Lived experiences of senior high school focal persons in the implementation of work immersion program
Rommel Erwin Anca
Abstract
Work immersion is one of the hallmarks of the Senior High School (SHS) curriculum aimed to instill work ethics, relevant skills, and values essential for succeeding in real-world environments. This study explored the lived experiences of SHS focal persons implementing Work Immersion Program (WIP). It utilized phenomenological research design. With the help of an interview guide, the researcher gathered data from the purposively selected participants: six for in-depth interview and six for focus group discussion. Using the inductive thematic analysis, one category of theme was generated: program limitations and concerns as characterized by the following experiences: troubled finding industry partners, stressed due to overlapping schedules, feeling constrained due to inaccessibility of program resources, and overwhelmed by safety and security issues. The participants shared that they employ proactive actions as coping mechanism such as: establishing relationships with stakeholders, crafting training matrix and program continuity plan, organizing a skills training and institutional assessment, and communicating WIP guidelines and policies. Moreover, the insights drawn from SHS focal persons’ experiences in implementing WIP recommends paying attention to the program priorities such as including WIP to school planning, to appreciate the significance of program evaluation and monitoring; adapting best practices through benchmarking; and valuing the importance of setting up memorandum of agreement. Revisiting the program can be significant and beneficial to the learners and the implementers for sustainability and development of this program.
Keywords
senior high school, work immersion program, program evaluation, implementation and monitoring, thematic analysis, teacher experiences, Region XI Philippines
Author information & Contribution
Dr. Rommel Erwin Q. Anca serves as the Research and Development Director and Dean of Hospitality Management at ACES Polytechnic College, Inc. He is a seasoned college professor, research panelist, editor, and panel reactor. Dr. Anca also plays a pivotal role as a conference organizer and moderator in the Annual Panuhid Multidisciplinary Research Congress.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Funding
This work was not supported by any funding.
Declaration
Notes
This paper is presented at the 2nd Panuhid Multidisciplinary Research Congress.
Acknowledgement
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Cite this article:
Anca, R. (2024). Lived experiences of senior high school focal persons in the implementation of work immersion program. The Research Probe, 4(2), 112-129. https://doi.org/10.53378/trp.1224.143
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