ABSTRACT
This qualitative study sought to explore the administrative and supervisory practices of school heads in integrated schools, with the goal of using the findings as a basis for policy recommendations. The research was carried out in five (5) selected integrated schools within the Schools Division of Iloilo City. A researcher-developed interview guide was used to collect data from five school heads, and thematic analysis was employed to interpret and describe the data. The findings indicated that school heads’ practices in integrated schools were managing school operations and resources, planning, engaging stakeholders, conducting classroom observations, and providing support to teachers. The challenges met were resource shortages, multiple responsibilities, limited time ,and diverse teaching and learning needs. In addressing the challenges, the following themes emerged: strategic delegation and team empowerment, building strong partnerships, structured decision-making, ethical leadership, and professional development initiatives. The findings of this study served as the foundation for suggesting policy recommendations.
Keywords: Administrative and Supervisory Practices, School Heads, Integrated Schools, Policy Recommendation
INTRODUCTION
In the Philippine context, reading comprehension among secondary learners remains an area of concern, with recent data indicating that high school learners often demonstrate only moderate levels of understanding when working with English texts.
According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018, only 19% of Filipino learners reached the minimum proficiency level in reading, meaning that the vast majority—81%—were unable to demonstrate even basic skills in understanding and analyzing written texts (OECD, 2019). These results highlighted significant challenges in the ability of Filipino learners to interpret information, draw inferences, and evaluate textual meaning, all of which are critical components of reading literacy.
More recently, the PISA 2022 cycle revealed that the Philippines continued to lag behind other participating countries, with learners scoring an average of 347 in reading, substantially lower than the OECD average of 476 (OECD, 2023). The low scores indicate persistent gaps in comprehension skills, including difficulties in identifying main ideas, understanding implied meaning, and critically engaging with texts. These findings underscore the ongoing need for effective interventions and instructional strategies—such as targeted reading programs, teacher professional development, and the strategic use of bilingual teaching methods like code-switching—that can help Filipino learners build stronger reading comprehension skills and perform at levels comparable to their international peers.
Laurente and Banggawan (2024) emphasized that code-switching serves as an effective instructional strategy that bridges linguistic differences and supports the development of deeper reading comprehension skills.
Incorporating code-switching as an instructional approach can significantly enhance learners’ reading comprehension, particularly among junior high school learners who often struggle to fully grasp English texts due to linguistic and cultural differences (Ramirez and Lopez, 2023).
With this, the researcher conducted this research to understand the teachers’ and learners’ experiences with the utilization of mixing languages in instruction, reading comprehension as a basis for the construction of an in-service training program.
see PDF attachment for more information