ABSTRACT
This study examined the implementation of the Integrated Learning Experience (ILE) approach among Grade One teachers in Albay, focusing on curriculum integration, instructional strategies, assessment practices, and teacher readiness (competence, confidence, and self-efficacy). Using a descriptive-correlational design with data collected via Google Forms, findings showed moderate implementation, with self-efficacy as the strongest predictor. Readiness and implementation were positively correlated, though not significantly, indicating bidirectional growth. Teachers faced constraints in curriculum, resources, culture, organization, students, and pedagogy. A training program was proposed that emphasizes job-embedded professional development, peer mentoring, contextualized assessment, and communities of practice, while highlighting the roles of self-efficacy and contextual responsiveness in adaptive learning.
Keywords: Integrated Learning Experience (ILE), teacher readiness, self-efficacy, curriculum integration, instructional strategies
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Education serves as the cornerstone of a child's holistic development, and the early years of formal schooling lay the foundation for lifelong learning. In the Philippines, the Department of Education has recognized the importance of innovative and developmentally appropriate pedagogical approaches that address the diverse needs of young learners. Among these approaches is the Integrated Learning Experience (ILE), a framework that seeks to connect learning areas in meaningful and coherent ways, enabling Grade One pupils to make sense of their world through interconnected concepts rather than fragmented, subject-isolated instruction. The ILE approach is particularly significant in the context of early childhood education, where the integration of knowledge, skills, and values across disciplines mirrors how children naturally perceive and understand their environment.
The Province of Albay, nestled in the Bicol Region of the Philippines, is home to a diverse network of public elementary schools serving communities across urban and rural areas. Grade One teachers in this province are entrusted with the formidable task of translating national curriculum mandates into classroom practice that is both engaging and responsive to local contexts. Implementing the ILE approach in this setting presents both opportunities and challenges as teachers navigate the demands of curriculum integration across varying levels of training, resources, and institutional support. Understanding how these educators put the ILE approach into practice is essential not only to improving instructional delivery but also to informing professional development initiatives that can strengthen early grade teaching across the province.
This study, therefore, seeks to examine the implementation of the Integrated Learning Experience (ILE) approach by Grade One teachers in the Province of Albay. Specifically, it aims to explore the extent to which teachers integrate learning experiences across subject areas, the strategies and methods they employ in doing so, and the challenges they encounter in the process. By generating empirical insights from classroom teachers' experiences, this research aims to offer meaningful recommendations to curriculum planners, school administrators, and policymakers committed to enhancing the quality of early childhood education in Albay and beyond. Ultimately, this study affirms the belief that effective implementation of the ILE approach is a vital step toward nurturing well-rounded, curious, and capable learners in the foundational years of schooling.
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