174 units is required,
distributed as 63 units of subjects under General Education, 54
units of Professional education and 57 units of specialization
courses. For BSE, a total of 174 units consist of 63 units in
General Education, to 51 units for Professional Education and 60
units for the field of specialization. A four-year degree in Early
Childhood Education (BECE) qualifies one to teach pre-school
level, Nursery and Kindergarten. For those who will teach in the
tertiary level, a masters or a doctorate degree with a
specialization is required. Secondly, after being awarded a
bachelor’s degree, one is mandated by virtue of Republic Act
7836 known as the Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act
of 1994 to pass a licensure examination which in effect a true test
of excellence for the schools through painstaking effort and
performance.
Through the years, the educations system has gone into several
revisions, reforms, innovations and new trends, all for quality,
excellence and relevance. The report of the Educational
Commission (EDCOM) in 1991 recommended the need to employ
better ways of instruction to improve the state of functional
literacy in the country. These challenges necessitated educational
institutions to exert more efforts to adequately prepare its young
for their inevitable ascendancy into the leadership roles in the
future. Pertinent to this, Abad [3] aptly said that the failure of
education represents the inability of the society to properly
perpetuate itself through the succeeding generations.
The teaching profession, through the Department of Education
(DepEd) has been struggling to keep pace with the challenges of
society and the accompanying challenges of the technological
world. This is also in consonance with the findings of the Basic
Education Assistance to Mindanao (BEAM) Project in 2003 –
2004, where teacher education has been unable to bridge the
growing gap between the needs and expectations of learners and
the knowledge and skill levels of both the new and existing
teachers. Accordingly, two very important documents that help

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 THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FIELD STUDY COURSES OF THE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM AMONG STATE
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES IN THE PHILIPPINES
re-define and give direction to the Teacher Education in the
country are the Teacher Education and Development Program as
illustrated in the Teacher Development Map and the National
Competency – Based Teacher Standards [4,12].
The Teacher Education and Development Program (TEDP)
serves as the road map where different government agencies
such as the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission
on Higher Education (CHED) with the Teacher Education
Institutions (TEIs), and the Professional Regulation Commission
(PRC) join hands in order to enhance the education and training
of the future teachers. The TEDP was conceived to halt the
continuing decline of the quality of education in the country. As
the center of education, the teacher needs to continually improve
in order to cope with the changes in society. The TEDP seeks to
conceptualize a teacher’s career path as a continuum that starts
with the pre-service until retirement from service.
At the heart of the various stages of the TEDP is the National
Competency-Based Teacher Standards (NCBTS) that serves as a
mold for both pre-service and in-service education and training.
It is the touchtone that ensures the continuing response to the
changing needs of the teaching-learning process. While the pre-
service teachers are being formed using this mold, it is hoped
that the in-service teachers will also use the same mold to
continue and deepen their personal and professional
development [5].
The Teacher Education Institutions and the Basic Education
Schools will work hand in hand to prepare pre-service teachers
to be more highly competent and competitive in the teaching
profession.
Based on the above premise, CHED Memorandum Order No. 30
[6], series of 2004 [7] embodies the policies and standards for
the New Undergraduate Teacher Education Curriculum in the
country. The act keeps pace with the demands of global
competitiveness in the field. It is in accordance with the pertinent
provisions of Republic Act 7722, the Higher Education Act of
2004.
One of its features is the inclusion of Field Study Courses as
provided for in Article V Sec. 13 of CMO # 30 which states that
Field Study Courses are intended to provide students with
practical learning experiences in which they observe, verify,
analyze and reflect on actual school settings. The experiences
begin with field observations and are gradually intensified until
students undertake practice teaching. Experiential Learning or
Field Study aims to give exposure to the students in actual field
experience so that they can relate the theories learned inside the
classroom to actual practice. These off-classroom experiences
emphasize the importance of understanding the complex task of
the teacher especially in this era of globalization. At this juncture,
it is worth mentioning that the National Competency-Based
Teacher Standards (NCBTS) contains domains and strands that
are implemented in the Experiential Learning Courses, Field-
Study and Practice Teaching. These set up the standards for
teacher competence that would eventually uplift the teaching
profession.
True enough, with the advent of educational reforms, new trends
and innovations, there is a corresponding need to update the
curriculum for relevance and timeliness. Hence, the
implementation of the field study courses in the teacher
education curriculum.
The four-year old New Teacher Education Curriculum has
already produced the first batch of graduates during the school
year 2008-2009. Since its implementation, there have been so
many speculations, expectations, great or modest, as to whether
the field study courses serve its purpose. It is within this
Journal of critical reviews
framework that this study was conceptualized. This will provide
accurate and significant background on the status of the
implementation of field study courses among teacher education
institutions in the state universities and colleges in Region 1.
