Abstract
COVID-19 pandemic has affected the country’s educational system including the Alternative Learning System (ALS). The ALS adapts to the new normal of teaching using the modular learning. This phenomenological qualitative research design aimed to determine the lived experiences of the 7 ALS learners during school year 2021-2022. In-depth interviews on the participants were conducted. Data gathered showed 6 essential themes: (a) student-mothers with dual roles; (b) student-workers: learning while earning; (c) unemployment/unable to find work; (d) difficulty in coping modular instructions; (e) resilience and hope; and (f) overcoming challenges. Most learners did not completed their portfolios and preferred to work due to the difficulties in the scheduled distribution and retrieval of modules, financial problems including the sudden increase in transportation fare, male learners need to work to provide the needs of their family, and female learners need to prioritize their children and do household tasks while the husbands are working. The study determined the most effective interventions for these learners to obtain satisfactory rating in their presentation portfolio assessments at the end of the school year.
Keywords: Lived Experiences of Alternative Learning System (ALS) Learners during the Pandemic
*This paper is presented at the 4th International Conference on Multidisciplinary Industry and Academic Research (ICMIAR) 2023
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