3. Introduction
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers accepted the challenges of distance
learning. Focusing on supporting the students and accomplishing tough tasks to cater
learning despite the limited means while struggling with the same personal responsibilities
as everyone else faces. While programs such as social support had been catered for
students and parents; less focus has been given on maintaining the mental and social
awareness of teachers who, like everybody else, are also trying to remain stable amidst the
new normal. As another phase of the pandemic has come to light, the transition from
distance learning to blended learning leads to another adjustment for teachers and
learners.
4. Background of the Study
Things have evolved amidst the pandemic, including
education. The transition from distance learning to blended
learning is at pace. Indeed, changes are uncontrollable.
Teachers’ task to adjust in this fast transition is inevitable as
they are expected to be always flexible. As many focus on
teaching, physical health and preventing illnesses, it is also
important to prioritize things that could maintain life’s
holistic balance. While it is still apparent that the pandemic
has not ended yet, things are starting to get different, and
everyone try their best to be productive. To cope with these
challenges, it is necessary to be transparent with the
experiences, thoughts, emotions and find potential support
and resources with healthy communication.
5. Theoretical Framework
The model above shows a diagram that
outlines all the components of the
Complex Adaptive Blended Learning
System, or CABLES framework. The
learner sits at the center of the model, but
all components impact each other. There
are six elements in the system, all with
their own sub-systems. These six
elements are the learner, the teacher, the
technology, the content, the learning
support, and the institution.
Figure 1.
The Complex Adaptive Blended Learning System
6. Conceptual Framework
Figure 2 presents
the IPO model of the
Mental and Social
Awareness of Teachers
towards Blended Learning
7. Statement of the Problem
This study aims to determine of the Level of Mental and Social Awareness of
Teachers in Eusebio Santos Elementary School Towards Blended Learning.
Specifically, this study aims to answer the following:
1.) What is the demographic profile of the respondents as to:
1.1 age;
1.2 gender;
1.3 civil status;
1.4 position;
1.5 educational attainment;
1.6 number of years in teaching?
8. 2.) What is the level of awareness of the respondents in blended
learning in terms of:
2.1 mental awareness;
2.2 social awareness;
2.3 coping strategies?
3.) is there a significant difference in the Level of Mental and Social
Awareness of Teachers in Eusebio Santos Elementary School Towards
Blended Learning in terms of:
3.1 age;
3.2 gender;
3.3 civil status;
3.4 position;
3.5 educational attainment;
3.6 number of years in teaching?
9. 4.) What management program can be
proposed to address the mental and social
awareness needs of teachers towards blended
learning?
10. Hypothesis
There is a significant difference
between the level of mental and
social awareness of teachers
towards blended learning.
11. Significance of the Study
This study aims to know the level of mental and social awareness of teachers
towards blended learning. Specifically, this study aims to be beneficial to the
following:
Teachers. This study may lead to realization about the importance of
maintaining wellness to improve their mental and social attitude towards their
work, while having a balance with their personal well-being.
Students. This study may serve as a reminder for them that they are only
not the ones who are struggling with the educational challenges brought by the
pandemic and that their teachers are always there to help them.
Parents. This study aims to reach out with the parents to maintain their
support with their children’s education despite the fast-paced transition through
blended learning.
School Heads. This study aims to offer some interventions for wellness
management programs of the school in establishing psychosocial assistance and
mental health awareness for teachers.
Future Researchers. This study aims to help future researchers to have more
grounds in regards with the study in such way that they could use this as
reference so that they could discover more and will eventually open more doors of
information.
12. Scope and Delimitation
This study is constrained to the teachers’ mental and
social awareness towards blended learning. This also
limits the coverage to the teachers at Eusebio C.
Santos Elementary School. Its focus is to determine
the level of mental and social awareness of teachers in
blended learning.
This study is limited to the teachers at Eusebio C.
Santos Elementary School who are rendering their
services for School Year 2022-2023 and have
experience in transitioning from distance learning to
blended learning modality.
13. Definition of Terms
Mental Health Awareness- is the ongoing effort to reduce the
stigma around mental illness and mental health conditions by
sharing our personal experiences.
Social Awareness- The ability to take the perspective of and
empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds
and cultures.
Blended Learning- a style of education in which students learn
via electronic and online media as well as traditional face-to-face
teaching.
Coping strategies- are the behaviors, thoughts, and emotions that
you use to adjust to the changes that occur in your life. Coping
Styles. There are many coping styles that people use, and some
may prove more effective than others, depending on the nature of
the stressful situation and the person who is employing them.
Distance Learning- a method of studying in which lectures are
broadcast or classes are conducted by correspondence or over the
internet, without the student's needing to attend a school or
college. Also called distance education
Transition- the process or a period of changing from one state or
condition to another.
Awareness- knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.
Learning Modalities- are the sensory channels or pathways through
which individuals give, receive, and store information.
COVID-19 Pandemic- also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an
ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019.
Well-being- the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.
Psychosocial Support- includes any support that people receive to
protect or promote their mental health and psychosocial wellbeing. One
major component of MHPSS is treatment and prevention of psychiatric
disorders such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD).
Balance- a condition in which different elements are equal or in the
correct proportions.
Holistic- characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as
intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.
15. Foreign Literature
Since the start of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, teachers have worked tirelessly to help
students access online learning, organized food parcels for their students, dealt with
escalating safeguarding issues because of lockdown, assured keyworker provision, all
whilst taking care of their own families. And they have been paying the price for their
unwavering commitment in the shape of a mental health and wellbeing crisis that
demands our urgent attention.