Likewise, the extent of collaboration between basic education
schools and the teacher education institutions will be looked into
by the researcher.
No curriculum exists in isolation, ie each curriculum is designed
to be an input to another output. The interplay of curricula in the
trifocal system of education in the Philippines only becomes ideal
when alignment is checked at crucial checkpoints including the
most recent checkpoint–the implementation of the K to 12 Basic
Education Curriculum [8 ]. Curriculum evaluation in the
perspectives of student-clienteles is a significant and healthy
approach to curriculum improvement [9 ].
Statement of the Problem
This study assessed the extent of the implementation of the Field
Study Courses in the state universities and colleges of Region 1,
Philippines. Specifically, it answered the following questions:
1. What is the profile of the teacher education program (TEP)
of the SUCs in Region 1 in terms of the following:
a. number of years teacher education is offered;
b. number of teachers handling field study courses;
c. educational background of the field study courses
teachers;
d. number of students enrolled in the field study courses,
SY 2005 – 2009; and
e. accreditation status?
2. To what extent do the teacher education institutions
implement the field study courses of the TEP along the
following:
a. objectives attainment;
b. collaboration with basic education schools; and
c. activities/requirements to develop the competencies?
3. What are the levels of competencies of the students in the
following field study courses:
a. Field Study 1 –
Learners’ Development and Environment;
b. Field Study 2 –
Experiencing the Teaching Learning Process;
c. Field Study 3 –
Technology in the Learning Environment;
d. Field Study 4 – Exploring the Curriculum;
e. Field Study 5 – Learning Assessment Strategies, and
f. Field Study 6 – On Becoming a Teacher?
4. Is there a significant difference in the levels of competencies
of the students in the field study courses across the
following:
a. Number of years teacher education is offered;
b. Number of teachers handling field study courses;
c. Educational background of the teachers involved in
field study courses;
d. Number of students enrolled in the field study courses,
SY 2005 – 2009, and
e. Accreditation status?
5. Is there a significant relationship between the extent of
implementation of the field study courses by the TEIs and
the level of competencies of the students in the field study
courses?
6. What are the problems encountered by the TEIs in the
implementation of the field study courses?
Scope and Delimitation of the Study
This study looked into the extent of the implementation of the
field study courses in the teacher education institutions of the
state universities and colleges in Region 1, Philippines.
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 THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FIELD STUDY COURSES OF THE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM AMONG STATE
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES IN THE PHILIPPINES
Research Design
The descriptive - comparative survey research design was
employed in this research study. The descriptive research
described the existing conditions that were investigated.
According to Calmorin and Calmorin [10], the descriptive
research focuses at the present condition. They provide essential
knowledge about the nature of objects and persons. Good and
Scates [11] stressed that descriptive normative surveys
frequently made ascertain the normal or typical condition, or to
compare local results with a state of national norm.
This study also used the descriptive comparative research design
where the researcher established a formal procedure for
obtaining criterion data on the basis of which she could compare
and conclude or generalize.
The Respondents
The respondents of the study were the heads of the Teacher
Education Institutions or the Field Study Coordinator and FS
mentors in the state universities and colleges in Region 1, and
the field study students particularly those who finished all the FS
courses.
The five State Universities and Colleges in the region included
are: the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), University of
Northern Philippines (UNP), Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College
(ISPSC), Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University
(DMMMSU), and Pangasinan State University (PSU). These five
higher education institutions in Region 1 offer teacher education
degree programs.
Sampling Design
A study whether it is a descriptive or experimental, sampling is
necessary, especially if the population is too large where man,
money, material and machinery (4Ms) resources of the
researcher are limited. Sampling serves the following
advantages: it saves time, money and effort, more effective, it is
faster and cheaper, it is more accurate, and gives more
comprehensive information.
In this research, the random sampling research design using the
stratified random sampling where the population was divided
into several strata. For each stratum, the sample items are drawn
at random. The Slovin’s formula [13] was adopted in randomly
drawing the sample. From the five (5) SUCs, nine (9) Teacher
Education Institutions were taken as samples with 252 field
study students.
Instrumentation
The researcher–made questionnaire was the main tool in data
gathering. Basically, the main source of the items included in the
questionnaire is found in the instrument that evolved in the
study conducted by a team of National Researchers under the
sponsorship of the Philippine Association for Teacher Education
(PAFTE). The items were modified to fit into the obtaining
situations in Region 1.
Though the instrument of the PAFTE research was administered
in the national level and went through the process of validation,
the present questionnaire necessitated a formal validation since
modification was made.
Content validity was determined to ascertain the extent to which
the content or topic of the questionnaire is truly representative
of the content of the main topic. It involved, essentially, the
systematic examination of the items to determine whether it
covers a representative sample of the behavior domain to be
measured.
