Spiral Progression Approach in Teaching Science: The Challenges Faced by Science Teachers

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Among the different subjects or disciplines, Science is one of the subjects that undergo major revisions. One of which is the decongestion of the competencies and arrangement in the spiral progression manner. In the old curriculum, a specific discipline is being offered at each grade level. However, in the spiral progression approach, the different disciplines in science have been incorporated at every level. This study aimed to identify the challenges that hinder the full implementation of the Spiral Progression Approach on teachers.

METHODS

This study employed the descriptive-qualitative research which involved observations and interviews and utilized phenomenological research technique to form descriptive themes. The author interviewed 5 Science teachers of different schools who were teaching the subject for about 5-10 years. The in-depth face-to-face interview with teachers provided rich data that can help in meeting the research objectives. The data were coded and analyzed according to the research questions.

RESULTS

The research resulted in five major themes that emerged out of the experiences shared by the respondents which indicated that teachers implement the Spiral Progression Approach in teaching Science as directed in the K to 12 Curriculum yet difficulties arise which affects the teaching-learning process. Teachers have tried the best of their ability to teach the subject using only the available resources to implement the Spiral Progression Approach which was observed to be successful to some level through good cooperation among peers. The study identified challenges that include scarcity in teaching and learning materials, inadequate infrastructure, time restrictions, lack of training among teachers, large number of students, lack of support from the government, and lack of mastery on the subject matter, furthermore the negative attitude of teachers toward the Spiral Progression Approach was observed and recorded.

DISCUSSIONS

From the preceding findings, the researcher concluded that shifting might help with teacher burn out as well as boredom. The teacher also serves as the facilitator of the learning process and the student will be more participative from the different activities provided in their manual. However, some science teachers are still adapting to Spiral Progression Approach, they needed more time and training to master all the fields and to learn new Teaching strategies because it is difficult to teach something, in which one does not have the necessary mastery.