Ang Magturo ay Di Biro A HERMENEUTIC PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY ON THE LIVED-EXPERIENCES OF MATH EDUCATORS IN OUT-OF-FIELD TEACHING

Abstract

Out-of-field teaching is a significant threat to the provision of quality education. In this context, teachers are tasked to teach subjects outside their specialization. Although several studies have been conducted about out-of-field teaching, nothing is known about the lived experiences in the context of math educators that have utilized Gadamer’s hermeneutic framework in gathering and analyzing data. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study is to determine the meaning of the lived experiences of math educators in out-of-field teaching experiences. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological design, a sample of 10 math educators was purposively selected following selection criteria from 2 distinct divisions in the Philippines. This approach allowed for a comprehensive exploration and interpretation of the participants' experiences and meaning-making processes. After a series of rigorous steps, four major themes emerged from the narrative accounts including (a) out-of-field teaching presents content, pedagogical, and technological issues, (b) out-of-field teaching causes mental and emotional disturbances among teachers, (c) out-of-field teaching requires enough learning resources and proper training/mentoring, and (d) out-of-field teaching entails adaptive behaviors among teachers. These identified themes were important in illustrating the phenomenon and offered new perspectives as a basis for educational reforms and policy-making.