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Five teacher education experts from Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs) in Pangasinan validated the instrument.
These experts are not part of the respondents of this study.
Data Collection Procedure
As soon as the questionnaire was found as a valid instrument for
the research, the researcher prepared a letter to the Presidents
of SUCs in the Region for permission to administer the
questionnaire. It was then administered to the intended
respondents. On the questionnaire for TEIs, one mentor per field
study was chosen to answer the extent of implementation of the
activities required to develop FS competencies. The rest of the
items were answered by the assigned Field Study Coordinator or
the College Dean. The second questionnaire was given to the field
study students who have taken up all the six field study courses.
The retrieval of the questionnaires was done by the researcher
herself with the help of some colleagues in the higher education
institutions concerned. Utmost care was observed both in the
conduct and retrieval of the questionnaire to be able to gather
the most relevant data needed in this research study.
Salient Findings
Based on the data gathered and analyzed, the following findings
are evident:
On the Profile of the Teacher Education Institutions
a. Three (3) TEIs offered teacher education program for 40
yrs and above, another three for 20-29 yrs, and three more
for 10-19 yrs;
b. Six (6) of the 9 TEIs have 5-9 teachers handling field study
courses, two (2) with 10-15 FS teachers and only one with
more than 16 teachers handling FS courses;
c. Out of 77 field study mentors, 42 or 54.55 % are masteral
degree holders, 22 or 28.57 % with a doctorate degrees,
while 13 or 16.88 % are bachelors’ degree holders;
d. Three (3) TEIs have their TEP accredited Level 3, while 2
are of Level 2 status; and
e. There is a very low enrolment rate on the onset of SY 2005-
2007 of field study students due to unsynchronized
offerings of FS courses by the TEIs.
On the Extent of Implementation of the FS Courses
a. Objectives of the six (6) field study courses were fully
attained specifically the objectives of FS 2 with an over-all
AWM of 4.76 followed by FS 5 (4.75), FS 4 (4.74), FS 1
(4.73), FS 2 (4.72) and FS 6 (4.71);
b. Preparation of communications for deployment, send
prepared communication for deployment and sign a
memorandum of agreement were fully implemented
collaborative measures adopted by TEIs with an over-all
AWM of 5.0;
c. Activities or requirements utilized by TEIs to develop the
competencies of the six (6) field study courses were fully
implemented; activities in FS 2 & 4 obtained an AWM of
4.81, followed by FS 1 (4.79), FS 3 (4.78), and FS 5 &6 with a
means of 4. 71 and 4.70 respectively.
On the Level of Competence of the Students in the Field
Study Courses
a. The competency “recognize a school environment that is
safe and conducive to learning” got a mean of 4.27 which is
the only competence with very high level among the 10
cited FS 1 competencies. Over-all, FS 1 students had
competence level of high with an average mean of 3.97;
b. In the FS 2 competencies, the competency “value the
different sources of learning” got the highest mean of 4.21
with a descriptive rating of high level. Over-all, the mean
rating of 4.09 is still rated high level;
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 THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FIELD STUDY COURSES OF THE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM AMONG STATE
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES IN THE PHILIPPINES
c. For FS 3, the competency “prepare appropriate
instructional materials for the lesson with resourcefulness”
and “understand the use of ICT-based instructional
materials and resources” obtained means of 4.27 and 4.08,
respectively. But the over-all mean of 4.18 means that the
FS students had high level of competence;
d. For FS 4, the competency “know about the disciplines or
subject areas related to what is to be taught” got a mean of
4.21 with a descriptive rating of very high. Over-all, FS 4
obtained a mean of 4.08 which is still high level of
competencies.
e. For FS 5, the students had very high level of competence on
“understanding the connection of learning goals to subject
content, teaching strategies and measurement of learning
outcomes” and “interpreting test results to improve
teaching and learning” competencies are of very high level
as manifested by their means of 4.36 and 4.23, respectively.
The over-all mean of 4.09 still indicates a high level of
competencies among field study students.
f. For FS 6, nine (9) out of 17 competencies are of very high
level with a mean ranges from 4.22 – 4. 42 where the
competency “be an open-minded to recent developments in
education” obtained the highest mean. Despite the above
ratings, the over-all mean of 4.19 still indicates a high level
of competencies of the students in this field study course.
On the Difference in the Level of Competencies of the
Students in Field Study Courses across Profile of the
Teacher Education Institutions
a. The difference between the level of competencies of the
students in the different field study courses across profile of
the Teacher Education Institutions was 19.20 in all the
variables with a significance values ranging from 0.014-
0.021 which evidently show that the difference is
significant.
