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Research Article

Unveiling Teacher Roles in Strengthening Early Childhood Education: A Phenomenological Study in Buguias District, Benguet, Philippines

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Abstract

The study, Unveiling Teacher Roles in Strengthening Early Childhood Education: A Phenomenological Study in Buguias District, listened to the lived experiences of early childhood teachers in public elementary schools in Buguias, Benguet. Using a phenomenological design, the study invited 10 teachers (purposive sampling) to share their stories in semi-structured interviews and analyzed the data with Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis. The phenomenological essence that emerged is that teachers experience their role as relational, culture-rooted, and resourceful at once caregiver, advocate, and learning designer balancing curriculum expectations with children’s needs while weaving local culture and play into lessons and improvising with whatever is on hand. Teachers named real constraints: scarce age-appropriate materials, irregular training, and rooms not designed for young learners. In response, they crafted low-cost, locally relevant materials, built parent and community partnerships, and drew on supervisory guidance to keep learning developmentally appropriate and inclusive. What mattered most was creating a classroom where children felt safe, seen, and ready to explore. The findings point to practical supports that match this reality: ongoing, context-embedded professional learning and coaching (not one-off workshops), steady provision of age-appropriate resources and child-friendly spaces, and stronger school–community coordination that honors local culture. Grounding interventions in these everyday conditions can help teachers sustain play, inclusion, and meaningful learning, keeping early childhood education in rural, mountainous districts practical, equitable, and community-rooted.

Keywords:

Buguias District Challenges Early Childhood Education Phenomenology Rural Education Strategies Teacher Roles

Article information

Journal

Journal of Education, Learning, and Management

Volume (Issue)

2(2), (2025)

Pages

223-241

Published

21-10-2025

How to Cite

Bayangan, S. T. (2025). Unveiling Teacher Roles in Strengthening Early Childhood Education: A Phenomenological Study in Buguias District, Benguet, Philippines. Journal of Education, Learning, and Management, 2(2), 223-241. https://doi.org/10.69739/jelm.v2i2.899

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