School Leaders' Experiences in Fostering Students' Learning Engagement and Wellbeing During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Main Article Content
Keywords
Academic Communities of Engagement, Leveraging Program, Students' Learning, Student Wellbeing
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic challenged schools, requiring adaptive responses from academic leaders, particularly in decision-making and policy implementation during the shift to remote learning and addressing struggling students. This study explores the experiences of academic leaders about implementing the Leveraging Program (LP) and Remote Psychosocial Services for Students (RPSS) implemented in a Philippine secondary school from the school year 2020-2023. The LP and RPSS are combined intervention programs that aim to foster students' engagement and wellbeing amidst remote learning challenges. Various themes emerged from the results, such as: Theme 1: Establishing Remote Counseling to establish a psychological support system to foster students' wellbeing. Theme 2: Engaging curriculum design for academic success. Theme 3: Collaborative and immediate feedback and assessment and Theme 4: Positive school culture through integration of wellbeing activities to instructions. These themes reflect the holistic support the program provided to students for academic and emotional growth during the pandemic.
References
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Safitri, N., & Nugraha, S. P. (2021). Online learning readiness, academic resilience, and subjective well-being of junior high school students during the COVID 19 pandemic. Journal of Educational, Health & Community Psychology (JEHCP), 10(3), 509-524. http://journal.uad.ac.id/index.php/Psychology/index
Saldaña, J., Miles, M. B., & Huberman, M. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). SAGE
Satariyan, A., & Reynolds, B. (2016). A reflective model for action research. In S. Fan & J. Fielding-Wells (Eds.), What is next in educational research? (pp. 21–28). SensePublishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-524-1_3
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Spring, K. J., Graham, C. R., Hanny, C. N., Tuiloma, S., & Badar, K. (2023). Academic communities of engagement: Exploring the impact of online and in-person support communities on the academic engagement of online learners. Journal of Computing In Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-023-09373-2
Stasel, R. S. (2020). Learning to walk all over again: Insights from some international school educators and school leaders in South, Southeast and East Asia during the COVID crisis. International Studies in Educational Administration (Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration & Management (CCEAM)), 48(3), 95-101.
Tajolosa, T. D., Amanon Jr, J. C., Dacauan, I. M. M., Donesa, R. L., & Montesa, C. (2022). Filipino high school students' engagement and interest during the pandemic: Implications for addressing the needs of struggling readers. The Seybold Report. 18(7), 2333-2346. https://doi.org/ 10.17605/OSF.IO/9SZ52
Tarrayo, V. N., Anudin, A. G., Mendoza, H. B., & Parungao-Callueng, E. S. (2022). Challenges and opportunities in teaching writing online amidst the pandemic: Voices from English language teachers in Philippine universities. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 47(4), 74-90. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2022v47n4.5
Torossian, S. N. (2021). The Impact of induction mentoring on teacher retention [Unpublished thesis]. California State University, Fresno. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/impact-induction-mentoring-on-teacher-retention/docview/2546005480/se-2?accountid=13380
Wells, R. (2023). The Impact and efficacy of e-counselling in an open distance learning environment: A mixed method exploratory study. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 37(2), 155–172. https://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2021.1924098
Zuber-Skerritt, O. (1996). New directions in action research. Falmer Press.
Almusharraf, N. M., & Bailey, D. (2021). Online engagement during COVID‐19: Role of agency on collaborative learning orientation and learning expectations. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 37(5), 1285-1295. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12569
Borup, J., Graham, C. R., West, R. E., Archambault, L., & Spring, K. J. (2020). Academic communities of engagement: An expansive lens for examining support structures in blended and online learning. Educational Technology, Research and Development, 68(2), 807-832. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09744-x
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Briones, E. H. D., Laud, G. M. O., Pacia, M. D., Tabadero, J. S., & Valencia, A. D. (2020). A report on the PSHS System data on "Students with additional need" from school year 2016-2019 [Unpublished manuscript]. Philippine Science High School System.
Cherkowski, S., & Walker, K. (2019). Mentorship for flourishing in schools: An explicit shift toward appreciative action. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 8(4), 345–360. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMCE-02-2019-0018
Creswell, J. W., & Gutterman, T. C. (2021). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (6th ed.). Pearson.