On the Relationship between the Extent of Implementation
of the Field Study Courses and the Level of Competencies of
the Students
a. The relationship between the extent of implementation of
FS 1, 2, 3 and 4 and the students level of competence
yielded r- values of 0.852, 0.759, 0.852 and 0.712,
respectively which were all significant. However, FS
5(0.765) and FS 6(0.577) were found not significant.
b. Only the relationship between the collaboration with the
basic education schools and the level of competencies in FS
3 and 4 are found to be significant with computed r-values
of 0.916 and 0.852, and significance levels of 0.001 & 0.004
respectively.
c. The relationship between the implementation of the
activities required by FS mentors are found to be significant
with the level of competencies in FS 1 (r= 0.830, sig =
0.021); FS 2 (r=0.965, sig = 0.003); in FS 3 (r=0.871,
sig=0.009); in FS 5 (r=0.852, sig=0.004); and in FS 6
(r=0.750, sig=0.032).
On the Problems Encountered by the TEIs in the
Implementation of Field Study Courses
a. The problem “difficulty in the arrangement of schedules
with the basic education schools to fit the vacant period of
the students in college” ranked 1 among all the problems
encountered by the TEIs, while “distance of cooperating
schools and the TEIs” seemed to be the least (Rank 10)
among the 10 cited problems. Majority of the problems
encountered are external in nature.
Journal of critical reviews
CONCLUSIONS
From the aforesaid findings of the study, the following
conclusions are formulated:
1. Teacher Education Institutions in Region 1 vary in terms of
the number of years TE is offered, number of teachers
handling FS courses, educational background of FS teachers,
number of students enrolled in the FS courses, and
accreditation status. There is no synchronization of the FS
course offerings by the TEIs of SUCs in Region 1.
2. The TEIs fully implement the FS courses.
3. The FS students fully develop the competencies in the FS
courses.
4. The TEIs are not comparable in terms of number of years
TE is offered, number of teachers handling FS courses,
educational background of FS teachers, number of students
enrolled in the FS courses, and accreditation status.
5. The levels of competence of the students in FS 1, 2, 3, and 4
are influenced by the level of attainment of the FS objectives
and implementation of collaborative procedures. Only the
activities in FS 4 have no effect in their level of
competencies in the same course.
6. The difficulty in the arrangement of schedules with the
basic education schools is the common problem
encountered in the implementation of the FS courses by the
TEIs in Region 1.
Recommendations
Based on the conclusions made, the following recommendations
are hereby formulated:
1. The State Universities and Colleges should consider the
move to synchronize the offering of FS courses in a specific
term in order for TEIs to have common offerings for a given
semester in a year.
2. TEIs with laboratory schools should not confine their
students to observe in their laboratory schools only. They
should be exposed also to the learning environment and
the different teaching practices outside the laboratory
schools. This way, they will be able to observe and gain
experiences which are more enriching, motivating,
formative and developmental in nature.
3. TEIs through the SUCs’ administrators should sit together
to plan effective measures to sustain the implementation of
the FS courses. A Field Study coordinator should be
assigned to handle all Field Study activities and to work
hand-in-hand with the other FS mentors.
4. A three-unit load for each Field Study course instead of one-
unit only should be looked into by curriculum planners to
make it commensurate with the tasks assigned to each Field
Study course.
5. TEIs and DepEd should set the guidelines/criteria in
selecting FS centers where FS students conduct their
observations. This will ensure the attainment of the
objectives set for each field study course and assures the
quality of observation data gathered by the students.
6. TEIs shall look forward to have their TEP accredited. This is
one way to be comparable or at par with other TEIs in the
Region.
7. The TEIs should make a move in increasing the awareness
of the basic education schools including their teachers
regarding the new teacher education curriculum. The
monetary incentives should include not only the principals,
but also the department heads and the cooperating teachers
so that the lukewarm attitude of the teachers towards FS
students, in particular, will be minimized.
8. TEIs of SUCs should find other ways and means to
strengthen their collaboration with basic education schools.
There should be a Field Study Coordinator assigned from
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 THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FIELD STUDY COURSES OF THE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM AMONG STATE
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES IN THE PHILIPPINES

the basic education schools, who will be in charge in

orienting and guiding the field study students during their
scheduled observations. Likewise, adopting a school as a
Field Study Center for those TEIs without laboratory
schools will help not only the students but also the basic
education schools to improve their facilities and instruction
for quality observation outputs.
9. Wide dissemination of the DepEd Order # 3 series of 2007
should be done to facilitate the implementation of the
program and minimize the occurrence of other problems
related to the implementation of Field Study.
10. A manual or a handbook on Field Study observations should
be made as part of the Experiential Learning Courses of the
New Teacher Education Curriculum to facilitate smooth
implementation of the Field Study Courses and Practice
Teaching in the TEIs in Region 1.

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4. PAFTE National Research Team. “Initial Implementation of
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