The Chartered College of Teaching first highlighted the potential negative impact of
the COVID-19 outbreak on teacher and student wellbeing in May 2020
They are often the first to respond to students’ socio-emotional needs in such situations
and are regularly involved in delivering interventions in these contexts, often without
adequate support or training (Child Bereavement UK, 2018; Zhang et al., 2016).
As stated by Muller (2022), while there is not necessarily a “profile” of a blended
teacher, K-12 teachers practicing blended teaching do tend to exhibit common
characteristics, such as flexibility and a focus on personalized instruction. Flexibility is
essential to successful blended teaching as each day presents new challenges and
opportunities. Keeping learning student-centered and being open to student input are
crucial components of personalized instruction.
16. B. RELATED STUDIES
Foreign Studies
According to Waters (2021), actions taken to promote school well-being should be
systematized and based on scientific data to gather empirical evidence that will
eventually be reported in academic or professional environments.
The authors promote goals to empower teachers through teaching practices that
integrate wellness practices into their curricula. Creating interventions with a
context-based approach that will foster skills to increase well-being in the
classroom. Social relationships and connections are the building blocks of
multidimensional well-being models. Relationships between teachers and students
are paramount in the development of well-being and these have a special
importance during the Covid-19 pandemic. Studies have revealed the relevance of
the interaction between teachers and students in an online teaching environment
(Hamdan et al., 2021).
17. Local Studies
One of the major consequences of Covid-19 in educational
settings has been the transition from face-to-face instruction to
emergency remote teaching in order to maintain teaching and
learning quality standards (United Nations Educational
Scientific Cultural Organization, 2020; Garcia et al., 2021).
Studies have shown a marked increase in stress and burnout in
teachers (Pellerone, 2021) and technostress among university
teachers during the pandemic as a result of different reasons
both subjective and objective (Penado-Abilleira et al., 2021),
moderate to low levels of stress, anxiety and depression in
school and university teachers (Ozamiz-Etxebarria et al., 2021).
Fear of contagion and risk perception in the school context, and
teacher with higher levels of anxiety considered that the
possibility of reopening schools was not a priority (Weinert et
al., 2021).
18. Synthesis
Findings on the related literature and studies show the significance of
social and mental awareness of teachers towards blended learning. It also
discussed about the effects of pandemic and the need for learning
transition to cater with the changing needs of the learners. This global
challenge led to unprecedented changes not only to students but also to the
teachers.
Teachers indeed need to assess their level of awareness in order eliminate
the negative effects of the pandemic as they go through their professional
scopes. The studies reveal that teachers have experienced higher levels of
distress due to the workload generated during the lockdown. In conclusion,
to prevent health problems among teachers in future similar situations, it
would be important to facilitate the practice of physical activity and
psychosocial support. Furthermore, teacher training in blended or online
educational methods would be essential for their positive work
development (Mingoa, 2017).
19. Local Literature
In an article by Gewertz (2021), Teachers’ stress and
anxiety have soared, and their morale has plummeted
during the pandemic, a flammable combination that
could burn them out and lead them to leave their jobs.
It’s more important than ever, experts say, for districts
to support their teachers by looking after their mental
health.
Even before the pandemic, districts were paying more
attention to teachers’ mental and emotional wellness,
offering sessions on mindfulness, yoga, exercise, and
healthy eating. But COVID-19 has created wildfires of
mental and emotional suffering across all job sectors,
including teaching.
21. Research Method
This quantitative study will be using a descriptive research
design to describe the characteristics of the respondents that
are being studied.
The demographic profile of the student respondents will be
categorized in terms of age, gender, civil status, position,
educational attainment, and number of years in service.
This method will be used through the help of a researcher-
made survey questionnaire which will be validated to ensure
the quality of information collection to be used in the study.
The authenticity of the data to be collected from the
respondents will be observed.
22. Research Design
The researcher will use the descriptive survey method
in finding out the perceptions of the teachers at
Eusebio Santos Elementary School who served as
respondents. Vannette (2015), stated that surveys
provide a critical source of data for business and
academic fields, media, government, etc.
The population is composed of teachers at Eusebio
Santos Elementary School with a total of 56 teachers.
The respondents will be gathered through complete
enumeration (census).
23. Description of the Respondents
The respondents for the study will be the
teachers from Eusebio Santos
Elementary School with a total of 56
teachers who are rendering their services
in School Year 2022-2023.
24. Research Instrument
The researcher-made instrument will be utilized to determine
the level of mental and social awareness of teachers from
Eusebio C. Santos Elementary School towards blended
learning. It contains two main parts:
The first part of the instrument will be composed of the
demographic profile of the respondents in terms of: age, gender,
civil status, position, educational attainment, and number of
years in service.
The second part will consist of items focusing on the level of
mental and social awareness of teachers from Eusebio C.
Santos Elementary School towards blended learning in terms
of: mental awareness, social awareness, and coping strategies.
25. The questionnaires to be answered by the respondents will be in the form of Likert
Scale. This type of scale uses a fixed-choice type of response format and is designed
to measure attitudes or opinions. The Likert scale or frequency scales measure levels
of agreement/disagreement (Bowling, 1997; Burns & Grove, 1997).
The Likert Scale shall be used in the questionnaires given to the respondents where
each of the following numerical value was interpreted with the given equivalence.
Weighted Value Verbal Interpretation
4 Strongly Agree
3 Agree
2 Disagree
1 Strongly Disagree
26. Validation of Instrument
The research instrument will be proofread and
validated by a research grammarian to ensure its
accuracy and validity before conducting the survey
and before distributing the materials to
respondents.
27. Data-Gathering Procedure
Upon selection of tools for data collection, the
researcher will seek prior permission from the
School Principal to collect necessary data. If the
advisers will allow the research to be conducted
with the school’s approval, the survey
questionnaires will be distributed, and the
participants will be informed of the study’s purpose
and to participate with consent.