Daradoumis, T., Caballé, S., Juan, A. A., & Xhafa, F. (2011). Technology-enhanced systems and tools for collaborative learning scaffolding (1st ed.). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19814-4
Dawadi, S. (2020). Thematic analysis approach: A step by step guide for ELT research practitioners. Journal of NELTA, 25(1-2), 62-71. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED612353.pdf
Deaton, J. D., Ohrt, J. H., Linich, K., Wymer, B., Toomey, M., Lewis, O., Guest, J. D., & Newton, T. (2022). Teachers' experiences with K‐12 students' mental health. Psychology in the Schools, 59(5), 932–949. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22658
Down, M., Picknoll, D., Piggott, B., Hoyne, G., & Bulsara, C. (2023). "I love being in the outdoors": A qualitative descriptive study of outdoor adventure education program components for adolescent wellbeing. Journal of Adolescence, 95(6), 1232-1244. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12197
Froese-Germain, B., & Riel, R. (2012). Understanding teachers' perspectives on student mental health: Findings from a national survey. Canadian Teachers' Federation. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED544257.pdf
Guban-Caisido, D. A. D. (2020). Language advising as psychosocial intervention for first time self-access language learners in the time of COVID-19: lessons from the Philippines. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 11(3), 148-163. https://doi.org/10.37237/110305
Harris, A., & Jones, M. (2022). Leading during a pandemic - what the evidence tells us. School Leadership & Management, 42(2), 105-109. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2022.2064626
Hughes, H., Franz, J., & Willis, J. (2019). School spaces for student wellbeing and learning: Insights from research and practice (1st ed.). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6092-3
Hymel, S., Low, A., Starosta, L., Gill, R., & Schonert-Reichl, K. (2017). Promoting mental well-being through social-emotional learning in schools: Examples from British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 36(4), 97–107. https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2017-029
Lopez, V. (2020). Duterte orders Luzon-wide 'enhanced community quarantine'. GMA News. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/729875/duterte-orders-lockdown-of-entire-luzon-due-to-covid-19-threat/story/#
Malolos, G. Z. C., Baron, M. B. C., Apat, F. A. J., Sagsagat, H. A. A., Pasco, P. B. M., Aportadera, E. T. C. L., Tan, R. J. D., Gacutno-Evardone, A. J., & Lucero-Prisno III, D. E. (2021). Mental health and well-being of children in the Philippine setting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Promotion Perspectives, 11(3), 267-270. https://doi.org/10.34172/hpp.2021.34
Richards, D., & Tangney, B. (2008). An informal online learning community for student mental health at university: A preliminary investigation. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 36(1), 81-97. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069880701715671
Safitri, N., & Nugraha, S. P. (2021). Online learning readiness, academic resilience, and subjective well-being of junior high school students during the COVID 19 pandemic. Journal of Educational, Health & Community Psychology (JEHCP), 10(3), 509-524. http://journal.uad.ac.id/index.php/Psychology/index
Saldaña, J., Miles, M. B., & Huberman, M. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). SAGE
Satariyan, A., & Reynolds, B. (2016). A reflective model for action research. In S. Fan & J. Fielding-Wells (Eds.), What is next in educational research? (pp. 21–28). SensePublishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-524-1_3
Schmuck, R. A., Perry, E., Schmuck, R. A., & Snodgrass, A. (2006). Practical action research for change (2nd ed.). Corwin Press.
Spring, K. J., Graham, C. R., Hanny, C. N., Tuiloma, S., & Badar, K. (2023). Academic communities of engagement: Exploring the impact of online and in-person support communities on the academic engagement of online learners. Journal of Computing In Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-023-09373-2
Stasel, R. S. (2020). Learning to walk all over again: Insights from some international school educators and school leaders in South, Southeast and East Asia during the COVID crisis. International Studies in Educational Administration (Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration & Management (CCEAM)), 48(3), 95-101.
Tajolosa, T. D., Amanon Jr, J. C., Dacauan, I. M. M., Donesa, R. L., & Montesa, C. (2022). Filipino high school students' engagement and interest during the pandemic: Implications for addressing the needs of struggling readers. The Seybold Report. 18(7), 2333-2346. https://doi.org/ 10.17605/OSF.IO/9SZ52
Tarrayo, V. N., Anudin, A. G., Mendoza, H. B., & Parungao-Callueng, E. S. (2022). Challenges and opportunities in teaching writing online amidst the pandemic: Voices from English language teachers in Philippine universities. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 47(4), 74-90. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2022v47n4.5
Torossian, S. N. (2021). The Impact of induction mentoring on teacher retention [Unpublished thesis]. California State University, Fresno. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/impact-induction-mentoring-on-teacher-retention/docview/2546005480/se-2?accountid=13380
Wells, R. (2023). The Impact and efficacy of e-counselling in an open distance learning environment: A mixed method exploratory study. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 37(2), 155–172. https://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2021.1924098
Zuber-Skerritt, O. (1996). New directions in action research. Falmer Press.
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Published
Jun 10, 2024
Article Details
How to Cite
Malto, G. A., Painaga, M. E., & Paz, E. (2024). School Leaders’ Experiences in Fostering Students’ Learning Engagement and Wellbeing During the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Normal Lights. https://doi.org/10.56278/tnl.vi.2446
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Research Article
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